#we're on a team together silver! yay!

[otasnox]

we're on a team together, silver! yay! (jan 20th, 2024)

art by lambylingames

[amxrany]

!! CHAPTER 7 / DIASOMNIA ARC SPOILERS !!

I think I'm gonna have fun reading Jamil's segment so you all should read it too (Jamil's Dream):

Meet in a Dream is out here working overtime because we are now in Jamil's Dream. But something's wrong, Kalim, who is their newest addition seems to be fine (he even gushes to Silver how cool dream hopping is) but Vil is out here dying 💀. Like legit he was incredibly unstable that they had no choice but to split into 2 teams while he recovers. Silver and Ortho stay to help Vil while the rest go and find Jamil.

The other group is currently in Camel Bazaar (reference to the scalding sands event). They were planning to look for Jamil but it's really hot so they decided to rest for a bit and get some coconut juice. (Extra part: Sebek wanted to look for Jamil but Grim kept looking at the food so he just gave up and started eating as well) Kalim is the one who gets it for the gang, and when the shopkeeper tells Kalim to pay, he just says put it in the Asim bill. But the shopkeeper doesn't recognize the Asims and thought they were thieves and started calling for the police. But luckily Silver, Ortho and Vil come in just in time for Silver to pay the guy to avoid getting into trouble.

Kalim's confused as to why the shopkeeper doesn't recognize him because he's known since he was a kid, but we find out why by just seeing the images of Kalim's "estate"

This is where we get the Jamil reveal. It turns out in this dream, Jamil's the son of the sultan (this also makes Najma a sultana, which is absolutely slay) and the Vipers bought the Asim's properties due to financial problems

(ngl him in that outfit is making me feel fuzzy inside)

But anyways we see Jamil in a parade similar to that of Kalim in Book 4, thus we have another rhythmic portion

(so this actually says that Jamil does like Kalim's parades, if it was him in the place of Kalim. Kalim also acknowledges that Jamil's having a good time here)

We then see the statue of Jafar, in which everyone recognizes because it's in NRC, except Jafar looks like he's playing golf here lmao. Jamil sees Kalim and tells him to change because he isn't wearing the right uniform

Then Kalim talks to Jamil like always, but Jamil tells him to be more respectful in speaking. But he isn't really mad because Kalim's always like that. The rest instroduce themselves as the NRC Film Club, who are planning to film a video using the estate's facilities. Jamil's salty as always and it seems to be going normal as he tells Kalim to prepare things for the guests and while Kalim tries to, he still messes up.

Jamil thinks as to why his family kept Kalim despite being an idiot. Then Grim is thinking why is Jamil still bitter in his own dream. That's when see the magic carpet again (YAY), this causes Kalim to accidentally slip up and tell Jamil how they got it; it causes Jamil to leave for a moment.

But Kalim doesn't stop, he continues to tell Jamil of their memories together but Jamil keeps denying it. Kalim brings up about how 2 years before going to NRC, Jamil protected him from harm. Then, he spilled the events of Book 4 (as requested from the others). BUT THEN FAKE!KALIM APPEARS AND PROTECTS JAMIL. He's a lot more mature than real life Kalim, this causes the darkness to take Jamil and we're forced to fight Fake!Kalim.

Without thinking, Kalim just straight up jumps in with Jamil and the gang has no choice but to follow him. Similar to Vil's dream, we land back to the events of Book 4 but for some reason Azul is also controlled here like 😭😭😭????

(jamil being azul's no.1 hater fr)

Jamil makes Azul spill all the school's secrets (hey lemme in on it too /j) and is planning to use this information to defeat the other dorm head. He even drags Leona and says he doesn't deserve to be dorm head cuz he's lazy 😭

And after defeating the dorm heads, he's gonna go after the headmage and take over the school (we love a man who dreams big and jamil for headmage fr)

BUT KALIM SUDDENLY COMES IN AND DECKS JAMIL IN THE FACE 😭. HE CALLS HIM AN IDIOT BUT JAMIL IS NOT BUYING IT SO THEY START DUKING IT OUT

(THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTINGGGG)

But yeah Kalim yells at Jamil for being pathetic for just getting what he wants by manipulating everyone, then Jamil butts in by telling him that someone stupid doesn't have a say. They continue to duke it out and in the background Sebek wants to stop them but Silver said "nah let them fight it out" because the best way to say things is by punching ❤️

IT SURPRISINGLY WORKS AND IT WAKES JAMIL UP 😭and Kalim gets really happy and jumps around. But the darkness comes back and tries to swallow Jamil so he pushes Kalim away, but Kalim wouldn't let go so they start fighting again 💀. But in the end, Jamil gets swallowed and meets his overblot self and learns to accept it thus starting the fight between the two

Jamil says he's the genie of the lamp, tired of living in a cramped space and would now dedicate himself to fulfilling his wishes. He returns to the place with Jafar's statue with the Fake!Kalim, who asks what he can do for him. But Jamil tells the Fake to fuck himself 😭 because he finds it weird that Kalim's like that and wishes for the dream to just end

The gang find Jamil and Kalim tries to tackle him but Jamil dodges it, saying that he's easy to read. Kalim asks Jamil to join them, and he accepts. However, Vil has to stay behind because he doesn't feel well and Kalim stays behind as well because of the injuries he got from Jamil (he does summons ice from Kalim's wounds tho). The others will go on ahead and wake the others. Jamil asks where they're going but Ortho says it's a secret, probably because the moment Jamil finds out they're going to Octavinelle he is going to find his way out of there.

