#the way felix scott needs to see these!!

[coimbrabertone]

Let's Talk Indycar on Fox

A day late on the blogpost, but one: I was busy yesterday, two: I was waiting on the ratings number. We got that ratings number in today (a 1.4 million) so let's talk Indycar on Fox.

Starting with the good news.

First things first, Indycar's back and St. Pete is a great season opener. It's a beautiful city, the race is right on the water, it's one of the longest continuously running races in the sport (having first occurred in 2003 and then continuously from 2005 when it became an IRL event), and it's now steeped in Indycar history.

Englishman Dan Wheldon lived in St. Petersburg and famously led home an Andretti 1-2-3-4 in 2005 in the IRL's first race on a street circuit.

Once Dan Wheldon died, the street along the waterfront was renamed Dan Wheldon Way, with Helio Castroneves memorably climbing the fence in that spot after winning in 2012 and tapping the sign in a tribute to DW.

So, all of that makes for a great season opener.

We also saw a fairly compelling race. Scott McLaughlin led early on with the likes of Felix Rosenqvist, Marcus Armstrong, Christian Lundgaard, and Alexander Rossi giving chase. Meanwhile, the likes of Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, and Alex Palou pit early to switch off of the green alternate tyres and onto the black primary tyres.

This would be a crucial move as the green tyres were degrading very quickly, something that Scott McLaughlin would soon find out.

The likes of Rosenqvist and especially Armstrong ran into pitstop issues, which meant Scott McLaughlin built up a big lead, one that he promptly lost on the green tyres.

This handed the race towards the cars that pit on lap two, with Dixon leading that group initially, then Palou and Newgarden.

However, we then got a third strategy as Lundgaard and Rossi went long on the black tyres, trying to save the green tyre run for as late in the race as possible. This put the two of them in the lead, but they'd need to pit, so we got the tense strategy moment of seeing how everything would shake out.

Finally, we also got a compelling battle for the lead at the end, as Alex Palou overtook Dixon on the pit cycle. Newgarden was also on a charge at this point, moving up into second and gaining on Palou as he was stuck behind the lapped car of Sting Ray, who had a Chevrolet engine.

Newgarden also had a Chevy, while Alex Palou was in a Honda.

Another layer of strategy.

Alex Palou spent laps upon laps stuck behind Robb, then when he passed, Sting Ray let Newgarden through immediately.

Then Kyffin Simpson in the #8 Ganassi Honda let Palou through easily, but Newgarden got through as well, and then next two cars up the road were a pair of Prema Chevrolets...

But Newgarden started dropping back! He used up his tyres and he's out of pace! Scott Dixon came back from third place with a malfunctioning radio to overtake Newgarden on track and move into second.

On a day when Scott McLaughlin built up an eight second gap at one point and then Josef Newgarden ate up a five second gap on the leader, it turned into a Chip Ganassi 1-2 at a track that has so often been a bogey track for them.

Ganassi has only won here twice before now, with Dario Franchitti in 2011 and then Marcus Ericsson inheriting the win in 2023 after Scott McLaughlin and Romain Grosjean crashed followed by Pato O'Ward having the engine cut out on him briefly in a bizarre reliability incident.

So, this is the first time in the DW12 era that Ganassi won in St. Pete on merit. Huge.

I know Palou winning isn't the most exciting thing in the series given he's been a rather comfortable champion in three of the last four seasons, but this is a new win for him.

Furthermore, I liked the booth a lot. James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell carried over from NBC and I like Hinchcliffe a lot, then they paired them with Will Buxton. I haven't loved a lot of the stuff Buxton has done in Europe, but I thought he was solid on the Indycar broadcast.

I also liked Jack Harvey on the IndyNXT broadcast.

So, all of that is good, onto some of the negatives.

First of all...the graphics looked pretty but dear God they did not work nearly well enough. I hope they fix it for Thermal because we saw the ticker outright go away for segments of the race (including most of the IndyNXT race, but it was better for the Indycar race itself) then even when it was working, we'd see transponder issues randomly have drivers popping in and out of the order.

Including an amusing incident where Conor Daly was randomly listed in the lead for a moment.

I will say the Indycar race was better than IndyNXT: the graphics were more consistent, and we saw the gaps most of the time, compared to NXT where the ticker was either not there or frozen for most of the race. This to me suggest they're working on it.

This has also been indicated on Off Track with Hinch & Rossi where Hinchcliffe mentioned that the graphics were a work in progress. Likewise, after the race, Townsend Bell asked for feedback on twitter. I hope all of this means that the graphics will work a lot better at Thermal.

If it isn't...then we have a problem.

Second, on twitter they promised us no fullscreen ads during green flag running, but then we got green flag ads during the end. This isn't great, but I will admit that this was a remarkably caution-free St. Pete race (just the one on lap one) and I think Fox wasn't expecting that.

Their bluff got called and they aired at least one fullscreen commercial break, which is a lie, but...what are you gonna do? In American motorsports, there's a lot of old people that cannot comprehend a reality where we get commercial free coverage.

Even Marshall Pruett, who is usually on the side of the fans, treats the demand for less/no commercials as the product of an audience spoiled by Formula One, but...F1 gets as much ratings as Indycar does at this point and they manage to go commercial free thanks to Mothers Polish.

Indycar could find a way to do the same thing, but they're stuck in an old mindset where commercials pay the bills.

I also suppose I can't beat this drum too hard because, like I said, they did go limited commercials for most of the race.

There are also certain dark arts you can use to avoid them, so there is that.

Hey, don't look at me that way, I have the broadcast on legally on my TV, they're getting their viewership. I'm just also sitting on my laptop hoisting the jolly roger to get the kind of coverage I want to watch.

Oh, here's another thing, the Fox cartoon faces for the drivers. Look, I know that a lot of people hate this, and I do think they're ugly, but...I just can't bring myself to give a shit about this, sorry.

I will say that those jolly roger dark arts methods didn't get the cartoon drivers, they got actual photos of the drivers in the same places, so that means this is a deliberate choice by Fox. Apparently, this is also something they do across their sports programming, like my friend Andy says they do it for college football as well, so it's not just Indycar and NASCAR.

I wouldn't know because I hate American football more than NASCAR viewers hate Clint Bowyer.

Now, onto a neutral note.

The ratings for the Indycar race was a 1.4 million. This is nearly half a million more than last year's 975,000, and it's the highest rating for St. Pete since 2022 which was also a 1.4. Together, those 1.4s are the highest ratings for an Indycar season opener since 2011. All of that means the ratings were pretty good actually. They also said that it peaked at around 1.8 million towards the end of the race.

Still...I hate to say it, but I was hoping for more.

I went into this race thinking that 1.5 million would be good, 1.75 would be great, and 2.1 million was the kind of viewership I was hoping for.

Admittedly, I was under the impression that Indycar reached around 1.6 million viewers at Mid-Ohio or something one year, but now that I'm looking, I can't find any actual evidence of that.

The most viewed non-Indy 500 race last year was Mid-Ohio, but that was 1.25 million in what was generally a down year with NBC giving Indycar the lame duck treatment ahead of their move to Fox.

So given all that, it seems that my expectations were a bit too extreme.

That being said, NASCAR on Fox had 6.76 million viewers for the Daytona 500, 4.58 million for Atlanta, and then 4.1 million for COTA which aired on the same network an hour after Indycar ended!

Is it really that crazy to think that Indycar could've drawn half of what NASCAR is drawing after getting three well-received Super Bowl ads and getting to be the lead-in for NASCAR coverage?

I guess so.

So yeah, I can't count this as a negative because the rating is a lot better than last year and Indycar in general has been doing worse ratings wise than I thought, so 1.4 million is pretty good actually.

Still, I hope this is a start and we get better from here.

That being said, Thermal on March 23rd doesn't exactly sound like the best content that Indycar has to offer.

I also hope the graphics issues during the race didn't turn off any of those new viewers.

Still, we were up about 500,000 viewers and that 1.8 million peak at the end of the race is nearly double what St. Pete on NBC drew last year. That is good. I hope this positive trend continues, and maybe by the end of the season that 2.1 million number I dreamt up might become a reality.

To go over the other racing for the weekend real quick...

Marc Marquez dominated the MotoGP sprint and then I decided to sleep through the main race (which turned out to be the right call because Marquez dominated again in the main race) but AI Ogura on the Gulf Trackhouse bike pulled off a 4th and a 5th on the weekend as a rookie, so congrats to him.

Speaking of Trackhouse...

Connor Zilisch pulled off the win in COTA in the Xfinity Series after a battle with his Jr. Motorsports teammate Carson Kvapil. The ZIlisch hype train was then derailed by Daniel Suárez in the Cup race in a move that was bad for me and bad for my fantasy team.

This left Kyle Busch in charge for most of the race with SVG pressuring him, but my hopes of an SVG win were dashed as well. Instead, Christopher Bell went back-to-back to win both Atlanta and COTA because only the NASCAR drivers I don't care about are allowed to win apparently.

Guess I gotta fill my Phoenix lineup with guys I hate.

Gonna go with like Logano, Gibbs, Byron, Busch, and Hamlin, because fuck me enjoying the race I guess.

No, I'm not bitter, why do you ask?

So yeah, sorry for the blogpost being a day late. If it's any consolation, I wrote 1800 words for my NASCAR fic yesterday, so I did at least put the time to good use.

[holdmytesseract]

i LOVE Baby Fever!

I know it says your requests are closed, but mind if I submit a Baby Fever idea for a rainy day if you ever need it?

I had to take my kid to the dentist for th3e first time the other day and she was a wreck, and it got me wondering what it would look like Loki was comforting Ella before she has to do something scary, like go to the dentist or the first time.

If that's not inspiring, it can be anything, like a first performance, first day at school, or another situation that would be frightening for a child? I bet you'd make something lovely.

Biggest Fear

☆ The Baby Fever AU ☆

Loki, Ella & Narfi

Summary: It's time to pay the dentist a visit - which is Narfi's biggest fear...

Warnings: angst, fluff

Word Count: 998

a/n: I loved this idea so much, but I don't know if I like what I wrote... I don't know if I got it right... I struggled a bit, but well... I hope you guys like it! :)

Baby Fever Crew: @lady-rose-moon @muddyorbsblr @chennqingg @smolvenger @alexakeyloveloki @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @jennyggggrrr @stupidthoughtsinwriting @eleniblue @loz-3 @mishkatelwarriorgoddess @fictive-sl0th @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @lovingchoices14 @glitchquake @lokidbadguy @icytrickster17 @mandywholock1980 @november-rayne @xthatpottahfanx @simping-for-marvel @lou12346789 @aagn360 @anukulee @multifandom-worlds @hisredheadedgoddess28 @vbecker10 @jaidenhawke @km-ffluv @lokiforever @crimson25 @kimanne723 @cakesandtom @buttercupcookies-blog @salvinaa @javagirl328 @noideakitten @zombiesnips-blog @dustychinchilla74 @frzntrx @lokisgoodgirl @princess-ofthe-pages @coldnique @asgards-princess-of-mischief @lokisrealpurpous @huntedmusicgardenn @lokischambermaid

Baby Fever Masterlist °☆• Loki Masterlist °☆• Masterlist

"Ella?" Loki called out for his daughter, before walking inside the living room, where she sat on the sofa and watched TV. "Come on, princess. We have to go," he said; her little jacket in his big hands. Ella looked up; nodding at him. "I'm coming, daddy." She reached for the remote and switched off the telly. "Where's your brother?" The young girl shrugged her shoulders as she hopped down from the sofa. "I dunno. Probably hiding in his room, because he's afraid and doesn't want to go." Realisation dawned on Loki. He should've known. He should've seen it coming. "Alright. I'll look after him. Be a good girl and get dressed already, yes?" "Sure, daddy." Ella took her jacket from Loki and marched off into direction main door. Sighing, the god made his way to his son's room. He found the door open, "Narfi?" so he stepped inside. Looking around, the little boy was nowhere to be seen. "Narfi, we have to go. I know you're in here; hiding somewhere…"

A small head full of black curls appeared from behind the huge lion plushie, which the boy had been gifted by his uncle Scott. "I don want to go, dada..." The two-and-a-half-year-old whispered; already fighting the tears. Loki's heart cracked at the sight; his expression turning immediately incredibly soft. "I know, little prince..." He said, squatting down and opening his arms. An offer the little boy took gladly. He literally ran into his father's arms. "But we have to go to the dentist. It's important."

Yes... The constantly recurring dentist problem... It wasn't Narfi's first time to pay the doctor a visit, but given the fact that his first time having his little teeth checked was quite traumatizing for the little boy, he was afraid to go again - understandably. Loki hated to push him through this again and again, but he had to, unfortunately. Sure, he tried several times to still his fears, but in vain...

Narfi shook his head; rubbing his eyes. He was still fighting the tears, but his bottom lip wobbled dangerously. "I'm afwaid, dada." Loki pressed a lingering kiss on Narfi's forehead. "I know you are - and that's okay. We all have something we are afraid of. But... You don't want to be afraid of Dr. Felix, do you?" "Nu.Uh." "See? I promise I'll be there the whole time. I'll hold your hand and I am not letting go. And your sister will be there, too. Okay?" Loki could still see the fear in his son's eyes, as a few big tears rolled down the boy's cerulean cheeks. "O-Okay..." The god gave him a soft smile and pressed another kiss on his face - this time it was the left cheek. "Let's go then." Loki stood up; taking the boy with him and carrying him within his arms. "Besides, how can we be sure that your little toothies are growing the way they should?" He added; gently tickling Narfi's tummy with one hand. It caused him to giggle and smile at least a bit.

Once everybody was ready, Loki took his two kids to Dr. Felix. Unfortunately, Narfi's fear didn't ease up. Rather quite the opposite... The more time that passed and the closer they got to be called up, the small boy's fear increased continuously. While Ella was completely chilled and was having fun in the little kid's corner of the waiting room, Narfi's grip on Loki tightened with every passing minute. He was holding on to his father for dear life. Loki tried of course to reassure him; stroke soothing circles across his small back and whisper sweet encouragements inside his ear. It was helping a bit, but not to a full extent.

Therefore, it was almost like a nightmare coming true for the little Frost Giant, when a nurse entered the waiting room and called up both, his and Ella's name. Loki was about to stand up and carry Narfi again, when he literally clasped onto Loki's emerald green shirt; every muscle in his body tightening. Thick tears rolled down Narfi's cheeks again. "Daddy, don wanna go," he sobbed into the god's shirt; wetting it. "I know, little prince, but we have to. I'm sorry."

Ella saw the scenes unfolding as well. When she saw her brother like this, her expression soft. A small hand landed on Narfi's back as well. "Don't cry, Narfi. I was afraid of Dr. Felix, too the first time, but he's just trying to help you." Narfi turned slowly in his dad's arms to look at his big sister. "You are afwaid, too?" He asked; rubbing his red, swollen eyes. "I was, yes, but I know that we can do this together." The little boy looked up at his sister with big, ruby eyes. "Togefwa?" Ella smiled, "Together." and reached for Narfi's hand. He took it, of course. Loki let him down and watched how his eldest child led his youngest child towards the door of the waiting room. The god could literally feel the love pumping through his veins. He stood up and quickly went to follow them.

Ella squeezed Narfi's small hand gently, whispering: "I am going to hold your hand and I promise I won't let go, okay?" Loki could see the boy nodding, before he inched closer to his sister. At that gesture, Loki's heart almost bursted; seeing how much Ella loved her younger brother and how she took care of him.

Due to Ella's positive effect on Narfi, went the actual dentist appointment very smoothly. Sure, Narfi had been still afraid, but Ella managed to still most of his fears. She was everything what Narfi needed in that moment - and she was there for him. After the appointment, Loki took both kids to eat some ice cream. They had clearly deserved one. Both of them.

From that point on, Narfi wasn't that afraid anymore to go to the dentist - as long as Ella was with him.

[lizzardwitch]

Made my younger sister name and then rate PR characters on a scale of 1-10 (Part 1/??)

(Note: Not going to do any neo-Saban season because she actually remembers those apart from Samurai and Ninja Steel so I’d be busted, if I could Dino Charge would be the first season up here)

RPM:

Scott: Benjamin (3/10, “He just looks ugly”)

Flynn: Matt (0/10, it’s worth noting she immediately said “Ew” after looking at him)

Summer: Rosalie (7/10, “She looks cool but I’m not gay”)

Ziggy: Steward (0/10, “He looks ugly and gay”)

Dillon: Fred (5/10, “He’s alright”)

Gem & Gemma: Mya and Steve (6/10, “Idk”)

Doctor K: Vicky (8/10, “She looks like a Purple Power Ranger from the dinosaur show”)

Jungle Fury:

Casey: Matthew (1.15/10, “He looks ugly and white”)

Lily: Samantha (7.5/10, “She’s pretty but she’s white so it drags her down”)

Theo: Kai Cenat (0.5/10, “He looks ugly”)

RJ: Samuel/Chris (3/10, “He looks like an ugly viking”)

Dom: Drew (0/10, “How does a white man get even uglier”)

Fran: Megan (8/10, “She looks cool, she should be a purple Power Ranger”)

Wild Force:

Cole: Greg (9/10, “He’s really cute”)

Taylor: Jessie (6/10, “She’s alright”)

Max: Troy (7/10, “He’s alright, he looks like Donald Glover”)

Danny: Chase, her original guess was ‘Character #1’ (8/10, “He’s alright”)

Alyssa: Victoria (9/10, “She looks cute and nice”)

Merrick: Hans (0.5/10, Her immediate reaction upon seeing him was “Oh HELL NO” and then “He looks like the bad guy from Frozen”)

Princess Shayla: Lana (7/10, “She’s alright, she looks like Lana Del Rey”)

SPD:

Jack: Lamar (7/10, “He’s not ugly but he’s not really cute, he gets extra points for being black”)

Sky: Keith (-1/10, “He looks like he snuck onto Earth he’s ugly as hell”)

Z: Vanessa (1/10, “She looks mean”)

Bridge: Roberto (8/10, “He looks nice and he’s cute”)

Syd: Quinn (5/10, “She looks off-putting like she’d call me the n-word”)

Cruger: Brian (0/10, “He looks ugly as hell why am I rating him, every dog should be named Brian”)

Kat: May (10/10, “She looks like a furry”)

Boom: Scarf/Stephen (5/10, “He looks nice but he’s not cute”)

Lightspeed Rescue:

Carter: Thomas (6/10, “He looks alright”)

Chad: Ryan (8/10, “He looks cool”)

Kelsey: April (8.5/10 “She looks cool I guess”)

Joel: Shaquille O’ Neal/Aaron (9.5/10, “He’s black”)

Dana: Kia (9/10, “She’s nice”)

Ryan: Peter (10/10, “He’s a cutie, automatic 10”)

Ms. Fairweather: Margaret (10/10, “She’s so pretty”)

Captain Mitchell: Bob (7/10, “He looks nice too”)

Mystic Force:

Nick: Ford (6/10 “He looks like a vampire but not in a bad way”)

Madison: Mia (6-7/10, “She looks nice”)

Vida: Mei (8/10, “She looks cool she looks like a spy”)

Chip: Leonard, pronounced like “Lennard” (1-2/10, “He’s not only white but ginger? Pick a struggle he’s ugly”

Xander: Matthew (9/10 “Above average cuteness for a white guy”)

Udonna: Ariel (8/10 “She has red hair and she looks like a mom”)

Daggeron: Elijah (9/10 “He looks cool”)

Leanbow: Gertrude (0/10 “He looks ugly ew”)

Phineas: Skibidi (10/10 “He looks skibidi”)

Toby: Mateo (0/10 “He also looks like he snuck onto Earth why does he have sideburns”)

Clare: Rachel (9.3/10, “She looks nice I like her”)

Leelee: Scarlett (7/10, “She looks like Scarlett Johansen”)

Operation Overdrive:

Mack: Ryan (3/10 “He looks chopped”)

Rose: Emily (7/10 “Cuz I said so, she’s alright”)

Dax: Ryan, “He looks like more of a Ryan” (5/10, “He’s in the middle”)

Ronny: Abigail (3/10, “She’s not cute she also looks chopped”)

Will: Cameron (8.3572/10, “He looks like an 8.3572”)

Tyzonn: Alpha (3/10, “He looks like an alpha male”)

Andrew Hartford: Wyatt (3/10, “He looks like he has 5 kids and is about to get kicked out”)

Spencer: Bill (10/10 “He’s old”)

Dino Thunder:

Conner: Stoke (3/10, “He’s alright but below average”)

Kira: Rebecca (7/10 “Is that a girl??”)

