#they're amazing but for some reason I don't see them apart of the story?

[syuga-s]

i made my fiancés tinder profile

w.c. 8.5k pairing. non-idol!jeon jungkook x fem!reader genre. cute and angsty friends to lovers <333 a/n. idk guys i wrote this like a month ago but I JUST GOT THE ENERGY TO POST IT so i apologize in advance if you find mistakes here and there, ALSO i made the playlist that inspired me to make this fic so i'll just leave it here if you want to give it a listen or save it don't look at my other playlists tho they're a mess 🦦

You always thought you were pretty good at giving dating advice. It’s easier when you’re not the one doing the dating, right? That’s how it all started with Jungkook. You two were chilling at your apartment one lazy Sunday afternoon when you suddenly blurted out, “Why are you still single, Jungkook? You’re amazing, good-looking, and fun. You should at least be on like three different dating apps.”

He laughed, running a hand through his hair in that effortlessly cool way he always did. “Dunno' just haven’t found the right person,” he said with a smile that made you heart do a weird little flip. “I don’t think I’m good at dating, haha.”

“You’re ridiculous,” you shot back, sitting up. “Let's make you an account. We’ll get you some matches in no time.”

He hesitated for a second, then shrugged. “Sure, let's do it.”

And that’s how you ended up setting up his profile, not realizing that this would be the beginning of the end of your denial and the start of a love story you never saw coming.

You grabbed his phone and he settled onto the couch next to you. “Okay, first things first. We need some killer photos. Let’s start with your main picture.”

You opened the camera app. You sat there, looking at his phone for a minute before he let out a loud laugh.

You looked up. “What is it?"

He grinned, pointing at something behind you. "It's just Tae taking a picture of us setting up a dating profile," Jungkook said, chuckling.

You turned around to see Taehyung standing in the doorway, holding his phone up with a huge grin on his face. "Don't mind me," Taehyung sang out, winking at the two of you. "Just capturing this for posterity."

Tae showed Jungkook the picture and a fit of laughter erupted again, now from the two of them. "Your face! You look so focused and super serious right now."

Rolling your eyes, you lightly smacked his arm. "This is serious business! We need to find the perfect picture to reel in all the potential matches."

Then you started browsing through his photo gallery to curate the most attractive selection of pictures.

There you had him on the gym doing weights, him on his boxing gear, with his dogs, him doing the dishes with a strangely tight black shirt, a few selfies on his car, with his motorcycle. You could sell a whole album with his photos, how on earth would you do him justice and only choose 10 of them?

"Why is this so hard?"

Jungkook chuckled. "Because you're not choosing photos for a profile, you're trying to find a reason to stare at me and my body for too long."

"Boy, I'm trying to help you here, and if I'm gonna do it, I might as well do this like a professional matchmaker." You retorted.

His eyebrows furrowed. "When have you ever paired someone up?"

You smiled smugly. "That's none of your business, Jeon."

"It is, actually, since you're helping me with this thing."

"Fine, if you must know, I hooked up one my friend's older sister with my college roommate."

"Really? How did that go?" He asked, curious.

"Pretty well, they've been together for a couple years now." You answered, still going through his photos.

"Wasn't your college roommate that guy with the blue hair?" He asked, his tone changing slightly.

"Uh-huh, why?"

"Wasn't he the guy you were dating during our third year?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

"How can you forget about him?" He sounded annoyed. "You spent an entire week crying in my bed because he broke up with you."

"Oh my god, did I? I don't recall." You were playing dumb, of course you remembered but there was no need to talk about that. "What do you think of this one?" It was a shirtless picture, point blank.

"I think you look kinda slutty but everyone's gonna eat it up, you'll get a date in no time." You continued.

"I am not posting a shirtless picture, are you crazy?" He snatched the phone from your hand.

"Well, it's not like we're gonna sell the damn picture, it's just your torso and the picture is really nice, you look good, I don't know why you're making such a fuss."

He didn't say anything, just looked at you.

"What? I'm complimenting you, it's the truth." You rolled your eyes.

"Okay, thank you." He was blushing.

"Are you blushing?" You asked, amused.

"No, it's just really hot in here." He took off his hoodie, throwing it somewhere in your living room.

You didn't even realize how close he was sitting next to you. It wasn't like it was the first time he'd been on your couch, but something felt different today. It was strange.

All the photos that you chose showcased different aspects of Jungkook's personality. Each photo told a story about him - his love for his dogs, his passion for staying active, his playful side with silly selfies. As you scrolled through his gallery, you couldn't help but notice the genuine smile on his face in many of the pictures, a smile that seemed to light up the whole world.

After him putting up a fight on choosing his favorite photos of him, next you had to write him something for his bio.

Jungkook leaned in closer to read over your shoulder.

"This is stupid, what do you want me to write? My name, my age, my occupation?" He was whining.

"Yes, those things obviously, but also things like, I don't know a joke or something to sum up your personality. I want them to know you're fun and cute, mind-blowingly good at everything, something along those lines."

"I am mind-blowingly good at everything." He said, his tone confident.

You rolled your eyes.

"So let's say, what if I write 'shit i'd date the hell out of me', you like it?" You asked him with a smile.

He laughed. "I do, I really do."

"Okay, it's settled." You wrote down the phrase, and a bunch of things about him.

"Now we just have to add something that will hook them up."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, just be honest. Just, don't write that you're looking for a girl to have sex with."

"But I am looking for a girl to have sex with." Blank expression on his face.

"You are so dumb sometimes." You threw a pillow at his face.

He caught it mid-air. "God, you know I'm not look— this was YOUR IDEA IN THE FIRST PLACE!" He yelled, trying to defend himself.

"Yeah, but, just write something that will make you look not like a manwhore."

He thought for a moment. "I know, I got it."

"Okay, shoot."

"I'm a manwhore." He had the brightest smile.

"Oh, for the love of..." You couldn't help but laugh at his antics. "Alright, fine. If that's what you want to go with, who am I to stop you?"

You two were done, and he was already getting notifications.

"Woah, that was... surprisingly fast." He was surprised, and you were proud of yourself.

"Of course, you're hot and cute. We don't see your type in dating apps very often."

He gave you a weird look, you couldn't quite figure out. "Thanks?"

"No worries, I'm sure you'll find someone in no time." You patted him on the back as you were getting up and ready to go to the kitchen and make some dinner. "See who you like and I'll help you on how to ask them on a date."

"Okay." He smiled.

"What are you smiling at? Are you looking at them already?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to see which one of these girls will be our first victim."

"Don't call them victims." You laughed.

The truth is that Jungkook only agreed to this because he loves spending time with you.

As you busied yourself in the kitchen, Jungkook couldn't shake the warmth spreading through his chest. He scrolled through the notifications on his phone, half-heartedly swiping left and right. His mind wasn't on finding a date; it was on you.

He couldn't believe he agreed to this. Making a profile on Tinder just to humor the best friend he was in love with, seemed harmless at first, but now, seeing the app light up with potential matches, he felt burdened. He wasn't here to date. He was here because he wanted to be closer to you, even if it meant pretending to search for someone else.

Each time a new message popped up, he found himself wondering if you'd approve. Would you laugh at the cheesy pickup lines together? Would you help him craft witty responses? He realized he didn't care about meeting any of these girls; he only cared about spending time with you.

But as much as he tried to focus on the dating app in front of him, his thoughts kept drifting back to you. To the way you laughed and teased him, to the way you always seemed to know what he needed even when he didn't realize it himself. Jungkook found himself longing for something he couldn't quite name, a feeling that stirred deep within him whenever he was near you.

He sighed, setting his phone down on the coffee table as he leaned back on the couch because he didn't bother looking through any of the profiles. Instead he made his way to the kitchen, where you were standing over a pot, stirring absentmindedly.

He stepped up behind you, watching as you stirred. His chest was warm, and he had a strange urge to wrap his arms around you and nuzzle his nose into your neck.

"Hey," he said, his voice soft.

You turned your head slightly, not looking at him but smiling. "Hey."

Jungkook took a step closer, placing his hand over yours. "Let me help," he said.

You handed him the wooden spoon, your fingers brushing against his in the exchange. He stirred the pot gently, mirroring the way he wanted to handle your heart. Neither of you spoke, the only sound filling the room was the clinking of utensils against the pot.

"You okay there?" Your voice broke through his daydreaming.

He answered you softly while running a hand through his hair nervously. "Yeah, just... thinking."

As the aroma of the dish wafted through the air, you felt his warmth seeping into you, comforting and familiar. You couldn't ignore the heavy tension that hung between you, thick like a fog.

He cleared his throat, breaking the spell. "So... what do we do now?" His voice was low, almost a whisper.

You turned around to face him, his eyes searching yours for answers neither of you dared to voice. "We eat dummy," you said with a laugh.

You and Jungkook sat down for dinner, the tension from earlier still lingering between you. As you ate, you caught each other stealing glances when the other wasn't looking.

"So...have you looked at any of the matches yet?" you asked, trying to break the silence.

Jungkook shifted in his seat. "A few, but no one really caught my eye," he said evasively.

You nodded, poking at your food. "Well if you see anyone you like, let me know. I want to help."

"Thanks, I will," Jungkook said with a small smile.

You returned the smile weakly, a pang in your chest at the thought of Jungkook dating someone else. You had pushed the feelings down for so long, not wanting to jeopardize your friendship. But your dumb decision of making him a dating profile forced you to confront how you really felt.

After you finished eating together, Jungkook helped you with the dishes. You dried off your hands, and he was ready to leave. Almost as if he was on a rush.

"Thanks for making dinner," he said with a smile.

You nodded. "Of course, you know I love having you over."

You stood at the door awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

Jungkook cleared his throat. "I'll text you," he said.

You gave him a thumbs-up, your voice coming out more high-pitched than normal. "Yeah, cool. See ya later."

He chuckled and leaned down to give you a hug. You wrapped your arms around him, breathing in his scent. You held him a little longer than necessary, wanting to memorize the feeling of his arms enveloping you.

Jungkook's hand lingered on your shoulder as he pulled away.

"Goodnight," he said softly, his thumb brushing against your cheek before he turned to leave. You watched him go, feeling a mix of emotions swirling inside you. As the door closed behind him, you leaned against it, aching with the realization that you might have just pushed away the one person who meant more to you than just a friend.

If only you had the courage to do something.

The following week, you found yourself cleaning your house, the mess had piled up and you had a bunch of your clothes all over the place and that's when you found Jungkook's hoodie from last week. It had fallen between your couch and the wall, so you pulled it out with a considerable amount of force. That's when his iPod fell to the ground.

He still uses this thing? The corners of your mouth turned up involuntarily as you recalled teasing him about the ancient device.

You were surprised, most people uses their phones, or maybe he still has this thing because it was a present from you. If you hadn't seen it you wouldn't have remembered that you had given him this iPod for Christmas like 7 years ago.

You took the device in your hand and turned it on. You figured it would be nice to hear his playlists while you kept cleaning.

You should have just connected it and played it on shuffle. But I guess humans are very nosey creatures. Creatures who love to go through someone else's things, just to see another hidden side of said person.

So, like any other normal human being, you opened his lists, and started to go through them.

"Golden mix", "Euphoria", "OST's". Those were pretty standard. "Lonely nights" a bit of a stretch, "Best of the 00s", "Dance party" and "Songs to sing along". Fork found in kitchen. And there was one more playlist that caught your attention.

Simply labeled with— "Your name."

Your heart started beating faster. What is this?

You opened the playlist and you were welcomed by a list of what it seemed like... love songs.

The first one was "Best Friend". You didn't know what to think. Why did he have a playlist with songs like "Kiss me" by Matt Maltese, "Mountains" by Charlotte Day Wilson, "Making Time" by Rex Orange County. All love songs.

Then it hit you. He's in love.

You started panicking. Your heart racing with thoughts you couldn't ignore any longer. The playlist named after you echoed in your mind.

You couldn't believe it. Jungkook, your best friend, the one who always seemed so casual and carefree, had a playlist dedicated to you filled with love songs. Your mind raced as you tried to process this new information. Was it possible that he felt the same way you did? That the tension between you wasn't one-sided after all?

You sat down on the couch, still holding his iPod in your hands. The weight of it felt heavier now, as if it held all the unspoken words and emotions that had been swirling between you and Jungkook. You couldn't bring yourself to put it down; instead, you scrolled through the playlist again, each song title tugging at your heartstrings.

A sense of warmth washed over you, mingled with fear and uncertainty. What should you do now? Should you confront Jungkook about the playlist, lay all your cards on the table and risk changing everything between you? Or should you keep quiet, pretend you never stumbled upon this precious list?

You knew there was something going on, you weren't stupid. But you couldn't bring yourself to accept the possibility that the guy you love, might like you back. It's easier to pretend like nothing is happening. You have built this whole imaginary life with him in your head, but not once did you consider that it might be a two-way street.

"I already said I'm in love with you Can't you hear me? Why do you act like you don't? You know well the spark in my eyes when I look at you Can't you see it? Why do you act like you don't?"

You had been listening to the song on repeat for an hour. It was stuck in your head. Your heart was aching.

The reality was finally sinking in.

"He's in love with me," you whispered to yourself, the realization hitting you like a tidal wave. It explained so much—his kindness, his attentiveness, even his willingness to go along with making a stupid profile for a stupid dating app. But you had built walls around your heart, afraid to acknowledge the possibility that your feelings were reciprocated.

You felt a surge of emotions, a mix of joy and fear swirling inside you. Jungkook's unspoken confession through his playlist left you feeling exposed and vulnerable, yet strangely hopeful.

"Falling" played softly through the speakers, its lyrics painting a picture of longing and uncertainty. It mirrored your own inner turmoil, the battle between fear and listening to your heart for once.

