#they’re predictable and they’ve been doing it since yesterday

[leclerc-s]

and somehow i just know that if carlos wins this race his fans will find a way to say that this means ferrari made the wrong choice in bringing on lewis for 2025 or keeping charles instead of carlos

[fromsaudades]

| ROBERTA COLINDREZ & THEY/THEM | Congratulations, ALEX FLORES survived another night. The town would certainly feel less safe without a them close by. Not to mention, we can’t lose another ELECTRICIAN, plus they’re only THIRTY-EIGHT. Crazy to think, it’s been FIVE YEARS since their arrival, though in a place like Oblitus it can feel much longer. Good thing they’re staying at the MOTEL. Almost like it happened yesterday, they still remember BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS, and where they came from. It’s no secret, they were RUNNING OUT OF GAS FOR THEIR MOTORCYCLE when they came across the tree, and is still keeping them up at night. Truth be told, they’re awfully ALERT and UNRELIABLE, but they’ve survived this long. Well, it’s almost day light again, maybe they’ll play I BET ON LOSING DOGS by MITSKI this time. Welcome to another night in Oblitus, please don’t open the doors. (jer, 34, she/he/they/any ) -no triggers

FULL BIO — TAGS — PINTEREST — PLAYLIST

what is their biggest regret since arriving in town?

"Probably not trusting anyone sooner, and not keeping in contact with the family that saved me." The family members were a curious mix, almost too perfectly aligned with the unsettling nature of Oblitus. The matriarch’s eyes seemed to pierce through your defenses, searching for the cracks in your façade. The way she moved—deliberate and graceful—made you feel like a stray dog being evaluated for adoption; she saw every flaw, every scar. Then there was the son, whose laughter echoed with a hint of madness. He possessed an infectious energy, yet it felt like a thin veneer covering something darker. You often caught him staring out of the corner of your eye, his gaze lingering a moment too long, as if he were sizing you up for some unspoken game. Sometimes, when you passed him in town, his expression would shift to something resembling pity, making you feel exposed, as if he could see the tangled threads of your past laid bare. The daughter, meanwhile, had a way of drifting in and out of conversations, always observing but rarely engaging. Her silence felt heavy, as if she carried secrets so burdensome they could bend the very air around her. Their presence in town served as a constant reminder of the familiarity of your circumstances, each interaction laced with an undercurrent of tension. You knew, deep down, that you owed them your gratitude—a debt that remained unfulfilled. "When I rolled into town, I thought I'd be fine just keeping to myself—stay under the radar, do my job, and get out. But there are people here I could’ve connected with, maybe even trusted. I should've let my guard down a little. But now… it feels too late." The weight of regret hung in the air, a reminder of the connections that could have been, now lost in the shadows of your isolation.

describe your character’s first day/night in town?

“It’s all a blur.” But you remember some things. You arrived just as the sun began its descent, casting a golden glow that kissed the horizon goodbye, your motorcycle sputtering and yearning for fuel as the lamplights flickered to life, illuminating a town that felt both inviting and ominous. Rushed in by unknown hands, you found yourself ensnared by a family whose presence was more chilling than comforting, their eyes brimming with a knowing dread that sent your heart racing. They seemed to possess an uncanny foresight, predicting the crows and the gnarled tree that lay on the side of the road, their frantic explanations wrapping around you like a shroud of anxiety, igniting the flames of paranoia deep within your soul. “I remember running out of gas, the air feeling wrong.” You stood on the threshold of their home, a rustic structure that felt as much a part of the town as the very trees surrounding it. They welcomed you with open arms, but beneath their warmth lay an undercurrent of unease that made you hesitate. You recalled how their kindness enveloped you like a warm blanket, yet something in your gut urged you to remain guarded. You couldn’t shake the feeling that their benevolence was entwined with their secrets, and you had learned the hard way that trust was a fragile thing. In those early days, you grappled with your mistrust, convincing yourself that their intentions were shrouded in hidden motives. It wasn’t until much later that you recognized the depth of their care, the way they shielded you from the night’s terrors, drawing you into a fragile sanctuary amidst the chaos. But even now, as you reflect, the memories of your hesitation linger like an unwelcome shadow, reminding you of the connections you could have embraced and the warmth you could have allowed to seep into your heart.

[boysplanetrecaps]

Build Up Episode 8 Recap: Do Re Mi Fa, Gift

Hello! It’s time for me, BPR Unnie, to continue recapping MNET’s Build Up, episode 8! In the previous one, we saw a team with no name cover Uptown Funk and make everyone dance. In this one, we’ll see a team of balladeers sing a ballad. Will that win the night? We’ll find out! Let’s go!

Hey look!

It’s Glasses Baekho™!  He just looked so cute I had to take a screen shot. This show is so great. Isn’t this show great? 

Dahee calls the team up on stage.

They introduce themselves by singing “do-re-mi-fa,” and in a moment of brilliance, Dahee says, “And you have Do-re-mi-fa-SOLAR over there!” (Get it? Do-re-me-fa-so-la.)

Look how proud Dahee is. Hey Dahee, join my improv team! 

Solar jokes back and everyone is having a great time and I wish I were fluent in Korean! I learn two or three words a month so I’ll be fluent in a thousand years, so look forward to that! 

Glasses Baekho™ says this team is the only ballad team, and that they ranked first in the interim check. Ah, so that’s how they earned the right to choose the running order.

Junhyeok has put on a fair bit of concealer and blush, I think. But it looks good. 

We cut back to the interim check. 

OMG, new and different Glasses Baekho™? I want to collect them all! 

Baekho announces that Gwangseok’s team has ranked first place, but the team doesn’t look pleased at the news.

Junhyeok says he’s “more startled than happy” because “they don’t think we’re their competition.” The team thinks that the other guys chose them as the top tier precisely because they are NOT top tier. And… they’re right. 

Hey look, it’s Jeup and Donghun. Imagine seeing them? On this show? There they are! Hi! 

Bitsaeon explains, “Although they said to pick the top tier based on the performance, I think all teams were thinking quite strategically.” 

We see that Bitsaeon’s team was tempted to pick Jeup’s team as the best, but decided not to give them that boost. Soomin’s team would have picked Jay’s team as the best, but again, didn’t, and Sunyoul’s team thinks along the same lines.

The song they’re doing is Gift by Park Hyo Shin, a song released in 2009 that “conveys the singer’s pain and hopes”. 

Sample lyrics:

Whatever others said, I told them I’m not weak, and tolerated such days with tears They didn’t know me, and didn’t even want to listen to what I had to say Left alone in the darkness of the night, one, two, three, I count the stars and in the moment that the morning sky appears… Today, the sky seems like a gift someone left behind for me Under its warmth, stronger than yesterday’s, if you are like me, Listen to this song now, close your eyes, and when you open them once more, It’s going to be alright!!

Ah, if only they had talked to me. I could have told them that songs with a “it’s going to be alright!” messages always (1) get the audience clapping and singing and long and (2) lose. Always. Find me a time that a “it’s going to be alright” song on any Produce/Planet type show has ever, ever won. They often come in last place! I don’t know why. Everyone enjoys them, and no one votes for them. 

Bitsaeon, Donghun, and Soomin voice over things like, “It was a predictable song” and “They did what they’re used to doing” and “It’s the same every round.” 

Donghun’s team must not have picked Yeo One’s team as the top tier, because on the mic, he says “I think we can easily beat you this time.” 

Yeo One has a sassy comeback, but… it doesn’t quite land. 

Junhyeok interviews, “I think we made a bad choice.”

They decide to have an emergency meeting at a… convenience store by the docks, I guess?

I mean, they might as well meet outside since apparently buildings aren’t heated in Korea.

Junhyeok says: “Since we established vocalist image that only does ballad….” And Yeo One chimes in: The performances we've shown could have been quite limited.” They’ve done a lot of emotional songs -- maybe it’s time to freshen things up.

They want to show a bright and fun side and decide to add a bit of movement. 

Yeo One is their performance expert, and he comes up with some basic semi-choreo for them to do. 

They have fun preparing. 

And then… it’s time to perform!

Full version without reactions 

My thoughts: 

Pleasant. 

I don’t know what else to say about it. Everyone did fine -- well, Junhyeok was pitchy on that first big high note -- but it’s like I was forgetting about the performance even while I was watching it. There are a lot of distinctive voices here, but this was just so… aggressively pleasant. 

I think this would have been a great song for a group to perform at the end of a long concert. You know, when they’ve built up a lot of good will throughout the night and everyone’s kind of emotionally spent and wants to have a sort of “credits role” moment as the encore. The group comes out wearing their tour-merch t-shirts and everyone sways. Great. I’m on board. But it’s just the wrong choice for the only song that you can sing. 

It’s weird because Junhyeok said he knew they’d made a bad choice, and they thought they could dress it up with a little bit of extremely lite choreo? I don’t get it. I think they didn’t understand the assignment the way that Jeup did. 

In the MNET edit, everyone likes the performance. 

Wendy does her best to smile with her new lips. 

The judges comment on how nice Yeo One sounds, and what a great voice Gwangseok has. 

Eunkwang has to exchange looks with Wendy and Jaehwan over Junhyeok’s sweet tone.

Everyone is a little surprised and pleased when things brighten up and they do that tiny bit of choreo (lining up and stepping away one at a time). Yeo One gets the audience to wave their arms in unison. 

We see Wendy a lot. She seems to be really enjoying it. 

When one of them say “BASU!” (clap), the audience does clap, but they can’t find the beat, and neither can the judges. Looks like many of the judges have their in-ear monitors out. 

When they’re done, the judges applaud, but Solar looks like she wants to wish herself into space.

Seohyung backstage says, “They tried to give the finale feel, like an encore,” and that’s true, they did, but it just sort of makes you nostalgic for the other performances from the night. 

Donghun, who had his filter shot off in the war, says, “They’re desperate. They’re all on the edge.”

The judges are voting…

… and they don’t look thrilled. 

The high score comes in, and it’s a 94. 

What in the fuckity fuck fuck.

Meanwhile, Jay’s team is just like…. 

I wish the judges could go back and just admit they were wrong about Jay’s team. Don’t any of them even take a moment to think, “Hey, I gave Drowning a 90 or less, do I really want to give this team a fucking 94?” But someone gave a fucking 94. Whatever.

Solar, on the other hand, isn’t super complimentary. She says: “The song itself was well suited for the finale. It’s a hopeful song, and you sang it very hopefully, but there was no narrative to the performance, so the hopeful message wasn’t really conveyed.” 

VCG says: “In terms of performances, some share the hope with the audience, while other asks them to witness the singers’ happiness. Your performance was the latter.” The on-screen caption says “It seemed like a performance for the four members, not for the audience to empathize.”  He isn’t thrilled with how they used Gwangseok (I think he thinks there wasn’t enough Gwangseok? There didn’t seem to be enough of anything or anyone!) and says “If you get another chance, show me something deep.”

Eunkwang, who gave the 94 -- and who I think might have been the only one who really liked the performance-- says, “I actually felt differently. That’s how diverse the audience’s ears are. During the entire performance, I felt cozy and overwhelmed. Like I was in the clouds.” He praises Gwangseok and the team as a whole. 

Well, that’s nice that they got some good feedback. I find Junhyeok a sort of touching figure somehow and wouldn’t want him to be completely bulldozed in this round. Life has bulldozed him enough! 

And that’s about it for this post. In the last one, I’ll cover the last 15 minutes of this episode, and do a general wrap up of this round of competition. 

It’s a gross stormy day where I live and I have a sad tummy, so what else am I going to do but surround myself with squishmallows and watch Korean tv shows? My Fella just made another pot of coffee for us, my afternoon appointments all canceled due to the storm, I’ve got my microwavable slippers on, so let’s do this. 

See you in the next one! And have a very Jeup day until then!

[alexturne]

Five-star review of the Brooklyn show on NME, posted on 23.09.22

"Arctic Monkeys live in Brooklyn: their next era has truly begun

Kings Theater, September 22: The Sheffield band give live debuts to three new songs at their first US headline show in several years

The rules for the evening are simple: no cellphones, no recording, and no preconceived notions except for a few. Arctic Monkeys are back in New York City, playing a headline show for the first time since 2018, and since they’ve teased tracks from their upcoming album ‘The Car’, in the month leading up to the show, there’s a chance lucky sold-out ticket holders are about to experience new songs live for the first time that only their memory will play witness to.

Moments after the band walks onto the stage to the applause of 3,000 punters, the mood is set. “Don’t get emotional, that ain’t like you / Yesterday’s still leaking through the roof”, Alex Turner sings to the delight of onlookers. It’s the first time the band has performed the song live, yet the audience sings along to every word of ‘There’d Better be A Mirroball’, hitting each note of the sultry track as if it’s a worn-in single. As the track’s title rings through the historic theatre at the final refrain, a massive disco ball lowers from the ceiling, transforming the Brooklyn venue with the flickering lights of a ’70s lounge.

Their most recent shows have largely been festival sets, and by the looks of the smiles Turner exchanges with bandmates Matt Helders, Jamie Cook, and Nick O’Malley, they’re happy to be playing to a room of their own die-hard fans. The crowd, ready to time travel to the band’s earliest hits and hopefully sink their ears into unreleased sounds, responds ecstatically to each moment. As the opening keys of ‘Tranquility Base…’s ‘One Point Perspective’ play, fans sway in unison, and the band grins from ear to ear.

As ‘Snap Out Of It’ kicks off, it’s safe to say the band could go on without performing any new tracks, and the audience would be happy to play along. ‘AM‘ era hits, ‘Arabella’ and ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High’, light up the audience before ‘The Ultracheese’ sparks delight. But the real treats comes next, as the band rolls out another new track.

“So predictable, I know what you’re thinking”, Turner accuses in the slow-burning guitar-backed, ‘Body Paint’. “Still a trace of body paint around your legs, your arms, and your face,” he sings. At the close, he reiterates the name of the song, a warning shot of what could be the next single in ‘The Car’ era.

The forward-facing moment quickly falls backwards into ‘Brianstorm’, ‘Potion Approaching’ and ‘That’s Where You’re Wrong’, distracting fans with the Monkeys’ stacked discography before there’s time to overthink the new track. ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ goes off like a firework, shooting through the cathedral-esque ceilings the moment the opening guitar riffs are recognized.

‘I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am’, a fresh track from ‘The Car’ the band has only played a handful of times is met with familiarity in the tight-knit crowd. Next, in a surprise moment, the band throws ‘From the Ritz to The Rubble’ to the setlist, with Turner saying “We weren’t planning on doing this one,” right before it begins. The night seems to peak at ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’ and ‘R U Mine?’ towards the end of the set, but those high-octane moments are quickly overshadowed once the band comes back to the stage for the encore.

Standing alone, with only a spotlight and keys to keep him company, Tuner introduces ‘Mr Schwartz’ for the first time, a steadily building ballad with stirring visuals of “dancing shoes” and “velvet suits”, and the keen awareness that there’s “not one Goddamn thing you can do.” Before the final curtain call, the band turns the typical upbeat encore on its head, leaving fans with the heartfelt humming tracks ‘Cornerstone’ and ‘505’ before walking away.

The evening feels like evidence of a few truths. The first being that without cellphones, you can convince a crowd to be present for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The second being that through their discography, the Sheffield band have slowly embodied a sort of timelessness, not just in their homages to retro sounds, but in the way each era of their music, with its unmatched lyricism and refusal to rest on its laurels, somehow connects to seamlessly to the next.

The paramount truth, however, is that despite the earnest desire of some fans and critics for them to lean back into the sounds of their bygone eras, the band is highly skilled at evolving while also paying respect to their roots. Not a soul witnessing these special moments could say any different."

[royalnugget42]

Ok so now that I’m officially in the Resident Evil fandom here’s something

In the aftermath of the explosion in that little village, Ethan’s body is recovered. He is completely molded though, and has no memory except that he has a daughter named Rose, and he is sent to a secret facility to be contained and researched. He spends years being experimented on, poked and prodded and his regenerative abilities grow to astonishing strength.