But that is all for this chapter, hoo boy that was a lot but I'm glad that I managed to cover it. I'm really excited to see the Octavinelle segment knowing that it's Jamil we have, the biggest Octa hater but I do know it's gonna be funny

So yeah ima knock myself out now bye bye

Previous: Kalim's Dream

[beevean]

I find it almost saddening how much I've soured on Whisper since she was introduced. She started as such an intriguing character with, imo, a cool design and an intriguing backstory, and in the T&W miniseries we got a very touching story of the two of them growing closer together, with both (especially Tangle) showing off their smarts and why they could make a good match. And then the misery porn train got a hold of her and like 90% of the stories she's in have her get injured, hurt emotionally, forced to recall her trauma in painful ways, constantly dragging her into new traumatic experiences and not allowing her any moving on, while the 'hero' characters are not even shown in the wrong for causing her those (Tangle's crocodile tears about accidentally triggering Whisper: their team is called the Diamond Cutters now. Sonic waltzing right over her rightful apprehension of having Surge around: Surge is allowed to stay.) Not helped by the fact they wrote Silver as an "OhmahGAW GUARDIAN ANGEL!!!!! So cool! So epic! Let me worship the ground you walk on and keep this up for all issues we're gonna work together!!!!" in order to help shill her some more. Except that made that Whisper now is the coolest person in the world ever, unless when the plot needs her to be weak as fuck, crying constantly, and getting overrun by her alleged allies to make readers either feel sad or squeal at Muh Dramatic Irony. Which currently is all the time.

It's strange. So many things with IDW that people now dislike were there from the first handful of issues onwards, but only as things began to go more and more south we began to see it, I feel like.

So many things with IDW that people now dislike were there from the first handful of issues onwards, but only as things began to go more and more south we began to see it, I feel like.

I'd say it's because of multiple factors:

the post-Forces backlash that lead the fandom to have rose-tinted glasses towards IDW (I'm sadly forced to admit that I was one of those people :<)

the general love for the then recently-cancelled Archie that made fans latch onto IDW and Flynn (I wasn't one of those people lol. Never read Archie <3)

the patience towards a new series still finding its footing, with the assumption that it would get better with time. Spoiler: it got worse :)

Anyway, yes. Whisper started out with a cool concept: an introverted, shy girl who preferred to use weapons and not necessarily stick with a team. She feels different enough from the other girls in the cast, but like she could belong, especially in the earlier volumes that were meant to be a continuation from Forces.

But it's clear that the writers don't really know what to do with her, but they can't just shelf her like they could with Belle, because she's popular. And shippable, which is the very fuel that keeps IDW alive nowadays. So, well, they do to her what fans love to do with Shadow: squeeze the trauma out of her like a lemon, so that she can cry (yay angst!) and bond over and over again with Tangle (yay ship!).

Same goes for Tangle, even though she was by Flynn's own admission created as a replacement for Blaze and to basically be a "not like the other Sonic girls" flex lol. She used to be cute and a genuine friend. Now she's a grating womanchild with the sensitivity of a rotten pepper, but hey, as long as she keeps hugging Whisper, no one will complain! They both deserved better.

[reestallized]

I remember the one time where I was arranging a team in Pokemon masters and the team included SS Erika, Grant and Silver. When I put Lyra in Grant's place she was like "we're on a team together Silver! Yay!" And I was like this cat then I started laughing after realizing that I forgot those types of lines existed in the game and later went "yaaay"

[transjlawrence]

It's hockey season again which means my brain is imagining an alisusan hockey au where Susan is the first girl player in the NHL until Ali gets called up and then reporters are like, "Omg rivalry??" and make stupid headlines.

And Susan's like, "Wtf?? We're not going to have a rivalry." and Ali feels the same until Susan gets some stupid penalty against Ali and then Ali's like, "Oh, it is on. Clearly she believes in this rivalry thing." while Susan is like, "Damn it, I do not want a rivalry-"

Anyways, they clearly do have a rivalry because bsf to lovers alisusan is great but so is enemies to lovers alisusan.

Honestly, my various ideas for this include:

Susan on a team with all the og cobras and they're all besties. Johnny, Tommy, and Dutch are the biggest alisusan rivalry fans while Bobby and Jimmy are like hey maybe not-

(Obviously Bobby and Jimmy are just as invested bc they are in support of women's rights and women's wrongs.)

Chozen and Daniel play with Ali. They're both alisusan rivalry haters and alisusan rivalry lovers. Daniel's like, "You should talk!!" but the minute Susan gets like a high sticking penalty against Ali he's like, "BEAT HER ASS ALI!!! BEAT HER ASS!!!" Chozen is like, "You know, fighting isn't always the answer." but is tapping his stick and yelling the minute Ali and Susan start fighting.

Kreese and Silver don't actually know what to think of the alisusan rivalry. Silver's like, "A rivalry will be good for the franchise." while Kreese is like, "No, she'll get distracted and ruin her career and-" "Remember our rivalry?" "We are not doing this ag-" "It was October of 1976-"

(Lucille is the GM of Ali's team and Miyagi is the head coach and Lucille is all for it while Miyagi is like hey don't do that.)

Susan's PIMs are off the chart by the time the All Star break comes around. So are Ali's, but Ali has way more instigating penalties than Susan does.

They actually share a room during the All Star break, because the organizers were like, "Guys surprise!! It's a room for the girlies!!!" and alisusan are like haha yeahhh. Cue the mutual death stares.

They actually start to get along because they both agree they hate the way the media treats them. Like hey, why is every interview question about you and not about how I scored that awesome shorty off of Lawrence's sick pass?? Or why did they ask me about your shorthanded shot off of Lawrence's pass when I literally scored two goals the other night unassisted??

They leave New Jersey (I did have to look up where this was hosted the year tkk came out) with a better understanding of one another and also each other's numbers

They also slowly start to fall in love after they better understand each other and are like, "I should tell her...right? Shit, wait, maybe not-"

The og cobras are totally cheering for Susan to tell Ali. They have seen Susan fight Ali and they have seen Susan look all in love while on the phone with her. They want them to get together.

Chozen and Daniel try to coach Ali through telling Susan. They're like, "Just ask her if she wants to meet up the next time we play them. Offer to get ice cream with her. No one hates ice cream."

Long story short they do meet up and tell each other and it goes well and yay they're in love!!

Also my favorite part is imagining the nicknames the teams would have for each other. I feel like Susan would just be abbreviated to Suze and Ali would either get called Ali or Milly.

