#this is not a critique this is me going 'I like this

[anniflamma]

AnniFlamma, we all love your fanart and animatics of Epic: The Musical, please don't let a few shitty people demotivate when 100x those people love and adore the stuff you make, along with all other animators!

Stay safe and take care, we will always be here and I can't seem to repeat this enough but we love your art

Thank you and everyone for reaching out to me. I will be honest with you all that what happened did upset me a lot, but I am very lucky to have people to go to for support. I will even blame some of them for making me cry, my friends, I mean, because if I am upset and if someone asks me if I am okay, I just break down. 😅 But I used our little server as a ground to vent, and right now I feel much better now.

But I will still be honest that I meant what I said that my interest in making Epic fan content has reduced a lot. I still love Epic, and I still really want to do the whole Ithaca saga, but I have also realized that posting content about it has caused me to feel anxious.

An example is when I finished The Challenge animatic, I felt an extreme wave of anxiety when I was going to press the upload button. And the worst thing? My anxiety confirmed the fears. I have gotten tiktok comments saying that I am a freak for drawing Penelope nude despite it being in a non-sexual way. Apparently, I have to be constantly reminded that female bodies are icky and the world hates women. Aaaaaaand then to get hit by that TikTok video of thousands of people shitting on me, Duvetbox, Gigi, Mircy, Neal, and so many more…

If you have noticed, I have posted less, all types of content for Epic. I don’t do my headcanons anymore, I never wrote that full review of Epic, I feel less keen on drawing fanart, let alone joking about shipping here online. I remember when I made a joke about shipping Aphrodite and Athea because they were the only female characters interacting with each other (ignoring Hera), and then I took it as a critique that Epic failed the Bechdel test. After that, I got plenty of anonymous messages about how I am an evil person for shipping those two goddesses… Just say that you don’t know what the Bechdel test is and block me... 😑

I also hate how my first negative experience with the Epic fandom was pure homophobia toward my Bible animatics. Like, they used negative language toward gay people to tell me to make Epic content instead. There is this weird obsession where people expect me and other artists to only do one thing, which is Epic, and if we dare to do something else, we get punished or infantilized, like we didn’t have any say when Casper commissioned us for Stories of Styx. Don’t get me started on how fucking awful people were to Casper and Teagan….

I hate how people easily tell others things, only for them to unquestionably believe everything said about me. Like the amount of "Anni made Ody/Circe porn, uwaaaa!!" And then, the moment someone questions them and forces them to realize I never made such a thing, they double down and say that I shouldn't have made Circe nude in the original animatic "cuz female bodies are icky" or the classic "Well, I haven’t seen the porn video, but someone told me it existed, so I’m going to believe it exsits." Like, you could tell these people that the sky is green, and they would believe you.

Then there’s that whole "Anni supports rape" or "Anni felt bad for the suitors and wanted Penelope to get raped" insanity. Those quotes stems from ppl was crashing out when I made a post criticizing Epic’s way of addressing the topic of rape. In that post, I was suggesting that I would like the story better if Odysseus were actually morally ambiguous when killing the suitors. How could anyone even think Ody was in the wrong for killing the suitors because he wanted to protect Penelope? How can he be a monster after that? I don’t know, I support a husband protecting his wife from gang rapists, but I guess that was the worst thing for me to ever say, huh? Like, how dare I criticize their almighty Jorge…

It’s insane that I have an easier time handling hateful Christians compared to TikTok Epic fans. 😅

Oh well... I’ve had so many bad experiences with the TikTok Epic fandom over the past two years. And eventually, you just want to log off.

I’m thinking of stopping posting Epic content at all on TikTok as a first step. If TikTok Epic fans hate my fanart that much, then I’ll do them the favor of never seeing it from my account. I will, however, continue posting my Bible animatics there. And if I continue working on my Hold Them Down animatic and if I ever finish it… I will only be active here on Tumblr and on YouTube.

And so, at this moment, I will take a pause from Epic. It probably won’t be that long because, despite everything, I love that musical. But I also have to remind myself that, despite there being so many negative remarks toward not only me but the other artists, there is a lot of love from you actual fans. I have about 138K subscribers on YouTube. That’s 138K individuals who love my work so much that they want to see more of it. THAT IS TOTALY INSANE! And I will never forget that! And I am so thankful for all of you and your support. Thank you and I love you guys! 💕

I’m also planning on making a better-formulated post about this another day. All of this is just me ranting and want to take a short break, focusing on something else.... Maybe... Venice the musical? 😅

[kxsagi]

Kindly requesting mma fighter!gf x blue lock boys 🙏

I’ve been hyperfixating on the idea for a hot minute and would like to know your take on these 🤭 As for characters, could you have Isagi, Bachira, Sae, Shido, Reo, Kaiser and Barou? (As well as any other characters you’d like to add) Thank you ☺️

“𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐭”

a/n: this is giving “my girlfriend could kill me (and i’d let her)”

ft. itoshi sae, itoshi rin, isagi yoichi, bachira meguru, shidou ryusei, mikage reo, kaiser michael, barou shoei

itoshi sae

deadpan “wtf” when he first sees you break a guy’s nose clean in a sparring match. 

not scared of you… just extremely respectful of you. 

“remind me to never piss you off.” 

secretly enjoys watching your training vids. they're always playing in the background while he studies game footage or stretches. he says it's for "noise." 

loves that you can protect yourself. he doesn't worry when you're out late because who would even try you? 

your bruised knuckles get the gentlest kisses. he's silent about it, but you catch the softness in his eyes every time. 

itoshi rin

"your form’s off. tilt your elbow when you throw." 

yes. rin critiques your fighting technique. 

trains with you for fun, but it turns serious fast. you both end up full-sparring, and the neighbors call the cops because it sounds like a crime scene. 

lowkey turns into your water boy during competitions. towel ready, water open, dead silent but there for everything. 

he doesn't like people staring at you in your fight gear, but he'd never say that. instead, he’ll just glare until they combust. 

jealous when you get press attention – “they should be watching me, not her.” (he’s just petty + he loves you.) 

isagi yoichi

your biggest fan. like. front row, wearing a shirt with your name on it. 

he gasps when you throw punches like a mom watching her kid in a karate tournament. 

“wait wait wait was that a spinning elbow??? baby that was SICK!!!” 

always tries to “train” with you and ends up flat on his back every time. 

absolutely posts clips of you on his insta stories with heart emojis. 

when fans flirt with him, he literally goes, “my girlfriend would kick your ass in two seconds.” 

bachira meguru

he thinks it’s the hottest thing ever. 

challenges you to play-wrestling. ends up in a headlock giggling like a maniac. 

asks you to teach him cool moves just so he can show off in public and say “my girlfriend taught me that!” 

gets way too into your pre-fight rituals. “do you want me to braid your hair? can i scream like a hype man before you go in?” 

draws little doodles of you mid-kick. has a sticker of you on his phone case. 

actually becomes a little possessive when other fighters flirt with you. all smiley until he says, “she’ll break your nose if you try that again.” 

shidou ryusei

it’s a match made in hell. chaos x chaos. 

you two flirt by trying to knock each other out. 

sparring is just foreplay, honestly. 

“babe you broke my rib that was so hot.” 

starts fights in public just so you can jump in and “save” him. 

he’s obsessed with your strength. like, genuinely obsessed. will brag about you to strangers like “my girlfriend could kill you with her pinky.” 

also not-so-secretly into the idea of you pinning him. yeah… 

mikage reo

shocked at first. like, his elegant, stunning girlfriend… punches people for a living? 

gets over it fast and becomes the most extra supporter of all time. 

hires a videographer to make hype montages of your fights. 

“you need better sponsorships. i’ll call my manager.” 

wears suits to your matches like he’s at fashion week. 

deadass once tries to bribe your opponents to forfeit so you won’t get hurt. you banned him from doing that again. 

gets really flustered when you pin him against the wall. “d-don’t use your pro moves on me, babe… please…” 

kaiser michael

he acts cocky until he sees you knock someone out in 30 seconds. 

“... okay that was kind of sexy.” 

makes it his life mission to look cooler than you in public. spoiler: he fails. 

“you’re lucky i like strong women.” while actively looking like a golden retriever when you punch the heavy bag. 

kisses your bruises like it’s romantic. it kinda is. 

super competitive during sparring. refuses to go easy even when you dominate him. 

also: “imagine our kids. they'd be gods.” 

barou shoei

does NOT know how to process you at first. 

like. you fight?? professionally?? 

refuses to admit he’s impressed. instead he says “your guard’s sloppy.” 

you beat him in arm wrestling and he sulks for a week. 

but deep down? he’s proud as hell. watches all your matches. complains when they don’t show your good side. 

sometimes trains with you, but it always turns into a competition. 

super protective even though you clearly don’t need it. “don’t talk to her. she can handle herself, but i’ll break your jaw too.” 

© 𝐤𝐱𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢

[gf2bellamy]

hey girl!

Just read someone talking about a tiktok where the boyfriend sits with his plushies and watches and corrects his girlfriend as she teaches him as a way of studying for exam.

Maybe a PhD!student!reader x early!season!spence with this plot and he gets all cheery and claps whenever she gets a topic right idk

Hope that made sense😶‍🌫️

Love ya! 😘

studying — spencer reid

pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader ( no use of y/n ) content warnings: established relationship, fluff , reader has an exam, earlyseason!spencer <3 a/n: hi hi !! this isnt the first message i've received abt this tiktok video ( i feel like i'm the only one who hasnt seen it?) but its so spencer so i just had to write this <3

You stared at the whiteboard, its surface cluttered with half-erased scribbles, bullet points, and arrows pointing in increasingly uncertain directions.

The markers were beginning to dry out, and your brain too.

You squinted at the words, trying to will them into making sense, but they just sat there smugly, refusing to reorganize into anything remotely coherent.

Behind you, Spencer sat cross-legged on your bed, half-buried in a sea of plushies that had taken up residence there during your all-night study sessions.

He didn’t seem to mind. In fact, you were pretty sure he was enjoying himself.

The way your nose scrunched when you were frustrated, the way you gestured wildly when you finally connected the dots. He loved it when you taught him things, even if he already knew them.

You sighed and dragged a hand through your hair. “Okay, I give up. I’ve explained this same thing four different ways, and I’m still confusing myself.”

Spencer didn’t answer right away.

When you glanced back at him, he was gently repositioning a lopsided stuffed bear, straightening its little bow tie with delicate precision. He caught your gaze and smiled, warm and a little shy.

“You’re not confusing,” he said quietly. “You’re just tired. But I think you're explaining it better than you think you are.”

You let out a breath somewhere between a groan and a laugh, turning around to lean against the edge of your desk. “Then why does it feel like none of it’s sticking?”

“Because you’ve been at this for hours,” he said, shifting slightly and patting the spot on the bed beside him. “Come sit. Let’s go over it again.”

You hesitated, eyeing the whiteboard one last time like it might suddenly throw you a bone. It didn’t.

You had discovered early on in your relationship that Spencer was an excellent study partner—not just because of his eidetic memory, but because of the way he listened. He absorbed information like a sponge, but more than that, he made you feel heard.

When you explained concepts aloud to him, it forced you to articulate them clearly, and his occasional corrections (always gentle) kept you sharp.

With a reluctant sigh, you crossed the room and dropped onto the bed. A stuffed alpaca flopped sideways onto your lap, and Spencer gently rescued it before it fell off the edge.

“This one likes to supervise,” he said with a grin, setting it back beside you like it was part of some official plushie committee.

You couldn’t help but smile. “He looks judgmental.”

“Motivational,” Spencer corrected with a soft laugh. “He believes in you.”

You rolled your eyes but felt your shoulders relax for the first time in hours. He turned toward you, expression open and attentive.

“Okay. Tell me again about the difference between quantitative and qualitative methodology. As if you were explaining it to someone who knows absolutely nothing about it.”

“You do know something about it,” you teased.

“Humor me.”

You exhaled slowly, gathering your thoughts, and launched back into your explanation.

As you spoke, Spencer nodded, asked the occasional gentle question, and—when you got slightly off track—interjected with the quietest correction, always phrased like a suggestion instead of a critique.

It didn’t hurt that he looked at you like you hung the moon.

Every time you nailed a concept—delivered a term with confidence, or remembered an example from your research—he clapped.

Actually clapped.

Not loudly, not obnoxiously—just a few soft, sincere rounds of applause, the kind that made your cheeks flush and your heart squeeze in your chest.

“Well done,” he said softly, his eyes glowing with pride. “You’ve got it.”

You chuckled and glanced at the plushies around him. “I think they’re helping. You’ve got a whole committee of motivational support there.”

Spencer paused, then grinned sheepishly. “Well, they are great listeners.” He reached down to adjust a stuffed elephant’s little bow tie, his eyes gleaming with quiet joy.

You continued explaining. Eventually, your words started flowing smoother, more confidently. You stopped stumbling over the terminology.

By the time you reached the end of your explanation, you felt like maybe—maybe—you actually understood what you were saying.

You stood up again, feeling the need to walk around as you grabbed another marker and began scribbling new diagrams on the whiteboard.

“And then… that’s it,” you said, your voice more certain now as you stared at the board, watching the last piece of the equation fall into place. You took a deep breath and turned back to Spencer.

His expression was pure warmth—bright eyes, a grin so wide it almost seemed to take up half his face.

"Exactly," he said, his voice soft with admiration, before clapping again—this time with more enthusiasm.