He can regrow whole limbs now. He found this out the hard way, when the scientists started cutting off bits and pieces of him. Whole bones have been regrown from nothing but mold, though he has to eat a lot of rotten food to make up for it. His captors never tell him who he was or what he did, not even telling him his name, and referring to him only by Subject F-001, or Series F.

Their guess as to how he got like this without showing any of the homicidal tendencies of his predecessors is a mystery to them. Perhaps it is the memory of his daughter, perhaps it is his isolation from the rest of the molded, perhaps he just has something in his DNA. Whatever the case, when he is not being hurt he is resentful and angry, but never violent, nor does he seem interested in spreading the mold further.

It’s 16 years after they took him that funding starts to run out for the project. They’ve devoted all the time to research that they can, and now they must look to utilize him in other ways.

They begin with that question, of why he is different from the rest of the molded, retaining some semblance of his humanity. They can’t take his memory of Rose, though they’ve tried, and instead start to introduce foreign samples of mold into his diet, to see if he gains any of their traits.

Did they know what was left catalogued in the E-series mold? Did they realize that every infected soul has left a mark in that strain? Did they predict...no they couldn’t have. But they should have.

Ethan Winters goes to sleep and dreams of his wife. He doesn’t remember having a wife, how could he? But he supposes this must be her, she is lying in bed with him and calling him baby. This is Rose’s mother, and she is beautiful. But she doesn’t say his name. He doesn’t know hers.

When he wakes up he sees a little girl with black hair at the foot of his bed. She giggles at him, but runs when he calls out, vanishing through the concrete walls. When he mentions this apparition, the scientists dutifully catalogue the apparent hallucinations in their notes on him, but they do nothing to help him when he begs them for knowledge.

“Where is she?” he shouts into the stark, empty air. “Where is my wife, where is my daughter? Where’s Rose?” There is no answer. Just the buzzing of fluorescent lights and the quiet beeps of machinery.

The second dream is of a kitchen. Sunlight pours through the window, and the wooden floor is grimy, but only because it hasn’t been washed since breakfast yesterday.

There’s an old man at the table. His wife brings a meal to the table, and whatever it is smells delicious. Their son, it must be their son, sits off to the side, scrolling nonchalantly through his phone. Their daughter is gathering silverware.

They are the picture of an idyllic, loving family. They smile at him and ask him if he’d like anything more to eat, gently chiding him. He’s so thin, shouldn’t he have just one more helping? So he dutifully finishes off another, before declaring he is done. The old man turns to him.

“You’ve got to go back soon. When you do you’ve got to remember.” Remember what? He only remembers Rose, he doesn’t even know who these people are. They aren’t his family, he knows that, but in a warped and twisted way they also are. The edges of his vision are black with mold as they all beg him to remember, to break free, to be himself again. Zoe is the last to speak.

“I know you remember us. We live on in you, everyone does. We’re all counting on you, kid.” He feels like he’s too old to be called a kid by this girl, but maybe this girl is older than she looks. Maybe he’s younger than he thought.

The little girl is back. She doesn’t run this time, just stares at him. It seems she is waiting for a question, and it’s only as he realizes this that he knows what to ask. “Who are you?” he asks. “Who am I?”

She laughs at this, bright and sharp as glass. “I’m your daughter, of course! And you’re my daddy.”

Rose? Is this little girl Rose? But no, she isn’t. He’s not sure how he knows but he does. This girl isn’t his daughter, except she is, isn’t she? They’re connected. A family in reverse. He didn’t make her, not like he made Rose, but she didn’t make him either. He’s too new for that. How can he be younger than his daughter?

“Evelyn.”

She smiles at the recognition in his eyes. There’s fear there, but also familiarity. This is at least someone he knows. If she is his daughter, then he must be her father. That’s how it works isn’t it? All at once he feels like a part of his identity is locked into place. If he is a father then he has to protect his daughters, both of them. He must find Rose, and his wife.

She fades away before he passes out again. He dreams of pain, in his hand, in his legs. He dreams of terror and aching phantom memories. There’s a woman, tall and beautiful, with hands like long knives, her daughters all over him, many-legged. There’s a doll, there are so many dolls, and there’s a woman in mourning. A creature of water and filth confronts him, spewing out acid that burns in his mind. He talks to a man that moves metal without touching it. The man tells him to remember, tells him not to give up.

“You were always so stubborn. Don’t lose that. You’ll get those bastards yet.”

There’s a woman, and she has Rose. He kills her, and as she crumbles she whispers that she is finally with her daughter. She whispers to him that they are family, that they are both related and the same. He takes Rose from where she cries amongst the stones, and feels his hands fall apart.

Evelyn is a good daughter. When he is awake, he tells stories, about his dreams, about her mother. Evelyn tells him things too.

“You and mom tried to kill me, but I never knew why. I had a long time to think though, and I think I might’ve been a bad girl.”

For what it’s worth, he is sorry, but Evelyn shakes her head. “It was for the best, after all. You weren’t really my dad then.”

He doesn’t know what he is. The scientists call him series F, but he doesn’t know what that means. Evelyn used to be called series E. She says maybe his name starts with an F, but he knows that it doesn’t.

He’s different from Evelyn, but not so different that he is distant from her. Evelyn says that she tried to give him a gift, something she gave to lots of people. She gave it to his wife too, but she never gave anything to him.

“You have a gift too,” she says, “but it didn’t come from me. You made it all on your own. I came from this place, from these scientists, but you made yourself. It’s like you grew from nothing.”

Evelyn always wants to have more family, always wants to give more of her gift. She asks if Ethan is the same, and he realizes that he has never tried to give his gift to someone else. He doesn’t know if he wants to. He already has all the family he could ask for.

He dreams of his wife. Her name is Mia. He knows that now. His name is Ethan, and her name is Mia and they are family.

Scientists have been recording his conversations, and they’re growing concerned. Ethan spends so much time talking to his “daughter” Evelyn. They have realized by now that the E strain mold in his diet must have contained some trace of Evelyn’s consciousness, possibly along with others. They’ve stopped exposing him to it but it seems the damage is done. He asks for Mia and Rose at every waking moment that he does not spend talking to Evelyn.

They took a risk. They took far too many risks. Something happens one day, when a woman comes in to monitor his physical state. He was supposed to be sleeping, but the drugs wore off sooner than expected. He saw the woman through the door, and he begged her, to let him out, to bring him to his family. She ignored him. He pounded against the glass and she just rolled her eyes and took more notes.

Something snapped. No, not snapped. It twisted and warped and grew. It blossomed.

If this woman wasn’t going to let him see his family, then he would make more family. He would make her see his side, and once they were family she would have to help him. That’s what family does. His breathing slowed, and he closed his eyes. With every ounce of longing and loneliness he reached—

Agony.

[heavymetalchemist]

From this @mingcheng-prompts prompt.

“Wei-xiong,” Nie Huaisang said earnestly, leaning forward with his closed fan clutched tightly in his hands. “Our brothers… are together.”

Wei Wuxian blinked back at him, then poured himself another cup of wine. “Yeah, Jiang Cheng told me they were going to the hockey game tonight. That’s why he’s not here with us. But we don’t need him, Nie-xiong! Let me tell you what my Lan Zhan did the other day, he actually spent five hours on the broth for—“

“Wei Wuxian!” The closed fan hit the table. “I don’t mean they’re together right now, I mean they’re together romantically! Our brothers are dating!”

Wei Wuxian burst into bright, cheerful laughter. “Those two? No way! They’ve never so much as held hands! Besides they’re both so, y’know, grr,” Wei Wuxian made a frowny face. “They’re too alike, it would never work. And don’t you remember? I’ve told you about Jiang Cheng’s little list. Nie Mingjue? Gentle and obedient? Please!”

Huffing in irritation, Nie Huaisang tried again. “You know as well as I do that a list someone makes when they’re thirteen is bullshit. I live with my brother, you think I don’t know?”

“Ah, Nie-xiong, you always say you don’t know anything! Here, have some more wine and pass me those peanuts.”

“I’ll prove it,” Nie Huaisang said, but he passed the peanuts over and let it drop.

He’d just have to get evidence.

— —

The plan was simple. Jiang Cheng and Nie Mingjue spent plenty of time together. All Nie Huaisang had to do was get someone — Wei Wuxian ideally, but Lan Wangji or Jin Zixuan would do in a pinch — to witness them holding hands or something. Even Lan Xichen or Jin Guangyao, after all, they were friends of his Da-ge, right? Although they were still in that very early stage of the relationship where they only thought about dating each other.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were disgustingly wrapped up in each other all of the time, but their relationship had at least progressed to remembering other people existed.

It was with a heavy heart that Nie Huaisang put his plan into action. Sacrifices had to be made. But he knew his brother.

“Huaisang!” Nie Mingjue yelled from the kitchen.

“Yes, Da-ge?” he replied innocently, not moving from his slump on the couch.

Nie Mingjue clomped into the living room. “Do you know why the coffee maker isn’t working?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“It’s not?” Nie Huaisang said, all wide-eyed surprise. “I just had tea this morning, Da-ge. I don’t know why it wouldn’t be working.” He gestured towards his teacup, artfully placed so it would be obvious there were no other beverages.

Nie Mingjue scowled. “Don’t you usually have coffee in the morning?”

“Usually isn’t always. I really didn’t know it was broken!”

“It was working fine yesterday.”

“Da-geeee,” Nie Huaisang whined. “Do you really think I wouldn’t complain right away if it wasn’t working? How is it even broken?”

Nie Mingjue narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sure. It’s plugged in and everything looks okay, but it’s not turning on.”

That’s because last night I took it apart and cut the wires, Nie Huaisang thought. “If you don’t know, then how would I know?” he said.

Clenching his jaw in irritation, Nie Mingjue finally admitted defeat. “Okay, fine. But if it’s not working then I guess we have to get a new one. Let’s go this afternoon.”

“Oh, I’m busy today, Da-ge. Why don’t you go with Jiang Cheng? He has coffee here a lot too, after all,” Nie Huaisang said airily, deftly maneuvering Nie Mingjue into his trap.

“Hmph. Fine,” Nie Mingjue grunted, then stalked off. He was always extra-grumpy before he had his coffee.

Once his brother was out of sight, Nie Huaisang allowed himself a smug smile. Everything was going according to plan.

— —

Of course Nie Huaisang already knew which store that they would go to for a new coffee maker, because Jiang Cheng only bought kitchen items from a certain specialty kitchen store. So there was no need to worry about them deciding to go to a department store — once Nie Mingjue asked Jiang Cheng to help him buy the coffee maker, their fate was sealed.

And of course Nie Huaisang had already made plans to meet Wei Wuxian (and by extension, Lan Wangji) at the clothing store right next to the kitchen store for a fun afternoon of shopping.

How would he know when Nie Mingjue and Jiang Cheng arrived at the kitchen store? Simple! Nie Huaisang had already asked his Da-ge if they could pick him up a new set of wine cups, since they were going to the fancy store anyway. And since he obviously didn’t know what the store had in stock, Nie Mingjue could just text him some pictures! Nie Mingjue had grumbled, but agreed — after Nie Huaisang had assured him he’d pay him back.

Wei Wuxian was posing in a slinky red silk blouse with far too many buttons undone, looking coyly over his shoulder at a red-eared Lan Wangji, when Nie Huaisang’s phone finally chimed.

“Yes, yes, Wei-xiong, I think it looks great. And Lan Wangji agrees, don’t you?” Nie Huaisang said, trying to keep his tone even.

“Mn,” Lan Wangji said, moving forward to grab Wei Wuxian by the waist. “It looks great,” he said lowly, before burying his face in the crook of Wei Wuxian’s neck where the shoulder was exposed.

Wei Wuxian squealed in delight. “Oh my! Lan Zhan!”

Closing his eyes, Nie Huaisang took a breath, held it a second, then let it out. “Guys. Listen to me. Let’s buy the shirt, I just remembered that I have something I need to get next door.” There was another squeal of delight. Nie Huaisang keenly felt the pain of being in public with Wangxian and bravely throttled down his desire to just leave them there next to the changing rooms and quickly distance himself so that he wouldn’t also be banned from the clothing store. “Wei-xiong, come on, you promised you’d shop with me!” he tried desperately.

“Ahaha, oh, right, yes,” Wei Wuxian managed. “Come on Lan Zhan, we can go home and, you know…”

Lan Wangji finally lifted his head away from Wei Wuxian’s neck, eyes bright. “Mn. I will buy the shirt for you.”

It seemed to take forever for them to get Wei Wuxian back into his own clothes and make their purchases — of course Huaisang also had to buy his own beautiful hand-painted silk shirt, it would have been suspicious if he didn’t! — but by forcing Nie Mingjue to send him pictures of every possible option he managed to stall long enough to get them out of the store while Nie Mingjue and Jiang Cheng were still in the kitchen store.

“Okay, listen,” Nie Huaisang said, once they were outside. “My Da-ge and Jiang Cheng are in there.”

“What? Chengcheng is here?” Wei Wuxian said, delighted.

“Yes, they are shopping for a new coffee maker. Together. Because they’re dating!” Nie Huaisang said. “And I’ll prove it to you now! Be quiet when we go in and you’ll see!”

Both of them looked skeptical, but Wei Wuxian shrugged and nodded in agreement. Lan Wangji, of course, would have been quiet either way.

Nie Huaisang cautiously led them inside. They snuck around the shelves until they could found Nie Mingjue and Jiang Cheng.

“That’s all of them, he just has to pick one now,” Jiang Cheng said with a scowl.

Crap! Nie Huaisang thought, fumbling his phone out. He scrolled through the pictures and sent back a request for the ones he actually really liked, a set of porcelain cups painted with small birds.

Nie Mingjue looked down at his phone and huffed. “I knew it was going to be the birds. It’s always the birds. All right, let’s look at the coffee makers.”

Nie Huaisang frowned — he wasn’t that predictable! — but waved Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji to follow them anyway.

However, no matter how closely they watched (and Nie Huaisang had to keep reminding Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji to watch because they kept trying to grope each other) Nie Mingjue and Jiang Cheng never touched. They discussed the pros and cons of the coffee makers with no mention whatsoever of the time that Nie Huaisang came home after a night out and Jiang Cheng was somehow already in their apartment with suspiciously rumpled clothes, drinking coffee at the table with Nie Mingjue as if it were perfectly normal. No flirting about what Jiang Cheng would like best first thing in the morning. Just a boring conversation about how much the different models cost and their features.

Jiang Cheng and Nie Mingjue made their purchases and left. Wei Wuxian looked at Nie Huaisang with that mildly condescending look he got. “Ah, Nie-xiong. It looks like your Da-ge just wanted Jiang Cheng’s advice. I don’t think it’s that deep. After all, look at me and Lan Zhan! They’re nothing like that. And neither of them was all flustered and trying too hard like how that stupid peacock gets. I think you’re overthinking it. There was nothing between them at all!”

“But, Wei-xiong, they hang out all the time and Jiang Cheng comes over when I’m not there and—!”

“Nie-xiong, people can have friends! Besides, for some reason Jiang Cheng doesn’t want to hang out with me when Lan Zhan is there. It’s good that he’s branched out and gotten new friends!”

Nie Huaisang glared at him. “He doesn’t want to hang out with you two because you’re shameless. Lan Wangji’s hands are in your back pockets right now.”

Wei Wuxian just laughed.

— —

“Are they still watching?” Nie Mingjue asked once they were outside.

Jiang Cheng casually glanced over his shoulder. “Nope. Huaisang is hitting Wei Wuxian with his fan and Lan Wangji is glaring at him.”

“Good,” Nie Mingjue said, and led Jiang Cheng around the side of the building to a sheltered corner. Once out of sight, he cupped Jiang Cheng’s cheek in his hand and tilted his face up for a kiss.

