#the song take a different vibe and so now we have each of them w their different textures

[honeyvenommusic]

still on this new Last Dinosaurs single because EVERYBODY’S LEAD SINGER NOW I LOVE THAT SHIT :)))

[gnabnahc]

Hiiii, canon comp skz fic anon here, thank you so much for answering my question over with chanrizard :) Coming off anon because I have more questions if I may, please. Do we know if chris/felix/jisung/jeongin shared a room in the dorm too, or were they more evenly distributed across those three rooms that skz ended up taking over completely in ep 2 of the show? My understanding was that Changbin, Hyunjin, and Seungmin were also already around (basing this on how long they said they were trainees for from ep 1), tho presumably in a different dorm I guess? And that Minho joined as a trainee last... Sorry, just trying to get my timelines straight here before I write too much more fic *sweatdrop*

omg no problem of course!!!

based on what we see in the show, those 4 are already at the dorm space they seemed to keep until 2022-ish. this is what it looks like when we first see it:

they all end up moving their things around so i don't think they shared rooms necessarily, but definitely the dorm itself! i know for sure chris used to room with young k of day6 (and roomed with him the longest, i think they said abt 5 years), and if memory serves i believe bambam also shared with them (fun fact, they used to steal young k's mattress off of his bed and drag it around to eat fast food on)

i don't think it's ever really said by anyone, but i personally have always assumed people that live in seoul sort of used the dorms as needed if they're staying late (which was...a lot), but those who had come from overseas or other parts of korea that were too far had more permanent spots in the dorms (of course), or maybe had separate ones even based on that distinction.

i think they also tried to keep them pretty close to each "debut group", but not necessarily stuck to it, but for reference the original debut group for skz was chan, allen (now in cravity), jisung, changbin, steven (now in luminous/ahof), hyunjin, jeongin, yao chen (former r1se member now a soloist), seungmin, felix,🤢woojin, and minho at the very tail end. cute pic of (most) of them all here (p sure thats minho in the very bottom lmao)!

which if u want a brief history lesson for some backstory:

yao chen ended up going to a chinese boy group called r1se (that...no longer exists but he's v successful solo now! i do wonder if he was actually meant to be in boy story but was perhaps a bit too old/concepts were changed? their oldest are 04 liners LMAO) and allen was actually meant to be in it as well but apparently didnt like the idea so he ended up going to starship and minho ended up taking allen's spot in the group and show despite being there like barely two months (p sure allen had been in there for a WHILE). steven's never said anything about why he left jyp, but he was on produce 101 and i'm p sure left sometime after that (common).

there was an additional almost member named john aquino who ended up moving back to america, but he's met up with them before on tour and also put up one of the funniest instagram stories i've ever seen of him putting bottoms up by trey songz to the my house cover chris did calling him mr.stealyourgirl because he "has that kind of vibe about him" (also realized getting this tweet the Youth™️ do not know abt this song and have proceeded to make a big deal abt it and taking it as like....Fact and serious bc they didn't live through the swag era like some of us). here's another funny ass tweet w/ some posts. i think this is the funniest way i've ever seen somebody refer to him as being sexy by saying he could take anyone because he's so hot and charismatic (it's also soooooo late millennial/early gen z of him sLKSDJGLKSD john reminds me of young k's old friend from toronto terry actually)

other boys who were considered i believe at some point: yuchan and byeongkwan, who both left in abt 2016 to go to beat interactive and debuted in a.c.e (yuchan and chris were the treadmill zombies in the twice mv for like ooh-ahh!) and daehwi and woojin from ab6ix!

all that to say i have to assume all these boys were in these dorms at one point given they were all overseas trainees (yao chen from china, steven from sydney, and allen and john from the us), so if anyone was bunking there it was them, which would also explain why those beds were empty now since they were no longer part of the debut project. i wanna say maybe allen and chris shared a room at some point but i can't put fact to that, but allen has a lot of stories about chris's mom so they were close! if you want the order of who joined:

chris (2010), jisung (2014-2015-ish), jeongin, hyunjin, changbin, woojin (2015-2016), felix, seungmin (2016/2017, seungmin passed an open audition, felix finished out his school year), minho (2017)

lmk if this helps any!!! old jyp lore is my favorite topic 😊

[meyhew]

i know you’ve stepped away from the fandom and so have i, so you probably wouldn’t care for this question too much but i still want to ask you this (at the risk of sounding parasocial) because you look at things Objectively. so i was checking the recent nouis interactions and most (all) of the recent ones were only one sided (louis’) and i got kinda off vibes from niall. i am starting to think niall is also kinda going the harry route but on a much more human scale lol. he seems to be distancing himself from 1d, in the media, at least and limits his interactions w the boys unless it’s harry. i could be very wrong here because i haven’t been here to see everything but something just gave me off vibes from niall towards louis… they were playing lollapalooza berlin together last year, most likely different dates, but there was nothing, no interaction, no mention that i saw or found which is weird to me

hello <3 how recent are we talking? bc i actually unfollowed all of them except zayn about a year before liam’s passing so im very out of the loop about specifics. but i rmbr niall interacting with some of louis’ posts about FITF (granted that was a couple of years ago now, but it’s also louis’ last musical endeavor). and i rmbr him mentioning louis in a few interviews but i also haven’t seen much press stuff as of late. he Could be putting some professional distance and i cant bring myself to be upset or annoyed if it’s true. he and liam and louis were really good abt their connection to 1d for a long time in a way that didn’t feel forced (i’d say harry’s felt natural too, but unforch he never rly got very personal about it. very much kept it limited to performing a song and occasionally saying the band was wonderful, which is fine and normal but markedly different from the others’ approach). after the first couple of years of the hiatus ppl started expecting niall to always talk about the band and other members, and im sure after a while that got old for him.

moving forward tho i wouldn’t blame them if 1d becomes a blacklisted topic entirely. i saw headlines abt louis saying he can’t perform in 1d without liam. louis “throws cold water” on 1d reunion, it said, and yeah. if they never want to talk abt the band or each other publicly again it’d be fine by me. like take the whole zayn of it all—i’m sure louis isn’t the only one he’s reconnected with. that just happens to be what we saw because i think they knew we needed it. a distraction, something good to focus on amid the tragedy, and louis has always been good abt looking after the fan base. but i just know in my bones zayn has sat down with niall and harry somewhere we couldn’t see. and i don’t need to see it, not anymore. sometimes things are just done privately and it’s fine

the niall/harry mentions could also be bc (last i checked) they’re both signed to the same talent agency. could be an easy marketing tactic but i honestly have not paid attention to that stuff in forever so i can’t say it with much confidence

[bramblesthatcat]

i know im not a steven universe blog but youtube knows i used to be a mentally ill middle schooler so i got recommended a bunch of SU songs and now i've binged the show again + movie + future and idk here r some of my SU opinions/hc bc fuck it why not.

opinions/thoughts

i totally think the Diamonds were redeemed way too quickly, and rewatching season 5 made me realize how god awful the pacing of that season was. they really needed a season 6 or like, split 5 in half idfk

obviously theres a difference between redemption and forgiveness, but I really wish that SU:F focused on that more bc it would've been a great internal conflict for steven but we only get like an 11 minute episode based on it (and yeah u could say that steven having mommy issues in Future is basically that but imo mommy issues r different than diamond issues)

pearl has the patience of a saint bc if my magical girl literal goddess of a gf/situationship left me for the 90's equivalent of a soundcloud rapper id never stop raging (yes this is partially a copypasta of that one tweet but they hit the nail on the head fr)

rewatching the series i love pearl so much i really see my younger self in her, especially w/ how autistic coded she is in regards to her feelings/emotions

i love seeing the different classic manga/anime artist styles reflected in each of the diamonds, like pinks design is so sailor moon vibes

steven shouldve flipped his shit before Future like, at least 6 times

headcannons/silly lil ideas

i like to think after SU:F and he's had time to heal, steven tries to connect with the diamonds and not run from/suppress that part of his family, like he's not gonna be 100% w/ them but he tries to at least accept it

steven also connects with greg's side of the family! idk I like to imagine he spends a lot of holidays with them to catch up on all the ones he missed

steven spends his summers in beach city and every other part of the year he dedicates to travel (idk he never seemed the type to settle down anywhere for long, and i fw the wandering nomad type)

steven grows his hair out as he gets older, like young-greg length (long haired men > literally any other hairstyle), despite the length it stays curly

once steven begins to accept/cope w/ being part diamond, he lets his hair go pink (either by dyeing it or magic, take ur pick) with the mentality of "im reclaiming this color from my mommy issues, also i look cool af" (this hc is mainly based off of how I like steven's pink hair in Future. style was first, lore was second lol)

post-Future steven is 1000% more willing to throw hands and lose his shit but in like a coping way bc he knows if he keeps it pent up it'll be 10x worse

steven definitely starts one of those van life style tiktok accounts and has a bunch of cats as his van pets

[citrus-swirls]

I have a playlist for Something About Blood Feeding the Garden. I associate music with books/fics a lot of the time and would love to hear if anyone has any songs they associate with my fic, or what songs you associate with other fics (parx or not!).

The order to this playlist is not in order of how I see it in the fic, but rather how I like how it sounds lol. There is a lot of my thinking behind plot points and behind the scenes stuff below too if you are interested :) I never want my author's notes to be very long so hopefully someone out there is interested in these rambles.

Pesticides Remix - Moselle & Matt Hip. This is where the title comes from, and is the ethos of the fic. Even though it's from Geoff's POV, to me I feel like Awsten is still responsible for the inciting actions and this is Awsten's song. I was interested in writing about the grief process, and how that differs from person to person and how we handle how other people mourn. I heard this song for the first time when V and I were outlining the story, and this just felt like fate and really shaped the story I wanted to tell.

my tears ricochet - Taylor Swift. This is Geoff's grief song. I think he feels very stagnant, especially in part 2 and most of part 3. This song also was a good theme for when Awsten and Geoff weren't speaking to each other.

Are You Really Okay? - Sleep Token. This song comes mostly into play in parts 2 & 3 as well. "And I cannot fix your wounds this time / But I don't believe you when you tell me you are fine".

This Empty Northern Hemisphere - Gregory Alan Isakov. This song inspired the radio station, with the lines "While you were sleeping I was the turning the dials / And I walled up your kingdom with radio wires / And the bells of the choir came in low and rumbling ". Fun fact there was originally going to be a radio station at the Zoo; I had imagined Great Uncle Joseph as this very eccentric old man with a million hobbies, and I wanted Awsten to start running the station and Travis & Jawn hear them and try to find them. But I quickly ran into the issue of...how would Travis & Jawn know where to find a random radio station in backwoods Texas lol.

Something in the Orange - Zach Bryan. This song is for right after Otto and Geoff's kiss in part 1. "If you leave today, I'll just stare at the way / The orange touches all things around / The grass, trees and dew, how I just hate you / Please turn those headlights around"

The Prophecy - Taylor Swift. Ugh, what part of this song ISN'T perfect for this fic? This song is mostly for part 6, with Awsten desperate to change the tides.

Gilded Lily - Cults. This is Aria's theme song actually. I was hoping someone by now would comment on it but nobody has haha, Aria and Owen are meant to be a direct mirror of Awsten and Otto. Desperate, crazy, stupid, with ill conceived plans but enough love to make it worth it.

Dinner & Diatribes - Hozier. I'll be honest this one is mainly because it sounds good audibly with the rest of the playlist and it helps when I listen to music while writing. Take that as you will.

Mylo Xyloto and Hurts Like Heaven - both by Coldplay. This entire album (also called Mylo Xyloto) has influenced this fic so badly I had to include it. Mylo Xyloto is an intro song that flows into Hurts Like Heaven, and Hurts Like Heaven is the first song they hear in part one on the CB radio. I wanted them to have something joyous and magnificent and hopeful and loving. I love listening to this album full blast driving down the highway with the windows down.

Who'll Stop The Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival. This song has been on every zombie apocalypse playlist I've ever made, and it's never named but it is the second song they hear in part one on the radio. This song is included mostly for vibes.

Button On Brown - Alan Gogoll. Another song for vibes/background for writing.

Soon You'll Get Better (feat. The Chicks) - Taylor Swift. This will come into play......later. :)

As the World Caves In - Matt Maltese. Another vibes song that works for apocalypse/dying romance setting.

Spiral - Flyte. This album (The Loved Ones) is one of my all time favorites. This is Geoff and Awsten in the sunflower hut in part 3, kissing for the first time.

Killing Me - Conan Gray. I feel this is part 3 when Geoff & Awsten aren't talking. Originally there was going to be a huge part where Geoff feels jealous how Awsten has been mourning Otto, and feels he can't compete for his love. And then I was like well that is stupid. But the song stays because it's great.

The Very First Night - Taylor Swift. This is like Geoff and Awsten's love for Otto basically. "I wish I could fly / I'd pick you up and we'd go back in time / I'd write this in the sky / I miss you like it was the very first night"

I Know The End - Phoebe Bridgers. Classic apocalypse playlist song, really.

Polarize - Twenty One Pilots. I'm not sure I realized how long this playlist is until right now. This song is very Geoff to me.

Swim - Maggie Miles. This song was at V's request for Otto. It's a banger. "Roamin' through a dream with an unfulfilling motive / Say you're better now but your mouth fills with poison"

Swimming In The Glow - Joywave. Another song at V's request for Otto. This kind of feeling of perpetual waiting.

Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons. This song just sounds good with the rest. Filler. I suppose you could argue this is another Geoff song but that was not its purpose to me.

Vignette - Twenty One Pilots. THE Zombie Otto song. This song inspired Otto having an inner world, this and the movie I Saw The TV Glow which honestly is not a movie I enjoyed much but it did remind me of a fanfiction I read on Livejournal when I was maybe thirteen of a similar plotline, where someone was sick and had an elaborate ongoing fantasy to cope.

Pink Skies - Zach Bryan. This song comes into play in part 6. :)

You And Whose Army? - Radiohead. Vibes song.

Jesus From Texas - Semler. A friend recently recommended this to me and I sobbed thinking of Geoff in this au.

Fable - Gigi Perez. Another very recent add. It reminded me of Nick, strangely enough, which is a perfect segue into my OCs. I love these OCs I have created. I know OCs aren't everyone's cup of tea, and to be frank I normally despise OCs in fics and think they are annoying and filler, but I needed a better balance to make this world truly feel like an apocalypse. I needed a family we didn't know for the Zoo so Awsten & Geoff could mourn safely, I needed a compound of migrants who settled around a military base because that is something that would happen. I needed a matriarch, I needed children, I needed characters who are coping just fine and others who haven't coped at all. So I hope you love them, because I do. And if you don't, well. The fic is almost over haha.

I hope you enjoyed this! Would love to chat if you have any thoughts or suggested songs, or if you have your own fic playlists. Also sorry for the numbering issues, Tumblr made me break them up for character limit reasons.

[borom1r]

@theshakespearetrash SENT ME MORE ASKS ILYYYYYY TYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!! this round is abt remake!John Ryder + my OC Kenneth >:3

(ask meme)

PRE-RELATIONSHIP

2– What was their first impression of each other?

Kenneth thought John was the hottest person he’d ever seen in his life. John thought Ken was a freak weirdo with issues (correct)

6– If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think?

Ken would’ve believed you. John would’ve scoffed

7– What would their lives be like if they had never met?

HM. Ken probably would’ve died in a car crash and/or some other insane snuff scenario. he was looking to get hurt when he picked up John.

John would’ve died a red smear on a New Mexico highway thanks to the butt of Grace’s shotgun.

GENERAL

2– Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like?

sort of???? Ken counts their first night together as their first date, since “date nights” generally involve murder or seedy motel room roleplays lmao.

so not. SUPER official, but Ken picked up John, got turned on when John threatened him with a knife which John really wasn’t expecting. Ken drove them both to a motel room + the rest is history!

3– What was their first kiss like?

VERY UN-ROMANTIC. John bit the shit out of Ken’s bottom lip. (un)fortunately for everyone involved, Ken found that extremely hot.

4– Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?

uh yeah actually. mutually each other’s first Serious Committed Relationship. freak2freak communication.

5– What’s their height difference? Age difference?

Ken’s the same height as John (they r both 5’10) + John is 20 yrs older (48 to Ken’s 28)

6– What’s their relationship with each other’s families? Do they share a friend group?

NONEXISTENT + NONEXISTENT. They both cut ties w/ their family + Ken’s vibes are generally Strange and Offputting. has a couple work friends from the derby track. John has no friends.

7– Who takes the lead in social situations?

Positive social situations? Ken. Murders and/or fights? John

8– Who gets jealous easier?

JOHN. does not help that Ken likes to make him jealous

9– Who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear?

they mutually tease each other lol. this is bad if they’re in public bc it generally ends w/ some fucker getting killed on the side of a highway

LOVE

2– What are their primary love languages?

both touch, actually

3– Who uses cheesy pick-up lines?

KEN lol

4– How often do they cuddle/engage in PDA?