You had spent so long convincing yourself that this was just a friendship, that any romantic thoughts were one-sided. Now, faced with the truth, you didn't know what to do next. Should you tell Jungkook? Should you pretend you never saw the playlist?

Your mind raced with questions, but deep down, you knew you couldn't ignore this any longer. Jungkook's feelings were out in the open, laid bare through these songs that said a lot about his emotions.

Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and let the music wash over you. Each melody, each lyric felt like a confession, a plea for you to see what had been in front of you all along.

"I already said I'm in love with you," the lyrics repeated in your mind, echoing the words you longed to hear from Jungkook himself.

The weight of the situation settled over you. You constructed the exact same playlist on your own phone, replaying it endlessly, searching for answers in the same songs he had chosen. It became a ritual, a way to understand what Jungkook hadn't yet said aloud. Each track felt like a message, a confession hidden in plain sight.

As days passed, the playlist became a lifeline, a connection to Jungkook that transcended words. You wondered if he knew the impact his secret gesture had on you, if he realized how deeply you analyzed each song, each lyric, each subtle hint of affection.

It was as if the playlist had become a conversation between your hearts, a silent dialogue that spoke volumes about your unspoken emotions. You couldn't deny the truth any longer—the love you felt for Jungkook had bloomed quietly, nurtured by his unwavering presence in your life and it reflected in the selection of songs carefully chosen by him.

And so you continued to listen, to immerse yourself in the music that spoke of love and longing. It was a soundtrack to his emotions, a testament to the unspeakable love that had grown between you and him.

The guys had planned a small gathering at your house. Hoseok, Jimin and Tae arrived at the same time around 8:00 p.m. with food, drinks and Cards Against Humanity. They were already having fun when they rang the bell.

"Hey," you said as you opened the door.

"Hey!" they greeted you.

You all headed towards the living room and they placed the things they brought on the table.

You chuckled, feeling a wave of warmth at their enthusiasm. "Thanks for coming, guys. I've got the place ready—cleaned up only for you the other day," you teased, motioning towards the neatly arranged living room.

As you all settled in, chatting and unpacking the snacks and games, there was a noticeable absence. Jungkook hadn't arrived yet, and though you tried not to dwell on it, his absence didn't go unnoticed by your friends.

"Where's Jungkook?" Tae finally asked, voicing the question that lingered in the air.

You shrugged nonchalantly, though your heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name. "Not sure. He said he might be a bit late."

Hoseok raised an eyebrow, exchanging a knowing look with Jimin. "Didn't he say he was gonna meet with someone from Tinder?"

"Tinder?"

"You know, the dating app," Tae chimed in, taking a bite of a snack.

"I know what Tinder is Tae,” you replied with a laugh, trying to keep your cool.

"So you didn't know he was on a date?"

"No, he didn't tell me. Are you serious? He's on a date right now?" Your voice came out louder than expected, and you cursed yourself for the slip.

Jimin frowned, concerned. "Are you okay, Y/N?"

You waved dismissively, trying to downplay the hurt and disappointment. "Yeah, all good... well, more food and games for us until he gets here."

You tried to push down the gnawing feeling of jealousy that threatened to surface at the thought of Jungkook on a date with someone else. The idea of him with another person stirred up emotions you had been trying so hard to accept the past days. You forced a smile as you joined in the banter and laughter, attempting to bury your own conflicting emotions.

Despite their casual remarks, you couldn't shake the unease settling in your stomach. You hoped Jungkook would arrive soon, eager for his presence to dispel the nervous tension building within you.

The minutes ticked by, filled with laughter and infinite jokes over Cards Against Humanity. Each time the doorbell rang, you found yourself tensing, hoping it was him. But each time, it turned out to be someone else—a delivery person, one of your neighbors...

As the evening progressed, you couldn't help but steal glances at your phone, checking for any messages from Jungkook. But you decided not to keep waiting and decided to send him a text first.

'whats taking you so longggggggg' it read.

He replied instantly. 'i'm outside, coming now'

You put down your phone, your heart pounding. A few seconds later, you heard familiar footsteps approaching and there was a knock on the door. You got up, heading towards the door.

"He's here!" Tae exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face as he jumped up to answer the door with you.

You held your breath as Jungkook stepped inside, a sheepish smile on his lips as he greeted everyone. His eyes met yours briefly, and for a moment, the world seemed to slow down.

"Sorry I'm late guys," Jungkook said, setting down a bag of drinks next to Tae's.

Jimin smirked teasingly. "Lost track of time, huh?"

Jungkook chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Haha nah,"

Absolutely not. It was a disaster. Why did I agree to this? She seemed nice enough online, he thought, but in person... It just wasn’t there. The conversation felt forced, and I couldn’t wait for it to end. He grimaced, recalling how he struggled to find common ground and forced a laugh at her jokes. I should've been with y/n tonight, helping her get everything ready for this.

Of course, all of that stayed in his head. He was embarrassed to tell everyone how much he hated meeting someone new. It would just give your friends the opening to tease him more about it.

"Well, you made it, and we're all here now. So let's start" you suggested, breaking the silence.

His eyes sought out yours, finding a mix of emotions reflected back at him—surprise, curiosity, and something he couldn't quite place.

Everyone nodded in agreement and moved to gather around the coffee table, pulling your cushions closer.

With Jungkook's presence, the gathering felt complete, as if a missing piece had been found.

And as you all laughed and played into the night, you couldn't ignore the way Jungkook's gaze lingered on you, a silent reassurance of the feelings you'd been trying to suppress.

"I'm going to take a photo of this." Tae announced, lifting up his beer.

You and the others followed suit, holding your drinks up and smiling. Jungkook on your right got closer to you for the picture, cheek to cheek, his scent surrounding you. You wanted to lean in and practically inhale him.

"Perfect." Tae snapped the shot, and then showed it to the group. "What do you think, everyone?"

Everyone agreed that it was a good photo.

"We all look great," Tae said.

"But not as good as those two," Hoseok joked.

You rolled your eyes. "Please."

"It's true," Hoseok insisted. "You guys look good together."

Jimin nodded, taking another sip of his drink. "They're right. You’d make a cute couple."

Jungkook felt shy at their words. It's not like he was trying to hide his feelings for you, but he hadn't exactly made his intentions known, either. It was frustrating, wanting to be closer to you but not knowing how.

At least it was encouraging to know that your closest friends were seeing you both that way. That meant he had hope, right?

"Okay, that's enough," you said, feeling your cheeks heat up. "Let's keep playing."

As the game resumed, the group's attention shifted back to the cards.

You cleared your throat, shifting awkwardly on the cushion. "So... how was your date?"

Jungkook winced, not meeting your eyes. "It was okay," he said, his tone lacking enthusiasm.

You bit your lip, curiosity gnawing at you. "Just okay? What happened?"

Jungkook shook his head, still not meeting your gaze. "I don't know. It just didn't feel right, I guess."

You tilted your head, searching his face. "What do you mean?"

Jungkook shrugged, a sheepish expression on his face. "It was just... awkward. We didn't really click. I don't know."

Your chest tightened, a mix of emotions swirling inside. "Oh," you managed, turning back to the game. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not good at this kind of thing, you know? Meeting new people, going on dates. It's hard for me. I'd rather be with people I already know and trust."

You knew what he meant. The same went for you. It was hard enough trying to navigate your feelings without having to worry about other people, too.

You nodded, giving him a small smile. "I get it."

"I just wish it could be easier, you know? Like, finding someone you actually like who happens to also like you back, and not having to worry about anything else. Just enjoying each other's company."

Your breath caught, your mind reeling from his words. And from the way he was looking at you, you could tell he wasn't just talking about friendship.

"Why would you say something like that?" you questioned, the words tumbling out before you could stop them.

Jungkook's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? Say something like what?"

"That you wish you could be with someone who actually likes you and not have to worry about anything else."

"I... because it's true. I don't want to go on stupid dates anymore, I want to be with someone I care about. Someone I can laugh and have fun with."

You swallowed, your pulse quickening.

"Someone like who?"

Jungkook exhaled, a nervous smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I think you know who," he said quietly.

You stared at him, speechless, as his words sunk in. Your heart was racing, your body buzzing with adrenaline.

Hoseok, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly made himself heard, "I think I'm stuck in your bathroom!"

You and Jungkook turned to find your friend, who sounded flustered and slightly panicked. Jimin and Tae burst into laughter, trying to contain themselves as Hoseok continued to tug at the bathroom door.

"What do you mean you're stuck?" Jimin managed to ask between giggles.

Hoseok yelled helplessly. "I went in to use the bathroom, and now the door won't open!"

Jungkook glanced at you with a bemused smile, the tension from earlier dissipating with the absurdity of the situation. "Seriously, Hobi?" he chuckled.

Hoseok sounded exasperated. "It's not funny! How am I supposed to get out of here?"

"I'll go get some tools," Tae offered, still chuckling as he headed towards the kitchen.

You stepped closer to the bathroom door, trying to assess the situation. "It's just stuck. Let me try," you suggested, reaching for the handle and giving it a firm tug.

To everyone's surprise, the door swung open easily, revealing Hoseok looking both relieved and slightly embarrassed. "Oh, thanks, I swear it was stuck…"

Jimin clapped Hoseok on the back, still laughing. "Sure it was, Hobi. Sure."

The rest of the evening passed by in a blur of laughter and games, and despite the lingering awkwardness from earlier, you were glad that the night had gone well.

It was close to 2:00 a.m. when your friends finally began to call it a night, and you were exhausted.

"Thanks again for coming, everyone. I had a lot of funnnn," you said, giving them each a hug goodbye.

Jungkook was still on your kitchen helping you clean up all the mess you made. Drying the dishes and placing the glasses on your cabinets. You were cleaning up the table when he walked up to you.

"Need any help?"

"I'm done, thank you."

"Are you sure?"

"I am, thanks Kookie,"

You started walking towards your room when you heard him speak up.

"I really liked being here tonight."

"I know it was a lot of fun," you replied with a small smile. You grabbed his hoodie and his iPod to return them. Staring at the endearing device. Almost as if it were something fragile.

"I'm glad you had a good time," you responded as you walked back to the kitchen, handing him back his belongings. As you stood there in the dimly lit room, a comfortable silence settled between you. Jungkook's gaze was intense as he looked at you, his eyes searching yours for something unspoken.

Jungkook paused his moves, as if weighing his next words carefully. "I was thinking... maybe we could hang out again this week, just the two of us."

"What about the girl from Tinder?" you asked as you returned to face him, your tone sharper than you intended.

Jungkook frowned, confusion clouding his features. "What are you talking about? You know I went on one date. I told you it was a disaster."

You sighed, suddenly feeling foolish. "Yeah, I know, don't know why I asked that, haha" you muttered. "Didn't know you still used this thing,"

He smiled, his fingers brushing over the iPod. "I still love my music in here, you know, it sounds a lot better"

"Yeah, that's what I thought,"

He looked at you intently, and the air between you seemed to grow heavy.

"I've missed spending time with you, Y/N."

Your breath caught in your throat, your pulse quickening as you stared at him. "Me too," you whispered.

"So, is that a yes?"

"A yes to what?"

"The offer to hang out,"

"Oh, right. Um, yeah, sure. Sounds nice."

Jungkook's face lit up. "Cool. Well, I guess I'll see you later, then." With a final smile, he turned and left.

You watched him go and your mind was spinning. Jungkook's words echoed in your head, his words sending a flutter through your chest. You couldn't help but grin. Maybe there was hope for you two after all.

The following day, you woke up to the sun streaming in through your curtains, illuminating the room in a soft glow. You stretched lazily, savoring the warmth of your bed, before reluctantly climbing out and heading to the bathroom to wash up.

Unconciously, you began to shut yourself out. You had spent the whole night awake, thoughts about the possibility of being with your best friend swirling around your head, preventing you from falling asleep.

As you brushed your teeth, you heard your phone buzz. It was a text from him.

'Good morning'

A smile tugged at your lips, butterflies erupting in your stomach.

'good morning'

'can we go out today? im craving pizza'

You bit your lip, considering the invitation. A part of you was eager to see him, but another part was worried that it might be awkward, especially after the scenarios you created in your head last night.

You ended up refusing to go out with him. And he started to get anxious. He thought he may have done something wrong. That you were actually angry for going on a date or that you no longer wanted him to be part of your life just because he went out with someone else.

Jungkook started panicking.

And so, he called the guys.

"I don't know, she's just not acting normal." he sighed.

"Did something happen the other night?" Hoseok asked, concerned.

"No, I don't think so. She didn't say anything to me,"

"So why is she mad at you?"

"I have no idea. I was hoping maybe you had an idea,"

"Did she say she was mad at you?"

"Not directly, but she didn't want to go out today,"

"Well, I'm not surprised. She's probably just tired,"

"Tired?"

"Yeah, from work and all that, she's probably exhausted. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Do you think so? You don't think she's mad at me?"

"I really don't think she is. She'll probably just want to rest for a few days, and then things will go back to normal."

Your attitude changed so suddenly. You kept on cancelling on him. It’s been weeks.

"You have to talk to her, man," Jimin said.

"What do I say? How do I bring it up? Do I just ask her why she's been avoiding me? What if she doesn't know what I'm talking about?"

"Then ask her. Don't overthink it. Just say it."

Jungkook sighed, frustrated. "You make it sound so easy,"

"Look, I'm not gonna lie to you. It's probably gonna be awkward as fuck, but you can't let it get in the way of your friendship. You've been friends for so long, and it's obviously important to both of you. If she really is mad at you, then you need to find out what's going on. But if she's not, then you need to clear the air and move on. Because otherwise, this is just gonna keep getting worse and worse for you."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm just... worried, I guess."

"I know, but don't be. Everything’s fine. It’ll work out, especially if you let her know that you like her."