You couldn't help but grin back, your heart swelling with a sense of accomplishment and gratitude.

That smile of his, so genuine and so full of pride, made all the hours of frustration feel worth it. He didn’t look tired—not even slightly. Not after hours of watching you scribble, re-explain, stumble, and try again.

Spencer didn’t show a hint of impatience, and that made you appreciate him even more.

In fact, he looked downright adorable sitting there—cross-legged on your bed, surrounded by plushies, still so full of energy and enthusiasm.

You let out a breath, feeling the weight of the night lifting off your shoulders. You had done it. You got it.

“I think… I might actually get some sleep now,” you said, laughing a little as you leaned against the whiteboard for a moment, suddenly exhausted.

Spencer chuckled softly, setting down the stuffed elephant he’d been gently adjusting for the past few minutes, his eyes twinkling. “Sleep sounds like a good idea. But if you need to go over it one more time, I’m happy to help.”

You shook your head, a fond, tired smile playing at the corners of your mouth. “I think you’ve helped enough for tonight.”

He shrugged lightly, an endearing gesture that made you feel like he was constantly giving you more than you could ever ask for.

"Anytime," he murmured, voice warm like the tea he'd made you three hours ago that now sat cold and forgotten on your nightstand.

You turned back toward the whiteboard, eyeing the chaotic scrawl of diagrams and notes that had once felt like your mortal enemy.

Now, it just looked like progress.

“I think we can erase these,” you mumbled, already reaching for the eraser.

Spencer padded up behind you, quiet as ever, until you could feel him just over your shoulder.

“You sure?” he asked, his voice low and teasing, lips brushing just behind your ear. “Might want to keep it up for nostalgia.”

You rolled your eyes, grinning. “Spencer, it’s a jumbled mess. Half of it looks like it was written during a caffeine-induced breakdown.”

“That’s the charm,” he said, tightening his arms around your waist briefly before releasing you just enough to grab a nearby marker.

“Besides, this little guy deserves a spot in the Smithsonian,” he added, circling a particularly squiggly doodle of a triangle that had somehow gained angry eyebrows and a caption that read ‘Qualitative gremlin.’

You laughed, letting your head fall back against his shoulder for a second. “Oh no, not the gremlin.”

“He has theories,” Spencer said solemnly.

“You are the gremlin,” you shot back, elbowing him gently in the ribs.

Spencer feigned offense, but the grin that lit up his face gave him away. “Rude,” he said.

You finally began to erase the board, slow satisfying swipes of the eraser wiping away all the hours of stress and scribbled confusion

When the last marker stain was finally wiped clean, you stepped back to admire the blank space like it was a newly renovated canvas.

“Look at that,” you said, arms crossed, satisfied. “A fresh start.”

Spencer hummed in agreement beside you. “Symbolic.”

You glanced at him. “For what?”

He tilted his head, thoughtful. “Tomorrow. The next chapter. Your well-deserved nap.”

You let out a sleepy laugh. “God, yes. That.”

He smiled, then reached out and gently tapped your forehead with his index finger. “Go lay down, before you try to start another lecture.”

You caught his hand before he could pull it away and gave it a small squeeze. “Only if you’re coming with me.”

Spencer’s smile widened, eyes soft as he laced your fingers together. “Lead the way, professor.”

[astrologanize]

pick a card : what you can look forward to in 2025 🔮 

*please take a moment to take a deep breath and choose the image you are most drawn towards* more 2025 content

credit to goodpngs

———-for pile 1 ⊹

the veil of fear that has been plastered to your life will finally be lifting this year. up until this year you have been on guard and on the defense as a way to avoid any fears coming to fruition. this may have manifested as you expending your energy towards strategizing and trying to be two-steps ahead at all times and/or you desperately clinging to what you have in your life and being willing to do anything to keep it in your life due to the fear of change.

as the year progresses you will be seeing situations for what they are & seeing people for who they are instead of what you want them to be. you are definitely someone who has a tendency of getting a little too in their head and viewing life as a board game rather than endless experiences for you to embrace. but you will start prioritizing yourself in a way that is conducive this year and you may even shock yourself as you stop extending & adjusting so much towards the opinions/feelings of others or certain connections. heck, you might even have a confrontation or two that's going to make you feel empowered.

work is coming through strongly for this pile so if you've been looking for a job or looking for a new job or are trying to better your performance at your job or are trying to find your way on your career path then i am seeing notable progress happening this year. some of you may start working out, changing your diet to something that is 'cleaner' or 'fresher', etc. there is something about self-discipline & work that is going to be happening for you this year that you are going to be very pleasantly surprised by.

———-for pile 2 ⊹

this pile is reminding me of a subplot that happens in the movie "the change-up" where a character is told that they're a quitter and it bothers them so much that they hardcore set out to prove themselves. there are big, big lessons of maturity that you can look forward to this year because these lessons are going to help you to move forward and will finally bring you to a new chapter. up until this year you have been quite comfortable in the bubble you have created for your life because it makes you feel like you have more going for yourself than if you were to start anew with 'nothing'. it could also be the case that you are someone who lives vicariously through others, likes being the type of person others can confide in, "those who can't do teach", struggles with creating your own life.

ngl, there is a level of self-reflection that is needed for this pile because you did get the "you should accept valid criticism" card - so try to be mindful if anyone does approach you with a critique and really be honest with yourself. by the end of the year you will be feeling positively confident in who you are, you will not be taking things so personally, and you will be focusing on creating a life that you want for yourself - just know that you're going to be wandering a bit during this time as you figure out what it is you want.

although there is nothing wrong with desiring deeper connections, this year you will be learning the art of being ~casual~, like someone who knows how to mingle and keep things so-so. you are going to have a moment this year where the realization hits you that sometimes doing less is doing more. and there will be a situation in your life where you are going to make the conscious choice to do nothing, you are going to choose to keep to yourself, you are going to choose to not address it, you are going to just stand in your power and be cool, calm, & collected, and a weight is going to fall off of you for it.

———-for pile 3 ⊹

have we been simply just hoping for the best, perhaps? it is time for that to change! it is important for you to know that any seeming obstacle you encounter this year is for the very best of reasons. up until now you have been sticking to the plans you have in place and trying to make the most of the hands you're dealt but the issue is that you choose to do whatever you think is going to cause the least amount of issues. reminds me a bit of a kid trying to appease their parents.

this year you are going to make tons of headway in terms of who you are, who you want to be, how you want to express yourself, what you like, what you want, etc. no longer shall you be keeping yourself and your life open to interpretation! you may have a fun time in terms of exploring your aesthetic, you may choose to care less about work or you may even quit a job, you're going to be figuring out what it is that you enjoy and you're going to be seeking out hobbies/events that align with such.

"as the image of myself becomes sharper in my brain and more precious, i feel less afraid someone else will erase me by denying me love." - jenny slate

^^^ as you become better acquainted with yourself your boundaries are going to become firmer which will make you adapt less to situations/people and become 'unbothered' in a *positive* sense (though at times you may feel like you're being heartless or like you're delving into apathetic territory). once again, you may really love indulging yourself this year in terms of aesthetics! like having a shopping spree for yourself or giving yourself an extravagant self-care day. regardless, you are going to be amazed by the power of self-love this year. it's the path to finding honor in oneself!

———-for pile 4 ⊹

hm...so are you a lone wolf or do you just have perpetual issues with others? cuz my goodness was this pile taking forever to read for!! the energy was absolutely refusing to come out!!! there is a heavy energy surrounding this pile and it's time we dispel all that. you are someone who has the tendency to unnecessarily burden themselves, maybe you have obligations in your life that are all-consuming to you, maybe you are someone who keeps too much to themselves, maybe you are just too darn hard on yourself. you do know that you don't have to do everything, right? just making sure...

dedicating yourself to the wrong things is coming through, maybe its certain situations or people or it's a mindset, what have you. but finally shall you be allowing light into your life and moving away from the things that are not serving you 🙏 no more repeating lessons and continuing poor cycles!!! there will be some tears shed as you unlearn and distance yourself from what you need to but it's time to let life back in, babes.

there may be someone in your life who is draining the hell out of you - a parent, a partner, a friend, a boss, and you're going to have a wake-up call that this person is never changing because they don't want to change so all your efforts of trying to appease this person are going to waste. and if that's not the case then you yourself may be someone who is stubborn and resisting the flow of life, and you're finally going to break out of your routine and live!!!!!!! no matter which case it may be, or both, you are going to realize that it is okay to not live up to whatever it is you have in your mind. maybe you'll even allow yourself to seek guidance/help from someone else! you will be lighter by the end of this year, you will be branching out and socializing, you may be accepting of any invites or even making your own plans to hang out with people :j

———-for pile 5 ⊹

ah, y'all are really trying to wrap your heads around the fact that you cannot keep living the way that you are and something has got to give. agreed! up until now you have been brushing things under the rug, you've been keeping your expectations low, you've been accepting things that are beneath you, and you've been keeping your mouth shut about all the wrong things.

you are finally going to start combing through your life and paying close attention to what is going on around you & within you. it's kind of like when you start actually trying to figure out how you do feel around certain people, how you do feel coming to work or school and how you feel being there/leaving from there, truly acknowledging what your body & spirit trying to tell you through how you feel. do you feel yourself clenching? is there tension? does it feel like something is off? after sitting with all these thoughts throughout the year, by the end of the year you are going to be speaking your mind, letting things be known, and your mental juices will be flooding with ideas.

you may run into issues this year in regards to productivity, maybe you keep having random things interfere with your errands or things you're trying to get done, maybe you leave a job or have issues within your job, there's going to be some level of disappointment but it's going to make you realize what is and is not worth doing. it's time to focus less on goals and make room for more fun outings!!!

i definitely see you parting ways and/or making a necessary decision this year that is going to pay off a lot more than you would expect. for some of you, those who are romantically interested in men, you may meet & connect with a man this year and either it will be an overall positive experience or there will be a very notably positive takeaway from the connection. for others, there is going to be a notable male figure in regards to your year that will bring something positive to your life somehow.

———-for pile 6 ⊹

this pile....hm....don't worry, you are finally going to leave the cul-de-sac that you have been stuck in. this is a year where you are going to realize that the path you are on is not the path for you.

this pile is a bit different from the rest because what you can look forward to this year is letting go of what you thought you wanted and taking a big ol' step back from what you have been doing. in due time you will know what you need to do in order to set yourself up for greatness but first you have to re-trace your steps to figure out where things veered off track.

there will be something that happens to you this year that you may in the moment perceive as a loss or a failure or a defeat but it's actually going to be a blessing in disguise.

try to avoid taking risks this year, take things slow, regroup, and trust that you will find your way.

*october is coming through as being notable for y'all in a positive way so yay for something to bear in mind <3

[itsnesss]

𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 | franco colapinto × fem!reader

summary | at silverstone, feeling out of place in the busy paddock, you meet franco. what starts as a casual chat turns into a meaningful connection, leaving you both unexpectedly impacted

warnings | fluff, mild flirting, brief mention of feeling out of place / social discomfort, light romantic tension

word count | 1.0 k

🖇️ masterlist

The sky was overcast, that typical English gray that makes you unsure whether it's going to rain on you or just annoy you. Silverstone was a sea of people, noise, and movement. The paddock felt like a separate universe, one that didn’t seem to have room for a casual spectator like you. The credential hanging from your neck felt foreign, like someone else had mistakenly put it there.

"This isn’t my thing," you muttered, stepping away from the most chaotic area, searching for a corner to catch your breath.

But the paddock is like an urban jungle: there’s no such thing as silence. The roar of the engines overpowered the wind, the conversations—even your own thoughts. You looked around, uncomfortable. Everyone seemed to have a purpose: cameramen rushing with tripods, grease-covered mechanics, girls with cameras slung around their necks, fans hunting for autographs. You just wanted your cousin to finish his motorsport fangirl tour so you could go grab a drink somewhere calm. But he had won a meet & greet with several F2 drivers, and he had no intention of wasting it.

You couldn’t blame him. It was his passion. But you felt completely out of place.

You sat on the edge of a metal stand, half-hidden behind a trailer. The cold seat cut through your legs, but you preferred that to standing in the middle of that human swarm. That’s when, somewhere between your bored thoughts and the distant engine vibrations, you heard him for the first time.

"You look more like the 'coffee and a book' type than 'oil and burnt rubber.'"

You looked up, a little surprised that someone had spoken to you in the middle of all that chaos. And there he was. Franco Colapinto. His helmet hanging from his left hand, his racing suit unzipped at the top, revealing a black thermal shirt clinging to his torso. His hair tousled, like he had just been running with the wind. His gaze intense, but curious. Like he found your confusion amusing.

"Was that a personality read or a critique?" you asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A little of both," he replied, with a half-smile.

You weren’t sure whether to feel intimidated or intrigued. But there was something in his tone, in his relaxed posture, that made you stay. He didn’t seem like he was trying to impress. He just wanted to talk. And you... you needed exactly that.

"I'm T/N," you said, extending your hand without getting up from your seat.

"Franco," he said, shaking your hand briefly, though he didn’t really need to introduce himself. You already knew his name. Your cousin had repeated his last name so many times, you had it memorized—along with his car number.

"Do you talk to every girl who looks lost in the paddock, or just the ones who have no clue what’s going on?"

"Only the ones with no clue. They’re the most interesting."