PDA? rare to never. cuddling? John has accepted it as an inevitability that Ken is gonna wind up w/ his head in John’s lap At Some Point if they’re home watching TV/relaxing

5– Who initiates kisses?

casual kisses, Ken. John gets bitey if they’re fucking + Ken’s just along for the ride, there

6– Who’s the big and little spoon?

they don’t normally spoon bc John finds it stifling, but if he’s having a bad day then Ken will big spoon

7– What are their favorite things to do together?

murder ppl??? modify cars??? have sex near crime scenes??? plot their mutual demise??? idk man they’re terrible people

8– Who’s better at comforting the other?

Ken’s better at comforting John

9– Who’s more protective?

KEN. Ken as a rule does not murder people (he just likes watching), but if there’s a risk of John getting hurt? he’ll tear the fucking world apart. especially after hauling John’s battered, BRAIN-DAMAGED body off the highway. he MAKES John wear a seatbelt now lmao

10– Do they prefer verbal or physical affection?

Physical for both. John’s terrible at verbal affection anyways lol

11– What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise?

LMFAO. CRASH BY GWEN STEFANI /hj

real answer is How We Operate by Gomez for obvious reasons, + I also really like Satan is My Motor by CAKE for them

12– What kind of nicknames do they call each other?

they don’t. Ken might call John “babe” once in a blue fucking moon but that’s it. John calls Ken “freak”

13– Who remembers the little things?

Kennnnnn but John gets a pass he had a traumatic brain injury

DOMESTIC LIFE

6– Who worries the most?

KEN. he doesn’t express it well but he worries sooooo much abt John + them potentially being tracked down. constantly updating escape plans

7– Who kills the bugs in the house?

both of them lol they don’t care abt bugs

8– How do they celebrate holidays?

Ken drags John kicking + screaming into a Festive Mood. it was a fucking fistfight getting John to celebrate his own birthday nevermind like. actual holidays. Ken is 100% the kind of person to just hang a plant in the door to the trailer so he has an excuse to kiss John (it’s definitely not mistletoe but stfu it still counts)

9– Who’s more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the morning?

also mutual actually. John doesn’t generally have anywhere to be until dark + Ken loves any excuse to Lay On John lol

10– Who’s the better cook?

John if he tried. he does not try. Ken can cook the basics. they get takeout most of the time

[bts-hyperfixation]

What would be your dream setlist for the boys to return on??

Okay,

So did a quick bit of research for this one and the boys seem to average 20 songs per concert with four encore songs. Obviously this won't take any songs they could release between now and 2025, and of course we don't know if they will launch straight in to a tour or if they will pause to work on an album, (my money is on a tour)

So this turned out to not be a set list so much as a full concert outline… bighit can absolutely hit me up to use it, I want VIP tickets as compensation. Okay,

We open on a video of the boys from children to their release from the army

Teasing us with opening notes from a dope until Namjoon appears centre stage from a trap door with the opening line from dope. Army cheer thinking that’s the first song until the other members pop out of the floor each to different songs where they have sung opening lines

1. No more dream - got to start strong, I would want them in costumes that are updated but still reminiscent of the original concept.

2. N.O.

3. Danger - I think you could edit these three songs together nicely

4. Run BTS

5. Opening ments with a soft costume change in order to get the rapline into regency wear for what the crowd assumes will be Deang… nope

6. The rap-line disappears from stage through trap doors leaving behind the vocal line as the opening tones for Haguem toll

7. Haguem goes into arson

8. Sexy Namkim just nj verse- none of NJ's mixtape songs currently fit the vibe I'm aiming for and I would pay all my money to see the moves done at the W performance done by fresh military personal vocal line

9. The lights fade dramatically and just as you think a VT will start the rap line descends on a UFO stage from above the sound booth. They are dressed like 90's pop stars - the next stage is a medley not full renditions

10. Seven blasts out Choreo done to a T

11. Like crazy

12. Some kind of spoken Segway

13. For us

14. Astronaut - all members sing as they return to the stage (the UFO flys the rupline over army heads)

15. Since kind of banter about them all singing each others solo stuff being weird.

16. Some kind of fan service where they sit together and look and find things fans have done while they were gone

17. Spine breaker

18. Anpanman

19. Dynamite/butter

20. Ending ment

21. Take two

22. Encore

23. Spring day

24. Magic shop

25. Mikrocosmos

26. What ever their first release after the army is

I may have gone a little over board on this….. is there anything you guys are dying to see them do as a band?

If you wanna please leave me your own set lists in my ask box. They don’t need to be anywhere near as detailed as mine.😂 or leave me your judgement on mine.

[kindlythevoid]

⭐

At first I was like: "Oh my gosh I don't know what to talk about, I feel like I've talked about everything already oh my goshhh"

INCORRECT

Here is A Waltz Is Still A Waltz: The Director's Commentary.

Cut to A Waltz Is Still A Waltz: The Director's Cut Commentary below for a play-by-play of the actual story with commentary. The following, A Waltz Is Still A Waltz: The Director's Commentary is simply behind-the-scenes of the creation and intent behind A Waltz Is Still A Waltz.

A Waltz Is Still A Waltz (known as WISW from now on) was definitely inspired by one of my favorite romance songs of all time, One Last Dance by Us the Duo. It is such a pretty song and it's based off a true story and it is just so sweet, I would definitely recommend listening to it (I'll put the spotify at the bottom for easy access). So anyway, I have these two Star Wars characters, right? Right. And I'm writing away at the OC-insert, but writing takes so long and these two characters are nowhere near meeting, but I like writing snippets that hopefully end up in fully-fledged chapters.

But I'm listening to this song and I'm listening (and mind you this happened a while ago so I really have no clue) and I try to write snippets as soon as they come to me or else they're gone forever, so I write down this little snippet. The whole thing is only a few hundred words and is supposed to be about them dancing alone on a warm night in their ship, just a cute little moment.

Two Problems with that.

One: Oh my gosh how do you write ppl that are dancing but not even dancing?? I sure as heck don't know which is why out of the (double checks) 736 words I wrote down, a grand total of 153 of them are about them dancing. Two paragraphs. I spend more time on them actually getting the tapes to play this music than I do on them actually, physically dancing. (I checked, it's 154 vs 153. Like!!! What???)

Do I have the power to go back and write more about them dancing? Yes.

Will I? AS SOON AS I FIGURE OUT HOW TO WRITE THESE TWO!!

Two: I haven't really?? Written the characters all that much?? Like Kirsi, definitely, we have some solid chapters down. Miikka?? I think I finally nailed down whether or not he was a ginger (a very defining feature, mind you) like, last month. Miikka has vibes right now. I don't know if that translates over to a fully-fleshed out personality.

Two-and-a-half-but-technically-Three: I don't?? write in Star Wars?? I've always wanted to, but a lot of fanfic writers are so good at navigating the universe and just throwing in (COMPLETELY CANON!!!) nonsense words for ordinary objects?? So I sit there gobsmacked trying to figure out the freaking parts of a spaceship that doesn't exist to write better. This whole thing is really just me trying to write Star Wars. I may have gone overboard.

Okay, here's the thing. I got a little over-excited about the music. If you were to ask me what this story is about, I would say "Oh, these two space travelers, my OCs Kirsi and Miikka, finally get some down time and get to know each other better before they're officially together." You, reading this now, now know this is merely the lie I tell myself to sleep at night. This is, in fact, a list of music and my very earnest attempt at making a fic Sound Like Star Wars. (how well it worked?? ...mmm.... debatable, I'll leave it up to the masses (all 8 ppl who looked at the piece I love y'all and would risk it all for y'all))

But mostly it's just about the different genres of music to be found in Star Wars.

Why?

Because I spent too. many. hours researching Star Wars music (to find waltz!! because surely Star Wars would have a different word for "waltz"!!!!!!) not to put everything I learned in a grand total of (double checks) 242 words out of the previously aforementioned 736.

Q: After hours and hours of searching, would you like to know what I learned?

A: STAR WARS HAS NO SPECIAL NAME FOR A WALTZ.

This, and the fact that the beloved soon-to-be couple only very crappily dance the waltz, is the core reason behind the name for the story: A Waltz (no matter how badly done, no matter what universe it comes from) Is Still A Waltz

But maybe you're here for A Waltz Is Still A Waltz: The Director's Cut Commentary.

(a la ASMR) Let's dive in, shall we?

Paragraph One: This is mainly just setting the scene. You can tell by the way I drop in the spaceship parts that I'm dipping my toes into the greater Star Wars dialogue. I am also setting up the reason that Miikka and Kirsi, our main characters, will be alone this evening despite their being a part of a whole crew. It is unclear what part of their journey this takes place in, but it can be safely assumed that it is still early on, as Miikka and Kirsi are not officially together at this point and Kirsi is still mostly working for the Rebellion under orders.

Paragraph Two: Here, I try to expand the world of Star Wars to include the people in it who are not, in fact, great heroes or the Skywalkers. As the longest paragraph in the piece, it is merely my love of giving the worlds to the ordinary people that live in it, as well as my heavy implication that the Crew of the Judgement Day can (and, perhaps, will) form a band in their free time. This is left up the discretion of the viewer, however, until I otherwise feel like it.

Paragraph Three: Transition. Going for montage, not doing a great job of it. One of these days I'll go back and beef it up a bit, but for right now it is left vague and up to the reader's imagination. My apologies, reader.

Paragraph Four: I went through the whole of Wookiepedia's many, many pages on Star Wars music. I had to write the word jizz in front of jazz because that's what it is. I must do all of this with a straight face. However, I also take the time to establish more of Miikka's character through his diverse music taste. This will help me in the future, although I cannot say how.

Paragraph Five: Here, I begin by continuing my foray into fake engineering by naming random parts of a ship that sound feasible. I do my best to consult Wookiepedia as well as using my best judgement to gauge what would actually get hit in a dogfight in space, but alas, I hate math, so here we are. I continue the idea of a montage for the audience and randomly reference a story to give the montage some weight/gravity (as in realistic, not as in serious). Unfortunately, I have no idea what story Miikka's is referring to because I have not come up with it yet. I eagerly await the day my creative juices flow properly that I might find out what it is.

Paragraph Six: In this paragraph, I try to account for Kirsi's alternate biology, as whether or not she actually has something passing for ears appears to still be up for debate. It has been brought up that they may use some form of echolocation. I don't delve into it here, but I try to be conscious of this fact as I'm writing from her POV as a Togrutan. Also, I love the feeling of heavy bass coming through the speakers in a car, and the way the whole car can shake, so I thought I would try and convey that here for some sense of reality/relatability in a spaceship.

Paragraph Seven: I need to work on Miikka's personality.

Paragraph Eight: Symphonic, in my opinion, is a lovely word. If I remember correctly, I almost used it twice in the same sentence. I know they say that you don't always have to go to a thesaurus, but damn if it isn't my BFF when I write.

Paragraph Nine: I like using parentheses for inner thoughts for some (but not all!) of my characters. I use it for other stories, but I don't believe they are posted. The only one that comes to mind is Dean's POV from Mara's story, but that is a long, long way from being finished. This is also my attempt at some relatable humor. Whether anyone other than me thought it was funny is up for debate, but I thoroughly enjoy it.

Paragraph Ten: Kirsi, I have decided, has a thing for gingers. Whether she knows this yet is up for debate.

Paragraph Eleven: I'm so down for consent questions. Nothing better. Also the juxtaposition of dirty-tired-mechanic Miikka with refined-polished-questions is *chef's kiss*.

Paragraph Twelve: THEY'RE FINALLY DANCING!! I personally love the idea of Miikka acting as a gentleman and recognizing that Kirsi can do whatever the hell she wants. I also love the idea that Kirsi recognizing this fact and choosing to stay with Miikka. (bc she loves him but neither of them know this yet shhh)

Paragraph Thirteen: Kirsi is crushing so hard and she doesn't even know it. But also the thought of dancing for fun when you aren't good at it?? Or even just swaying in place with the music?? Makes me melt every time. I really do need to go back and add more to this, just because I think it's sweet and the paragraphs are looking really thin. :/ Mixed feelings. Short and sweet? Or Sweet but too short??

Paragraph Fourteen: Oooh, not the beginning of "it doesn't feel like other people when it's you" that introverts understand. IDK if Kirsi is actually an introvert but the idea of Miikka becoming one of her inner inner circle is approaching and I watch it crash hit like a comet with great interest!

Paragraph Fifteen: Yeah, I definitely tried to lean into Togrutan biology this time. Leaves you in the middle of the action, but I think it's a nice ending.

~

And, yeah, thank you so much for joining me. I know that was a lot, with me going off on the story (negative) for the first half and then me going off on the story (positive) for the second half. I appreciate everyone who took the time to read through it (and/or the story itself) and go on this venture with me. <3

I won't promise that every Director's Cut will be this lengthy, but I hope it was entertaining at the very least! :)

Kindly,

The Void

P.S. Below are links to the story (again) as well as the song referenced earlier (One Last Dance by Us the Duo)

P.P.S. I almost forgot! While the initial story was most likely created under the aforementioned song, a majority, if not most of, the editing was done under the repeated listening of the Up theme song, which, if that doesn't tell you something about the story, I don't know what will, ha ha!

[floralandfauna]

"Rat Punks and Realizations"

When Dimitri opened his eyes, he expected—well, anything but this.

He was standing in what looked like a carnival from someone’s fever dream. The sky overhead was a swirling mess of purples and greens, like a storm was always about to break but never quite did. The rides around them creaked, frozen in time, and the smell of popcorn mixed with something faintly metallic, like rust and rain.

Beside him, Mischa stood stiffly, arms crossed, eyes darting around. The others — the rest of the choir — gathered in a loose circle, glancing at each other with the same wide-eyed confusion.

"What the hell is this?" Mischa muttered, shooting Dimitri a worried look.

"I don't know," Dimitri whispered back, heart thudding.

A sudden crackle of static made them all jump.

From the shadows of an old rollercoaster, a figure emerged, strutting like he owned the place — and he kind of did, in a weird way.

It was a rat.

An anthropomorphic rat, tall, muscular, with a spiked leather jacket, ripped jeans, a bass guitar slung over his shoulder, and eyes that glinted mischievously under a mop of purple-dyed fur. His ears were pierced, and a chain hung from his belt like he was about to walk into a punk rock show and absolutely destroy the stage.

"Yo," the rat said, voice a smooth, low rumble with a hint of a snarl. "Name's Virgil. Welcome to the in-between."

Silence.

Absolute, deafening silence.

Then Noel whispered, "Is anyone else seeing this, or did I hit my head way harder than I thought?"

Ocean squinted at Virgil, hands on her hips. "Is this some kind of joke? Who put a rat in charge?"

Virgil smirked. "Hey, sweetheart, you wanna go ahead and take charge of Limbo? Be my guest. See how long you last." He flicked his tail with an attitude that screamed I’ve seen some things.

Everyone stared, trying to process what was happening — but Dimitri, standing slightly apart, was staring for a very different reason.

Mischa noticed first.

Dimitri’s wide eyes weren’t just shocked — they were interested.

Like, too interested.

"Bro," Ricky muttered, nudging Mischa. "Tell me I’m not seeing this right now."

Mischa blinked, following Ricky’s gaze to Dimitri, who was still kind of frozen in place, eyes locked on Virgil like a deer in headlights—or maybe like a guy looking at a very confusing poster in Hot Topic.

"Uh..." Mischa started, but his stomach twisted in a way he didn’t like.

Constance was the first to crack.

"Are you... are you checking out the rat?" she asked, her voice somewhere between shocked and trying not to laugh.

Dimitri jolted, cheeks immediately flushing bright red. "W-What? No! I— I was just—"

"You so were!" Ocean cut in, suddenly looking gleeful to have something to focus on that wasn't their shared mortal peril. "Oh my God, Dimitri. Seriously? The rat?"

Virgil, for his part, just raised an eyebrow and grinned, clearly enjoying the attention. "Hey, I’m flattered, angel boy. Most people don’t appreciate a guy who can shred bass and chew through drywall."

Ricky burst out laughing. "Dude, you’ve got weird taste!"

Dimitri looked like he wanted to sink straight into the carnival floor. "I wasn’t— I mean, he’s just— it’s the vibe, okay?"

"The vibe?" Noel echoed, smirking. "What vibe? You mean the 'could kill you and then write a song about it' vibe? Honestly, respect."

Dimitri buried his face in his hands. "Oh my God."

Meanwhile, Mischa stood off to the side, arms crossed tighter, jaw clenched. He wasn’t laughing. Not really.

Of course Dimitri would be into some edgy, ripped punk rat instead of... well, him.

"Well," Virgil said, giving a wink that made Dimitri practically combust on the spot, "since we’ve established that, welcome to Limbo. You’re dead, but not all the way dead. Yet."

Everyone sobered at that.

"Wait— dead?" Ocean asked, voice suddenly sharp.

Virgil shrugged. "Rollercoaster accident. Nasty one. You guys are on the shortlist for who gets a second chance. I’m your guide."

Silence again.

But while everyone else was still reeling from that bombshell, Ricky grinned and elbowed Dimitri. "Well, at least if we’re dead, you’ve already found your afterlife crush."

Dimitri groaned into his hands. "I hate all of you."

"You love us," Constance sing-songed.

Mischa didn’t say anything. He just stared at Dimitri, heart sinking, a tight smile on his lips.