"What? Are you crazy? I can't just tell her that."

"Why not?"

"Because... what if she doesn't feel the same way?"

"So what if she doesn't? You'll never know unless you tell her. And if she does feel the same way, then you can finally stop being all sad and pathetic."

"You think she likes me?"

"Well, only she can tell you that, but you'll never know if you don't talk to her. So suck it up and go for it."

"Fine. I'll talk to her."

"Good."

"But... how do I tell her?"

"Just be honest. Tell her you've been worried that something is wrong, and you want to make sure everything is okay. Then let her know how you feel. But, be prepared for her reaction. If she doesn't feel the same way, it could make things weird. But you need to deal with it and move on."

That same day you were laying down in bed, scrolling through your phone. Reading over and over the lyrics of one particular song on the playlist.

"Is there a place for me? Is there a place for us? I can't tell you how much I love you, babe Open the door Open your heart Tell me how you're feeling, I miss you so bad I'm falling to pieces"

And just like that, your phone began vibrating, your heart beating rapidly as his name flashed across the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hey, are you free? Can we talk?"

"Uhm... sure, yeah. Now?"

"If it's okay, yes."

"Okay,"

"I'm coming up now."

"Wait, wha-..."

Jungkook was already at your door, knocking frantically. You opened it for him, your heart in your throat.

He stood before you, looking determined. His eyes were wide, his hair tousled, and he was out of breath, as if he had just run a marathon.

"Sorry, I was already on my way. I had to do it now. I have to say it, because otherwise, I won't have the courage to say it some other time,"

"Okay?"

He inhaled deeply, his eyes locked on yours.

"Y/N, I really, really like you. And I've been so confused and conflicted because I've always liked you, then I started thinking that maybe there was more. And then I realized there was. I really, really like you."

You swallowed hard, the words ringing in your ears.

"I-..."

"It's okay, I just wanted you to know,"

You shook your head, struggling to comprehend what he had just told you. "I'm sorry, I'm just..."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But I had to say it."

"So, does this mean... what are you saying exactly?"

Jungkook hesitated, running a hand through his hair. "Look, Y/N, I don't expect anything from you, and I don't want things to get weird. But I just had to tell you. I'm crazy about you."

You nodded slowly, processing his words. "uh. I-... uh."

"I know it's sudden, and I'm sorry. I just couldn't hold it in anymore. But I don't want anything to change, I promise. I'll just go, and we can forget this ever happened. We can go back to the way things were, I promise. I'm sorry,"

"Jungkook, stop apologizing. It's not a bad thing, I'm just... processing. I've never had anyone say they're crazy about me before," with your phone in your hand an idea immediately came to you.

"Can I show you something?" you asked him.

"What is it?"

You walked up to him, your phone in your hand. You handed him your device and let him see your screen. There it was, the infamous playlist.

Jungkook's doe eyes widened, a small gasp escaping his lips as he noticed. "What... is this...?"

"I went through your iPod when you left your hoodie last time," you told him with an embarrassed grin. "They’re the same songs you have on yours,"

"This is so embarrassing," he groaned, his cheeks red. "You... you went through my iPod?" Jungkook asked, now with a hint of amusement in his voice.

You nodded, feeling a mix of embarrassment and relief that he wasn't angry about it. "I was curious about the music you listen to. And I found… this,”

He stared at the playlist, then back at you, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "So... does that mean you... already knew how I felt?" Jungkook asked, hope flickering in his eyes.

Your heart raced at his words, a mix of excitement and uncertainty swirling inside you. Could this really be happening? Could your long-standing friendship truly be blossoming into something more?

"Jungkook," you began, your voice barely above a whisper. "I... I like you too. More than just a friend."

"So what does this mean? That we are supposed to be together?"

"Maybe, or maybe not. It could just mean that you have great taste in music and I admire it,"

Jungkook's eyes widened with hope, a grin spreading across his face. "I've been wanting to tell you for so long, but I was afraid of ruining everything between us."

You smiled, your heart fluttering. "Me too, I’m sorry for making you worry these past few days,"

"Can I hug you?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

You nodded, wrapping your arms around his neck.

Jungkook held onto you tightly, his arms snug around your waist. You rested your chin on his shoulder, closing your eyes and inhaling his familiar scent.

After a few moments, he pulled away slightly, his hands still resting on your hips.

He looked at you with a mix of relief and uncertainty in his eyes. "So, I didn't ruin anything between us?" he murmured softly.

You shook your head, a small smile playing on your lips. "You didn't ruin anything, Jungkook. If anything, you've made everything clearer."

His shoulders relaxed slightly at your words, a hint of a smile returning to his face. "I'm glad."

"I'm glad too," you began again, your voice steady but tinged with nervousness. "But I also want you to know that... I've been thinking a lot too."

Jungkook turned to face you fully, his expression a mix of anticipation and apprehension. "About...?"

"About us," you admitted softly, meeting his gaze. "About how much I enjoy spending time with you, about how much I admire you, and... how I've felt something more than just friendship for a while now."

His eyes widened slightly, hope flickering in them. "A while?”

You nodded, a shy smile playing on your lips. "Yes, Jungkook. A while. I've just been afraid to say anything because I didn't want to lose you in case you didn't felt the same way about me."

He stepped closer to you, his hand reaching out tentatively. "Y/N... I wish I had known sooner. I've been struggling with these feelings, not knowing if you felt the same way."

"I'm sorry for not saying anything earlier," you murmured, your fingers brushing against his. "But I'm glad we're talking about it now."

He squeezed your hand gently, his eyes never leaving yours. "Me too. More than anything."

There was a moment of silence between you, the weight of your shared emotions hanging in the air. Finally, Jungkook spoke again, his voice filled with determination.

"So... what do we do now?"

You chuckled softly, feeling a surge of affection for him. "I think we take it one step at a time. We've already taken a big step today."

He nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "Yeah, you're right. I'm just... really happy right now."

"Me too," you said, squeezing his hand.

"I guess the only question now is... are we... together together?" he asked hesitantly.

You grinned, your heart pounding in your chest. "Only if you want us to be,"

"Yes, yes, yes. Of course, yes,"

"Then it's settled. We're together," you giggled.

Jungkook laughed, the sound sending a warm feeling through your chest.

Cut to 4 years in the future.

There you were at a dinner with friends and family. It had been four years since you got together, but it felt like an eternity. You both were so excited for each other, for your life from now on.

"Hey, you got a little something," he whispered, brushing away a strand of hair from your cheek.

You couldn't help but smile, his touch as tender as ever. "Thanks,"

"No problem," he smiled.

Then you could hear someone clinking a glass. "A few words from the fiancé!" Jin's voice reverberated through the dimly lit restaurant.

"Y-yeah, yeah," your boyfriend stuttered, clearing his throat and standing up. He was a nervous wreck, and it was adorable.

"Um, first, thank you all for being here. It really means a lot to us. We know how important it is to have your loved ones around you on a special day, and we're so grateful for everyone who's supported us. Second, a special thanks to my future father and mother-in-law. Thank you for always being there for us and for supporting our relationship. And, um, thanks to my own parents for, uh, also supporting us."

As the guests began to laugh, your boyfriend cleared his throat and continued, his gaze fixed on yours.

"But most importantly, I want to say thank you to my amazing girlfriend. Thank you for making every day better. Thank you for always being by my side and for loving me unconditionall—"

"We know that already! Entertain us or I won't pay the bill!" Jin's loud voice interrupted again.

You couldn't help but chuckle and the guests laughed again, amused.

Your fiancé smiled, clearly enjoying the teasing.

"Alright, alright," Jungkook cleared his throat before he continued, "actually, we agreed that we'd never tell anyone how we actually got together but I guess we're past that, right babe?"

"Oh no, don't!" You blushed, a little embarrassed.

"It's a funny story," he continued. "It's kind of a long one, but this girl right here thought that the best course of action was to make me a dating app profile before telling me that she was in love with me."

Everyone burst into laughter.

"I was dumb, okay?" you joked, earning more laughter from the guests.

"So, we ended up talking to some people on said dating app and went on a few dates, which were terrible—"

"Hey! It's not my fault that you agreed even though you were also in love with me!" — "Everyone, he had a playlist with my name filled with sentimental songs like the most lovesick boy on Earth!"

"But babe trust me, it's a great playlist, by the way," you added.

"And then we got drunk, and the truth was revealed."

"What?! No way," Hoseok laughed.

"We weren’t drunk, I’m kidding, I just told her that I had liked her since the beginning," he said. "We just made a disaster, and we were both scared shitless."

"But here we are," you added.

"So, yeah, thanks for coming everyone," your fiancé concluded, his voice breaking a little as he wrapped up his little speech.

You could see him trying to blink back tears as he sat back down next to you, and you gave his hand a squeeze.

"You did great," you whispered, leaning in to give him a quick kiss.

"Thanks," he replied, his voice hoarse.

Your parents got up, taking the floor after him.

"Thank you, thank you," your mom said, a bit embarrassed.

"We’d like to share a few words as well. First, we'd like to thank everyone for coming. It's such a privilege to have all our family and friends here, and we're so thankful for your support. And we're especially grateful for our beautiful daughter and our soon-to-be son-in-law. We are so proud of both of you, and we know you'll have a long and happy life together."

"Thanks," you managed to say, overcome with emotion.

"So, now, we'd like to present the couple with a little something. It's just a small token of our love for them," your mother added, signaling for someone to come forward.

Jimin, Hoseok, and Tae stood up from the table and approached the stage, each of them holding a framed collage.

"Here, you can pass these out," your mother said, handing each of the guests copies of the photos.

You and your fiancé were stunned as the three guys presented the photos to you.

The photos were a collage of different memories: you and him during his graduation, another one from yours, a candid shot of him cooking for you, a photo of the two of you smiling in front of the sunset, and a picture of him holding your hand while you were asleep.

Tears welled up in your eyes as you took in the beautiful photos, each one capturing a special moment in your relationship. The love and happiness radiating from the images made your heart feel full to the brim. You glanced at Jungkook, whose eyes were also glistening with unshed tears, and you reached for his hand, holding it tightly.

"Thank you so much," you managed to say, your voice choked with emotion. "These are... perfect."

"I have a gift for you too," you told him, reaching under the table. You brought out a box wrapped in bright pink paper and a bow.

He looked at you with surprise, his eyes shining with curiosity as he took the box from your hands. Slowly unwrapping it, his mouth fell open in astonishment when he saw what was inside. Nestled within the box was a beautifully crafted watch, the silver band gleaming under the soft light of the restaurant.

"Oh wow," he breathed, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "It's... it's incredible."

"It's engraved," you whispered, pointing to the back of the watch where a message was etched. His eyes widened as he read the words: 'Forever yours, Y/N.'

"I was hoping you'd wear it to the wedding," you said, grinning. "But don't cry, you'll make me cry!" you exclaimed.

"I'm not crying, I just..." he trailed off, sniffling.

"I love it," Jungkook finally managed to say, his voice filled with emotion. He stood up abruptly and pulled you into a tight hug, “I love you.”

As you both separated, there was a collective 'aww' from the guests, making you both blush.

The rest of the evening continued with laughter and joy, surrounded by the love of friends and family. People danced, sang, and shared stories late into the night. It was a celebration of love and new beginnings.

As the night winded down and guests started to leave, you found yourselves standing alone in the dimly lit space. Jungkook wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you close.

"Thank you for everything today," you said sincerely, looking into his big brown eyes.

"Thank you for being mine," he replied softly, feeling overwhelmed with happiness.

"I wouldn't want to be anyone else's," you whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.

Jungkook cupped your face in his hands and placed a lingering kiss on your forehead. The world around you seemed to fade, leaving just the two of you in a bubble of the deepest affection you’ve ever felt.

[ninja-muse]

The Dollmakers by Lynn Buchanan is the most original fantasy novel I've read in a good while. It doesn't follow a familiar plot structure. It's peopled by characters rarely seen but true to life. It tackles its issues, themes, and conundrums without turning them into morals or even necessarily reaching conclusions. The magic has been done before, but also not this way. The world, while familiar in some aspects, also feels fresh and different.

Did I like it? I'm not sure. But I definitely think it's worth picking up.

Because this book is so different, it's hard to encapsulate. The premise of a young woman determined to prove herself and gain the job and status she deserves sounds like it should launch a novel of revenge, of conquest, or of an underdog—but this doesn't. A story about magical dolls designed to fight ravening monsters sounds like it should be about great battles and increasing odds—but this isn't. This also isn't a story about a stranger upending a small town, or mentorship, or political conflicts, or even a mystery. Instead, there are elements of all those things, but this novel is too character-driven to fall neatly into boxes. Shean of Pearl is simply going to do what she thinks best and we're along for the journey.

The complexity of the plot is mirrored in its characters. Shean is capable of kindness and delicacy and righteous anger, but she's also tactless and self-absorbed and unwilling to listen to reason. There are brave characters too afraid to interact with society, kind mentors who fail in their mentorship, sour but welcoming villagers, wandering scholars who hold themselves apart until they don't, rule-abiding citizens who can't value originality, thoughtful people who come to snap judgements, and a host of other people who are flawed and complicated as anyone of us might be in their place. There's nobody I can point to and say, "Here, she relied entirely on a trope."* Buchanan's character work is arguably where this book shines most.

As for the themes and issues, I've grown used to fantasy and science fiction with clear morals, clear good guys, and clear political points. Again, this isn't that sort of book. You have to get well into it before you see what Buchanan's talking about on that level and she's more interested about raising questions and pointing out problems than she is in solving anything. We and her characters are left with things to think about, and with introspection. And no, I won't say more than that. Spoilers!