[lea-andres]

Bringing back the Shitty Apartment AU for headcanons because I live for it.

There's a no hoberbarding inside rule that was made strictly for Jet after he tried on the first day there.

Whenever Amy and Big are unavailable, Rouge is the one to babysit Cream.

Vector was flabbergasted to find out that there's a buffet on Fridays curtsy of Wave and Vanilla's combined forces.

Ray and Bean hangout often since they're so close in age and because they relate to one another.

Game night is always full of laughter and banter; it's so fun for those playing and those watching.

Big is Amy's legal guardian on paper. He acts like a father figure to her whenever she needs one and now that they live together they're practically family.

Fang still uses his cork gun to chase Mighty and Ray away from Team Hooligan's apartment.

Silver and Espio hangout very often.

There's a coffee machine in the common area and it's most constant users are Tails along with Wave and Vector. Shadow crunches on the coffee beans.

When Christmas rolls around, there's of course going to be secret santa. Sonic gets Cream, Shadow gets Storm, Tails gets Bean, Knuckles gets Espio, Fang gets Wave, Bark gets Jewl (Bean rigged it to), Tangle gets Charmy, Whisper gets Bark, Jewl gets Tails, Vector gets Silver, Blaze gets Marine, Wave gets Jet, Amy gets Shadow, Silver gets Tangle, Big gets Fang, Storm gets Big, Omega gets Bark, Rouge gets Vector, Bean gets Amy, Cream gets Rouge, Charmy gets Sonic, and Silver gets Omega.

Tails, Charmy and Ray all formed a "Yellow Flying Sidekick" club.

Shadow has a habit of ignoring his hunger no matter how much growling his stomach releases, so it's become a sort of game to see who can get him to eat first.

Tails, eating cereal in Team Sonic's apartment kitchen: I'm never going to go through puberty.

Knuckles beside him: Of course you will kiddo, but we're a family of late bloomers. I didn't until I was 13, nor did Sonic.

Tails: Why does that matter? I'm adopted.

Sonic, slamming the cabinet door shut in surprise: What!? Oh my god, who told you?

The apartment has their own makeshift version of family feud that all teams have participated in.

In my version, it was Rouge who got infected with the metal virus rather than shadow - she and Omega had a plan B where Omega would take Shadow to safety if things get hasty, and things did. Shadow still has nightmares about it, and Rouge doesn't regret her decision but does feel guilty for the nightmares.

Sonic has werehog tendencies still so he goes into the roof at like 3AM every full moon to howl for a solid 10 minutes.

Yay more Shitty Apartment AU headcanons!

- I love how Jet barely made it 24 hours without trying to hoverboard and getting it immediately banned. 😂

- Big being Amy's legal guardian is an interesting headcanon, and I'm extremely tempted to pull that idea from this AU and apply it to other stuff. 🧐

- Everyone else who uses the coffee machine uses it like normal people, then Shadow waltzes up and pulls this exact gif on them:

- Bean rigging a Secret Santa purely for pulling matchmaking bullshit on his best friend (well, his dad/guardian, since it sounds like kid!Bean applies to this AU too) is probably my favorite idea. I feel like he should've gone a step further and made sure Jewel got Bark too, but maybe he was worried they'd suspect something if they had each other. Plus Whisper got Bark, so she'd probably turn to Jewel for help anyway. 😏😂

- I love the idea of the Yellow Flying Sidekicks regularly swinging by the Team Hooligan apartment to see Bean, and all four of them getting kicked out by Fang who wants some goddamn peace and quiet. 😂

- Oh GOD, Family Feud must get so chaotic. 😂 The Chaotix and the Hooligans went up against each other exactly once, and now everyone tries desperately to keep that from happening again.

- 😭 Poor Team Dark.

- Sonic's up on the roof howling and everyone's yelling at him to shut the fuck up and go to sleep. 😂

[creativeskullcreations]

MD Strip Club AU (Made by a dark anon who's definitely burning in Hell for this NSFW submission)

Boy am I gonna burn in Hell for  a few hours for this.

  But let’s not focus on that right now LET’S DO THIS

Commentary in purple!

— — — — —

The main setting of the AU, apart from the strip club, is the underground city of Haven, where DDs and worker drones have managed to live together

Haven has the vibes of the undercity from act 1 of Arcane

Uzi, N, and V work at a strip club called the Silver Strip, and started working there for their own reasons

Nice set up.

I’ll get into that later

All I’ll say now is that V joined because being a dancer looked like fun, and it is for her, N joined because he wanted to make people happy (though he makes them happy in a different sense in this AU), and Uzi joined because she wanted to put herself out there

There are worse reasons to join a strip club, to be honest.

The way I think drones “strip” is by removing their outermost armor plating, leaving their frame, along with the wires and their core, exposed

Though it should be considered that a drone frame, in this AU at least, looks far more sleek, and looks like the armor plating, only thinner, with small holes all around, and does nothing to cover up the wires and core

I think I see what you're going for here.

Uzi, N and V are in a polyamorous relationship together

Yay poly.

N and V joined years before Uzi, leaving the corpse spire unfinished

Oh yeah, J’s dead in this AU

Sorry J Simp Anon. She's just not in this I guess lol.

People in the Silver Strip don't really care about time in this AU. To them, it's just another thing that exists outside its walls

V, N, and Uzi’s stage names are Viki, Niki, and Rae

Rae like rail gun? Or ray gun?

V’s the most dominant out of the three, because of course she is

Each dance style of theirs is different. N is more carefree and musical like in his pole dances. Uzi is more focused on things that get the audience's attention. And V is more focused on what makes her feel good

Fits.

What they all have in common is that they love having the audience’s eyes on them

Uzi, N and V are far more flirtatious and lustful in this AU, among other personality changes

Uzi is a lot more happy and confident a few years after she joins the Silver Strip, and becomes an expert at working and being good for the customers…if you know what I mean

V’s memory problems are a lot better in this AU, and believing it’s N and Uzi’s influence that did this, she makes sure to thank them every night by giving them something…special ;)

N is still his lovable puppy loving self, though he does put his hands and tongue to good use both on V and Uzi, as well as the lucky customers

Makes sense. Disassemblers do enjoy dominating.