Because of course — even here, even now — he couldn’t say what he felt. And Dimitri would never notice him, not when there were leather-jacket-wearing, bass-shredding rats around to steal his attention.

Still, Mischa stayed close to Dimitri as Virgil started explaining the rules of this weird afterlife game, standing just a little too close.

Maybe Dimitri would never know how he felt.

But Mischa wasn’t going to let him face Limbo alone.

Not when he loved him too much to let go.

-

"Limbo, Flirting, and the Green-Eyed Monster"

The group had settled in—if you could ever settle into Limbo—gathered in a loose circle around Virgil, who sat on the edge of an old broken fountain like he was king of the ruins.

His tail swished lazily behind him as he tuned the battered bass guitar resting on his thigh, claws clicking on the strings in a way that made Dimitri’s stomach do weird flips he definitely didn't want to examine too closely.

“So,” Virgil drawled, plucking out a heavy, smooth line that somehow made the air around them hum, “one of you gets to go back to the land of the living. One shot. You gotta convince me why you deserve it.”

Ocean immediately raised her hand, ever the perfectionist. "Obviously, I should be the one to—"

Virgil held up a clawed hand to stop her, smirking. “Slow down, Princess. We’ve got time to get to that part. Gotta make this interesting.”

His eyes flicked over the group, and then settled, with obvious amusement, on Dimitri — who visibly tensed under the weight of that sharp, amused gaze.

“You, though,” Virgil said, pointing a claw directly at Dimitri, “you look like you’ve got a story.”

Dimitri blinked, caught like a deer in headlights. “W-What?”

“Shy type, huh?” Virgil grinned, fangs glinting slightly. "Cute."

Dimitri’s face burst into a shade of red so bright it could have rivaled a neon sign. "I— I’m not—"

Virgil slid off the fountain in one smooth motion, walking over to him, tail swaying behind like a lazy metronome.

“Relax,” he said, voice a low purr as he stopped way too close — close enough Dimitri had to tilt his head back to look him in the eyes.

Virgil reached out casually, two fingers gloved in fingerless leather, and gently flicked a strand of Dimitri’s hair out of his face. "Don’t go getting all tense on me now, angel boy."

Dimitri practically short-circuited. "I— uh— I’m fine—"

The rest of the group was eating it up.

Noel looked like he was seconds away from losing it, biting his lip to keep from laughing. "Well, someone’s popular in the afterlife."

Ricky grinned. "Damn, dude, didn’t know you had a thing for rats with attitude."

Ocean just groaned. "Seriously? Can we focus?"

Constance, ever the sweetheart, whispered to Mischa, "Poor Dimitri, he looks so flustered."

But Mischa wasn’t smiling.

He stood a little behind everyone else, arms crossed so tightly it almost hurt, jaw clenched so hard he thought he might crack a tooth.

Because of course Dimitri would get all red and shy over Virgil, and of course Virgil had to notice and lean into it.

Mischa hated how his stomach twisted seeing Virgil so close, hated how Dimitri was too stunned to move away.

Still, he forced a smirk on his face — because if he didn’t laugh along, someone might notice.

“Careful, Virgil,” Mischa said, forcing his voice to sound light, teasing. "You’re gonna break him if you keep that up."

Virgil shot Mischa a sly grin over his shoulder, not missing a beat. "What, jealous?"

The way he said it — sharp and knowing — made Mischa’s stomach drop.

"No," Mischa shot back way too quickly. "Please, I’m just here for the show."

But the flicker of something in his eyes said otherwise, and Virgil definitely caught it.

Still smirking, Virgil leaned a little closer to Dimitri, voice dropping lower. "Don’t worry, angel, I’m just messing with you."

And then, softer, almost like a secret: "Unless you want me to keep going."

Dimitri made a noise that could only be described as a strangled squeak, face now a dangerous shade of crimson.

"Anyway," Ocean cut in loudly, clearly annoyed. "Could we please move on from flirting with rodents and get to the part where one of us gets to live?"

"Aw, don’t be jealous, sweetheart," Virgil teased, throwing her a wink. "You’ll get your turn."

As Virgil sauntered back to the fountain like he hadn’t just completely wrecked Dimitri’s ability to speak, the group started talking amongst themselves, arguing about who should get a chance at life.

But Mischa didn’t join in.

He just watched Dimitri, who was now sitting down, hands over his face, trying to cool his burning cheeks.

And something ached deep in Mischa’s chest.

Because yeah, sure, everyone teased Dimitri for being flustered. But no one seemed to realize how much it was killing Mischa to see Dimitri fall apart like that for someone else.

Someone who wasn’t him.

Someone who could flirt so easily and touch him and make him blush without even trying.

And Mischa?

Mischa didn’t even know how to tell Dimitri how he felt without choking on the words.

As everyone kept talking and laughing, Mischa shoved his hands deeper into his hoodie pocket, eyes fixed on the ground, jaw tight.

Because if there was only one person getting out of this place alive...

He wasn’t sure if he’d fight for himself.

But for Dimitri?

For Dimitri, he’d fight like hell.

Even if Dimitri never loved him back.

-

"Jealousy, Jokes, and Things Left Unsaid"

They’d been sitting around that broken-down fountain for what felt like forever. Virgil was still perched on the edge, casually plucking at his bass like they weren’t all hovering somewhere between life and death. Every now and then, he'd shoot little glances at Dimitri—smirks that made Dimitri’s face flush all over again.

Mischa kept watching from the corner of his eye, arms crossed so tight he was pretty sure his fingernails would leave marks in his sleeves. His stomach was twisted up in knots, and his chest felt heavy, like someone was sitting on it.

It wasn't just Virgil.

It was Dimitri.

Dimitri sat there all quiet and pink-cheeked, glancing at Virgil when he thought no one was watching. Dimitri letting Virgil lean in too close, like maybe a part of him didn’t mind. Like maybe a part of him wanted that.

"Okay, seriously," Noel finally said, breaking the weird tension, "are we all just going to pretend that this isn’t happening?"

Constance tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Noel arched an eyebrow, leaning back on his hands. "I mean Romeo and Juliet over here. Or should I say, Rat and Choir Boy."

Dimitri's head shot up. "What?"

Ricky snorted. "Man, it’s kinda obvious. You’ve been staring at Virgil like he’s a walking Hot Topic ad. Which, like... he kinda is."

Virgil smirked, unbothered. "I’m flattered, really."

Ocean rolled her eyes, arms crossed. "Can we please focus on the fact that one of us has to go back to life and stop turning this into a soap opera?"

But Noel wasn’t done. His sharp eyes turned to Mischa, who was doing a terrible job pretending not to care.

"And someone looks like he's about to explode," Noel added, a sly grin curling his lips.

Mischa shot him a sharp glare. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

Noel shrugged. "Nothing. Just... maybe if you're gonna look at Dimitri like that, you should be honest about it."

Dimitri blinked, confused. "Look at me like what?"

Noel didn’t answer, but the way he raised his eyebrows said everything.

"Okay, that’s enough," Mischa snapped, standing up too fast, hands shoved deep in his pockets. His jaw was clenched so tight it hurt.

"Yo, chill," Ricky muttered, watching him carefully.

"I'm fine," Mischa said, voice sharp enough to cut. But his eyes flicked to Dimitri for just a second too long, and everyone caught it.

Virgil chuckled under his breath, low and amused, tail flicking behind him. "Aw, look at that. Didn't realize there was a little competition."

Mischa's glare turned deadly. "There’s no competition. I don’t care."

"You sure about that?" Virgil said, still smirking. "You look like you're about to bite my head off, sweetheart."

Dimitri looked lost, glancing between Virgil and Mischa like he couldn't figure out what was happening. "Wait, what do you mean competition? Mischa?"

Mischa stiffened. "Forget it."

But Constance, ever gentle, reached over and touched Dimitri's arm softly. "Dimitri… I think maybe Mischa’s been trying to tell you something. For a while."

Silence.

Dimitri’s eyes widened, like the puzzle pieces were finally sliding into place — but the edges still weren’t quite lining up.

"I—what?" Dimitri stammered, turning toward Mischa, who looked everywhere but at him.

Ricky groaned, half-laughing, half-exasperated. "Dude. He’s been in love with you since, like, forever."

Virgil plucked a sharp note from his bass and grinned. "Yikes. Drama."

Mischa’s face burned. "It’s not— It’s fine. Don’t listen to them."

But Dimitri kept staring at him, eyes wide, searching. "Mischa... is that true?"

For a moment, Mischa didn’t answer. The words burned in his throat, like if he said them out loud it would make everything worse.

But finally, he let out a breath, soft and shaky. "Yeah. Okay? Yeah, it’s true."

The whole group went quiet.

"I didn’t... I never realized," Dimitri said, voice small, like he was scared of breaking something fragile.

"Yeah, well." Mischa shrugged like it didn’t matter, even though it so obviously did. "Guess I’m just not punk enough for you."

Virgil gave a low whistle. "Ouch." But there was something in his eyes now — like maybe he’d pushed too far.

Dimitri stood up slowly, stepping closer to Mischa. "Mischa, it’s not like that. I mean— I don’t even know what I’m feeling. Everything’s been so messed up since the accident and—" He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "I thought you were just being a good friend."

Mischa swallowed hard, trying to keep it together. "Yeah. Well, maybe I was. Maybe that’s all I ever was."

"Hey," Dimitri said softly, reaching out to touch Mischa’s arm, stopping him from pulling away. "Don’t say that."

Mischa blinked at him, heart pounding.

"Maybe I’ve been... kinda stupid," Dimitri added, cheeks pink but voice steadier now. "Maybe I didn’t see what was right in front of me."

Ricky grinned, nudging Noel. "Told you."

Virgil watched them, a little quieter now, his usual smirk fading to something more thoughtful as he leaned on his bass.

Ocean rolled her eyes, but there was a small smile tugging at her lips. "About time."

Constance beamed, squeezing Ricky’s arm.

Dimitri gave Mischa a small, almost shy smile. "So... maybe we figure this out? Together?"

Mischa looked at him for a long moment, something softening in his eyes. He let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head.

"Yeah," he said finally, giving a tiny smile back. "Yeah, I'd like that."

The group relaxed, tension fading a little as they turned back to Virgil, who watched the scene with his head tilted, tail flicking.

"Alright, lovebirds," Virgil said with a smirk, though softer than before. "We’ve still got a death game to play. So let’s see who makes it outta here."

But now, with Dimitri’s hand still on his arm, Mischa felt just a little less lost.

Even in Limbo, maybe he wasn’t so alone.

-

"Who Gets to Live?"

The weird air between them finally eased as Dimitri gave Mischa a soft smile—one Mischa hadn’t seen in a long time, like a private little moment that made the ache in his chest loosen just a little.

But then Virgil stood, cracking his knuckles, claws glinting in the dim light.

"Alright," he said, swinging his bass onto his back with one smooth motion. "Now that we've had our little rom-com moment, time to get serious."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"You've got to convince me why you deserve to go back," Virgil said, smirking but with a sharpness to his voice that made it clear this wasn’t a joke anymore. "One shot. One life. One of you."

Silence.

Dimitri swallowed hard, glancing around at the others. He felt Mischa shift beside him, and it made his chest ache worse.

Virgil’s gaze drifted over them, then, weirdly, settled on Mischa for just a moment longer than anyone else.

"You wanna start, punk boy?" Virgil asked, head tilting, eyes sharp.

Mischa blinked. "Me?"

Virgil smirked. "Yeah. You’ve been glaring at me like I stole your lunch money. Let’s hear it."

The others glanced at Mischa, curious.

Mischa shoved his hands deep in his hoodie, eyes dropping to the ground.

"I dunno," he muttered, shrugging. "What’s the point?"

"To live," Virgil said simply, but his voice was low now, serious. "Isn’t that what you want?"

Mischa gave a bitter laugh. "Yeah, well. I don't think anyone's waiting for me back there."

Dimitri flinched at that, glancing sideways at him, guilt creeping into his chest.

Virgil stared at Mischa for a long moment, then said, quieter, "You sure about that?"

Mischa's jaw clenched, but he didn't answer.

"Okay, next," Virgil said, turning to Constance with a little more gentleness. "What about you, sweetheart?"

Constance shifted nervously but smiled a little. "I think... if I got to go back, I'd want to help people. Make them feel like they belong. Like they matter. I think that's what I was meant to do."

Virgil nodded thoughtfully.

"Good answer," he said softly.

He moved to Ricky next, who shrugged, giving a lopsided grin. "I mean, I just wanna play music. Be in a band. Make something cool, you know?"

Virgil gave him a small smirk. "Dream big, Rockstar."

Ocean looked like she had about twenty speeches prepared but was clearly trying to figure out which one sounded the best. "I think I should get to go back because I have plans. Things I’m supposed to do. I can’t do them if I’m—" She gestured around. "—stuck here."

Virgil raised a brow but nodded. "Fair enough, Barbie."

Noel, when it was his turn, smirked in that way that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "I don’t know. Maybe I'd like to live long enough to figure out if there's something more for me. If I can be more than... whatever I was."

Virgil actually looked surprised for a second, then gave him a quiet, approving nod.

Then his gaze turned to Dimitri.

"And you, angel boy?"

Dimitri felt everyone’s eyes on him, but there was one gaze he felt the strongest — Mischa’s.

"I..." Dimitri hesitated, wringing his hands together. "I don’t know if I deserve to go back."

Mischa's head snapped toward him. "What?!"

Dimitri shook his head. "Everyone keeps acting like I’m some kind of miracle just for existing. But I didn’t do anything. I just—" His throat tightened. "Mischa... Mischa saved me."

Silence.

"Maybe he should be the one to go back," Dimitri said softly, glancing at Mischa, eyes shining. "Not me."

Mischa’s heart felt like it might break in half.

"Don’t say that," Mischa said, voice rough. "You deserve to live, Dima."

"And you don’t?" Dimitri shot back, eyes wet.

Virgil was watching all of this with a strange expression, tail flicking behind him.

"Y’know," Virgil said suddenly, standing and stretching, "sometimes, the one who fights the hardest to protect someone else? They’re the ones who don’t think they deserve anything back."

His gaze cut to Mischa as he said it.

"And sometimes," Virgil added, glancing at Dimitri now, "the one who was saved? They don’t realize what they mean to the person who saved them."

Dimitri flushed, swallowing.

Virgil walked over to Mischa, voice dropping so only he could hear.

"Maybe it’s time to stop hiding behind that act, kid," Virgil said quietly. "You want him to live? Then tell him how you feel before it’s too late."

Mischa stared up at him, wide-eyed, lips pressed tight.

Virgil gave him a sharp grin, but there was something kind in it, too. "Trust me, holding it in doesn’t do anyone any favors."

He turned back to the others before Mischa could say anything else, smirk back in place. "Alright, lovebirds and weirdos, you’ve all said your piece. Now the real fun begins."

But Mischa wasn’t listening anymore.

Because Dimitri was looking at him like he saw him for the first time.

And for the first time, Mischa thought maybe... maybe there was a chance Dimitri would understand what he’d been holding onto all this time.

-

"Songs We Never Sang"

The group had gone quiet again, sitting in a loose circle as Virgil lazily twirled his bass, waiting for someone to step up next.

“You know,” Virgil finally said, breaking the silence, "sometimes the best way to figure out who deserves another shot is to hear what’s in their heart."

"Like... sing about it?" Constance asked softly.

Virgil grinned. "Bingo."

Mischa’s stomach twisted. Great. Just great.

Virgil’s gaze slid directly to him. "Mischa? You wanna go?"

Mischa blinked, panicked. "Me?"

"Yeah." Virgil’s grin widened. "You look like you got a lot to say."

Dimitri was watching him too now, eyes soft and curious. "You don’t have to if you don’t want to," Dimitri said gently, voice like a balm.

But Mischa knew if he didn’t say something now, he’d explode.

He stood slowly, shoving his hands in his pockets, eyes darting anywhere but Dimitri.

"...Fine," he muttered.

The others watched quietly as he stepped into the center, kicking at the ground awkwardly.

"I, uh... I guess if I was gonna sing anything, it’d be something real," Mischa mumbled, glancing sideways at Dimitri for half a second. "Something I never said when I should’ve."

Dimitri tilted his head, brows knitting.

Virgil plucked out a soft, steady rhythm on his bass, a simple melody that filled the heavy silence.

Mischa took a breath.

And then he began to sing.

🎶 "Little Brother (But Not Really)" 🎶 (A soft, vulnerable rap, almost whispered at first, like he's scared to say it out loud.)

"Yo, Dima, you never knew, All the things I couldn’t say to you, Thought if I kept it cool, if I played the game, You wouldn’t see how I burned in shame. You were the light, I was the fight, The boy from nowhere, never got it right, But when you smiled? Damn, you made me whole, Didn’t know you were holding my soul."

(His voice gets stronger, a little cracked around the edges, full of raw emotion.)

"I used to call you brother but that wasn’t true, Wasn’t brotherly the way I looked at you. Thought maybe one day you'd look back and see, That all I ever wanted was for you to choose me."

The room was silent.

Dimitri sat frozen, wide-eyed, lips parted.

Even Virgil's usual smirk had faded, watching Mischa with something close to respect.

Noel leaned in, whispering, "Holy shit."