He wasn’t arrogant. Nor was he pretending to be humble. There was a natural ease to him that disarmed you. He sat next to you without asking for permission, as if it were a park bench instead of the most iconic racing circuit in England.

"Are you bored a lot, or just a little?"

"A lot," you admitted, laughing. "I came with my cousin. He’s on cloud nine. Me... well, I’d rather be at a museum. Or in a bookstore."

Franco nodded like that wasn’t weird at all, like he understood.

"That’s fair. Sometimes I wish I were somewhere else too."

You looked at him, unsure if he was being serious.

"Why’s that?"

"You’re always surrounded by people, always running, training, traveling. Sometimes you just want something simpler."

"Like reading a book with coffee."

"Exactly. Though I’m not much of a reader. I’m more into watching shows when I can."

"Not much free time, huh?"

"Almost none. But right now I have a few minutes, and I’d rather spend them talking to you than locked inside the tent."

His sincerity caught you off guard. It wasn’t the typical flirty comment. It felt real. Like he had truly found something different in you. Something that pulled him out of “driver mode” and made him feel simply... human.

The conversation flowed. You talked about travel, music, how terrible the paddock coffee tasted. He asked about your interests, why you had picked this destination, what you hoped to get out of the trip. And you, who didn’t usually open up so easily, told him things you didn’t even know you’d wanted to share.

And he listened.

Not with a "I’m only paying attention because you’re cute" face, but with genuine interest. As if you weren’t just another girl. As if you were... something more.

Time slipped away between laughs and comfortable silences. Until a voice came through on his radio.

"I have to go. Briefing."

He stood up, brushing off his suit pants.

"Are you staying for the race?"

"I’m not sure."

"If you leave, I’ll get bad luck."

"You believe in that stuff?"

"In you, for now."

He said it so calmly it didn’t even sound cheesy. You were speechless.

"I’d like to see you later," he added, staring at you.

"After the race?"

"After everything."

And with that, he left.

You watched him walk away through the crowd, heading into the team tent with that same relaxed, confident stride. You felt your heart beating faster than you thought possible. Maybe it was the adrenaline of the moment. Maybe it was him. Or maybe, without even realizing it, you had just met someone who was going to change your life at a speed you couldn’t begin to imagine.

And even though you didn’t know it yet...

He had felt it too.

[yingdu-lover]

"I am not an accessory...I want freedom!" : Li Haolin's critique of the comphet media expectations, toxic entertainment industry and deconstruction of 'heroism' in To Be Bero X episode 2

Disclaimer : There are two more episodes left, and things will go haywire beyond our expectations; interpretations will change. However, I do believe that the core message should not change; the vision Li Haolin has, and I hope people who have watched his previous works recognize this. Li Haolin did say that the core theme remains the same in all To Be Hero works. May I have the pleasure of reminding you that Link Click was previously named 'To Be Hero: Photo'? Yeah. That being said, I should start my yapping.

Note : If you are a Link Clicker and have gone through all the stages of emotional peculiarities when Yingdu was airing, you may have noticed, with a critical lens, that Yingdu was very vocal about the nuances and politics of the entertainment industry. The recurring dialectic between (heteropatriarchal) capitalist consumerism and subversive counter-narratives really makes me happy; it affirms that Li Haolin is a political artist.

TBHX had a massive worldwide release; of course, it is aimed at an international audience, but I am sure that releasing TBHX a short period after Yingdu's completion was something Li Haolin did purposefully. Probably, it was a deliberate nod to avid Link Click fans to keep thinking intertextually. I took that as a sign.

Link Click and To Be Hero : Photo

(If you wish to skip this section, you can, but you won't be able to understand much when I actually start talking about To Be Hero X. I will draw ample comparisons with these discussions.)

Link Click, especially Yingdu, really deconstructs the concept and construction of 'Hero' and their identity. To quote Li Haolin: Tbhx is not your usual superhero story. It is fundamentally deconstructing the typical popular narratives.

To summarise, Link Click has/shows/raises questions about

1. explicit references to the concept of 'Hero'

2. how heteronormative masculinist capitalism forges the figure of 'Hero'

3. the question of agency : The dichotomy between public and private

4. narrative identity : hero, villain or is it a blur?

5. the 'soft' power of artistic hierarchy : genre and gender

6. the politics of ordinariness in popular culture (the communist propaganda :D)

[Of course, a lot of introductory yapping is about Link Click! It's important! So I am not stopping]

1. explicit references to the concept of 'Hero'

Starting with the 'Hero' (Hero with a capital H) theme, I think the first time we were introduced to Power Rangers-type heroes in Link Click was in the Doudou episode. Oh my God, this was the only episode that really stressed me out. Anyway, the Doudou story hits so hard because it is painfully realistic; it weaves simple yet endearing love with guilt, escapism, patience, helplessness, brutal honesty, and the acceptance of vulnerability, creating an alternative form of 'heroism' that is both funny and poignant at the same time. It is truly one of the most powerful episodes in the entire season 1.

Season 2's 'hero' discourse is more nuanced, so I'll discuss it while addressing the fifth point. It continues in Yingdu.

Ah, Yingdu. Cheng Xiaoshi's studio was called 'Hero Photo Studio' (ah) before Lu Guang moved in (actually- no, 'Hero' was replaced with 'Time' after they returned from Yingdu and Cheng Xiaoshi kept the promise he made with his maa)

Cheng Xiaoshi exclaiming : am I a hero in a freaking donghua-?! (ah.)

And those lines from The Eye full version :

No matter how hard we looked in the lost and found We never could shine the moonlight underground To the point where we got sick of pretending like we are saviors Till we learn to carry on

Heroes and their savior complex: What is a hero if he does not save people? Useless, right? Heroes are built on narratives. There needs to be a villain to blame, victims to be saved, and most importantly, people to identify the hero as a hero and give the final verdict. What happens when even one parameter is missing?

It's quite amazing how Lu Guang is highlighting his fragility. He does pretend, and he has to be adamant and quite delulu in order to continue his task, or he will collapse.

The interesting thing is that there is an utterance of 'we' rather than 'I.' So, is Cheng Xiaoshi cognizant of this? Something is amiss. It beautifully haunts. It's not just a recollection of the past or their shared suffering and understanding of the world, but rather a sense of final submission on Lu Guang's part.

2. how heteronormative masculinist capitalism forges the figure of 'Hero'

'Heroism' is a fundamentally masculinist construction. Even the term 'virtue,' which has taken on a moral connotation in modern vocabulary, is actually associated with virility/vir (the Latin word for 'man'). Historically, justice, reason, and virtue—the three most basic tenets of heroism—were reserved for (and believed to be possessed only by) exclusively able-bodied men. Women are bestial, devoid of reason, driven by excessive passion, and therefore can never be eligible for the role of a 'Hero.' Even in recent years, the trend is that a female character has to renounce some (or all) parts of her femininity to access aggressive masculinity. Moreover, she can almost never exist without being a shadow to her male counterpart(s). In short, humanist 'Heroism' is predominantly masculine. Female characters must follow a norm to be considered a 'Hero'; they can't topple a system. The fixed binary positions of hero/heroine are heteronormative constructs. Ever wondered why, when a 'heroine' saves a 'Hero' (let's assume both are able-bodied, of equal caliber), it's considered very 'subversive'? It should just be another story of saving people, right? But...It is the normative story that sells. It sells, and that's what matters to capitalism. An alternative story of heroism will remain alternative and special (you know those companies that hire disabled people, queer people, and Black people as a form of tokenism? Then they sack them first without any legible reason or notice). A cluster of 'heroes' will never be able to compete with the 'Hero' (hero with a capital H).

Now, what kind of 'hero' is Qiao Ling?

Honestly speaking, she has been saving Shiguang's ass since the beginning of season 1. Whether it is financial help, legal help, paying hospital bills, paying their bail, or confronting difficult opponents, Qiao Ling hardly backs down. She takes risks; she is overprotective of Shiguang, but since her 'heroism' is so subtle and there is a lack of an audience to identify her as a hero, her 'heroism' goes unnoticed for the most part.

3. the question of agency : The dichotomy between public and private

I discussed a hell lot about it in my analysis of Xia Fei's character before. A few excerpts-

He (Xia Fei) is smart enough to know he is being exploited (and tbh the theme of surveillance and making him the 'morbid' object of gaze, I say morbid because in the last scene of his pv, it's a dead shot, his eyes look so dead, the camera's battery is dead. But yk what remains? his face card. The like button continually popping with likes made me very uncomfortable.

and

Also Xia Fei's story talks about another important theme of the donghua; photo! How photos taken in private spheres are meant to preserve memories of the loved ones, loved encounters. How you capture someone you love in that still image, alive with the emotion you associate with them, giving it an afterlife. The photo becomes the literal and metaphorical medium through which Lu Guang can rewrite history. Forget-me-not, remembrance. It empowers him.

-

On the contrary, for Xia Fei, it is the panopticon seizing his life and rendering it absurd. The emotive power and affect for lu guang changes into viscous institutionalised power politics for Xia Fei. Brilliant! 😭

Xia Fei is surrounded by cameras and it's the play of fate that it continues even to his private life (while befriending Shiguang)

The most perfect focus Wandering between gazes

-

Wherever there's a good position, I'll offer a smile To the lights, I lend this beautiful body To stand in the center

-

No need to guess, this complete disguise The crowd will eventually forget this mask It doesn't matter if the great fire extinguishes the truth Who will it be, perfectly concealed The stolen gaze Yeah, I know I gotta run Yeah, fake a smile in calm

It's a public performance and an elaborate enterprise of concealing the truth; the more you can hide yourself and present what the viewers want, the more success comes to your plate. But very dangerously, when the mask starts to replace your real face, you don't even process it in the beginning, but when it's realized, it's actually too late.

4. narrative identity : hero, villain or is it a blur?

Let alone heroes, villains, or contradictions, all of us are a cluster of fragmented or gap narratives trying to make sense of each other's existence. The reason we resonate with others is that some of our own narratives click with theirs. Our narratives have gaps, and we fill those gaps with what we want to believe. The way we perceive others, forge relationships with others, or even ourselves fills in the gaps in the storytelling. That's how we become complex human beings. Objectively, we are on a perpetual stage of liminality, but to make it easier for our subjectivity, we appropriate narratives according to our ease and taste.

A few months ago, I would easily lose my calm over the 'Is Lu Guang evil?' debate. Now, I feel that it is actually important. Lu Guang himself doesn't identify as a 'Hero.' The problematization of Lu Guang's stance as a 'Hero' is important. Remember the fable-esque story of the forest fire that began featuring in S2 and continued in Yingdu? Who was the culprit? Who was the hero? We may NEVER know. When you are searching for the absolute truth, after a point in time, you realize that absolute truth has no practical value. If you have watched Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (I strongly recommend this movie; please watch it), you know how people choose a narrative for their own convenience and continue their lives with it, however contradictory they might be from each other. This is what really happens in our daily lives. The problem arises when one narrative is weaponized by a certain group and preached as the grand narrative, and the people who believe in alternative narratives become victims of persecution.

The similar story follows in creating the figures of a 'Hero' or a 'villain.' Until now, Xia Fei and Lu Guang's characters have subverted those horizons of expectations the most in the Link Click universe.

5. the 'soft' power of artistic hierarchy : genre and gender

First, I would like to mention a few lines from Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own

Speaking crudely, football and sport are 'important'; the worship of fashion, the buying of clothes 'trivial'. And these values are inevitably transferred from life to fiction. This is an important book, the critic assumes, because it deals with war. This is an insignificant book because it deals with the feelings of women in a drawing room.

Sadly, there will be even a tiny residual of internalized misogyny even when we grow up. It's hard to deal with and that's why it's very important to point out. Romance and shipping is for feminine minds, therefore 'trivial' as a genre. War narratives and heroic battles talk about 'serious' topics, therefore it has an actual 'plot.'

Firstly,

the notion of heroism is inextricably linked with patriotism. In modern-day popular narratives, we may not see the blatant nationalism, but there always remains an echo of 'sacrificing for our own people.' Who are these people? Heroism can't exist if there is no distinction between 'us' and the 'other.' Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori. (Very rough translation: It is one's sweet duty to die for his fatherland/country.)

Heroic narratives are war narratives. If you change the perspective, your hero becomes a villain. We always like to see ourselves at the end of suffering as people who have been wronged; injustice has been thwarted against us, and it's our hero's duty to save us.

I know this is more relevant to tbhx, but if you look closely, Link Click implicitly builds upon this: the hierarchy of gendered genres.

Also, Lu Guang's commentary on art, fiction, and philosophy was much more than just shits and giggles. He equates Shakespeare with donghua and manhua; all of these are forms of popular art with different modes of presenting philosophy. Donning a mask and playing a character from Shakespeare's play and cosplaying as a donghua or manhua character are not that different. Lu Guang questions the hierarchy of high culture and low culture. He writes his diary in Latin and Mandarin; he is undoubtedly a fierce scholar. He respects alternative belief systems such as Tarot cards, traditional Chinese medicine; indigenous or pagan forms of knowledge that are often looked down upon by modern Western scientific disciplines (I will write a separate post on this). The crux of my discussion is that Lu Guang continuously identifies the various forms of hierarchy in social beliefs and art and questions their validity. It's a form of soft power that no one bats an eye at, but many do not realize that it shapes how they process information. It is very much linked to the gendered hierarchy, as misogyny and the exclusion of women are very pervasive. And this brings to our last point : the question of power.