Oh yeah, the Silver Strip also doubles as a brothel

The three don’t mind though

Uzi takes something called a Resonance Maker once a month, a drug which confuses the pleasure programming to believe a resonance loop has occurred, preventing it from causing a drone pain. The Silver Strip is the provider the Resonance Makers

Ooo, world building. I'm guessing it's like a temp program of a sort. It runs a few lines of code, but she needs a new because it can't keep up with how much she... does things. ;)

Like in Wireplay, N and V usually take turns dominating Uzi, sometimes even teaming up. Uzi doesn’t mind though

V is the most dominant in sex not just out of the three, but out of most of the brothel, though she does have friendly competition with a few others who also work at the club

V: Hah, I win again!

Other Drone: N, Uzi, try and distract her more often we're gonna lose out on the bet again!

Uzi N and V sometimes put on public shows, showing everyone their affection for each other in the most raunchy way possible by fucking each other on stage

Those shows always bring in the most customers

N becomes rather skilled with his hands and mouth, using them to pleasure lucky customers, but most importantly to him, on Uzi and (on occasion) V

Uzi’s thing is pleasing people who want to dominate others, and she loves playing into whatever they have planned

V, as stated before, is very dominant, and usually pleases customers with a more submissive attitude

Yeah these are a good, diverse group. Will make for some excellent stories. ;)

There’s no overarching story to this AU, really. It’s just a bunch of raunchy adventures and stories that Uzi, N, and V go through in the Silver Strip

Episodic. Nice.

— — — — —

And that’s all I’ve got for this AU! I hope you enjoyed it!

  Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go burn in Hell for a few hours. Till then!

It's 81 degrees here where I'm at. Horribly hot for the season. I'm already in hell lol. But no, seriously, good details and world building on this au. I had my own idea for it, too. May write them out later.

[liannyeong]

i think this is the end (we're different)

Summary: han jiyeon fell for park jinyoung in almost the same way as any other girl out there. what's so different about her, right?

Word count: 4795

Pairing: Jinyoung X OC

Warning(s): Mutual pining, fluff

A/N: Happy belated birthday to my bias wrecker (T_T) Park Jinyoung ~ Also, yay for a new completed fic since June 2020 lol. The title is from a line in DAY6′s Tick Tock because I’ve been listening to all their songs and covers non-stop and it seems fitting :’(

"rising actor park jinyoung has made the headlines for another hit drama in the year 2020--"

jiyeon thinks jinyoung has it easy. he has a pool of opportunities ready for him. he doesn't need to go through the trouble of uncertainty or instability. he's a star; everyone wants him.

jiyeon stares at the screen, the words from the reporter just goes over her head. she's happy for jinyoung, of course. she has always liked his mannerisms through the shows he appeared on. she always thought that anyone who dates park jinyoung is lucky. well, isn't dating a celebrity a kind of fantasy that one can only daydream? who wouldn't want to? the top star has the luxury to pamper her with gifts. whatever she needed, she just had to say it and he would get it for her.

but han jiyeon has never been a materialistic person. she is attracted to actor park jinyoung not because of his wealth or fame, but because of his personality. the way he was courteous to the people around him, the way he takes care of them even in the littlest of things. the way he pays his full attention on the ones who are speaking. or his calming voice. or the cute wrinkles around his eyes when he smiles. han jiyeon fell for park jinyoung in almost the same way as any other girl out there.

what's so different about her, right?

she reckons it's easy for him to move on too. jinyoung can easily find another girl to date. it’ll be easy for him to find another one to fill her space. he doesn't need a han jiyeon in his life. after all, what is she but a photographer who once worked with him?

---

jinyoung regrets the words he spat the moment he leaves her apartment. it has been a long day of filming. he's already struggling his work schedule with his lack of sleep. it's hard to control your emotions when you're dead grumpy and tired. it's no surprise that he lashed at the female with her unnecessary comments. but as he drives back to his own home, he can't help the ringing of her voice in his ears.

"you wouldn't need to choose between me or your career if i was the right one."

she looked so broken when she said it. why did jinyoung only realize it now? unless his memory fails, her body language showed how vulnerable she was. one arm crossed around her stomach, the other just dangling by her side. her voice was small, her eyes were looking at anywhere else but not him.

but he had to response in the worst way possible.

"then there's no reason for us to see each other anymore. we're done."

his tone was so cold, as if he had no emotions for her. jinyoung just spat those words and left. but now, regret blooms in his chest and he wishes he could turn back time.

he doesn't know what went down between them, or when exactly it all started. yet, he hasn't given himself the time to ponder over it. perhaps he gave himself the excuse that there is no time in his busy schedule. so he chucks it away, day after day, until it turns into weeks and months.

just like that, six months have gone since han jiyeon and park jinyoung broke up.

---

"rising actor park jinyoung is confirmed to be dating his co-star jeon sonee--"

jiyeon's heart hurts. the news channel shows jinyoung with the girl in tow. they are speculated to be on a date at night,  smiling wide, looking great together. jinyoung truly has moved on. fairly easily too, just as she expected.

jiyeon reckons it makes sense. they spend a lot of time together on set. they get to know more about each other as the filming goes on. they've even worked on a few projects together, the casting staff finding their chemistry perfect. it is unsurprising that they could develop feelings for each other.

jiyeon shouldn't be jealous. how can she when she was the one who suggested their break-up?