This isn't to say that this book is without flaw. Mostly, on that front, I found Shean's emotional journey a little sudden and jerky at points, with greater or quicker character growth than her personality led me to expect, and there's one particular moment near the beginning that felt exaggerated for the sake of demonstration rather than being true to character. The rest of my problems, and what's holding me back from saying, "This book was amazing!", I think stem from how different this book is. Is my grumble at that minor character's reaction due to weak writing or because they're so perfectly poised within their world that of course they don't act like a "normal" character? Is this plot line wrapping up too neatly or are we being set up for a sequel? That sort of thing. I should point out this is a debut novel and these are issues I've run into with debut novels before—but at the same time, this is much, much more polished and subtle than a lot of debuts are.

As for the magic and the world, I've run on too long to cover them much, but the doll magic is lovely, the monsters are fascinating, the idea that every nation has its own entirely separate culture and magic is familiar while the details are not, and in general, it's all very strong. Buchanan has a lot to play with and I'd happily read more in this world whether or not there's a direct sequel.

To sum up: this is a very strong, very interesting, very unique debut fantasy. It's a novel to mull over and one I'll be sorting through my feelings for. If you're interested in smaller fantasy stories, fantasies that take their time, or are tired of current fantasy trends and plot types, you should absolutely give this one a look. Buchanan's going to be an author to watch, I think.

* apart from third-tier non-speaking characters, like waiters or shopkeepers

[lemonhemlock]

this is me airing out my thoughts regarding daemon and rhaenyra bc there could have been potential for actually make their relationship interesting. so, obviously they are supposed to be the ultimate targ love story (even though everything is the exact opposite) and that's how most people swallow it but the writers could have used s2 to show that it was just them acting. rhaenyra and daemon could never have a healthy relationship (in any way in my opinion), rhaenyra yelling about how she can't trust him seemed like a good thing for me until ep8. we could have had them both struggling to go back to their behaviour in s1ep1, this dreamy lovey dovey thing. daemon struggling with a older rhaenyra who knows what a somewhat healthy relationship should look like (i don't think harwin was 100% healthy but it still stands). now, rhaenyra is in a abusive marriage and has kids that threaten her older ones, it would have been great to see that internal conflict. how her life now is in a way a twisted one of her former best friend and the women around her. using daemon x rhaenyra to show how despite being heir and her uncle apparently doing anything for her she is just a woman in westeros. how even if on the outside she portrays herself as this perfect girlboss revolutionary, she will always be a pawn trapped by the man she spent years fantasizing about. i don't like daemon but his theme of never being able to change and always reverting back to his old selfish ways could have been amazing in s2 if it was even a thought. tb has no drama (any hint of it is destroyed to save rhaenyra) but daemyra could have had some at least and it would have been enough (since nettles and daemon leaving rhaenyra won't be a thing). there a multiple reasons for them to have such a messed up dynamic but they aren't allowed. now daemon and rhaenyra are in the exact same spot with eachother, perfect, loyal (rhaenyra cheater but i doubt anything will happen from that, the writers will probs have daemon think it's how or something), pure and badass.

also rhaenyra mentioned how daemon left herr during her Stillbirth but ig that's totally cool for everyone involved.

I'll be honest, anon - I think one of the main problems is that the writers probably think they've done a stellar job portraying the >conflict< between Daemyra and don't really understand the criticism.

Because at the end I think the INTENTION was to show that Rhaenyra isn't completely trusting of Daemon after his stunts, so they're not 100% back to how they were - she has a line akin to "don't ever betray me again" and looks a little apprehensive but is putting on a show for the Harrenhal audience. So, their reasoning was probably that it was enough to portray appropriate "punishment" - a loss of trust.

But this "consequence" seems ridiculous in context, because the greens fall apart much more dramatically and are treated like unfeeling monsters over less egregious shit. So it ends up looking cowardly that they let Daemon get away with the proverbial slap on the wrist.

[stayteezdreams]

Pay Me Back: Part One

Plot: After losing your phone somewhere in the city, you call it, hoping the boy who answers is as kind as he sounds.

-Part Two-

Pairing: Yang Jeongin x Gn!Reader

-Meet-Cute Masterlist-

Words: ~1.9k

A/n: I wish it came out a bit longer, but oh well

As you got to your friends door, you knocked before swaying on your feet. Hearing their footsteps stride to the door, you smiled as your friend appeared, but it quickly faded when they looked at you with a mix of relief and frustration.

"What?" You asked with mild panic.

"I've been texting you for like an hour, I thought you got hit by a car or something!"

"Huh?" You reached into your pocket for your phone to check it, but no longer felt it.

Quickly checking your other pocket, and then your bag you looked at your friend with panicked eyes.

"Oh no." They sighed, as worry filled their own face.

After your friend calmed you down a bit as you paced around their apartment, cursing yourself for not realizing you had dropped it somewhere, you sat down and let out a breath.

"Okay, how long ago did you start texting me exactly?"

Checking their phone, they looked over at you "Forty three minutes ago."

Thinking back on what you were doing you clapped "I was in the mall!"

"Okay let's go."

You looked at your friend with surprise as they grabbed their jacket "Really?"

"Yeah come on!"

You thanked your friend again as you walked towards the security office at the mall.

"Hey, you helped me cram for my mid-terms for three hours that one night, I owe you." They laughed.

As you arrived, you checked with the security, but they had no reports of a phone given to them. Feeling somewhat disappointed, you walked around the mall to each store you recalled going to, but found nothing.

"We could try calling it?" Your friend suggested.

"To see if someone found it?"

They nodded before dialing the number. Listening intently, but hearing no answer, you groaned.

You continue to walk around for a while, but saw no sign of your phone anywhere.

As you sat defeated by the fountain, you sighed "Try calling it again!"

Your friend sighed "We tried like five times."

"Please?!" You begged with a pout.

"Okay, okay"

As they dialed the number, you listened, but held little hope. But suddenly you heard silence before a voice spoke.

"Ah! Hello?"

You gasped as you grabbed your friends phone, making them jump in surprise.

"Hi, hello!" You said excitedly into the phone "You found my phone!"

I.N was slightly startled by the energy behind the voice, but he couldn't help but chuckle, it was cute.

"Yes, I did, just a few minutes ago."

"Are you in the mall?"

"Mall? No, I'm by a market."

"A market? Oh." You looked over at your friend "I didn't realize I had lost it that long ago." After a moment you closed your eyes tightly "I know this might be inconvenient, but do you think you could meet with me so I could get it back?" You asked nervously, hoping they weren't a jerk.

"Of course, I don't mind! Where do you want to meet?"

Your heart leapt in your chest as you grinned, thank God they're nice, not to mention his voice sounded quite attractive. You shook your head lightly, trying to ignore the thought.

"Do you know the cute two story cafe near that market?"

"Yes, I go there a lot! I'm not that far from there."

"Do you think you could wait there for me?"

"No problem."

"Amazing, thank you so much. I will be there as quick as I can!"

As your friend waited in their car outside, you walked into the cafe. You felt nervous for some reason, uncertain of how this would go.

Your friend made jokes abut the guy being a creep, or asking for money, and it only made you more nervous. You reminded yourself however, of how nice they were over the phone.

'It'll be fine.' you thought to yourself.

The man, who told you his name was Jeongin, said he was wearing a knit brown top, and had dyed blue hair. Your eyes cast over the people sitting around. You started to get worried, before you finally spotted him towards the back of the cafe.

'Oh no, he's cute' You felt yourself suddenly grow even more nervous before realization washed over you.

As he looked around, but missed you, you got a full look at his face and realized you had seen him before, here at the cafe. He said he came here a lot, and now you knew that to be true. You had never spoken to him, and you don't know if he ever noticed you, but every time you saw him, occasionally with his friends, you couldn't help but note how attractive he was.

Walking over, you swallowed, fighting back your anxiety.

As you stopped in front of him, you cleared your throat lightly "Jeongin?"

I.N looked up at the sound of his name. As his eyes landed on you he felt his heart skip and his breath hitch. He knew you. Well, he didn't know you, but he had seen you here a dozen times before, and always thought you were cute.

Seungmin and Hyunjin had come with him once and they caught him staring at you, they teased him relentlessly for it. He couldn't imagine how they would be now.

He nodded "Y/n?" he asked in response and you smiled, nodding.

He felt relief wash over him, yet a shyness as well as he sat up a bit. The name suited you.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out your phone, and he saw relief wash over your face. He smiled at it, thinking how cute you looked before he told himself to shut up.

"Thank you so much"!" You said happily as you took your phone.

"You're welcome" He chuckled softly "I lost my phone a few weeks ago, I know how terrible it feels."

"Oh, did you find it?" You asked with sudden curiosity.

He laughed and nodded "Yes, luckily."

"Oh good." You smiled before suddenly feeling shy. Looking at the drink in his hands your eyes lit up "Let me pay for you're drink for you, as a thank you!"

I.N lifted his hands up "No, no it's okay. I already paid for it anyways. I don't need anything."

"Are you sure? I feel bad for making you come here to give it to me."

He smiled brightly at you and you felt butterflies. "It's okay really, I promise. Not every kindness needs to be repaid."

You hummed and bit your lip lightly and I.N felt as though he might fall out of his chair.

You hesitated a bit as you spoke, wanting to linger, but not wanting to became a nuisance. "If you're sure, then I suppose I should go."

Your eyes met for a moment and you felt your breath hitch, as I.N felt butterflies in his stomach. You gave him one more shy smile before you moved to leave.

Suddenly Jeongin felt a panic wash over him "Wait."

He spoke suddenly and it came out much louder than he intended, he was afraid he freaked you out. But you stopped and looked back at him with a soft yet curious gaze.

He almost forgot to speak as he felt surprised at himself, luckily finding some courage he spoke again "Are you sure you have to leave?"

You felt a bit stunned, as your ears started to burn "What?" You asked softly, curiosity filling your voice.

"Can I buy you a coffee?" He said suddenly.

You turned back towards him as an amused smile crossed your face "Didn't I just offer the same thing?"

I.N felt his neck burn hot as he laughed, looking down in embarrassment. You found it endearing, and you couldn't help but giggle softly.

He cleared his throat a bit as he looked up at you "I know how you can pay me back."

You rose your brow, waiting, uncertain.

"Let me buy you a coffee."

Your heart was beating so hard, you were afraid he could hear it. But as he stared earnestly up at you, though with an obvious nervousness in his eyes, you nodded, somewhat stiffly.

"Alright."

He seemed a bit stunned that you agreed as he spoke "Really?"

You nodded and smiled "Yeah. Oh- but my friend is waiting out in their car for me. I should go tell them I'm gonna stay, okay?"

He nodded silently before you quickly turned and headed out of the cafe. He watched you go, his chest tightened as he looked back at his coffee. He felt his smile fall as he sighed, his chest clenched painfully. He had a feeling you weren't coming back.

What would happen if you did run? Would he see you in the cafe again some day? Would you recognize him and get embarrassed? Would you feel guilty?

Running up to your friends window, you tapped on it with a smile.

As they rolled down the window they eyed you "Did you get it?"

You nodded and showed them "I'm gonna stay okay?"

"Stay?"

"Yeah, he wants to buy me a coffee." You said with a shy smile and your friend gawked at you before they smirked.

"So he's cute?"

"Shh!" You laughed "But yes. It's actually that guy I told you about before! That comes into the cafe a lot."

"The blonde?"

"He was blonde, but his hair is blue now, it's cool."

They shook their head but laughed "Quite a coincidence that he's the one who found your phone. Maybe it's fate?" they wiggled their eyebrows as they smiled

You rolled your eyes, but the idea made your heart flutter.

"Are you sure you're okay though?"

You nodded and grinned "Yeah he seems really nice. I'll text you if anything happens."

"Good and bad?"

You chuckled "Yeah, sure."

I.N let his mind get so distracted, that when you suddenly sat back down across from him, he nearly jumped in surprise.

You smiled softly at him as you got comfortable. You saw the surprise on his face and tilted your head "What?"

He sat up straight "No, nothing, I just got distracted" He chuckled, a bit embarrassed that he thought so badly of you so quickly.

You smiled sweetly at him and felt shy all over again.

"I've actually, uhm, seen you in here a few times before." he said quietly.

Your eyes got wider as you nodded "I've seen you too!"

"You have?" He asked quickly his voice a bit more startled than he meant.

But you just chuckled softly "Yeah, I didn't think you had noticed me."

"How could I not?" His eyes suddenly went wide as he spoke before he thought again.

You stared at him a bit bewildered, but your face flushed slightly as you smiled shyly.

Practically running from his embarrassment, he stood up with an awkward chuckle "Let me get you a coffee, what would you like?" He spoke rushed, obviously still embarrassed by his own comment.

You smiled with soft amusement as you told him your order, watching as he went up to the counter.

You watched him as he ordered, and when he glanced back at you, seeing you watching him, he looked away bashfully, obviously hiding a shy smile. You noticed the back of his neck grow a bit more red.

You giggled softly to yourself as you looked down at your hands. Maybe losing your phone was worth the panic after all. Thinking back to what your friend said, you smiled. And maybe it was fate too.

xx

Taglist: @bubblesreplies, @halesandy, @why-am-i-sad, @sourmooonlight

[rey-jake-therapist]

Those who know me know I'm not usually a shipper, because fictional romances tend to bore me or make me roll my eyes lol So it's interesting how the only two ships that got me obsessed enough to write multiple posts about them, Hannigram and Saurondriel, both involve a male character that's literally the devil incarnate, and a "lover" who's revealed to be very complex, as far from perfect and "all pure and good".

Spoilers of Rings of Power S2 after the line!

The universes they originate from are of course very different, but I recognize similarities in the dynamics between Will Graham and Hannibal, and Galadriel and Sauron. Especially now that The Rings of Power season 2 is airing.