6. the politics of ordinariness in popular culture (the communist propaganda :D)

Lmao. Did I say communist propaganda? wth sure.

I will start my combined discussion from here.

Heroes are these big, big people with big, big superpowers-very flashy, very cute, and very demure. Can ordinary people afford to be a hero? It's not a new question, but I can't remember anyone who has dealt with this topic the way Li Haolin has.

I have talked about this before. This genre reflects Li Haolin's vision in his various works. Take, for example, an episode from To Be Hero: Leaf, where little children are playing on the midnight streets, where all the adults have gone for a factory strike. There is a HUGE focus on ordinary people. The reason I remember Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin's Odessa Steps sequence is not because it was a government-funded Russian film to preach communism, but because it showed how to decentralize your focus from grand narratives in artistic representation (for example: navy mutiny and soldiers fighting) and strike the audience with alternative, lesser important narratives (normal people suffering from the war). Digressing from the crime-suspense plot and delving deep into Emma's experience, weaving the Shiguang story with hers in 'Keep in Mind' was not truly a necessity plot-wise, but Haolin felt compelled to do so. To the person who mentioned in their post: 'link click' centers around two young boys who are struggling to pay their debt. I will forever be indebted to you. It's all there, but we need to identify it.

Now that I have discussed all of that, let's dive back into To Be Hero X. Just a list so that I don't forget things,

1. Moon and her plight : Idol culture and how relationship rumours affect female idols' public reputation

2. how corporate dehumanizes people

3. Private queer lives and politics in entertainment industry: Wreck and Nice's relationship as a twofold critique on the audience.

So, Moon.

Can you imagine how disturbing it is to be romantically associated with a person just because you signed a contract with a company? For three years, her main identity was someone's girlfriend, whom she didn't even love. She used to be a travel vlogger, a woman who constantly travels and archives different experiences. If you are into the earliest feminist discourses, women traveling is a frequent topic. From Mary Wollstonecraft to Virginia Woolf - everybody acknowledges that. From THAT, she became someone's girlfriend. The sheer humiliation. The most heartbreaking part is that it is the people's expectations which curbed her teleportation powers; it can only open to Nice's side. Moon can't leave Nice. But is Nice bound to her? I don't think there were any suggestions like that.

If you have already guessed it, then congratulations! You are right; Moon's experience as a female idol is actually a microcosmic representation of how women are treated in a heteropatriarchal society.

When they were hatching the plan to 'free' Moon, Lin Ling said :

'Since Nice is a perfect husband, you can't say no to his proposal.'

Of course! If a man is handsome, virtuous, a respectable 'Hero', and the people love to see the heroine as the Hero's partner, how dare the heroine refuse this proposal? The Moon's consent does not matter. It would be a narrative so audacious and absurd that it would not sell. Champagne problems, ha?

And that woman who constantly speaks corporate said: "We have locked them in the same room for a whole month without any other engagement. Of course, they will grow feelings for each other." Ah, fuck-ass logic. Before you jump on me saying, 'But oh, what about the propinquity effect?' and shit, it is a very heteronormative notion to assume that a man and a woman will always develop romantic feelings for each other. Many people (me, I am the many people) headcanon that Moon is queer, aro-ace, and a strong independent woman—I second all of these, but my point is Moon doesn't need a thesis paper on her sexual preference or romantic orientation to reject Nice or Nice's substitute. Again, Lin Ling is Nice's substitute! Imagine the horror: you are shipped with a man you don't love, and people want you to marry him. Then the fucking company doesn't even have the basic courtesy to inform you that that man died, and now you are playing the same game with a substitute! It's a double violation of Moon's dignity. So, Moon is just a mindless idk animal? You throw a man assigned to be her husband or his decoy WITHOUT her consent and EXPECT her to fall in love with him? I mean, Moon would eventually know about Lin Ling's identity...wha-what was the point of excluding her from the discussion and keeping her in the dark? If it was just work, then why wasn't she consulted before the step was taken? She is the central figure, and she has no say in any of the mayhem unfolding.

Moon could be a sorted woman totally comfortable with her heterosexuality and still say no to Nice, even if he is the last surviving man on Earth. She just doesn't like him; it's that simple. That should be the end of the debate. However, people are not ready to accept that. The audience of the 'To Be Hero X' world and the real audience of 'To Be Hero X' donghua both should question themselves: is it okay to still enforce a relationship between them when the woman clearly expresses her sheer irritation at this fake relationship?

And that staged marriage plot! A perfect woman can either be a wife or a dead wife. Part of the reason Lin Ling cries while holding Moon during Moon's 'death' scene is that Moon has to metaphorically and literally die and withdraw herself from the narrative in order to chase the freedom she deserves. She can't exist with her individuality and agency in this world; capitalism and heteronormativity will not allow that.

Also, Moon's mock attempt at suicide is not funny. If I remember correctly, Li Haolin said in the Link Click art book interview that Liu Siwen and his girlfriend's story was something he actually took from a real-life story from a newspaper. Contrary to the happy ending in episode 5.5, the girl actually ended her life.

Another thing I want to mention is Moon from Lin Ling's perspective. In that interview, Lin Ling said

: Moon is not my girlfriend, she is my goddess.

It is not a typical 'romantic' declaration. Lin Ling acknowledges his position and accepts the fact that he will never be able to reach an equal position with Xiao Yueqing. That's why Yueqing is an inspiration to be admired from afar. And do you know why he accepts this? Because he respects Xiao Yueqing. During their one month together, Lin Ling realized that she never loved Nice to begin with. Lin Ling was the person she learned to be a bit softer. "Lin Ling is a much better name," she said. There is no possibility of assuming a relationship (which, honestly, most men don't even pay heed to. If I love you, I will be eligible to be with you, I will make you fall for me, and then how will you be able to say no to me? This is the general logic. Annoy, cross boundaries, violate personal space, and then coerce the woman into falling in love with you because YOUR love is so pure, omg) when the other party doesn't reciprocate. Lin Ling can still love her, but the love will not be actualized. I think Lin Ling was really upset when he learned that Yuqqing was forced to be in a fake relationship with Nice. He didn't want to hurt her more. The idol-fan relationship was fine, but in my opinion, Lin Ling did see her as more than an idol. His simple efforts to make things better for Xiao Yueqing without the illogical hope that 'if I do this, she will fall in love with me' make their relationship very humane. There might be a desire to be with her, but it never becomes the determining motive. I think Lin Ling would say this to Xiao Yueqing: Ti voglio bene. The literal translation of this Italian phrase is 'I want good for you,' which feels more impactful to me than its allegedly more intense romantic cousin.

Whatever the nature of the feelings Lin Ling had for Xiao Yueqing, if more people had this kind of feeling for others in our world, the world would be a much better place than it is today.

I love Li Haolin for how he tries to liberate heterosexual relationships from heteronormative constraints. In a sense, he introduces a splash of queerness into those relationships. Haolin's hetero couples are couples not merely because they share the same room as a boy and a girl. He portrays heterosocial relationships in a beautiful way. There is room to explore and form different kinds of human bonding. If things were normal, maybe Moon would form a really good friendship with Lin Ling. I feel that Lin Ling is the best interpreter of Moon as a human in tbhx.

2. how corporate dehumanizes people

Moon clearly has a more marginalized space in the dynamic, but how does one process power and position thrown towards them without their full control? Nice's character makes us ponder over this. Power and privilege come with a price. For Moon, she still had room to be subversive because things were clearly not working in her favor. What excuse does Nice have in this regard? It's much more complex. His death was so comical and absurd that until a new character is introduced in the second episode, we don't even feel that a real person has died. THAT is the power of perspective and storytelling. Lin Ling didn't quite process what he saw and perhaps didn't feel the need to bother. And Moon... yes, Moon had her reasons and irritation towards Nice, but it was really appalling to see that she did not even feel a little sad about Nice's death. How bitter must her workplace be? How much does capitalism isolate people to the point where fellow sufferers do not even bat an eye at each other? I am not blaming Moon, but I am asking you to consider the horrifying simplicity in this admission: so what if he died? You arranged for another one? Well, I felt chills. Imagine, one day you die, and then, very unfortunately, you didn't actually die and return to see a clone of yourself performing better than you probably could have done. Corporate not only dehumanizes people but makes people dehumanize each other and that's how it thrives.

Next, I would ask you to remember or re-read the third discussion; the question of agency : The dichotomy between public and private. Just replace Xia Fei with Nice. Heck, listen to Xia Fei's character song and if that doesn't make you remember Nice-

fake a smile in calm

3. Private queer lives and politics in the entertainment industry: Wreck and Nice's relationship as a twofold critique on the audience.

*sighs*.

I thought Haolin would just tease us with a iykyk rivals-enemies to lovers trope between a hero and a villain. Like, people who want to ship, ship. I really didn't expect him to pick shiguang, reverse the colour scheme and maintain the trauma and go : did you like my doomed yaoi?! 😃 man-

Haolin's obsession with widows needs to be studied. He pulled the similar string thrice in Yingdu and it's just the second episode in tbhx. Chill, man.

Back to analysis...what should I say? Let's assume you are Wreck.

you look at him like this. You wanted to be a hero with Nice together. So, for Wreck, to be a hero really meant to be with Nice.

Then one day, a script shattered everything. He became a hero, you became his villain, a literal stepping stone for him, so that his trust value increases.

The flashback suggests that Nice would frequently visit Wreck's house, probably the only place he could call 'home.' Nice would let his imperfect but real, unguarded self liberate in front of him.

And then suddenly, one day, he calls Moon his 'goddess.' You text him, call him, and send letters, but he doesn't reply. You shared a private life beyond the gaze of the camera and the prompt of scripts with him, and the company doesn't feel the need to inform you of his death. You reached there for the much-awaited encounter because nothing makes sense to you. The moment he speaks, a world shatters in your heart; he doesn't seem like your Nice. Still, you urge him to speak, almost pleadingly, because nothing makes sense and you hold onto that one tiny belief that things are still okay; maybe it's just a play. Then the illusion breaks. You can't tolerate it anymore and implore the imposter to speak the truth. He says that Nice committed suicide. He died.

People will remember Moon as an individual and someone who had an emotional dynamic with Lin Ling. But Wreck makes us mourn for the original Nice who died.

I don't know if Wreck knew that Nice was capable of doing something like that. He had already begun to cry, and when he heard the truth, he didn't even say things like, 'It can't be possible,' or 'How can it be possible?' Probably, it was more than possible, and that's why he was so tortured and disturbed. Wreck fell to his death with a smile, thinking that perhaps he might finally be able to be together with Nice peacefully.

Now, after everything, people will come and say: 'Ah, they were best friends.' Sure, they were. And that doesn't sit mutually exclusive to being lovers. What I feel is that it is a very conscious narrative within the narrative that Haolin deliberately put forth to unfold the compulsory heterosexuality and queer erasure in the viewership. Fans in the tbhx world forgot Wreck and didn't bother to understand what made him a villain. If tbhx donghua fans do the same after knowing the other perspectives, it's really... just, um, disappointing. You are proving Haolin's point, and you are the type of fans being criticized in the show. If Wreck were a female villain, my god.

I mean, yeah, I am kind of tired of 'proving' that they were lovers. It's the basic lack of media literacy.

I HAVE YAPPED TOO MUCH HELLO

did moon really survive? we don't know. did nice really die? we don't know. did wreck really die? i don't know. did LIN LING REALLY survive? I DON'T KNOW.

But I don't think those will totally topple these reflections.

Special note :

hello, today is this head emptu's birthday. please give him blessings and pray that he does not bite through the longevity noodles. He has a wife at home. and a sister. please. He has a family.

[starrihan]

&TEAM Hyung line reaction to their crush having no choice but to sit on their lap. (Like in the car and there isn’t enough seats or during a movie night, etc.)

Oh what I would do to sit on their laps 😔

-> each members parts are about ~600-800 words long! im sorry this took so long but multiple member reactions tend to take the longest time for me to make😅 but i hope you enjoyed this nonetheless!!

-> Here's a link to all my other masterlists!

༄ ༄ ༄

K:

You were so happy to be volunteering at the annual cherry blossom festival. You needed more opportunities to showcase your instrumental abilities, and the festival hosts needed many people to sing and perform throughout the day. Thanks to the amazing weather recently, the cherry blossoms bloomed faster than projected, ensuring this year’s turn out to be the biggest it's been in years. You were excited but very nervous to say the least. 

You were told that you could do whatever you would like to for your performance, opting to play the piano and sing some traditional songs. You had spent weeks preparing for the festival, wanting to be able to put on the best performance you could. You had met some of the other people who were volunteering as well, especially noticing one of the guys that was going to be doing a dance performance. He told you to call him K, and you met up with him a couple of times in the months leading up to the festival to practice and critique each other at a nearby university’s music room.  

Somewhere over the course of you guys keeping up with these practices, you felt very comfortable with him, finding yourself blushing at any minor compliment or feedback he would give you. He would notice, playing it up just to see the cute smile spread across your face whenever he could. He didn’t hesitate to make you blush, loving the way your face flushed and knowing it was all for him. It would be little touches at first, helping you adjust your sheet music or helping you with your finger placements on the piano, each time you’d grow a little hotter, and your hands a little sweatier. 