[haikyuuuuuhypeeeee]

Ch. Fifteen

⚠WARNING: Mention of previous character's death

• ────── ✾ ────── •

You set your phone down and look at Oikawa’s prone body lying next to you.

Once you returned to your apartment Oikawa was 99% asleep - you’re really not sure how he was able to put one foot in front of the other, but he did. You were going to deposit him into your bed but Oikawa was clinging to you like an octopus. So instead you let gravity do the work and you both had fallen backwards onto your comforter and pillows.

Oikawa didn’t even bother moving to get underneath the blankets before he properly fell asleep, mouth open and everything. He remained clutched to your arms, and you were helpless to try and escape from under him.

Ever since they were children, Oikawa always had to cling to someone and he’d be especially clingy when he was upset (which given today wasn’t surprising that you couldn’t pry yourself from his grip.) Since you, Oikawa and Hajime all lived in the same neighborhood since elementary, you had frequent sleepovers at each other’s homes. And sure enough, every time Oikawa would subconsciously choose you or Hajime to cling to while sleeping.

Hajime absolutely hated it but you didn’t mind.

Watching your friend sleep you can't help but give a sad little smile. He looks peaceful and so young in sleep. You know he’s the furthest from innocent right now, and he has a lot of work ahead of him to fully earn your trust back. But you wish that he wasn’t tortured with the troubles that plague you all.

A knock at the door makes you sit up. Oikawa’s face pinches at the motion, and you speak to him. “Mattsun and Makki are here, but you can sleep if you want.”

His reply is a sleepy grumble but he too sits up. You know that despite him only getting a few hours of sleep he won’t want to be left alone in your room. Together, with Oikawa leaning on you, you walk to the door and let in your friends. Mattsun raises his eyebrows at the sight of a clingy and exhausted Oikawa hanging off your frame but you just shrug. Makki seems to take pity on you as he drags Oikawa off and over to the couch, handing his coat off to Mattsun to hang up.

“Thanks for coming over,” you tell Mattsun. “I’m gonna put the kettle on and order some lunch.”

Mattsun nods. “Whatever you need to do.” He gives you a small smile and leaves you in the apartment entrance. You can recognize that he’s giving you space and letting you set the boundaries for the conversation to follow, and you appreciate his tact.

After you order the take out and make tea you enter your living room and see Makki and Mattsun sharing your couch. Oikawa is slumped in your armchair, eyelids drooping as he tries to stay away.

“Oikawa you can go back to sleep if you want.” You offer after setting down the tray with tea. He shakes his head at you as you pass out mugs but doesn’t verbalize.

“Okay, if you’re sure.” You settle on the ground by the coffee table, choosing to face your friends instead of sitting next to them. It’s quiet for a few minutes while everyone relaxes in their seats and sips the jasmine tea you’ve made. There’s a tangible tension in the air, stemming from the second Oikawa opened his mouth at the restaurant last night to this very moment. Mattsun and Makki are waiting for you to initiate, for in their eyes you were ready to tear Oikawa limb from limb yesterday and today you greeted them at the door with your tall friend clinging to you.

Plus there's the whole you loving Hajime thing that should be addressed.

You know that your friends would never, ever push you to discuss it. But they’re probably wondering why they weren’t privy to the info, why Oikawa was, and if you don’t trust them or something. The last thing you want is to make your friends doubt the relationship you have with them, so you’re ready to clear the air and address the elephant in the room.

“I love Hajime.” You say. Everyone looks up from their tea to you. “I’ve been in love with him since the first year of high school, I think.”

Predictably, you’re met with matching sad looks. But even though you knew it was coming, you still can’t squirm uncomfortably at the pity you feel coming from them. This was exactly why you didn’t want anyone to know, especially now.

“Were you ever going to tell him?” Mattsun asks quietly.

You shrug, both at his question and the uneasiness settling in your gut “I didn’t feel like I needed to at the time. We were still in high school, still living life. I was happy with our friendship and I didn’t think anything more.” You smile ruefully. “If anything I think I was more worried about not being friends with him anymore if a confession went south.

“Honestly, I didn’t think that there would be a day that I wouldn’t be able to tell him how I felt. Even if I grew out of those feelings, part of me thought I’d be able to confess some day. I don’t regret our friendship, not when I wanted more. But I do regret not being upfront about my feelings with Hajime. He was my best friend, and I should’ve been able to tell him anything.”

You feel tears prick at your eyes and you look down at your tea. “We all have wonderful memories with Hajime, and I will never ever forget him. But it sucks, because while the memories are wonderful I can’t help but think how much better they could’ve been if I told him how I felt about him.”

You sniff, holding back your tears. You look back up and see Oikawa wiping his eyes and Makki sniffling.

Mattsun is looking at you with a serious expression. “I don’t want to go through hypotheticals or explore ‘what ifs,’ but I don’t think I’m alone in saying that Iwazumi cared for you differently than he did us. And I don’t think it was because you were best friends growing up with Oikawa, because he hated Oikawa.”

“Hey!” Oikawa pipes up from his spot, but there’s no real heat behind it.

Mattsun shifts, clearing his throat. When he speaks again his voice is rough with emotion. “You were precious to him, and his actions reflected how much he cared for you.”

You recognize that Mattsun is not outright saying the L-word but his careful alluding makes you smile tearfully. “I know, and he’s always going to hold a special place in my heart.”

Nobody says anything to that, and the room is blanketed with silence again.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Makki asks quietly, subdued. “Oikawa knew, but me and Issei didn’t.”

You sigh, your chest tight at the wounded look on Makki’s face. “I didn’t mean for Oikawa to find out. And I didn’t want to hide it because I didn’t trust you. But I just didn’t know how to bring it up, especially after Hajime passed away. I just,” you pause, sighing. “We’re all struggling, and I didn’t want you to think differently of me, or I didn’t want you to think that your feelings weren’t valid.”

It’s a lame excuse, but it’s probably the best way you can explain your thoughts. You’re not sure if their feelings are stronger or lesser than yours but you don’t need to know. The varying levels of grief people feel do not need to meet a criteria to be judged. Just because you love Hajime beyond the level of friendship that Oikawa, Mattsun or Makki probably love Hajime doesn’t mean that you “win” the game of grief.

“Y/N,” Mattsun says softly. “We’re your friends, and we want you to come to us with anything. Well, anything you feel comfortable sharing, which I guess in this case you weren’t comfortable with.” Mattsun pauses, it looks like he’s struggling to pick his words. “I do feel pain for you, but mainly because you’ve been dealing with these thoughts alone. I’m sorry if we ever gave you the impression that you couldn’t talk to us.”

You shake your head. “It’s not that, I swear. I just didn’t want to burden you all.”

Mattsun sighs. “I understand, and I don’t want to push you to share anything you don’t want to. But we love Iwaizumi, and if you want to talk about him or need to talk about him, know you can always come to us.”

Makki and Oikawa nod in agreement. You feel your eyes sting again but you smile, because you have the most kind and generous friends you could ask for. Hindsight is 20/20, but your heart does feel lighter knowing that your friends won’t ostracize you or anything because you love Hajime.

“We should’ve known that Oikawa would’ve just confronted Y/N straight on, he’s always been a jerk like that.” Makki says teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.

But instead of squawking in protest or complaining dramatically, Oikawa nods. “Yeah, I’m an asshole.”

Makki’s smile instantly shifts into an uncomfortable frown. “Oikawa, I was just joking -”

“But you’re right.” Oikawa cuts him off firmly. “And I’ve been even worse the past few months. I haven’t been taking care of myself like I should, and I’m sorry taking my frustrations out on you guys.” He takes in a breath. “I’m going to take a break from volleyball so I can make time for my therapy sessions.”

You, Mattsun and Makki all share the same look of surprise. “Oikawa, are you sure?” You can’t help but think back to Oikawa’s reason for not wanting to quit volleyball, and part of you feels guilty for suggesting he take away the strong connection he had to Hajime.

But Oikawa gives you a weak smile. “If Iwa-chan were here, he would call me a dumbass for not taking care of myself.”

“Yeah, he’d probably call you a dumbass and throw a volleyball at your head.” Makki adds. Oikawa squawks at the tease, making everyone in the room laugh.

You smile as you watch Oikawa snap back at Makki, with Mattsun egging them both on. They fall into a routine they’ve established since high school. The one missing component - Hajime either ignoring Oikawa’s calls for backup or sharing comistering looks with you - is obvious, but it doesn’t hurt as much. Your friends’ presence in your apartment fills you with warmth and comfort, like a warm blanket at the end of a hard day.

A knock at the door disrupts your thoughts and you stand to grab the takeout. Mattsun goes to the kitchen to grab plates and utensils, while Oikawa and Makki continue to squabble in the living room. You and Mattsun return to the living room at the same time, causing Makki and Oikawa to call a truce and grab food. There’s a comfortable silence in your apartment as you all fill your plates and settle. As you dig in, an errant thought comes to your mind.

“Oikawa, how do you know where Osamu lives?”

Oikawa speaks around the noodles shoved in his mouth. “I have a fan who works in the registrar’s office and it wasn’t hard to bribe her to look it up.”

“Yeah, that’s something we haven’t talked about yet.” Makki notes, looking right at you.

You avoid his gaze. “About Oikawa’s fans? Yes, it’s ridiculous how crazy they are.”

“That’s not what I was talking about and you know it.”

You glance up, sighing at the looks of intrigue on Makki and Mattsun’s faces. “I was upset last night, and I left my keys at his place. He let me stay because I was upset. We’re just friends.”

Mattsun purses his lips at you, but Makki has a thoughtful look.

“Well, he’s pretty cute. If Mattsun ever gets tired of me I might have to give him a call.”

“Shut up,” you hiss. You know you’re just playing into his trap, and hell would have to freeze over before Mattsun and Makki broke up but you couldn’t even hold back your distaste at the idea.

The smirk on Makki’s face only grows. “Oh, is Osamu into possessiveness?”

“Excuse me?” You ask darkly.

“He said you were possessive.” Oikawa helpfully supplies with his mouth full of food. You’re about to yell at him for manners when Mattsun speaks up.

“You’re different around him.”

Uh oh, he’s using the same voice he used earlier when talking about Hajime and you. He’s not teasing you.

“Different how?” You ask quietly.

He shrugs. “Different, like how you acted around Iwaizumi.”

His observation is met with silence, Makki glancing at Mattsun nervously and Oikawa gazing directly at you.

“Do you like Osamu-kun?” Oikawa asks.

“Wow, yet again Oikawa is not scared to ask the hard questions!” Your attempts at deflection do not go well, as Mattsun serves you an intense look.

“Do you like him?”

You push back, rolling your eyes. “I think you guys know more than anyone that I’m in no state to be in a relationship right now.”

“That’s not what we’re asking.” Oikawa replies. He’s still staring at you, but it’s not a mean look on his face. Neither Mattsun nor Makki are looking at you meanly either, but all three of your friends’ eyes bore into you. Oikawa speaks up again. “Do you feel differently about Osamu compared to me, Mattsun and Makki?”

Your first instinct is to say no because you do see him as you see your friends. You think of all of the conversations you’ve both had about school and classes. And you think of all the stories you’ve shared about growing up in Sendai and your likes, dislikes.

You would even say that you and Osamu are best friends, given how much you’ve relied on him when it comes to dealing with Iwaizumi. A twinge of guilt twists in your stomach as you worry that maybe you rely on him too much. He has his own burdens to carry.

But at the end of the day, you just know that he’d be there for you. And he’s shown time and time again that he will be there for a late night phone call or a shoulder to cry on.

Even those late night text conversations when you’re too scared to fall asleep. Or how the way he supports is different to Makki, Mattsun and Oikawa.

But why? Why is it different?

Is it because he didn’t know the Y/N you were when you were younger? He didn’t know the Y/N that existed before high school?

He doesn’t know you from before Hajime died. He’s seen this raw, broken-down version of you. And he still wants to talk to you. He still wants to hang out and get coffee and be with you.

And in return, you know this raw, broken-down version of Osamu. Honestly, you could care less if the Osamu you never knew was the richest man in the world, or the smartest man alive. The Osamu now has been shaped and has grown from every experience he’s lived, the good and the bad. And everytime you talk you find out more about him that draws you in more. You’re never going to be satisfied until you find out everything about him. You’re not sure if it’s obsession or infatuation, but every little fact you unearth brings you a joy that you haven’t felt in some time.

You revel in the small expressions he shows around you and your ability to decipher his mood based on those looks. You shine when he focuses on you, his intense gaze indicating that he’s giving you his full attention on you and only you.

You felt safe with the strong arm around your shoulders when you felt like breaking. You felt comforted when he wiped your tears from your face.

You felt loved.

You look up at your friends, amazed.

“Oh my god, I think I like Osamu.”

The boys nod their head at you, none of them surprised by your revelation. You look down at your full plate, appetite long gone. You honestly can’t believe you’ve been so blind. Looking back it was so OBVIOUS that you’ve had feelings for Osamu for a long time.

Another thought crosses your mind, much more displeasing than your realizing your feelings for Osamu. “I don’t think I’m ready for a relationship though.”

The boys nod at you again. This time Oikawa isn’t able to hold back his eyes roll. “Well obviously.”

You shrink down, feeling a new level of low. There’s no way you could try to pursue a relationship with Osamu, not now. But what if he wants to? What if he returns your feelings and wants to date you? Or worse, what if he doesn’t accept your feelings and doesn’t want to be your friend anymore?

“Y/N-chan, get out of your head.” Oikawa sing-songs, and it does bring you out of your head. You look at him and frown.

“I don’t know what to do.”

“Babe, you don’t have to do anything.” Makki replies.

“But I want to.” You say instantly. “I mean, I think I want to, or I should?”

“But you know that you’re not in the right headspace to pursue a relationship now.” Mattsun reminds you gently. “And making sure you’re healthy enough to give the relationship all that you can is important.”

You nod sadly, agreeing. But your face must display your disappointment, so Oikawa sets his plate down and comes to sit by you.

“Look, just take it day by day. Nothing really has to change, you just have a different outlook on your relationship with Osamu.” He grabs your hand and holds it in both of his. “Instead of looking through a plain window, you’re looking through a stained glass window, right? It’s still Osamu out there, and he’s still the same person you like and want to be with. But now your relationship with him is richer and more vibrant. Even if you can’t act on your feelings now, you still have this new and beautiful view.”

You stare at Oikawa, dumbfounded. Mattsun and Makki look equally surprised at the deep and meaningful comparison Oikawa pulled out of nowhere.

“Wow,” Makki eventually says. “I didn’t know you could be so romantic, Oikawa.”

“Excuse you, I’m very romantic!” Oikawa snaps back indignantly. “Anyway, Y/N-chan, I guarantee that Osamu will be willing to wait. He’ll be patient, especially with you.”

“What would you know about patience?” Makki asks, genuine confusion in his voice.

Oikawa snaps again wordlessly, his tone shrill. You and Mattsun laugh, and the rest of the day is filled with everyone laughing and teasing each other.

At some point you take a second to look at your friends and smile. Your lives are unimaginably hard, and Hajime missing from these get-togethers still makes your heart ache. But with Oikawa, Mattsun and Makki here to soothe the pain, you know you can get through the worst of it.

• ────── ✾ ────── •

A/N: Okay, so all the cards on the table - I cried during the entire writing process with this chapter - planning it, drafting it, writing it, finalizing it AND even reviewing it. It’s not the first time I’ve had emotional reactions to my own writing, but it’s the first time it’s been such a visceral reaction. Not only is it so satisfying to see that small character growth from Oikawa, but the character growth from Y/N was oh so satisfying. She is FINALLY opening up to her friends, and they are FINALLY having a conversation that has been MONTHS in the making. She isn’t scared to suppress her feelings anymore, and she FINALLY trusts herself to open up to her friends, despite her subconscious trying to protect her from being vulnerable in front of those she cares about. If you’re reading this now, please know that there is NOTHING wrong with being open and forthcoming about your feelings. The people in your life who love you unconditionally, including me, will THANK you for it. 💖💖💖 Okay, gonna go cry again after writing this A/N LOLOLOL.