Ocean stared, eyes wide, for once speechless.

Constance’s hand went to her chest, teary-eyed already.

Mischa stood there, chest heaving a little like the words had been dragged out of him, but he wasn’t done yet.

He looked right at Dimitri now, and for once, didn’t look away.

🎶 "For You (I'd Stay)" 🎶 (A softer, melodic section, almost like a lullaby, voice breaking in places.)

"If I could be the one to stay, I'd take your pain, I'd find a way. If all I get’s this one last chance, I'd use it just to see you dance. And if they said, 'Pick only one,' I'd say your name, 'cause you're the sun. You kept me warm, you kept me here, Even when I hid my fear."

His voice cracked on the last word.

He cleared his throat, wiping at his eyes quickly with the sleeve of his hoodie, muttering, "Whatever. Guess that’s my song."

But no one was speaking.

Especially not Dimitri.

Because Dimitri’s whole world was spinning.

Suddenly, all the things he hadn’t let himself see — all the glances, the way Mischa always sat too close, the way Mischa's voice always softened when he said his name, the way Mischa had thrown himself in front of him during the accident — they all came crashing down on him.

His heart thudded painfully in his chest.

"Mischa..." Dimitri breathed, like it was the first time he'd really seen him.

Mischa looked away, shrugging like it didn’t matter. But his hands were shaking.

Before anyone else could speak, Dimitri stood up suddenly, almost tripping over his own feet as he rushed to Mischa.

"You— You didn’t mean that, did you?" Dimitri stammered, looking like he wanted to believe but was too scared to hope. "You don’t— You don’t love me like that... right?"

Mischa’s breath hitched.

"I do," he said, voice barely a whisper. "I always have."

Dimitri’s heart twisted so tight it hurt.

"Why didn’t you ever tell me?" Dimitri whispered.

Mischa laughed, broken and soft. "Cause you’re... you, Dima. And I’m just... me."

Dimitri blinked fast, throat tight. "But I—" He stopped, struggling for words.

Virgil watched from a distance, arms crossed, something like understanding in his eyes.

"You don’t have to say anything," Mischa said quickly, like he couldn’t bear to hear Dimitri reject him. "I just... I wanted you to know."

But Dimitri shook his head. "No, Mischa— I— I don’t know what to say because I think I—"

He hesitated, heart racing, a flush creeping over his cheeks.

"I think I might feel the same," Dimitri whispered, barely audible.

Mischa’s eyes snapped to his, wide and hopeful and scared.

"You do?" Mischa breathed, like he couldn’t believe it.

Dimitri gave a tiny nod, stepping closer, close enough Mischa could feel the warmth of him. "I just didn’t realize it until I thought I might lose you forever."

"Well," Mischa said, voice thick with emotion, "guess it took dying to figure this crap out, huh?"

Dimitri let out a soft laugh, tears in his eyes. "Guess so."

There was a long pause, both of them staring at each other like they were seeing the other for the first time.

Then Virgil’s voice cut through softly, but not unkind.

"Looks like some of you are figuring out what you really want, huh?"

Noel smirked. "About time."

Ricky gave a little fist pump in the air. "Let’s goooo!"

Ocean, pretending not to care, wiped her eyes when no one was looking.

Constance beamed, whispering, "They’re perfect."

Dimitri reached out, grabbing Mischa’s hand — and for once, Mischa didn’t pull away.

Instead, he held on tighter.

And maybe, just maybe, if one of them made it back, they'd finally get to have that life they were too scared to reach for before.

-

"What I Never Said"

The moment between Dimitri and Mischa still hung heavy in the air, like a delicate thread neither of them wanted to break. But eventually, Virgil clapped his hands together, the sound sharp enough to make everyone flinch.

"Alright, lovebirds," he said with a sly grin but an understanding glint in his eyes. "We got more ground to cover."

Reluctantly, Mischa let go of Dimitri’s hand, though their fingers brushed for a moment longer than necessary, like neither wanted to lose that contact.

Virgil's eyes swept over the group. "You’ve all had your turn, except for one," he added, gaze landing on Dimitri.

Dimitri’s heart stuttered.

He looked around at everyone else — Constance sitting with her hands neatly folded in her lap, eyes still a little glassy from her song; Ocean biting her lip, arms crossed like she could hold herself together that way; Noel picking at his nails, but looking more vulnerable than usual; Ricky resting his chin on his hands, eyes thoughtful as though still half-lost in whatever dream he'd sung about.

They had all sung already. They had all shown who they were and what they wanted.

And now it was just him.

Dimitri felt frozen, throat tight.

"You don’t have to rush it, angel boy," Virgil said, voice oddly soft. "But you do have to say something. The others did. You owe it to them. And to yourself."

Dimitri swallowed, glancing at Mischa again. Mischa was watching him, eyes wide and soft, like he knew how hard this was — but there was something else there too, like hope. Like waiting.

Dimitri’s chest ached.

He stood up slowly, brushing his hands over his jeans even though there was nothing to wipe away.

"I—" he started, then faltered. He looked down, then back up, taking a shaky breath.

"I don’t know what to say," he admitted, voice small. "Everyone else… you all know what you want. You know what you're fighting for."

He looked over at Constance, who gave him a gentle, encouraging smile. At Noel, who rolled his eyes but nodded. At Ocean, who looked at him like she wanted him to say something good. At Ricky, who offered a quiet thumbs-up.

And finally, at Mischa.

Mischa’s eyes met his, soft and searching.

"I didn’t think I deserved to live," Dimitri whispered. "Not after the accident. Not when everyone else—" His voice broke, and he pressed his lips together, willing himself not to cry.

"I thought… Maybe if I stayed quiet, if I disappeared a little, it wouldn’t hurt so much. But then Mischa—"

He cut off, looking away, throat too tight to speak.

Virgil was quiet now, watching with those sharp, knowing eyes.

"You got something to say, angel?" Virgil asked softly.

Dimitri closed his eyes for a moment.

And when he opened them, he knew.

He took a step forward.

"I think I’m tired of pretending I don’t care," Dimitri said quietly. "I’m tired of being what everyone wants me to be — the perfect kid, the one who made it out. I didn’t want to be the one."

He looked right at Mischa.

"I wanted us to get out."

Mischa’s breath caught, and Dimitri could see the way his hands clenched at his sides, like he was holding back everything he wanted to say.

"So if I’m going to sing," Dimitri whispered, "it’s going to be for you."

Mischa’s eyes went wide, but he didn’t say anything.

Virgil’s tail twitched. "Alright, angel boy. Let’s hear it."

Dimitri let out a breath, feeling like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. Then, quietly, almost like a prayer, he began to sing.

🎶 "If I Had Known (I'd Have Chosen You)" 🎶 (Soft piano begins to play, as if coming from nowhere. His voice is soft, almost trembling at first.)

"If I had known it would end that night, I’d have held you close, held on tight. If I had seen what you were to me, Maybe now, we’d both be free."

(He looks down, voice thick with emotion, but keeps going.)

"You were always there, just out of view, And I was too scared to say I loved you. Now I’m standing here, broken and torn, Wishing I'd loved you before I was reborn."

(His gaze lifts to Mischa, tears in his eyes.)

"If I could go back, I’d take your hand, Walk through fire, across this land. I’d scream your name, I wouldn’t hide, I’d be right there, by your side."

When he finished, the room was silent — no snark, no teasing, just quiet, heavy with emotion.

Dimitri was shaking, wiping at his face, but for once, he didn’t care if anyone saw him cry.

Virgil whistled low. "Damn, angel boy. Didn’t think you had that in you."

Dimitri let out a watery laugh, glancing at Mischa through tear-filled eyes.

Mischa stood up so fast his chair scraped loudly against the floor.

In two steps, he was in front of Dimitri, grabbing his face in his hands and pressing their foreheads together.

"You idiot," Mischa whispered, but his voice was soft and full of something close to wonder. "I’ve been in love with you for years, and you waited until we were dead to say something?"

Dimitri laughed, tears slipping down his cheeks. "I didn’t know. I didn’t realize it until I almost lost you."

"You did lose me," Mischa whispered, voice breaking. "But I’m here. And so are you."

Dimitri leaned into him, closing his eyes. "I don’t want to go back without you."

"Me neither," Mischa whispered back.

Virgil stood, slinging his bass over his shoulder. "Looks like we’ve got some decisions to make," he said, though his voice was quieter now. "But maybe y’all figured out what really matters."

He grinned, sharp teeth glinting. "Maybe it was never about who deserved to live. Maybe it’s about who learned how to."

Dimitri and Mischa stayed close, holding onto each other like they were afraid to let go.

And for the first time since the accident, Dimitri didn’t feel alone.

-

"Choosing to Live, Choosing to Love"

The room — or whatever this strange liminal space was — felt heavier now, like the air had thickened around them. But for Dimitri, Mischa’s arms around him were the only real thing.

The others watched quietly, a mix of softness and sadness in their eyes.

Ocean, for all her sharp edges, smiled just a little, her arms no longer crossed so tightly.

Noel was dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief that he definitely pulled from nowhere.

Constance was quietly leaning into Ricky, who had his arm around her shoulders, nodding with quiet approval.

Even Virgil looked thoughtful, his usual smirk faded to something softer. His tail twitched lazily, but his sharp eyes missed nothing.

Finally, he sighed, slinging his bass across his back and stepping forward.

"Alright, sweethearts. We’ve had our confessions, our breakdowns, our musical therapy." He paused, eyeing Dimitri and Mischa still tangled up in each other. "Some of you had a little extra therapy."

Dimitri blushed but didn’t move away, not this time.

"But now comes the real kicker," Virgil said, pacing slowly in a circle around them. "Who gets to go back?"

The words hit like a slap, sharp and cold.

Dimitri stiffened, fingers clutching Mischa’s sleeve.

"But—" Dimitri started, voice tight, "I thought—"

"You thought if you figured out your feelings, this would solve itself?" Virgil asked, head tilted. "Cute. But that’s not how this works."

He spun around, facing them all.

"Only one of you gets a second chance," he said, voice low but firm. "One person. One life."

The group fell silent, the weight of it pressing down on them.

"But—" Constance began, her voice shaking, "how do we choose that?"

"You don’t," Virgil said, smirking. "You show me. You show me why you should get to live."

Noel let out a bitter laugh. "What, another song? What if we’ve sung all we’ve got?"

Virgil just shrugged. "Then you better figure out what’s left."

Dimitri's heart was racing. His fingers were still tangled in Mischa's sleeve, like if he let go, he'd lose him all over again.

"I can't go back without you," Dimitri whispered, turning to Mischa, panic creeping into his voice. "I can't."

Mischa’s hand came up, cupping his face so gently it nearly undid him.

"Hey," Mischa said softly, "you can. You’re stronger than you think, Dima."

"But I don’t want to be strong if it means being without you."

Mischa’s eyes shimmered. "You think I don’t want to be with you? I do. More than anything."

"Then why are you acting like you're okay with me leaving you behind?" Dimitri’s voice cracked.

Mischa gave him a soft, sad smile. "Because if one of us has a shot at living... it should be you."

Dimitri shook his head, tears spilling freely now. "No. No, Mischa, please."

Mischa leaned their foreheads together again, speaking so only Dimitri could hear.

"You’ve got dreams. You’ve got that soft heart that the world needs. And I can’t— I can’t give you what you deserve. Not here. But maybe if you go back, you’ll find someone who—"

"I want you," Dimitri interrupted fiercely, grabbing Mischa’s face between his hands now. "You. Not anyone else."

Mischa closed his eyes, exhaling shakily.

"I wish," he whispered.

"You don't have to wish." Dimitri kissed his cheek, lingering there. "Just choose me. Stay."

Virgil, standing nearby, raised a brow but said nothing.

Then Ricky stepped forward, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Look," Ricky said, scratching the back of his neck. "I know I sang about wanting to live again, and yeah... I meant it. But watching you two?" He smiled softly. "Maybe you need that shot more than any of us."

Constance nodded, tears in her eyes. "Yeah. I think... I think Dimitri should go back."

Noel sighed dramatically but gave a slight smirk. "If we have to pick someone... fine. Angel boy it is."

Even Ocean, though she didn’t say anything, gave a nod, eyes shining.

Dimitri looked around, stunned.

"You’d all... let me go back?" he asked, voice breaking.

"Someone has to," Constance said gently. "And it should be you."

Dimitri turned back to Mischa, panic and longing tangled in his chest. "But I don’t want to leave you."

"I know," Mischa whispered.

Virgil stepped closer, voice softer now, but serious.

"Listen, angel boy," he said. "Life’s not perfect. You don’t always get to keep the people you love."

Dimitri shook his head, tears falling freely. "But I just found him."

"I know," Virgil said quietly. "But think of what he'd want for you."

Dimitri turned to Mischa, searching his face for something — a way out, a miracle.

"Come back with me," Dimitri whispered.

Mischa smiled, but it was sad. "If I could, I would. But I need you to live for both of us, okay? Tell them about us. About me."

Dimitri clung to him, shaking his head, but Mischa just held him tighter.

"I love you, Dima," Mischa whispered in his ear. "I’ve always loved you."

Dimitri sobbed, whispering back, "I love you too. Always."

Virgil gave them a moment before speaking again, softer than before.

"So," he said gently. "Are you ready, angel?"

Dimitri looked up, eyes full of tears but filled with something else now too — determination.

He stood slowly, Mischa still holding his hand.

"If I have to leave," Dimitri said quietly, "I’ll go. But I’m taking Mischa’s love with me."

Virgil nodded, something warm and almost proud in his eyes. "Good answer."

As the others gathered close, ready to say goodbye, a soft glow began to build around Dimitri.

The choice had been made.

And as he looked back at Mischa — who smiled through his tears — Dimitri whispered to himself:

"I’ll live. For both of us."

-

"Living Without You"

The first thing Dimitri felt was cold air.

Not the dreamlike, too-still air of the in-between, but real, sharp, biting winter wind. The sound of machines beeping, the low murmur of voices, and a harsh fluorescent light seeping through his eyelids.

When he opened his eyes, everything was too bright. Too real.

He was back.

But Mischa wasn’t.

The hospital room was sterile and white, a single chair shoved in the corner. His parents weren’t there. No surprise.

A nurse rushed in when she saw he was awake, calling for doctors. Voices buzzed around him, but Dimitri just turned his head toward the window, eyes hollow.

Watching from the Other Side

In that strange liminal space, the other choir kids stood together, watching through a hazy mirror of light as Dimitri lay in that bed.

"He's awake," Constance whispered, both relieved and crushed.

Ocean wiped her eyes quickly, pretending she wasn’t crying.

"He looks... empty," Ricky murmured.

"Of course he does," Noel said bitterly. "We left him alone in that miserable world."

Virgil leaned back against a wall, arms crossed, watching too, though his usual smirk was gone.

And Mischa — Mischa was standing at the front of them all, pressed as close to that shimmering veil as he could get, like if he just wanted it hard enough, he could break through and go to Dimitri.

His hand was flat against the barrier, trembling. "Dima..." he whispered.

Back in the Real World

The town gathered around Dimitri like he was some kind of miracle, some holy relic.

People he'd never spoken to touched his hands, stroked his hair without permission.

"We're so glad you're back," they’d say, tears in their eyes. "You were chosen, you must be special, God spared you."

They acted like he was a symbol, not a person.

No one asked him how he felt.

No one asked what it was like to survive when all his friends were dead.

His house was cold and empty when he got home. His parents barely looked up from their phones when he walked through the door.

"You're still moping?" his father grumbled from behind a newspaper. "You should be grateful to be alive."

His mother didn’t even say happy birthday when the day rolled around. Not even a cake, not even a card.

They didn’t care.

The Choir Watching Him

From the other side, Mischa watched all of this unfold, his fists clenching tighter every day.

"They're treating him like some angelic puppet," Mischa growled. "Like he doesn't even matter beyond their stupid story."

"You should’ve been there, Mischa," Constance whispered sadly. "He wouldn’t feel so alone."

"I should’ve gone back," Mischa said through gritted teeth, his voice breaking.

"But you wanted him to live," Ricky reminded gently.

"Yeah, but not like this!" Mischa snapped, running his hands through his hair.

Ocean folded her arms, scowling. "He deserves better. From all of them."

Dimitri and Dedushka

Dimitri stopped going to school. He stopped singing. He stopped everything.

But one cold evening, while wandering the edge of town, trying to breathe, trying to feel something, he heard a soft chittering sound.

A familiar one.

There, hiding under a bench, was Dedushka — the little skunk Mischa had loved so much.

The skunk looked up at him with wide, shiny eyes and let out a soft little noise.

Dimitri's heart cracked open all over again.

He sank to his knees, reaching out a trembling hand. "Hey, little guy..." His voice broke as Dedushka waddled over, bumping against his hand for pets.

Tears poured down Dimitri’s cheeks as he scooped Dedushka into his arms, holding him like something precious.

"I miss him too," he whispered to the skunk.

Watching From Beyond — Choir Reactions

In the in-between, Mischa was crying now, watching Dimitri cradle Dedushka.

"God, Dima... I’m sorry," he whispered, voice shaking, leaning into the veil like it could hold him up.