In Hannibal, Will keeps saying that he hates Hannibal and wants him dead or in jail, but he can't help being irrevocably drawn to him even knowing what he is. At some point it's very clear that he uses his "duty" as an excuse to get closer to Hannibal, because he can't find peace if he can't reach him. Part of him still believes Hannibal is the devil and must be slayed as the monster that he is, but he also recognizes the darkness in Hannibal as being in him as well, and is torn apart because Hannibal is the only being who truly knows him, and understands him. Hence why in season 3, he knows the only way to be free of his torments is to die with Hannibal (for the record, I still refuse the idea that they survived this. It was the perfect outcome!).

In Rings of Power, I feel the same thing happening to Galadriel. When in her first vision, she asks "he has returned already?", it's unclear if she's afraid of hopeful; actually, she looks and sounds as if she's both. I don't talk enough about Morfyd's flawless acting, she's amazing!

Her attitude when she talks about Sauron has changed from season 1: he's still the enemy to defeat, he's still the devil incarnate. But he's also still Halbrand in her heart, as the slip on the tongue she makes proves when she's discussing him with Gil-Galad. She won't admit it, but she's conflicted now. Worse maybe (from her point of her view), vulnerable. Despite everything, he's still the only being in the world who understands her, who knows her, just like for Will and Hannibal. She let him in because she felt seen at last, maybe for the first time...

Again Morfyd's acting... flawless. WOW.

Elrond is no fool and has figured her out better than she did: the problem is not that she might let him in again, but that "he never left". The darkness in Sauron resonated in her, they're now bonded. There's no turning back from that.

In season 1, there was no ambiguity: she wanted to find Sauron to destroy him, period. But now? Sure, she wants to prevent him to do damages in Eregion and all the Middle-Earth, so it's a good reason to go after him, but I think part of her also craves this precious connection she lost, and wants to find it again. I mean, the way she's always touching her ring? She acts like a drug addict always coming back for more. And we know there's no way Sauron couldn't have corrupted these rings. When the ring tumbled at her feet, it may have been a move made by Sauron himself, from afar. It also can be no coincidence that the vision she sees in Episode 4 is Sauron masquerading as Halbrand: it's a calling.

Now, of course there's no way Galadriel and Sauron's story end like Will and Hannibal. Galadriel will overcome this, she'll soon tell Sauron to fu*k off for good and they'll both spend the rest of their long lifetime sulking in their corner and being forever miserable content with what they have. Still, while it lasts, I'm enjoying the hell out of it!

[jullbnt]

Hello :D besides Zelink, are there any other loz ships you ship? :3

Oh hello thanks for asking!! I guess I'm going to disappoint you though cause I don't really ship anyone else? Besides Zelink variations such as Shink or Hylink of course (I'm dying to draw something with Hylia and the Fierce Deity... I love that stuff 🥹)

I guess the only couple that comes to my mind is Anju and Kafei, but they're canon so 😅. I'm not exactly obsessed with them either but their quest is my all time favorite (pretty sure I’m not the only one). Also I'm convinced Kafei is meant to be Link's equivalent in Termina with, you know, his whole business of being an adult trapped in the body of a child and being torn apart from his love because of it. A bit of a stretch maybe but I can't unsee the parallel with OoT Zelink!! So yeah they're meaningful to me but for Zelink related reasons again...

As for the main characters I'm not really interested in Link or Zel being with anyone else. I understand that some people can find these two clich��/boring/forced or whatever, but for me seeing them as soulmates/eternal lovers makes their stories so much better and emotional (I'm also really into the "union of wisdom and courage against absolute power" symbolism, I wish the Triforce would be brought back in the games for that reason).

That being said I don't mind some other ships, mostly Malink (I love Malon and can definitely see her with Link if Zelda is not an option), Midzel (cause I've seen some amazing fanart and it kinda makes sense to me, I much prefer it to Midlink) or Link/Marin (but I see it as some sort of dream version of ALttP Zelink so...). I'm not actively looking for that stuff and am not interested in drawing it cause I'll always prefer Zelink, but I don't mind stumbling upon it.

I guess the one ship I really don't like is Sidlink? Or anything with Link and a Zora character really (yeah sorry haha). Also Ganlink/Zelgan tend to make me a bit uncomfortable (except if Ganon is portrayed as a good guy but that’s still not really my thing). Same for any villains, I'm just boring like that I guess

Oh also. Ilia. I don't dislike her as a character but I hated how she was forced on Link in TP (like most people I suppose?)

And that's all I have to say? I didn't think I would end up writing that much, sorry for rambling a bit 😇

(and also for my English. I'm always a bit nervous when I write something long)

In case this wasn't obvious I very much enjoy talking about LoZ so feel free to ask me anything haha 😁

[amethystfairy1]

Hihi! I just wanted to say I absolutely adore both of your fics sooooo much! The way you write all the characters is amazing :D. I was just wondering do you have any advice or tips for people looking to get into fic writing? And quick q about travelling thieves! We know that mumbo has met pearl but if Grian and Pearl were to meet would they even recognise one another? Anyway your work is incredible and I cant wait to see what you do for the rest of febuwhump!

Hello, hello! ✨

I'm so glad you enjoy my fics and characters!

Tips to get into fic writing? Hmm...I mean, I know it's probably said a lot, but my biggest advice is don't be afraid to start. The first fic you ever write won't be perfect, it'll be far from that, and you've just gotta be ok with that. The best thing you can do is start, write something and post it, see what people think, see what you liked and didn't like about it...then do it again!

As far as like...actual advice, I'd say participate in a writing challenge! Like Febuwhump which is going on right now! 😆 It'll force you to take a prompt, make something of it, post it quickly and then move on. You'll end up with a big chunk of fics and feedback on at least some of them I'm sure, and you can go from there! Also you'd be surprised what sort of storylines might accidentally form during a writing challenge...Traveling Thieves came out of my Whumptober prompts from last year, after all!

My last bit of advice would be to not start with a long fic. By that what I mean is don't try to write some huge overarching narrative...start with something smaller.

Your favorite ship needs to get together, who asks who out? How did that go? What was their first date like? What about their first kiss? How long did it take for them to say 'I love you'? That's like four or five short fics right there. 😛

The reason I write my AU's the way I do is because of stuff like this. It's scary writing a long fic (trust me I've done it a ton of times) because once you bypass a certain point in the story, you can never go back. The fun thing about my AU's being a series of short stories is that I can always bounce up and down the timeline! If you've been keeping up with TTSBC you can see it! I wrote Flower Husbands all the way up to Scott knowing about Jimmy's wings and consistently spending the night at his apartment. They've fought, they've said 'I love you', Scott has been to the under-city and met Jimmy's parents...but I suddenly felt like writing more details about their early game relationship! Before Scott know Jimmy's big secret, before they'd said 'I love you' or anything like that...so guess what? I did just that! I wrote 'Karma Witch' and 'Lovestruck Baby' after I'd written fics like 'Gutterline Sunshine' because that's the greatest part of this set up! I can bounce around! I never get bored or stuck on one plot point because if I don't feel like working on it, then I don't have too! So if you're into worldbuilding and wanna create an AU to have your characters all exist in, I'd super super super recommend using the 'shorter stories in an interconnected series' format.

BONUS TRAVELING THIEVES QUESTION 🏃‍♀️

Pearl and Grian last saw each other when they were sold away form their colony at fifteen years old. It's been seven years since then, but considering they're twins and they were both already mostly grown before they were sold away? Yes. They would definitely recognize each other if they saw each other again. The problem would be if they'd allow themselves to admit they recognized each other...cut ties and forgotten names and all. 😭

I hope my rambling advice helped at least a little bit!

Thanks for coming by! 💖

[dark-frosted-heart]

Team Brothers That Don't Mesh - Challenge! A gesture game to deepen bonds

3rd King of the Beast team story

One fine day while relaxing with Rio, the two run into Licht who asks them to help him clean the stables. Afterward, Licht thanks them and wants to give them something as thanks, but Emma tells him that there's no need. It's been a while since she got to spend time with horses and she enjoyed herself. Rio too. Well, for him, he's satisfied by seeing Emma happy. Still, hearing that doesn't satisfy Licht.

Emma thinks it over for a bit before asking him and Rio if they'd like to play a game. On her next day off, she'll be holding a storytelling session plus recreation at the bookstore she used to work at. She thought of a game to play as an ice-breaker but wanted to practice first.

After the two agree, they go to a common room. Except there are already people there; Nokto and Silvio were having a business meeting. As Emma's about to tell Licht and Rio that they're going to change location, she meets Silvio's gaze. He says that she's got some nerve to run the moment she sees his face. Emma denies that she's running away, she just didn't want to interrupt the two. Rio steps in front of Emma with a smile and tells two in the room that they're going to be playing a fun game so they're not going to interfere with their business meeting. As the trio are about to head out once again, Nokto's the one that stops them this time. He's interested in joining their game and asks if Silvio's interested too. Emma's thinking Silvio will reject but nope!

Nokto and Silvio were in the middle of negotiations but couldn't come to an agreement so the former's thinking of settling it with a game. Emma doesn't think the game she has in mind would be something the two would enjoy though. Emma, Rio, and Licht look at each other before the former approaches Nokto and Silvio to explain the game. It's a gesture game. They'll be playing charades in teams of two. She has prompts prepared on cards. Silvio looks at them and frowns. He thinks that playing the game would be a bad idea. Then he loses by default, Nokto says.

Rio: Silvio's lost. Wow, serves you right. Silvio: Stay out of this, ya shitty dog!

Silvio boasts that there's no way he'd lose since he uses gestures to communicate with the locals when he sails out. Nokto challenges him to a game, which Silvio accepts. Licht just sighs while Emma's internally panicking at the tension. She tells them that the game requires teamwork so how about they decide the teams now. In the end, the teams end up being Licht+Nokto and Rio+Silvio. Nokto seems to be the only one that's enjoying himself. Rio would rather work with the ladybug that's currently stuck on the window.

Licht will be the first one to give gestures (Licht: Ugh, why me).

Prince Licht looks down at the table and slowly moves his hands. As I stare at his every move, Nokto gives a small smile. Nokto: That's...sweets. You're eating cake. Emma: You get it, Prince Nokto? Nokto: It's easy. Prince Licht nods at us and gestures to the cake. Nokto: I see. It looks like there are carrots in the cake. You're pretending to like it, but deep down, you don't want to touch it. (The card's not that complicated...I think it was something like 'eating your favorite carrot cake') Nokto: But for some reason, you to enjoy it, so you’re feeling despair. Did I get it? At Nokto's confident answer, Licht sighs and shakes his head. Nokto: Ehhh, but that's how you looked just now. Licht: .......

Emma understands now. Nokto was reading Licht's feelings. She's amazed by how well he can read his brother despite being apart for so long. Unfortunately though, the answer's still incorrect. Next up's Rio as the gesturer. Even though it sucks that Silvio's his partner, he'll show Emma how well he can do. He starts with his gesturing, not even paying any mind to Silvio twitching at the remark.

(Is that a lake? He's waving a stick or something...Ah, I got it! He's fishing. The topic's a fisherman who's happy he caught a big fish. Huh, the guy next to him fell in and he's laugh...that's an adlib) As I watched Rio who was skillfully making gestures, Silvio clocks his tongue. Silvio: Bastard, do you think I'm dumb? Emma: I'm sure that's not it...I might not have been you that fell in... Silvio: The hell it's not! Falling because of the weight of jewelry, you're making a fun of me! (The guy next to him fell because of the weight of jewelry...How observant of you, Prince Silvio) Silvio: The whole doing gymnastics on horseback doesn't make sense though. (Horse? Did Rio make that gesture?) We look at each other at the same time. Rio looks dumbfounded. Rio: Prince Silvio, where did you see that! Silvio: Huh? If it's wrong then you're a terrible actor. Rio: I did so well showing the second half... Silvio: The only thing I know for sure is that ya think I'm an idiot! (They missed all the important parts but they're able to criticize each other properly!) Silvio: In any case, don't think I'll let ya get away with this. Using jewelry will be a waste. I'll strap ya to a boulder and throw ya off a horse.

Rio still doesn't get where the heck Silvio's getting this horse from. If this game goes on, it's not going to end with anyone smiling like Emma wanted with this game. She cuts them off by shouting that the answer's incorrect. The game continues on for several rounds but the pairs keep missing each other in the most miraculous ways.

Afterward, Nokto comments on how he doesn't think lost a game so much like this before. Rio complains about Silvio's lack of ability to read gestures. Said prince counters that Rio sucks at gestures. He's never doing this again. In the end, there was no winner because not one round was guessed correctly.

Emma suggests something else. She'll be the one doing the gestures this time and all of them will try to guess. Though exhausted, the four agree. Emma draws a card and looks at what's written. She takes a deep breath, stands, and makes large motions with her hands. It's supposed to be her hanging laundry out on a nice day. She continues by pretending to spread linen out and smooth out the wrinkles.

Licht and Nokto: A bird spreading her wings in her nest. Rio: An angel descending from the heavens to have fun in the human world! Silvio: A sailor that fell overboard and drowned.

All of them. Completely. Incorrect. She tells them that and explains what the correct answer was. Immediately after Emma wonders how she can lighten up the mood, the room's suddenly abuzz.

Nokto: Haha, you hang your laundry like that. Licht: I was sure it was a bird. Rio: Sorry, you looked like a pretty angel. Silvio: You're not better than that shitty dog.

Well it seems like everyone's amused. Even Emma herself. She was so confident and now wonders what gestures she made. Emma bursts into laughter as she sees the four enjoy themselves. She did end up meeting her original goal which wasn't to have a winner, but to make sure everyone had fun.