About a week before the festival, you found yourself practicing with K yet again, but this time, you were irritated. The seat you normally used when practicing the piano had been taken out and exchanged for a shorter, less stable seat that made playing the piano an inconvenience. You didn’t have much of a choice though, the other rooms on the floor being locked without an authorized staff’s keycard to open it. K watched as you constantly stretched your knees and back, getting up more time than usual to relieve the pain that was building in your muscles and joints. 

After about 4 hours of practicing, you couldn’t take the pain anymore. You stood up, once again stretching your body to try and relieve the pain, but to no avail. You needed to relax with proper back support. K had stopped too, smirking to himself when an idea popped into his head. He quickly made his way over to the seat you were previously sitting in, watching your face morph from that of pain to confusion. 

“C’mere,”

He says. You slowly walk up to him, still confused as he pats his thighs. 

“Sit on my lap. I might have an idea to help your pain.”

Your face is beet red at his suggestion, and he notices the gears turning in your brain at what you think he’s implying. 

“I don’t mean anything weird by it, promise.”

And while that wasn’t his full intention, he wasn’t going to stop you if things took a different turn. You hesitated for a second longer before agreeing, not wanting to look at him anymore to save face and carefully sitting on his lap. He adjusts you accordingly, shifting his legs behind yours before lifting them up and keeping his back straight. You feel yourself slip above his clothes dick, making indirect contact with it through your pants, but letting out a sigh of relief as he helps you stretch your legs out. You can feel his breath on your neck, yelping a little as he leans back, taking you with him as he lowers his legs to help you stretch out your back. The heat radiating off of your clothed core at every little movement from him has you constantly making little sounds.

“Are you feeling relaxed?”

He leans back up, putting you both back in your original positions as his breath seems somehow closer to your ear now.

“Yeah… Thank you.”

You say, keeping yourself seated as you feel his bulge now, not wanting to miss the feeling as you pretend to adjust yourself. His hands tightly grip your hips, keeping you firmly in place.

“Yeah, you really are relaxed, huh? Pretending to adjust so you can grind yourself down on me?”

You knew you were caught, but you didn’t really care. You had caught on to his antics too, finally deciding to act on it. 

“I wasn’t pretending, but I can get up if you’d like–”

You say, starting to lift yourself off of him.

“–don’t even think about it.”

༄ ༄ ༄

Fuma:

You were called in to help the boys with their dance practice and even to help some of them in their vocal lessons. You had helped with the choreography for their new song first, helping them perfect the intricacies of the dance as a team, ensuring their uniformity for performances without pushing them too hard. They were all really grateful to you, you were much nicer than their other instructors and a better teacher as well. You would call the members out one by one for vocal training, letting them leave after working with them if they chose to do so. 

The day had gone from bright and sunny to wet and dreary as big rain drops pelted at the windows of the building. You sighed as you called in Fuma, the last member you needed to work with for the day, and warned the boys about the impending storm. You had been working with them for a while now, knowing that they wouldn’t heed your warnings but wanting to let them know anyways. That’s why you were their favorite– you always looked out for them. You started your lessons with Fuma. He didn’t have much difficulty with his parts so the session went by quickly, wrapping up only about 20 minutes later. 

During that time, the weather had picked up severely, raining harder than before and wind blowing gusts so strong that the trees were at risk of falling. You were even more worried now, walking back to the practice room with Fuma and noticing that no one was left in the room. You sighed, not knowing whether or not they had left before the storm got worse, but now worrying if it was safe enough to leave. Fuma searched his pockets, looking for his phone before realizing that he left it in the vocal practicing room. 

“Hey Y/N, can you let me into the vocal room? I left my phone and keycard in there…”

He laughs nervously, following you as you nod and let him back in, letting the door close behind you. He grabs his phone, a look of relief washing over him. 

“The others made it back safely, I guess it's just me here. I’m gonna wait until the storm is over before heading back.”

You nod, happy that the others were safe as a loud thunder clap sounds throughout the building. You jump a little, caught off guard at the sound when the lights go out. You look around in disbelief, scanning your card and trying hard to open the door but to no avail. The thunder must've knocked out the power, and the backup generators would take at least a little while to kick back on. You sigh as Fuma turns his flashlight on, smiling reassuringly that everything will be okay. 

He takes a seat on the only chair in the room as you pace back and forth, legs starting to hurt after helping them dance for so long. But you didn’t want to say anything to Fuma, knowing he was also tired and not wanting him to have to give up his seat. But he noticed the way your legs would slightly buckle at the pain they felt. 

“If it’s okay with you, you can sit on my lap…”

He offers and you’re thankful his flashlight doesn’t catch your blush. You sit on his lap, trying your best to sit as comfortably as you can. But it doesn’t last long when another clap of thunder rumbles, causing you to flinch back into him more, directly over his clothes cock. He chuckles as your flinch effectively has you grind into him. 

“Scared of thunderstorms?”

He asks, hands rubbing up and down your thighs to try to calm you down, but they only work you up more, especially with how aware you were of what you were sitting on. 

“A little…”

“I can help distract you from them if you’d like?”

He suggests, and you know exactly what he’s thinking with the way his fingers rub circles into your hips. Hopefully the generator doesn’t kick on anytime soon. 

༄ ༄ ༄

Nicholas:

You were told that you needed to go with Nicholas, Jo and Maki to their photo shoot because the makeup artist scheduled for today had gotten sick. You quickly got ready, staring at the message that said they would be there in an hour to pick you up. It was pretty short notice, being woken up at 5 in the morning telling you to be ready by 6. You barely had time to wash and dry your hair, hurrying down the stairs of your apartment building.

You’re huffing and puffing by the time you get down there, not realizing how cold it actually was and regretting the decision to put on a skirt. Stepping into the car you noticed that Maki and Jo were sleeping in the 2 seats in the middle row, breathing fogging up the car windows and leaving only the back seat with Nicholas open. You tried to be quiet so as not to disturb the boys, only to realize that the space next to Nicholas had been taken up by the equipment being brought to the photo shoot studio.

Nicholas tried to make space for you, but ultimately you both agreed that sitting on his lap would be the best option, the equipment far too big and wedged into place to move them around quietly. You were nervous to be sitting on Nicholas’s lap, both because you didn’t have a seatbelt on but also because you had the biggest crush on Nicholas. He was holding your waist securely so you didn’t move, warm breath hitting the back of your neck.

At first, it was fine because the roads were smooth and there was no traffic in the way. The site was about an hour away, so you tried your best to relax and get comfortable, as much as you could. The car ride was quiet for the first couple of minutes, Nicholas himself also being very sleepy and relaxed. But when the roads got bumpier, you couldn’t help but let out little noises every time the car jolted, his hips involuntarily jerking up each time. You were directly between his legs too, just barely able to feel his dick through his sweats, but the more bumps the car hit and the sounds you made, the harder it was for him to control how his dick hardened underneath you. His hand moved from your waist to your thigh, gripping it firmly.

“ ‘f you keep moaning like that,”

He murmured lowly, voice rasped with sleep and something heavier,

 “I’m not gonna be able to control myself.”

Your face flushes, heat pooling at your cheeks, clenching around nothing at his words.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“Really? Then why do you keep moaning and pushing your hips further onto my dick?”

You hadn’t noticed yourself subtly grinding on him, pleasure hidden between your nerves. You look back at him, a dark look clouding his hooded eyes, fingers slowly trialing up your skirt and above your clit, pressing against the fabric of your panties.

“It’s like you were doing this on purpose? Grinding down on me while wearing a skirt because you know it’d be easy access. And no safety shorts either? You’re a naughty girl.”

You clasp the hand that’s going towards your clit, staring straight into his eyes.

“Don’t worry princess, I’ll take care of you here, but you gotta help me once we get to the studio. I can’t take pictures with my dick hard.”

You swallowed, your heart racing wildly as you just barely nodded. A smirk tugged at the edge of his mouth, fingers continuing their way up. 

༄ ༄ ༄

Euijoo:

Movie nights were common amongst you and the boys. They were on a short hiatus, being able to spend about 3 days off. They were all so grateful, but since their break was so short, Euijoo and Nicholas didn’t fly home. Of course they were a little bummed, but all the members decided to spend the night together, watching a movie at the dorm.

As K’s little sister, you were friends with all the boys and visited often. Especially with Nicholas and Euijoo, being the same age as them. They invited you to join them, all thinking of you as a sister to them as well, except Euijoo. He never said it out loud, but everyone could tell by the way he would stare at you whenever you walked in, smiling and ears red whenever you’d go up to him to give him food you had brought.

He was especially dense because you had given him numerous hints that you like him. You’d always get dressed up to see him, always giving him his food first, even before K, and even bringing him food separate from the other members because you knew what he liked. You thought that maybe he had gotten the hint by now. But you were also dense for not noticing his feelings for you either.

Upon arriving at their dorm, you were welcomed by Euijoo, who you smiled at and opened your arms to give him a hug. He always accepted them with a blush on his face, sighing as he lingered a little too long to take in your scent. You pulled away first, stepping inside and putting the bags of food on the table. They literally cheered, happy that the food was here so that you could start watching the movie.

You went to the bathroom first, everyone situating themselves either on the sofa or the floor. When you walked out, you noticed that there were no seats left. You looked at them, expressionless.

“Where do I sit?”

Little did you both know the boys had this all planned out. You look over to K who’s looking at Euijoo, a smirk present on his face.

“There’s some room next to Euijoo, if he scooches over.”

He immediately begins to scrunch up to the side of the single couch, trying his best to make some room for you. You glare at K, maneuvering through the tangle of legs on the floor and trying your best to fit in the limited space he had provided. Ultimately, you ended up sitting on his legs, body sprawled horizontally over him as your legs dangled off of the seat.

Of course they picked your least favorite genre, horror. You felt bad, constantly jolting at jump scares, and resulting in Euijoo jolting up into you. He had his hands awkwardly placed on your thighs, and you could tell he was nervous by the way they radiated heat, obviously sweaty. But it’s because his hips bucked into your leg at each jump you made, trying his best to calm his hard-on down. But his efforts fail as you cuddle up to him, hiding your face in his shoulder as you hug his upper body, position shifting to where your ass is directly over his hardening length.

He can tell that you can feel it by the way your grip on his shirt tightens. He rambles nervously in your ear, afraid of what you might say or think.

“I-I’m so sorry Y/N. I didn’t mean to but I can’t control it you probably think I’m a creep or a weirdo but really I didn’t want for this to happen I’ve just liked you for so long and…”

He cuts himself off when he feels you push your ass down on him, resulting in him biting his lip to suppress a whimper. He squeezes your thigh, thankful for the blanket covering you both so the boys can’t see what’s going on.

“I like you too, Juju. I’m surprised you didn’t catch on sooner.”

You whisper back into his ear, pretending to be scared and occasionally looking back at the screen, but you’re constantly moving on him, making it harder for him to hold back as he trails his fingers towards your spreading heat. What a way to distract you from a horror movie, just have to be quiet not to alert the other members.

༄ ༄ ༄

-> Here's a link to all my other masterlists!

[artnonymous]

Melting into you

LADS Zayne x Reader NSFW

Hello everyone! I am Artnoymous, and I've decided to try sharing my writing publicly. This is new to me, and I am very open to criticism. Thoughts, critique, or encouragement, I'd love to hear it. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it, especially all of the Zayne girlies.

(This piece is a Love and Deepspace fanfic.)

❄️❄️❄️

A two week work trip was usually nothing for Zayne, but this time it felt like an eternity. Being nominated one out of three doctors at Akso hospital to go on an Arctic excursion focusing on protocore and cardiac research was no surprise to him, and, being the best heart surgeon at Akso hospital, he couldn’t pass it up. It was cold out there and busy, two things that summed Zayne up entirely. He had gone to the arctic a few times before. He was good at compartmentalizing, zoning in on the task at hand was never an issue for him. The arctic was cold but he had no problem being frigid and intense. On trips like this the comfort of his Linkon apartment and his hospital office were of no longing or distraction…Nothing was. But that was before you.

Driving home his thoughts swirl like the windy, snowy skies he had been under only 8 hours ago. It had only been three months since you both had made your relationship official, five months since Zayne realized you felt the same way about him, and a year and a half since Zayne knew you’d be chipping away at the glacier around his heart. Two weeks ago though, you had both agreed you stay at his apartment. Maintenance would be coming in to fix some pipes in the guest bathroom while he was gone and he figured you could keep him updated while you used up the groceries in his refrigerator instead of letting them go bad. A little house sitting he supposed…. Or an excuse just to have everything he wanted to come back to in one place. 

2 weeks were finally up. Finally. That was new for him. He never cared before how long an excursion took. But now as he pulled the key from the ignition and quickly got out of the car, he realized he was in an undeniable hurry to get from the car garage to his apartment door. It was late and you were sleeping for sure. Sleeping in his bed. Zayne shuddered at the thought of your scent now all over his apartment. Shaking his head and running a hand through his hair, Zayne sighed at his seemingly adolescent eagerness. What in the world are you doing to him?

Reaching the front door Zayne types in his code and enters into the apartment, leaning one hand against the wall, promptly pushing his shoes off with each foot and loosening his tie. 