Ethan: Anthony (6/10 “He would be higher but he needs to grow out his hair”)

Tommy: Matt (6/10, “He’s ugly but it’s okay”)

Trent: Felix/Fabio (7/10, “He looks like a Mexican dad”)

Hayley: Karissa (3/10, “She’s a ginger and she looks mean”)

Unfortunately I had to end it there since she wanted to go to bed after :(

[blacklister214]

Do you think that if there’s a S5 of MSATD that they won’t have Nash for that whole or majority of that season since he’s supposed to be in jail? Thought they would still have them working together, but then that last part in the finale happened so…?

I think we will see Eliza visiting Patrick while he awaits trial and talking to him about her cases, which he will eventually realize she doesn't actually need his help with, but instead is using it as an excuse to come visit him. I think William will also return before the trial and we'll get some scenes with Patrick and William.

I think William will propose and Eliza accept prior to the trial, but Eliza's actions to secure Patrick release will cause a them to break the engagement. I think she will demonstrate once again a disregard for the law and show she is willing to risk her license to save Patrick. It's going to bring home how important Patrick became to her and William does not play second fiddle.

I also think prejudice in Scotland Yard will also play a role this season, particularly with Patrick's trial and re-opening of Michael's murder. The poor family who hired Michael was Irish, as obviously was Michael and neither of those case were closed. I don't think it's a coincidence, especially since Felix Scott gave an interview talking about how the Irish were treated in London during Victorian times. We've had small sniffs of it with Patrick's comment about having "faced prejudice" way back in 2x04 and the interview in 3x06. I think this matters to the love triangle, because William realizes he doesn't want to leave the police. He's needed to stay an fight the good fight.

I think we will conclude with Patrick joining Eliza's firm.

[cattatonically]

Headcase - Onley James (Necessary Evils, book 4)

Synopsis

Asa Mulvaney is half of a psychopathic whole. He and his twin brother live together, party together…kill together. In the Mulvaney family, murder is the family business and business is good. When an experiment separates Asa and his brother, Asa is forced to navigate the world on his own for the first time in his life.

Zane Scott is a small-time crime blogger and amateur sleuth, but he dreams of a byline in a major paper someday. When he winds up at a boring fundraiser beside Asa Mulvaney, they share an intensely passionate encounter that leaves Zane with an ache in his chest and a story idea that could make his career dreams a reality.

At a nearby college, a cluster of suicides isn’t what it seems. When Asa’s father asks him to look into it, he sees the perfect opportunity to see his little crime reporter again. And Asa needs to see him again. Zane’s suspicious of Asa’s motives, but he won’t say no to a chance to peek behind the Mulvaney family curtains.

As the two unravel a sinister plot, Asa’s obsession with Zane grows and Zane finds being Asa’s sole focus outweighs almost anything, maybe even his career–which is good for Asa because loving a Mulvaney is a full-time job. Can he convince Zane that he’s worth navigating a family of psychopaths and his pathologically jealous twin, or will Zane learn the hard way that the Mulvaney boys always get what they want? Always.

Headcase is a high heat, intense, lovers-to-frenemies, psychopath romance with an HEA and no cliffhangers. It features an obsessive, calculating psychopath and a wannabe reporter who will stop at nothing to earn himself a major byline. As always, there’s gratuitous violence, very dark humor, enough killers to fill an auditorium, and enough heat to melt your kindle. This is book 4 in the Necessary Evils series. Each book follows a different couple.

TAGS: psychopath romance, Asa is bored, Avi is jealous, Zane is pretty, Adam is still a dick, August is… August, Aiden’s still missing, Lucas is concerned, Atticus plays den mother to a gaggle of murderous young adults, Asa wants Zane but knows he suspects he’s a killer, Zane wants a story but can’t keep from falling into bed with his target, extra dark humor, found family, So. Many. Murderers, mysteries abound, bad boys doing bad things and each other, high non-relationship angst, low relationship angst, shmoop, fluff, smut.

My Thoughts

Zane has dreams of becoming a crime reporter, and he’s spent months following the trail of bodies that seem to surround the Mulvaneys and their partners. When he encounters Asa at an event, he thinks he’s found his in. But Zane is in for way, way more than he bargained for.

When discovering the Mulvaney family secret – they’re the psychopath sons of an eccentric (and apparently very handsome) billionaire who take out the trash that slip through the criminal justice cracks – he doesn’t expect things to hit so close to home. But they do, and Zane has to rely on Asa to get him through.

Zane leans heavily on Asa. Asa keeps him going, keeps him from spiraling. He also keeps him rather blood thirsty. Zane’s brother was the victim of a sick and twisted game run by sick and twisted people (even by Mulvaney standards). And Zane won’t rest until they’re all taken out. And Asa won’t rest until Zane gets his closure.

The start of their relationship is a little rough around the edges, but they soon build a foundation on communication and honesty. Zane communicates his needs, and Asa communicates his desires. They find a balance that works for them. And they make it work. Zane even manages to win over Asa’s twin, Avi, who is more territorial of Asa than anyone else. And considering Avi’s fixation with Jericho’s brother, Felix, whatever lies ahead for the four of them is bound to be intense.

[im-in-love-with-pizza-bites]

To Raise Children: Chapter 28

Chris Evans X Daughter!Reader, Grandpa!Chris Evans X Flynn and Felix Evans (OCs) Tom Holland X Single-Mom!Reader (Slow Burn)

Series Masterlist

OC List

Series Summary: It's been 4 years, your sons are starting kindergarten, you're starting junior year of college, a lot has changed.

Chapter Summary: Getting ready to go to Virginia to see the Bennets.

Series Warnings: Age gap (Reader is 20, Tom is 29), absent father, mentions teen pregnancy, mentions abortion, if you see anymore please let me know politely.

Chapter Warnings: Sibling agreements and insults.

Sequel to "It Takes A village"

It's June. Not much has happened except the twins graduating kindergarten. On to other things! You have planned a trip to Virginia to meet the bennets. You were excited for the boys to meet their sister. You hoped they'd get along cause even if they don't know their dad you want them to know their siblings. They're excited too they've been talking about it for weeks. You're just happy you have one less stress now that school is out for a little while. You still had work obviously but now you have time to spend with the boys. You found them a free day camp that they'll go to until you're done working.

You wished you could spend every day of the summer with them but you need to work. You did have weekends off though. So you planned to have a lot of fun on them. Going to park, swimming, zoo, you also wanted to teach them to ride their bikes without training wheels.

"Mommy why didn't you put us up for adoption like Amelia's mom did?" Flynn asks as you begin packing their bags. You look at him unsure of what to say. You've talked to Amelia's bio mom. You like her she's really nice and you've gained a friendship with her. She's told you her story, you told her yours.

"Well, uhm I had your Poppy and everyone else all there to help me with you two, while Amelia's mom didn't have that. She wanted to give her baby a good life though so she gave her to Janet and Kevin because they could give her that life." You try to explain in a way that he'd understand. It wasn't a lie you really did have more support in your life. She was going to be kicked out and unlike you she didn't have another place to call home.

"Well why didn't she give her to you so that we could have a sister?" Felix asks.

"Because she didn't know about me or you two." You put your hands on their knees. "But gran did and she connected us so that you two could meet your sister!"

"Gran is the best!" Felix grins.

"She really is." You smile. "Okay your bags are packed!"

———

"Dad we're meeting in public at a park. Multiple people will be there with us." You say into the phone as you drove to work. "I know your worried but even if we don't get along with them. They live close to washington DC we can go sight seeing."

"I know but Im just worried about you guys. I wish I could come with you." Chris says from the other side of the phone.

"I know."

"I wish you really would've taken Scott up on his offer to join you guys. I know you can take care of yourself but it is still dangerous." He says.

"I know... But it's too late the flight is tomorrow. It's only a week."

"Okay well keep me posted. How are the boys anyway?"

"They're so so excited. They can't wait to meet their sister." You say parking the car. "Oh dad I've been looking online at houses... I found a really nice one in Clinton. I won't be able to get it but when I don't have enough for a house I might look over there. I know the boys will have to change schools. But it really isn't far from you only like thirty minutes. And I looked at houses in Sudbury but they're so expensive."

"Okay. I am putting money away for it but I'm gonna wait till after I get a job at a salon. I need a steady income." You knew there was no rush. Chris didn't mind you there. He actually felt better having you there. Especially when he wasn't home. He knew someone taking care of his house and he knew you and his grandbabies were safe.

"Well when you are ready to buy a house I'll go with you to tour them!"

"Thanks dad. Okay I better get into work I'll call you later."

"Bye sweetie love you."

"Love you too bye dad." You hang up and climb out of your car. Luckily due to a shift change for the summer you're no longer working "rush hour" aka the time when everyone finishes work and school and come to Walmart to get last minute things for dinner. It's almost as bad as the weekends which you also got out of.

Except one, father's day weekend. You traded shifts with this older gentleman who you have worked with since you started here. He always spends father's day with his kids and grandkids. Normally he has it off and so do you but this year he got scheduled that day. Since your dad wasn't one you traded the day. Your grandma was going to babysit the twins for you so it should all work out.

———

One night and a terrible flight later and you're in Virginia. The boys were terrible during the flight. First the fought over the window seat, then wouldn't agree on a movie, you had to switch seats with Flynn cause they kept fighting. It was only an hour though luckily. If it was any longer you probably would've snapped. They've been at eachother's throats all day though. Which is odd for them. Sure they argue and all but those don't last for hours. You're hoping they're just hungry. It was nearing lunch time and they haven't eaten since breakfast. You guys ate about an hour and half before your flight so it would make sense if they are.

"Stop touching me." Flynn pushes his brother away. You sigh looking at the two of them.

"You were touching me!" Felix argues pushing back

"Boys." You warn.

"He started it!" Felix says frowning.

"I don't care who started it. Go sit down while I get us an Uber." They nod and hurrying to sit on a bench.

"Now we're in trouble because of you."

"Nuh-uh! It's your fault." You looked back at them and they shut up looking at the floor.

"See." Flynn mutters before he plays with the toy he brought with him on the plane.

"Shuddup."

"Okay are you boys hungry?" You walk over to them.

"Yeah!" Flynn nods. Felix shrugs.

"Okay sweets we'll go to lunch after we get checked in at the hotel!"

"Are we meeting Amelia today?" Felix asks you standing from his seat.

"Yeah we're going to dinner with them!" You telling taking his seat and letting him sit on your lap.

"Yay."

"Now boys. Why have you been at each other's throats all morning?" You ask them.

"He's annoying!"

"Well your a butthead."

"No! You are."

"Enough."

"Sorry mommy."

"Sorry."

You can tell that this is going to be a long day.

Taglist: @fic-for-readers @denisemarieangelina @thevelvetseries @kaitieskidmore1 @ellerosie2332 @tahniemarie @runawayolives @marajillana @buckybarnez @positivelyholland @firehoseevan @coldmuffinpartycloud @beautifulrose0809 @believinghurts @laura-naruto-fan1998 @shadow-dixon @claaaaaaire-blog @mrs-brekker15 @h-j-s-03 @moniffazictress11 @buxkybarnez @ducks118 @kalopsia-flaneur @silverrmist @some-lovely-day @peterparkerbae @Olivia197810 @gengen64 @Bellagaseta20 @hollzo-03 @bubb1eana1ee @cmalas @jamie0515 @mpamphsss @bucketbarnes12 @lyraficrecs @hunni-bunny @lyrarodriguez @snigdha-14 @cedricdiggorysimpp @Multifandom_Boss_Bitch @sea040561 @queensgirl718

[natromanxoff]

FELIX TAYLOR INTERVIEW WITH QUEEN ONLINE - OCTOBER, 2006 (INTERVIEW-2)

PART-1

What kind of father is Arty? How you do describe him?

He’s a very nice man – generous and kind-hearted, and actually very funny when you know him well. My brother and sisters and I are quite mean to him, we’re always taking the piss, but we all love very much. He’s as much a friend as a father to me. Good drinking buddy too.

I know you're writing a new novel. Are you planning to publish it one day?

Of course, why else would I bother writing it? No takers as yet unfortunately, and I’m working on my second book – an occult thriller.

What is your unfulfilled dream?

To learn how to surf, become really good at skiing, and have a wicked job that allows me to do both for a good spell of the year. Oh, and have a lovely wife and kids, be really successful, and generally the don of everything. I’d like to be seen as a cross between James Bond, Sir Walter Scott, the Beach Boys and Ghandi. I’m quite clumsy and the idea of being super-dextrous appeals to me, but I know that I will always fall over if I do anything physical (it’s actually quite reassuring now – at least I know what I’m going to get if I try t show off).

Would you like to become a writer?

Very much, you can choose your own hours and be the master of the worlds you create. It’s such fun coming up with storylines and characters. What a great job if you can make any money out of it! The bit I like less is the actual writing, but you just need to grind on with that I suppose. I’ll carry on writing till I’m senile or I get a book properly published at any rate.

Where do you live?

In East London – it’s fun, and it’s the oldest part of London along with the City, so there’s buckets of weird stuff to discover. It’s also changing faster than any other part of London, and you can literally watch the buildings come down and go up.

Are you in contact with Brian's and John's children?

Not as much as I should be. We should see more of each other really.

What was the first single or album you ever bought?

I have never bought singles. I would like to be able to say that the first album I bought was something g really cool, but unfortunately it was Bon Jovi’s Keep the Faith. I later learnt the error of my ways and started liking proper music.

Did you often follow your father when he was and is on tour?

I went to quite a few dates when I was very young, but they stopped playing live when I was six. The only one I can really remember is Live Aid (glad that’s the one that stuck in my mind). I joined my dad on their last tour quite a few times (we got very, very drunk one night in Japan in particular – bet he remembers that one!), and boy was I impressed – they are leagues ahead of most bands in terms of live performance.

Have you ever been in Italy? If so, when and where exactly?

I’ve been to Rome, Sardinia and Naples. Great country, fun people and good food, and the attitude to life is very different. Bad politics though, such a shame for italy to have so many crooks in power (I suppose the UK’s not much better).

What kind of education your parents gave you and your sister?

I went to a French Government school in London, and then boarding school when I was 13. I was very lucky to get such a good education, and I loved boarding school – don’t understand why people would knock it as a concept (though I do understand why people have a problem with the idea of private schools).

Is your personality more on the same wave-length as your dad or as your lovely mum? And why?

I’ve got a temper, which comes from my mum’s side, and I’m quite stubborn (not sure which side that’s from – they’re both a pain like that). I look like my mother, but I’ve got my father’s tastes when it comes to most things, and we share the same sense of humour. They’ve both made me who I am, and I ask them for different types of advice. I love them both to bits though.

PART-2

What are you currently listening too?

Hot Chip’s new album, but there’s only one good song on it. My friend Kamila Thompson’s music, which is quite brilliant, lots of the Who, Muse’s new album (superb), Stevie Wonder’s Inner Visions and a little bit of Razorlight.

Do you plan to promote this single on MTV or other TV channels, perhaps with a video to accompany the song?"

Not up to me, trying to get it out there, and would love to have some video footage, but we need some radio play first.

As Arty and Brian May are close friends I was thinking if you and his son are in contact and if so do you see him often?

I do see him, though not as often as I should. He’s just got married and he’s one of the nicest people you could ever meet.

What did you study at College?

European history, philosophy and politics, with French language and literature. I loved my degree and worked really hard for it, but it was a fat lot of use to me really – a degree’s worth nothing these days, too many people have them.

When you were a child you often stayed with Chris Taylor, Arty's personal assistent. Are you still in contact with him?

No longer. Lost contact with a lot of people since those days. It’s a long time ago.

Is your nature similar to your mother's or your father's?

Bit of both really – good and bad elements from both.

Would you ever consider starring in We Will Rock You?

No, I’m not an actor and I don’t like musicals either. I think they’re silly (apart from the one you are talking about of course, which is the greatest show on earth, a must see for the whole family etc.) Besides, nobody’s asked me to do it anyway.

You have a wonderful voice, you said back in Part 2 that your teenage brother is a drummer, are there any other musical members of your family (apart from the obvious)?

Nope. My sisters are all very talented in other ways (medecine, painting/drawing, showing off…) but my brother is the musical one. He’s quite cool too, and good-looking, the cocky bugger – really annoying actually.

You had mentioned your favorite album by your father is Happiness? which contains a few political statements. Are you as politically opinionated as your father, or share similar beliefs with him?

Yes, I’m quite intolerant sometimes, and have to stop myself from being a dick in conversation when I get too passionate about certain things. I share many of my dad’s beliefs, but we differ on some things. I’m a liberal in the old fashioned sense I suppose, and I think everyone should have the same opportunities and freedoms, but not at anyone else’s expense. I think both socialism and neo- liberalism/Thatcherism are bogus, and don’t concentrate on what actually makes people happy, which is feeling like they are part of a community with those people around them and being free to make their own decisions.

Will we be hearing more of your music in the near future?

I hope so, depends on whether this record goes anywhere. We’ll make some more, but we need to see how well this one does at the moment.

PART-3

What artists, past and present, do you enjoy listening to?

Anyone with soul, balls (not in the literal sense – there are women on my list of favourites) or an attitude.

Are there any other creative outlets besides music that you wish to pursue?

Writing, writing, writing. I’m quite a good mimic too actually, and I want to submit a voicereel for radio, just to see if I get anywhere.

You can save one thing from your burning house, what would it be?

Passport – doh! No, it would probably be my girlfriend, though I might be tempted to take the playstation at the time instead.

What is your favorite memory during your childhood?

Playing doctors and nurses.

Are there any popular songs that you would like to give your spin on (i.e. "cover")?

Several – I don’t like Mondays, concrete jungle by Bob Marley, do you wanna dance by the Beach Boys… loads.

Who created cover to the " 'Woman You're So Beautiful'" single?

I drew it, the graphics dudes coloured it.

What music you DON’T you like?