Taglist Open! Please send an Ask with the request to be added to It’s [Not] Okay Fic & SMAU: @psycho-nightrose @camcam1617 @kamalymaly @toobsessedsstuff @shookykookie30 @roro-707 @qualitygiantshoepsychic @cerealfrdinner797 @ara-mitsue @gray-444 @tanakasimpcorner @rintarovibes @jellien @everytimeswift @bongofrito @babucrow @beidouluvr @kozuken-ma @imarriedachef

[gogglor]

Cap-Ironman RecWeek: What-If Wednesday

Time for another installment of @cap-ironman rec week! Today’s theme: AU’s.

I know AU’s in different settings are half the reason most people read fanfics, but they’re not really my thing on the whole. AU’s where different choices are made, or different events transpire? Absolutely. Coffee shops? Not my cup of... you know.

So, here’s my AU recommendations for mostly “turn left” scenarios. This time with an under-the-cut break so I don’t take over everyone’s timelines (sorry about that last post). Also with some summaries truncated for length.

Alone Like This

Author: GotTheSilver

Word Count: 7,452

Summary: Steve, post waking up, runs away from SHIELD, and Tony's the one who tracks him down.

Why You Should Read It:

First off, GotTheSilver’s been consistently and regularly putting out solid Stony since 2012 and not only are they not stopping, they’re only getting better. This writer doesn’t get nearly the fanfare I’d expect in Stony circles for someone who puts out this much good stuff, and here’s hoping this post can be a part of changing that.

While I am always a sucker for enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, there’s something to be said for stories where Steve and Tony hit it off right away. And watching these two very different people look at each other and see the same sense of being lost, then finding each other again is... excuse me, there’s something in my eye, ignore me.

Second Chance Lives

Author: raeldaza

Word Count: 43,872

Summary: Tony's gonna die of palladium poisoning anyway, why not join a pointless expedition to recover Captain America’s body? And after, well, why not dedicate his last few months to making sure an American hero settles into his new life? What else is he going to do, get drunk at parties?

Why You Should Read It:

This writer doesn’t write a lot for the MCU but when they do, dang.

“Tony is the one helping Steve acclimate to the new century before Avengers 2012″ is a whole genre of Stony fanfics that scratch an itch I didn’t even know I had before I started reading fanfiction, and this is one of the best ones out there. It’s got it all - Steve poorly coping with his PTSD, Tony poorly coping with his immanent mortality, some breathtakingly poor communication between the two most emotionally stunted men in the MCU, and a cat named Roomba. What’s not to love?

Should You Choose to Accept It

Author: elwenyere (look, you’re gonna be seeing a lot of them this week, sorry-not-sorry)

Word Count: 27,106

Summary: After a terrorist attack and a field operation gone wrong, the Avengers realize that Nick Fury's secrets are just the start of a much bigger mystery. Steve and Tony try to keep some things from each other as well, but that can't possibly affect the mission — right? Mission Fic + Getting Together (or Mission: Getting Together) that mashes up elements from Iron Man 3, CA: Winter Soldier, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season one, and Mission Impossible 3.

Why You Should Read It:

You can see my post yesterday for singing El’s praises, but what I really liked about this fic was how how damn creative it is. The CAWS/IM3/AOS mashup is everything I wished the actual MCU gave us and more, with well-developed characters and an exciting story to put them in. And because it’s El, you know the banter’s gonna be on point, the way the characters care for each other is gonna be emotionally constipated but touching, and the pacing’s gonna be exciting enough to draw you in and keep you there. Also, this fic doesn’t have nearly enough kudos so please go read it and fix that or I’m gonna have to try to hack AO3 and that’ll just be embarrassing for all parties involved.

What Happens In Vegas

Author: sabremc

Word Count: 161,951

Summary: “What the hell, Tony?” Rhodey demanded brusquely.  Tony winced and drew the phone away from his ear.  “You’ve got cops and Feds all over the hotel.  I’m watching you perp walk out of the police station on repeat on CNN.  They’re saying you tried to bribe Stern?  Fox News has you selling weapons on the black market, and God that picture they’re using is the one from Bali in ’09.   You look like shit.  They wheeled Stern out and put him in an ambulance, by the way.  Got some paparazzi swearing you decked the guy.  Now they’ve got ‘copters following it like he’s OJ.”

“Yeah, don’t worry, Sourpatch, I’ve got it covered.   Uh, though, I should probably tell you that, purely in the interests of national security and the greater good, I kind of had to fake marry that stripper-gram  you sent.  Thanks for that, by the way,” Tony added quickly.

Why You Should Read It:

If you’re deep enough into Stony to see posts like this on Tumblr, you probably know sabre’s what we in the business call a “big name author.” They’re prolific, they’re popular, and most importantly, they write words good (technical term). Seriously, sabre just keeps cranking out high quality stuff over and over again, raising the bar for the rest of us like a jerk (not really. I’m not bitter they write stuff so good I wish I’d thought of it first. Not at all.)

I never read stripper!Steve or stripper!Tony as a rule, but this came so widely recommended that I broke that rule and boy am I glad that I did. This is also the only fic on this list that’s a true-AU, with Steve being a non-powered vet from Afghanistan who left his army career to help Bucky and is stripping in Vegas to raise money for a prosthetic arm. He’s booked to do a private show for Tony, shenanigans ensue, and now they’re fake-married. This fic’s got some top-of-the-line banter and character development, but I particularly love it for its rich setting. Sabre paints a Vegas not just with strip clubs and blackjack tables, but KISS-themed minigolf, romantic dinners on the Eiffel tower, gaudy hotel lobbies, and making out on giant ferris wheels. It’s such a richly developed playground for the characters to play on, and through it, Steve manages to find a life for himself he’d given up on, and Tony finds multiple ways to show his kindness and depth of feeling for Steve. I know the word count’s long for this one but trust me, you’ve gotta read this fic.

Wait & Sea

Author: Lenalena

Word Count: 53,244

Summary: In which Tony and Steve get sent on an undercover mission aboard a cruise ship to make contact with Hydra. In this AU the military has kept the discovery and defrosting of Captain America a secret, so Steve and Tony have never met before. Yet they are to pose as newlyweds....

Why You Should Read It:

This one’s old and popular enough to be considered one of the “classic” Stony fics, and for good reason. Lenalena doesn’t write too often and not as much as they used to, but the fics they have up there are an absolute delight.

This is another fic that I skipped a bunch of times for being outside my comfort zone, but when I finally read it I saw why everyone’s so wild about it. In this story, Steve’s defrosted a bit earlier and not revealed as Captain America. He and Tony are sent undercover to sniff out Hydra shenanigans on a cruise and, because it’s fanfiction, they’ve got to pretend to be a married couple while onboard. There’s tons to love about this fic, but the things that bring me back to reading it over and over is first, Tony’s kindness and the way he’s attuned to Steve’s feelings, which... God, just inject “kind, observant Tony” straight into my veins, please and thank you. This is also another really rich setting for a story, and Lena knows how to fold the the hokeyness of the cruise into the seriousness of the mission and the depth of feelings Steve and Tony are finding for each other in a really beautiful, layered way. It’s funny, it’s heartfelt, it’s steamy, it’s gripping... why are you still reading this here? Go check it out for yourself!

Ashes to Ashes

Author: dirigibleplumbing

Word Count: 51,582

Summary: After regrouping following some surprise time travel, the world's heroes and sorcerers come up with a plan to protect the Mind and Time Stones by taking them into space in opposite directions. The result involves a lot more time loops than Steve would like, but at least they're getting a second chance to stop Thanos. (As well as a third, and a fourth...) And if Steve takes the opportunity to try to reconcile with Tony, too—well, they have the time, and Steve's going to make the most of it.

Why You Should Read It:

Dirigibleplumbing’s another name in Stony fanfics that does not get nearly as much fanfare as they deserve. They’re consistently a really creative voice in Stony fanfics and I always look forward to their stories showing me something new. Go read all their fics, I need more people to geek out with me over them.

I tend to limit myself on Steve-and-Tony-mend-things-after-Civil-War fics not because they’re not good, but because they’re so heavy, and also the Sokovia Accords have five hundred layers of crap in them that no good fic could possibly hash out well. This one, though? When you add in the Infinity War/End Game fixit? Poetry. Art. Music to my ears. DP wrote a really engaging, twisty story where it’s hard to predict what’s coming next, in spite of it literally being a pseudo-Groundhog day scenario. The characterizations are great, the story is engaging, and the feelings are big and sad and eventually happy. Go read it, you’ll love it.

I have tons of other recs for this category but this seems like a good place to stop for today. Tomorrow’s Alternative Media Thursday, and I’ve got some real gems I’ve been saving for that day (aaaaand possibly a self-rec or two ;)

[jonsa101]

Thoughts About Sharpwin in Episode 3X14

Hey guys!! I feel like there has been so much pandemonium in the fandom since all of these spoilers and content has come out prior to the finale on Tuesday.  I have revised this meta so many times due to new things coming out every day and I honestly debated if I should even still publish a meta before the finale. Either way, I’m putting this out there because I still have some thoughts to share and it was highly requested by y’all! 😉 As always, I’m going to try and share my thoughts as honestly and as logically as I can. 

Going into the season finale, I think the question we need to ask ourselves is what are the most important aspects of the season finale? For me, I’ve always believed that the time-jump and the cliffhangers would be the most important aspects of the episode and based on what we’ve seen so far, I think that opinion still holds true. True to his words, in this interview here https://tvline.com/2021/05/25/new-amsterdam-season-3-finale-spoilers-time-jump/ , Schulner specifically said that the finale episode would be nothing like we’ve seen before. From yesterday’s spoiler, it’s fair for us to assume that that the episode we are about to see on Tuesday is linear and is a full time jump episode. How long is the time jump? I’m not sure but my guess is that it’s at least 3 months.

Now you might be thinking “what if the time jump is only a week or two?” Here’s why I think it’s not.

Look at this picture with Helen and Mina.

In this week’s episode Helen and Mina were still bumping heads after weeks of Mina living with Helen. They were talking about college applications and it wasn’t until the end that we finally see Helen and Mina put their walls down and start to connect with each other. Again, look at the picture down below! Clearly their relationship has done a complete 180 and they seem closer than ever. Mina is literally on the verge of tears as she and Helen are about to say their goodbyes. That relationship transformation doesn’t take place in a week or so. I personally don’t think it takes place in a month either. That type of transformation and healing takes time. Also, if one of the primary reasons that Helen is in London is to drop off Mina for college that means Mina had to go through the whole college application process which is incredibly long! Mina would have to write essays, take the SAT or ACT, go on interviews and hell, probably go on college tours too! In 3x13, she was just starting that process guys. So, if we are seeing Helen drop off Mina for school, at the BARE MINIMUM it has to be at least a three month time jump. Mind you, I’m doing the bare minimum here because I’m not sure the show would commit to a 6-months to a year time jump, which is typically a standard timeline for the college application process.

Now also look at Floyd’s photo.

He is serving breakfast in bed y’all!!! Do you know what that tells me? It tells me that this man is COMFORTABLE and has been in the midst of his situationship for a while now. Logically, do you think that he can get this comfortable with Dr. Malavo within the span of a week or two especially after the episode that we just saw? No!! A person like Floyd who has gone on and on about his life plan since season one definitely would have had to be worn down for a while for him to be caught up and comfortable in a situationship!

Again, this is just how I feel. I could be wrong but to me I feel like at least a 3- month time jump would be realistic. Moving on from the time-jump let’s talk about these cliffhangers. Y’all I STRONGLY believe that there is a reason why we are receiving so much spoiler and promotional content before the finale. Based on everything we’ve seen, at this point we should all know that we are going to see Helen and Max finally become an official couple in the finale. This is a given! We are all excited to see them finally get together and without a doubt how that unfolds is a huge part of the finale. I just want to make an argument that Max and Helen finally coming together isn’t the most important point of the episode. 😬😬😬 Again y’all, look at the content we’ve received so far! We got a Sharpwin focused promo, a ton of promotional photos, we got that amazing sneak peek voicemail from Max and hell, we even got Ryan Eggold telling Us Weekly that he just felt like it was time for these characters “to go one way or the other! “All of this is great but at the same time it’s super heavy handed! Mind you, in episode 3x12 which was a pivotal episode for Sharpwin, we barely got any spoilers, in fact I think even the episode synopsis was delayed as well. Clearly, I understand that the show hasn’t shown us the most important parts of how Max and Helen are finally going to get together but what I am saying is that they’ve shown us enough to make me believe that isn’t the most important point of Sharpwin’s story in the episode. In the finale for Sharpwin, to me, the question isn’t about if they’re going to get together or how they finally get together, it’s about what’s in store for the FUTURE they choose to have together. Max said it perfectly himself in that voicemail when he said 

I need to see you.

I need to talk to you.

I need to be with you in all the ways I’ve been dreaming about.

That last line is so significant because to me it tells me exactly where his mind and heart is at. Apart from the obvious where Max is clearly thinking about making love to her, I think Max is also dreaming about having a life with her. Again y’all! From episode 3x12 an onwards the question has never been about if they want to be together. It is clear that they both WANT THIS. The question is what that looks like for them and where they go from here after they come together. There are a lot of important conversations they need to have and decisions to be made, hence Max’s “I need to see you,” and “I need to talk to you.”

This brings me back to the cliffhangers. In the article I linked above, Schulner made it a point to emphasize the importance of cliffhangers this year. According to him there should be at least five cliffhangers in the season finale. In my mind, that means all of the main characters should have a cliffhanger that immediately sets them up for their main storyline in season 4. Especially considering the fact that the season 3 finale will already be a time jump episode. So, if the finale is centered around Sharpwin and we know that we should expect cliffhangers, shouldn’t we expect that Max and Helen will probably have a big cliffhanger that impacts their relationship going forward? It wouldn’t make sense for Iggy, Lauren, and Floyd to have these pivotal cliffhangers in finale while Max and Helen just end up as a happy couple. I could be wrong but that logically doesn’t make sense to me. We should totally expect them to maybe have the biggest cliffhanger out of everyone else since technically this episode is mainly about them! I like to think that Max and Helen have a collective cliffhanger but it’s also possible that they have cliffhangers as individual characters and those cliffhangers effect the trajectory of their relationship. By the way, I’m absolutely expecting a positive cliffhanger/cliffhangers for Max and Helen. I truly do believe the best is yet to come for them! All I’m trying to say is that I think this is going to be the most important part of Sharpwin’s story in the season finale. Not how they finally get together! 

For me, one of the big things that sticks out that could play a role in a collective Sharpwin cliffhanger or an individual cliffhanger is Helen’s trip to London. I predicted this trip would be a trip of healing past wounds and finding answers when it comes to her family in my meta here: https://jonsa101.tumblr.com/post/649841094458310656/max-goodwin-and-his-declaration-of-love-and this seems to be panning out. I think this trip is really going to put things in perspective for Helen about what she wants and the things that really matter to her. I think about episode 3x4 where Helen proclaims that she keeps “running out of time” in the areas of her life that are really important to her. Her deepest desires have always been to have a family and a child of her own. As she heals, reconnects with her family, and reflects on what matters most to her, I wonder if her desires for a family of her own will be at the forefront of her mind when she reconnects with Max? What’s that state of her mindset after a trip like that? I might be thinking entirely too deep about this but these are the thoughts that run in my mind now as we head into the finale.

For Max, we saw him sort out the custody battle for Luna in 3x13. We also saw Helen basically tell him that their relationship was worth the fight. From yesterday’s sneak peek, we know at the beginning of the finale he is deeply longing for Helen and is clearly pondering a life with her. What shifts his focus away from that is when he thinks he’s misplaced his wedding ring. We all know that this episode will be the final step Max takes to let go of his past and embrace his future with Helen but again what does that look like? Again, all of this plays a role to what I think will be the most important part of the episode. 