[dozing-composing]

Hi!! Would you be willing to write from headcannons about y/n being the sister of Dean and Hank? Keep up the amazing work!:D

Yes, Of Course! Thank You! To Be Honest, I Was Thinking Of Designing A Sister Character Just To Think About How Everyone Would Treat Her. But For Now, Let's See How They Treat The Reader.•ᴗ•

ʙᴇꜱᴛ ꜱɪꜱᴛᴇʀ ᴇᴠᴇʀ...

๋࣭ ⭑ ʜᴀɴᴋ

✦ He's more the overprotective type. Don't get me wrong, they both are, but Hank is more willing to throw down with someone if they mess with you. ⤷Side note: it hits him pretty hard if you tell him he's like a second Brock and you don't need anything else like that....ouch. ✦ While he's overprotective, he still knows he can have fun with you. Yep, he'll get a little rough sometimes, but he also knows when to stop. ✦ Being as reckless as he is though, he'll also be dragging you into the wildest experiences you could imagine. ✦ He goes to you for dating advice. Hell, they both do because "you're a girl and you know girl stuff." But Hank actively seeks out the best to impress other girls. ✦ Despite this, he will aggravate you by pretending to be disgusted by "girl stuff." ⤷"Hey, (Y/N).. What's that stuff on your face?" "...Are you talking about my makeup?" "You wear that stuff too?! EWWWW-" "I'm going to throw you down the stairs!"

๋࣭ ⭑ ᴅᴇᴀɴ

✦ A total sweetheart, the gentleman of the three. He'll hold doors for you, push your chair for you to sit in, give you his coat/vest if you're cold. ✦ If you're ever struggling with something like a project or something science-y, he'll be there to help. That glorious brain of his comes in clutch. If you're anything like him, he'll be there to double check after you in case if something were to go wrong. ✦ You both are each other's study buddies! You both take notes together and quiz each other on specific topics and subjects. ✦ Back when you were kids, he would share Mr. Reachy with you whenever you were scared. You never accepted it though, because you would always cling to Dean whenever he offered. ✦ Dean has a better understanding of emotions and how/what people feel. If you ever needed someone to vent to, it'd be him. He might not have all the answers, but who does? He's there to comfort you when you need it.

๋࣭ ⭑ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ

✦ All of y'all are closer than close. Dare I say thicker than thieves, ha! Three peas in a pod. So on and so forth. No one should dare to mess with you three. ✦ You sometimes serve as the voice of reason between the two. They do argue, sometimes a lot (especially as kids, they butt heads a lot more back then), so you're the one to step in and figure out a solution for them. ✦ They're your brothers, of course they're going to get on your last nerve time and time again. Thankfully, they understand to give you space when you need it. That won't stop them from checking in on you. ✦ Some of your belongings come from them. You have books from Dean, one of Hank's classic kerchiefs, and so much more. ✦ You all stick together, or try to. Nothing's guaranteed when it comes to kidnappings. (Or if you all just float apart like in seasons 6-7, but that's another story for a different day.) Nevertheless, nothing can ever truly separate you three.

[shaperaverse-brainrot]

@steampunk-raven thank you so much, I'm going to do Han first and then maybe Sarah in a reblog at some point.

First Impression

Gotta admit I kinda panicked at first when Helen introduced her with "dark oriental magic she brings to us from the east" but literally the next line it turned out Paul Shapera was critiquing the trope rather than making her play right into it so...

Impression now

Where do I even begin. I love her. She's awesome. I wish I could draw or write her more but I really struggle making her look/sound as awesome as she does in my head. She might not be my absolute all time favourite Shaperaverse character but she's at least top six. Maybe top five.

Favourite moment

I really like the storytelling in Han Mi's storytime theatre. It's probably just her actor's voice (Psyche I think? My mind is blank right now) but the narration style in it is amazing. Oh and Han saying Mary "wouldn't send someone on a dangerous journey she wouldn't do herself" THE SIDE EYE IN THE VOICE I'M SORRY

My favourite oddly specific moment has to be when Han Mi shaking with tears and having just gone through one of the most awful moments of her life is begging Henry to get it up

Idea for a story

Well I asked for these characters to be sent just to procrastinate on writing a fic with Han in so...

Apart from that I would be really interested in exploring her flowering in comparison to Lloyd's. Maybe Lloyd can find her after a nightmare or she could admit that she's really been struggling dealing with everything and Lloyd draws comparisons between her and him hiding away after Matt's death.

Unpopular Opinion

I don't think I really have one? I think the closest I would have is that I wish we got more of her and Raven growing closer, especially given how important she is to Raven's while redemption arch thing. Like we have little snippets from twitter tales, Raven in Lost Fairy, and of course the postie cabaret, and it may just be me wishing for more happy postie content but yeah. And I wish we got Raven's reaction to finding out he not only had a daughter, but that daughter got to grow up, and start a family of her own

Favourite relationship

I have already ranted about her and Raven in the Raven ask I got, so I'll choose to speak about Han and Henry in this one. They're the only surviving members of the cabaret, and the fact that if Han could go on an adventure anywhere with anyone she'd go on a pirate adventure with Henry???? (If I recall correctly). I love them so much. And it is of my opinion that a big reason she couldn't skip Henry's wedding was because she was his best man (best woman?)

Favourite headcanon

She looks almost nothing like Raven or Isabela. Sure, maybe there's something in her smile, or in a curious expression she wears that looks so much like David getting used to the August Sky Playhouse, or when you see her from a certain angle and she holds herself in a similar way Isabela did, but you wouldn't know they were related unless you were told.

Even so, Raven likes to joke that she truly is their grandkid. She may not look like them, but she has a similar sense of humour to Raven, she can hold her own and plan shenanigans in a similar way Isabela did. She likes to give shiny gifts to people and experiment with her appearance and expression like her great-grandpa does.

And Raven is prouder of her than anything else. He doesn't know if Isabela would be, but he tells Han she would have been, anyway.

[zenkindoflove]

R and Y for the ask game!

R: Which writers (fanfic or otherwise) do you consider the biggest influence on you and your writing?

Most of my big influences are fanfic writers from my previous fandoms. People who I spent a lot of time with, who I co-wrote stories witch, who were apart of my community. They are long out of fandoms now, but they really shaped me when I was a young writer.

There are two Elucien writers that definitely stand out in my mind for people who inspire some of my own style when writing Elucien fics.

@infinitefolklore writes amazing tension in her fics. You can feel the electricity between Elain and Lucien when they are near or interacting through her writing. I try to infuse that in my own fics and hopefully it comes through even half as good as hers.

@crazy-ache is always an inspiration to me and why I work so closely with her. Her prose is simply divine. It amazes me how naturally symbolism and imagery come to her. Anytime I try my hand at it in my own fics, the first thought I always have is "Will Ari like this?" We also just share a lot of head canons and she is my go to person to work out new fic ideas with. So she an all around inspiration.

Y: What are your thoughts on your personal satisfaction with something you’ve written vs. the popularity of your stories?  Do you tend to be most satisfied with your most popular stories?  

Oh, this is tough question to answer. I think for anyone writing fanfic, the constant pull of "I write for me" and "I would like people to like my fics" is always a see-saw.

I don't think I am most satisfied with my most popular stories. But I do love the fics of mine that are the most popular. I did really good stuff in those fics, and I see why they are popular. But I'm also doing great stuff in the fics hardly anyone is reading, which there are plenty. And there are of course a lot of reasons why certain fics I write are more popular than others. I don't think it has anything to do with how well written they are or how good the story is. I really do believe all of my fics are great in their own way and have something special and unique to offer. And I'm satisfied with the work I put into them. They're not perfect, but I can say I am happy with all of them.

Reading fanfic is about escapism primarily. We are spoiled for choice, and people have their own niches of what they prefer to read. They also have hard no's of what they won't read. I'm the exact same way. So I understand that certain tropes, character pairings, or tags are going to turn people away from my fics. That is natural. I would of course love all the love and validation on all of my fics that people who read me can offer, but that is an unrealistic expectation and one I don't hold anyone to.

Fanfic writer ask game

[katerinaaqu]

Hey there!

So I stumbled upon some older post of yours where you talk about EPIC and I gotta say, I admire your bluntness about adaptations hehe but I can't say I don't get you. I tend to have pretty strict rules regarding the adaptations I engage with.

My opinion can be summed like this: the closest to the "canon" (talking about canon with myths can be a bit iffy but I'd say you get what I'm trying to say :P) the better, HOWEVER it's likely I'll still greatly enjoy an adaptation even if it takes some major liberties IF and only IF I'm able to tell the creator of the media themselves is taking said liberties out of love for the material they're adapting.

(I will also tend to be more forgiving if I'm invested in the narrative the adaptation is trying to tell, hence why while I wouldn't consider EPIC to be an objectively good Odyssey adaptation, I still really like it for what it is.)

Here's an example. There's a book that I simply adore called "The Eight Arrow", it's a "spin-off" of the Divine Comedy in the sense that it takes place right after Dante's journey, and it follows Odysseus and Diomedes as they attempt to escape the Inferno.

Now, the idea of two sinners making it out of the Inferno pretty much goes against the whole point Dante tried to make with the Comedy. I still love that book because the Author's love for the characters simply oozes from all of his decisions: how Ody and Dio interact with the souls they meet and the Inferno shows a great understanding of the characters and setting. In other words, it's a work that stays true to the source material...without technically staying true to the source of material. Whichever change to the lore was made in serve of the story, but it kept this underlying respect towards the (admittedly few, in this specific case) things that were altered.

This is also why I really enjoy Ulysses Dies at Dawn by The Mechanisms. Have you heard of that musical?

Hahaha well allow me to again speak on how interesting it is me talking about Epic the Musical made me "against adaptations" for many and for others calling out to me and speaking on their preferences on adaptations like...I have the impression that if I was speaking against a popular trope to be hated like the movie Troy or some beloved book that was ripped out by fans I wouldn't have the same reaction! Haha so be it! XD I definitely see how you said it. It is just interesting every time I express my dislike on EPIC I kinda expect now someone come to me and tell me what adaptations are to them and how they like it and in what way etc. I find it very interesting indeed XD

Thanks for the ask! Let's see how I should give you a proper answer to such an interesting topic.

I never said I am against adaptations of course. In fact I have spoken before how I ironically liked movies like "Troy" because not only it was well-shot but also because the "touch of realism" to it made me think of an attempt of a "what if" scenario. Like what if the characters in Iliad were real in real life and fought a real war? Does the movie have anything to do with the plot of Iliad? No. Was it rushed in terms of the whole timeline? Yes. But for some reason I liked the way they attempted it. And I do not see it as "Iliad Adaptation" but rather "Trojan War Adaptation" Likewise even movies about history like "300". Did it have anything to do with actual history of Greece? Hell no! And yet this bizare "video game aesthetic" was interesting and of course the lead actor is amazing as Leonidas. Was it blunt and bizzare? Yeah. Did it have anything to do with history? Absolutely nothing at all apart from some names and some events. Was it enjoyable to me? Yes.

I feel like people feel the need to somehow "educate me" on that (not you in particular but in general) exactly because I speak against tropes that are popular. There are many adaptations one can like despite how Inaccurate they are because the adaptation kinda sticks with them. It also happens. I am surprised though how many people are willing to say "I love the musical despite that" every time I mention my dislike for it again as I mentioned to old posts of mine "as if they wanna show me how possible it is". Like yeah I know it is possible. It just didn't stick with me. For the same reason why Troy sat with me despite the fact that it was way inaccurate and didn't get all characters right. I still speak on those too but I liked it by n large.

The book you quote sounds very interesting indeed and yes I see how you mean it but again this is what I wanna say above as well. Sometimes some adaptations stick with us and some others don't. Objectively speaking Disney's Hercules was not a good Heracles adaptation because it wasn't supposed to be. It was a satyric movie on Hollywood. I loved the movie and I love it ever since childhood. Did they make Hercules a fluffy sweetheart while in reality he was a big scoundrel with habits of drinking and screwing everything with a pulse? Yes. But I loved the satyric movie nevertheless. Even a three year old could tell Heracles better than that if the aim was to make the movie an adaptation of mythology. Do I still make fun of the changes? Hell yeah especially with my family. Do I love the movie? ABSOLUTELY. Also again that is what I said to all of my other posts that I feel like if a character is designed according to the original's spirit then the adaptation seems better. Again in my mind Epic missed that by a mile when they tried to squeesh such a complex character such as Odysseus to a "monster-man" spectrum and it is sad because the first series were far more accurate as I said before, to his complexity

I have heard of it. Even listened to some songs and read the synopsis. It is quite an interesting work for a musical album even if not linked directly to a theatrical release. Interesting to transfer the homeric poems into some sci-fi world (not the first time of course that is an old trope) so the whole cultural background of homeric poems is not a necessity there so it is an interesting way to dodge it. I should say this has as much relation to the Odyssey as "Brother where art though" aka little to nothing but they also use key parts of the plot to create a character. At this point "Ulysses dies at Dawn" doesn't seem like an Odyssey adaptation to me but a "what if this was done in the outter space" scenario and I really like the way they use keyplots to create a new thing which again is not imo adaptation or retelling of the Odyssey the same much as Disney's Hercules is not a retelling of Heracles myth.

I hope that helps

[thatuselesshuman]

A ramble about the story/ending of ORV

SPOILERS (obviously)

So, I read the novel a while back, but I still am not over it, so you guys get to read my interpretation of the ending of ORV (well obv you don't have to read it but yk).

So quick little reminder of what happened: 51% of Dokja got back on the subway and became The Most Ancient Dream. As he was doing his duties, his soul was slowly breaking down and being reincarnated into different world lines. HSY and YJH go through hell and back to get Dokja back fully, spreading what we know as ORV to different world lines so that the readers could imagine him back, but the ending is left up to interpretation whether or not Dokja actually came back.