“Zayne?” He whips his head toward the entrance of the living area and there you are. It’s late, 1 pm, and you’re standing there, sleepy eyes, and your hair slipping out of your bonnet, and- and- you’re wearing his clothes. Zayne takes a shaky breath when he realizes he has been holding it since you called his name. There you are in an old fundraiser t-shirt of his and basketball shorts he forgot he had, rubbing your eyes. This shouldn’t have the effect it does on him, but it’s the first time seeing you in his things. The first time he’s seen any woman in his things. What appeal do old clothes have, except the fact that its you, its you in them, and they’re draping off of you in such an endearing way. His heart warms.

“Hey, you’re awake….” He whispers, and he takes three long strides to stand in front of you and hold the side of your face, thumb caressing your cheek.

“Mmm, yea, I’m such a light sleeper.” 

Zayne chuckles, “I know for a fact you are not…you were waiting for me” his voice light and teasing. You shiver and he notices, making note how the whisper, warm timbre of his voice affects you. He caresses your cheek again and watches your eyelids flutter. Gently grazing his thumb at the lashes by the corner of your eye. It almost didn’t feel real holding you again, and suddenly he felt overwhelmingly warm, as if to make up for all the time spent in the tundra. 

“I-“ you start to say “I missed you” Zayne breathes out, as though he has been holding a secret he couldn’t bear the weight of. 

It’s your turn to chuckle now and lean in to him. Zayne’s brows quirk together as he blushes. “Dr. Zayne you are very cute, do you know that?” You whisper as you reach up on your toes to give him a kiss on the lips. Zayne’s moan comes quietly from the depth of his chest as he relaxes into your kiss. He opens his mouth to sigh when he realizes his work pants have now become tighter than normal. This is the affect you have on him, but in his defense, he didn’t stand a chance in this foyer, as the thought of holding you tonight had kept him aching in his pants with anticipation the whole drive from the airport to the apartment. And now here he was, hard like a rock from kissing you and he had barely got inside. 

Dropping his briefcase on the floor, he scoops you up in one strong arm, making you yelp and giggle. “Its late, lets go to bed” he breathes out. “Zayyyyne” you laugh, “do you really want to sleep, right now? Wait, tell me about your trip!” You say from over his shoulder as he walks to his bedroom. Giving your ass cheek as firm squeeze, “Tomorrow,” He says. “Tonight I want to tell you something else.” “And that is?- AAAAH!” You shriek as Zayne tosses you on the bed, you giggle as he shrugs off his coat, throwing it on the chair before crawling over you. “First things first, you’re wearing some things that belong to me. Im afraid that wasn’t in our original agreement” the suspicion of a smile on his lips as he eyes his big shirt on you up close. “Oh, I…I” you stutter. Zayne has a playful twinkle in his eye. “I missed you too” you say “sorry for going through your closet without asking” Zayne cages you beneath him and pushes his face into your neck breathing deeply. “Don’t be sorry, I like it”. You shift beneath him, your knee grazing his crotch and Zayne sucks in his breath to hiss at the contact, his head coming up to look at you, brow furrowed and eyes dark, “I really like it.”

“It feels really good to be back in Linkon.” He sighs, the both of you very aware of the hard bulge pressing into your soft thigh at the moment. “Aww, you miss your apartment and decent weather?” You joke. “Something like that” he says gazing along the curve of your face longingly, reverently. “I feel like I’ve been away forever….and I want to make up for all the lost time tonight.”

“We can do that, I don’t mind pulling an all nighter with you” you smile cheekily.

Zayne laughs “The night is over, its already morning, you should rest,” he replies “we can catch up tomorrow” he say kissing down the side of your face before kissing your lips. “I took the whole weekend off, and I don’t need to go in until Monday evening.” 

“Oooo, I’m glad you’re finally using that PTO! About time” you beam. “I can’t wait to see what we get up too”

You’re so excited beneath him, smiling bright between his arms and Zayne can’t help but think he could give you a preview tonight of what you both could get up to this weekend. 

You look up at him, eyes flickering from his forest gaze to his mouth, and Zayne can’t help but jut out his tongue to moisten his lip. He wants to kiss you again and as he hungrily eyes your mouth, he feels you squeeze your thighs together. He smirks as he leans forward capturing your lips in a kiss. It’s sweet and gentle, as if he’s sorry for ever leaving at all. He closes his eyes as he moves his lips firmly against yours, breathing deep and savoring your presence, your closeness. You’re soft and you smell like a mixture of your skincare and his body wash. You break the kiss to take a breath and Zayne wastes no time sucking your neck, just beneath your ear. You moan and he proudly nips your neck at your reaction. He discovered that spot just before he left. “Zaynee” you whine quietly into his ear, and at that his hip involuntarily grinds forward, dragging his bulge against your thigh. “Mmmm” he moans a pouty response, almost a little embarrassed at the way his body no longer listens to him. “There’s no way I’m falling asleep now.” You laugh. “Mmm… I can put you to sleep.” Zayne says slowly and you immediately gawk at his brashness. 

Zayne doesn’t give himself time to be abashed by his response, capturing your lips again and grazing his hands down the outside of your arms, tickling you lightly before he caresses your breasts. You were so relaxed and pliable as he knelt above you, the complete opposite to the nearly painful cock in his pants. He curses himself mentally for even still having his airport clothes on and quickly with one hand, unbuckles his pants, managing to still kiss you as he hurriedly pushes them off. His cock, strained in his boxers, twitches as your hand comes to brush it. “Uh uh” he tuts, grabbing your hands and holding them above your head, keeping you in time out with one, he unbuttons his shirt with the other. You whine and pout grinding yourself against his knee between your legs, and Zayne thinks in that very moment, he just might go insane. Free of his button up, Zayne grabs the end of his shirt you’re wearing, “I think I’ll take this back” he says coyly. Before you can respond the t-shirt is off and so are the shorts and Zayne gets to work on kissing and sucking your neck. Exploring that recently found spot of yours, his arm snakes between your legs pushing them apart and rubbing up and down the inside of your thighs. He palms and massages you just where he knows you need it, before pressing one long deft finger gently onto your clit.  

You sigh as he presses firm small circles watching you squirm in pleasure. Leaning on one arm and playing with your clit with the other was an awkward position to try anything else, but Zayne was determined and quite frankly, very horny. Dragging his cock along your leg added to the delicious equation of your alluring whimpers, provocative shaking, and the delicious wet sounds coming from between your legs. Zayne’s focus was getting hazy, but with a head shake and a firm suck on your bottom lip, he focuses back on the task at hand. You made him feel hot and fiery, out of control, even. Feelings Zayne were not at all familiar with. However, knowing you had also brought a comfortable warmth into his life, as though he truly became conscious the moment he met you. 

“Zayne” you moan so deliciously, “Zayne I-“. You were hot and wet and he could tell you were almost there. You were breathtaking and beautiful and absolutely driving him crazy. “Mmm, Yes….I know” He whispers, ever so softly, affectionately, into your ear. You squeal a quiet little moan as your hips jerk up a little, pushing into his fingers, but he keeps up his firm, persistent, circular strokes. He brushes the wisps of hair from your forehead, your bonnet long lost in your tossing and turning. Your breath labored, chest heaving, Zayne watches your breasts move up and down, a light sheen of moisture now covering them, nipples hard and protruding. He wasn’t going to last much longer. 

“Can you come for me? Hmm? Say my name? Please? Please, say my name.” Zayne rambles into your neck, he was so far gone and he knew it. What was life like before you? Zayne thought, even if he could think clearly at the moment, he doubts he could remember. 

You draw in a breath and your hips are off the bed, before slamming down again. You squeeze your legs together as you shake, trapping his hand between your supple thighs as you orgasm. You call his name, mumbling incoherently as you come and that is all Zayne needs.  

With a strangled groan, he’s trusting like a mad man against your hip, still massaging your clit at the same time. He would revel in his ability to multitask in such a way if he remembered later. Coming down from your high, you whisper his name again, right into his ear and his hips freezes, a moan caught in his throat as he comes hard, eyes shut, hands gripping any curve of yours he could find.

And then he was melting, melting into you. You were gone beneath him, sleep a blink away, as he slumped down, somewhat on top and next to you at the same time. His leg still between yours and his nose still in the crook of your neck. Zayne let himself be still as his pulse thundered in his ears, his breath coming out uneven and labored. He laid still, eyes lidded as he moved his head to watch you, breathing faintly, chest rising and falling lightly, completely asleep now, one arm still around his neck, hand cradled in his hair. 

He could lay like this forever. Even with all the evidence he had come still in his underwear. Carefully he slowly raises himself up, taking your arm and laying it beside you, before he reaches into the bedside dresser and pulls out some wipes to clean himself. Discarding his boxers with the rest of the quickly strewn clothes on the floor, he grabs some wipes and carefully wipes the sweat off your chest, and then wipes your vulva. You shift and murmur and he jolts back quietly, anxious to wake you. Zayne stills, watching you. Just watching you peacefully. He mentally curses when he realizes he’s half-mast. Throwing the wipes in the bin, he grips his cock firmly, as if scolding him to go away, and slides in beside you. He grabs the remote, turning the air conditioner on to a gentle breeze, before pulling the covers over the both of you. Cautiously he spoons you and melts when you unconsciously turn into his chest. He smiles fondly and thanks his past self for turning in that PTO. Pulling you into him even closer, He takes a deep breath as he relaxes and settles into bed. He’s unsure when sleep takes him, his thoughts and dreams blurred as they both consist of you. 

[lemotmo]

I didn't even realize some of this.

Q. You liked Sick Day though, you said so yourself. So I'm a little confused to see you criticize it because that doesn't fit with liking an episode. I kind of feel like you're not going to be okay with certain people getting the spotlight over others and so you should just say that. Buck gets plenty of focus. He's not being ignored.

A. I did like the episode. I have been open about that. But I have also been open about the cartoonish level villain being a bit OTT for me and the glaring absence of Eddie. You can critique something you like. Finding fault doesn't erase enjoyment. I get why they did both things. It's not a 'who done it' storyline. They didn't want to waste time having people try to figure out who the villain is so they made it so obvious it was a little cartoonish in execution. I have also said that I think we were supposed to notice Eddie's absence, I believe that was the point. That doesn't erase the fact that he should have been there.

I haven't really framed any of these replies around Buck but since you brought him up, I will explain. Buck hasn't had a storyline since the lightning strike in the back half of season 6. He has had no real storyline focus since then. He has been on and has been involved in other storylines but he hasn't had a storyline of focus since the lightning strike. His bi awakening doesn't count because that was told in one half of one episode. That's not a storyline. Then they stuck him in a relationship with an actor Oliver clearly doesn't get along with, an issue that seems to be a cast wide thing at this point with that particular actor. So they kept Buck in the relationship in name only and showed very little context of said relationship because the point of that particular relationship had nothing to do with that actual relationship. The point of that relationship was to kick off the Buddie storyline which Tim, inexplicably, decided to tell alongside this god awful Vertigo storyline for Eddie. A storyline that has now been dragged out a full year and a half. That's a problem for both Buck and Eddie as characters. The Eddie storyline has been going on for almost 18 months at this point and we still have no clear resolution. Because it was a poorly constructed storyline from the very beginning. It was a bad original story idea that has been dragged on to the point of nauseating for all involved. And I give Tim credit for trying to fix it but taking 18 months to fix it is inexcusable, especially since it's still requiring Eddie to be separate from the rest of the main cast.

In those 18 months how much screen time has been devoted to multiple Bobby storylines? He resigned from the 118. Took a consultation role on HotShots, a storyline Tim dragged out over 5 freaking episodes btw, got involved with the cartel and lost his home. Came face to face with his estranged mother. Went on a cruise that sank, and helped his wife land a plane. That's 6 different storylines told while Eddie is still going through the Vertigo bullshit. Seven now if you count what's coming as a result of Sick Day and Lab Rats. How about Athena? She had the same cruise ship mishap. The same cartel burned my house down storyline. Revisited her past with an inmate transfer that led to her being in the plane Bobby had to help her land. She had the crazy rookie racist cop partner storyline. The shipping cart vigilante, only one episode but it was more than half the freaking episode. The 911 serial killer Maddie kidnapping storyline. That's six separate storylines for Athena, again all while Eddie's one plot is still unresolved. It's lazy. I understand that the Eddie/Christopher storyline could not and should not have been resolved over the course of one episode but there's been plenty of storytime to devote to it; Tim just used way too much of that time on the same two characters, or on nonsensical Brad bullshit, and that's a legitimate problem at this point.

Dragging the storyline out for so long has made Buck stagnant as well. I understand why they're telling the Buddie storyline the way they are. The problem is we get an episode or two of momentum and then we completely lose that momentum to spend time on episodes like this biohazard stuff, which is in no way more important than your character driven episodes. Yes episodes like this have value and merit, but they should be timed appropriately within the season. This event was not. And we also now have proof that the audience didn't like Eddie not being involved. So it wasn't a decision that was beneficial to the show over all. Pointing that out is not an unfair criticism. It's an ensemble show. Spending a year and half on multiple storylines for two main characters at the cost of real and necessary movement in one single storyline for 3 other main characters (Eddie, Buck and Christopher) is flat out bad storytelling.

Thank you Nonny! 😁

I never quite looked at it from this point of view, but Ali has a point here.

Maybe it's time for Bobby and Athena to spend some time decorating their new house, so the focus can go to Eddie, Buck, Madney + baby and Henren for a change.

Just a thought. 🤷‍♀️

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[kichimiangra]

Okay! SO! Seeing all these costumes spurred in me a memory of a reason this game disappointed me... (It's just a Me Thing, not an objective critique. I promise!)