Constance pressed her hand over her mouth, tears running down her cheeks.

"I wish we could do something," Ricky whispered.

"I’d give anything to fix this," Mischa choked out.

Town Still Not Listening

Even as Dimitri found small comfort in Dedushka, the town didn’t stop.

They showed up at his house uninvited, bringing food he didn’t eat, wanting to take photos with him, of him, to tell others that they'd "visited the miracle boy."

They asked him to speak at events he didn’t want to be at, to "inspire" them.

And when he refused, when he set boundaries, they called him "ungrateful," "rude," "broken."

They never saw him, only what they wanted him to be.

Mischa’s Anger and Heartbreak

Mischa turned away from the veil, pacing furiously. "I can't watch this anymore. He's dying in there — and no one sees it."

Virgil, watching quietly from the corner, finally spoke.

"You know," Virgil said slowly, "sometimes... people need a little push from beyond."

Mischa's head snapped up. "What do you mean?"

Virgil grinned, sharp and dangerous. "Maybe it's time you remind him he's not alone."

-

"Between Worlds — Finding a Way Back to You"

The wind was sharp that night, slicing through Dimitri’s sweater as he sat under the old oak tree behind his house, Dedushka curled on his lap, purring softly like a cat.

The town was having another "Remembrance Ceremony" — for his friends, his family, who were gone.

But Dimitri wasn’t there.

Because no matter how many candles they lit, none of them knew who Mischa really was. None of them knew him.

And they didn’t know that Dimitri was breaking, piece by piece.

"I wish you were here, Mish," Dimitri whispered, pressing his face into the soft fur of the skunk, his voice hoarse. "I wish I told you how much I loved you when I had the chance."

Dedushka made a soft little chirr, like he understood, like he was saying “I know.”

Meanwhile, in the in-between

Mischa was pacing again, his fingers tangled in his hair, watching Dimitri like his life depended on it.

"He's gonna give up," Mischa rasped, voice cracking. "I can see it."

Constance wiped her tears. "You need to reach him, Mischa. Somehow."

"But how?!" Mischa cried. "There's this wall, this— this stupid line I can't cross. And I left him. I left him."

"You didn't," Noel said softly, for once without a single sarcastic word. "You saved him."

"But what if saving him means letting him suffer alone?"

Virgil had been watching from a distance, but now he stepped in. His sharp grin was gone, replaced with something serious.

"Look, I wasn’t gonna tell you this, but... there are ways," Virgil muttered. "Risks. Things that aren't really 'allowed'."

Mischa froze. "What do you mean?"

Virgil rolled his shoulders. "Sometimes, if you need to say something that badly, if your soul can't let go? You can cross over for a moment. But there’s a price."

Mischa stepped closer, heart pounding. "What kind of price?"

Virgil gave him a look. "You give up moving on. You stay stuck here. Forever. Watching."

Without a second of hesitation, Mischa whispered: "I'd do it."

Virgil blinked, surprised. "You don’t even wanna think about it?"

"I have thought about it," Mischa said, fierce and desperate. "If it means Dimitri knows I love him? I’ll stay."

Ocean swallowed hard, whispering, "Are you sure?"

Mischa’s voice broke. "I’ve never been more sure of anything."

That night — Dimitri's dream

Dimitri finally fell asleep, head resting against the tree, Dedushka curled close to his chest.

The dream was soft at first. Warm light. The smell of old flowers.

And then...

"Dima."

The voice. His voice.

Dimitri’s eyes shot open — and there, standing in front of him, was Mischa.

Not like a memory, not like a ghost. Mischa.

"Dima," Mischa whispered, stepping closer, eyes wide and soft and so full of love. "You can hear me?"

Dimitri scrambled to his feet, heart slamming in his chest. "Mish—Mischa?"

"It's me," Mischa whispered, reaching out, like he was afraid Dimitri would fade if he touched him. "I’m here. For a little while."

Tears flooded Dimitri’s eyes as he surged forward, throwing himself into Mischa's arms.

"I thought— I thought I'd never—" Dimitri sobbed against his chest, clinging to him like he was air itself.

Mischa held him close, burying his face in Dimitri’s hair. "I know, Dima. I know."

"I can't do this without you," Dimitri whispered. "I can’t."

Mischa cupped his face, gently forcing him to look up. "You don’t have to do it without me. I’m always with you. Always."

"But I need you, not a memory, not—"

Mischa smiled sadly. "I know. But you’ve gotta live, Dima. You’ve gotta fight for yourself. For both of us."

Dimitri shook his head, tears pouring down. "Why did you leave me?"

Mischa’s own tears fell now. "Because I wanted you to live. To have a chance. Because I loved you more than I loved anything else."

Dimitri was sobbing now. "I love you, too."

Mischa kissed his forehead, lingering there. "You have to keep going. Promise me."

"I can’t—"

"You can," Mischa said, more firmly now. "And when you fight back, when you find your voice, I’ll be right there. Watching. Loving you."

Dimitri's breath was shaky. "You’ll stay?"

Mischa smiled gently. "I’ll stay."

Waking up — Changed

Dimitri woke with a start, tears still on his cheeks, but something different in his chest.

Like a flame that wouldn't go out. Like Mischa's love was burning there, warm and real.

Dedushka was still in his arms, blinking up at him.

"I’m gonna fight, Mish," Dimitri whispered, his voice steadier than it had been in weeks. "I promise."

Dimitri standing up

It started small. Refusing to let people touch him. Saying no when they asked for photos.

Then bigger.

Speaking out, in front of a crowd, when they asked him to give a speech about "God’s miracle."

"I’m not a miracle," Dimitri said, voice trembling but strong. "I’m just a boy who lost his family."

He looked up, eyes fierce through his tears.

"And if you really cared, you’d stop pretending I’m something I’m not. You’d let me grieve. You’d remember my friends. You’d remember Mischa."

The crowd was silent.

His parents, standing in the back, exchanged uncomfortable glances.

But Dimitri didn't care.

"I loved him," Dimitri said, voice breaking, but loud enough for everyone to hear. "And I’ll never stop."

Back in the in-between — Watching him rise

Mischa watched with tears in his eyes, pride glowing in his chest as Dimitri finally stood up for himself.

"He’s doing it," Mischa whispered. "He’s really doing it."

Virgil smirked, leaning on his bass. "Told you he’d find a way."

Constance smiled through her tears, and even Noel gave a tiny, approving nod.

"You’re still with him," Ricky said softly. "Just like you promised."

Mischa smiled, pressing his hand to the barrier. "Yeah. Always."

Final scene — a hint of hope

That night, as Dimitri curled up in bed, Dedushka beside him, a soft breeze stirred the room.

And for a moment — just for a moment — he could swear he felt Mischa’s hand brush his cheek.

He smiled, tears glimmering in his eyes but peaceful now.

"Goodnight, Mish," he whispered.

Somewhere beyond, Mischa smiled back.

"Goodnight, Dima."

-

"The Light Left Behind"

Spring was starting to creep into the edges of winter, soft and slow, like even the earth was learning how to heal.

Dimitri sat on the porch steps, Dedushka curled on his lap, snuffling against his hand like always. Nothing magical about the little guy—just a stubborn, scrappy skunk who refused to leave him alone.

And honestly? Dimitri was grateful for that.

The town was quieter now. People still stared sometimes, still whispered when they thought he couldn't hear. But the shrines were smaller, fewer. The fake smiles and pitying eyes were fading, leaving space for something else.

Real life.

Standing up to his parents

His parents had tried to keep ignoring him—tried to pretend he didn’t exist, like they always did.

But Dimitri wasn’t that scared, quiet boy anymore.

He stood in the kitchen one morning, watching them sip coffee, scroll on their phones.

"Do you even remember what day it is?" Dimitri asked, voice sharp as glass.

His mother barely glanced up. "What are you talking about now?"

"It’s the anniversary," he said, every word shaking but solid. "Of the accident."

Silence.

"And of losing everyone I loved."

Still, nothing.

"And you know what?" Dimitri whispered, standing straighter, a fire in his eyes. "You don’t get to act like I’m not here anymore. You don’t get to pretend I’m some ghost haunting this house while you go on like I don’t exist."

His father frowned, finally looking at him. "Watch your tone."

"No," Dimitri snapped. "You watch yours. Because you lost a son that day too. But unlike you, I’m still here. And I’m done letting you make me feel like I’m nothing."

For the first time in his life, they looked at him like maybe they were seeing him. He didn’t wait for a response.

He just turned and left — chose himself.

The signs from the others

There were little things that made Dimitri wonder, though.

Sometimes when he walked by the old park where the choir used to hang out, he swore he could hear a soft hum — the echo of Constance’s laugh, Ricky's warm singing in the breeze. Sometimes, when the sunset hit just right, it felt like Noel was still sitting on the swings, muttering sharp words but smiling softly. And Ocean — god, he could almost hear her lecturing him to "fix his posture" if he slouched too much on the benches.

And Mischa—

Mischa felt like a constant heartbeat behind it all.

But Dimitri knew now, deep down, that while the others had found peace, Mischa was still here. Watching. Loving him from a distance.

It was both heartbreaking and comforting.

Meeting someone new — and seeing Mischa's light

A new family moved into town that spring. Quiet, a little odd, not the type to show up to every town event — Dimitri liked that.

Their son, Alexei, was... something else.

Soft brown eyes, a sharp wit under layers of shyness. Someone who didn’t treat Dimitri like glass or a myth, but like a person.

They ran into each other at the park when Dedushka decided to steal Alexei's sandwich straight from his hands.

"Your skunk just stole my lunch," Alexei said flatly, but then cracked a small grin.

Dimitri blinked — and for the first time in forever — laughed. Like, really laughed.

"Yeah, well," Dimitri said, "he’s kind of a menace."

They started hanging out after that. Small things — walks in the woods, music shared over cheap headphones, long conversations about everything and nothing.

And slowly — slowly — Dimitri felt himself soften.

There was a day, sitting in the grass, where Alexei looked at him, head tilted.

"You always look like you’re waiting for someone who isn’t here," Alexei said gently.

Dimitri swallowed, looking away. "I guess I am."

Alexei nudged his shoulder. "It’s okay. I don’t mind waiting with you."

And in that moment, something shifted.

Because when Dimitri looked at Alexei’s warm smile, his soft eyes — he didn’t just see Mischa. He saw someone who could be his own kind of light.

Letting go — but never fully

It was on the first warm night of summer when Dimitri went back to the tree behind his house, where he had always sat and cried for Mischa.

But this time, he didn’t cry.

He sat quietly, watching the stars.

Dedushka curled beside him, a comforting weight.

"I think I’m gonna be okay, Mish," Dimitri whispered into the dark.

A soft wind stirred the leaves, and Dimitri closed his eyes, imagining Mischa smiling at him from beyond that veil.

"I still love you. Always will," he said, voice soft but steady. "But I think it’s time I lived like you’d want me to. Time I let myself love again."

For a moment, the air felt warm around him — like arms wrapping him close, like a kiss on his forehead.

And when he opened his eyes, there wasn’t sadness in his chest. Just love.

"Goodnight, Mischa," he whispered.

And far away — or maybe closer than he thought — Mischa’s voice echoed back, soft and proud: "Goodnight, Dima."

-

Epilogue: "For the Ones Who Stayed, and the Ones Who Had to Leave"

The town never told the truth about them.

They said Mischa was "troubled" — like that was all he was. Not a boy who crossed oceans with his mother, only to lose her and be left in a house that never wanted him. Not a boy who carried fire and love in equal measure, who only ever wanted to protect the people he cared for.

They never spoke of how Noel had to hide every piece of himself — folding his heart smaller and smaller — because being seen was dangerous in a place like this. Of how he dreamed of music and love, but lived in fear no one would ever let him have it.

They called Ocean "bossy," but they never said how she fought to be heard in a family that floated away from her, who never understood why she didn’t smile and go along. They never said how she held everyone else together while quietly falling apart.

They called Constance "sweet," like she was just some little bird. But no one saw how hard she fought to be enough — even for the family that loved her, even when she had a baby brother to protect. No one saw the way her own mind could be her sharpest enemy.

They called Ricky "brave," like that was enough. They didn’t know what it was to be trapped in a body that didn’t always listen, to be cut off from voices and laughter, from running and shouting with the other kids. To want so badly to be part of the world and feel like you never could be.

And Dimitri —

Dimitri was their saint. Their holy boy. The one who lived when everyone else died. Frozen in time as this perfect symbol of tragedy and hope.

But no one saw Dimitri, the person. The boy who was neglected and hated by the people who were supposed to love him. The boy who only ever felt safe around his uncle, until even he was taken away. The boy who couldn’t speak English until he was twelve, and who learned to survive by going silent and small. The boy who was hurt in ways no one ever knew — by the one adult he thought he could trust, his music teacher, who shattered what little safety he had. The boy who only ever had Dedushka, the stray skunk in the alley, as a friend. The boy who thought Mischa was the first person who ever truly saw him.

And now, he was the boy who had to live when no one else did.

But this is not where his story ends.

It took years for Dimitri to understand he was allowed to be more than a ghost walking through his own life.

It took years to see that the town’s love wasn’t love — it was obsession. A way to keep him frozen so they didn’t have to face what really happened.

It took even longer to see that what Mischa had given him — that final act of love — wasn’t meant to trap him in grief forever.

It was meant to set him free.

Years Later — Dimitri’s New Life

Dimitri left.

He left the town behind, left the people who never knew how to love him right, left the house that had never been a home. He took Dedushka (who still waddled along, fat and spoiled like a tiny king), packed a backpack, and left.

And he built something new.

A home.

It wasn’t perfect. He still flinched sometimes when people got too close. Still struggled with nightmares that pulled him under. Still had days when the guilt felt like it would crush him — because he lived, and they didn’t.

But he also laughed.

He found people who saw him as a person, not a symbol. He learned to cook. He learned to dance — badly, awkwardly, but joyfully. He kept singing, though sometimes his voice broke on the high notes.

And somewhere along the way, he met someone.

Someone gentle, patient. Someone who never asked about the scars unless Dimitri wanted to speak. Someone who sat with him in the quiet and didn’t try to fix him — just stayed.

And slowly, Dimitri let himself love. Not like with Mischa — that love was a wildfire, bright and burning and too fast. This love was a soft candle. Steady. Safe.

The Memory of His Friends

But he never forgot.

Some nights, he would sit on his tiny apartment balcony, Dedushka curled on his lap, and look up at the stars.

He would remember Mischa’s laugh, the way he used to call Dimitri "Dima" like it was a secret just for them.

He would remember Ocean rolling her eyes but always looking out for him. Noel quietly slipping him notes with song lyrics that said all the things they couldn't say aloud. Constance pulling him into hugs that made him feel less alone. Ricky smiling at him with eyes full of understanding no one else had.

And sometimes, he would whisper their names to the sky — like maybe, just maybe, they could hear him.

"I’m okay," he would say. "I’m living. I’m doing what you wanted for me."

Final Image

If you were to see Dimitri now — years later — you might not recognize him.

There’s still sadness in his eyes, sure. But there’s life, too. There’s a man who knows how to stand up for himself, who would never let anyone treat him like an object again.

There’s a man who fights for kids like him — who volunteers, who listens when no one else will. Who makes sure no other quiet boy has to go through what he did without someone to see him.

There’s a man who still talks to a fat skunk like it's his child.

And if you looked closely, on his wrist, there’s a small tattoo.

Seven stars, one for each of them — and one for himself.

Because he belongs to that story, too. Not just as the one who lived. But as the one who found a way to keep living — for all of them.

Last Words — For Them, and For Himself

"You weren’t just tragedy," he whispers to the night. "You were light. And I’ll carry that light. Always."

And then, with a soft smile, he heads inside.

Because there’s a life waiting. A life he chose.

A life they would be proud of him for living.

[alsamara]

December In Review

Well let’s start off with I’m stealing Li’s template.

What’s In My Cup?

AM: As of late I’ve been drinking black/earl grey tea w/ honey or drip coffee because too much caffeine has been giving me massive anxiety and OCD tics which we don’t even want to get into. I add 1 scoop of Agent Nateur’s holi(mane) which is just collagen powder w/ pearl powder. It actually really helps the evenness of my complexion in my skin. Then I add some hazelnut, english toffee, or vanilla stevia drops depending on the vibe I’m in each day and then my nut pod creamer. Also, you guys I’ve been putting my warm drinks in my ember cup I got for Christmas and it keeps it to the temperature I want for so long, I can shower, do my skincare, whatever and it’s still the same temp. 😭 life changing.

During the day: I’m drinking water with silica drops for thicker and healthier hair, ultima electrolytes in lemonade, and trace mineral drops. I rly want to try the LMNT??? Element??? (Idk..) electrolytes, but why do all the flavors sound like they taste bad.

During the holidays I have been partaking in an occasional sprite that I mix with white peach cranberry juice, cranberry sauce, frozen cranberries, and a sprig of rosemarry as a little mocktail vibe.

PM: I’ve been drinking teas. My favorites have been spearmint, hibiscus tea w/ honey, or elderberry healer by the company rishi.

What’s On My Plate?