Middle Of the Road, contemporary R & B (what is it for?), contemporary hip-hop and things like Justin Timberlake… even a pop song has to have soul. Nothing wrong with good pop. I also hate pretentious music which is rubbish but trying to be clever: Captain Beefheart, Franz Ferdinand et al…

My first question is, how did having a famous father affect you as a child? Was everyone eager to be your friend because of your dad's status or were most people pretty relaxed about it? Did your classmates give you a hard time about being related to a rockstar?

No, was always very lucky. Made sure to make friends with people before they knew my dad was a popstar. Never teased about this or anything, always had good solid friends. Never really helped with the girls either – I had to win them over with my natural good looks and charm.

Second, I was reading your answers from your last batch of questions and I was wondering if you would care to elaborate on your ambitions of being an author.

What a vague question. I want to write a book and sell it to lots of people. I like odd stories that involve the macabre or political/spiritual ideas. My favourite twentieth century authors are Lewis, Huxley, Robert Graves and Orwell.

I'd like to see how you look like. How about showing us a recent pic of yours? A real one of course, not that comic thingy. Wink

No sweat, I’ll post one on the Myspace site then. I look better in cartoon though.

What are your 5 desert island discs?

Not necessarily my favourites, as I would play them often…

Dark side of the moon, Inner Visions, The Who, live at leeds, Catch a fire and 2 Many DJ’s (the Soulwax mix comp.)

What did you think of the Queen + Paul Rodgers tour?

Brilliant, my dad has never played so well as on some of those dates… not just saying that. I was really impressed.

Beatles or The Stones?

Beatles! The Stones are a silly joke band after the Brian Jones period… they vastly inferior songwriters compared to the Beatles, they can’t do the harmonies or perfect vocals that the Beatles managed to put together, and they’re a twangy, plinky-plonky white blues band, so much less groundbreaking or sophisticated than the Beatles. They just had attitude when they played live.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?

Drink, being naked, taking a valium and walking around the house a couple of times a year. I like cold leftovers more than hot food as well, doesn’t matter what it is , if it’s been in the fridge overnight, it’s gold.

Roger’s PA is lovely could you introduce me?

I’m afraid she’s a taken woman! She is lovely indeed, a really special person, and I think of her as family. She can be scary sometimes though – she’s very good at her job.

INTERVIEW-1

[wallwriterstuff]

Our Dearest Moments ||Alec Volturi x Reader||

Warnings: None, this is nice and fluffy

Words: 2964

Summary: A request for @royalvolturisblog    Forever is a long time to live, an occasionally a little reflection upon who we are and how we got here is needed to maintain our sanity, and decided some very important answers to equally as important questions.

Sometimes, life is not all we expect it to be. Sometimes, life is cruel. Sometimes, life is disappointing. For me? I can safely say it’s none of these things. My life had always been easy, the best of everything and wanting for nothing. As doting as he was, my father had spoilt me rotten and never let me work hard for anything, never given me life skills that most normal people would need to live a functioning, adult existence. Why would I need them? Money was not a problem for my family nor would it ever be, so why go to the hassle of building a life where a nine to five job sapped the life from me when I could, quite sustainably, simply enjoy my life to its fullest at my loving father’s expense? Why make your child work if there was no need? I would not settle for a subpar life as nothing in my life had ever been less than luxurious.

That was my life in a nutshell. It was flat screen TVs in a ginormous bedroom which would have fit some people’s houses inside it, four poster beds and every new games console, every makeup palette fresh off the manufacturers line and vacations to the most remote and lavish corners of the Earth. I never even had to ask for some of it, my father simply expected I would want things and provided them without request – as those of guilt soul are wont to do.

“Well? What do you say?” Alec asked, his lips pressing the gentlest of kisses against my shoulder. I hummed, leaning back against him.

“Forgive me, I was hardly listening to a word you said, my mind is…elsewhere.” I admitted. Alec squeezed my hips, arms widening around my waist to tighten his hold on me.

“You’re ignoring me now? How very rude. I thought we were passed this.” He chided, though his tone was more playful than scolding.

“Call it introspection.” I sighed. Alec chuckled.

“Introspection? Now that sounds dangerous. I happen to like you as you are, if you haven’t noticed.” He teased, pressing a kiss to my temple. I turned in his arms with a smile. He stood a little taller than I did but I didn’t mind; it always gave me the best angle of the soft curve of his jawline, the fullness of his lips that didn’t like to stray from my own for too long. It also gave me the perfect excuse to nestle my head against his collarbone, escape those all seeing crimson eyes of his. Alec had seen right through me from the very start.

“I happen to know, you inform me every day…you sap.” I smiled a little as he lifted a hand to play with my hair.

“Then why decide to be introspective? What is there to reflect on? What would you wish to change?” he questioned.

“I already have changed,” I pointed out, lifting my hand to play with his coven crest, “I actually work for a living now.” Alec actually laughed at that, pulling back to feign shock.

“You? Spoilt? I would never have guessed.” he teased. He wasn’t wrong. Even now my room was lavish, silks and fine fabrics and luxuries filling every corner, but at least this time I had worked for it. Being a part of the Volturi was a privilege in itself but it required hard work, it required proving your worth and working for the greater good of your species. It was rather odd, how I had turned my entire life philosophy around in the span of a few centuries. Maybe it was Alec, making me humbler and wiser. Perhaps I owed some of it to Vladimir and Stefan, who had taught me to fight for what I wanted rather than throw money at it. I could still remember that fateful day, though faces and names were murky now in my ‘old age’.

Samuel and Scott were two boys I had craved the presence of a lot in my human days, though I couldn’t honestly tell you why anymore. Perhaps it was the familiarity of money, or the comfort that came from knowing someone of your status and experience walked alongside you and understood your world view, but they were the closest friends I had for a long time. What was better than going on vacation with your friends at the closing of exam season? Rome had been beautiful, the sights enamouring and the food…I suppose it was okay – my tastebuds had changed since then. I could still vividly recall the kind of heat I wasn’t accustomed to back home, and the dazzling brightness of the sunlight that spotted my vision and made my ever blurry human memories seem even worse quality somehow. I also remembered laughter, and warmth, the kind of warmth that flooded your soul and felt like a good hug on the worst of days. It was strange, the things that stayed with you.

Then there was too much warmth. The process to immortalise one’s body came at the cost of burning the eternal soul till only a shell was left behind, petrified and cold. That was how Stefan put it at least in his usual, grim way. The memories of my time with them had most certainly been the most vivid, since I was very much a vampire by then and I could remember every little glance, every change in the tone of their voice. Those days….those days were full of anger. My doting father taken from me, my best friends none the wiser as to where I had gone and yet never once pleading on the news for my safe return as most others did for their loved ones. Through time and trial and error, Vladimir and Stefan had shown me that I had actually lost nothing in this life, only gained. I was stronger, swifter, better than any human version of myself could ever be.

Then came the gift.

It had been purely accidental at first. Another boy taken in by Stefan only to be turned (in what I would later find out was an attempt at raising a small army) was similarly gifted. He had the quite remarkable ability to make anything he touched smaller or larger, depending on what he wished it to look like, and unintentionally I had taken his gift to use for myself. He hadn’t stayed much longer after that, Vladimir and Stefan reluctant to let him part but allowing it – only because they knew the Volturi would send the Guard after an unruly newborn causing havoc. Why should they need him when they had me? They had been the ones to train my gift, an enhanced trait from my human life they had said – as I had taken what I wanted then I could do so now with startling efficiency. By the time Alec had arrived I had not truly gotten it under control, hence my confrontation with Jane.

It turns out the unruly newborn had been smarter than we thought, and the Masters’ had dispensed the Guard to see about this gifted vampire the Romanian’s had collected. At this point it had been months since we’d even seen the boy, years since Vladimir and Stefan had stolen me from Rome’s streets on one of their daring missions taking them close to Volturi territory. My gift had made me indispensable to them, though I like to believe that on some level they cared for me as a person, given all the gifts and birthday celebrations they had indulged in for me. There had been trips and movie nights all at my request, and affectionate gestures such as hugs and chaste kisses to my forehead that had lulled me into the false sense of security that I was where I ought to be.

“Your mind keeps wondering. I happen to be trying to ask you a very important question.” Alec was sounding a tad frustrated with me now and my eyebrows furrowed.

“I’m sorry, really, I just…do you ever have one of those days where you feel like you can’t escape thinking about the past? Thinking about the things that led you to this moment?” I sighed. It was perhaps a tad dramatic, perhaps even silly of me to be this distracted by such errant thoughts, but they wouldn’t leave me be. Alec stared at me for a long moment, and then he tucked a lock of stray hair behind my ear and swept me off of my feet to seat us on the sofa before our fireplace. Draped across his lap as I was, he had made me his sole focus and gave me his undivided attention now.

“I can’t say I do, so explain it to me. What are you thinking of in particular?” he questioned. My head tilted slightly, the briefest of smiles tugging at my lips.

“Demetri fixing up his nose the day we met.” I giggled. Alec snorted, eyes rolling.

“Vladimir did hit him rather hard.” He agreed. The commotion hadn’t much bothered me, my head buried too deep in my book to really be bothered by such trivial things, but then he had screamed. It was a blood-curdling kind of scream, the sort you heard in slasher movies when the victim is disposed of. It was the first time I had seen Jane’s gift in action, and the only time since I had stolen it. I had only meant to shove the menacing little blonde away from the man I had grown to see as a second father, only to accidentally set her own gift on her. She had crumpled like a straw doll, screaming all the while, and anyone else who came at me went down the same way.

Felix, Demetri and Jane just writhed on the stone floor while I tried and failed to keep Alec at bay, the mate bond I had unknowingly just set with him the moment we locked eyes preventing me from hurting him and vice versa. His mist had danced at the edges of my feet as he gave me more warnings than I was sure was customary of a Guard with his reputation until I managed to calm the raging inferno in my own mind, and douse the flames in theirs.

“Then you misted me.” I recalled, scowling at him slightly. Alec looked amused.

“You were getting rather violent,” he pointed out, “I’d merely suggested an even trade, their lives for you accompanying us to Volterra, and poor Demetri lost his nose a second time that day.” I could still recall the crunch of his skin beneath my knuckles as I vowed to never let them take me anywhere, and now two centuries on I couldn’t bear the thought of being anywhere other than in Alec’s lap. His hand skimmed my arm as I dropped my head on his shoulder.

“You think he would forgive me for that by now.” I said. Alec chuckled and kissed my forehead.

“Not in a million years, his ego is more fragile than his nose.” He murmured against my skin. I hadn’t been happy for a very long time after that. Dragged away from my home against my will and told it was all for a mate bond I hadn’t been ready to accept. I was cruel, very cruel, and I called Alec all sorts of filthy names. Neither him nor Jane had ever really done me wrong, yet still I rarely addressed them as anything other than ‘witch’ or ‘terrors 1 and 2’. I spent the majority of my days avoiding as many people as I could really, though I found Marcus to be quite calming and consequently ended up with the Masters’ more often than not. It was with their encouragement I ended up confronting my two-arch nemesis, their gentle prodding that had led me into Alec’s arms in the end.

“God I’m sure your mother would weep if she could see you now!”

“She did! She wept and pleaded with the villagers tying us to the stake until they caved her head in with stones. How about yours?”

I cringed slightly, the memory as fresh as if it had been just yesterday. Jane had looked ready to roast me that day, while Alec had cut me down to size with his words. Their mother’s fate, their deaths, they were nothing such of tragic incidents that should never have occurred, not to these two. It had triggered a memory I had thought had faded as most other human memories had, though I could see no eyes in the soft, familiar features of my mother’s face given I couldn’t remember the colour of them. She had been reaching for me in my dreams for years, that single bloodied hand protruding from the wreckage of a car only I had escaped from haunted me to this day. How far I had strayed from the woman she would have wanted me to become.

“How could you forgive me?” I asked finally. Alec raised his eyebrows.

“For punching Demetri in the face? Quite easily. I found it entertaining.” He answered.

“Not for that! For…everything else. I was nothing short of difficult and downright cruel to you.” I reminded him. Alec tilted his head, quietly making a noise of understanding. It wasn’t so long ago Alec had asked me to marry him, at least, five years didn’t seem all that long for a vampire. He shifted till I was facing him, straddling his lap and chest to chest with our noses almost touching.

“I forgave you because I loved you, even then. I didn’t see cruelty, I saw hurt that never truly healed. Our scarred hearts were made for one another, even if you weren’t ready to accept it.” He murmured.

“But all those awful names I called you…” I sighed, closing my eyes as shame ate away at my insides. Alec chuckled.

“Some were quite inventive, I’ll give you that,” he said wryly, “Y/N…you replaced every bad memory with a good one. The time you gifted me that bookmark because you knew how much I loved to read? The memory of our first walk in the Garden’s together where you taught me all about gardening and when the best time of year to plant certain flowers was. Our first kiss, the first time you held my hand even. You made the effort to make it right.” He kissed my nose sweetly before capturing my lips with his. His every kiss had been intoxicating since our very first one, the sweet taste of his mouth on mine addictive, the way his lips moved a hypnotic dance I could forever get lost in performing with him over and over. When we parted I pressed my forehead to his.

“I do love you, you know.” I swore. Alec flashed me a smile.

“I know, you impossible little brat,” he teased, tugging my hair lightly, “Now will you please listen to what I’ve been so desperately trying to ask you all day now?” My eyes rolled, but I nodded.

“Make it worth my while, baby.” I teased.

“Don’t, you know I hate when you call me that,” he warned, though his lips twitched upwards, “Y/N, my impossibly stubborn, talented little beauty. I’ve never been in doubt you love me, and I hope I’ve never given you reason to doubt that I love you just as much. You challenge and enrage me daily, yet you are also my greatest comfort and strength when I need you to be. So stop being so bloody awkward and marry me already!”

“That wasn’t a question.” I pointed out, eyebrows raising. Alec groaned exasperatedly, his head falling back against the back of the sofa. My head tilted slightly.

If my day of reflection had done anything, it was show me how far I had come. I was no longer the same spoiled little girl I had once been. I had become a protector of our kind, and my journey with Alec had humbled my tongue. I was perhaps wiser, far kinder. I had not felt worthy of the mantle before but seeing him beneath me now, my love so ardent in his affection and persistent in his showing of it, I realised I had no need to be afraid – I had proven my worth to Alec tenfold. Gripping his chin, I forced him to look at me. He looked rather frustrated.

“This is the modern era Alec,” I scolded, “I will never say yes to your proposal.”

“But-“

“Because you are going to be saying yes to mine. Marry me, Alec.” I didn’t ask, more stated it. I knew he wouldn’t say no. With another exasperated groan he shook his head.

“You do make me work for it don’t you? So long as I slip a ring on your finger I really don’t care who asks who. Fine, I’ll marry you.” He leaned in but I pressed a single finger to his lips, preventing him from kissing me. His eyebrows arched into his hairline, almost as if to say ‘what now?’.

“It’ll be a Winter wedding.” I decided. A brief smile flashed his lips upwards.

“Spring.” He retorted.

“And the bridesmaids will wear emerald green.” I continued.

“Peach.” He countered, his smile growing as I pulled my finger from his lips.

“Oh and I want diamonds Alec, they’re a girls best friend.” I grinned, our noses brushing now.

“You’ll get a cereal box ring and be happy with it for all the waiting you’ve made me do.” He huffed. I didn’t get to protest, not when he smothered my mouth with his own, both of us laughing as we let the past be and looked forward to our future instead.

[twh-news]

Loki Director Kate Herron Takes Us Inside the Timey-Wimey Influences of the TVA

When confronted with a bureaucratic group of time guardians who are part church, part cop, and all outside known time, where do you even begin to start framing that as a setting for a television show? For Disney+ and Marvel’s Loki director Kate Herron, the answer was simple: throwback to iconic sci-fi hits, with a bit of a personal twist.

“I think when I pitched the studio, I loved the idea of making the whole show this big love letter to sci-fi,” Herron told io9 on a recent video call about her approach to bringing the Time Variance Authority out of the pages of comic books and into a feasible reality for Disney+. “I love sci-fi, and with the TVA, specifically, I drew from quite a lot of places—Metropolis, Blade Runner, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy... Southeast London has a lot of Brutalist architecture, around where I grew up. I was really intrigued with putting that in the TVA, to represent these almost gods of the Time Keepers, but to match that with Mad Men—this sort of midwest style, because they’re heroic, and I thought that was a really interesting mix for me.”

But beyond cultural influences, Herron wanted to bring a human feeling to the otherwise kooky and esoteric vibe the TVA has in Loki. And what could be more endearing about an extra-temporal faction that rules the sacred timeline with an iron fist? The fact that they’re also mostly just a bunch of pencil pushers. “[I wanted to] also be bringing in realities of my own experience just working in an office and being a temp,” Herron said. “I remember the technology—a computer I used to work in was so old and they were like, ‘Well, it’s not broke so we’re not going to buy a new one!’ I thought that felt very bureaucratic and went, ‘Well, the TVA is outside of time and space—they’re not in the future or the past—so, maybe it could have this retro-futuristic Brazil kind of vibe.’ Eighties technology is bit more clunky and needs updating, I think it was very fun in that sense, just for the overall style of the place.”

Gif: Marvel Studios

“Beyond that I was working with my team to build upon these ideas. I definitely drew from the comics in terms of, like—they have these amazing images of desks going on into infinity, so we definitely brought that into the design, as well,” Herron continued. “For me, something that was really important to make it feel like a real, living space was... I love movies like Eternal Sunshine and Scott Pilgrim, that are very heightened and fantastical that use a lot of practical sets. And I love doing long takes, so like we’ll see in the first episode, Loki and Mobius step out the elevator and they walk down this really long hallway where they go in the first episode, and I thought [of] something me and my DP, Autumn [Durald, Loki’s Director of Photography, said], ‘Let’s just make this one practical set’. And I think that helped really add to the reality! I’d say a lot of our show is a heavy mix of practical and heightened visual effects, which I think gives the TVA a level of reality, really.”

Part of Loki’s first episode that leans a bit more into that heightened side of the TVA is two brief bits of retro-looking animation, presented as Loki’s guide to just what the Time Variance Authority does with its detainees. One is a simple guide video, the other is a bit kookier, and an ongoing feature in the show: Miss Minutes, an anthropomorphic cartoon clock with a go-getter attitude and a Southern drawl, brought to life by voice acting legend Tara Strong. For Herron, translating the idea of these animations for the show (and, in Miss Minutes’ case, bringing her to life beyond the 2D plane), required balancing those classic inspirations with the need for these moments to be ours—and Loki’s—introduction to this strange new world.

“So basically when I got Michael [Waldron]’s script, that was in there from the start, just the Mr. DNA of Jurassic Park, this Miss Minutes video—and I thought, ‘Aw, that’s genius,’ because, you know, it’s funny and we’re learning about this world-building, but we’re laughing at the same time,” Herron said of the animation. “So, I thought that was very fun and obviously it kept evolving as we were locking down our world-building rules. I think for me, that was always a really smart way to just—as we see the TVA through Loki’s eyes—be like, ‘OK, so where are we? What are the rules of this place?’ And we feel like he does. For me, that hand-drawn aspect was cool, because we don’t see a lot of animation like that anymore. It’s got this public service announcement style to it, as well, because of all the eras I’m pulling from. Miss Minutes was inspired a bit by Felix the Cat, and cartoons of that era. Yeah, I think it was just really fun to do this Roger Rabbit kind of character within our show, so yeah: Miss Minutes is a lot of fun!”