You know that thing you do when you see a trailer for something and immediately your brain is making fanfiction of it when that's ALL THERE IS to go off of? (I'm looking at you Miraculous Ladybug fandom) Well I fell in love with the idea of Balan Wonderworld from the moment the trailer began. As a huge fan of NiGHTS it felt like seeing an old friend again with a new coat of paint! and it seemingly had something NiD didn't;

A shit tone of CHARACTERS!

This scene of all the little costume guys waving felt like this was some scene where the inhabitants of Wonderworld bid you farewell, thanking you for your help in saving their world... and their humans. But I'll get to that later. Oh boy I wrote this... not fanfiction but idea in my head of what this game was about, and I don't think it is completely unfair to compare it to NiGHTS into Dreams/ Journey of Dreams. While NiGHTS had the little cone head babies that were the Nightopians, I had assumed these little guys took that roll of the inhabitants of Wonderworld, existing within the psyche of their human's Stage and... they kinda are, but I had expected each dream to have more CHARACTERS in it that you can interact with that create a light but enjoyable story for the level you enter, while each Signature Costume acted more or less like the leader of the inhabitants and as the Stage Master's primary internal psyche guardian that Leo or Emma would have to don the mantel of in order to help the Stage Master cope with their trauma and move forward, meanwhile by the end they would save the TRUE Signature costume guys from the clutches of Lance at the end of the game. Anyway I just wanted to share that I love these little guys, but just wish that their ingame use was more akin to what I saw in my head when I saw them wave in the trailer

BALAN WONDERWORLD - EXPLORING THE WARDROBE

One of the key features of Balan Wonderworld is its expansive costume system, and gameplay revolves around the many ways the player can reconfigure and make clever use of the costumes' abilities. Mix and match, switch and swap, combine powers and take calculated risks. Observe your environment, make use of creative problem solving, and figure out the best solution in any situation!

Pictured above are just a few of the ways the costumes in Balan Wonderworld can be grouped into broader categories based on their functionality. Do you have any favorites? Let me know :D

[ratatatsblog]

Another yj critique abt pit girl scene sorry y’all! Putting it under a cut so if you don’t wanna see it you can scroll👍🏼

I think my issue with the pit girl scene (entirely my opinion! if you disagree, cool!) is that in the pilot we are led to believe that this scene is depicting a group of girls who have descended completely into madness to the point that they are willing to kill and eat their friend. I know that this is a lot of people’s complaints but that is not at all what the scene turned out to be. Instead we see that none of the girls were all that into it and really only Shauna and Lottie were. I really feel like this cheapens the original premise of the show and sort of makes it less interesting (to me at least). You watch the pilot and you see these girls during that scene and also before the crash and you can’t help but think “oh my god how could these girls turn into that? What is the psychology behind that change?”. That is what was so interesting!!!! So then to turn around and say “actually they weren’t really all that nuts it’s just wilderness dictator who, apparently, no one could punch” is kind of disappointing.

I don’t even mind that they added more people to the scene but it would have been more interesting if they were all super into it and to see that progression from season 1. I also don’t mind if some characters weren’t in on it! I like that Natalie, Misty, and Van had their own plan going on, I think that by itself adds some extra layers to the original scene, but I think it would be better if it was just them.

Also, the pit girl scene is sort of presented as the lowest of the low, the worst that these girls get, but that doesn’t seem to be the case at all. The way that the girls acted in season 2 was more inline, and seemed more intuitive, with the pit girl scene in the pilot. How they could done it, instead of completely back tracking on season 2, was show how these girls go from doing the hunt and cannibalism out of necessity, to a religious, ritual practice.

Anyway it’s easy to complain from my couch at home and if you liked the switch up with that scene I’m happy for you! It just didn’t work for me

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i think that the hate zootopia gets is a little undeserved. now before you go on a rant, let me clarify. i do think that the movie has its blind spots and certain parts could have been executed better. and keep in mind, while i am a person of color and part of several minorities, i may also have my own blind spots, so if you think what i'm saying is wrong, feel free to correct me!

regarding the criticisms this movie received, i get that the idea of comparing predators to people of color or any other minority feels distasteful, and nick joining the police force in the end was not exactly the best conclusion to his arc. also, the sheep wasn't a great villain, i agree.

but i feel like people took these individual critiques and turned it into “zootopia is racist and promotes copaganda!” which, in my opinion, is just not true.

i think that it's generally not easy to illustrate something as complex as discrimination in a kids movie. but i don't think any kid watching this movie was gonna be like “well predators are biologically designed to kill herbivores, so this means marginalized groups are also biologically dangerous”.

as adults, we may notice the flaws in the message of the movie, but overall, i think its intentions trump the imagery. ultimately, it was a movie designed to promote equality and diversity, and it achieves that.

i think the metaphor for discrimination and prejudice was written extremely well in a lot of scenes, especially regarding judy's implicit bias and how that affects her worldview.

the whole scene after her press conference, where she tells nick that he is “not like them” and he responds with “oh, there's a them now?” is eerily reminiscent of the interactions minorities have with privileged people, essentially being told “every other person in your group/community is bad, but you're one of the good ones”. it's meant to be a compliment, but it's just a product of our biases regarding certain groups of people.

overall, while i agree that there were unfortunate implications of the metaphors and imagery in the show, i still think that it managed to send out its original message of treating people equally and checking our internal biases. also, it's just a fun action-filled movie honestly, there is not a single part of this movie that is boring.

[moonyvvamp]

One thing and one of the only things I love about GOT is how they portrayed Ned's death because in the books you don't fully feel the panic. Sansa's screaming and sobs, Cersei's protests, Joffrey's excitement and Ned's shock and slight confusion. All the councilmen's dawning realization that Joff is actually going through with it and lastly Arya's own reaction of utter despair and grief and the people just watching.

It worked really well and as a first-time viewer I felt the injustice and the unfairness of that situation sucker punch me in the guts in a way that the chaos of the books didn't fully capture for me (not to critique GRRM but that scene just worked like magic on screen). The main reason for me feeling that is the fact that it's supposed to be rushed, Arya suddenly is ushered towards the sept and before she knows it her father's dead you feel that rush in the books but the show like shines a spotlight on it.

You feel the unfairness when you watch it and you're left feeling the way Sansa did in the next chapter. You feel robbed and betrayed because that wasn't supposed to happen, Ned did what he was supposed to do he submitted, forsook honor for his daughters' safety and his family. That rush of overwhelming emotion was so well captured.

[harrypotterfuryroad]

i live in a deep blue area and work in a male nerd-dominated field, so naturally my feed is full of angry reactions to the uk ruling today, and they have me thinking a lot about the have-their-cake-and-eat-it-too approach so much of trans theory takes that you always do such a great job of critiquing. "don't support jkr because her money just led to the court ruling trans women are biologically men!!!" from people who are also very eager in other contexts to differentiate cis and trans women physically. the difference is huge when it's convenient but not when it isn't. it's a physical, medical issue when they need to access hormones and surgery but not when that threatens them ontologically. it's fascinating.

honest and well-intentioned curiosity about the contradictions is the easiest way to peak yourself, which is why there's so much effort to get people to punish themselves for noticing the cracks ("i read this so you don't have to," "this may seem fine but actually she's saying xyz," and the kinds of things they do to the definition of dogwhistle that make guantanamo bay seem like sandals jamaica). you ask a completely valid question about how two contradictory ideas can both serve as the foundation for the movement (yeah the vacillation between transmed and self-id as the biggest example) and you either get a handwavy non-answer or you get branded as a bigot, and people either learn to swallow the doublethink or they stop going along with it

and yeah i'm also seeing lots of warped takes on the decision already, mostly along the lines of "the uk just stripped trans women of all legal protections" which like, no, this would just make them not entitled to sex-based legal protections as females. same game plan they always run with this stuff, like when they frame "males have to compete as males" as "trans women are banned from sports." for me it just helps to remember that none of that framing holds up to any kind of scrutiny from anyone approaching it honestly, but again they have a game plan for that too

[adoreispunk]

Out Of Reach (joel miller au)

an: my longest chapter yet:)) it’s about to get real good yallll;)) i’m moving so hopefully i’ll be able to update fast:P

wc: 3.5k

tags: joelmillerau, age gap, dbf!joel, joelmillerfanfic, pedropascal, mature

—————

six

The next two weeks are just restless nights and distractions during class. It's like the feeling when you know you have a concert in a couple weeks and there's just one thing on your mind.

I wake up in my old bedroom, sunlight already creeping through the blinds. Memories of a younger me all around me.

It's the first day of my internship.

With Joel.

Before I even move, I'm already overthinking everything. How I'll act, what he'll say, if I'll be able to play it cool. There's a strange pressure sitting on my chest, like today matters more than it probably should. For way different reasons than I was expecting for my first day on internship.

I throw the blanket off and finally sit up. I woke up way earlier than I needed to to get ready.

My last night on campus, Marissa and I stayed up past 3 am, holding up every semi-professional piece of clothing we owned. We scrolled, screenshot "hot girl business casual," and critiqued each other like we were dressing for the Met Gala instead of a contracting company.

"Okay," Marissa said, squinting at me "That blouse is cute, but not hot office slut cute. You're going for confident, composed,might-steal-your-man-without-trying. Think... office siren."

"Office siren." I repeated, deadpan.

She nodded like she was reading from scripture. "A little undone. Buttoned up—but not all the way. Hair not too neat. And no boring flats. You are not an intern who fades into the break room wallpaper."

So here I am, standing in front of my mirror, channeling my inner siren or whatever.

After I shower, I settled on high-waisted black trousers, fitted enough to feel sexy without getting me fired. A cream-colored satin blouse that falls off one shoulder just slightly if I move the right way. I leave the top two buttons open—Marissa's voice echoing in my head "Let the collarbone breathe, bitch."

I pin back one side of my hair and put on just enough makeup. Natural and light with darker corners and a blush nude gloss. It takes me a while to pick out shoes but I decide on some shorter kitten heels. Modest but sexy.

When I glance at my reflection, I feel a hum under my skin. Equal parts nerves and anticipation. Like I'm stepping into something I've thought about for way too long, finally crossing that line I've only ever danced around in my head.

The day before I got a text from Joel giving me the address and time to be there. I should've been expecting his text but it still caught me off guard. I finally save him as a contact on my phone, making it more official. I thought about names or something creative to put him under but instead of driving myself crazy again, I just put "Joel".

The drive to the company is short—just outside town, past a string of hardware stores and lunch spots I've never paid much attention to. My dad decided to carpool with a coworker for the next two weeks while I work with Joel. I thought that was nice so I could have time alone to compose myself before and after my shift. God knows i'll need to.

I pull into the lot a few minutes early, my palms a little sweaty on the steering wheel. I lower my music just a bit, something more upbeat to attempt to hype myself up.

I sit there for a second, waiting for a moment of courage to get out of the car. I'm such a pussy

At that moment I get a text, as if someone somewhere knew I needed it. Of course that person was Marissa.

marrisa<3: Is that collarbone out?

I laugh at the message and send her a fake flirty picture biting my finger.

me: "yes ma'am"

it doesn't take her long to respond.

marissa<3: that's what i like to see. you better check in!

me: i'm working remember?

marissa<3: Ohhh now you're just "working"? That's what we're calling it?

me: talk later, I gotta go inside TO WORK.

Our interaction finally gives me the courage to step out of my dads car. I grab my bag and step out into the cool morning air. My heels click softly as I walk toward the building, and with each step I take, I feel my heartrate pickup. I take deep breaths and try to ground myself. I feel like a crazy person.

The office is quiet when I step inside—no front desk, no receptionist, just the faint buzz of fluorescent lights and the distant clatter of tools from the back warehouse. The space smells like concrete dust and fresh lumber, sharp and industrial. Masculine.

A couple of guys in dusty work boots pass through the hallway ahead of me, deep in conversation, until one of them glances my way. Then the other does too.

Their eyes skim over me—heels, fitted slacks, blouse tucked in. Nothing inappropriate. Still, I feel suddenly too polished.

One of them nods, polite but curious. The other just smirks a little to himself as they pass, like I'm the new girl in school and everyone already knows.

My stomach knots. I clutch my bag a little tighter and glance around, trying to get my bearings. No signs, no labels on the doors. Just heavy boots thudding and the low murmur of men's voices echoing off the walls.

I fish out my phone and scroll to Joel's number, thumb hovering over the call button.

"Lost already?"

I turn so fast I almost drop my phone.

Joel's coming around the corner, wiping his hands on a rag like he just stepped off a site—faded navy tee stretched over his shoulders, jeans streaked with dried mud, and a clipboard tucked under his arm. His hair's a little damp near the back of his neck, like he just ran water through it. He looks too good. I suddenly forget everything Marissa told me to do when I first saw him again.

I swallow. "A little."

He stops in front of me, close enough that I catch the scent of cedar and musk. "You're early," he says, voice low and even.

I shift on my heels, fighting the urge to smooth my blouse even though I spent most of the morning making sure this outfit was just right.

"Yeah, sorry. I wasn't sure how long traffic would take."

He nods, giving me a once-over. Not leering—just taking me in, in that unreadable way he did last time.

"Ready to go?" he asks straightforward.

"Yeah," I say, trying to sound just as steady.

"Alright. This way."

He turns, and I follow, trying not to stare at the way his shoulders move under his shirt or how the fabric of his jeans clings just right.