AM: smoothies are my go to.. usually strawberry & banana with almond milk, cacao powder, inulin, flax seed, chia seeds, rice bran, pearl powder, chocolate protein powder, cacao nibs, and honey to make it taste like a chocolate covered banana/strawberry.

Pm: I have been rly into a couple things that I’m just rotating…

1. smash burgers on corn tortillas that have been all over TikTok lately. They’re just easy and take such little planning.

2. I marinate boneless, skinless chicken thighs in coconut aminos, salt, minced garlic and minced ginger from a jar and cook it in a pan with all the sauce from marinating. Add it as a dressing on top of a bed of lettuce, cilantro, green onions, sugar snap peas, cabbage slaw mix, and add vermicelli noodles if I’m feeling like I want some carbs.

3. Another one is chicken thighs skin rubbed w/ salt & garlic, fry up the chickens and then remove them from the pan add in black rice (super high in antioxidants) with minced ginger, garlic, let it soak in all the oils and then I add chicken stock, a can of coconut milk and lemongrass smashed. Then add the chicken back in and ignore it for 40 mins. ( this is just a recipe from Gwyneth Paltrow clean plate book which I kind of die for)

My mom and I made Julia Childs lamb for Christmas with green beans and an endive salad.

What’s On My Bookshelf?

Currently reading the 4th book in the “Magnolia Parks Universe” It’s called “The Great Undoing” the series starts out with a book about Magnolia Parks and BJ which is the most toxic but addicting love affair we’ve all had and the 2nd book goes on to Daisy Haites which is like crime lord familia, brother steals paintings from the louve type vibe with more love triangles between both worlds from different perspectives and the 3rd book goes back to Magnolia Parks and the 4th is now back to Daisy Haites.

What’s In My Playlist?

I’ve been into classical music or scores that have been evoking feelings of a past life or have been allowing me to just feel my feels. If not that I’m rly into the song High by Steven Sanchez .. hawt 🫡

What I’ve Been Up To?

I was going crazy for Christmas decorating I wanted it to feel like the North Pole, but honestly it also made me kind of depresssed. My expectations are always high for holidays. My sister never comes home for ANY holiday and always spends it with Lara’s dad side. We used to always spend Christmas night at my grandparents on my Dad’s side of the family and I think that makes the holiday feel lonely now that they’re gone and my uncle is in Boston. Usually we go over to my neighbors on Christmas Eve and she has this huge pasta party, but she cancelled cause she had a pinched nerve in her back and we ended up cooking her a huge lasagna and taking over chicken pot pies for her Christmas Eve + Christmas. I was over stimulated but not with Christmas joy. Happy to help, but I’m feeling exhausted. I enjoyed spending time with my parents and surprising my mom with a gift for her business my dad and I snuck around to get, but as sad as it is to say… I feel relief that Christmas is over and it’s time to bring in a new year.

I am severely dedicated to my physical therapy and my body now that I’m stationary and not traveling around. 3 days out of the week I’m at the clinic in tractions. One where I’m strapped in to the wall pulling my neck to the left and one with 25lbs pulling my neck forward and 20lbs pulling my head back to reintroduce the C curve into my spine. Then I have a ton of at home exercises they have me doing for my knees/ankles and spine as well everyday. It’s a holistic clinic so I’m going to see their nutritionist in January and go further cutting out foods and getting clear on what my body needs to be its highest and best self.

I got a pill organizer from Amazon cause I’m trying to be better about my supplements… it’s been life changing. I’ve been taking saffron 3 times a day to help mood stabilize and gaba to help calm my brain ( both life changing ), chlorophyll, heavy doses of omegas, vitamin d3k2, zinc, glycine which is a building block for collagen, pumpkin seed oil for long hair, and a lot of Bach essences to keep my brain as peaceful as possible.

I’m spending lots of time with my animals. One of my ducks is being a bully so we had to separate berry cause her leg is hurt and cherry won’t stop standing on her back pulling her feathers. We’re collecting about 7 eggs from our ducks and chickens per day.. which is crazy cause I can’t eat eggs anymore, so we’re over flowing with eggs. We have 2 strays in our basements that we are taming to hopefully adopt out or have as outdoor cats that come inside at night… only time will tell.

I finally bought an air doctor for Christmas and I feel like I’m in a pure oxygen tank the air feels so clean (I found a coupon code for $300 off if anyone is interested)

I’ve deep diving into astrology and doing moon rituals.

Every first of the month I’ve been blowing cinnamon through my door which I highly suggest for an abundance practice and washing your cards with cinnamon water.

Skin & Hair Saviors

Face reality is my tried and true. I’m afraid of anything else but I rly want to venture out. I’m going to start micro needling at home to help plump my skin & get rid of acne scars.

My red light/blue light therapy wand + my near infrared/red light therapy panel are saviors.

I use golabs rosemary hair oil any chance I have to let it sit and chill and I use her other oil on my ends and then pop it in a shower cap and let it simmer for at least an hour.

Virtue hair oil with keratin has been my go to before I braid my hair every night.

I’ve been using a ph balanced shampoo by k18 & a rice water conditioner called mykirei..

I also do a apple cider water rise on my scalp to balance PH after I shampoo and condition ( 4 parts water, 1 part acv)

Miss & love you all

Aly 💗

[sewerratzz]

notes i took to tell you how amazing these are [will try to keep them concise but we’ll see how that goes !!] all of this will be so positive

jay’s playlist

a better son/daughter ~ off to a strong fucking start dear mutual !! tears in my eyes rn. this is so jay. GOD so jay

end of beginning ~ djo moment !! god you’re genius for this. so jay & her relationship w the navy/her family. also pistolwhip always on the brain “just trust me, you’ll be fine.” when their relationship starts with both of them deceiving each other augh.

who are you, really? ~ losing it fr. picturing a jay animatic to this and its peak. *chef’s kiss*

headlock ~ this is so jay & chip to me and i’m crying over it. GAH they’re so brother and sister. maybe another time i can speak more on them & this song but rn just. akfhsj

raise hell ~ you’re eating w this playlist. jamming so hard rn. the vision hitting me like crazy

apocalypse ~ this is kinda giving me anastasia/jay vibes and im loving it. here for that

ain’t no crying ~ once again you’re a genius !! so jay !! oh my god that last part ?? yells and screams out loud

constellations ~ you absolute mad lad. such a good song for jay. “the shapes that you drew may change beneath a different light and everything you thought you knew will fall apart but you’ll be alright.” what if i cried. perfect, amazing, no notes. GOD

lizzie’s playlist

freaks ~ oohooho very good. very lizzie !! brain is so pd focused rn i don’t have coherent thoughts but yes !!

dangerous ~ i have never heard a song more fit for waning crescent this is crazy omg

falling off ~ this is so lizzie during her and jay’s current arc to me. like we haven’t seen it yet but when jay shows up to the island the grandberry pirates are on, i mean. im sure they’re gonna be pushing through the weirdness and working together because of the very pressing issue that will go however it goes, and i feel like this song is VERY good for lizzie during it all

end of beginning ~ GENIUS YET AGAIN !! this song is SO lizzie ohmygosh. im seeing specifically lizzie after first meeting jay and the beginning of their relationship, when seeing her only reminds her of ava. even after she & jay heal, could be her thinking back on her relationship with ava !! how much everything’s changed. how much she’s changed. so good

blood upon the snow ~ you’re killing it with this this is SO lizzie, my goodness. “it’s not my arms that will fail me, but this world takes more strength than it gave me.” AGGHHH

raise hell ~ lizzie kicking ass edit in my head rn. amazing

you’re all i got ~ au where lizzie and chip survived hole in the sea and stuck together since then. brother and sister. they mean a lot to me

i of the storm ~ OH WONDERFUL MUTUAL ! what an amazing lizzie song. my girllll 😭. lizzie being such a happy girl, becoming this thing of grief and anger and complex emotions she can’t even begin to parse through. wanting the connections of family but pushing them to arms’ length. ill cry i love her so much. great song

ship in a bottle ~ CORRECT. SO CORRECT. god the thoughts i have about this. incoherent but so good

chip’s playlist

let me follow ~ you are correct !! you are so right !! oh chip my son my boy

i of the storm ~ [i wrote something here but tumblr didn’t save it in my draft glares] this is such a good song for chip. especially rn during the whole black sea/hole in the sea 2 arc. just a scared little boy so insecure in his relationships because he feels inadequate. especially now that he’s undead ?? augh. gil’s “i can’t watch you throw yourself away. you’re worth so much more than that. i just wish you could see it.” really ringing in my head. AUGH.

ship in a bottle ~ CORRECT. this song being in multiple of these playlists is so real lmao its so fitting for all of them just by nature but also. the whole “oh captain, let’s make a deal” lyric really makes me think of niklaus, showing up in low moments to take advantage of the pirates’ desperation for his deals. scratches my brain. very good. this song is just SO chip though like every lyric. just. yes

dead inside ~ oh this is so chip bastard. ESPECIALLY early campaign & with gillion. wow

dirty ~ VERY chip !! again my thoughts are flying around like a tornado and very incoherent atm but this is so right. yes. chip

young folks ~ awhh chip w albatrio </3 chip being so loyal to them. “i’d drown a world for you.” “i don’t care what you were before. you’re a riptide pirate now.” chip not believing he’s something worth sticking around for, with all his baggage and faults. he loves his friends. im crying

cold cold cold ~ chip letting niklaus take his heart *applauds* very good

dream state ~ thinking of a young lizzie & chip on the black rose and sobbing

smoke with the devil ~ kian stone i love you forever. surprisingly fitting !! not much to say about this one but it deserves a shout out bc blood in the bayou <3

gillion’s playlist

only us ~ this is the most gillion a song could be. “so much i have lost and so much i resent.” absolutely insane. existential crisis oathbreaker gillion you have my heart. god thats amazing. i cant even like. dude. that’s SO gillion

creature ~ SO GILLION !!! YAYAY SO GILLION !! augh man. “look inside of me and see that i am not afraid to walk inside the void like a kid inside a cave.” “i am creation, both haunted and holy. made in glory.” [going ESPECIALLY crazy about that one. insanely gillion.] “carved within the beauty, the darkness in between, standing in the balance of complete and incomplete.”

nobody’s soldier ~ yay hozier ! gillion & the elders. very much gillion & the undersea elders

sweet child o’ mine ~ gil & edyn song !! edyn being gil’s only safe space/person growing up means a lot to me. i love the tidestrider siblings

saturday sun ~ yayyy fish n chips !! yippeee yahooo yayyy !! claps and cheers for fish and chips <3

mermaids ~ thinking of. a fnc au. where gil ran away from the capital/trench & lives closer to like a beach town now. he sneaks away to the surface sometimes. pirate chip & jay taking a pitstop at the island & spending a bit in this beach town. spends the night at a bar. gil shows up. albatrio & fish and chips :D i may now be forced to write this

mile deep hollow ~ insanely fish and chips coded. look at those little guys go

abandon ship ~ i absolutely love this song for the albatross crew. so perfectly fitting

NOT HUMAN ~ heavily reminding me of @/bananabelsplit & @/lyltinc’s vampire chip au and im loving it

ava’s playlist

disco ~ oh AMAZING waning crescent song, this fits them so well

gold guns girls ~ also insanely waning crescent. they’re so crazyyyy

blame brett ~ i love the player interpretation of ava ferin. one of my fav hcs for her. really just love your interpretation of her & her relationships because its just so good. she’s so intriguing

wet dream ~ “what makes you think you’re good enough to think about me when you’re touching yourself” OO THATS SO GOOD. ava and how she thought of lizzie at first is so interesting to me

i hate everything about you ~ SO AVA !! oh so ava. in that weird middle ground of waning crescent’s relationship where they’ve been fighting one on one for a while and they’re still enemies but the lines are blurring. hell yeah

kiss me you animal ~ wonderful waning crescent song. it’s so them <3

not your baby ~ WOW yet another insanely fitting waning crescent song. ava falling in love with lizzie and the freedom she feels around her. but the ferins and the navy still taking priority over her. ava killing shadowbeard in front of lizzie because that was her order. amazing fantastic

you should see me in a crown ~ OH this is SO ava ferin. miss golden child of the navy i see youuuu

breakfast ~ really making my love for player ava known right now because hell yeah !! just something so good about it. fuckin ladykiller, heartbreaker, star navy captain ava ferin. millions of messy breakups behind her. OH she gives me ramona flowers vibes. yesyesyes.

icarus ~ YES. YES. AVA IS SOOO ICARUS CODED. love this a lot you’re so real

novocaine ~ VERY ava !! real and true

creature ~ “i know i’m made of clay that’s worn, blinded by imperfect form. but i will trust the artist molding me.” ava being molded into the perfect navy captain

best tears ~ ‼️‼️ most ava song ever

and now more songs !!

colour coded for your convenience :D

I Can’t Fix You ~ The Living Tombstone || so jay ferin with her father after ava’s death to me. i wanna put lyrics in this section but also wanna let you listen to the songs first so !! maybe in another reblog akdhsk

Sargasso Sea ~ Pulp Musicals/Ghosts of Antikythera || jay in the black sea !! i have a sick animatic of the pirates in the black sea to this song in my head and god how i wish i could share it immediately

overgrown garden ~ Beetlebug || this is very waning crescent from lizzie’s perspective to me

Strawberry Blond ~ Mitski || big lizzie song to me. both waning crescent and pistolwhip because im crazy :]

Scrawny ~ Wallows || so chip to me !! silly little guy who’s kind of a big loser. love him forever

Antikythera ~ Pulp Musicals/Ghosts of Antikythera || chip is an adventurer !! he’s a pirate !! song’s very fitting i think

Rule #35 - Microphone ~ Fish in a Birdcage || gillion tidestrider and the undersea elders !! being raised with their version of the prophecy, turning him into their ideal chosen one

Vanishing ~ Pulp Musicals/Ghosts of Antikythera || this is so incredibly gillion to me. lyrics i wanna talk about but again. another reblog lolol

Walking With Giants ~ Rachel Sandy || ava ferin my beautiful princess with a crazy superiority complex, love you forever

Does anyone want the character playlists I made for the albatrio and Lizzie and also Ava

[kattystripes14]

Kk, so I'm a little obsessed with the Fusion Mayhem AU @teenagenutant made- And I have a bunch of personal hcs and I remade T.I.T.I.A.N. into Masaccio... Soooooooooo- Time to post about that now-

Anywhizzle, have this Fusion Mayhem AU short I made called "Favorites". ---

Mikey: Y’know, with this new fusion ninpo stuff- it kinda feels like we have 6 new brothers! Leo: Well, kinda. I agree with Mike, this fusion thing is pretty sick!

Raph: Yeah! It’s kinda like when we fuse we get a better understanding of each other. Even if our fusions are different from us. I think-?? That’s what Draxum said, right Don? Donnie: Affirmative, it would seem that despite being literal fusions of our personalities, habits, thoughts, physical traits, et cetera, in these new forms we act like new people. We feel like new people. Mikey: So crazy!! And it feels kinda weird too, haha. Raph: We haven’t really used 'em much outside of fighting. Leo: Meeeeeh- Gal was kind of an accident. We didn’t mean to fuse, we were just making fun of Warren and Hypno. Raph: True! But that was the case for most of em.

Donnie: Okay but can we all agree that Masaccio is the most fabulous out of everyone? Mikey: Hah! You wish! I personally think Nino is the most dapper if I do say so myself! Leo: Yeah! Plus he’s the only one with luscious locks, unlike the others. Raph: Hey, hey, lets not pick favorites- Donnie: -Scoff! At least we have real eyebrows! And cool explosions! Leo: So? Who needs explosions when you have magic and portals? Raph: Guys, c’mon I just said-

Donnie: Aaaand we don’t look like Gene Wilder. Mikey: *Gasp!* What’s wrong with Willy Wonka?! It adds to the trickster-y magician vibe!!

Leo: Yeah!! Plus what about you? You stole our diamond look! And you guys just talk about how great you are whenever you’re Masaccio! Not gonna lie, you’re kinda self centered. Donnie: You realize you’re the turtle currently speaking, correct?

Leo: Pssh- and?

Mikey: *Wraps his arm around Leo* Face it Dee! You guys are just jelly of how magical we are! Leo: And our dripping good looks. Raph: Seriously, can we not make something a competition for once? Mikey: Says the one who’s losing the competition. Raph: Wh-! … *gets an idea* …Fine. You know who my favorite is? I like Angelico’s vibe. Mikey: Say what?! For realsies?! Donnie: Gasp!! Betrayal Raphael!!! Leo: Mikey! Remember Nino! Raph: For real, big man! He’s a pretty cool dude. And plus, who doesn’t love mystic maces with fire power, huh? And he’s got this like- “cool anime sensei” thing goin on! Mikey: Yeah he does, baby!!

Leo: Oh yeah-!?! Well- *grabs Donnie* Our double bladed ninja staff is way cooler than your mace. Pssh, who even uses maces anymore. Amirite? Mikey: You take that back, Leo!! Maces are the bomb! 