[reggiemantleholdmyhand-tle]

RIVERDALE.

*all canon is connected

Name: Ethan ‘Ace’ Thompson

Fic: TBD

Affiliation: Southsider, Aspiring Southside Serpent

Love Interest: TBD

Face Claim: Finn Wolfhard

Summary: Ace hadn’t been the same since his mom left, and came back, and left, and came back, and left again. He missed her, despite the fact that she treated him and his family as something disposable when something better came along. After she left for what seemed like the final time, Ace retreated into himself, putting up wall after wall so he wouldn’t be hurt again. When his older sister Freyja starts dating Archie Andrews, they form a brotherly bond, and his walls start chipping away, ever-so-slowly.

Name: Crash Thompson

Fic: TBD

Affiliation: Southside Serpent

Love Interest: Felix Mason (@hughstheforcelou)

Face Claim: Geoff Ramsey

Summary: All Crash wanted was to be a good dad. That was it. He just wanted his kids to be happy and healthy and have a dad they could confide in in their times of need. Determined to finally get his shit together and get sober, Crash goes to an AA meeting and finds a sponsor and a friend in Fred Andrews.

Name: Mabel Harlow

Fic: A Collection of Moments: Mabel Harlow / A Collection of Moments: Maddox Harlow

Affiliation: Southside Serpent

Love Interest: Valerie Brown, endgame Reggie Mantle

Face Claim: Haley Lu Richardson

Summary: Mabel Harlow was a Southsider turned Northsider turned Southsider again. When her mother disappeared, for reasons unbeknownst to her, her father demanded they leave the Southside and all the criminals residing there for good. Forced to go years without seeing her best friends, Mabel found herself making new ones — Betty Cooper and Kevin Keller — though she used the term ‘friends’ loosely. But on her very first day at Riverdale High, she’s reunited with her best friend Queenie and they fall right back in step, as if nothing had ever changed between them. Mabel isn’t so lucky when the rest of her friends transferred from Southside High to Riverdale High in the middle of sophomore year.

Name: Maddox Harlow

Fic: A Collection of Moments: Maddox Harlow / A Collection of Moments: Mabel Harlow

Affiliation: Southside Serpent

Love Interest: Fangs Fogarty

Face Claim: Froy Gutierrez

Summary: Maddox absolutely despised his father — for a multitude of reasons he couldn’t bring himself to talk about without wanting to punch something — so of course, there was absolutely no way he was going to keep Maddox from seeing Fangs. He wasn’t as close to Sweet Pea and Toni as Mabel was, so he only saw Fangs when he could sneak away from his house on the Northside. He hadn’t liked the Northside at first, but he very quickly joined every sport possible and found a best friend in Reggie Mantle, who made everything much more bearable. When Southside High transfers to Riverdale High and all of the bad blood between the Northside and the Southside comes to a head, Maddox begins to find it harder and harder to control his anger and there are only three people he wants to take it out on — Merrick Wilder, Hiram Lodge, and Scott Harlow.

Name: Maeve ‘Freyja’ Thompson

Fic: TBD

Affiliation: Southside Serpent

Love Interest: Archie Andrews

Face Claim: Sky Ferreira

Summary: Resident Bad Girl Freyja runs into Archie on a morning jog after Vegas gets off of his leash. Archie is instantly smitten, but Freyja could not be more disinterested in the Resident Golden Boy. No matter how she tries to keep him at arm’s length, fate seems to push them together — Fred Andrews becomes her dad’s AA sponsor, Archie begins boxing at Freyja’s gym, and Sheriff Keller calls in a special favor and asks Freyja to be Archie’s trainer. Freyja’s walls are high and thick, but Archie always did have a knack for construction.

Name: Merrick Wilder

Fic: Fallout — Merrick Wilder v The Southside

Affiliation: Northsider

Love Interest: Lorelei Havaford (@hughstheforcelou)

Face Claim: Matt Cornett

Summary: Merrick hated the Southside, and for good reason. Full of crooks and criminals, it seemed inevitable that Southside High would be shut down for good, but Merrick never realized that meant integrating with Riverdale High. When his turf is invaded and Midge Klump is murdered, Merrick teams up with Hiram Lodge to put an end to it.

Name: Lotus Grey

Fic: A Collection of Moments: Mabel Harlow / A Collection of Moments: Maddox Harlow

Affiliation: Southside Serpent

Love Interest: Queenie Abrejo (@hughstheforcelou)

Face Claim: Fivel Stewart

Summary: Lotus had a big, fat crush on Queenie Abrejo and there was absolutely no denying it. Who could really blame her? Queenie was smart, nice, funny, and extremely attractive to boot. Lotus wasn’t really sure anything would come of the sketches and drawings of sunflowers that she slipped into Queenie’s belongings when she wasn’t looking, but who knows?

Name: Lux Dashwood

Fic: A Collection of Moments: Mabel Harlow / A Collection of Moments: Maddox Harlow

Affiliation: Southside Serpent

Love Interest: Noir Garcia (@hughstheforcelou)

Face Claim: Elizabeth Lail

Summary: Lux had made a beeline for Riverdale from Greendale the minute she turned eighteen, desperate to get away from her mother but not having enough money to make it too far. She spent her very first night in town crying into a whiskey sour she definitely was not old enough to be drinking in a dingy bar called the Whyte Wyrm. Felix Mason and Crash Thompson had watched from afar until it became waaay too sad to see before intervening, offering her a place to crash and a new family: the Southside Serpents. Lux eventually found a place for herself and secured a well-enough paying job to put herself through school. She begins teaching Literature at Riverdale High and finds two teenagers who look eerily similar to herself, and soon discovers she has two younger siblings she never even knew about.

[skzafterdusk]

Stray Kids As Dates I’ve Been On

Unorthodox, but really this is just:

These are totally the dates each member would take you on

Chan: Why did you guys end up at Barnes & Noble? No clue, but you were here. And while you guys wandered through the sections, looking at various books, you stumbled across a book that intrigued you both:

500 Questions To Ask Someone

Luckily, there was a cafe in the store, so guys were able to order coffee, sit and go back and forth between asking questions.

Some were basic, some were very thought provoking, and it waged some lengthy conversations. You realized, as you watched Chan explain some of his most creative ideas, some of his plans for the future, that you’d never met anyone like him. To be so genuinely engrossed in what he was saying, to catch how he sent you soft smiles when you went on rants, it was a feeling you never had before. 

Even though you don’t remember which question it was, you knew to take a mental snapshot of that day, because it was one to remember.

Yes, you did end up buying the book for sentimental purposes.

Minho: (Should probably mention this now, there’s a lot of driving involved on these dates) He decides to take you to the lake. The summer is forgiving this year, and while the days can still be hot, the nights are met with cool breezes, whisping air that smells of the trees and grass that grow plentiful.

You sit on a bench after having stood near the lake, and you just talk. By this point, you’d gone on a couple dates, and still had so much to learn about each other.

Although Minho has a very forward personality, he stumbles a little when he suggests that you guys become official, exclusively dating only each other. He shakes his head quickly, almost like he is dismissing the idea, but you agree.

In the dark of the night, you can hardly make out each other’s faces that well, but even still you can see his grin and the way he looks back at you.

Changbin: Wasn’t a planned date. You guys closed the store you work at together, and you were both hungry and wired from the interactions with customers that day.

So he suggests you go to this diner. It’s one you’ve been to a couple times in the past, and Changbin has had some memorable late night meals with friends there. It was only fitting he took you to one of his favourite places, right?

The conversation you guys share is unexpectedly deep, you opening up about your relationship with your parents, him being the great listener like he always is. Given that it was your first time in this type of setting with him, you hardly thought this is what the night would bring. Sure, you’d had a crush on him before because he made you feel so comforted at work, but you had no idea that getting to talk with him -like, actually converse with him- would only make the crush turn into genuine feelings.

After the diner, neither of you wanted to go home, so you just drove. You guys ran unnecessary errands, anything to stay in each other’s company. And it was well past 2am when you finally said goodbye.

Hyunjin: The date hadn’t been planned. You just happened to be out near where he lived, and he asked if you wanted to spend some time together. 

It’s already late afternoon when you guys meet up. He suggests you guys go to a park near his home. After the day you had, it was nice to be out on such a lovely summer day, taking in the sound of insects buzzing around you.

After the park, you went to a Japanese restaurant in the downtown area. Sitting outside, you both could admire the skyscrapers just in the distance. And, afterwards, you took a stroll, the streets empty at night, so you took your time crossing. There was a memorial fountain nearby, and it looked lovely in the night.

All this random adventure just brought you back to his house, where you promptly spent the night just talking in your car.

You’re not even sure how or why you started kissing, but soon enough, the car was filled with heavy panting, the wet sound of your kisses. The center console was uncomfortable, so you ended up in the backseat. 

The only way you were able to drive home was because you had work the next morning. Yes, the Little Mermaid bandage on your neck to hide the hickey was a little ridiculous.

Jisung: There’s a college campus close to where he loves, and it’s almost like a hideaway for him. On a summer day, the campus is rather empty. Spacious lawns and intricate water fountains can be found across one cobblestone street to the next.

But his favourite place to visit? The archive room at the top floor of the library. Past the marble floors, sweeping candelabras and great oak double doors, there is a long room. The only way to illuminate the space is with its many fluorescent lights. Void of proper windows and the need for cool air, being in the archive can feel like being in another world. 

You split up, you get lost in towering shelves as does Jisung. But you find each other, given that you’re the only ones up there.

And when you do meet up, you stand close to his side. He’s skimming a book in the psychology section, and you don’t notice his gaze when you lean closer to look at the words on the page.

He puts the book back gently, turning his full attention to you. 

You feel one of his hands go to wrap around your waist, the other resting where your neck and shoulder meet. He gives a quick smile as he sees you won’t back away. Honestly, you’d been waiting for this, waiting for the moment where you could finally kiss him.

The automated voice that comes over the speaker is cold, harsh, and jarring. It makes your heart stop in your chest as you jump.

“The library will be closing in ten minutes.”

With a deep inhale, Jisung steps away.

“There’s some other places I wanted to show you,” he says, holding out his hand for you to take.

When you finally exit the library, the sun is going down in the night, but your adventures on campus do not stop until the sky is full of stars, and the horizon only shows ignited street lamps.

Felix: I never understood how people could go on dates in stores, but honestly I get it now. And Felix would definitely be the type to walk around Wal-mart with you as you picked up some essentials (toothpaste, a pack of UNO cards, etc), just talking about whatever that comes up. For example, going by the tire section and talking about how you love the smell of tires.

“They’re just rubber,” he’d say, simply.

And you would shrug. “I guess I like the smell of rubber.” And then, somehow, you get on the topic of enjoying the smell of ammonia, and he’s fighting off laughter because,

“Ammonia is in cat pee. You like the smell of cat pee?”

So, yes, you’re wandering aimlessly around Wal-mart for probably two hours when a storm comes by. Tornado and flood, to be exact.

You’re at the check-out line when Felix’s mom would call, telling him he needed to get home because it was supposed to flood really bad, and that a tornado was coming. Little do you know, it’s already absolutely pouring outside.

And you didn’t park anywhere close to the entrance.

So you both book it, a sad attempt at trying to shield yourself from the rain with your feeble hands. There’s so much water on the ground that it kicks up high as your feet pound the pavement. And once you get to your car, the both of you are soaked from head-to-toe.

He lives closer, so you drive carefully as the water is already collecting on the streets, and make it to his apartment. It’s not even a question of you coming inside since he wouldn’t dare make you drive back home in these conditions.

Hours pass by with endless conversation, laughs, giggles, light-hearted bickering. You’re both dry at this point, and he offers you guys watch Scott Pilgrim Vs The World because it was a movie you both really enjoyed.

But here’s the thing: we know Felix is a handsy person. No shame, but he needs physical touch at all times. And really, it’s not enough that you’re just sitting really close to each other on the couch. And soon, his arm is wrapped around your shoulders (smooth), and everytime he laughs, his head bumps into yours, endearingly.

So the movie is on for maybe 15 minutes before he decides to pause it, looking at you with intent. His eyes keep glancing down at your lips. Cheesy, you would think in any other situation, but your breath stutters when he finally leans in. It’s a simple peck, but it’s enough to make the room around you deafeningly silent.

Cue the makeout session that results, featuring some slight biting and mild choking. As a treat.

Then you get your ass home cause it stopped raining. (clearly a lot happened this night)

Seungmin: I don’t know where this idea is coming from, but something about him just screams, “How about you come over to my house and I cook you dinner?” as a date. He’s just that classy dude.

...you might have to help out, cause he’s not entirely sure what he’s doing.

But that’s what makes it so cool, to be in the kitchen with him, listening to some low music while you guys get in each other’s way. More than once thus he yells out in faux anger, and you laugh. Before he’s even done shouting, he’s smiling at you.

Did the dinner come out good? Well...it’s...edible. Luckily, he has a great selection of fresh fruit that makes a great sweet balance.

Jeongin: Movie and dinner sounds a little common, right? Here’s how it goes down:

Jeongin knows someone that works at the theatre. A manager (see where this is going?). 

So you guys essentially sneak into a movie for free. As much as you loved it, you spent a lot of the time curled into him as gorey scenes filled the screen. He teases you a couple times about being too weak, but he still gladly holds your hand, checking you to make sure you’re not getting too grossed out. 

Afterwards, you guys go to the sushi restaurant in the same parking lot. The place is rather empty, given that it’s late afternoon on a weekday, which is nice because you guys don’t have to talk so loud. It’s like you guys are in your own little world. 

From where you guys sit in the restaurant, you can watch as the sun sets across the parking lot. Not very romantic, but a chill date that still leaves you grinning when you get home.

Val’s Note

Hello, there! I hope you enjoyed my first post. This is something I’ve been thinking about since I got into skz, and I’m glad I could finally type it out and post.

I wanna be able to take requests for lists like these in the future, so feel to do so if you enjoyed this :) Until next time.

[newagesispage]

OCTOBER                           2021

 THE RIB PAGE

*****

We miss U Charlie Watts!!

*****

The Stones performed at a private party for Patriots owner Robert Kraft of all people. The test run looked like just that. Shark jumped. I am becoming disillusioned.

*****

SNL is back with Owen Wilson as first host of season 47. Kacey Musgraves is the musical guest. Episode 2 will have a ridic choice for host. Halsey will sing. I suppose $ is power with the Kardashians. I could think of about 10 million other people to host but more and more Lorne goes for the shiny object , what he THINKS people want instead of taking risk. Beck Bennett is out.

*****

Is everybody watching the Amber Ruffin Show?? I loved her before but now… I learn so much from her show. Sometimes it takes a comic to get to the real serious shit. For example: Have you heard of drowning towns? Towns like Oscarville, Kowaliga, York hill, Seneca Village, Prentiss and countless other black towns that were drowned out to make lakes for the local whites. Central Park was also made after a black community was erased from history. Development displacement? Alleyway dwelling authority? Even those rabid for history can find out new things everyday. Thanks Amber!!

*****

Bob Woodward and Robert Costa are finally giving us Peril !!!!!!  I’ve been waiting!!** I was in political nerd heaven on Sept. 24 when Yamiche hosted Robert, Bob and Weijia Jang on Washington Week. All of my favorite pundits all together at one table, my dream team!!

*****

Iman looked great at the Met Gala!! Other great looks belonged to AOC, Tessa Thompson, Maluma, Helen Lasichanb and Pharrell Williams. Gigi Hadid, Kiki Layne, Ashton Sanders, Hailee Steinfeld, Kehlani, Zoe Kravitz, Michaela Cole, Lili Reinhart, Kate Hudson and Shai Gilgeous- Alexander were great. Whoopi Goldberg seemed a bit off.

*****

Jason Isbell is back with his latest offering, Georgia Blue.

*****

I see a lot of Title Max type establishment are closing down. Are they a thing of the past? Let’s hope.

*****

Law and Order is coming back to NBC for season 21. Dick Wolf will own 2 entire nights of television. Some of the old cast is reported to be returning.

*****

Britney Spears Father was suspended as her conservator.

*****

Timothy Chalamet, Rowan Atkinson, Sally Hawkins and Olivia Coleman will star in Wonka.

*****

The 2022 Super Bowl halftime show will bring us Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar.

*****

People are doing test runs for school board positions to see if their political ideas will play well for the big leagues. If they don’t seem to work, at least they can sometimes change the rules in their own area.

*****

Joe Rogan got Covid.

*****

Lake Michigan beaches were closed down thanks to a US Steel plant chemical leak.

*****

Is this country the master of endless administrative work?  None of us should have been surprised at the red tape that the slowed down the end of the war in Afghanistan.** Uber donated 50k for rides and meals to the Afghans when they arrive.**And why do so many waste taxpayer $ on useless recounts and recalls when people need real help with food and healthcare? They must really hate humanity.

*****

R. Kelly was found guilty of 8 counts of sex trafficking and 1 count of racketeering.

*****

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. – Dwight D. Eisenhower

*****

Texas has put a law into effect to allow most Texans to carry open without permit or training.

*****

Texas has banned abortion at about 6 weeks. Uber and Lyft will pay drivers legal fees if sued under Texas abortion law. Lyft donated $1mil to Planned Parenthood. ** Look for the ruling in the Mississippi law over Roe V. Wade in June 2022.**Hear us roar!** BTW.. Go Jen Psaki!!!!!!!

*****

They seriously banned plastic straws and abortion before assault rifles? – Eden Dranger

*****

Please stop banning abortions, the last thing the world needs is more Americans. –Sarah Beattie

*****

Women don’t inseminate themselves. Vasectomies are reversible. Should every man have one until he’s deemed financially and emotionally fit to be a Father? – Bradley Whitford

*****

90 year old William Shatner will go to space for Blue Origin.

*****

The Q Anon Shaman pled guilty to a felony for obstructing the Electoral College proceedings. I say 20 years and a $250K fine.** 600 others have been indicted.

*****

Days Alert: The Beyond Salem thing was ridic but it was so great to see some old characters.  Days is so great at visiting old family. Who can resist Shane, Austin and Carrie, Billie and the old Kristen? I do wish that Peacock would get their kinks out!! Back to the real Days: Are we smelling an Emmy for Susan Seaforth Hayes and Bill?? ** Good to have Abigail back. It is always fun to wonder which actress and or personality it will be. ** Deidre Hall got her star on the walk of fame.**And just in time for Halloween, the Devil is making a comeback. The end of the year in Salem is always the best!! It is so brave to give the 96 year old man the old switcheroo into the Dark Lord.  It was fun to see the grandkids discover Grandma Marlena’s story. Delicious!! Hail Satan!!** It is past time for Tate and Teresa to come back to town. Brady needs to be put in his place. And thanks for the Philip and Chloe flashbacks!!

*****

The breakdown of the vaccinated: 90% of Atheists, 86% Hispanic Catholic, 84% Agnostic, 79% White Catholic, 73% White mainline protestant, 70% Black mainline protestant, 57% white evangelical. 1 in 500 Americans have died of Covid.

*****

So Mike Lindell and Jim Baker have teamed up to sell children’s Bible pillows.** Piers Morgan has returned to the Murdoch organization by joining Fox. That sounds about right.

*****

Please stop saying the vaccine does not have severe side effects, I took my shots and now I’m alive and have to keep working. –Mohand Eishieky

*****

In theatres Oct. 22: The French Dispatch.** October also brings us a new season of Curb your enthusiasm and Oct. 17 will catch us up on Succession. Whew!!!