"i'm only a threat to your career. maybe the person you were meant for is someone who wouldn't jeopardize your career."

she only said it because she couldn't bear living with a man who hadn't been around for her. she wanted jinyoung to placate her, soothe her. she wanted jinyoung to say that they'll work it out. but she didn't think of the possibility that maybe, he was sick and tired of her endless worries. that he could have been waiting for the right moment to end things, but never got the chance. she was the one who propose their relationship to end. she doesn't deserve to be jealous of jinyoung's new love interest.

still, jiyeon wonders. why does it seem that she is the only one still unable to move on? how is it possible for jinyoung to get on so quickly? did he love her at all? or were all those lies, disguised beneath his actor mask? or was jiyeon just another experience on his list, so that he can portray emotions better on screen

no, don't put yourself down, jiyeon scolds herself. whatever that has passed, let it stay as good memories.

she loves him dearly, but their story wasn't meant to last long.

---

jinyoung is dressed handsomely in a suit. it's an acquaintance's wedding that he is invited to -- one of the art directors he worked closely with in the past.

he sees familiar faces, greeting all of them politely. but upon setting his eyes on a particular person, his breath stops.

han jiyeon.

of course, she's invited to the wedding. how can he forget? it's her colleague's wedding.

jiyeon has her hair tied in a low ponytail, some strands intentionally left loose to frame her face. she's donned in a light purple cold shouldered dress. the chiffon material flows elegantly as she walks. the man watches as she congratulates the groom, her smile is still beautiful in jinyoung's eyes.

he once dreamt of proposing to jiyeon. he once dreamt of building a home for the both of them. he wanted to lead a life with her by his side. but perhaps, such dreams are not meant to be achieved. perhaps, such dreams are for another man, not him.

---

there is no mistaking that jinyoung is here, in the same room as her. jiyeon can recognize that eye crinkles, that unique hahaha anywhere in the world. she may have stiffened at the realization that they're the closest they've ever been since their break-up. but she tries to play it cool. she may not have been trained to act, but having dated an actor, she may have picked up a thing or two.

the guests prepare for a cascade of group photos, neatly categorized according to the type of connections that the newlywed couple has. coincidentally, jiyeon ends up a row in front of jinyoung and his plus one.

"jiyeon-ssi," he greets formally, in the midst of aligning themselves in an orderly fashion.

she bows politely. "hello, jinyoung-ssi."

right, this is how they are. this is how they've always been. something like strangers in the public, but intimate behind closed doors. they've always kept their distance whenever they're seen together, not even an inch close. they don't even do any car dates as popularized by other celebrities. that's the difference between her and sonee, she realizes.

"hello, jiyeon-ssi," greets jinyoung's plus one. it's only now that jiyeon turns to look at her directly.

how insanely pretty, jiyeon mutters grudgingly in her head. the actress' hair is swept to one side, a shiny silver pin clipped to her fringe. she wears a baby pink dress that ends just past her knee caps, a string tied around her small waist. jiyeon can't help but think that sonee just came straight out of a webtoon. god, she can't help but think that jinyoung and sonee make a good couple too.

jiyeon tries not to think about it too much. after all, it's over, and they've come here to celebrate another couple's joyous occasion. so jiyeon puts on her most friendly side.

---

"ah, so you're the jeon sonee," jiyeon smiles. "congratulations on your relationship." jinyoung feels his stomach churn. jiyeon's smiles are wide but he can't tell the real emotions behind it. is she genuinely happy for him? or is there spite beneath her words? "you do seem like jinyoung's type," she chuckles.

jinyoung hopes she knows it's not true. he's never had a type. he used to say that the person he likes is his type. but jiyeon is the one who changed it all. jinyoung has never felt at ease with a person as much as with her. they clicked instantly, and they are so similar in their tastes in music, books and movies. there's no way he can find another like han jiyeon.

sonee smiles abashedly, tugging onto jinyoung's arm out of embarrassment. the man doesn't miss the way jiyeon eyes that movement.

"everyone, look at the camera!" instructs the main photographer.

jiyeon turns back, making a quick fix to her dress and hair. jinyoung can't help but stare at the crown of her head. how is it possible that someone is so close yet so far away? how is it possible that the person he spent his days with is suddenly a stranger? what went wrong, really?

"one! two--"

jinyoung flicks his eyes to the photographer, just in time before the flash goes off. they take a couple more shots before they are allowed to go back to their seats.

jiyeon turns around. "it was nice meeting you, sonee-ssi. have a great night," she politely says. then she faces jinyoung, not quite meeting his eyes, "and you too, jinyoung-ssi.”

---

"i think we should cast celebrity couple park jinyoung and jeon sonee for our upcoming pictorial," jaebeom, a creative director and jiyeon's supervisor, suggests during a meeting.

jiyeon stiffens at the idea. but her silence goes unnoticed by the excited murmur of the team.

"looking at this month's concept, i do think this two celebrities match it perfectly," jaebeom further expands. "besides, they're a hot topic in the entertainment industry now. it would be a waste to not use the chance!"

that earns nods from various members.

"that's true..." jiyeon hesitantly responds.

"jiyeon-ssi," the said girl flinches when her name is suddenly called. jaebeom doesn't inquire about her zoning out. "we both worked with jinyoung before. surely, i can trust you to contact him?"

jiyeon nods slowly. "i'll do my best, sir."

"very well!" jaebeom claps his hands together. "let's confirm the concept now--"

jiyeon breezes through the meeting, heart heavy with anxiety at having to work with jinyoung. she lets out a sigh.

---

when jinyoung heard from his manager that jiyeon came forth with a photoshoot offer, he didn't know what to make out of it. was it a company decision? or did jiyeon suggest working with jinyoung again? or... did jiyeon wanted to see him again?

no, jinyoung scolded himself mentally. he shouldn't put weird ideas in his head. what they had is now a thing of the past. jiyeon would have moved on. she must have. why else was she able to maintain that cool composure when they met during the wedding? why else was she able to treat sonee that kindly? jiyeon must have gotten over him. there can't be any other explanation.

"sure, hyung. i should be able to accommodate to jiyeon-ssi's project," jinyoung answered finally.

but now, breathing in jiyeon's studio, jinyoung feels out of place. he used to frequent here, especially when jiyeon works late into the night, when all the staff has gone home. no one knew of their relationship, not even their close colleagues. heck, jinyoung even made sure to hide from his manager.