Except when he glances over his shoulder to check if I'm still there and catches me looking. I look down and he lets out a breath and turns back around.

Fuck.

Joel pushes open a heavy door near the end of the hallway and steps aside so I can walk in first.

"This is me," he says simply.

I step inside and try not to look too surprised.

His office is... chaos.

Stacks of manila folders tower dangerously on one corner of the desk, and a scatter of papers covers nearly every flat surface—some yellowed with notes, others fresh from a printer, still curling at the edges. There's a half-finished coffee sitting on top of a closed binder, and a battered old hard hat tossed carelessly onto the windowsill. A whiteboard in the corner is scribbled with numbers, reminders, and what looks like a rough sketch of a floor plan.

It smells like coffee, paper, and sawdust. Real. Lived-in. Totally him.

I turn to and see an empty desk with a newer chair than his with some office supplies, a key, and a macbook box. I try to ignore it until he makes it known himself. I don't want to jump to conclusions that it's my desk.

"Wow," I murmur towards his desk before I can help myself, then I catch his look. "I just meant, busy."

He lets out a quiet grunt, dropping his clipboard onto the desk and tossing the rag into a bin in the corner. "Yeah, well. My bookkeeper's on vacation, so I've been tryin' to hold it down."

I raise an eyebrow. "You're keeping up with all the numbers too?"

Joel shrugs like it's no big deal, but the tired set of his shoulders says otherwise. "Tryin' to for now. Not exactly my strong suit, but I'll manage. I get the important stuff handled, rest can wait."

I glance at the desk again, then back at him. "You sure you're not just burying the rest under those folders?"

That gets the faintest smirk out of him—barely there, but it flickers across his face like a spark. "You here to learn or roast me, kid?"

"Both," I say, surprising even myself with how easily it comes out. His smirk lingers a second longer, then fades as he moves behind his desk.

"So, uh if you haven't noticed yet, that's your desk," Joel says finally, nodding toward the setup. "Got you a new chair and stocked some basics—paper, pens... and a laptop. I wasn't sure if you had one already, but figured I'd just cover it instead of riskin' it."

My stomach twists a little when It finally settles that he got it for me. "Mr. Miller, you didn't have to do that. I mean, I have one. It's just old and kinda slow with all my editing and files on it. But I manage. "

"You need it . You're gonna need something that can handle the kind of stuff you'll be workin' on anyway." He says in a calming tone.

I brush my fingers over the box, still hesitant. I don't know how to accept gifts. "This is too expensive."

"Yeah, I wouldn't know. I don't know a damn thing about that shit." he says, scratching the back of his neck. "Asked the guy at Best Buy for the best one. Think he upsold the hell outta me."

That makes me smile. "He definitely did. I can give it back to you as soon as I'm done here. "

Joel shrugs. "Long as it works, I don't care. Just do good work with it. You can use it afterwards for your photos, your dad showed me some too, You'll make use of it."

"Thank you, this will definitely be put to good use " I genuinely don't know what to say. I don't know if I should shake his hand or hug him.

He shifts, glancing at the laptop like it might save him from having to respond. "Yeah. Don't mention it."

"Anyways, Let me go over what we're doin today" He says cutting the awkward silence.

"I've got a job site I need to stop by in about an hour. Not far from here. Figured it'd be good for you to see it firsthand what these guys are actually doin' day-to-day. Especially since we've been moving into more commercial work lately."

"Yeah, definitely," I say, straightening up a little. "I'd love to see that."

He nods once. "It's not glamorous. No AC, lots of sawdust, bunch of guys swearin'. But it's the kind of stuff you need to understand. See what they do, what problems come up, how we actually get from blueprint to finished job."

"That makes sense," I say. "I don't mind getting a little dust on me."

That earns me a small glance, but it's more of a check than anything else as if he's assessing whether I'll flinch at a muddy boot or a loud power tool.

"Did you bring other shoes?" Joel asks, glancing down at my feet, one brow lifted.

I follow his gaze and immediately cringe at the sight of my kitten heels. The ones I thought looked perfectly polished this morning.

"Shit," I mutter without thinking, then instantly look up at him, wide-eyed like a little kid cursing in front of their teacher. "Sorry Mr. Miller, I wasn't thinking about job sites when I got dressed."

He shakes his head, not unkindly. "It's fine. I get it. You made the effort to look the part. Just something to keep in mind for the next few days, yeah?"

I nod quickly, heat blooming in my cheeks.

"One more thing," he adds, almost offhand. "You can drop the 'Mr. Miller.' Just Joel is fine."

I look at him nodding again, "Okay, Joel."

His throat bobs like he's swallowing something back, some emotion I can't quite read. It makes my palms sweat, and I quickly look down, picking at the corner of a notepad on the desk just to keep my hands busy.

"I'll come get you in an hour," he says. "Feel free to set up and get comfortable. If you need anything, just shoot me a text."

"Okay. Thanks again.. for everything." I offer a small smile. "Really."

He gives a short nod before stepping out, the door closing behind him.

Once he's gone, I release a breath I didn't know I was holding and slide into the new desk chair. I took a picture of the Macbook still in its packaging to send to Marissa later. Then I pull it out of its box and begin setting it up to my information. Trying to keep my mind on that task. Something actually productive.

——

We leave the office a few minutes later, Joel leading the way toward the parking lot. The sun is blinding out here, cutting through the chilly spring air, and for a second, I'm hit with the mix of nerves and excitement again.

Joel doesn't seem to notice. He's already pulling open the door to his work truck, as he gestures for me to hop in. I get in and he even offers me a hand.

It's because you're an idiot in literal heels. He's just being nice. Don't overthink it. But of course, I do.

Before I can even process my emotions, we're pulling out of the lot and onto the road. The truck rattles under the weight of the drive, the tires crunching over gravel and cracks in the pavement. This truck was a little more dirty and worked in than his personal one.

I try not to notice the way his hands grip the wheel, how solid and steady they are. Stop looking at his hands, Olivia. Just look out the window or something.

The drive is short but bumpy, and by the time we pull up to the site, I'm already taking in the sight of a building half-constructed in front of us. It's nothing fancy—just a commercial building, probably a warehouse or office space but it's massive. Beams frame the skeleton of it, a structure far more complicated than anything I've ever seen up close.

Joel parks near the entrance, throws the truck in park, and steps out without a second thought. I grab my bag as he's already on my side again opening the door. My heels crunching over the gravel as I try to catch up to his faster pace. Trying not to bust my shit in front of Joel Miller right now.

The site is bustling with activity. I watch as men in hard hats shout to each other, hauling materials, and measuring the building. There's a layer of dust in the air, the ground uneven and cracked underfoot. The noise is overwhelming the clang of metal, the hum of power tools, the whirr of saws cutting through wood.

Joel heads toward a small group of workers gathered by a pile of materials. As we approach, they fall silent, their gazes flicking from him to me, then back again. I don't know if it's because I'm the only woman around or if it's because I'm the new face, but I feel the weight of their eyes, even though they don't say anything.

"Hey, fellas." Joel says in his usual low voice. "This is Olivia. She's here for a couple weeks to help us out. Get us more guys and grow our name. Don't get too crazy."

I nod at the group awkwardly. Trying to ignore the butterflies of him actually saying my name.

"Hi, nice to meet y'all." I say, my voice barely rising above the noise.

One of the workers, a tall guy with a scruffy beard, grins and nods back. "We'll try to keep it tame, miss."

Joel gives him a dry and serious look as we walk away and then turns to me. "You good so far?"

"Yeah, this is... a lot." I look around, trying not to let the discomfort show.

"Ignore those idiots, too many wood planks to the head." Joel's voice is even, but I catch the edge of humor. He's trying to make me comfortable again like I didn't even have to say what I meant.

"You're gonna get a feel for it. We're busy as hell right now, but we're still behind on a few things." He says getting us back on track.

He gestures toward a set of blueprints lying on a nearby table, papers fluttering in the wind. "This is where you'll get to know the project specifics. But we're still playin' catch-up with some of the numbers. Carol usually handles all that, but since she's out, I've got a backlog."

I take the blueprints in hand, glancing over the plans and markings. The numbers make sense, but they also make my head spin. There's so much detail, so much at stake. It's far more complex than I realized.

"Where do you come in?" I ask, looking up at him. "How do you manage all of this?"

He shrugs, a little tight, but not dismissive. "I coordinate with the crews, the suppliers, make sure everyone's on the same page. Keep the clients updated. Step in to do some of the dirty work a lot lately. It's a balancing act."

I nod, but it's clear there's more to it than that.

"Not the best setup, but it works," Joel answers, his eyes briefly flicking over the site.

I pause, looking at the scope of the building again. The scale of it is dizzying.

"What about the commercial work?" I ask. "You've got a lot of bigger projects now, right?"

Joel glances over, his jaw tightening just slightly. "Yeah. It's new for us. We've done small stuff for years, but now the bigger clients are comin' through. A lot more responsibility, a lot more logistics to juggle."

He pauses, the sound of metal clanging in the background briefly filling the silence between us.

"I need people. Good, reliable people who want to work for a company like this, not just any job." His voice carries over the noise, his eyes scanning the site as we walk again. "We've got the project, now we need the talent to get it finished. And we're not just looking for contractors. We need skilled workers. Plumbers, electricians, carpenters. We're getting more commercial work, and we need the right people who can handle that."

That hits me differently. This isn't just about getting a few hands for basic labor. This is about finding the best, the right team to push his business to the next level.

I take a note on my phone. "Got it. I can start looking for ads and posts targeting specific skill sets. I'll start a recruitment campaign, but I might need to dig deeper into the local trade schools, maybe even local unions." I think for a second. "I could also put out some feelers on LinkedIn to connect with potential hires."

Joel nods like he's genuinely impressed. "We'll need a strong presence online. People talk. The right reputation will keep this company competitive, so focus on getting the right people, but also making sure we've got the name out there."

He looks over at the men working nearby, then back to me. "You'll see what I mean soon enough. Right now, we're focusing on quality, not just speed, so getting the right team is key."

I look around again, trying to absorb all the details. Joel's not just a boss—he's a guy who takes pride in his work, who wants to grow the business. It's more than just the paycheck for him. He's building something.

The next hour is spent walking around, Joel talking about the different aspects of the job. I watch the workers and make mental notes of what they do, trying to see the big picture of how it all connects. Joel explains the technical side of things, but it's clear he values the physical work being done as much as the people doing it.

I'm finally starting to understand the full scope of what's expected of me.

As we head back to the truck, I feel a sense of purpose that I didn't quite have before. There's more to this job than I thought, but I'm up for the challenge. Hopefully impressing Joel on the way too.

[greenerteacups]

I'm so excited to see you write party scenes!!! Either ones from canon like Slug Club or new ones you introduce. Love a party! Love merriment and festivities! Love impulsive decisions made under the influence! And the party outfits (if it's a formal one)!!! I know you're going to feed us.

Related question: What do you think of that one coral-pink dress Hermione wears to the Slug Club party in the 6th movie, or of the way they adapted her wardrobe in general? I've always found it a bit odd/OOC, and wondered when she bought the dress and for what purpose. But then, maybe wizarding affairs are more formal, so I guess she could've purchased a dressier (and pink) muggle dress for special occasions. It's still a little more cleav than I'd expect her to show, though. Draco would lose his mind.

Thank you!! I love a party scene. They're so deliciously messy and fun. I have had an outrageously good time drafting several splendid party scenes in Book 6, and I should frankly be arrested.

The dress from the movie is definitely a showoff dress, which i think is a fun new direction for her. Up to that point, movie Hermione was styled very girlishly, which tracks since she was (1) SUPER underage for most of filming, (2) generally not coded as a super fashionable character in the books. I was actually relieved that Hermione didn't become alluring and stylish in the films just because she's The Girl One. She's allowed to be feminine and have a feminine style without being unrealistically sophisticated or fashionable. Personally, I read Hermione as a little bit preppier than the movies do, but they're making a valid choice! The important thing to me is that Hermione dresses like a teenage girl. She wears sweaters and blouses and jeans. It's casual, it's moderately feminine, it's presentable, but it's not oversexualizing a child (especially one being performed by another child, one who was very much in the public eye and generally oversexualized when she was wildly underage). Her dress in the Goblet of Fire movie is nice to me because it's pretty without being too revealing; it's a great dress for a fifteen-year-old girl to wear to her first party (as she is at the time of the Yule Ball).

In that context, the choice to have Hermione wear a more revealing dress to the Slug Club is a bit odd, because she doesn't have similar costuming patterns before or after. In the dress's defense, I will say that it would make sense in the story of HBP for Hermione to be trying to recalibrate how others perceive her and deliberately choose a "showier" dress because she wants others (i.e. Ron) to start seeing her as a sexual being, or bluntly, a girl. She's also visibly uncomfortable for most of the party — because of Cormac, not necessarily because of the dress, but having an odd costuming choice lends to the sense of dissonance the audience gets watching Hermione in the scene. It makes her feel out of her element, and she's obviously not thrilled about being there in the first place. (We might ask more of Watson's performance to give us that sense of "discomfort in her own skin," but I don't want to critique the actress here; achieving an effect in a scene is always a joint effort, and YMMV.)

All this to say odd, but it's not obviously out of the ordinary. That being said, I think I just have a different interpretation of Hermione than the movies do in general, and so I naturally lean towards different costuming choices (although I do have to admit that I love the pink.)