*****

So people under conservatorship are not free to marry who they want? What?

*****

46% of Americans believe in ghosts.

*****

Simone Biles, Mckayla Maroney and Aly Rasiman testified at  the Senate judiciary hearing about the FBI’s handling of accusations against Larry Nassar and it was eye opening!

*****

We wanted a no -nonsense Dem who pushes on and does not puss out.  I am a bit surprised to see we have it. There are so many pressing issues that I hope Biden works a bit more on Haiti though.

*****

The National Police Act was passed to celebrate cops. Still no police reform.

*****

John Mulaney and Olivia Munn are going to have a baby.

*****

The Emmy’s were a little different this year with more of a Golden Globe look.  Cedric the Entertainer hosted with Reggie Watts as DJ. Lots of minority noms but barely a win. It was a white people night. Ted Lasso had a great night. Mare of Eastown took home a few with Evan Peters, Julianne Nicholson and Kate Winslet. Now, Kate is great but how did Anya Taylor- Joy not walk away with that? Queens Gambit did win a couple and gave the longest speech with the seemingly arrogant director Scott Frank who opened up 2 page acceptance. Categories were tough but I was routing for Renee Elise Goldberry and Bowen Yang but perhaps next year. The people in England who had their own party for all the statues that the Crown won seemed to be having more fun! Hacks won for writing and directing and Jean Smart!! It was nice to see the Norm Macdonald love which was barely mentioned by Lorne but celebrated by John Oliver. Colbert ‘s election night special won as did JB Smoove. Hamilton won and Debbie Allen got the big one. I do not understand why real singers and or musicians have to be there for the in Memoriam. It takes me out of it a bit and concentrates the focus on them. Do they think that people will pay attention more? Do they want to keep the home audience or live audience from the bathroom?  My best dressed were Anya Taylor-Joy, Michaela Cole who won for I may destroy you, Jean Smart, Josh O’Connor, Kathryn Hahn, Billy Porter, MJ Rodriguez, Keenan Thonpson, Leslie Odom Jr., Catherine O’Hara, Trevor Noah, Eugene Levy, Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, Bowen Yang,  Anthony Anderson, Leslie Grossman, Amber Ruffin, Allyson Felix, Renee Elise Goldberry, Samira Wiley and Rege- Jean Page. My worst were Sarah Paulson, Gillian Anderson,  Beanie Feldstein, Elizabeth Olsen and Aidy Bryant. To me the best part of the show was the enthusiasm of Conan and the way he injected himself into much of the evening .He was the show.  Go Conan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*****

Next year there must be some Emmys for Sarah Paulson and Cobie Smulders in Impeachment!!!!!

*****

Oh Boy!! The Eyes of Tammy Faye!!

*****

Looking forward to the Electric Life of Louis Wain with Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy.

*****

Abba has a new album!!

*****

Shang Chi is the biggest Labor Day opening with a $71.4 mil opening.

*****

Sen. Amy Klobuchar has announced she has breast cancer.

*****

Is it the 70’s? A streaker ran past the studio of the Today show.

*****

Rascal Flatts Joe Don Rooney was arrested for DUI.** Nicholas Cage was thrown out of a prime rib pace in Vegas after being drunk and disorderly.

*****

Jennifer Eckhart has filed a lawsuit against former Fox news anchor Ed Henry for rape and retaliation after allegedly being handcuffed and beaten.

*****

Scarlett Johansson has settled her Disney lawsuit.

*****

Pete Buttigieg and Chasten had twins they named Penelope Rose and Joseph August.

*****

I noticed a commercial for Dancing with the Stars. Are we onto the E list because I have heard of hardly any of these people. ‘Stars’is really stretching it. And as I post this I see there are some covid issues there as well.

*****

Virgin River was renewed for 2 more seasons.

*****

Trevor Noah is right? Why do they stop giving lollipops to adults at the doctor?

*****

Jon Stewart is back on Apple tv with ‘The problem with Jon Stewart.

*****

Brooklyn 99 had about the best finale (other than Newhart) that I can recall. I had my fingers crossed that Chelsea would be back. Will they honor us like they did in the show and come back for a special about once a year? That would be fucking awesome!!

*****

Don’t expect compliments from an insecure person.- Mr. Pickles

*****

Thousands and thousands of people are in need. Haitian refugees and other immigrants have seen nothing like this what with assassination, a hurricane and earthquake. The Southern border is a mess.** Why does Fox news keep telling refugees the border is open as they sit back and laugh at Biden’s predicament.  Spreading false info to intentionally hurt poor, distressed people has no end for them.

*****

Do companies know how fucked up their employment websites are? It is true that some people do not want to work. It is true that people schedule interviews and don’t show up. It is also true that companies have made it so hard to apply that many can’t. I suppose it is easier for them but the poor who may really want to work have a hard time. Paper applications are almost completely gone. The old fashioned way of walking into low paying job sites and finding a connection with a manager rarely exist. Some places only accept texts or have long ridiculous psych tests that a working Mother may not have time for. A Father working many hours already, may not be able to go to the library to get online if they cannot afford a computer. Many websites tell you that there no positions available in your area while there is a huge sign in front of the establishment. Can’t find people to work.. Gee I wonder why?? And treat people with respect once you find them, how about that?

*****

Keep your head up in failure, and your head down in success. –Jerry Seinfeld

*****

Hey.. There was a van air B’n B biz going that got busted. Hey.. The poor need vaca’s too. It is wrong but If they are willing to sleep in a van, why not. I truly think that many do not understand how much people are struggling.

*****

Free coffee day came and went but only a few places really gave you free coffee without rules to govern the promo. Some places wanted to sell you something else and some made you belong to their club. Starbucks held that customers had to come inside for the free cup of Joe, handicapped or not.

*****

One would think the Republicans would run out of $ for recounts but they have deep pockets. Just think how much good they could do for the huddled masses with that scratch.

*****

Sad to lose Mick Brigden, protégé of Bill Graham who managed The Stones and worked with Frampton, Dylan and Santana.** And the comics were very vocal about the loss of Norm Macdonald. He was one of a kind and he will be missed!

*****

R.I.P. Ruth Marx, Lee Scratch Perry, Willard Scott, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Isadore Bleckman, George Wein, Michael K. William,George Holliday, Anthony Johnson,  Basil Hoffman, Al Harrington,Willie Garson, Mick Brigden, Tommy Kirk and Norm Macdonald.

[kinetic-elaboration]

September 28: Orphan Black 2x06

Fell over the ground today on my way home from work and scraped my knee up pretty badly but other than that, not a terrible day.

Somehow already on episode 6 of S2 of Orphan Black.

This was an excellent episode. I enjoyed all of the story lines without exception and the only thing missing was Cal, tbqh. I especially enjoyed all of the unusual pairings and relationships.

What I most remembered of this ep was the sestras road trip, and in particular the shot of them curled up on opposite sides of each other like twins in the womb. But as I was watching, I also remembered the bonding over singing in the car. I was actually surprised by how little Helena and Sarah there was, because I thought that was most of the episode, but it’s really mostly just the beginning scenes. Still cute, though.

Again, I’m trying not to let Helena grow on me but her transition from serial killer to sestra/protagonist is just too compelling. They never changed her characterization, is the thing, they just put her in a better environment. What a redemption arc should be. She’s still violent; she’s still feral; but she’s no longer being used and abused for others’ ends. When she’s left to herself, she wants a sister, she wants a boyfriend, she wants babies, she wants to go on vacation--normal wants, in a wild mind. It’s endearing and touching and funny and sweet.

Her romance was Jesse was adorable, also. I know they knew each other for 0.05 seconds but it’s true love and I believe in them. She can call him boyfriend. He watched her end a guy and try to take his eyeballs out with her thumbs and he was STILL like “She has done nothing wrong in her entire life you Honor,” I am not even exaggerating.

The sestra road trip ended a lot faster than I remembered but I guess Helena does have to get back to her “babies.” I can already see her and Gracie bonding. I think Helena respects her for the murder attempt and sympathizes with her because of their similar histories of abuse. But there’s another twist coming I assume, because Gracie ends up pregnant with Helena’s babies at some point, I seem to recall.

Sarah’s adventure in the archives was prime spooky season material. What you see will stay with you.... macabre images and weird noises in the basement...

I’m not sure I entirely get the whole Duncan & Mrs. S history tbqh. I suspect it doesn’t matter as it will be retconned a few more times. As of now I think it’s something like: the clones were a military experiment that got shut down (or did it?),then the Duncans moved to Dyad; they weren't the masterminds, just one of the teams working on it; they lost their original daughter bc Amelia ran away and then got Rachel instead; then they started feeling weird I guess and were going to tattle, so Leekie killed them and burned their stuff and took Rachel, but then Ethan got away, and he joined up with Mrs. S's group, who already had one of the clones themselves and were looking for more info I guess?

My mom and I were also talking about what exactly Mrs. S and her friends do and we decided they’re ad hoc vigilantes whose work is entirely about improving conditions for individuals on the ground, not, like... protests or demonstrations or whatever. Like, they hear about something fucked up and they’re like ‘how can we disrupt this?’ There are experiments on children going on? Let’s get those children! They’re very organized in their use of people and resources and hiding spots, but not in their overall ideology. I like this chaotic energy for them but I ALSO suspect it comes from their organization being more Vibe than Story. Like, could the show have fleshed them out more? Yeah, it would have had the time if it hadn’t gone down like 20 different alternating layers of conspiracy.

I do enjoy Leekie returning as a Villainous Figure. I just... I really like Leekie.  like him as a potential ally. I like him as the ultimate mastermind. I like him as the ideologue who turned the benevolent (lol) Dyad Corporation into his own little philosophical playground. I just like him.

A few other quick notes:

Scott was a little annoying in S1 but now I’m remembering why I liked him so much overall. He’s so smart! And rather cute. “I figured out it’s clones... now can I see one?” Lol.

How did Leekie get Kira’s baby teeth stem cells anyway?

I don’t know exactly what Art and Felix were doing today but they ARE the BroTP I didn’t know I needed. Art just making himself at home, like everyone else. “Oh he’s moved in.” “Then why is your hand on my ass?” Etc.

Similarly, Alison and Vic are a BroTP I kinda did know I needed. I hate liking Vic because he absolutely was terrible when he was introduced and now he’s like... comic relief? But he’s entertaining. I feel like this whole working with DiAngelo thing is going to contribute a lot to Alison’s paranoid feelings.

Also I continue to love Alison The Most. Today’s highlights included her threats to Donnie’s balls, every time she told Vic not to say Namaste, and the little way she hit Donnie when he tried bowing to Vic.

“Science is what scientists do” is a great line.

I’m also a fan of “anger is a tool and we use it on problems, not people.” Good advice.

Next is an Alison-centric episode with some Siobhan and Leekie action (not like that), which sounds fun!

[aalikane88]

Do you think MK set up her bank account so all the money she stole from Ferdinand would go to the sestras?

I like to think that MK left the funds to the sestras in order to help fund their fight after she started getting sick.  I know Donnie is back working a normal job; but its the only way I can see them being able to do everything they need to do after the series ends.  Helena and the twins (lots of diapers), Sarah and Kira, Cosima/Delphine/Scott with the new equipment they need to expand production of the cure. its all expensive and none of them besides, art, donnie and felix have incomes. 

[hollyoaksloversx]

Summer and Sienna, Caught on Camera and Dancing Dreams...

Rounding up a week in Hollyoaks (22nd-26th March 2021)

Summer continued in her quest to bring down Sienna and Brody this week, starting with framing Warren for Sienna’s shooting. As the week began, and with Sienna determined to find out the identity of the shooter, Summer suggested that she may not have been the intended target: what if they had been after Brody instead? To add weight to her theory, Summer scrawled ‘RIP’ over a photo of Brody, planted it in Sophie and Sebastian’s buggy and allowed Sienna to find out, thus pointing the finger of suspicion firmly in Warren’s direction.  Warren initially laughed off the allegations, until Brody found a box of bullets, one of which was missing, in a drawer at the garage. Furious, Sienna banned Warren from having any contact with the twins, leaving him devastated. 

Unfortunately for Summer, her framing Warren for the shooting actually brought Brody and Sienna closer together. Realising she would need to keep them apart, Summer decided to try and befriend Sienna and turned up on her doorstep to chat girlbands. Although slightly bemused at first, Sienna invited Summer in. The two women soon discovered that they had lots in common and Sienna ended up opening up about her past, in particular her relationship with her Father, Patrick. However, as Summer went to leave, she revealed her true colours, telling Sienna that Brody was with her now before kissing her and telling her that that was as close to Brody as she was going to get. Sienna was left seething and the following day, hijacked a microphone at the market to tell everyone what Summer was really like. Sadly for Sienna, she only succeeded in making herself look insane.

Liberty took Sienna home and tried to convince her to stay away from Brody and Summer, pointing that if Summer was as bad for Brody as she thought, he would find out soon enough. Sienna went to apologise to Summer and the pair agreed to stay away from each other. However, Summer later went to see Sienna and told her that she had no intention of staying away from her. In order to take her mind of things, Sienna went to see Sally to enquire about returning to her job whilst Liberty told Summer that she would tell Brody what she was really like if she didn’t stay away from Sienna. Later, Summer approached Sienna and Liberty to offer a truce and walked away thinking they were even. However, Sienna revealed to her sister that she had no intention of letting her rival off the hook....

Meanwhile, Charlie was struggling to settle back in at home. Not only was he scared for his safety, but he was worried that his time in young offenders had caused him to fall behind at school. However, everyone quickly rallied round to help, with George supplying Jack with CCTV cameras for inside and outside the house and John Paul offering to tutor Charlie to get him back up to speed. John Paul’s kind offer unfortunately caused some friction with George, who was aggrieved at the amount of time John Paul was spending with Charlie. Things came to a head when Jack asked George to uninstall the CCTV and George discovered footage of Darren and Nancy discussing their recent fling. Knowing that Nancy had only told John Paul, George sensed an opportunity for trouble and quickly shared his discovery with Scott and Marnie at the Patisserie. George’s meddling had the desired affect when Charlie overheard Marnie gossiping to Goldie about Nancy and Darren and he stormed home to confront his aunt.

Feeling like he’d been lied to, Charlie was furious with Darren and Nancy whilst Nancy headed off to confront the only person she’d told: John Paul. Nancy was angry with John Paul for betraying her confidence and told him she wanted nothing more to do with him, leading to John Paul hitting the bottle. As the night progressed, and John Paul became more and more drunk, he accused George of spilling Darren and Nancy’s secret. George eventually admitted what he’d done, but attempted to minimise his actions by telling John Paul he’d only done it to save him from the pressures of carrying the secret around. John Paul was horrified by George’s actions and berated him, as George took out his phone and began to film the incident. George eventually put the phone away and punched John Paul to ground before storming out. The following morning, John Paul awoke with no memory of the incident, but sensed from his injuries that things had turned violent. George quickly ‘filled John Paul in’ on what happened and, after showing him the video footage, claimed that he had attacked him in a drunken rage...

Elsewhere, Trish was busy preparing for the opening of her dance school, but there was disappointment for Leah (welcome back!) when Ste told her that he couldn’t afford to send her. However, he soon came up with a way to get his daughter some free tuition when he offered to clean the hall in exchange for Leah’s place. Trish quickly agreed and realised she’d made the right decision when she saw Leah perform. In fact, she was so impressed that she offered Leah a solo at the school’s launch night. Leah was delighted by Trish’s offer, however, she was disappointed when she realised how expensive the costume would be and decided to pull out, knowing that Ste would never be able to afford it. Luckily, Courtney realised what had happened and Trish was understanding when she filled her in on the situation. However, as Leah later looked through the costumes, she clearly felt uncomfortable as she overheard Trish berating Maxine over how she looked and what she’d eaten...

In other news this week, Felix, Brad and Warren were preparing for a dodgy business deal and Brad suggested that they get Toby on board too. However, Martine was furious when she found out what was being planned and insisted that both Felix and Toby should have no part in it. Finally, Sally invited Juliet to speak at school about the dangers of county lines gangs. 

This Week’s Cast:

Brad, Brody, Charlie, Courtney, Damon, Darren, Felix, George, Goldie, Jack, James, John Paul, Juliet, Leah, Liberty, Marnie, Martine, Maxine, Nancy, Peri, Sally, Scott, Sid, Sienna, Ste, Summer, Toby, Tony, Trish and Warren. 

Blasts From The Past:

Patrick Blake, Victor Brothers, Kyle Kelly, Jordan Price.

[gukyi]

boats against the current | pjm

summary: park jimin thinks his life is all well and good, that is, until he finds out that if he wants to play quidditch for his last year at hogwarts, he needs to pass a presentation in muggle studies. and, just like the novel he needs to research, he realizes that maybe his life would be easygoing and simple, if only he didn’t fall in love along the way.

{hogwarts!au, opposites to lovers!au}

pairing: park jimin x female reader word count: 12k genre: fluff, angst warnings: spoilers to the great gatsby by f. scott fitzgerald. felix felicis consumption (main characters under the influence but not aggressively drunk), actual literary references, possible incorrect feeding of owls. a/n: hi i’m guyi i’m 19 and i never fucking learned how to read or write, especially after finishing this. this has sucked the lifeblood out of me. i’m actually deceased. but hey, at least the banner looks good. 

“Hey, Park! Quidditch after class?”

The words bounce off of the walls of the corridor, the other students paying little attention to the random shouts. Hogwarts has always been loud. Jimin’s friends just make it the slightest bit louder.

Jimin whips his head around to find the source of the noise, finding the fifth year, Jungkook, calling after him. Despite being of another house, Jimin enjoys practicing Quidditch with him—he’s a budding seeker who definitely has the potential to go professional, if he practiced enough and didn’t spend most of him time during actual games flirting with the audience. They get along well, and sometimes Jungkook accidentally calls Jimin “hyung” from force of habit as a young Korean, something Jimin holds over his head as many times as he can.

“Sure!” Jimin shouts back. “Meet in the courtyard?”

Jungkook shoots him a thumbs up above his head before his tuft of brunette hair bounces down the hallway, on the way to his next class.

It won’t be just Jungkook—it’s no fun to play a game of Quidditch with two, not to mention the fact that Jungkook’s a seeker and Jimin’s a chaser—but a group of them, all different years and houses because all that house rivalry bullshit stays on the Quidditch field or in the Great Hall for the end-of-year ceremony, and also because Jimin met them all once or twice at different Hogwarts common room parties and Quidditch happened to be something they all had in common.

In the beginning of the year, his Muggle Studies professor showed a movie representation of muggle secondary school, something akin to the second half of a student’s time at Hogwarts. Only, none of the students wore uniforms and instead showed up to class in slouchy jeans and oversized sweaters. And every student seemed to be very aggressive to every other one, like they truly despised being in each other’s presence. And there were certain students who walked down the corridors and everyone else seemed to know their name, where they came from, who they were. According to the guide distributed by his professor, they were the “Popular Kid” archetype, at the very top of the social hierarchy.

Jimin wouldn’t consider himself at the top of the social food chain at Hogwarts—that position is reserved for the Head Boy and Girl—but he does know a rather large amount of the student body. Or, a rather large amount of the student body knows him.