Now for my interpretation! So we know that Dokja can mean a couple of things in Korean, including 'reader' and 'only child.' Dokja's name means a lot more for his story than we may originally think. Of course there's the surface level things like the fact that Dokja loves to read and he is an only child, but I think it's deeper than that.

In ORV, Kim Dokja starts out alone. Yes, Sangah joins him on the subway eventually (which is even an odd occurrence), but we first see him sitting alone and reading. Even before the story, most of Dokja's backstory that we see is him being alone. This continues throughout the story, where Dokja is often alone in his struggles because he leaves his friends to keep them 'safe.' Then, at the very end, he once again makes the decision to be alone in the subway as The Most Ancient Dream.

Dokja has a habit of isolating himself, physically or mentally, even at the end. He is an only child by choice, since he hasn't ever known much else. He doesn't let anyone in, doesn't let anyone know anything without them taking it forcefully, and thinks that they're better off that way. He rejects any 'found family' he could get because he's obsessed with a world where his friends get all that they want, but without him in that world.

Now for the reader part of his name. This has a lot more to do with the ending. So I mentioned how Dokja's soul was dissolving and being reincarnated into different world lines, right? Then HSY spread ORV? What I think that the author was trying to say, was that we all have a little bit of Dokja (reader) in us all. All of Dokja's greatness and all of his flaws, we all have some of them in us as readers. We are Dokja. We are like a constellation, a consumer of the stories of others, neither inherently good nor bad. We sometimes feel like a side character or not as important, because our lives aren't as interesting. We survive off of stories, whether to get through life or otherwise.

I also think there was a big reason to leave the ending as open as it was. When HSY spread ORV, we were the ones reading it in the story. We are the incarnations of Dokja (readers). It is up to our imagination whether Dokja lives or not, because we are apart of the story. If you think that Dokja lived, then he did canonically. You imagined him alive, so he's alive. If you think that they failed, then they failed canonically. You imagined that they failed and that Dokja was still out there, so you are the reader that kept him on the other side of the curtain. I think that this is an amazing way of telling the story, if you understand it.

ALRIGHT THAT'S THE END OF MY SUPER LONG RAMBLE. That was way longer than I thought it would be lol. Kudos to you for reading it all.

[sebaztianlovesgeek]

(don't read if you don't want to be spoiled for Black Butler or JoJo's Bizarre Adventure part 1)

The best thing about being both a black butler AND a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure fan is because of the potential the 2 stories have in a crossover fan fiction.

Think about it, JoJo's part 1 (Phantom Blood) and the first few arcs of Black Butler take place IN THE EXACT SAME YEAR (1888), they also take place in the same country and the same city and they both have sort of the same supernatural and horror elements in it.

Not to mention in both stories there's a part where the characters are on a happy boat cruise and suddenly a bunch of zombies start attacking them.

I think the only thing that drives these 2 universes apart is the fact that Jack The Ripper is different in both stories. In Black Butler he (or she) is both Madame Red and Grell working together, in JoJo's he's just a random dude who later is turned into a zombie by Dio (and then is killed within like 5 minutes lol).

But I guess that can just be excused by saying Dio found the wrong Jack the Ripper and just found a random guy who coincidentally also killed prostitutes, and meanwhile Grell and Madame Red were doing their own thing.

I'm honestly very confused why I barely see any JoJo's x Black Butler fan fiction, I'm not sure if it's me just not looking hard enough or if not many JoJo fans are also fans of Black Butler or vice versa. I've met some people who are both JoJo and Black Butler fans (mostly online since where I come from, anime and manga, especially less popular stories like Black Butler, aren't well known) but most of the time when I meet someone who is a fan of one of these, it's just the one and not both.

Anyways, I'd also just love to see the interactions between the Black Butler and JoJo characters. I know a lot of the characters in JoJo's part 1 are less memorable than those in other parts, the only really memorable characters are JoJo, Dio, Speedwagon and Zeppeli, and sometimes people can remember Erina, Poco, Dire and Straizo but they usually only remember the first 4.

(I actually like a lot of the Phantom Blood characters, and despite it being one of my least favourite JoJo parts I still like it, I love the aesthetic of it, plus if Phantom Blood never happened we would have never gotten better parts like Stardust Crusaders or Diamond Is Unbreakable.)

Black Butler, meanwhile, has a wide range of amazing and memorable characters, though this is probably because Black Butler is a lot longer than JoJo's part 1 for obvious reasons:

Phantom blood was the first part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and is the shortest part, in the anime only being 9 episodes long while most parts are 20-40 episodes long, JoJo's is a story told through different parts which usually take place years and eras apart, every part also often takes place in different countries and every part the main character (or as the JoJo fandom knows them as... The JoJo's) changes because each part is the story of someone descendant of the Joestar family.

So therefore in each part we mostly get new characters and only a few reoccurring ones.

Black Butler was designed to only be told within one whole big story line, with the same main characters, therefore we'd be seeing the same characters every arc, the story mostly takes place in one main setting (London city, England) but on occasion the settings can change:

Like when Ciel and Sebastian joined the circus and left the city, the anime only version when they went to Paris, the emerald witch arc which takes place in Germany, we also sometimes get flashbacks to other countries like India.

So how would the Black Butler and JoJo's characters interact?

This question can be interpreted in many ways depending on how you see the characters from both stories.

Ciel and Jonathan are quite similar, they're both rich nobles who live in Victorian era London, their parents died, their mansion burned to the ground, their brother is an antagonist in their story. Heck they both even have blue hair (well in the anime for JoJo's at least because apparently in the manga Jonathan's hair is brown).

Personality wise though, Jonathan and Ciel are very different. Jonathan is a kind, loyal gentleman who just wants to protect his friends, family and the innocent, meanwhile Ciel has experienced a lot of trauma from a young age, his family was killed, he was kidnapped, abused, watched his twin brother die, made a deal with a demon who only wants his soul and so much more I could write a whole other post on.

Because of this trauma Ciel, despite being 12-14 is a cold, miserable, depressed and sometimes a bit cruel.

Of course Jonathan went through a lot trauma during Phantom Blood but since most of it didn't happen when he was a child, him and Ciel react to their traumatic pasts differently.

Jonathan would probably want Ciel to open up to him, but Ciel just isn't having it, this could lead to some interesting dialogue between the 2 protagonists because of how similar but also different they are character and personality wise.

What about other characters, more evil characters such as Dio and Sebastian?

Now I don't think these 2 would get along, because since in my mind Ciel would be an ally to Jonathan, Dio would want to be rid of him as well, so Sebastian would have to protect Ciel at all costs.

However, these 2 are both supernatural creatures (Sebastian being a demon and Dio being a vampire) so they'd probably like.. I dunno tease each other when fighting? Like they wouldn't just be yelling angrily at each other they'd make fun of each other.

(okay maybe Dio would yell angrily if he starts to lose because in Phantom Blood he's a bit of a manchild compared to him in Stardust Crusaders in my opinion, I don't hate Dio, he's in fact my favourite JoJo's character ever but we can definitely see how his character developed after all the mistakes he made in Phantom Blood)

Sebastian probably knows about the existence of vampires, the mask, hamon and the pillar men, he's existed for thousands of years afterall, possibly since time began itself, heck he may have even been friends with some pillar men.

I don't think demons are affected by hamon, since hamon comes from the sun and we see Sebastian and other demon characters are definitely NOT affected by the sun unlike vampires.

Undertaker and Grell would probably both be interested in Dio, for different reasons.

Grell would probably be attracted to Dio romantically and sexually, because...

1: she's a simp

2: Dio is canonically very charismatic and handsome which is why he literally has so many servants and minions in part 3

Dio would probably be annoyed by Grell, but Grell is a fairly useful and strong character with her being a grim reaper and her thirst for blood, so he'd probably manipulate her and just try to put up with Grell being an obnoxious fangirl

Undertaker would probably be interested in Dio's ability to turn people into zombies, I don't think he'd want to join Dio's side but he'd probably do it anyways for his own gain. He wants more knowledge on the cinematic records, he may even kill one of the zombies to see what their cinematic records are like, if they ended when they became a zombie or if they continue since they're neither dead or alive. Undertaker also wants to get inspiration for his own bizarre dolls and how to make them more life like.

The grim reapers in general probably also know about vampires and hamon (though I'm not sure if they'd know about the history with the stone masks and pillar men) and would probably treat them the same way they treat demons, obnoxious creatures who interfere with soul collection.

You're probably wondering "But vampires and demons are not the same, the reason the grim reapers hate demons is because they eat souls, and therefore don't let the grim reapers collect them. Vampires don't eat souls, they drink blood"

Well I feel like when vampires turn people into zombies, it sort of corrupts both of the cinematic records and the soul, the zombies still have records and a soul, but after being turned they're just broken and not worthy of the reaper's time unless it's for experimental reasons when it comes to characters like Undertaker.

I feel like if Black Butler and Phantom Blood were to ever have a spin off crossover anime show (which definitely will NEVER happen because they're both owned by different companies and both Hirohiko Araki and Yana Toboso probably wouldn't have an interest in that, but pretend we're in an alternative time line where Araki and Toboso's works are owned by the same companies and they are both very interested in each others works and have all the legal rights to make a crossover series) It would definitely be a lot longer than Phantom Blood, not as long as Black Butler is but probably about 20 episodes+ , I'm not sure how many seasons or arcs there would be, but I'm guessing 1 or 2 seasons and a few arcs.

So I'm guessing they would be in Japan specifically, in other countries? Well despite me coming from the same country as Jonathan and Ciel (England) both Black Butler and JoJo's are sadly not that popular here, it's a pain in the arse trying to find merchandise for both animes even in anime based shops, the most I usually find of them is manga, and even then they usually don't even have majority of the volumes.

Would it be popular? Well JoJo's and Black Butler in Japan are rather popular (JoJo's is definitely a lot MORE popular with some describing it as around the same amount of popularity as Star Wars does in the West in Japan, but Black Butler is fairly popular as well, I'm guessing JoJo's is more popular because it's been around since the mid 80's and Black Butler has been around since the mid-late 2000's)

I just think this whole concept is really cool and I'll probably talk about it a lot

[boygiwrites]

Harley D. Dixon 22

An amazing edit inspired by this story! (Cred to Cora_Line99) Harley D. Dixon's Pinterest Board! Harley D. Dixon's Playlist!

📖Chapter List.

Author's Note.

Okay, last time, I swear! Next chapter will be longer and more productive.

Enjoy! 😊

Next to me in the backseat of Rick's car, Carl prattles on and on about all the new wilderness facts I taught him.

"And there's these mushrooms called Morels. You can find them growing on trees and they're edible, too. They taste kinda nutty."

Rick answers him with another half-assed, wow, like he's been doin' the entire drive, making me giggle when I catch his amused expression in the rear-view mirror. In the car behind us is Maggie, Glenn, Jacqui, and Jimmy, who were all pretty keen on joinin' our shooting lessons after all the commotion of the past couple days. We didn't bother Carol with an invitation, though. She seems to wanna stay locked in the RV all day, not talkin' to nobody. I feel real bad for her. We all do. Dad once said that having a child changes your life, but I suppose losing one changes it all over again, too. People die, people mourn. Life moves on. The only reason I'm here is 'cause I'm pretending I'm that strong.

"Oh, and when you're skinning an animal, you gotta make sure you don't press too hard, otherwise you'll pierce the poop tube."

Rick lets out a disgusted chuckle. "What the Hell's a poop tube?"

"You know. It's where the poop goes down before it, uh...."

"God," He shakes his head, peeling off the road and driving us into a small, green field. "Don't go tellin' your mother that one."

Once he brings the car to a stop underneath the shade of a big tree, Carl and I unbuckle and hop out, Maggie pulling in beside us soon after. He opens the trunk, unzippers the duffel bag, and I wait patiently beside Carl as Rick hands out pistols and ammo to the other adults first.

"Okay. First thing's first, these are semi-automatic handguns." He professionally explains. "One bullet per squeeze of the trigger."

Carl grabs for one, grumbling annoyedly when it goes to Glenn instead, who easily loads a clip into the chamber.

Maggie copies his fluid movements, getting familiar with the weapon. "Where'd you come across so much firepower, Grimes?"

"Long story." He shares a funny glance with Glenn as he passes the next gun to Jacqui. "Give ya the short version, we went through a Hell of a lotta trouble to get our hands on a bag from my old station, kept it ever since." The last two go to me and Carl. "Remember. These ain't toys."

We both give understanding nods. I know they ain't toys. I got that drilled into my head since I first laid eyes on my family's supply.

"Alright, let's go line up in front of that fence over there, see if we can't hit some targets. I'll give y'all the rundown on how to do it."

As we move to the centre of the field, Rick walks the fence line, carrying the bag of empty tins and bottles he brought with him, placing each one a fair distance apart. After that, he tweaks everybody's stances and grips. Maggie's is near perfect. Glenn's is perfect. He gives us a little look that says, uh-huh, that's right, making Carl roll his eyes and Jacqui smack his shoulder. He goes pink when Maggie laughs. They begin shooting as soon as they get the green-light, and after Rick checks over Jacqui and Jimmy, he does the same with me and Carl.

"Got it down pretty good." He hums. All he needs to do is square Carl's shoulders. "Guess your little woodland fieldtrip went well, huh?"

His tongue stuck out, Carl takes a slightly-off shot at one of the tins before saying, "Yeah, it did. Harley taught me."

"Well, if y'all managed to hit a rabbit, you'll breeze through this no problem."

Line up the sights, breathe in, breathe out, squeeze. My heart leaps as the bottle I was aiming for explodes, but I keep a straight face.

Much easier than hittin' a rabbit. Also much easier than hitting a group of walkers in the middle of the woods.

Rick smiles. "Nice work, Harley. How's the hearing?" 

At another bang from down the line, the ringing in my ear turns up a notch. I cringe, "It's ringin' again."