Their Cliffhanger!!!

So, what exactly could their cliffhanger or cliffhangers be? At this point, the possibilities are endless! Like I said, I believe the best is yet to come for them and that any cliffhanger coming their way will be a great one! At the very beginning of the season, I said that this is the season of love declarations and commitment and that I wouldn’t be surprised if Max and Helen ended up engaged: https://jonsa101.tumblr.com/post/649841094458310656/max-goodwin-and-his-declaration-of-love-and. Max saying he wanted to build something better for Luna and Helen struck me and these were my thoughts.

“Max is just giving me MAJOR “I love you and I’m trying to commit and build something for us vibes.” I think one of my greatest gifts in life is the ability to read between the fucking lines. As a grown 26 year-old women, if a man that I have feelings for that I know has feelings for me comes to me and says, “I want to build something better for you,” we are either married or a marriage proposal is around the corner. A man is not trying to build something better for/with a friend or a confidant. Ok! You build something with someone you want to spend your life with! These are the types of conversations you have with your husband, wife or life partner! Period! After everything they’ve been through before and especially after a year of being in a pandemic, I think now more than ever Max is going to get or has already gotten clarity about what and who he wants and he’s going to go after it. When you realize how quickly life can change it literally shifts everything and makes you change your priorities and go after what you actually want. To me, this will be reflected in the show.”

Oddly enough, I think my words are pretty similar to Shaun Cassidy’s tweet about this finale:

Max will get clarity.

Max will see the light.

Mind you, I wrote this meta after seeing the first episode of the season. Now as we head into the season finale, after all of Max’s personal suffering, after everything Max and Helen have been through together, after Max’s second death or life experience, I think Max seeing the light or gaining clarity is a hell of a lot more than them just becoming a couple! It’s established that Max wants her! It’s established that Max wants to be with her and they’re going to be couple! Shaun is already out here retweeting “couple era” tweets. I think seeing the light holds weight and I think an engagement fits the bill. I think Max and Helen are at a point in their lives and in their relationship where they want a life together! They are completely all in I just think they’re trying to navigate what the hell that looks like. Also, like I said earlier, where we leave off in the season 3 finale will be the setup for the main storylines in season 4. I think many people in the fandom believe that at some point in season 4 Max and Helen will try for a baby and we will see her infertility struggles play out. I have my own personal opinions on this topic but I’ll save that for another meta. If there is an expectation that in season 4 we will see Max and Helen as a happy couple, Helen stepping up as Luna’s mom/co-parent and them potentially wanting to expand their family, don’t you think it makes sense for Helen to at least be his fiancee?! Honestly y’all! Think about it! Do you think Max would start the process of trying to get pregnant with Helen without marrying her first? I don’t think so. I definitely think he’s a put a ring on it type of guy! Another point that I want to make is this. Luna is in the picture. Luna and Max are a package deal. Helen knows this and when they have this conversation about how they’re going to navigate their lives together, I know that without hesitation we are about to see Helen loving Luna unconditionally and basically being her mom in season 4. Loving your partner’s child unconditionally as your own is the highest form of love and commitment you can show and do for your partner. I know without a shadow of doubt that Helen is going to do this. So as Helen shows him her love and commitment, how can Max tangibly SHOW her how much he loves her and is committed to their lives and their future together? These are just things I’ll leave y’all to think about. 

To wrap this up here are some other quick thoughts I have about the finale.

At this point I strongly believe that Max and Helen are in New York City based on the promos and spoilers I’ve seen. One thing I will say though is at the same time don’t discount the possibility of Max and Helen at some point in the episode also being in London as well. Remember all the promos, spoilers and sneak peeks we’ve seen so far are things they want us to see!!!! We only have pieces of the full story and because of that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! I remember back in season one when spoilers came out for the season finale. Going into the finale, most of us who were in the fandom back then already knew there would be some sort of accident/ ambulance crash. At best we thought that it would only affect Max, Georgia and Luna. We had no idea that the season finale would also put Bloom and Helen’s life at stake as well!! The point I’m trying to make is this, even though we saw the spoilers we didn’t have the full picture of what exactly was filmed in those spoilers.

I think when Max and Helen finally have their moment it will be glorious and romantic af! I’m expecting to see kissing, lovemaking, and everything in between but the most important thing are the conversations!! I’m expecting to see a lot of deep conversations about how they’re going to make this thing work after they say there I love you’s. 

Long before the episode synopsis came out, I told y’all that Max and Reynolds moment in the season finale would be pivotal for Sharpwin in this same meta https://jonsa101.tumblr.com/post/649841094458310656/max-goodwin-and-his-declaration-of-love-and and that’s what we are going to see play out on screen. It’s natural for Max to have an emotional attachment to that ring. He was married to Georgia and had a life with her. That doesn’t negate how he feels about Helen. Even more so than that do you know what I also think is at play here? Guilt. The guilt of him trying to move on with the woman he’s had feeling for since season 1. I mean, I personally don’t think they’re using voiceovers of Max and Helen’s conversations in season 1 in their promo for no reason. I don’t see why they wouldn’t address it especially when for us as an audience we know that’s the case. I also think it’s not a coincidence that Reynold’s finds himself in a situation that’s pretty similar to where Max was at. So in my mind, I think it needs to be addressed in order to move on. As he starting a new relationship, he should be honest about having feelings for Helen while he was married and get that off his plate. I think he’s been carrying the weight of that guilt since season two and it’s time to let it go.

Last but not least there is the Mina and Max scene from the spoilers. I don’t know what to make of this but if Mina is in London and the finale is a full time jump episode with no flashbacks, I don’t see how Mina and Max could have a convo in NYC. If they’re having a conversation, I think it’s going to be in London. That’s just how I see it! I could be dead ass wrong but again this is just my opinion. It could be possible that we might see more than one day take place in this episode. I mean realistically, I don’t see how Helen can listen to his voicemail, send Mina off to school, reconnect with her mama and then fly to NYC and meet up with Max all in the same day. That’s super unrealistic to me! Spoilers don’t give us the full scope of what’s going on. Also, I think it’s a little bit weird for Max and Mina to be having a conversation at night with no prior relationship with each other. So, my guess is whatever conversation they’re having would be after Max and Helen have established themselves as an official couple. Just my two cents. 

As always feel free to reach out with me with any questions you might have and also let me know what cliffhanger you think is in store for them!

[missjennskiario]

Hello HSMTMTS nation and hello Portwell nation,

Long time. First of all, we got the season 3 announcement yesterday!!! Exciting!! A few things to unpack. First, with the news of a renewal came a brief synopsis about the plot of season 3: 

“That seems like the reasoning behind the next season of Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, which will send its characters off from their regular lives and to “the ultimate summer at sleepaway camp, complete with campfires, summer romances and curfew-less nights” when it returns for a third season.” (from this Vulture article https://www.vulture.com/2021/09/hsm-tm-ts-season-3-will-head-to-the-theater-camp.html)

I FINALLY get to share my summer camp prediction/headcannon that I’ve been stirring around since it was rumored back in early summer:

The summer camp the Wildcats end up at is the camp EJ and Nini met at. I think this could open HUGE doors in way of character development for both Nini and EJ. First, during Nini’s last stay at that camp she was boy-obsessed, and unsure of her talents. Now, she has realized her own self worth outside of boys and has a record deal in the works. During EJ’s last summer he was selfish, vindictive, guarded, and willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted. Now going into this summer, he’s discovered new hobbies (hey, AV club) and been able to step outside himself and become a much more grounded, and humble person. 

I think it would be wonderful to see both of them struggle with keeping their heads about them and confronting being in this familiar place as these new people. However, I want to see them succeed. This should be a plot device to solidify their development not have it backslide. Maybe old camp rivalries test them to see just how much they’ve changed, and maybe new ones will too (I would love to see North High end up at the same camp and be forced to work with the Wildcats but more on that later). 

I definitely see EJ and Nini being driving forces in this season. Not in a pushing other people to the background way or anything like that, but in a “they know the camp the best and they’re two team leaders for different recon missions” way. 

Speaking of recon missions and rivals, let’s revisit the East/North high alliance. I see a really fun and interesting “unlikely alliance/the enemy of my enemy is my friend” dynamic playing out here, especially if the writers really wanna push Ricky/Lily. I think there could be great set-up for this in the first episode alone. Stay with me here:

It starts with the East High kids on a bus to camp. There’s some banter and Ricky seems too engrossed in his phone to keep up with what’s going on. We see he’s texting Lily and he’s trying to keep it a secret from the other Wildcats cause he isn’t sure how to tell them. They show up and as they’re unloading they see another bus pulling in and out pour the North High kids. They argue and groan at each other and Mr. Theatre Dad Mazzarra plays peacemaker (along with the poor unwitting camp counselor). There’s a scene between Jenn and Zack where she tells him that if the North High kids sabotage this for the East High kids there will be hell to pay. There’s cute little moments with the couples, friend banter, etc. as they settle in. Ricky sneaks off to meet Lily and they turn up at the all-camp meeting late walking in exactly 30 sec. after each other (Kourtney and Carlos timed it). After the meeting, another group of kids approach them. They’re from a performing arts school that just opened up and is VERY prestigious (or I even see them being from YAC interesting. There are more interesting dynamics with Nini that could play out there). The other kids talent and experience threaten even the most seasoned kids of the groups and they go back to their respective spots in camp feeling uneasy. There’s a similar situation with their director and Jenn/Mazzarra/Zack. 

Later that night, the girls cabin is talking and freaking out about these new kids, then they get a knock on their door. The boys are having the same thoughts. They sit in the cabin talking when there’s ANOTHER knock on the door. This time it’s the North High kids lead by Lily and Antoine. They suggest a truce and an alliance to take these other kids down. The East High kids agree and the episode ends on a tight-shot of a handshake between two of the kids. The rest of the season, hijinks ensue.

(tim, hire me!)

I think this could open doors for interactions between characters we don’t normally see together or would usually have no reason to be together. Maybe Big Red and Antoine get stuck on a recon mission together. Maybe Lily and Gina put their power to good use to take the other kids down (Gina 1.0 moments but for good this time). I also see it offering new conflicts that don’t heavily center around love-triangles and relationships. It would be interesting and fresh. 

As for guest appearances and new characters, Kevin McHale has said he’d love to be a camp counselor and I FULLY endorse that. I’d love to see him as the nervous mediator between the grumpy and dramatic directors. I don’t have any casting choices in mind yet for new characters but like I said I’d love kids from EJ and Nini’s summer to show up and if the rival school is YAC, I’d love to see Nini have to confront those kids too. 

That’s all I have for now but I’m sure I’ll have more thoughts the more information we get, so stay tuned. 

[rocketink]

LOST AND FOUND

In which you lose your stuff all the time but your first-floor neighbour somehow always has it for you. Or, in a soulmate world, your soulmate finds everything you loses and reverse.

pairing: minghao x gender neutral reader

genre: fluff, crack + neighbor & soulmate! Au 

wc: 2.2k+

warnings: none I think (this type of soulamte thingy is kinda crazy tho). Btw this is my first au so I’m sorry fpr any mistakes!! + English is not my first language so apologies :)

notes: I migh turn this into a series since I’ve thought about some details here and there as I wrote this au?? What do you think?? 

The situation inside your apartment has turned unbearable, and you know should have moved with Joshua when you had the chance. He wasn't the closest of your friends, but you're sure it would have been more comfortable with him rather than third-wheeling your roommates.

Now, you don't hate Mingyu and your best friend, you just think they are disgustingly cute. You feel very happy since you've seen them pining after each other for a while now (all the furtive glances they sent to each other when they thought nobody was looking was like being inside a rom-com movie and it was hilarious at first. It eventually became too much to handle). You've never seen two more oblivious people inside a room, it was exasperating. Things began to turn serious when they discovered they were each other's soulmates and they've been seriously dating ever since.

It's great, really, but why do you have to see each of their displays of affection? Or, should we say, why doesn't the time to find your soulmate finally get to you?

Because you know, deep down inside you, that the problem is not that they have a soulmate. The problem is that you don't find it.

"Good morning, love." Mingyu greets your friend with his deep morning voice, and gives them a kiss on their temple. "Good morning, Y/n." He gives you a tiny hug and you growl.

"It's too early for being cute don't you think?" You ask joking-not-so-joking.

"Feeling grumpy at eight in the morning? Woah, breaking your own record." You laugh at what your friend says and they laugh too. You don't mind being like this, just why does it have to get so awkward sometimes?

"Guys another disgrace has happened." You announce solemnly. "I have lost my jacket"

"Again?" Mingyu judges.

"But didn't you wash it yesterday? It must be hanged with the rest of the clothes."

"I checked when I woke up because it's cold and it wasn't there."

"It was pretty windy last night, maybe it fell?" Your friend suggests and they grin. "Maybe Minghao will bring it back to you later?"

Ah, here we have the other reason why you want to move to a lost town somewhere in Australia: Xu Minghao, your first-floor neighbor, the one that has an apartment to envy because of his small, well-decorated courtyard. You don't envy that, though, because your clothesline is right on top of his courtyard, and sometimes he has to bring you all the clothing items that fall into his yard. You don't know how all that ends up there, you've tried everything: from securing your clothes with more pins to tying it to the clothesline. But none of that ever works, and he always goes all up to the third floor -where you live- to give it back to you with a smile and a 'see you soon'. How does he know it's your clothes? You made sure to tell him the first time this happened.

Just like your friend predicted, that afternoon Xu Minghao knocked at your door.

"Hello." He greets with a friendly smile and your heart melts.

He's too adorable to handle.

"Hi, Minghao. Don't bother I think I know why you're here." You joke at your own clumsiness and he laughs with you too.

"You must have been cold without it." He seems worried and you shake your head.

"Don't worry, two layers of blankets made up for it."

He puts his hands into his pockets and smiles shyly and you feel your heart bursting off. When he leaves, you notice your jacket smells like him.

Ah, how you wished Minghao was your soulmate.

Things get more complicated when the finals approach. You can barely stand even after drinking your daily coffee and you spend day after day coming and going from home to the library. You are so focused and stressed that you barely pay attention to anything else, and you've lost from pens to your entire case. All of them safely brought back home by Minghao. You do not know how or when you threw your case through the window for it to end up at Minghao's yard, but he always brings some hot chocolate and a small talk with him, so you do not complain.

After all, you don't even remember how you wake up every morning by the end of the day. You end up thinking you need to control yourself a little more during finals.

One day it gets out of hand. You've probably had the worst of the days. You woke up late because you didn't hear the alarm clock, your roommates being all lovey-dovey already got you on your nerves, your exam was harder than you expected and you had a bad feeling about your answers. Then, when you finally got home, late and tired, your keys were nowhere to be found. You could feel your eyes getting watery and you knocked at the door. Nobody answers, your friend and Mingyu are celebrating their anniversary and you don't want to bother them even if all you want is a hot shower and watching a romantic without friends to cuddle. You immediately think of Minghao, would it be too much if you asked him to spend some time with you? You answer to yourself that yes, it would be too much, there's no need to bother anyone else. So what do you do now?

"Y/n?" Somebody asks behind you.

"Minghao?" And there you have it, just the one you were thinking of.

"Hi, uhm, are you okay?" You want to cry to that question, but you manage to hold back your tears.

"I'm fine I just- I must have lost my keys because I can't find them and there's no one home and I just want to sleep." You explain briefly.

"Are these your keys?" He holds something in his left hand that looks like your keyring -a framed pink paper with your name on it and a little olaf your sister once bought you-

"How did you find it?"

"I didn't, it appeared in my yard". He is as confused as you are.