Speaking of Muggle Studies, that’s his next class, and he’s got about three minutes to get to the room before he gets Slytherin’s points docked for being tardy. He breaks out into a small jog, getting progressively speedier as time passes. Another seventh-year Slytherin is heading the other way, pats Jimin roughly on the back as they pass each other with a grunt of “Park!” and moves on.

Jimin makes it to Muggle Studies just in the nick of time, sliding into his seat just as the professor enters the room.

Muggle Studies is, admittedly, not Jimin’s strongest suit. It never has been—not when he comes from a long line of purebloods, some of whom frown upon the integration of Muggle-borns into wizarding schools such as Hogwarts. Jimin’s not like that at all, extremely progressive in comparison to the stereotypical conservative pureblood, but he has a difficult time wrapping his head around the Muggle world and all of its strange and peculiar doodads. It just seems so complicated in comparison to the Wizarding World, where everything is exactly as it appears. Well, mostly everything.

He begins to zone out, as he normally does in this class, the droning of the professor fading into background noise as he doodles in his textbook, drawing pictures of old muggle telephones and candy bars. Muggle Studies is also one of Jimin’s objectively least favorite classes because nothing magical happens. It’s almost all textbooks and essays and homework about non-magical topics. Although, Jimin has to admit that the Internet, whatever the fuck it is, seems pretty magical.

Crack!

Jimin jerks up to see his professor standing above him, glasses sinking down his pointy nose bridge as he glares at him. His wand is held in his hand, clearly having just aggressively tapped on the front edge of Jimin’s desk.

“Park, do you know the answer?” His professor asks angrily, clearly unimpressed.

“Answer to what, sir?” Jimin asks, trying to simultaneously maintain eye contact with his professor and looking around to anyone who might actually know the answer to whatever he’s about to be asked.

“The author of The Catcher in the Rye?” It’s obvious his professor doesn’t think Jimin knows the answer. He’s correct—Jimin has no fucking clue who wrote The Catcher in the Rye.

“Why would you need to catch rye? Jimin asks, trying to buy himself some time.

The professor rolls his eyes, turning away from Jimin to go find another victim. Someone across the aisle sends Jimin congratulatory finger guns for somehow managing to ask a question so ridiculously stupid that it allowed him to escape the wrath of their professor. Jimin gives a thumbs up in return and dips his quill back into his ink pot, getting ready to draw.

“Miss Y/L/N,” he hears the professor’s croaky voice say. “Do you know?”

Interest only slightly piqued, Jimin turns his head to the student being interrogated. You seem to have curled as far into your Hufflepuff robes as possible, in an effort to pretend to be a metamorphosing butterfly or something like that. Jimin knows you very briefly, if at all. Your name, your house, and the fact that you almost never speak.

Jimin starts to think that maybe he should have just sacrificed some House Points and answered the professor’s question, because you don’t seem to be having any fun at all with the professor breathing down your neck, waiting for an answer. He’s about to do something dumb and stupid to get the attention on him and off of you when, soft as a mouse, you whisper, “J. D. Salinger.”

He shuts his mouth. The professor smiles, awards five points to Hufflepuff, and moves on. Jimin sinks down into his seat, turns to the boy next to him.

“That’s Y/N, right?” He asks, motioning to you. You seem to be shriveling back up into your robes, only hints of your skin peeking out, just enough for you to hold onto a quill and write with it on a piece of spare parchment.

“I think that’s her name,” the boy responds, skeptical. “But I’d stay away from her, Park. She’s… strange.”

Jimin frowns, an eyebrow quirking up out of curiosity. “Strange? How so?”

The boy shrugs, unhelpful. He seems to quickly be realizing that his word choice when describing you was particularly poor. Jimin’ll say. “I don’t know, she’s just… weird. She never speaks and you only ever see her in classes, not during our free hours. I hear she draws a lot.”

“But drawing isn’t weird,” Jimin protests weakly, quietly. Though, he doubts you’re paying attention to the conversation he’s having with the boy next to him, a Slytherin he speaks with sometimes, but not frequently. Usually about the latest professional Quidditch match, or to double check something in class. Jimin supposes that the two of them would be friends. But only supposes.

“I know, but disappearing the moment you step out of class is,” the boy says, leaving Jimin no time to respond as he immediately sits up straight, the professor striding back into view.

Jimin shuts up immediately, reverting back to his classic “I swear I was paying attention to you the whole time” stance, though it is blatantly obvious that that was not, in fact, the case. The professor can see right through Jimin’s act, even goes so far as to sneer at him as he heads back to his desk. Jimin really treasures the relationship he shares with his Muggle Studies professor.

“What an enlightening discussion on twentieth century Muggle literature,” the professor drones. Jimin can feel himself falling asleep. He definitely shouldn’t have stayed up late last night playing a game of Wizard’s Chess where, for every piece you lose, you take a bite of the homemade pastries Sprout brought in for their class yesterday. Both his mind and his stomach are taking massive losses. Lots of casualties. Too much time spent on the loo.

Jimin’s about to start making soft snoring noises to amuse the students around him when the professor’s moderately angry, crackly voice breaks through the walls he’s built inside of his head. “So enlightening, in fact, that I am assigning you all a partner project on a Muggle book of literary merit from the twentieth century, to be due in two weeks sharp.”

Groans fill the air. Jimin sees his already low grade in this class plummeting.

“And I expect that those of you who are not doing as well in this course—,” the professor narrows his eyes at Jimin in specific. He feels the slightest bit called out. “—should want to work extra hard. I will give you your partners momentarily—,” more groaning since the students can’t choose, “—and you will have until the end of this class to decide on a novel. Novellas and plays are also acceptable.”

Jimin doesn’t even know what a novella is. This is going to be an absolute disaster.

Within the next few moments, the professor begins to list off the group partners, and Jimin watches as every single person in the room he thinks he might actually enjoy himself with gets paired up with someone else until all that’s left is—

“Park and Y/L/N.”

Even amongst all of the chatter, Jimin can make out the faint sound of something akin to a gasp leaving your lips. Jimin’s certain he feels the same way. Of all of the people in the room, it’s just his luck for him to get paired up with you. Not that he minds, of course, but trust the Muggle Studies professor who’s out for Jimin’s blood to pair him up with the quietest student in their year. Meanwhile, Jimin causes a ruckus simply by existing.

He turns to find where you’re sitting to see you very obviously avoiding his gaze (along with anybody else’s, for that matter), staring straight down at the parchment in front of you before watching as you crumple it up between your fingers and stuff it into your bag, along with the rest of your belongings. Peculiar.

Jimin gathers his items to head over to where you’re seated—because it’s clear you have no intention of moving from your location, the corner in which you have settled—when the professor calls him over with a grunt of “Park.”

He trots up to where the professor is seated at his desk.

“Park,” the professor says, peering over the beady glasses that sit on his all-too pointed nose bridge. “You currently have a Dreadful in this class.”

“Yes, Professor.” Jimin doesn’t need to be reminded. He absolutely tanked on the last assessment they had been given.

“Do I need to remind you that if you have either two Poor’s in your classes or one Dreadful, you are not allowed to participate in the Quidditch games?” He continues.

Jimin may have needed reminding of that. The next match that Slytherin is playing is in two weeks from Friday, which is a mere two days from when this ridiculous partner project is due. And suddenly, Jimin realizes that if he doesn’t ace this project, he won’t be playing in the next match. Or any of the other next matches, because Muggle Studies may very well be the bane of his existence. Shit.

“No, Professor.” Jimin says through gritted teeth. He’s fucked. He’s already starting to resign himself to his fate of a Jimin-less Quidditch season for the Slytherin team and a Quidditch-less final year for himself.

“Good. I suggest you work well with your partner. She has the highest grade in this course, so you’d do well to learn a thing or two from her. Merlin knows you don’t pay attention to me.” The professor motions for Jimin to leave, dampening his already-sour mood.

That’s something new Jimin didn’t know about you. The highest grade in this course? How is that even possible? Jimin steps up to where you’re seated in the corner, staring down at the closed textbook in front of you like it’s just called you ugly.

“Hey,” Jimin says softly, fearing his usually-raucous nature may be a bit much. “Y/N, right?”

You nod silently, letting Jimin take the seat next to you.

“I’m Jimin,” he says, feeling obligated to introduce himself despite the fact that the two of you have been classmates for the past six and a half years now.

“I know,” you say, barely above a whisper, before your eyes widen, like you had just spoken incorrectly.

Jimin doesn’t know what to say to that. Of course you know who he is. Jimin has a name that gets around. He plays Quidditch, attends every party he can get to, and knows everyone on campus. This conversation stinks.

“I’m sorry you had to be paired up with me,” Jimin says, trying to break the ice, only it feels like he’s sawing through the tension with a plastic spoon. “I’m not very good at this class.”

You nod again, choosing to keep your mouth shut as a means of responding to him. Jimin can’t blame you. An awful lot of dumb shit comes out of his mouth. He should probably pick up a tip or two from you.

“What book were you thinking?” Jimin asks, hoping you have a substantive answer because Jimin’s got absolutely nothing. All he’s thinking about is the future (or lack thereof) of his Hogwarts Quidditch career if he can’t get an Outstanding, or at least an Exceeds Expectations, on this project, and the parchment you crumpled up into your bag. Curiouser and curiouser.

You mumble something unintelligible.

“What?” Jimin asks, leaning in closer. You seem to be alarmed by the sudden shrink in proximity, though you make no efforts to move away, instead hoping to curl deeper into your dandelion yellow robes.

“The Great Gatsby,” you say, a bit louder this time. Jimin can feel himself exhaling. He at least recognizes the title of that book, which is a win as far as he’s concerned.

“Sounds good,” Jimin says with a smile. It’s not as if he has anything better to suggest. “I’ll tell the professor we’ve chosen a book.”

You nod your agreement and Jimin stands up to head back over to the professor to inform him. On the way, he passes by some of his friends in the class, who all seem to be giving him pity looks for his partner. Jimin, for the life of him, cannot figure out why everyone finds you so strange. You seem perfectly fine and dandy to him, albeit a tad quiet. But Jimin’s not going to complain. You seem extremely capable.

“Professor!” He calls as he makes it back over to the desk.

The professor seems thrilled to see Jimin again. “Park.”

“We’ve chosen a book,” Jimin says excitedly.

“And that is?”

“The Great Gatsby.”

This makes the professor raise his eyebrows. He looks up from the paperwork he’s completing to meet Jimin’s eyes, something sort of like a knowing smirk plastered on his face. Jimin feels uneasy. “Really?”

Jimin nods.

“Well,” the professor says, “I will write you down for Gatsby.” He still has that knowing grin dancing along his cracked lips.

“Is there something else, Professor?” Jimin asks, unable to stop his intrigue from getting the better of him.

“No,” the professor says with a shake of his head. “Only, you may find that with The Great Gatsby, there is more to it than meets the eye.”

Jimin’s starting to regret ever asking.  

“I’m serious, Jeon,” Jimin says as they toss around a Quaffle on the Quidditch field, brooms barely four meters above the green below. Even though Jungkook’s a seeker, neither of them have much intent to practice Quidditch for what it is. “I’m fucked.”

“What do you mean?” Jungkook responds, skeptical. Even as a measly fifth year, his coordination with the Quaffle is pretty damn impressive for a Seeker. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. Your next match isn’t for another couple weeks. Meanwhile I’m gonna crush Gryffindor next week.” As he says this, he chucks the Quaffle towards a Gryffindor sixth-year that’s part of their intramural Quidditch group, catching the kid entirely off guard and causing him to swerve on his broom so the ball doesn’t break his nose. Jungkook giggles.

“I know, but I have a Dreadful right now,” Jimin sighs.

“In Muggle Studies?” Jungkook says, looking severely unimpressed. “Well, I suppose that’s what you get for being a pureblood.” Jungkook always teases Jimin about his blood status, as a half-blood himself, he sort of gets the best of both worlds. He’s always calling Jimin old-fashioned for not knowing what Muggle objects are. “I bet you don’t even know what a cell phone is.”

“Fuck you!” Jimin shouts, getting his hands on the Quaffle just in time to hurl it straight towards Jungkook’s face. With reflexes as good as they always are, Jungkook dodges easily. “I know what a cell phone is.”

Jungkook obviously doesn’t believe him. “So what are you gonna do to get your grade up before your game? Because if we win our game against Gryffindor, then we’ll be up against you next. And without the top Chaser, Slytherin’s fucked!” Jungkook starts cackling.

Jimin sighs, one hand holding onto the broom and another rubbing at his temples. “I don’t know,” he says, flying up to Jungkook so their conversation isn’t shouted across the Quidditch practice field. “We have this dumb partner presentation on Muggle literature due a couple days before the game, so if I can miraculously do well on it, I should be alright.”

“Sweet!” Jungkook says like it is a God-ordained miracle. “Who’s your partner?”

“Y/N.”

“Never heard of them!” Jungkook exclaims like it’s the happiest thing in the world. “Good at Muggle Studies?”

“Highest grade in the course,” Jimin says softly, only the slightest bit envious of you. All of his life’s worries and toils and troubles would instantly vanish if he had the highest grade in his Muggle Studies course.

Jungkook hoots and hollers. “Well, there you go! You’re guaranteed to play in the game in a couple weeks.” He gives Jimin a heavy pat on the back, one he feels deep down in his bones, and then gets the Quaffle tossed to him from another kid in their group. “So you better get practicing, Park!”

Jungkook chucks the Quaffle down the expanse of the Quidditch field and immediately Jimin dives after it, still wondering if he really is guaranteed a good score on his Muggle Studies presentation because of you.

The next time Jimin has Muggle Studies, his professor is having a decidedly good day, seeing as the whole class is allowed the entire duration of the forty-five minutes to themselves, time meant to work on the project.

For Jimin, this would normally result in forty-five minutes of doing anything but the project, much to the dismay of the professor (and Jimin wonders why he hates him so much), fooling around and being a shit student, as one does. But today, as his legs carry him towards the empty seat in the corner next to you, Jimin finds that his superego seems to win out.

“Hey,” he says. He isn’t sure if it’s his voice or the book he plops down on the wooden desk that makes you jump in surprise. “Ready to get started?”

You nod wordlessly, pulling out the battered copy of The Great Gatsby you keep with you. It dawns on Jimin that perhaps he should have gotten his hands on his own copy before arriving to class. He makes a mental note to drop by the library after class.

“You must like this book, huh?” Jimin asks, attempting to stir up some conversation. He’s always been quite the talker and you, evidently not.

Again you nod as you pull out a quill and some parchment from your bag. As you do, some extra parchment caught on the clean sheet comes with it, making your eyes widen as you quickly stuff the offending piece back into your bag, hoping no one’s caught you. Peculiar.

“Well, I gotta be honest with you,” Jimin says as he leans back in his seat, trying his very best to resume his “cool kid” persona so he stops making an absolute fool of himself in front of you. “I haven’t really… read the book yet. Or pay much attention in this class, so I suppose I need to work on that,” he adds on a self-deprecating chuckle for good measure.

It’s unclear if you’re picking up the vibe that Jimin is putting down. Or anything Jimin is putting down, for that matter. “That’s okay,” you tell him. “I can do most of the work, if you’d like.”

Normally, an offer like this would have Jimin jumping to his feet to accept, seeing it as his way out of doing anything of substance without having to sacrifice a grade for it. Jimin’s always been kind of a terrible partner to have for a project, but he puts in some effort where it counts. Sometimes. But now, as Jimin sits in Muggle Studies with a professor that glances up specifically at him every now and then, Jimin doesn’t see slacking off as an option. Especially when the fate of his Quidditch season lies in this project. If he doesn’t contribute, the professor will know. And thus will happen the brutal end to Jimin’s Hogwarts Quidditch career.

“No, I couldn’t let you do that,” Jimin immediately refuses your offer, thinking of the greater good. “It seems like an awful lot of work. Plus, you’re probably extra busy with stuff yourself.”

“No, not really,”  you respond with a shrug. No additional comments.

“What do you mean?” Jimin says with a small nudge to your elbow. “Everyone’s busy with stuff. Don’t you draw?”

“Well, I—”

“I don’t know very much about art, but I imagine that takes a lot of time,” Jimin says, grinning to himself. He’s won this battle. “So I will help you with the work because we are both equally as busy. No buts.”

You open your mouth to say something, but immediately close it, like the thought’s vanished from your mind. Or maybe, you’ve forced it away.

“I know I was probably your last choice for a partner in this class,” Jimin says with a sigh, “but I promise I’ll actually help you with this project. I need to actually start paying attention and learning in this class, and there’s no better time to start than now. Plus, you’re way better than that old geezer up there. So I promise I’ll do my share. This is a partner project, after all.”

“I don’t know, I feel like in order to help me do this project, you’d actually have to read the book first,” you say with the slightest hint of a giggle, the faintest outline of a smile gracing your lips. It’s the first time Jimin’s ever seen you smile. He decides then and there that he wouldn’t mind seeing it more often.

“Wow, okay, attacking me from the start, alright,” Jimin says dramatically, hands up in surrender. “Fine, I see how it is. Guess I’ll have to pick up the slack and start reading.”

Another small giggle. “There’s a Muggle section in the library that should have Gatsby in there. It’s a short book, so you should be able to get through it relatively quickly. Emphasis on should.”

“Well, I suppose I’ll have to head to the library after class, then,” Jimin says. “Come with?”

“Oh, no, I don’t need to, though,” you say, holding up your own battered copy, worn at the edges, clearly read multiple times. Jimin’s thankful that you’ve selected a book you’re enthusiastic about—it would be an awful long two weeks if the two of you spent it slaving over a novel that not even one of you enjoyed.

“Aw, come on? What else would you be doing?” Jimin asks. He won’t push the topic if it makes you uncomfortable, but that one student did mention how you have a habit of disappearing post-class.

“I have places to be,” you mutter, clearly not wanting to go too in-depth on the matter.

“To do what?” Jimin asks, pressing just a little harder. He’ll cease if it gets to be too much, but it’s obvious that you’re having fun avoiding his questions.

Head facing the book resting on the desk in front of you, you say, “Things that don’t concern you, Park.”

The clocktower chimes, signalling the end of the class, and, just like clockwork, you’re out of your seat in an instant, disappearing down the hallway like you were never there in the first place.

Jimin drops by the library after class, Muggle Studies being his last course of the day before he resigns himself to his room to an evening of homework and chicken legs. Madame Pince helps him find The Great Gatsby in the little corner of the library that has all of the Muggle, non-magical books. She seems quite surprised that someone like Jimin would have any interest in Muggle literature.

After he finishes his supper, one of his friends, Joshua, drops by their shared dormitory to ask if Jimin’s up for a game of Gobstones.

“No thanks, Josh, I’m busy tonight,” Jimin says with a smile, holding up the copy of The Great Gatsby he’s borrowed from the library. Jimin’s only a couple of chapters in, but he finds the book quite enjoyable.

“Reading?” Joshua says in disbelief. “Is that even you, Park? You don’t read.”

“I’ve got a Muggle Studies project due,” Jimin says.

“Oh, Cheol told me about that,” Joshua responds, like Jimin mentioning his project is just a reminder to him. “You’re paired up with Y/L/N, right? She’s strange, I heard. Smart, but strange.”