Donnie: He does have a point though. Together, we can portal in useful tech from my lab into battle like my attack drones or even the escape pods if we needed them. His portals become more accurate and stable while my ninpo constructs become more complex and powerful… In other words, Gali rules! Mikey: Wha-!? *he smirks, gaining the same idea as Raph* Fine then! What about Newton? I think he’s the most productive out of any of our fusions! Plus, he’s like the best of both artsy and science-y worlds! Newton’s pretty much a super geniusLeo: (Way to toot your own horn…) Raph: *Actually getting sucked into the argument now* Hey- wait- what about Anime Sensei?! Mikey: Does Anime Sensei have a cool theme song? I think not, Raphie! *Slides over to Donnie* 

Leo: Okay, as cool as you may think he is, you guys almost blew up the lair once. At least Gali’s a chill scientist. And we’re productive too!! Raph: Not really actually. Mikey: Yeah, you guys are more into space stuff than anything else. Leo: Wh-?! You don’t know what’s going on in our heads! We get so much done. Ask Donnie! Donnie: Surprisingly, while we do get a lot done, it’s still not as much as Newt. Leo: Traitor! *slides over to Raph and climbs on his shoulders* What about the amount of times Gio’s gotten you two out of trouble? Mikey: Psssh, you guys just become one big worry-wart whenever you fuse. Donnie: *Chuckles*

((Both look away at the comment)) Leo: No! Well- maybe, but that’s because of how much destruction comes with all of your “Super-Genius” energy. And you can’t even keep up with yourselves half of the time! Raph: Yeah, you two always crash after you fuse! I don’t think you’ve ever stayed together for more than 2 hours. Gio is the ultimate big bro and the best leader. *he fist bumps Leo* Donnie: Hey!! Mikey: Not our fault even we can’t keep up with how sick we are! Leo: Nino could beat all of you in a magic-off. Raph: Oh really? Well Masa looks cooler than all of you combined!

Donnie: And, Newton could out-create any of you. Mikey: Well Angel could razzmatazz and punch his way out of anything!

((A while of arguing later April walks in on them.)) April: Uhh… What’s this whole situation about?? Leo: APRIL!! Quick- tell them all of my fusions are the best! April: What? Donnie: Negative, Leonardo. My fusions are better, and you know it. April: What are you- Mikey: -Uh-uh!! Ain’t no way you’re turning April against us! Your fusions may be smarter, but my fusions have pizazz and flare, baby!

April: Guys.

Raph: No way! Raph’s fusions are the coolest. Who doesn’t love my big brother energy? And they’re all the strongest! April: HEY!!! …What are you guys talking about?! What do you mean by fusion??? Is this a game??

((All of them pause and light up again, almost forgetting about the argument.))

Mikey: We haven’t told you?!

Leo: Come sit down, we’ll fill you in!

Donnie: According to Draxum we’ve acquired a new ninpo ability called ‘Fusion’!

Raph: It’s so weird, but here’s the rundown- basically it combines our powers-

[barry-j-blupjeans]

can u recommend some good blupjeans centric fics? i consider u a blupjeans expert so i trust u

1) thank u, being regarded as a blupjeans expert is literally the highest compliment i can get

2) i can absoLUTELY rec some blups-centric fics hell yes. i won't be tagging the authors mainly bc i don't know all their tumblrs (or if they all have tumblrs) but im pretty sure most of them mention their @ somewhere in the notes of the story if they do have an account.

ghosting, and a lack thereof by anistarrose - A lup lives and is voidfished AU!! she keeps getting presents from a person who only labels themself as "B". this one is vv cute and warm and altogether so good. it's 50 years of slowburn blups smushed together in a much shorter time frame with much more confusion about what the hell is happening sldfsd. it's vv good!! highly recommend!!

Til Death Do Us Part by Mmmarty - there cannot be a more clear-cut summary than what was put already: "Certainly after saving the whole of the known universe, these fools can pull off a wedding, right?" it's vv sweet and exactly the type of wedding i can imagine them having. everyone and everything is a mess but it's so, so good and worth it. this fic is truly an amazing experience!!

Attend Me Here, also by Mmmarty - so goddamn good and nice. barry and lup FINALLY confess to each other and talk about being in love and they're so nice and good and aaaaaa i love this fic. tbh, i highly recommend every blups fic by Mmmarty but if i did that, the whole list would just be them sldfksd.

The Only One On Your A.M. Radio by Grabbingatpowerandkissingit - barry and lucas run a late-night radio talk show and they get a caller who absolutely decks them with magic science. lucas is upset. barry is in love. u can imagine the type of incredible shenanigans that go on in this fic. i WISH i could describe how good it is, but i simply cannot, so u will have to read it for urself!!!

Crush by julidoesnotwrite (notjuli) - this one is so sweet it gave me cavities ngl !! barry and lup are both vv sick and also vv in love. perfect rendition of "we have been married 50 years and i still have a crush on you". it makes me smile so wide every time i read it. cannot!! recommend this one!! enough!!! it's so sweet!!!

Break This Heavy Chain by Punka_Writes - this takes place in the immediate aftermath of story and song. barry is alive and full of many, many emotions, most of them related to his wife. it's just!!! them interacting and loving each other and loving their family after so long, it's so good!!!

I'd Sooner Set Myself on Fire by TooOceanBlue - lup may be a warlock patron and super powerful lich, but she told her family she was bringing a date to dinner and now she can't get out of it. hopefully, they won't be able to tell the difference between "boyfriend" and "loyal warlock". this one is a goddamn work of ART!!! i think about it too much still. so many twists and turns!!! so good!!!

Falling for U by MoonlightxStars - gonna be honest, it's been a hot minute since I've read this one, but i vividly remember being on the edge of my seat for any chapter updates. it's about lup and barry growing up together and slowly falling in love. this will break ur heart and then glue it back together and then repeat that process like, five other times. it's so good and i will put it on my read later list again bc i need that experience once more

When We Run Away by Voidfish - barry and lup in the middle of stolen century and then after it, w the same prompt each time: "run away with me". this one is bittersweet and happy all at the same time. it's vv much captures the "we're in love but we have so much work to do for everyone else" vibe of the stolen century. highly recommend it to literally everyone, it makes me wanna cry sometimes aaaa

what a concrete mess we live in by goinghost - basic summary? lup texts the wrong number and talks with barry instead of taako. it's sweet, it's funny, it's a mess, it is exactly the right blupjeans vibe. i can't overstate how good this one is, i love it to bits and pieces!!! i wanna print out this fic and eat it, it's so good

i hope this helps!!! im sure there's plenty more out there but this is what i could find in my bookmarks that's solely blupjeans-centric :O!!

[constants--and--variables]

hi just got some munningham brain rot to share. Maybe this is due to the anti’s but I don’t think Eddie and Chrissy would get together in hs. Like I LOVE the idea of popular x freak and all the fun that comes w it but hear me out

Eddie is clearly a very caring guy. He actively made a space to help and protect outcast and bullied kids so they don’t feel alone. Chrissy herself isn’t too different tbh she’s just in the popular crowd but she clearly feels alone if she couldn’t even tell her boyfriend about her nightmares or eating disorder. I feel like Eddie and the fact she feels safe w him after a few months of them just hanging out and trusting each other she’d eventually open up to him and Eddie isn’t an idiot he clearly notices something was up within the first few minutes of them meeting so I think he’d totally clock she isn’t mentally okay.

I feel like for the remainder of their senior year he’d care more about trying to help her with her mental health and encourage her to open up more to her counsellor than actively try to peruse a relationship because he isn’t the sort of guy to take advantage of someone in a vulnerable state of mind (not that people struggling mentally can’t be in loving relationships it’s just at that point w her breaking up w her boyfriend and dealing w her home life it would just be less important to him than making sure she feels like she has someone to truly rely on). I think they’d still flirt but just more they are on that line of is this jokes or do we truly mean it. Cue mutual pinning!!

Ofc as they grow the others would make comments about them but I feel like they’d both laugh it off and be like ‘what no us were just friends totally just friends 100% for sure haha…ha’ and be totally oblivious as to if the other actually likes them. Dustin would 100% be getting grey hair dealing w them and Steve (and Nancy…). They’d have moments over the years of them being like oh shit are we having a moment or is this just normal or the typical about to kiss and the kids burst in vibes. But the mutual pinning would be so strong.

Eventually they’re like 23 or smth Eddie is still touring w his band Chrissy number one fan ofc who’s doing great maybe she’s got a job as a dance teacher which is a hc I low-key love I feel like she’d be so cute w kids (but also her studying psychology or smth is also a vibe give me therapist Chrissy telling Eddie random facts about how the brain works). And maybe it’s time for some jealousy… eddie’s band getting attention and we can see he’s a fine man girls and guys wouldn’t be shy to flirt w him in front of Chrissy and ooof our girlie is conflicted rn cos possessive Chrissy is fun. The urge to be like ‘sorry he’s mine’ is so strong and if Eddie was like ‘hey can we pretend to be a thing to get these people to leave me alone’ her brain goes poof and heart goes boom pretending to be a proper couple in front of his fans. And it’s not hard to believe considering Eddie’s already been dedicating songs to her for YEARS hell give me Eddie learning Chrissy’s fave pop song and putting a metal spin on it PLEASE. Ofc Eddie is no better w his reactions he’s getting flushed w his arm around her and her looking at him like that. Now to be honest Chrissy probably has enough people hitting on her in general. She’s the queen of Hawkins high and a rep like that would probably stick not to mention the rumour mill when she started hanging w Eddie. Eddie picking her up from work when random dads try to keep her talking and ofc scary dog privileges come w Eddie and his rep. Eddie would defo feel jealous about the fact so many people hit on Chrissy but she’s always rejecting them which makes no sense to him but then again no one deserves an angel like her. Maybe some Eddie not feeling like enough angst considering he’s quite a vulnerable guy himself.

I feel like eventually all this would ofc come to a head in some big stupidly cheesy romantic scene which Eddie would totally comment on just for Chrissy to finally kiss him to shut him up for once as he’s just like brain empty. And that’s as far as my silly brain rot has gotten so I hope you enjoy sorry for the length just the years of mutual pinning would be so good and I’m someone who calls friends to lovers dull but if it’s them I’m on board.

Please don't tell me antis are still bitching about their age-gap?

Hi and again sorry for the late reply and YEEESSS to the mutual pining/slow burn I live for it lol, and I do 100% agree with you. I think it would kind of make sense for them to not be together like, instantly, despite the chemistry between them. I love the idea of them really get to know each other and spend time together to make up for the lost time🥰, and like you said, Eddie is a very caring person(like even in his last moment, he still made sure that Dustin would look after the lost sheep for him and told Dustin he loves him) and Chrissy, who's clearly suffered a lot. I think Eddie would just put her well-being first and focus on healing her wounded soul (time for Eddie to work his magic and become Chrissy's salvation, and vice versa)

Not to mention they both think each other as "mean and scary", not literally ofc, but because their own insecurity and personal problems, I suppose it will be pretty hard for them to approach each other, to actually make a move and go there? So yeah, would love an ultimate slow burn and desperate longing and all that delicious sexual tensionss then just slowly work their way into a beautiful and healthy relationship. 💅🏻✨

I feel like Wayne Munson would be the perfect character to really help Eddie and Chrissy with their romantic relationship? Imagine the three of them go on a vacation where Eddie was doing some dumb shit or just being Eddie while Chrissy and Wayne just sit there watching him with a fond smile, and Wayne would take the opportunity to open up to her about Eddie and everything...and Chrissy suddenly realize that oh shit I'm in love with him. And we know Wayne and Eddie would give Chrissy the "family" that she truly deserves. Anyway, I'm not a writer by any means so I will stop here but for all the fantastic Eddissy writers out there, please explore the relationship between Eddie, Chrissy and Wayne Munson more I would love to read it 🥺

As for jealous Chrissy, I had this silly little headcanon where Chrissy would get jealous of Eddie's sweetheart🎸

because Chrissy overheard Eddie talking to her 🎸 and how much he loves her when Chrissy literally thought they were going to get together and she became super upset and sulky. Eddie notices it and eventually finds out the reason and can't stop smiling like an idiot while secretly enjoys the jealous very much 😏 and one day He just asks Chrissy out and tells her: “ listen Cunningham, I really want you to meet the woman of my life, and then ta-da it's a fucking guitar 🎸then proceeds to confess his love for her, because Chrissy is the one and only (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و💖 It’s ridiculous, I know 🤣

Again, I don’t think I am making sense lol so sorry for the nonsense and thank you very much for sharing it with us!! 🥺

[lilacsandwhiskey]

I’m currently obsessed with tiktok and tom holland so I’m obsessed with imagines about both. i think it would be cute if you do a tiktok trend with the boys but like the world doesn’t know about reader and Tom so people are shipping her with one of the guys? like from the tiktok? Tom maybe gets jealous or something ? idk i’m rambling haha

Thanks for the request anon :) I hope this was okay!

Heartbreak Anniversary

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Warnings: mentions of pandemic and COVID, cussing, maybe suggestive at points???, angst, jealous Tom, uhhh sucky writing and no proofreading so bare w ya girl n kinda longer than I anticipated but here we are :)

Notes: italics = flashback

If someone asked you how you managed to get a life as crazy as your’s, you’d simply reply “just meet Harrison and become best friends.” You almost couldn’t fathom what your life looked like right now - you sat in the kitchen with your two friends, Harry and Tuwaine, who had fallen into the pits of TikTok with you, while Harrison, Sam, and your beloved, Tom, sat in the living room, screeching at the television as they watched a game. All of this, while in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.

You didn’t officially live with the boys, but you might as well have. Your apartment was only minutes away, but with how communal your living situation was, Tom simply talked it over with his brothers and best friends, who didn’t even hesitate to scream yes when he asked if you could stay there. It was “safest,” he explained when he begged you to come stay for a while. So you did.

How did we get here? It all started with a little project, Harrison Osterfield, and him playing cupid.

——————————

“Clumsy, are we?” Harrison managed to balance you as you tripped over your own two feet, walking into the studio. “What makes you think that?” You huffed back, a small laugh escaping your lips. “Just get that vibe.” He replied, shrugging with a smile.

It didn’t take long for you and Harrison to practically become the best of friends. He soon was inviting you out to drinks with his friends, who immediately accepted you. Though you and Harrison’s friendship was strictly platonic, you found him itching to find out about your relationship status. “Should I even wonder, Harri?” “I mean, no. I’m just curious.” “I thought I told you before I’m not interested in a relationship right now.” You said, glaring at him with a smile. “I didn’t ask that, I was just curious. So anyway, are you coming to the pub tonight? I’m dying for you to meet my friend, Tom.” The excitement in his voice was too much to understand, but instead of questioning, you just replied with a yes.

There you were, walking through the doors of the pub at 8pm sharp. Your eyes finally spotted familiar faces who were calling out to you. You followed suit, inching your way to the booth at the back. “Y/N!” They called, urging into hugs. “Hi everyone!” You replied, taking a seat. Tuwaine was already scooting over your favorite drink towards you. “Told you we’d always take care of you! Anyway, we’re celebrating tonight. Tom’s back home!”

Your eyes landed on the curly-haired boy who had a gentle smile playing on his lips. “No need for anything big, I’m just glad to be surrounded by my favorite people.” Tom said. “Nice to meet you finally, Y/N. Glad to finally put a face to the name.” Tom held a hand out, gripping tight to yours as he shook it. Little did you know, Tom was well-aware of what your face looked like. He hadn’t been able to stop scrolling through your social media pages after Harrison had posted a picture of you, him, and Tuwaine on his story during a night out.

———————————

“So who’s this girl you’ve been posting?” Tom said, trying to be as nonchalant as possible during this conversation with his bestfriend. “Y/N, I thought I’d mentioned her to you.” Harrison said through the phone. “I don’t believe you have, are you like…” “No, no, dude, you know I’ve been talking to Grace.” “I know, but I was just worried my best friend had moved on without telling me!” “You know I would. No, she’s just a friend, we met during a project. Grace actually loves her, and so does everyone else - including your brothers. Have they not told you about her?”

Tom tried to think back to his conversations, only briefly hearing mentions of your names when he’d ask what they’d been doing. He couldn’t help but scroll through your pictures, soaking up every aspect of your life, well, only what you displayed. You had a dog, bingo. You seemed to be funny by the way you captioned your pictures, good. You seemed to have fun, love your family, and live a life that perfectly reflected how Harrison had described to him after he had came to the realization that Tom had already began crushing on you just by what he’d started telling him and the way you portrayed yourself.

Tom begged Harrison to be his wingman. Harrison practically scolded him the first few times. “I don’t want you to mess up this friendship.” “She’s not just a fling, Tom.” “Can’t you just be friends first?” Tom would settle for the last comment. “Fine, introduce us.”

————————————

Your conversations with Tom seemed so effortless that night. With too much alcohol in your system, you found yourself completely flustered by how pretty he was with his glazed eyes, rosy cheeks, and the constant giggles escaping his lips.

Though nothing ever happened that night, you found yourself spending more and more time with Tom in the coming weeks. Harrison didn’t mind as his relationship was truly flourishing with Grace. Weeks later, Tom had finally kissed you out of the blue and it changed everything. He was leaving for a few more weeks for filming, and instead of gaining the guts to make it official that night, he waited until he came back. It was the first thing he asked you when you reunited.