"But... I remember I put it inside the pocket of my bag." You explain. "When I arrived it was opened so I just supposed they fell out. And there's no way they fell into your yard because they are always inside my bag, I never threw them... Why would anyone throw a keyring through my window? I-" You try to explain without taking a breath so that Minghao doesn't think you're a weirdo, but now you can't fight back your tears and Minghao looks worried.

"It's okay Y/n, don't worry, I understand. Well, I don't, but I know you didn't do it. Hold on let's get inside I'll make you some hot chocolate and we can watch a movie, okay?"

You nod without thinking, just wanting to be lulled into some peace. He makes you some hot choco as promised and makes some small talk while choosing a movie to watch.

"So where are your roommates?" He asks.

"Celebrating their anniversary."

"Wait, are they dating?"

"Didn't you know?"

"No? I'm so shocked what the hell." You laugh at his astonished face. "But are they...?"

"Soulmates? Yes, they are."

"Woah, lucky."

"I know right." You don't want this topic to surface but you can't help but ask. "Have you met your soulmate?"

"I haven't." After a few seconds, he adds, "have you?"

"No, not a single clue of who they are. I don't have a timer or a tattoo, or see them in my dreams... I'm getting tired of waiting. Overall watching the two lovebirds every day of my life."

"It is the same thing for me. I'd love to meet them or just to know how they are. I know I'm young and all that but I'm just very curious and almost all my friends have met them while I still don’t know how to find them. I feel left out."

You nod, relating to that feeling.

"By the way, if it gets tiring, why don't you just move out?"

"I don't know where to move to be honest. I don't know if I want to go through the 'look for a new apartment' process again, it's too tiring. Besides, I still have fun with them, they're not to blame for my loneliness."

Minghao laughs and looks away.

"Just so you know, I'm moving out next month. I found another apartment for a better price and I'm going to leave the one I have now. If it gets too unbearable, you can just take my place." And you are too focused on yourself to notice the sad look on his face.

Because Minghao and your little encounters made your whole living in a student's apartment life better, and you don't want him to go away. But you are just a neighbor in Minghao's life, so who are you to tell him that?

Minghao moves the following month just as promised, and you can't remove the moping face you wear.

"Why are you so sad Y/n? I've seen the new neighbor, he is as hot as Minghao." Your friend winks and you roll your eyes.

"I don't care. If he doesn't pick up my stuff then I don't want him."

"I've heard he is all the time arguing with their other roommate. Maybe they leave sooner than expected and Minghao comes back!"

"Don't be mean, Gyu!" You nag and he shrugs.

Somebody's knocking at the door distracts you from your conversation and both of your friends turn to look at you.

"Why do I always have to get the door? There's no Minghao now, I don't want it."

"Maybe is your new blue prince"

"Shut up, Mingyu."

But when you open the door to a frowning Minghao, your heart backflips.

"What are you doing here Hao? Is everything okay?"

"I am a little concerned." He shows you a small necklace you recognize immediately. "What was this doing in my house?"

"I lost it last week at university! I didn't know where it went." You try to answer.

"To my room?"

"Look, I also don't know what was my necklace doing in your house in which I've never stepped a foot in because is like five kilometers away ... Oh my god Hao did you walk here?"

"I took the bus." He looks down and then right at you. "The last time I saw you you were wearing it. I've been thinking for a week how did this get there since I haven't seen you in a month, I never took it and I know for sure you are not a stalker who would leave their necklace inside my room when nobody’s looking."

"Have you reached any conclusion?"

"Absolutely none. Then I talked to Jun and he said some of the romantic trash he usually thinks of, but this made me think."

"What did he say?" You don't know what direction this conversation is taking.

"He's a soulmate expert you know? He told me that maybe it’s because destiny wants us to meet again and I thought that couldn't be because oh god, what have I done to deserve you? Then I decided to make a little experiment and I'm really nervous because if this doesn't work out I might have lost the most important thing to me. Do you mind checking your room?"

You feel everything inside you revolving because of every single one of his words, but still, you do as he requests. You check your room, ignoring the question marks over your roommate's heads, and find nothing different. Except for a new notebook on top of your nightstand you hadn't noticed. It's a sketchbook, and all of the drawings on the inside are signed with Minghao's name.

"Is this yours?" He sighs in relief when he recognizes the sketchbook.

"This is a part of my life, you know?"

"Then how did you lose this?"

"I told June to leave it somewhere I didn't know so that I couldn't even look for it. I wasn't sure if it was going to work."

"I can't believe the universe does works like this."

"Me neither, but I'm glad it did."

"So, you said this friend of yours is an expert in soulmates?" You don't want to ask it directly, but you want to know if he's implying that you two are soulmates.

"Yes, I used the s word." You both laugh.

"Does this mean that you and I... You know."

"Jun told me this type of soulmate is rare, but it has happened under easier circumstances. All I know is that I keep finding you every time and I don't know if I ever want to stop finding you."

"OH COME ON JUST KISS ALREADY." You hear Mingyu shouting from the kitchen. "Babe, now I know how Y/n felt with us."

You want to laugh at Mingyu and tell him 'Ha, suffer you loser', but Minghao has other plans.

When he kisses you everything just seems simple and suddenly everything is fine, and you don't want to stop doing it. It's warm, it feels as if you had lost and found the most important thing in your life.

"Hold on then why did I never find anything yours?"

"Y/n, you break the kiss just to ask this?" You blush and he sighs. "I'm a very organized person, unlike others, so I barely lose things, happy now?"

"No. Does this mean that if I get lost in a crowd would you magically find me? You know, since I got lost."

"I don't know Y/n, and I don't want to find out. Now come here, I want to cuddle."

"Oh, yes. Finally."

[novantinuum]

Hi, I was just wondering if you had ever thought about what would have happened in your story "Hollowed Moon" if you had continued it. I always thought it was such an interesting setup that could have gone in so many different directions. And there really aren't other stories focusing on Stevonnie and Spinel, so it was unique!

Hiya!

So, I do have some half-written, half-plotted out material to share. I gave this story some consideration the other day, and came to the decision that I don't have the desire to finish it out, alas- I have far too many other active WIPs to add it to the list. There's a few good reasons why I discontinued it, anyways... intimidation over the huge surge of attention it was getting back in 2019, some rude comments from overzealous Spinel fans, (I know everyone isn't like this, but a certain segment of the Spinel side of the SU fandom kinda burned me over time, hhh), and a future chapter containing a sensitive topic that I wasn't in a good headspace to write about at the time.

But! Anyways! Below the cut is all the existing material I have for Hollowed Moon past chapter 14, consisting of a mixture of descriptions, sketchy dialogue, and prose. It honestly feels nice to finally be able to put this story to an official rest.

__

Chapter 15

“I... I saw her.”

“Who-?”

“I saw Pink Diamond. I saw you, in this exact garden, in a dream. I- it was like I was experiencing everything through her. She explained your game, tapped your nose and told you to smile, then warped away—“

“That’s it, that’s what happened, almost exactly! But how could you even know that, I never—“

“I don’t know,” they blurt out. “I have empathic abilities, and sometimes that makes dreaming a little weird, but I have no idea how or why I saw any of this.”

[Pause for Stevonnie to think]

“Spinel, I’m so, so sorry,” they whisper brokenly. “But I think... she left you here.”

“What...?”

“She said she’d return, but before she warped away she whispered goodbye, like she didn’t actually intend to make good on that promise. She was lying to you,” they choke out, voice thick.

“No. No,” she says in clear denial, “no she’s not. She can’t be! She told me she’d come back! I can wait! I just have to wait—“

“But she’s not! She... she can’t, because Pink Diamond is gone. She- she was shattered, Spinel. Five thousand years ago, on the Earth. I- I should’ve told you this from the beginning, and I didn’t, and I- I’m so, so sorry—! But she left you behind, and now she’s never coming back.”

[Silence. Tears brim in Spinel’s eyes. Her eyes grow dark, pained, and then she glares at Stevonnie with such venom it almost knocks them backwards in alarm. ]

“NO!” she screams, tears streaming down her faded pink cheeks.

[She tears her feet up from the roots and runs away, using her arms like an orangutan to vault herself forward super fast so Stevonnie can’t catch her.]

___

Chapter 16

AN: Content warning for self-shattering attempt. Part of the reason why I had to stop writing this story at the time. I considered pushing the plot another way, but it didn't feel authentic to how I believed this scenario would play out for Spinel when she didn't have a direct target for her anger. Without someone to actively be jealous and upset AT, I could only imagine her breaking inwards instead of outwards, feeling that she's utterly failed in her life's purpose. Nothing more than a description for this chapter... and it'd be a short one.

[When Stevonnie finds her, she’s smashing her fists against her gem in her sheer anguish. She’s already cracked it. She’s glitching. It looks terribly painful. She’s about to strike her gem again when Stevonnie intervenes.]

___

Chapter 17

[Post timely intervention. Spinel is still cracked at this moment, though... her form glitching as she cries.]

“I was... her best friend,” she cries, fat, glistening tears streaming down her cheeks. “I was supposed to make her happy! Why wasn’t she happy? Why didn’t she come back?“

[Spinel reasoning that maybe if Pink came back for her, she wouldn’t have been shattered in the first place]

“What did I do wrong?” she whispers hoarsely, gazing pleadingly into Stevonnie’s eyes. “Wha- what am I doing? Why do I wanna hurt myself so badly?”

“Shh, now,” they reply, tears of their own brimming at the crease of their eyes, and pull Spinel’s head to their chest. “I’ve got you...”

___

Chapter 18

They know their throat is tight, and their voice scratchy. They know they’ve never sung this song in front of another living being, since it’s something personal they composed alone on one of their late nights back on Earth, thinking about all the difficult days Steven and Connie have had to face over the months. Pair this with their active crying, and there’s no way their singing will be anything pretty.

But pretty doesn’t matter right now.

Stevonnie opens their lips, and— clutching the broken hearted Gem close, rhythmically rocking with her back and forth— lets the wandering melody emerge from within.

“I guess I have to face That in this awful place I shouldn’t show a trace Of doubt...”

“But pulled against the grain I feel a little pain That I would rather do Without...”

“I’d rather be Free, free Free...”

[Hoarse, Spinel starts singing with them.]

“I’d rather be Free, free Free...”

“Free, free Free...”

“From here...”

[Stevonnie holds her tight while crying, their tears healing it back up.]

___

Chapter 19

AN: Don't have anything but a single bit of dialogue in this chapter note- I'm assuming I intended it as being a good few hours after the events of chapters 16-18... when Spinel has calmed down a little and has a moment to reflect on the upsetting news she's just received.

“I think... I always knew,” she says, voice hoarse. “In a way. It was so obvious how she felt about me.

___

Chapter ?

AN: From here on out, the plot hasn't been split into individual chapters.

[At some point shortly after chapter 19, Lars and his crew locate Stevonnie in the garden, and pick them and Spinel up. The next few bits of dialogue and description takes place on the ship.]

Rutile twins: “I haven’t heard of Spinels being produced in over five millennia.” “Me neither!”

Rhodonite: “Yeah, I heard they stopped making them entirely after the rebellion on Pink’s colony.”

[A bit of overwhelming conversation later, no one really noticing Spinel's conflicted emotional response to so many Gems hovering around her at once.]

Padparadscha: “I predict that you’re both going to make Spinel feel very uncomfortable aboard this ship.”

Rhodonite: “I’m sorry, we don’t exactly meet new Gems every century.”

Rutile twins: “Yes!” “It’s just been us until we met our captain!”

Fluorite: “Our new huuuuman friend helped us escape the tunnels on Homeworld. Now... we’re slooowly making our way back... to Earth.”

Spinel: “Earth?? You’re going to Pink’s world? But why? I heard she... was shattered.”

___

[Spinel feeling a sense of kinship with the idea that there’s other Gems who didn’t serve their rightful purpose and are now escaping their life on Homeworld to be free of that. Because now, without her Diamond, since she was unable to keep her happy, she’s an Off Color too. She failed her given purpose same as them.]

[Discussion of Earth, and the rebellion, and how there’s Gems living free there. And how Pink’s colony was siphoning life away, and that’s what these Gems were fighting to protect. Stevonnie points out all the plants and wildlife that used to live in the garden, and asks her if she felt happier when it was around. Spinel says yes. Stevonnie says that this is what the Diamonds are destroying, with each lifeless colony they forge. Everywhere they go, dead wildlife lies in their wake.]

Spinel: “I... guess I never thought of it that way.”

[(Stevonnie adds...) And while they’re very sorry for the personal connection there, and can’t imagine how painful that must be, that’s why Pink Diamond was shattered.]

[Spinel is given an open choice... Lars gives the invitation to stay with him and the Off Colors, and Stevonnie offers for her to come with them back to Earth. It's not a hard decision for her in the end, though. She's always dreamed of seeing what was once Pink’s planet, ever since she heard the Diamonds bequeath it to her.]

___

Stevonnie: “Okay, so… before we go, I need to be honest with you about something." [deep breath] "I’m actually a fusion of two separate people who are close friends. You... know what fusion is, right?”

Spinel: “Duh, o’course! What, d’ya think I was made yesterday?”

[...]

Stevonnie: “But even with that, I can’t be together as me all the time. Steven and Connie, the two who come together to form me... they love hanging out with each other so much, but they also have their own lives! Other friends, other hobbies, their own families. They still talk when they’re apart, but they know it’s okay to do things alone, too. Do you know why I’m telling you this?”

Spinel: [shakes head no] “No...?”

Stevonnie: [sighs] “I understand you’ve been left behind. Believe me, I know how bad that feels. So the last thing I wanna do is make you think I’m doing that too.”

Spinel: “Y-you— you’re going away?” Stevonnie: “Unfusing, yes.” Spinel: “But Stevonnie, you—“ Stevonnie: “Spinel. No matter what, you are my friend. Steven and Connie consider you a friend, too. And my hope is that you’ll keep making a whole bunch more on Earth, so you’ll always have people around who know and love you. But that can’t always be me, okay?“

___

[At home... on Earth. There's a bit of a close call for Pearl when Spinel arrives, and recognizes her as Pink's second pearl. This is news for Garnet and Amethyst and Steven, the first of which had somewhat suspected that Pearl used to be in the diamonds' service, but never knew for sure. Pearl, of course... can't say much on this due to her gag order... not that anyone else knows about that yet... but does manage a very concise and PD=RQ free explanation about her past in Pink's court, and her transition towards being a Crystal Gem:]

Pearl: “Rose Quartz set me free, and I’ve been a part of the rebellion ever since.”

___

[At some point between the last scene and the next, mention how Spinel had a bit of a relapse... she ended up poofing herself, and reformed differently. A little bit closer to the smudged mascara and frayed pigtails look of canon, but no rotated heart. Unlike in canon, she has a solid support system amongst the Crystal Gems, and she's working hard to recover from the heartbreak of Pink's abandonment.]

___

[Final scene is set post A Single Pale Rose. Steven and Connie fuse, and Stevonnie goes to find Spinel to check in on how she's taking the news. The final line of the fic is as follows:]

Spinel: “I know you’re not her, not really. And I know you’ll always be a better person than she ever was. But in some silly cyclical way... back in that garden... it’s almost like Pink came back for me after all.”

[isoldmysoultojonahclemence]

JONAH’S EVER AFTER ON IKEREV TW

I CAN’T I--

HIS RELEASE CAMPAIGN CAME OUT YESTERDAY BUT I ONLY SAW IT A FEW MINUTES AGO BC I WAS ON VACATION I CAN’T BELIEVE I MISSED THIS WHAT KIND OF JONAH STAN AM I

THIS MEANS THAT JONAH’S ROUTE CAMPAIGN WILL BEGIN SOMEWHERE AROUND LATE OCTOBER OR EARLY NOVEMBER IN THE ENGLISH VERSION SO MARK YOUR CALENDARS

I’m putting the rest of this under a cut for length bc I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY

[Translation:

“On the 1 in a hundred million chance that I cannot marry you into the Clemence family, then I’m prepared to abandon my family.”