"Too bad we don't have earmuffs." He mutters to himself, before getting an idea. "Here." Stepping behind me, he cups both his hands over my ears. Ooh. That's much better. All the sounds are muffled now. It makes the splitting of metal and the shattering of glass a little more bearable. When I realize he's asking me something, I pull his wrist away and look up at him, curious. He chuckles. "I said, 'Is that better?'"

The corner of my mouth twitches upwards. Embarrased, I answer, "Yeah."

"Lemme know if you need a break or I'm squeezin' too hard." He says kindly before covering me again. "Here we go. Start shootin', missy."

For the next five minutes, I focus on pointing, breathing, and shooting, managing to hit my target once every three tries, and then once every two, and then I ain't missin' at all, anymore. Even though I can't hear 'em all too well, I see the others cheering me on every now and then.

After my last target goes flying off the fencepost, I lower the gun, tapping Rick on the arm to let him know to pull away.

"Doin' really well," He praises. "Especially with your reloadin', you got that down to an art. You need that break, now?"

I hate to admit it, but, "Yeah, I think so."

He understands. "Alright, go grab some water and sit in the shade for a bit. No harm done."

"Maybe when you come back," Carl adds cheekily, "I'll be able to hit even more targets than you."

I don't bother responding. I take myself back over to the cars, snatching up my water bottle from the pile on the ground before climbing onto the hood and taking a long sip. I spend some time just watching the others, doing my best to ignore the cruel headache crushing down on my skull but it's near impossible. I wish I could just reach inside my ear, rip out that ringing noise, and crush it like a bug beneath my boot.

At some point Glenn taps out as well, breaking away from the group and approaching me with a half-smile.

"Hey, Harley." He says, grabbing his water and a small snack. "You okay?"

"No. My stupid ear, it's hurtin' still." I complain, groaning wearily as he leans next to me on the car. "As if it bein' butt-ugly weren't enough."

"Hey, it's not ugly." He nudges me gently. "It's cool. Just like Rick's hat or your Dad's crossbow, it just makes you more interesting."

I don't get how people see badass or interesting when they look at my mangled ear-nub. Dad even called me beautiful. I'on get it.

When I don't respond, he hesitantly offers, "You wanna talk about it?"

"Not really." I mumble. Ain't much to talk about. Some things are better buried, like bodies in graves. "What 'boutchu? Why you over here?"

"I— I don't know." He shrugs. "Couldn't concentrate, I guess. I kept missing my shots, so I thought I'd quit while I was ahead."

I raise a brow. He must have something on his mind to be messin' up his aim like that. "You got sum' you wanna talk about?"

Chewing his lip nervously, he gazes out at Maggie as she reloads another clip into her gun's chamber, Rick as he jokes with Carl. Then with no warning, he awkwardly confesses, "Lori's pregnant. Rick doesn't know. And Maggie said she loves me but I didn't say it back."

Woah, uh... I don't know what to say. Lori and Rick are havin' a baby? Maggie and Glenn love each other, like boyfriend-girlfriend? Dang. No wonder his aim was shit. Those are some hefty secrets. I had enough trouble keepin' my one secret, but keepin' two?

Once I've swallowed down my surprise, I ask him incredulously, "Why you ain't tell nobody? Why you ain't tell Rick?"

I'm not too sure what happens when people find out they're having a baby, but don't they gotta, well, find out?

"Because Lori said she'd throw me back down the well if I said anything to him... I already spilled to Dale, though, and now you." Guilt crinkles expression. "Ugh, I'm so bad at secrets. I got her that test the other day, but now she doesn't even know if she wants to keep it."

Oh, that's right. The lady products. I didn't know you could decide if you want a baby or not once you got it. "How ya mean?"

He shakes his head. "Never mind. Just don't tell anyone else, please."

"Well, ya gotta tell him at some point, right?"

"I'm kinda just waiting to see what Lori does. It's her choice to make."

"And you and Maggie?" I prompt as he snaps off half his granola cookie and hands it to me. I take a bite. "She loves you?"

"Well, she said she did." He spends a long time chewing, thinking, staring at her. "I don't think she meant it. She's confused or something."

"I'on think Maggie's the type to get too confused 'bout things." I quip, doubtful. "She must'a meant it in some way, at least."

Lori guessed they was sweet on one another. I don't know too much about this sorta stuff. I never liked movies with princes and princesses in 'em, or books where the boy and girl kiss at the end. Real life ain't like that. There's things like suicide and custody. No, instead I liked the ones with adventure, like the Fox and the Hound and Alice in Wonderland. I liked pretending I was in some other, better world.

I know about Glenn, though, and I know I want him to be happy. If a strong, pretty girl like Maggie can do that for him, then I'm happy too.

"It's just, I didn't say it back." He sighs. "I was still too shaken up from this morning. Got scared, I guess. I mean, we barely know each other."

"Don't gotta. I loved Tank the second I saw him," I shrug, "I ain't know a thing about him."

"That was your guys' dog, right?" He smiles when I give a nod. I think he likes how simple my answers are. "So, you think I should talk to her?"

"If you don't, you'd be an idiot." I tell him. "Seen so much death by now that if a girl said she loved me, I'd count my dang lucky stars."

He chuckles at that. "You're not planning on stealing her from me, are you?"

"Might just."

"Whatever. Gimme that." He steals back the remainder of the cookie from my hand, making me squeal in protest. "I don't share with traitors."

"Hey!" He pops it in his mouth before I can swipe it back, whining, "Glenn!"

As he laughs around his mouthful, Rick comes up to us with a fond look on his face. "I gotta break somethin' up, here?"

I scoff. "He stole my damn food."

"Well, it was mine to begin with."

"Hey, no fighting while class is in session." He takes another cookie from the tupperware container and hands it to me. "Try pickin' on someone your own size next time." Taking a bite, I echo, yeah, somebody your own size. Then he asks me, "How's the ear doing?"

"Oh," I haven't even been paying attention to it until now, just Glenn. It's actually stopped ringing. "It ain't so bad anymore."

"That's good." He hums. "I reckon we'll be headed back soon, anyway, so just take it easy 'till then."

Glenn asks, "It's the sound of the gunshots, right?"

"Yeah. Definitely ain't doin' you any favors, huh?"

No shit. "I just wanna be able to shoot like you guys."

"Hey, you're pretty damn close already. You just need to start thinkin' about relying on quieter weapons, that's all. Like that knife of yours."

It's hard not to get angry when one mistake ruins a whole bunch other things. Lost an ear, gained tin-eye-dus, and now I can't even shoot no more. I was just startin' to get good, too. Ain't no use sulking, though, so I suck it up like a big girl and listen to Rick's advice.

"Knives are better, anyway." I say off-handedly, trying to convince myself of my own words. "Can't skin no rabbit with a gun."

He smiles and gives my shoulder a pat. "Exactly."

The three of us finish off a couple more cookies and talk about random stuff, like Rick's first day at his cop academy's shooting range and who we think is the best shot outta everyone still practicing. We don't talk about the baby in Lori's tummy, though. I feel a little giddy looking at Rick and knowin' something so exciting about him that he don't. It's like tryna hide a surprise party from someone. I just wanna tell him!

Wow, a baby. I ain't never been around one of those before. For once in my life, I won't be the youngest.

That might'a made me sad a couple days ago, but I think I'm ready to be growing up now.

Besides, I'll always be my Dad's baby no matter how old I am.

On the way home, Carl takes to rambling about how much he loved shooting, and how he can't wait to go again sometime. 

Author's Note.

Harley's so lucky to have such a supportive group of people looking after her. I'm jealous!!

Thanks for reading, everyone! 💙

[project-sekai-facts]

2nd year event?! I saw the announcement and am now very curious and excited, especially since this is happening before Mafuyu’s coming up. Have the 2nd years ever had an event about them? What are your thoughts about this group? I know you have some because I saw your tags 👀

Below cut

It's SO gonna be a WxS key story like no way out of it. Given that they're both lims that probably means that it's gonna have a lot of screentime for the boys (well, Rui is a given, it's his event), so there's no way they won't bring up the current WxS plot. Honestly making this a Rui event was an amazing idea because it connects so much with his arc with his fear of growing up and having to leave what he has now behind. And by the looks of the card he made new friends!! Which actually makes it all the more gut punching because he's never really had friends and he only gets a whopping one whole in-universe year with them now.

It's also really cool to see that the Miyajo girls are there. I reckon Shizuku (and Airi, but to a much lesser extent) will get like a mini version of STEP by STEP! with Mafuyu. Because think about it, if Shizuku and Airi leave formal education, that makes Mafuyu the only MC Miyajou 3rd year. I think it'll be really neat to see all the second years interact more because they've never been given much of a chance before outside of a few short scenes, and I think Rui and Mafuyu's dynamic in particular is really interesting. I don't know how much they'll interact in this event, if at all, but I'd like to see more there. Rui is very emotionally intelligent - so long as it doesn't apply to himself - and he's also very very observant, so although having him notice where Mafuyu's issues was unexpected, it wasn't necessarily surprising, and I'd like that to be followed up on even if it is arguably more effective as a passing encounter moment.

I'm guessing there'll be a sweet making and tea ceremony part, because those are the event teams and also Airi's favourite food/club so I think that would be a nice laid-back bonding moment from the 2nd years and who knows, if that does happen then maybe they'll ruin the 3 seconds of peace we get from by reminding us that Airi is moving to credit course and won't be doing clubs anymore.

I'm assuming they'll throw in the excuse for the two schools interacting is that they both happened to be on the same school trip at the exact same time.

Also, the event description. I have thoughts.

from @/pjsekai_eng on twitter

I'm guessing the reason Rui has little interest is because 1. aforementioned fear of getting growing up and moving on and doesn't want to face it, and 2. doesn't have many friends at school, let alone any in his class (it's outlined in KAMIKOU FESTIVAL! that he has never particularly been one for school events because everyone would push him away. We've had Cheerfes since then but you get my point). But it looks like maybe his classmates are actually more willing to be friends with him now?

And then the event name

same source as above

Hey look that sounds like a Wonderlands x Showtime inevitable disbandment reference. Atp I'm starting to think the reason I'm so invested in their current arc is because of how much it resembles a Love Live plot (mod makes shameless LL reference #3 billion what else is new?). Enjoying your youth while you can because there's so much fun stuff you can do and you're surrounded by people and it truly is an experience that you won't be able to quite match later on. It's simple but incredibly effective and emotionally driven. Especially since the age high school is in Japan really is like that bridging period between childhood and adulthood. And linking this to Rui and Tsukasa's event cards specifically...

They seem to have tied the folklore theme with a school uniform theme. And I'm going to pick this apart because I'm already 643 words in so why stop now? I feel bad for excluding Shizuku from this but we've never had too much on her school-related past. The most we got was Draw Your Bow In This White World which was only set 1 year pre-canon so not counting it.

Anyway. I've seen several people point out on Twitter that Rui's limited hair is the same hairstyle that he had as a child. That stuck out to me because we know from flashbacks that that was when people started to steer clear of him at school and he lost a lot of friends, and I wonder if that's going to be brought up in the event, especially since it seems that he's going to be making new friends.

In a similar vein, Tsukasa. I'm sure most people noticed that he's basically wearing his middle school uniform except with glasses. Like Rui's lim linking to when he was most lonely, Tsukasa's does as well. It's established in On the stage of dazzling light that he was pretty lonely during middle school because it was when Saki got moved to a hospital out of the prefecture.

I don't know if this was intentional because Shizuku's doesn't visibly follow that theme, but prsk does like some good symbolism and lim sets quite often have one that sticks out from the others for whatever reason. If it wasn't intentional then good on them for somehow doing this. But it does make a lot of sense, y'know? Cherishing the high school memories because the ones before now were a bit shit?

1 2 (heh)

Being frank I don't entirely know how Japanese school trips work but judging by the card it looks like Rui and Tsukasa got put in a group together? I hope their friendship gets some depth and development added to it with this event because they actually have an interesting dynamic underneath the Oddball 1-2 comic relief that has a lot of underutilised potential. Like what I said in those screenshots - Rui wants to know more about the SEKAI, but since it's entirely derived from Tsukasa's psyche, it means he has to get to know Tsukasa better, and they still aren't on much of a more personal level of friendship almost 3 years after that card story. The fact that both of their lims seem to reference the points when they were most lonely... I think that could be a good starting point for them to bond over. Obviously the circumstances were completely different and Rui was driven into depression by it, but what I'm saying is that it's a start.

Also like the very intentional parallels between Rui and Mizuki and their loneliness and their connection with the rooftop Wonderlands x Showtime main story chapter 5 My Footprints, Your Destination chapter 8 Tsukasa and Ena and the personal impact they had on those two respectively something or other and the fact that one side of that parallel has surprisingly little depth to their relationship idk

Oh and this part from the very end of A Canary Sings In A Quagmire. Though they might stall on it for a bit longer since it's a plot thread that was only just introduced. I reckon if it does get brought up it will just be in internal monologue or Rui just mentioning the concept in passing or being vague about it rather than actually addressing it (Emu and Nene aren't here and I think they will probably be around when it gets fully unpacked). If they do decide to face it directly then I wouldn't mind but it seems too soon to me.

Finally, I reckon we might get some more Shizuku and Tsukasa interactions. It's kind of guaranteed to be fair but you never know. Their dynamic isn't hugely deep or anything but it doesn't need to be, like they only know each other because their sisters were friends. Anyway I don't really mind if all they do in the event is talk about their sisters and what they've been up to themselves - it's pretty cute.

I'll be reading the event in my lunch break tomorrow so long as it is on sekai.best by then, so if anyone wants to ask me more about it then feel free. Watch literally none of what I just wrote happen in the event.

If I said that almost all of the 2nd years are in my top 10 would that justify the word vomit?