But, it wasn’t as simple as that. The logistics, the orchestrating, there was so much planning involved with what felt like should just be simple. Tom had fans, and sometimes they weren’t so nice. Tom wanted to protect you in every way possible. Though it was obvious you’d been hanging with the guys, since some of them had posted you, you had just figured that if you went out in public, you’d all go together and you couldn’t spend too much time just next to Tom. Posts were limited, it was all planned to a T. But you didn’t mind, because Tom made you happy and you knew it was for the best.

For a while, you did long distance. Your relationship had been based off of late night or early morning FaceTime calls, quick calls in between breaks, and short text messages throughout the day. It was hard but worth it. But this last time didn’t last near as long as others.

When word of COVID swept through the news, the world became frantic in all aspects. When everything began going into lockdown, Tom was sent straight back home from filming.

———————————

Laughter erupted between Harry, Tuwaine, and you. Tuwaine had showed you a both a video on TikTok he came across of a girl dancing in the midst of her friends to the song Heartbreak Anniversary. Though her coordination was obviously great, it was the reactions and how aggressive she was doing the dance that made it so funny.

As if on cue, Tom, Harrison, and Sam walked into the kitchen, Harrison mentioning that they couldn’t hear their program over their laughing. That’s when they found themselves gathered around the phone, joining in the laugher.

“I think we should recreate it. I think Y/N should learn the dance and be in the middle. It’ll be too good.” Harry said. “Me?” A nervous laugh escaping your lips. “For sure, we learn dances so fast, you’ll have it down in no time.” Harry was right - over the last few months, you’d formed certain hobbies with each of the boys. You had became just as close with them as Tom was, and one thing you and Harry found yourselves doing often was learning dances in the backyard, most likely disrupting the neighbors from your obnoxious cussing and laughter.

After protesting the dance, the guys had won and you were now practicing the dance. You felt so dumb, you couldn’t help but laugh. You didn’t allow the boys to see it so that when you videod, it would be their fresh reactions. And that’s what it was -

The boys circled around you, ready to endure the dancing. Right before, Tom had pulled you aside and reiterated not focusing that much time on him, though he wanted you to. You agreed, understanding the circumstances considering the world still was unaware of your relationship. To everyone else, you were just some friend that came to hang out every now and then.

So when the music started, you kept that little rule in the back of your mind. You tried to spend enough time with each, trying to make them laugh which definitely worked. You added your own flair to the dance, leaning back towards each of them, causing them to spit out laughter. You still found a moment with Tom, because it’d be too obvious that you were not trying to be obvious if you didn’t (haha).

Afterwards, the guys laughed over your shoulder as they watched their own reactions. “You killed that!” Sam exclaimed.

Hours later, you all sat in the living room, engrossed in your own thing - television, telephone, reading, someone was doing something. That’s when Tuwaine busted out laughing. “Shit, these comments are ruthless!” “Hmm?” You said, not even thinking to go check on the video you’d posted. When you opened up the app, Tom was looking over your shoulder to look for himself.

“Yeah, Harrison and Y/N are def fucking”

“Y/N and Haz 👀👀👀”

“Look at the way Haz looks at her 😍 obvi in love”

The comments continued. You cocked your head, watching back at the video. There was nothing much different between your interactions other than he was laughing the most - but that was just Haz. You shook your head, laughing as everyone but Tom joined it.

“Dang, Y/N, didn’t know we cared so much about each other!” Harrison said, giggling. “Right, just so in love!” You jokingly fell back into the couch, but soon noticed that Tom was barely participating in the jokes. Instead, he was leaning back, barely cracking a smile, even when you tugged his arm. You tried to shake off his reaction, not expecting him to actually be upset.

—————————

“I think I’m going to shower, wanna join?” You pulled out some sweatpants from the drawer that you’d claimed. “Why don’t you go ask Harrison?” You stopped dead in your tracks. “Excuse me?” Tom stayed silent. A nervous laugh escaped your lips, in hopes that his words were only joking but the straight face he was giving, along with no eye contact, made it clear that he was not joking.

“Are you being serious right now?” You asked quietly. You felt yourself beginning to get upset, considering you had never given him a reason to believe that for one, you’d ever cheat, and for two, that you and Harrison had ever had sex. He was well aware of the friendship that you had before Tom came along, and not only was it strictly platonic, but Grace had been in the picture the whole time.

Tom finallt replied with a shrug, which elicited rolling eyes from you. “You’re unbelievable.” You slammed the door to the bedroom, slamming the bathroom door across the hall. It may have been absurd, but in that moment you honestly were shocked. You and Tom had never really argued about something like this before - it just never showed itself as a problem. It wasn’t like you hadn’t been rumored dating each one of the boys before anyway, you didn’t know what was different.

Harrison had obviously heard the slamming of the doors, including the other boys who surrounded him. Sam pushed the television, looking around at the group, who was already exchanging looks. “Nose goes.” Tuwaine said, instantly pinning his finger to his nose, the rest of the boys following. Harrison was the last to reach his nose. “Aw, come on. You know this is probably about me.” Harrison whispered. “Guess you gotta find out.” Harry replied, shrugging.

Harrison slowly made his way to Tom’s room, slowly knocking before opening the door. Tom was laying on the bed on his phone, seeming that he was not phased by the events that seemed to have just occurred. “Tom?” “Hmm?” “What’s going on?” Harrison asked, inching closer to the bed.

Tom laid his phone on his chest with a smirk. “Why don’t you go find out?” “Seriously, Tom? Are we twelve right now?” Harrison huffed back, crossing his arms. When Tom didn’t reply, Harrison felt like tugging his hair out. It wasn’t very often that the two lads argued, but Harrison honestly couldn’t believe that THIS is what the argument was about this time.

Harrison made it clear time and time again before Tom and you had started dating that you two had been platonic from the beginning. Harrison loved you like a sister, but never anything more. Tom was well aware of that - so he didn’t understand why he was lashing out?

“Look, mate. I don’t know why you’re acting like this, but I can guarantee you, that if you keep on, Y/N isn’t going to like it. You have no right to take it out on her. You know she wouldn’t do that to you in a million years, hell, you know I’d never do that to you in a million years. If you want to be mad, be mad at me, though you have no true reason to be. Fans make assumptions all the time. You can’t possibly be upset when you’re the one who continues to vow her as a secret to the world. You orchestrate every plan with her to make sure that it looks like you’re not dating, so yeah, people might get skeptical. I’m sorry that you’re feeling insecure right now, but you have no right to accuse her of anything.” Harrison had no intentions of giving a speech, but he knew that it had to be said. Tom just looked at him, and for the first time, Harrison couldn’t get a read on him.

Harrison made his way out of the room, almost colliding with you as you came out of the bathroom. Harrison gave you a sympathetic smile before going back to the living room. Confused as to what had just happened in Tom’s room, you took a deep breath before opening the door. There was no doubt that you were still upset, but you also were bothered about the fact that this came so suddenly. Or had it? Had he been so skeptical before and you’d just never caught on? How could he not trust you?

As you walked in, Tom laid on his side away from you. You let out a small sigh, placing your dirty clothes in the hamper and walking over to the bed. “Tom?” No answer. “Can we talk?” Though you couldn’t see around him, Tom squeezed his eyes shut at those words. He finally turned over. “Hey.” You said. “Hey.”

You assumed an apology would come after that, but it never did. You tried to be reasonable. “I get it.” “Hm?” “I get it. I’m sorry that you’re feeling like this. I can’t say there haven’t been times I’ve gotten a little jealous or scared or insecure when you’re miles and miles away. But I’m right here. You have nothing to worry about.” “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have acted that way towards you.” “It’s okay, but you have to trust me. We’ve been together over a year now and this conversation has never came up. Why now?”

Tom took a minute to gather his words. He let out a slow shaky breath. “I don’t know how to put it into words. When I’m away, I long to be back home with you. It seems so simple to know that I get to home and you’re here for me. So, now that I’m home for longer than a week, I recognize that you have developed these amazing friendships with people who can be here for you more than me, and sometimes it just feels unreal that I have you - like I don’t deserve you. I just love you so much that the thought of you being with someone else ever hurts me, and I think that’s why the comments got to me so much this time. Y/N, I think I’m ready to tell the world. I’m tired of keeping you a secret. I want to show the world you’re mine, I want to be the one they make those comments about. Ridiculous, huh?” Tom let out a small chuckle and shook his head.

You grabbed his hands, shaking your head. “Babe, if it weren’t for Harrison, we wouldn’t be here. The relationships I’ve grown with everyone is over our shared love of you. We are so grateful that we can be altogether in each other’s presence and enjoy it because we all have a shared love. You’re so important to all of us, and that’s just how it works. I’m ready to tell the world if you are. I’d love nothing more than to finally call you mine publicly… and maybe go on a date outside of our backyard when this pandemic ends.” You say with a grin. He pulls you on top of him, laying a slow kiss on your lips. “You’re so important to me. Let’s show the world how much.”

[hxnmantii]

Class 1-A and their car habits

tw: crack/fluff, cursing

People: Bakugo, Shoto, Izuku, Sero, Kiri, iida, Mina x mostly gn!reader (Mina is the only one that’s implied female!reader)

Ratings: PG

A/n: yuuhh get into💋 I personally would like to ride with Shoto. I just wanna hold his hand👉🏾👈🏾 but not on no simp shit. Originally, this was going to be just boys but who would I be if my gay self didn’t add the queen herself? Anyways, Who would you like to ride with?

Bakugo~

Bakugo does that sexy ass thing where he drives with one hand on the wheel and one hand on your thigh and when you don’t pay him enough attention he’ll lightly squeeze your thigh. This man does NOT share the aux....his stingy ass. He says he doesn’t wanna listen “to your trash music” but will play bxmb threat and NBA Youngboy at full capacity with the windows down. If you beg enough maybe he’ll play 1 Nicki song. But he will throw a fit and act like he doesn’t like Nicki even though he knows all of the lyrics. Altough he’s really uptight about his car, he enjoys driving and picking up the Bakusquad in it because he likes to feel useful and needed. No doubt about it, this man has road rage. He’s screaming outside the window and in the car about how someone cut him off and when someone screams back him, he’s like “Pull over right now cuz those sound like fighting words to me.” Now y’all in the back of a cop car and 30 minutes late to your dinner date. You are not, I repeat, you are NOT allowed to even think about eating in his car unless he’s got that plastic wrapping on his car. He treats his car so good (at some point you think he likes the care better than you) her name is Bethany. I-

Shoto~

Shoto has one hand on the wheel and one hand in your hand, stroking your hand from time to time and kissing the back of it. He had a sleek gray sliver car with a sunroom (he never actually uses) that goes fast and he likes going real fast because what they gon do, give him a ticket??? When his dad the number one hero??? Try again. He’s also the type to flick off the cops as he driving by because ACAB. He’s always wearing a gold Rolex and you got your nails done so when you hold his, the acrylics compliment his hand and watch.(like the pictures from Pinterest) You guys ride in comfortable silence. It’s so calming riding with him because although you’re slightly anxious with how fast he’s going, you’re at somewhat ease because he’s doing it so smoothly and you trust him. His windows are tinted because once again he’s the son of a pro hero and people are nosy, neither you or him like that. Although you don’t really need the assistance with Shoto being a living AC and heater in one, his seats have buttons for each seat and you can warm your bum. His car had the clean car smell...it just smells really clean. He’s got a bunch of condiments and napkins in his glove department. He doesn’t know where they came from. His whole vibe in his car is rich and elegant. He gets his car professional wash every Tuesday and you are required to come.

Kirishima

Kiri’s got a big ass red GMC truck and he gave the truck these monster wheels so it’s a force to be reckoned with. Her name is Sophie and like Bakugo, he loves her dearly but makes it clear to you that he’s love you more than her. He does the sexy ass thing where he’s got one hand on the wheel and one hand tightly holding on to your head rest so his arms flexing and he’s backing up with a concentrated look. that is so hot to me. He’s got a sticker on the back that says “honk if you’re manly” . He definitely would let you take the aux because you guys made a playlist of songs you chose together. He would be the type to start dancing when a good song came on, almost hitting someone in the process because he took both hands off the steering wheel out of excitement. He’s got road rage but not enough to actually start shouting or flicking someone off. In the trunk of Kirishima’s car, he’s got at least 5 different protein bottles as well a case of water and some jump rope. He says “You never know when I’ll need it to work out” but he has his personal gym?? Anyways, he has a specific section in his closet for red button ups because he likes to match Sophie when he drives her😭 I hate to say it but Kiri looks like a hill billy especially since he’s got those shoulder cut out button ups. He’s cute with it and he’s happy so you somewhat tolerate it

Midoriya

Izuku has more of a family car like a soccer mom car or a dark green Ford explore because he likes to pick everybody up to hang out and he needs space since he’s got a lot of them. Not to mention, he also likes to cruise and enjoy his time with you no matter where y’all go because we all know this man is a simppp. At every stop light, he’s gently grabbing your face and either kissing you on your cheek or forehead. He tried giving you a kiss on the lips once but he got so caught on the feeling that he ended up holding up the line and everybody was honking and made at him. He was so embarrassed that he now waits til you guys get to your destination to do all that extraness. Being the big fan he is, naturally he has some All might themed seatbelts and has all might stickers all over his steering wheel. He also has little all Might figurine on his dashboard that he prays to get him out of car trouble. Genuinely think it’s works too. Izuku in his trunk has a bunch of workout gear and gaze cuz he’s sexy like that. He does not have road rage at all....maybe a little. He might flick someone off but that’s as far as it goes. He definitely gives you the aux because he loves watching how lively you get it. (Y/n) “Do you know your Megan baby?”🥰 (ZuZu) “Y-yes?”

Iida

Now hear me out...Iida has a motorcycle. He’s got a need for speed that cars can’t really fufill because you can’t weave through other cars like a motorcycle can. His motorcycle has the highest tech on it naturally. It’s all black but has lights underneath it so he can change it by phone and ofc it’s always blue. You guys also have matching helmets that are Bluetooth so you’re able to talk to one another without having to yell very much. When you guise stop, he rubbing your arms to make sure that you’re okay and/if you need to pull over. Now when he’s not riding the motorcycle he’s got a Tesla. He preaches about the law and following the rules but when he get in the car, that’s a different story. With him you better either hold on tight to him or you better get double seat belt buckles for extra protection because he’s about to try and race the flash. (And you thought Shoto was bad) You get out thanking the universe for letting you touch ground again. Iida got the type of car that if you even breathe incorrectly around it, it’s going off and waking up the whole damn neighborhood. When iida first got his car, he read everything up on it so he would be fully able to use the car to its full potiential meaning that he’s got Siri set up, he can lock the door from his car, and watch the cameras on his house through the screen of his car. The Bluetooth is automatically connected to his phone so no you will not be getting the aux but you can play some tunes form his phone. He’ll even make you a playlist on Apple Music with his rich self.

Sero

Sero’s got a red convertible with tan seats and the weather allows it, his top is always down. His car always smells so good because he uses the wild cherry air freshener in his car. He blasts bad bunny and daddy Yankee as y’all are cruising slightly over the speed light. He also likes blasting Ski Mask. He’s the type to sing you the words while gently holding your face and singing to you with a lovey dovey smile on his face. He’s very respectful and turns down his music when entering neighborhoods because he doesn’t wanna mess with the vibes. You two have matching glasses that says queen/ king on yours and king on his. He definitely has some throw dice hanging from his mirror along with a picture of you and him taped to his dashboard cuz he’s also a simp. He’s always has a packet of Extra gum in his middle console along with warm water bottles. If police pulls him over, he definitely the type to start flirting with him so the officer just to make him uncomfortable enough to let him off with a warning. For a fact, he has the Puerto Rican flag on the antenna of his car. He has Led lights and likes them to be colorful rather than on one color. Sero definitely jogs around the front to open the door for you because he’s a jester and a gentleman in one. His part of his car is that the top can go down solely for the fact that the sun always highlights your skins so well.

Mina

Do I even need to say anything about the Pink queen herself?? She has a cute pink steering wheel case with matching pink seats and ofc she has a bedazzled stick shift. She has a Jeep. She the type of person to has matching glasses with her interior and when you get in the car, she’s putting her music on shuffle: a dangerous move because you go from Brent Faiyaz to Jhene Aiki to fucking Cardi B, Flo Mili, and etc. When you unbuckle your seat to start twerking in the seat, she’s automatically going to start hyping you up. She’s got one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on your ass smacking it as you fuck it up in the passenger seat. Y’all are literally swerving from side to side and let’s be honest here, Mina is not that good of a driver so you have almost gotten in an accident multiple times. She’s the type to pull over to take cute selfies or videos with you and post them all at once captioning it with “Late nights w/bae”. Underneath seat she an emergency packet filled with makeup, clothes, hair and first aid kit supplies. Although she’s not the best driver, she takes the rules really serious because she would hate to have an accident with you in the car. Like Sero, She has led lights in her car but they only flash pink. Mina is the queen of putting falsies on so she would mostly definitely put yours on (without tweezers) once you park as well as do your edges if you ask. She just has that talent. *chefs kiss* amazing

Reblogs are appreciated!

A/n: I’m lyin I definitely would be riding with Bakugo because I have major passenger rod rage lol and you definitely don’t wanna get your ass beat TWICE