“I mean, she isn’t really that weir—”

“I can’t believe she’s got you actually reading! I don’t think I’ve seen you open a book since third year,” Joshua says with a chortle. “I’m impressed, I have to say. What’s with the sudden increase in productivity? Are you actually trying to impress her, or something?”

“Just trying to do my share of the work,” Jimin says with a grimace, wanting nothing more than for Joshua to just go away so he can read in peace.

“Ha! You’re doing work, too?” Joshua says, like he can’t believe his ears. “Damn, she’s got you in deep. Bet you’re just trying to woo her so you get a good grade before the Quidditch match next Friday.” Jimin opens his mouth to defend himself, but Joshua keeps going. “Well, we’re playing Gobstones in the common room if you wanna come join after you’re finished reading, or whatever. Enjoy your book, Park!”

With that, Joshua marches off, heavy footsteps on the cement of the Slytherin common room. Jimin leans back against his bed frame, wondering if a good grade is really all there is to it.

“I read the book,” Jimin says in lieu of a greeting as he takes his seat next to you. You’re much less surprised to see him there today than you have been on days past. “It was good. I liked it.”

“I thought you would,” you muse to yourself. There’s a black notebook in the top right corner of your desk, no writing or any other sort of label identifying it. Just a leather bound book with a piece of hard ribbon wrapped around it, like its contents are secret.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jimin asks, smile dancing along his face. He even went as far as to take a few notes on the story, though he bets that they pale in comparison to the knowledge you hold of the novel.

“Oh, nothing,” you say softly, playing coy.

“Hey, come on! You’re definitely insulting me right now except I’m too stupid to realize it,” Jimin pouts, beginning to think that maybe he didn’t look at Gatsby close enough and there’s some subliminal message to the story that went right over his head.

“I’m not,” you insist, “I just had a feeling you’d enjoy it.”

Jimin’s skeptical, but he drops the topic. “Well, you were right, I did. I finished it last night.”

“You read the whole thing in a day? What happened to Master Slacker Park Jimin, hmm?” You ask, curious. Your fingers are fiddling with the ribbon wrapped around the notebook on your desk, untying the bow and tying it back up again.

“He’s still here, I promise,” Jimin says with a wink, making you roll your eyes slightly as you turn away from him, not wanting to be subjected to his sleaziness any longer.

“What did you like most about it?”

“The book?” Jimin ponders an answer. He did actually enjoy reading it—something he hasn’t experienced in quite a while. He can’t remember the last time he actually read a book for class. It must have been years. “I don’t know, I just… it was very well written. And Gatsby’s character was so intriguing. A man who has everything willing to give all of it up for the girl he loves. Including his time.”

“Mmm,” you hum. “The thing about love,” you muse, more to yourself than to Jimin, though he listens in anyway. He always wants to hear what you have to say. For someone of so few words, you’re very careful how and when you use them. “Is that it makes people feel like they’ve lost control.”

“Presentations due in a week! I trust that you are all making good, steady progress and that you have been working diligently these past few days,” the professor eyeballs Jimin again, and he sinks down into his seat, almost like he’s trying to melt into it. “Remember that next week I will not be giving any time in class to work on this, so you will need to find time on your own to complete them.”

The clocktower rings.

“Class dismissed!”

Everyone immediately begins to herd out of the room, but Jimin realizes that you and him have only spent class time working on your presentation and it’s only about halfway finished. You’ll need to meet outside of class, during your free periods or extra time.

“Hey, Y/N,” Jimin says as you’re gathering your belongings, placing your textbooks and quills back in your back, black, leather bound notebook still held tightly between your fingers. “When do you have time to meet outside of class to finish this?”

“Uh… I’m free most of the time,” you say as you head towards the door, Jimin following suit.

“Okay, I have Quidditch practice every Monday and Wednesday from three to six and Tuesdays from six to nine. This weekend should be free for me, except I’m going to Hogsmeade on Sunday afternoon,” he tells you, walking alongside you. Jimin doesn’t know where you go after Muggle Studies, only knows that you disappear down the hallway and no one can ever seem to keep track of you. He’s curious—eager to find out where you flutter off to when no one else is looking.

“Alright, well. Whenever works for you,” you say, speeding ahead.

“Hey, why are you in such a rush?” Jimin asks, catching up to you easily, limbs nimble from riding around on brooms in a competitive sport constantly. “Where are you going?”

“Nowhere,” you mutter to yourself, Jimin hot on your trail. He’s not trying to chase you down or anything, but you’re walking against the current of students headed down the hallway, taking odd little staircases here and there as Jimin tries to keep up with you.

“You’re clearly headed somewhere,” Jimin says with a scoff. “We still need to discuss when we can work together for our project, Y/N.”

“I know, I know,” you say. “We can figure it out. Whenever you’re free.”

“Hey, Y/N?” Jimin says, finally catching his breath as the two of you wait on a moving staircase, slowly rotating you around the inside of the castle. “You know that you don’t have to hide from me, alright?”

“I—”

“If you don’t want me here, I’ll leave, I promise,” Jimin says. “But if you do, then… please. Don’t run away from me,” he pleads. He feels a little strange, standing here on a moving staircase in Hogwarts, asking you to open up your private life to him after hardly a week of constant contact. It feels personal. It feels like an invasion of privacy.

You seem to be waiting on yourself for an answer, like there are words on the tip of your tongue but you don’t know if you should open your mouth. Jimin’s definitely overstepped every boundary currently within a five-mile radius, asked something of you that is going to make the next week painfully awkward before the two of you go back to not speaking.

“Okay,” you murmur, so quiet that Jimin can hardly hear you, isn’t even sure if you’ve said anything at all.

When you reach the top of the staircase, you and Jimin find yourselves face to face with a thick wooden door, one Jimin doesn’t think he’s ever seen. Granted, he’s not necessarily a big explorer of the castle, so there are definitely places he’s never come across, but this door has been right under his nose the entire time, totally overlooked, even after seven years.

Jimin begins to worry that whatever you’re about to show him may not necessarily follow school rules, but he pushes the thought to the back of his mind as you open the door.

It’s the owlery.

Well, it’s not the owlery that Jimin’s familiar with. Jimin’s been into the owlery before, but this isn’t what he remembers. It’s higher, less crowded, cozier. Gets more light from the windows at the top, bright blue sky slowly fading to night as time passes. Jimin also doesn’t recognize any of the owls, can’t find his own in the crowd.

“What is this place?” Jimin asks, in awe. You place your bag down on a pile of cushions in a corner before making your rounds, saying hello to all of the different owls, poking your fingers through the wire of the cages.

“It’s the school’s owlery,” you explain to Jimin, pointer finger rubbing against the beak of a barn owl. “The school’s owls don’t get as much love or use as the students’, so I… I guess I pick up the slack.”

“I didn’t even know this place existed,” Jimin says, peering into a cage to say hello. The owl sniffs his finger before determining Jimin as a non-threatening being, accepting pets.

“Most people don’t,” you say softly,

“It’s incredible,” Jimin admits. He had no idea the school had its own owls, but he supposes that makes sense. How else is the school supposed to receive news and other business? Through the students’ owls? Magic stretches far and wide, and oftentimes it’s rather inconvenient for every minister and magical official to make the trek to Scotland. Jimin has to admit he never gave much thought to the school’s postal system. He had always received his mail from his own owl, Beanpole, without much concern. Fascinating. “How long have you been coming up here?”

“Ever since I found out about it,” you admit, settling down in the cushions as you fish around in your bag for something. You pull out your leather bound notebook, a strange little writing device in your hand that Jimin believes is known as a pen in the Muggle world. “Since fourth year.”

“Unbelievable,” Jimin says, still shellshocked. He’s afraid that sitting down next to you on the cushions may be too much of an invasion, seeing as he’s just been shown one of the most private parts of you, so he stays standing, feet wandering as he visits each cage. “It’s absolutely breathtaking.”

From up here, where Jimin looks out of the window, he swears he can make out the whole lake by Hogwarts. Can visualize the boats on the lake, taking the scared first-years to the Great Hall to be sorted under the lanterns’ light. He’s hardly ever up this high, just for Astronomy, since the Slytherin common room is in the dungeons. And even so, he almost never gets to look out of the window, at the earth below. It’s like he’s flying.

“You come up here every day?” Jimin asks. It’s no wonder that this is where you’re always disappearing off to. It’s peaceful, homey, cozy. All things that Jimin has definitely ruined by barging into your life.

“I try to,” you say sheepishly, pen scratching against the parchment of your notebook as you pull your knees up to your chest.

Jimin makes his way over to you, footsteps careful so as not to scare you off. “I’m sorry if I’ve invaded something of yours,” he feels the apology is long overdue. “If you want me to leave, I totally will. Just say the word.”

“No, it’s alright,” you say. Hesitantly, you tuck away your little notebook, clicking at your pen so that the ink tip disappears into the contraption. Jimin thinks that you’re ready to leave, finished with the owlery now that he’s here, but instead you simply shift over slightly, motioning to the empty cushion on the floor next to you, like an invitation.

Jimin walks over trepidatiously, like he isn’t sure if he’s allowed to sit down so close to you, press into your personal bubble like it’s nobody’s business. But you make no attempts to move away, not seeming to mind in the slightest that Jimin’s there with you. Jimin sits down beside you, instantly relaxing from the comfort of the cushions amongst the both of you, falling into a peculiar but pleasant silence.

He turns his head to look at you slightly, but you’re not looking back at him. You seem to have lost yourself in thought, staring off towards the sky, aimlessly. From here, Jimin can see the way the light reflects in your eyes, making them appear like skies in and of themselves. Twinkling. Jimin reaches the conclusion that he likes it here, in the owlery, but he likes being here with you just a little more.

“You know,” you say softly, almost inaudible, “it’s kind of nice not to be here alone.”

“You don’t mind?” Jimin asks. He could have sworn you’d kick him out of here by now.

You shake your head slightly, “No, I—I enjoy your company.”

“We could always work on our project up here,” Jimin suggests. “No one else to bother us. It’s quiet here, too. Good place to study. No wonder you get such good grades. This place is your secret weapon.”

“Well, it can be yours, too,” you tell him.

“If you’ll have me,” Jimin jokes back. You sound completely serious, but he wants to make sure that he isn’t disrupting anything by being here.

You nod. “It’s—it’s nice being up here… with you.”

It sounds a little like an opened door, welcoming him in. Feels a little more like an invitation. And as you and Jimin sit up here, far above the noise of the rest of the Hogwarts student body, the comfortable silence surrounding the both of you, Jimin realizes that, even if only just for a moment, you bring a calmness to his hectic, rowdy life. One that Jimin never realized he needed.

“But one thing I don’t understand is why Gatsby would sacrifice so much of himself for Daisy,” Jimin says, biting on the edge of his quill as he ponders the notes in front of him. The presentation is pretty straightforward in terms of content, just the historical context to the story, the basic plot, major themes and characters, all of the usual book report requirements. But despite this, Jimin can’t help but wonder aloud why Gatsby’s done what he’s done. “Especially when Nick was standing there the whole time, trying to talk him out of it.”

“Well, Gatsby was so hung up on Daisy’s presence in his life before she left that he was determined to get back that time again. Even if it did cost him his life,” you say, staring down at the pieces of parchment all spread around around you, a sea of almond and beige against the hardwood of the owlery.

One of the younger owls you had let out of its cage—not a baby but not a disgruntled adult—pecks away at Jimin’s belongings. Jimin sifts through his bag until he pulls out an old granola bar, unwrapping the snack and feeding bits of it to the owl.

“But why? He must have known it never would have happened, with Tom and everything.”

“That’s the thing,” you say, plucking one of the sheets off of the ground. It’s the one Jimin and you had written down research of the decade at the time. Admittedly, it was mostly you, since Jimin doesn’t know the first thing about American history. Or any Muggle history, for that matter. “Fitzgerald wanted to emphasize the darker parts of the Roaring 20’s through Gatsby. He used Gatsby as a lens into the newly rich. Naive and clueless. Blinded by their wealth, and their passion.”

“That’s so… sad,” Jimin huffs. “I mean, Gatsby’s sad as it is, but knowing the context just makes it… sadder.”

You hum, a soft chuckle leaving your lips. Like there’s something uncanny to it, to this whole thing. “Well, people with power and popularity think that nothing they do is wrong.”

Before the clocktower chimes to signal the end of class, Jimin turns to you. You’re slowly putting away your belongings, humming a soft tune to yourself.

“Hey, I have Quidditch from three to six today, so I won’t be able to meet you until later,” he tells you.

You nod in understanding. “That’s fine,” you say. “I mean, I’ll be up there anyway, so you can just meet me there when you’re finished practice. Bring food.”

Jimin chuckles. “You ever seen a Quidditch practice before?”

You shake your head. “It’s not really my kind of thing. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not big on sports.”

“You can come to mine,” Jimin immediately invites. It is, admittedly, not as private as your owlery, but it feels right to return the favor, however he can. “I wouldn’t mind.”

“I don’t want to intrude,” you say, tentative.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Jimin immediately backtracks. “But it would be nice to have you there. You can see me look super cool as I fly around on a broom and toss balls at my teammates.”

“You don’t need to be on a broom to look cool,” you say, rolling your eyes. It’s a welcome ego boost for Jimin.

“Plus, afterwards we can just go straight to the owlery together,” Jimin suggests, seeing the practicality in it. In all actuality, he just sort of wants you there, but any sort of logical reason as your being there will help. “After dropping by the Great Hall to get dinner, of course.”

You giggle to yourself, nodding. “As long as you’re okay with it. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“No, I don’t mind at all. I—I wouldn’t really mind having you there, you know,” he says, a little more shy. He swears, he can feel the faintest hint of warmth rush to his cheeks, and can only hope that the green in his robes counteracts the red in his skin.

With another nod, Jimin leads you the opposite direction of the owlery, taking you down to the field where the Slytherin team practices. You stick out like a sore thumb, golden Hufflepuff robes against not only the green in their uniforms but the green of the grass, as well. It’s clear you’re out of place, a little awkward and a little shy, but Jimin does his best to keep you comforted, telling you sit at an empty bench in the shade of a large oak tree as the rest of the team filters in. He promises that they won’t bother you, adding in a couple of glares to his mates as they walk past him. He trusts that any tormenting concerning the situation will be directed at him rather than you.

“Keep an eye out for me, yeah?” He tells you as he begins walking towards the back locker room, where his broom and practice robes are. “I promise I’m good.”

As Jimin comes back out of the locker room, sweaty, old practice robes draped over his body and Firebolt in his hands, one of his teammates punches him in the shoulder as they head towards the field.

“A girl, Park? Seriously?” He asks, motioning towards you. Jimin shoves off his teammate.

“So? What’s the big deal?”

“So? You don’t bring girls to Quidditch practice. You don’t bring girls anywhere, in fact. Park, when was the last time you seriously cared for relationships?”

“This is different,” Jimin insists. “We’re just working on a project together.”

“Sure,” his teammate says, not sounding very sure at all.

By the time they’re all on brooms, chucking around Quaffles and Bludgers, Jimin’s been given more than enough grief from his teammates about your presence there. He’s decently high up, so he can only hope you don’t hear his annoying teammates very obviously talking about you like you aren’t even there.

“Her again?” Joshua asks as he flies up to her, Bludger bat resting snugly in his hands. Joshua’s always been kind of aggressive, very forward. Beater was naturally the best Quidditch position for him. “You’re in deep, Park. Never thought you’d go this far just for a grade.”

Jimin opens his mouth to say something, tell Joshua he’s an asshole and that there’s more to this than just a grade, more to you than just your intelligence, but the Beater is already flying off, ready to practice his aim with the other Beater on the team.

Other than your appearance, practice is relatively boring. Every now and then, Jimin will look back down at you, check to see if you’ve abandoned him or not, and find you in the exact same position as before, resting on the wooden bench under the large oak tree with your notebook and pen in hand. He wonders what you’re doing. He always wonders what you’re doing.

Practice ends with the traditional Slytherin chant, a good luck charm for Friday. That is, if Jimin can get his Dreadful in Muggle Studies back up to something passing. If he can’t, Slytherin’s done for. Everyone bids everyone else a good night as they’re flying back down to the ground, heading towards the locker room to get changed and go do the rest of their nightly responsibilities.

“Hey,” Jimin says as he strolls up to you, broom in hand and sweat dripping down his forehead. He seems to catch you off guard, if the way you quickly tear a page out of your notebook like you’ve been caught doing something red-handed is anything to go by. “All done. Did you see me up there?”

You nod. “I have to say, you weren’t really as cool as you said you’d be.”

Jimin gasps, mock offended. “Lies! Blasphemy! I am very cool,” he says with a pout. “You try looking cool on a broom. It’s harder than it looks.”

“I have to admit I’ve never flown a broom before,” you concede.

“Wait, seriously?” Jimin says, pausing. “Never?”

You shake your head with a smile, like it’s something to be proud of. Jimin can hear his teammates filing out for the night, sending obnoxious wolf whistles his way as the two of you chat. Sometimes, Jimin really hates his friends. “I always skipped flying class. I hated it.”

“Well, that’s going to change,” Jimin decides then and there. “Come on, up.”

“Up? For what?” You ask, staying seated.

“I’m gonna teach you how to fly a broom.”

“Oh gods, no. I’d be awful at it,” you say, furiously shaking your head.

“No one’s awful at broom-flying,” Jimin promises. “Come on, please? I’ll teach you. I’m a great teacher, I promise.” He holds out his hand, motioning for you to take it.

You look from Jimin’s eyes, to the Firebolt in his hand, to the other one outstretched in front of you, like you’re not sure which one to trust most. A small smile graces Jimin’s lips, a promise etched on them. You take his hand.

“Okay,” Jimin says, standing in the middle of the field. It’s beginning to get dark now, the only lamps on the field the lights from the torches placed along the outside walls of the castle. It makes everything look a little warmer, makes you look like you’re glowing. “So you’re going to mount the broom, one leg on one side and one on the other—”

“This is extremely uncomfortable,” you deadpan.

“You get used to it, I promise,” Jimin says. “And then your hands just go on the front of the broom to balance yourself.”

Slowly, you lean forward on the broom, hands gripped tightly on the wood. It’s obvious you feel as though you’re about to topple over, but Jimin wouldn’t let that happen to you. Not in a million years.

“Here, like this,” Jimin says with a chuckle, reaching over to hold onto your hands, showing you the proper way to grip a broom. Your palms are sweaty from nervousness, and Jimin tries not to pay too much attention to the way he feels his heart jump a few beats at the touch. You let Jimin adjust you as he pleases until he’s satisfied with your form. “Okay. Kick off.”

“Oh, Jimin, I don’t know,” you say, the nerves coming up all at once.

“You can do it, Y/N,” Jimin says softly. “I believe in you. I’ll catch you if you fall. I promise. I’m right here.”

With a little more encouragement, you slowly push off the ground. The Firebolt Jimin has is certainly a more professional broom, but that doesn’t make it any more difficult to use, even for a beginner such as yourself. Its turns are smoother and tighter, aerodynamic enough to gain speed steadily but still quickly.

“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit,” you say, shouting, “Jimin, I’m doing it! This is—holy shit!”

“I knew you could!” Jimin calls back. You are by no means up very high, staying low to the ground in case you do end up falling off, but you complete a couple of loops around the practice field before touching back down on the ground, momentum sending you flying forward regardless. You topple off Jimin’s broom, doing a couple of rolls on the grass, coming to a halt a few meters away from where you abandoned his Firebolt.