"are you okay?" sonee pipes up next to him, having done her make-up and changed into the model clothes. "you seem a little tense."

"my schedules have been a little tight this week," jinyoung lies smoothly, adding a tired smile as extra measure.

"you can do it, jinyoung," sonee smiles sweetly at him, pumping her fists in the air as a gesture to give him strength.

jinyoung can't help but laugh heartily. "how cute my sonee is," he coos at her, pinching her cheek lightly. she whines--

there'a clear of a throat and jinyoung's smile nearly drops when he sees jiyeon. she pretends as if she didn't see anything, only casts jinyoung a brief glance before bringing up a notepad, briefing the couple about the concept and the poses she'd like them to do.

"just be natural," jiyeon ends the conversation. "just like how you two are, in your own bubble."

jinyoung can only nod.

---

she says that so easily but she's the one who's suffering alone. directing her ex-lover with his new partner to pose in a certain way, watching them gaze at each other in such a loving manner... how can her heart not crumble in sadness? her heart can't bear the pain. the way jinyoung looks at sonee is the same as how he used to look at her: that pure happiness and love. why, oh, why does the universe want to hurt her like this?

yet, amidst it all, jiyeon has to maintain her professionalism. she can't crack underneath all these romantic shots. she can't drop everything and run off, no matter how much she wants to.

in one particular setting, jiyeon has jinyoung resting his head on sonee's lap, his legs dangling over the arm of the couch. they look at each other, eyes smiling along. jiyeon can't help but feel the swell in her chest. she has to consciously control her breathing, to even it out.

jinyoung used to lay on her lap as he goes through his drama script. in the meantime, jiyeon would sketch out a particular storyboard idea for her project on the arm of the couch. that was how they spent their free days together, in comfortable silence. when he's tired of the lines, jinyoung would bury his face into her stomach, craving for her attention. and jiyeon always ends up giving in, after which they would just spend the rest of the day cuddling on that small couch, watching whatever show they randomly pick.

but now, times have changed. such memories don't matter anymore, especially not to jinyoung. it would have been replaced with new ones. they no longer exist in his mind. any emotional attachment would have been long gone from his heart.

jiyeon shakes herself from such thoughts. she brings up her camera and snaps away.

---

"representatives for actor park jinyoung and actress jeon sonee have confirmed that the celebrity couple has parted ways--"

"actor park jinyoung releases a statement of hiatus. netizens react."

user jl***09:

lol a coward running away from the media

user st4njinn1e:

i'm so sad... i have been a fan of jinyoung and his acting is so good, i'm sad that he'll be on hiatus... i hope he has a good break :(

user se0nii:

i always felt that it was a one-sided relationship between jinyoung and sonee... it seems like sonee was the only one in love.

user ilypjy94_:

stop with all your assumptions. we don't know what went down between the two of them. let's just support them with the best we can!

jinyoung's phone doesn't stop blowing up: media outlets wanting to know the reason for the breakup, some tarnishing his reputation. some of his fans even turning their backs on him. the pressure from the society is too much for him to take. he tries to block it out, but it's too difficult when you're a celebrity. your privacy is always at risk, paparazzi and stalker fans camping near his home. he doesn't even feel safe in his own home, he can't be himself and let loose.

his screen lights up again, at another message. despite telling himself not to check his phone, it's a habit that is difficult to break.

from han jiyeon:

hello jinyoung, this is han jiyeon. i saw the news... just wanted to check if you're okay?

jinyoung stares at his screen. it's from jiyeon. they haven't contacted each other in person for so long. jinyoung didn't delete her number off. and from the looks of it, jiyeon didn't either. she must have assumed jinyoung did with the way she introduced herself first.

jinyoung bites his lip. how should he reply? he wants to spill out everything that has been contained inside, but it'll be too much for the listener. besides, as a high profile celebrity, there are only a handful of people he can trust. jiyeon is one of them.

a string of messages pops up on his lockscreen.

from han jiyeon:

it's okay if you don't reply. i just want you to know that it'll be fine. the media will leave you alone soon. take a mental break, or travel to somewhere, away from the media. perhaps it'll give you peace from all the noise. you're a strong person, park jinyoung. i believe you can get through this. you're not one to give up so easily. just look at how far you've come, the awards you received.

take your time to heal, jinyoung. we may not have been in close contact for so long, but... you listened to my problems back then. i can lend you a listening ear if you ever need one.

i hope you find happiness again, jinyoung. have a good night.

jinyoung tears up at the message. how can jiyeon be so kind to him? how is it that she knows the right things to say, the right words he needed to hear? it has been two years since their breakup, how is it that she still knows him well?

jinyoung shuts his eyes and sinks back into his bed, phone clutched to his chest. he empties his mind, pushes any thoughts away and sleeps away.

---

jiyeon held no expectations that jinyoung would reply. what is she, but a thing of the past for him? she knows this and yet, she goes out of her way to drop him a message. out of goodwill? out of worry? or out of pure concern, jiyeon doesn't know herself. jinyoung may not even read it. god, he might have even blocked her number.

which is why she was surprised when she received a message from jinyoung, asking if her address is still the same. an hour later, jinyoung appeared at her doorstep with food in hand.

and now, they're lounging at her dining table, talking as if no time has passed. as if nothing has changed. as if nothing happened between them.

"i'm glad you're feeling better," jiyeon says.

jinyoung smiles, though his eye crinkles doesn't show. "thank you, jiyeon, for listening."

"it's fine. we all need someone to listen sometimes," she reassures. "sonee must have meant a lot to you."

jinyoung blinks.

silence ensues. then--

"you must know that's not true," comes jinyoung's soft reply.

---

jinyoung didn't mean to say it out loud. but as he looks at hyejin, he needs to come clean. he has to be honest about his own self.

"no one can take your place," jinyoung admits. "sonee liked me a lot but i-- i dated her because i wanted to make you jealous."

jiyeon seems at a loss for words. she looks uncomfortable, fidgeting. but jinyoung has to say it out. he has to get it off his chest.