Whether it’s to build a family together, or to receive happiness together. For the one you love, the path you should take to the future is...

“You’re really too much. Don’t say something like...I’m sorry.”

The eyes that are brighter than the fireworks in the sky overflow with tears, and turn into strength to overcome the mirror blocking our path.

“When it’s only the two of us, I’m just Jonah...and I want to spoil you as much as I like.”]

ASDFKJWEIH;KAFJJE;LSAKFSD

I CAN ALREADY SENSE THE ABSOLUTE ANGST IN THIS ROUTE

IN HIS ORIGINAL ROUTE HE HAS TO ABANDON THE RED ARMY AND NOW IN HIS EVER AFTER HE HAS TO ABANDON HIS FAMILY TOO????? ESPECIALLY AS WE ALL KNOW HOW MUCH THE CRIMSON LINEAGE MEANS TO HIM??????????????????

And something I also really like is how the themes from the original route extends into his sequel, like the parts about “never apologizing” and “I can only be myself when I’m with you.” It just makes it feel more like a sequel and adds a better sense of completion uwu

ALSO JONAH’S TEARS ARE GOING TO DESTROY ME Y’ALL WILL SEE ME SOBBING ON TUMBLR WHEN I GET TO THAT PART

.

Here’s the mini talk list:

Luka + Sirius: please tell me about your families!

This one is already out, so here’s the screenshots!

[Translation:

Sirius: My home is always full of flowers, it’s a place that makes your mood lift.

Luka: Yeah...as opposed to Sirius’s family, mine was very quiet.

Luka: Even though it had always been pretty quiet...but ever since “that person” left home, it became even quieter.

Luka: Maybe it was because my family weren’t interested in me, so that’s why it feels so quiet.

Sirius: Haven’t you ever had experiences of playing noisily with Jonah in your home before?

Luka: No. We’re different from Sirius’s family...but there was only one time.

Luka: When I was young, that person had brought me out secretly before.

Luka: The both of us ran around and played in the secret courtyard that person found...

Luka: Until the skies grew dark.

Sirius: ...Is that so. Where is that courtyard full of memories? Is it close to your home?

Luka: I don’t know, I can’t remember...but, it doesn’t matter if I can’t remember it.

Luka: Now I think...it’s alright if that courtyard only exists in my memory.]

*deep breath*

ALKL;KCVKNCKDSA;KWOIWQOIK;FDMX;LZDS;ALKSJFA;LKJ

AKD;XJCEWQ8RJEIU;ANFVDFJSVVF’WDOIJ

;NWEFFKKGDMZXCKCERTIIUIBRI;JDSFJSMF;JLAEKF;LEQKJBNCM

FIRST OF ALL

A SECRET COURYARD???????? THAT JONAH FOUND?????????????? AND BROUGHT LUKA THERE TO PLAY???????????????????????? BUT ONLY ONCE???????????????????????????????????

I wonder how he managed to find it? But also it was to be expected that he would bring Luka bc he always wants to share what he loves with Luka (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡

Also just imagine the little Clemence bros running around and playing (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡ ♡ ♡

But like...

OH MY GOD LUKA WHAT HAVE YOU GONE THROUGH ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚

It’s so sadddddddd to think that the Clemence house got even quieter when Jonah left. Also I can’t figure out if Jonah “leaving” means that he left to go to boarding school or if he left to join the Red Army, but that was probably when Luka started to hate Jonah for abandoning him. I can’t imagine what it’s like to grow up in such a quiet and cold place and to have it grow even quieter and colder when the one person you thought cared about you left because now he has other things that are more important than you (/□＼*)・゜

Edgar + Kyle: can love between people of different social statuses exist?

The rest of these aren’t released at the moment I wrote this, so I’m mainly just going to be addressing my predictions!

So it’s clear that Jonah and MC are considered to be from different social ranks, even though MC is “Alice the Second” and has the power to nullify magic. She’s probably considered as a “commoner” in the Red Territory, so I can see why it would be difficult for Jonah and MC to get married.

And you know what else this reminds me of??? If we look at Seth’s route, we finally find out that the whole reason Cradle got divided into two was because a Red noble fell in love with a girl from a different social rank. And that romance tore a country apart, so.

Dean + Dalim: about family

Aight here we go. Are Dean and Dalim really family??? Do we finally get to find out??? Or at least get some sort of clue??? Bc I’m torn between the theory that they’re twins with amnesia or if Dean was some sort of clone created by the Magic Tower when they experimented on Dalim. And I have no idea when their routes are gonna be released, so I really hope we get more hints throughout each Ever After route.

Lancelot: Jonah’s tears

THIS IS THE SECOND MINI TALK THAT WILL DESTROY ME AFTER THE LUKA + SIRIUS ONE.

Also this is a reminder that Lancelot was probably the only one who has seen Jonah at his weakest before MC came along. It’s probably to be expected, since they’ve known each other for literally more than half their lives and also since Lancelot saved Jonah.

And technically Luka has known Jonah for the longest time, but I doubt that Jonah will ever show weakness in front of Luka because he considers himself as Luka’s protector, but it’s different in front of Lance. I feel like he can show his weaker side to Lance, and it just emphasizes how deep the relationship between them is.

SO GET READY FOR THE JONALOT FEELS WHEN THIS ONE COMES OUT.

Jonah: what is your ideal proposal?

OK I feel like this one is either gonna be super romantic or super cheesy. Or both, considering the type of person that Jonah is. But I’m gonna love it no matter what bc 1) Jonah can make even the most embarrassing situations funny and touching and 2) I’m too weak for my mille-feuille boi.

.

The screenshots for the “Peek at Romance” thing is here:

[Translation:

My dear Queen of Hearts, Jonah Clemence.

Jonah: In that party, every heir of the Clemence family will...

Jonah: Publicly introduce his fiancee, receive the acknowledgment and blessing of the whole clan, and finally step into the halls of marriage.

“What is a happy ending?”

--It’s when, the person who cannot be replaced becomes family.

Luka: Even though my brother is troublesome, and sometimes overly enthusiastic, but from now on please take care of him.

--It’s when, you become allies with the person you met.

Levie: Who hurt MC!? I’ll destroy that guy...!

Jonah: Calm down, Levie Castell. See who’s your true enemy clearly!

When he couldn’t provide an answer, it made tears overflow from his eyes.

And--while looking for an answer, it’s also possible to lose something.

Dalim: Thanks. Goodbye, princess.

Dean: I couldn’t ask any of the things I’ve been wondering before he ran...

But even so, we will still advance forward bravely.

This is all to receive the answer--to have a happy ending.

Jonah: From now on, everyone will see you as...

Jonah: The Queen of Heart’s...and also the head of the Clemence family’s wife.

Jonah: But, when there’s no one else, and when it’s just us two.

Jonah: We’ll become Jonah and MC again, and we can love each other as much as we like.

Jonah: I love you, MC.

No matter what happens, he, who is the most beautiful and pure in the world...

Will only accept a future that is even better than a happy ending...!]

I just...literally cannot express my love for this summary.

First of all I’m just gonna talk about the tone. Right off the bat MC calls him “my dear Queen” and it was just. So. CUUUUUUUUUUTE.

Also, the question and theme of “a happy ending” is brought up, and the rest of the sneak peek answers that question (it’s when the people you love become your family and the people you meet becomes your allies), but also explores how they could find those answers (Jonah crying when he couldn’t find an answer and advancing forward bravely because they just want their happy ending). And finally we finish it off with a super Jonah-like statement, announcing that he’ll accept no less than the most perfect ending of them all!

Moving on to the information revealed...it’s pretty cool how there’s a special party for the next head of the Clemence family when they’re ready to announce their marriage and gain approval. Also, it’s kinda wild to think that Jonah will eventually become a head of the family just like his father and his grandfather before that.

AND THE PART WITH LUKA AND LEVIE ARE LITERALLY SO ADORABLE. LIKE, LUKA INSULTING JONAH BUT ALSO LEAVING HIM TO MC AND LEVIE DEFENDING MC FROM PPL WHO WOULD HARM HER IS 10/10 PERFECT

Also it seems that Dean and Dalim’s backstories might be explored more but won’t be resolved just yet. I guess we really do have to wait until their routes get released to find out.

In short, this was an amazing summary of the route. WHY DO I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER MONTH UNTIL I CAN FINALLY READ THE WHOLE THING???????????????????????????

.

Also FYI, this is all completely new to me. For the other characters’ sequels, I played it through on Ikerev JP bc I can’t wait until the releases in the TW and English version that’s like, a year later. But I didn’t read Jonah’s sequel bc my Japanese isn’t super good and I wanted to read my man’s story in a language that I can completely understand so I literally have no idea of what to expect apart from what I found out in the campaign release :3

Also also I’m probably gonna be posting for every part in the story I’m going through BC I JUST LOVE JONAH THAT MUCH. I guess it would make up for my inactivity this month ^^;

[inkandpen22]

Somewhere (1/?)

Pairing: Sirius Black x Female!Reader  

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1.7k

Series Summary: Based in the early summer of ‘78, tonight Y/N is celebrating her 18th birthday. Her protective older brother and their friends take her out dancing. She envisions the perfect night! 

A/N: In this story, muggles are aware of the wizard world. The series is based on West Side Story and POV switches between Sirius and Y/N. The red dress is based of the Saturday Night Fever red dress btw lol 

Masterlist

Reader

While business slows down in the boutique, I hurry along on finishing last-minute tasks before the weekend. The goal is to get all of these orders done before closing. 

“Hey, Lauren?” I shout for my best friend as she finishes stocking up the backroom for the weekend. 

“Yeah?” She calls distantly. 

“Could you bring me two of those navy cardigans when you come back out?” I recite, looking over the shipment list in front of me. 

“Sure thing!” She complies. 

Today is my eighteenth birthday. To celebrate, my older brother, Brady, is taking me out to the disco with our friends. It’ll be the first time I can go out to a club and drink. That’s not the most exciting part of today either! I’m officially an adult, a functioning, independent, member of society. My brother and his friends will no longer see me as the youngest who’s in constant need of looking-after. Brady has always been overprotective, but Lauren has tried to help convince him that I can take care of myself. Lauren and Brady have been dating since they were in high school, almost five years now. They’ve graduated from college and Lauren is eager to be married. In my opinion, it’s only a matter of time. I can’t see either of them with anyone else. Plus, I already consider Lauren my sister. 

Lauren appears out from the backroom with a bright grin as she joins me at the register counter. “So, are you excited?” 

“Yes! It’s going to be so much fun!” I gush, practically bursting. “Finally after four years of watching you guys go out with me, I can join!” 

She gives me a knowing look, “did you ever end up showing your brother that dress you picked out?” 

I bite down on my lip, pretending to return my attention to the order sheets in front of me. I can already hear her reprimanding, Brady’s too when he sees the bright red off the shoulder dress I picked up yesterday from the shop down the street. The fact that it’s off the shoulder will go over like a led balloon. 

Lauren’s jaw drops, “Y/N!” 

“I know, I know,” I sigh, trying my best to avoid a lecture. Moving around to the other side of the counter, I head to the office with the order sheets. 

Lauren follows on my heels, “he’s never going to let you go, especially if you step out of your room in that dress and those matching heels you bought!” 

“But it’s my birthday!” I plead, turning to face her with puppy-dog eyes. “My eighteenth, the most important one! It’s my first night as an adult.” 

Lauren sighs defeatedly and I continue to express a poor, pitiful, pout. I can tell she’s on my side, but she also doesn’t want to go against her boyfriend. I understand her predicament, yet then again, my brother can be unreasonable too. 

“I’ll see what I can do,” she offers, rubbing her temples stressfully. 

I jump up and down, pulling her into a hug. “Thank you! Thank you! Oh, thank you!” I repeat profusely. If Brady is going to listen to anyone, it’s her. 

“Ah, ah, ah, don’t get excited just yet,” she parts from me with a stern expression. “Your brother won’t be happy. I will vouch for you, but it’s up to you to stay in line. Tonight is your chance to really prove to Brady that you’re not a baby anymore.” 

I nod my head frantically, “yes, yes, of course! Tonight will be perfect! Promise!” 

Lauren narrows her eyes with a smirk, unconvinced. She hums, taking the sheets of paper from me to put them in the office. 

Tonight will be perfect! I can feel it. I’ve been waiting for this night ever since I can remember. After tonight, everything will be different. 

____________________________________________

Reader

As I listen to my Gloria Gaynor record, I stare at my reflection in my full-length mirror. More specifically, I admire the red satin dress that hangs off my shoulder. It’s everything I imagined it would be. As I think about it, it’s funny, I don’t feel any older, I don’t look any older, yet I feel different. 

Over the music, I hear a series of knocks on my bedroom door. "You coming, Y/N?” Brady calls from the other side. “Lauren and the others are here!"

"In a minute,” I announce, lowering the volume of my music. “I have to do my makeup!"

"You look fine as you are!" My brother insists as I hurry into my bathroom. "Besides, someone is really excited to see you..." he insinuates.

"I have to look immaculate,” I argue, rushing to put on my makeup in front of my skin. “Plus, Jay can wait!"

Working as fast as I can, I follow a makeup tutorial Twiggy did for Cosmo. It’s crucial I perfect my eyeliner and large lashes. 

"We're just going to the disco," he huffs, growing impatient. He would never last as a girl.

"It's my eighteenth birthday!” I remind him. “It's the first time I can drink and actually go into a club. Let me do what I want!” I then shoo him away, "go entertain your friends downstairs!"

"You have ten minutes!” He announces as a form of compromise. "Everyone's waiting for us!"

Mouthing the words to Gloria’s latest album, I’m practically dancing already and we’re not even at the disco yet! If only tonight could last forever. I want to ponder every minute, every second because tomorrow will be just another day and the magic will be gone. 

Sirius

James stopped by my apartment to go over things for his wedding to Lily, but I have other plans. 

"A disco?" James repeats with a frown, rolling over to lay onto his stomach on my bed. “And why would we want to do that?” 

"Muggles really love them!” I tell my best friend as I move about my bedroom to get ready. “Plus, it’s the start of summer! We are officially Hogwarts graduates, what better way to celebrate!” 

"Why can't we just go to a bar in Diagon Alley?" He reasons. 

"You'll like this place, promise! Muggle music…” I struggle to describe it. “It’s unlike anything I've ever heard before!"

"But muggles are so... mundane,” he shakes as though he just caught a chill at the thought of them. 

"I invited Remus and others too," I mention, certain that'll help convince him to come.

"At least we'll know people, I suppose," he shrugs, at least now considering the idea. 

"Just give it a chance, James. Watch, after tonight you're going to want to spend every night of our summer holiday there!" I predict, nearly positive it’ll happen. 

"Oh alright,” he complies with a huff, rising up from my bed to get ready. “I guess we don't have anything better to do," he grumbles on his way to the door. "Plus, we won't have to worry about any Death Eaters joining in on the fun."

Reader

I hurry down the stairs, to join Brady and his friends, Jay, Adam, and Henry, in the living room. The boys and their girlfriends have already started drinking while listening to some Queen in the background. They’ve gathered around on the couches and armchairs as they’ve done countless times before and after going out together. My brother is the only one standing, leaning against the fireplace mantel with a glass of scotch. Brady is the first one to notice me enter the room, he takes in my appearance in a scan of his eyes and waves me over. Clenching his jaw, he downs the remainder of his drink. 

“What are you wearing?” He asks rhetorically, wasting no time to reprimand me. 

“A dress,” I sass. 

“Cute,” He remarks sharply, not finding amusement in my response. “Go change, now.” 

“Oh come on, please,” I beg, taking his hand pleadingly. “It’s not that revealing and it’s my birthday!” 

He shakes his head, pointing toward the steps. “Go, hurry up.” 

“One night! One night and I’ll return it first thing tomorrow!” I negotiate. 

He glances between me and his empty glass, twirling around the leftover ice cubes, clearly debating whether he should accept my offer. 