Jimin rushes over to make sure you’re okay, only to find you laughing to yourself.

“See, I knew you could fly,” Jimin says with a grin, pulling you back up to your feet.

“That was actually kind of fun,” you admit, conceding defeat. Somehow, Jimin had a feeling you wouldn’t really be awful at flying the broom. You’re not awful at anything. You could never be.

“But the real question is, can you look as cool as me while flying?” Jimin jokes.

“I don’t know,” you say sarcastically. “I think I might have to learn a few more things from you.”

“Damn right,” Jimin says confidently, appreciating the subtle praise coming from your lips. “I’m the coolest Quidditch player around. Other Quidditch players cower in my presence.”

With a laugh, you say, “I’m sure they do. I really liked doing that, Jimin. It was very… exhilarating.”

Suddenly, Jimin gets an idea. “Would you like to try something?”

“What?”

“You’ll see,” he says suavely, smirk plastered on his face. He quickly runs over to grab his broom, settling himself on top of it, closer to the front of it than he normally sits. “Come on, hop on!”

“Are brooms meant for two people?” You ask, concerned. You’re starting to see where he’s going with this.

“It’ll be fine, I promise. Come on, Y/N. Please?” With hesitant steps, you make your way over to him, setting on the broom behind his body. “Wrap your arms around me. It’s alright, I promise I won’t let you fall. You’ll be alright.”

The moment Jimin feels your fingers resting securely on his stomach, arms wrapped around his torso, he takes off. You gasp, surprised by the sensation, but Jimin’s always been a decent flyer and the added weight is hardly a barrier for him. Six years of Quidditch playing under his belt alongside broomstick training since he was little makes for a pretty smooth ride.

“Oh my gods, Jimin, we’re so high,” you say, making the mistake of looking down. You must be at least ten meters above the castle walls now.

“Look up, Y/N,” Jimin instructs, flying around in circles once he’s reached a pleasant altitude. You follow his order, gasping softly when you do. It’s nighttime now, only the field’s edges illuminated by the warm yellow light of the torches, but darkness means a night sky above you, and more importantly, the celestial bodies within it.

“Oh Gods, it’s beautiful,” you say, and Jimin only wishes he could turn his head to see the look on your face, but your safety is decidedly more important. “I never—I never realized you could see them so close.”

“I thought you might like it.” Jimin grins to himself.

“Like it? I love it,” you exclaim. He feels one of your hands leave his waist, imagines that you’re reaching out above you, almost as if you can touch the stars with your fingertips. And as the two of you fly around on Jimin’s broom without another care in the world, your body pressed closely against his, warmth radiating through his robes, he knows for certain, then, that if you wanted to touch the stars, all you had to do was ask.

“Still, after all of that, he surely loved her. He must have,” Jimin presses, perhaps more for himself than for the purposes of the project.

“I don’t know, Jimin,” you hum to yourself. “I don’t really think he knew the full weight of his actions. It could have been misplaced.”

“But isn’t that the whole point of the story?” Jimin asks, looking at you. You’re hesitant to meet his gaze, but hold eye contact regardless, eyes flickering every now and then. “That even if Gatsby didn’t know what would happen to him, didn’t realize how ridiculous and ignorant he was being, he still found affection for her. Fitzgerald created a love story so sad that it uncovered the darkest secrets of the era.”

You look skeptical. “But could that have been true love? Was it real?”

Jimin scoffs. “Of course it was real. It was impossible for him not to fall in love with her.”

“Park, you coming tonight?” Seungcheol pops his head into Jimin’s dorm as Jimin’s putting away the last of his schoolwork, deciding that fuck it, he’s not gonna learn anything else about The Great Gatsby before his presentation with you tomorrow and that he might as well just enjoy himself tonight. Admittedly, a rager on a Tuesday isn’t the most appropriate timing for a party, but it’s Hogwarts, and there are no rules. Especially not in the Slytherin dungeons. Besides, even if they do get caught by administration, only the kids who organized the party will get in trouble for it. Jimin doesn’t arrange festivities—he just gets invited to them.

“Of course, who do you think I am?” Jimin says with a scoff. He shrugs off his large, drapey robes, laying it down on his bedsheets so only his dress shirt, tie, and slacks remain.

“Good,” Seungcheol says. “It’s not a party without you, Park!”

Jimin laughs. “I just gotta run and do something really quick, but I’ll be back in a flash. Save me some Felix Felicis!”

“Will do, Chief!” Seungcheol calls as he leaves Jimin to his own devices.

Jimin had mentioned the party his housemates were throwing tonight to you in passing, but neither of you had placed much emphasis on it over the past few days. But with the presentation less than twenty-four hours away, Jimin’s getting a bit antsy, desperate to let loose for a little, and he’d love to bring you with him. Perhaps work up enough courage to tell you how he feels about you.

He finds you sitting in the owlery, which may possibly be the furthest place from the Slytherin dungeons you could find. You’re playing with a couple of owls, some treats in your hand as you teach them tricks.

“Hey,” you say, not even looking up as you hear the door creak open. “What’s up?”

“There’s a party tonight in the Slytherin common room,” Jimin says in lieu of a hello. He’s really just trying to get straight to the point.

“Is that why you look all university casual?” You ask, looking up at him. Without his robe on, Jimin certainly looks much less dressy than he normally does.

“Maybe,” he says.

“So? Why are you telling me that Slytherin house is having a rager?”

“Because I want you to come,” Jimin says with a smile, a charming, mildly-sleazy one he hopes will get you off of the floor. “Please?”

“A party? That sounds like the very opposite of my ideal environment,” you say with your eyes wide. “What makes you think I’d want to go?”

“Well…” Jimin says, faltering. You’re right. From the short time in which Jimin’s gotten to know you, parties aren’t necessarily your cup of tea. In fact, they aren’t tea at all. They’re coffee. You’re a tea-drinker and parties are essentially coffee to you. Is he really that confident that he can convince you to come? “I’ll be there.”

“You’re that confident in yourself, huh?” You muse, smiling as you shake your head. “Think I’m gonna abandon my current evening plans just to hang out with you in a dingy dungeon filled with other Slytherins?”

“Yes?” Jimin feels less and less sure of himself as this conversation continues. He definitely went about this the wrong way.

“I’d be the only Puff there,” you mumble.

“No, you wouldn’t,” Jimin quickly responds. “All the houses are allowed to attend. Granted, it’ll be majority Slytherin, but there will be some other Puffs there. I promise.”

“You really want me at one of your parties, huh?” You ask, standing up. In the glow of the evening light, as the sun sets outside, far below the view from the owlery, you shimmer.

“Of course I do,” Jimin says like it’s hardly a question, because it’s not. The fact of the matter is: Jimin wants you beside him. “Just for a little, I swear. If you don’t like it we can leave and come back up here. I’ll sneak us some Felix Felicis. It’ll be a fun night no matter what.”

“If you say so,” you say with a sigh, pulling off your robes so all that’s left is your own dress shirt, tie, and skirt. Jimin doesn’t think you needed to take your robes off just for the occasion, but you look beautiful nonetheless. “Well? What are you waiting for? The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave.”

The party is already in full swing by the time you and Jimin arrive at the door to the Slytherin common room. Someone’s cast a spell to muffle the noise from outsiders, so as to prevent this thing getting shut down instantly, though the parties almost always end before midnight anyway. The record player in the back has been enchanted to play music louder, though it can hardly be heard over the chatter and laughter in the room.

“Hey, Park!” People call as Jimin walks through the crowd, you close to his side. You’re holding onto his arm like it’s a lifeline, like losing him means imminent doom. Jimin waves to everyone he knows and even a few people he doesn’t, all of whom give you courteous nods of acknowledgement that you’re hesitant to return.

“See, it’s not so bad,” Jimin whispers in your ear as Seungcheol comes up to him with two glasses of Felix Felicis.

“Hey, Park! Is this where you ran off to?” He asks, motioning to you.

“Yeah,” Jimin says. “Y/N, this is Seungcheol. Seungcheol, Y/N.”

You send the smallest smile possible, one Seungcheol returns tenfold. “Nice to meet you. Here, I grabbed the both of you some Felix Felicis. Someone magicked them, so it tastes like fruit punch. Highly recommend!” Seungcheol bounces off, leaving you and Jimin each with cups of sparkling gold liquid in your hands.

“Bottoms up, right?” Jimin asks with a smile and a shrug.

You go along with him, clinking your glasses before downing the liquid. Jimin feels it rush through himself, lighting up his bloodstream. Real Felix Felicis is awfully difficult to brew, and much too valuable to be wasted on a shitty Hogwarts party, so this is a much more muted, cocktail-ed version of the potion, but Jimin swears the effects are all the same.

“Feeling any different?” Jimin asks after a little while. You’ve resigned yourselves to a couch in the corner of the room, away from the crowded center of the party, where the rest of Jimin’s friends are, in an effort by Jimin to make you as comfortable as possible. Not that he minds not being the center of attention—in fact, he quite enjoys just living in his own little bubble alongside you.

“A little,” you respond, leaning against him. Jimin pretends that his heart beats all the same, even if you’re pressed up against him. “You?”

“I’m feeling… lucky,” Jimin muses to himself, turning to you. You blink up, gaze meeting his own. Jimin feels like he could get lost in the sea of your irises, but maybe that’s just the drink.

“Is that so?” You ask, hazy grin plastered on your face.

“I think so,” Jimin says, leaning in. “I think the effects of the Felix Felicis are still there, even if it’s not the real potion.”

“Are you sure about that?” You ask, your lips slowly closing in on his own. He can feel each breath that leaves your mouth as you speak to him, feels the warm air hit his skin.

“Mind if I test my theory?” He says with a muted smile, closing his eyes.

You nod. “Go right ahead.”

Jimin leans in just a little further, eager to press his lips to your own, when, out of nowhere—

“Park!”

The two of you pull apart immediately, jerking away from each other like you’ve suddenly developed phobias of each other. Jimin turns his head to see Joshua strolling up to him. He’s already dreading this conversation.

“You never introduced me,” Joshua says, a little loopy. He’s definitely had too much to drink tonight.

Jimin sighs. “Josh, this is Y/N. Y/N, this is Josh,” he deadpans.

“Nice to meet you,” Joshua says with a bow, nearly toppling over as he does. “Jimin talks about you all the time.”

Jimin’s eyes widen.

“He does?” You ask, confused. You turn to Jimin, who’s already fearful of the direction this conversation is heading.

“Yeah,” Joshua says. “Says he’s real thankful that you’re helping him out with that Muggle Studies project of yours. He wouldn’t get to play in the Quidditch game on Friday if it weren’t for all the work you’ve put into the project to boost his grade.” Jimin can see the liquid luck in his body evaporating. “He really appreciates it all. Gotten all close to you just so he can see if he can muster up a good grade. ‘M thankful to you, too. We need our Chaser.” Jimin turns to you to find a horrified look on your face, brows slowly furrowing in anger. “Well, have a nice night.”

Joshua saunters off, leaving Jimin burning in the ashes as you turn to him.

“Is that it?” You ask, angry, voice certain. He thinks he can see your eyes watering. “Is that all you wanted from me? A good grade? So you could play in your fucking Quidditch game?”

“Y/N, no, that’s not it—”

“Really? Because that’s what it looks like to me. I trusted you, you know? I thought you trusted me, as well.”

“I do, Y/N, wait—”

You get up, clearly fuming, sniffing to hold back your tears. “You know I’ve had a crush on you since third year? Third year! And I was going to tell you after the project was over but I guess I don’t have to anymore.” You fumble in your pockets, searching for something, when you pull out a folded up piece of parchment. Jimin recognizes it as the one from your notebook, serrated at one of the edges. You toss it at him, letting it land at the floor at his feet. “Here. A parting gift.”

“Y/N, wait!” Jimin calls, stumbling after you, but you’re already out of the door in a flash, yellow tie disappearing down the hall before Jimin can run after you. When you’re gone, Jimin’s left standing speechless, like the whole world around him is turning and yet he’s frozen in place. The noise filters in one ear and right out of the other, the party going over his head as he stands there, foolishly hoping that you’ll return.

He walks over to the folded up piece of parchment, leaning down to pick it off the ground. Opening it up, he finds, drawn on it, a portrait of himself, done partly in quill ink and partly in pen ink. It’s of him smiling, his mouth open wide and his eyes crinkled up into crescents, wrinkled at the edges. At the bottom, a note:

Jimin,

You will always be my muse.

Y/N.

Jimin doesn’t realize he’s crying until he sees an angry splotch in the corner, seeping into the parchment and causing a bit of ink to bleed.

Overcome with emotion, Jimin storms over to where Joshua is, lounging on a windowsill with another cup of Felix Felicis in his hands. “Fuck you,” he bites, making Joshua jump back in shock.

“What’s gotten into you, Park?” He asks, frowning.

“Nothing,” Jimin spits. “You’re just a fucking asshole, you know that? You’re a dick.”

“What did I do?” Joshua asks, and Jimin can’t tell if he’s joking or not. Maybe he’s not. Maybe Joshua really did think Jimin was just trying to use you to get a good grade, but that doesn’t make him any less of a giant fucking tool. Regardless, Jimin doesn’t stay around long enough to give a response, storming up to his room and collapsing on his bed, the portrait fluttering to the ground beside him.

If Park Jimin was dreading have to give a Muggle Studies presentation the day he was assigned it, it pales in comparison to how much he truly does not want to give it the day of. You haven’t spoken a word to him since the party last night, barely even acknowledging him as he takes his seat next to you, in preparation for your project. Jimin feels like he’s lost all control of himself, his hair a disaster, face puffy and swollen, friend group a disaster and his crush refusing to speak to him. Not to mention, if he fucks up on this presentation he doesn’t even get to play in the Quidditch game on Friday.

“First up will be... Park and Y/L/N,” the professor says. Jimin definitely did not see this coming.

Slowly, the two of you trudge up to the front of the room, little pieces of parchment in your hands as cue cards, to a couple of wolf whistles from the friends Jimin is trying desperately to distance himself from.

“You may begin,” the professor croaks, pen in hand as he’s ready to take off marks for every little thing Jimin gets wrong.

Jimin clears his throat. He turns to look at you, but to no avail. Slowly, he begins. “The Great Gatsby is a story about a man in an unrequited love with a woman, willing to do anything to gain her favor. But more than that, it’s a story about love and loss, and about a time period in which everything seemed so great, that it became infected with poison.”

Slowly, the ten minutes allotted for each presentation tick by, you and Jimin speaking exactly on cue, like robots. The professor nods every now and then, writing something down here and there on the piece of parchment in front of him as the two of you continue.

“The Great Gatsby is more than just a love story,” you say, quickly glancing down at your parchment for a reminder. “It is a cautionary tale of love, warning readers of what happens when you devote yourself too much to a single person, and what happens when it inevitably fails.”

Jimin’s breath catches in his throat. Is this it? Is that how you feel? Is that what happened?

That’s supposed to be the last line of your presentation, and people begin applauding when Jimin clears his throat, desperate to say something else. “No, wait. It’s more than that, more than a cautionary tale of love.” For the first time in what feels like eons, you meet his eyes. Jimin can only hope you’ll trust him on this, let him have just this. “It reminds us that love can be blinding but sometimes, the passion makes it worth it. It reminds us that love is not a weakness, but a strength. And that sometimes, even if the results are deadly, it’s worth it.”

The room erupts into a soft applause, the enthusiasm of a class of tired, homesick teenagers absolutely electrifying. But, if it’s any consolation, Jimin meets his professor’s eyes, and he earns a nod in response.

After class, the professor calls Jimin up front for a moment. The time leaves Jimin antsy, as he’s desperate to speak to you, talk to you, say something. Explain himself.

“Mr. Park, you did well today,” the professor says.

“Really?” Jimin asks.

“Yes, you gave a very enlightening presentation. Did you learn a thing or two from Y/N?”

Jimin looks up to where you’re standing, gathering your items silently, keeping your eyes trained down. “I learned a lot from her,” he says.

“I can tell. You both received an Exceeds, so good luck on your Quidditch game on Friday,” the professor says. Jimin can’t help but wonder if it’s a grade he received slightly out of pity, but he’ll take it.

“Thank you, Professor,” Jimin says with a bow, eager to leave the room as he sees you doing the same.

“Oh, and Park, one more thing,” the professor says. Jimin turns to him, and the professor simply smiles, sage and wise. “Good luck with her, too.”

Jimin rushes after you.

Unsurprisingly, Jimin finds you in the owlery. Almost like you were waiting for him.

“Y/N,” he says.

“You went off script,” you say in response, refusing to meet his eyes. You’re standing by the window, watching as the winds move the clouds across the sky.

“I had to,” Jimin says, walking over to you.

“No, you didn’t,” you spit. “You wanted to. Because everything is what you want, isn’t it? I know that we got Exceeds. Congrats on your Quidditch game.”

“Y/N, please. It’s more than that,” he begs, reaching down to take your hand in his own.

You pull it away, turning to gaze into his chocolate eyes. “Is it, Jimin?”

“Yes, Y/N. It is,” he pleads. “Admittedly, I was happy to hear that you might be able to help me get my grade up but that wasn’t why I hung out with you, or asked you to show me the owlery, or taught you how to fly a broom. People always talked around about how strange and peculiar you were, but I knew that you weren’t weird. You were just different, and my friends are fucking assholes. I’m sorry for that.”

You turn away.

“Y/N, please, look at me. I did all of those things because I wanted to spend time with you. I shouldn’t have taken you to the party, though, I should have just spent the evening with you. I wanted to tell you how I felt about you, but I never got the chance. Y/N, you’re my muse.”

You turn to look at him, finally letting him capture your gaze. “Do you mean it?”

“Of course,” Jimin says. “I’m sorry for all of this. I just—I just want you.”

“You have me,” you whisper, sniffling slightly. Jimin swears he can feel tears welling up in his eyes as well, but he blinks them away.

And finally, after ages of waiting, of Jimin trying to muster up the courage but then chickening out, after days of dealing with his shitty friends and spending his hours up here in the owlery, he leans down and presses his lips to yours.

It’s a soft kiss, nothing deep, nothing angry, but passionate nonetheless. It feels like warmth blooming inside of him, from the inside out. Blossoming like the flowers in spring. You hum contentedly to the feeling of his lips on yours, and suddenly, everything feels alright.

When you part, Jimin can’t help but press another kiss to your nose, and then your forehead, your cheeks, and the corner of your lips, each light, feathery touch making you giggle. You settle in for the night on the cushions, letting a few owls roam about the room, speaking in hushed whispers of a future for the both of you.

“I know you said you’re not really a sports person,” Jimin begins. “But my Quidditch match is on Friday and I’d love it if you’d come. Not like, as my girlfriend or anything. Unless you want that.”

“Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, Park?” You tease.

“I’m also asking if you’d come to my game.”

You giggle, pressing a kiss to Jimin’s nose. This feels right. “Yes and yes. I’d love to.”

Friday afternoon, the bleachers are shaking from students, Hufflepuff and Slytherin filling up the stands as they watch their house teams play in the first game of the season. And even from all the way up there, as Jimin weaves in and out of the other players, tossing the Quaffle through one of the rings to score another ten points for Slytherin, he spots you standing in the bleachers, a girl in yellow amongst a sea of green, and he grins.