"but you seemed fine. you didn't seem to care if i dated another. you seem like you've moved on. so i tried to like sonee," he continues. "but i just couldn't return her feelings. it was unfair for her. i felt like i was doing something wrong. my conscience wouldn't let me go. so i had to end it before i hurt her any further."

"she knew, from the beginning, that i wasn't that interested in her. she was happy that i agreed to go out with her though she didn't understand why. she tried her best to appeal to me but we both realized that it couldn't work. in the end, we parted on good terms."

jinyoung fiddles with his fingers. he glances up, but he can't read jiyeon's expression. is she angry? does she find his words outrageous? jinyoung just can't figure out.

"why are you telling me this now?" her voice comes out soft.

why? jinyoung asks himself. he, himself, is not certain. what does he want from this? jiyeon's love? jiyeon's attention? or does he want someone to lean on, someone that can provide him comfort?

"i... don't know either," jinyoung answers with a slump in his shoulders. "i just wanted to get it off my chest. and i wanted to be honest, at least to myself."

jiyeon nods slightly, then she takes in a deep breath. "then i'll be honest too."

jinyoung's ears perk up.

---

listening to jinyoung pouring out his thoughts, jiyeon feels that it's only right for her to do the same too. it gives her the courage to express herself without fear of jinyoung's judgment nor her own feelings.

"i thought that you moved on easily," she begins. "you continued to star in many dramas, and in all your interviews, you were smiling wide as if you felt no pain. as if our break-up didn't matter to you."

"when the news broke out that you were dating sonee, i just felt..." she trails off, unsure of how to describe her emotion at the time. heartbroken? disappointed? jealousy? or was it envy that sonee receives jinyoung's attention?

"... lost," she realizes. "i felt lost because you were my anchor. even though i was the one who initiated the break-up, i thought we'd patch things up again. but you dated someone else and i felt as if i was cast aside."

"i tried to soldier on, but it breaks me every time i see pictures of you and sonee," jiyeon confesses. "but it also hurts me to see you this sad."

there's a slight pause. then jiyeon concludes, "i guess i haven't moved on from you."

---

jinyoung didn't even realize he was holding his breath at her words. is she meaning to say that-- "do you want to start over? with me?" jinyoung's tongue slips faster than his mind could stop.

jiyeon folds her arms, avoiding the actor's gaze. "i don't know..." she trails off. "i don't think it's the right time. you're still healing. i don't want you to make decisions without thinking through it."

"give it some time. i think we both need to figure out what we truly want," jiyeon adds.

jinyoung keeps mum, a little disappointment in his heart but he finds himself agreeing to that suggestion.

---

"the drama that actor park jinyoung starred in breaks the record for the highest ratings on national broadcast!"

jiyeon stares at the screen, the words from the reporter just goes over her head. she's happy for jinyoung, of course. jinyoung has regained the trust and the love of the nation after his six months long hiatus. initially, he wasn't given as many drama offers prior to the hiatus, but slowly, he worked his way up again. jiyeon is more than happy to watch the man rebuild his life.

the chimes in the cafe ring, and jiyeon turns to the direction of the door. jinyoung waltzes in, most of his face hidden by the black cap and the scarf wound around his neck. he pads over to her table and takes the opposite seat.

"sorry, i'm late," he says first, unwrapping the scarf around his neck but leaving his cap on.

jiyeon waves her hand. "it's fine. it's not easy to meet mr. top star," she jokes.

jinyoung laughs. they fall into easy conversation, the cafe not that busy yet. it's a weekday morning after all.

"so," jinyoung starts, after completing his plate of pancakes. "what is your answer?"

jiyeon has been waiting for this moment. it's nerve wracking as how she imagined it to be.

"what was your question?" she counters, a smile tugging at her lips.

jinyoung exhales. then he leans forward, face serious. "back then, i wasn't the best at prioritizing. i couldn't effectively manage my time. and because of that, you suffered. we suffered. now, i believe i'm better able to manage my life properly. so, han jiyeon, would you give me another chance? to start over what was between us?"

"yes," jiyeon replies without hesitation. "let's try again. and this time, i'll be more understanding too."

jinyoung smiles wide, the crinkles around his eyes appearing.

---

they walk in the bustling streets of seoul side by side, but never touching. jinyoung knows jiyeon is trying to keep a distance between them in public places. but he wonders how long will they be a secret from the world. as long as they hide themselves from the eyes of the world, they can never achieve total freedom to date freely in public. there'll be no way they can be like any other couple out there.

so jinyoung halts in his tracks and pulls off the scarf that has been wrapped around his neck to cover his face, along with his cap and sunglasses. people stop to stare, some of them gasping to see the top actor in the streets of seoul.

"han jiyeon!" he yells after her. she hadn't noticed that jinyoung wasn't walking with her. when she hears her name being called, she flinches and turns around hastily. her eyes go wide at the sight of the actor with his bare face shown in public. she strides forward and tries to cover him with the scarf.

"what are you doing?!" she hisses, worried for the actor's safety.

"i'm in love with you, jiyeon-ah!" he declares out loud, enough for the people around them to hear. "you were there for me when i was going through tough times! you made me who i am today, the top actor that i am today!"

"jinyoung, you can't do this in public!" she hisses again, haphazardly still trying to cover his face. 

but jinyoung's adamant on staying at that spot, on exposing his face to the world. he grabs her shoulders.

"i'm not shying away anymore! i want the world to know how much i love you, jiyeon," jinyoung confesses.

then he brings his hands to his mouth and yells at the top of his lungs, "han jiyeon! i love you!"

jiyeon just stares at him, stupefied. darting her eyes left and right, she tries to stop him, "yah, you can't just--"

"i love you, han jiyeon!!" the man screams again.

"yah!!" she steps forward, pressing her palm against his mouth.

"i know," she says softly, a fond look on her face. "i know."

the hand around jinyoung's mouth loosens and he matches her smile. then he cups her face and connects their lips, uncaring about the bystanders. if they gasp, or there's a series of snapshots being taken, jinyoung doesn't hear it. because in this moment, there's only the two of them in the world.