“Please…” I mutter, pouting dramatically to get a rise out of my brother. 

He huffs and turns to the group. "Alright!” He shouts to gain their attention.” All eyes shift to me and my brother. “Jay, boys, I need to keep an eye on Y/N,” Brady commands of his buddies as he wraps an arm around my waist protectively.  “It's her first night out and the last thing she needs is uninvited attention, especially from wizards," he mutters the last part with disgust.

I look up at my brother in confusion. “Do you think they'll actually go to a human club?" I ask him, the idea never once crossing my mind. 

Wizards don’t really interact with us. In fact, they’ve created a whole other system and lifestyle apart of our own to avoid us. Different schools, stores, forms of government. I would imagine they have discos of their own. 

Lauren steps forward, "they're actually considered human-"

"Lauren!" My brother barks, causing his girlfriend to bite her tongue.

"That's debatable," Brady’s best friend, Jay, grumbles disdainfully, focusing on the drink in his hand. 

Henry and Adam hum in agreement, looking at Brady like he’s a preacher. 

"If we do see some, just stay clear, okay?" Brady orders strictly. Based on the sharpness of his stare, I best not test him. 

"How will I be able to tell?" I mumble, having only seen a wizard once or twice my whole life, at least consciously. 

According to Brady, and the others, wizards have the uncanny ability to appear normal just like us. However, in recent years, there’s been trouble amongst the wizard race. There’s a group of wizards who want their society and ours to be completely separate. My family and Brady’s friends are quite fond of the idea. In fact, most people are too. It’s such a frequent topic in the news,  in addition to the tensions surrounding it,  that I’ve grown annoyed by the dramatics. 

"Believe me, you'll know,” Brady assures. “They're so dependent on their magic that they can't help but use it."

"Okay, I will..." I mutter, wondering if I’ll truly see magical-beings tonight.

_________________________

Masterlist

[starbeyy]

haikyuu pairings as my chemical romance songs pt. 2

pairings: sakuatsu, kuroken, bokuaka, asanoya cw: angst, manga spoilers part 1

Atsumu & Sakusa: The Only Hope For Me Is You

Remember me Remember me

In their own ways, both Atsumu and Sakusa have always felt like outcasts. Atsumu can’t help but feel constantly associated with his brother while Sakusa avoids social life altogether for fear of everyone disovering how truly incapable he is. As they realize their new feelings for one another, they recoil and run in opposite directions

If that’s the best that I could be Then I’d be another memory Can I be the only hope for you? Because you’re the only hope for me

With foreheads pressed together, Atsumu questions why a man like Sakusa would even look twice at him. He tells Sakusa that he’s the only hope he’s ever really had in love. Sakusa doesn’t respond, even though he wants to say the same. What if they rely so heavily on each other’s crumbling bodies that they both end up falling?

And if we can’t find where we belong We’ll have to make it on our own Face all the pain and take it on

They can run as long as they want, but love’s pursuit is unrelenting, and they always end up back in each other’s arms. If the world refuses to love them, they will love each other recklessly. They will face every ill of the world, but only if they can face it together. While they can poke fun at one another’s brokenness and deformities, no one else is granted the same permission.

Kuroo & Kenma: The Kids From Yesterday

And you only live forever in the lights you make When we were young, we used to say

It’s no mystery that they’ve always loved each other. Their parents predicted it years ago, Kuroo’s sister never shut up about it, and even Hinata would drop not-so-subtle hints to Kenma about the whole ordeal. The night that Kuroo graduated, he picked Kenma up in his car and sped down the road with his windows down to make sure their music blasted down the entire street.

That you only hear the music when your heart begins to break Now we are the kids from yesterday

‘He’s leaving’, Kenma reminds himself. The music sounds bittersweet now, especially with Kuroo’s departure on the horizon. Perhaps that’s why Kenma can’t hep but bid him goodbye with a kiss that he’s been holding off on for nearly a decade. And when they’re forced to stare at one another after the kiss breaks, they can only think about how little has changed since they were young. Kuroo keeps driving, even past the border of town, just for the illusion of freedom. It’s a moment to pretend that they can keep driving forever and ever.

We don’t care about the message or the rules they make I’ll find you when the sun goes black

Everyone told Kenma that it was foolish to be with someone who is leaving for a while. They say that Kuroo is moving onto bigger and better things, but Kenma can’t help but see himself in those bigger, better things. They promise each other to reunite, come hell or high waters. 

Akaashi & Bokuto: Demolition Lovers

I’ll let you know just how much you mean to me As snow falls on desert sky Until the end of everything

There’s nothing that can dampen the love they feel for one another, and there’s been attempts on all fronts: sickness, distance, uncertainty. But when Akaashi tells Bokuto that he wants to take a break, Bokuto doesn’t know how to respond. It isn’t that Akaashi doesn’t love Bokuto, it’s the constant uncertainty that will kill him if he continues. His mind won’t stop flooding with questions and doubts about how much he really cares for Bokuto, and he’d rather die than see Bokuto hurt by it all.

All we are, all we are is bullets, I mean this All we are, all we are is bullets, I mean this

In essence, their love is bullets shot from old guns, fast and deadly. Akaashi’s words are lethal. And as Bokuto’s face falls, he feels the bullets travel through the center of his chest. Akaashi hopes to die before he has to watch Bokuto fall in love with someone else.

Like scarecrows that fuel this flame We’re burning forever and ever

But Bokuto refuses to leave until he understands. He stands still like a statue until Akaashi explains himelf. He doesn’t understand why Akaashi would doubt, why he’d be confused about their love. Why isn’t there anything he can do? Why can’t he make it all better by just loving him even more than before?

And as we’re touching hands, and as we’re falling down I’ll meet your eyes, I mean this forever

Bokuto finally concedes. Akaashi promises that he’ll come back once he’s gotten help, but as Akaashi falls into the darkness, Bokuto wishes he was doing the same. He wishes they were holding onto one another, descending into mutual madness. That’s it, Bokuto would go absolutely mad if it meant keeping Akaashi.

Asahi & Nishinoya: Summertime

When the lights go out, will you take me with you? And carry all this broken bone Through six years down in crowded rooms And highways I call home

At some point, Nishinoya grows tired of the jet-setting and the distance from home. As beautiful as the Italian landscape is, he feels infinitely more lonely every time he looks at it. He wishes there was someonoe beside him, someone accompanying him on his adventures. And when he finally returns to Japan, he fears that he’s asking far too much of an Asahi whose life is structured and composed. As they drive the country roads together, Nishinoya can only criticize himself for all his missteps.

Terrified of what I’d be As a kid, from what I’ve seen Every single day, when people try And put the pieces back together

Asahi is insistent on helping Nishinoya piece his life back together. He is even more deliberate in leaving a space for himself. He promises that Nishinoya will never feel lonely again, not if he has anything to do with it.

If you stay, I would even wait all night Or until my heart explodes How long until we find our way In the dark and out of harm?

Eventually, they agree to travel together, crawling out from beneath the suffocating air of their home and finding it, instead, in each other. And at the bases of pyramids and near the entraces to jungle trails and on the shorelines of massive oceans, Nishinoya feels most himself with Asahi beside him, planting reassuring kisses to the crown of his head.

You can run away with me Anytime you want

[izzielizzie]

Milhouse by Maisie Peters for Pip and Ravi?

Under the cut

I think it's all gonna work out And I thought that yesterday and when I was sixteen

Pip, Connor, and Cara sit at Pip’s kitchen table the day after Jamie is found. They try to talk, once or twice, but it drifts into nothing before any of them can figure out the end of their sentences. 

“I’m sorry, Pip,” Connor says.

Pip shakes her head at him, her way of telling him he has nothing to apologize for. She’s not quite sure what he’s talking about: Stanley or Max or what, but she wants to kick herself.

And both of those times it didn't, but

She truly thought that everything was going to be okay. Maybe she should have learned from last time, but some things just can’t be predicted. When Pip’s doorbell opens, no one bothers to answer it, and when Josh runs to get it, Pip doesn’t even bother to warn him about checking first before answering. She just doesn’t think she can talk over the scream building up inside her. When Ravi enters the room, clapping Connor on the shoulder and squeezing Cara’s hand gently, Pip doesn’t even notice. She’s trying so hard to not break down that she doesn’t even feel Ravi wrapping her in his arms, putting her back in place. She wraps her arms around him instinctively. 

I think it's all gonna work out

With a sigh, Pip rests her head on his shoulder, his chin digging into the top of her head, and for the first time since yesterday, she closes her eyes. 

Don't need a blood moon or a horoscope to tell me That this time will be different

“We’ll get Max in jail,” Ravi whispers into her hair, and to Cara and Connor too.

Pip just tightens her arms around him, letting herself believe that again, just for a moment.

A little drop of honey and the picture's clearing up

Pip sneezes as she reviews the witness statements from the calamity parties.

“Are you sick?” Cara asks, concerned.

“Nah, it’s just -” Pip interrupts herself to sneeze again. “Seasonal allergies.”

Wordlessly Ravi stands from the table and heads to the cabinet over the sink where he pulls out the bottle of honey. Pip doesn’t question how he knows the layout of her kitchen, or why he’s squeezing the honey onto a spoon. He hands it to her. 

“Eat it, it’ll help.”

Pip takes the spoon.

“Why?” Connor asks as he watches Pip slowly eat the honey.

“Something to do with pollen, I’m not sure. My mom uses this trick, it always helps.”

Pip extends her leg and tucks her foot under Ravi’s thigh in a silent thank you.

Cup of coffee spilling over Oh, cleaning all my cards

Three days later, Pip puts a cup of coffee on the table next to Ravi, the drink sloshing onto the counter, staining the corner of the picture Ravi is looking at. 

“Careful Sarge,” he says, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her into him. She drops into his lap. “Can’t stain the pictures.”

“Technically, coffee is an abrasive, so really, you should be thanking me.”

Ravi rests his head on her shoulder. “Only you’d know that.”

A pessimist by nature, but in you baby I trust

Pip watches as Ravi hops around her room, grinning at her. “Pip this is a lead. A real lead!”

“I know,” Pip says with a grin as she reads the interview Ravi convinced a previously reluctant witness to give. 

Ravi stops hopping. “You think that? Really? I thought you said you weren’t going to hope about this.”

“I know, but, I trust you.”

Ravi grins at her, his eyes crinkling in a way that makes her heart ache. 

“And I’m so proud too.”

Oh, everything's coming up Milhouse

Ravi pulls her up from the bed and pulls her into a tight hug. “Pippa, I prouder of you than you can ever be of me.”

Pip hugs Ravi so tightly he has to physically push her away to breathe, laughing as he does. 

I think it's gonna be good news 'Cause you deserve it and we're somewhat decent people

“This just a preliminary hearing,” Pip keeps reminding Cara and Connor as they sit in front of the TV.

“We know,” Connor says. Pip wasn’t sure Max would have been tried again, since double jeopardy wasn’t allowed, but a new girl had stepped forward. 

“You keep telling us,” Cara adds.

“She’s mostly reminding herself,” Ravi assures them as he pulls Pip into his lap. “This is going to work out. I know it.”

“Why?” Pip asks.

“Because we’re good people trying to do the right thing, and I think in the universe will acknowledge that.”

Or at least trying to be

“I hope so,” Pip says, thinking briefly of Stanly before pushing the thought away by pulling Ravi’s arms from is side, wrapping them around her torso. 

And the world is awful and the ice caps they are melting

“Maybe we should tackle climate change next,” Connor says a few days later. They’re stuck in the limbo where they’ve done everything the could, but still know that it wasn’t enough.  

Cara throws a kernel of popcorn at him to get him to shut up. He catches it in his mouth, chewing meditatively.

“Someone’s gotta fix the ice caps right?” he continues. He glances at Pip’s tired eyes and sighs. “It’ll work out,” he says as Ravi pushes through the back door.

But today you bought me flowers

Pip sees him hide something behind his back out of the corner of her eye. 

“What is that?” Cara asks. 

“A surprise for Pip.” 

Pip looks up from the text book she’s been staring at for an hour to see Ravi holding a bouquet of pink roses. Her favorite. She laughs as the takes them from him, instantly smelling them. 

So, I'm choosing to believe

“Maybe it will work out,” Pip says, her voice dry as she leans up to kiss Ravi.

“What?” he asks. 

“Talking to Connor.”

The future is a wishing well And I'm gonna invest

After Cara and Connor leave, Pip finds herself stretched out on the couch next to Ravi. 

“Do you think this will stay the same when we’re older?” she asks, apropos of nothing. 

“Murder and other unpleasantries? I sure hope not.”

“No, I mean us,” Pip says in her serious voice. 

Ravi looks at her. “I think there can only be so many bad things in a person’s life. And we’ve hit the max.” Ravi laughs as he adopts his sailor voice. “It’s smooth sailing from here baby.”

Pip snorts. Secretly, she thinks of the world as a wishing well, where if she hopes enough, she’ll get something.

Throw a couple of pounds in Oh, lying on your chest

And she sure hopes that she’ll stay with Ravi forever. “I love you,” she mumbles as she rests her head on his chest. His hand moves to her back.

“I love you too Sarge.”

A pessimist by nature, but in you baby I trust

Pip and Ravi watch the next trial together, their fingers intertwined. “This will work out.”

Pip leans against him.

Oh everything's, coming up Milhouse

“I hope so,” she says, reaching up to fondly push his hair off his forehead. 

Sorry it's strange that I'm crying

It takes three days for the verdict to come, and on the first excruciating day, Connor, Cara, and Pip find themselves in the center of town, getting ice cream. Unfortunately, Ant and Lauren are there too.

“Enjoying the free press?” Ant snickers as they leave the shop at the same time as the couple. The three of them are meeting Ravi for a walk, despite the rain, and they were all blocked from exiting by the newspaper reporter who had replaced Stanley. 

Before any of them can answer, Ravi, who had reached them right as Ant spoke, pushes Ant against the wall. 

“Here’s a suggestion Anthony,” Ravi says menacingly as Lauren tries and fails to push Ravi away. With a scoff Cara shoves Lauren into Connor. Ravi ignores them. “Stay away from Pip. I mean it. Stay the fuck away from her or else.” He releases Ant unscathed, and as they scamper away, Pip can feel the tears falling to fall onto her shirt. Connor notices first. 

“Pip?” 

Ravi sees and pulls her into a hug. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry” he repeats as he rocks her back and forth, Pip sobbing into his chest. Cara rubs her back.

Think it's because you're the one

“No, it’s not that,” Pip says as she pulls away. “I just can’t take this anymore. I can deal with all the comments, but from my friends? i can’t.”

“They’re not your friends, not anymore,” Connor says darkly.

“We are,” Cara adds. Pip sniffles and nods. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” She wipes her eyes and turns to Ravi. “Thank you for defending me.” 

Ravi drops into an exaggerated bow. “Anything for you Trouble.”

I think it's all gonna work out And I thought that yesterday and when I was sixteen

Pip, Cara, Ravi, and Connor pile onto Pip’s bed as the verdict comes in. She thinks about the way she felt the first time around. 

And both of those times it didn't

She was broken when she heard Max’s first verdict. Maybe she had always been broken, but that was the first time she felt it.

But a little drop of honey and a little glass of rain

And as she squeezes Cara’s hand now, she realizes that in the past month or so, she’s slowly been put back together. She thinks of Ravi quietly handing her the honey because he knew she would work through anything and a little sniffle would be ignored entirely. She thinks about how he defended her against Ant without a second thought. She thinks about every quiet moment where Ravi helped her put her pieces back together. And she realizes how grateful she is. 

Babe you'll be surprised, how much a girl can change

She turns to Ravi with a smile, and as she hears the announcer gear up to say the verdict, she knows that maybe this was always supposed to happen: she had to struggle to know what love and happiness feels like.

“I love you,” she whispers to Ravi as the announcer speaks:

“Guilty.”