---

"actor park jinyoung wins the daesang in 2025 seoul drama awards!"

jiyeon swoons over how handsome jinyoung looks in a suit. his hair purposely tousled to make him look even younger. she watches on the screen as the man receives the grand prize and a bouquet of flowers. he bows politely to the audience before saying his speech.

"first and foremost, this award is for the drama staff who had worked hard to put out such a great drama that is loved by many. i'm grateful to the director who brought out the best in me and my fellow co-stars who helped me be a better actor. to my fans, thank you so much for your constant support and love. i will work harder to become a better actor who deserves this prestigious award."

then jinyoung stares right at the camera, and jiyeon feels as if he's looking right into her. her heart pounds. "finally, to my dearest wife, han jiyeon, who is at home. thank you for being there for me throughout, for comforting me whenever i feel low. thank you for being my pillar of support, for encouraging me and supporting my dreams. i love you."

jinyoung blows a kiss to the camera and jiyeon smiles wide. she repeats the same action, uttering a soft "i love you too" in the quietness of their apartment. she makes a mental note to truly kiss him later, when he gets back home. 

[otasnox]

im ok now btw. i woke up still feeling like doodoo balls but then i took my pills and had breakfast and im at the club now

^ real footage of me right now

[otasnox]

world is a fuck. Lyra loves wham! & george michael and shes always playing it and silver just associates george michael songs with lyra. This is lyra's favorite methinks. she's always singing this bit ok?

lesbians 4 wham ok? ok

[otasnox]

now if u look at this playlist u may think "wow pickle. these songs don't fit them at all." and first of all who cares!!! but second of all my theme for this playlist was "songs lyra would sing at karaoke and maybe even drag silver up to sing with her" ok?

[otasnox]

also i made the lyra n silver playlist because i saw really cute art of them and it took me back to 2020 when i was obsessed with pokemon and i think we had a silver introject who was host then. shoutout to him for realizing we were nonbinary

[otasnox]

playlist masterlist: (mostly. i have private/personal ones but these r the ones i wanna talk abt here!!

all playlist titles have been tagged, i'm gonna tag the playlist name every time i talk abt it so you can see my musings on specific playlists

january sunset

"🏷️: minako arisato , kotone shiomi , hamuko , femc , aigis , minaigis , persona 3, p3 , p3fes | art by stuffbymail" (made february 21st, 2022)

smile like you mean it

"a charlotte "charlie" emily playlist || art by @/robertdenirowap" (made february 26th, 2022)

oh, anna

"anna yoshizaka from p2:is (persona 2: innocent sin) playlist" (made february 28th, 2022)

icosa

"an ena playlist || tags: enawave weirdcore webcore internetcore" (made april 5th, 2022)

therefore, you & me

"an asoryuu playlist || art: ayabit on tumblr" (made july 27th, 2022)

and you could have it all-- my empire of dirt

"i dont fucking know. i wanted a bosselot playlist. art by khvatka" (made september 24th, 2023)

it starts up in our bedroom after the war

"penis music aka the otasune playlist if it wasnt obvious" (made october 8th, 2023)

no such thing as an absolute enemy

"yeah it's the bbkaz playlist. art by mxgicdave on twitter" (made january 15th, 2024)

in memory of a patriot who saved the world

"(art by lucky-draws on tumblr) the boss / the joy, mgs. bits of strangeboss and sorrowjoy, just general boss stuff. i miss you, boss" (made january 17th, 2024)

tidings from an old flame

"bbeva playlist... the title is from a peace walker kaz quote, where big boss gets a tape from eva. kaz says, "ho ho hoooo, the plot thickens. tidings from an old flame?" // art by madscientistreaction on tumblr" (made january 17th, 2024)

i was born on the battlefield & i'll die on the battlefield

"gray fox (grey fox) mg/mgs playlist.... maybe a few hints of snox. art by puphound on tumblr" (made january 17th, 2024)

and then you and i will be enemies, too. one of us will have to kill the other. // fine by me.

"ocelhira... i think they had some twisted form of love, or at least respect, for each other at some point. i think it was always doomed to end the way it did (february 25h 2005, in alaska) // art by its-always-sunny-in-city17" (made january 18th, 2024)

i just wanted an excuse to kill as many people as i could

"the liquidmantis playlist || art by silvr on tumblr" (made january 18th, 2024)

have you ever enjoyed killing someone?

"diminished sense of reality, huh? vr training will do that. || art by varliona on tumblr" (made january 18th, 2024)

without a sound, and i wish you away

"emma emmerich & her brother... (platonic) || art by inhibishun" (made january 18th, 2024)

how we touched & went our separate ways

"venom snake & quiet (vquiet), plus the diamond dogs (a little bit) || art by zanzibar1and on tumblr" (made january 19th, 2024)

life is not the things that we do, it's who we're doing them with

"sunny emmerich (gurlukovich), with bits of jupiter family / otasune! || art by pixiv id 4192645 || this is mostly songs i think she would listen to as opposed to like songs that fit her u know" (made january 19th, 2024)

let me die, let me drown, lay my bones in the ground

"sniper wolf (mgs) playlist i guess. || art by berccccccc on tumblr" (made january 20th, 2024)

another page to our family's dark history

"fuck my stupid baka life (emmerich family playlist) || art by wizard0rb on tumblr" (made january 20th, 2024)

we're on a team together, silver! yay!

"hmph! the noisy one's already here. || soulsilvershipping (rival silver x trainer lyra) from pkmn (pokemon) bc i love them || art by lambylingames on tumblr !!" (made january 20th, 2024)

why was solid snake 33 and still fighting metal gear... he should've been at the club

"art by its-always-sunny-in-city17 on tumblr || solid snake (mgs) playlist and by that? i mean songs he would listen to. he has the music taste of a dad who was born in the 70s (which he is.) idk he listens to what my mom likes which means he likes 70s 80s 90s stuff but also the shrek soundtrack" (made january 21st, 2024)