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thewertsearch · 4 months ago

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Ask Comp 07/09

Anonymous asked: also, thats pretty distinctly not vriskas handwriting (page 2196). the hell is terezi even talking about?

Terezi, for god's sake.

@manorinthewoods asked: I'd like to note that Pyralspite's eyes are either an eighth the brightness of Alternia's sun, or Pyralspite has the ability to psychically burn out people's eyes just by wanting to. Probably the former. ~LOSS (30/8/24)

I should have guessed that Vriska's cruel and unusual punishment for Terezi was yet another case of Mindfang Roleplay.

I think it's likely that Pyralspite does have some sort of ocular ability. After all, Terezi's lusus had a vision-based power, and she's probably Pyralspite's direct descendant.

@gogogoat495 asked: Say, what do you think of the reuse/mix of animation and music from Dave: Ascend to Seer: Ascend? Is it a simple callback or are there deeper parallels between the characters and story beats?

Well, they are both lead-ups to a climactic fight between 'siblings'. Other than that, though, I'm not really sure. Dave and Terezi have always got on very well, but I can't really see any direct parallels in their personal arcs.

@manorinthewoods asked: Mindfang's classism is ridiculous. This woman straight up said 'one of such middling 8lood' about someone literally one step below her on the ladder. If she were Tavros, she would be oppressing Aradia so hard. ~LOSS (29/8/24)

In Terezi's own words, she's 'a little too teal' to be considered a true highblood. I think there's a hard line of separation here, where anyone below Vriska's caste is considered a midblood at best.

In other words: to be a blueblood, you really need to be a blue-blood.

@manorinthewoods asked: Nepeta, whose handle is arsenicCatnip, uses arsenic's atomic number as a significant element of her quirk. This implies that arsenic has the same atomic number in Alternia as on Earth, which in turn means that, at the very least, the two universes likely share a periodic table. Odd, given how one has widespread psychic abilities and the other doesn't. ~LOSS (29/8/24)

I think it makes sense that Earth inherited some of its scientific concepts from Alternia. It wouldn't be the first thing we inherited!

@heliotropopause asked: TG: maybe if you kill her at least we can finally stop obsessing over her Hah! homestuck's been over for over for almost eight years now, and people are still doing vriscourse to this day. There is no escape, i'm afraid.

'Vriscourse' is kind of killing me. I'm kind of disappointed that this is my first time hearing the term, because I'd probably have been using it this whole time.

@probablyapineapple asked: im not completely caught up on reading this liveblog yet (currently up to s67) but i think youre on track to understanding these characters better than literally anyone

Well, thank you! I have, admittedly, posted some rather hot takes in the past, though. If I recall correctly, my Act 5 shipping chart was my most controversial post to date.

@bladekindeyewear asked: Back during these times in the comic, there were broad theoryposting camps advocating for both narrower and broader interpretations of Aspect domains/powers. I know you're avoiding as much outside influence as you can, but I'm wondering if maybe after the end of this Act, you could accept some community Theorydiving from around this time that could unlock more tools for you to understand hidden evidence for Aspect Stuff you might have missed? […]

I'm definitely considering something like that. Specifically, I'd love to take a look at some of the comic's early theories - ones that had already been disproven by this point in the comic. That'll allow me to get into the headspace of Homestuck's earliest theorists, without influencing my own as-yet-unproved theories.

@manorinthewoods asked: Perhaps an older Legislacerator's job is less actually trying to pursue justice, and more going through cargo cult-esque rhythms of justice, taking its trappings and trying to bring it about while having no understanding of what they're actually doing and what the meaning of their actions is. Maybe, like the Subjugglators, they're an entire social class/blood color based around a single cult? ~LOSS (28/8/24)

I think Dave was pretty on the mark when he described early legislacerators as bounty hunters. Maybe they assumed something marginally closer to an attorney's role in Alternia's modern age - but in Redglare's era, the ideal legislacerator was a violent thrill-seeker, more concerned with bloody combat than courtroom paperwork.

@violetsquare111 asked: I do wonder how big, exactly, is the multiverse in Homestuck. I guess that's a bit of a weird question if there are "infinite universes"… but infinite potential doesn't mean infinite already-existing universes, does it? For some reason I always thought of the amount of Sburb sessions/universes being fairly small, in the grand scheme of things. Less than a million, maybe. I really don't know where I got that from, and there's probably some throwaway line in the comic contradicting it, but if applicable then it's another possible explanation for how Perfect Jack would be one-of-a-kind.

It's not impossible. That would imply that the overwhelming majority of sessions are doomed to fail - but, honestly, they might be! After all, neither of the sessions we've seen so far have been unambiguously successful.

@iris-in-the-dark-world asked: i had a dream that you went from page 3703 to page 7053 in one day

You dreamt of Sally on Adderall.

@spiddermen asked: hihi i just caught up with your liveblog and im so happy to have a chance to reread hs along with you, the first time i read it was when i was like… twelve? so nine years ago? and pretty much all of it went over my head. but now im finally getting to appreciate this masterpiece and your observations are making a lot of stuff click for me as well. so its cool to finally get to understand how freaking good this story is and i cant wait to see you react to some of the crazy later stuff also i hope this doesnt trip the spoiler sensor but some of the answers to the questions you're asking are only answered in sequel material so i do really hope you'll read those, they're ignored by a lot of the fans but they're honestly really really good and i feel like you're the kind of person who would get the intended experience out of them. and psycholonials as well! everyone ignores it but it practically is homestuck (2) to me

Thank you! And yeah, we've talked a bit about this before. Cat and I had a discussion about the subject back in Act 3, and I'm well aware that this comic isn't going to answer all of my questions. Honestly, it would be pretty surprising if it did - I've been digging really deep into aspects of the comic that are clearly just meant to be background details.

As for whether I'll be dipping into Hussie's other projects, or Homestuck's non-canon material - I'm certainly going to check them out, but only time will tell whether they get the full liveblogging treatment. That said, if it addresses questions of mine that Homestuck itself doesn't elaborate on, consider my interests piqued.

@manorinthewoods submitted: I sorta skimmed Homestuck, and missed out on basically all of the Flashes going through, so I totally missed the fact that WQ wrote a romantic fanfic about herself, which is really funny. It does have a serious aspect, though - it implies something about her relationship with WK, no? I suspect they may be friendly with one another, but fate gives their relationship a bit of tragedy - as well as a bit of 'we are simultaneously both forced to be in a romantic relationship and also only being co-rulers'. Is WQ<3WK a thing? Doesn't have to be. I suspect it may be something like WQ<>WK […]

Plus, Carapacians are clones, so it's not like the Royals need to make any heirs. Really, they only need to be co-workers - but the idea that they might have a moirail-adjacent relationship is very cute.

Anonymous asked: Grimdark Rose: "Vengeance and rage are all I live for now, seeing my dead mother makes me feel nothing, I will-" John: Exists Rose: "OMG bestie hiiiiii" ~DJ

First Vriska, now Rose. It seems like John's the perfect calming influence for any out-of-control Light Player.

Anonymous asked: Not sure if you noticed, the tapestries about the kids' quests are all referencing the [S] pages with misattributed quotes associated with each kid (pages 82, 307, 444, and 2988). The quotes are, respectively, from Maxims by Francois de La Rochefoucauld, The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot, Drop It Like It's Hot by Snoop Dogg, and possibly an original piece by Hussie ending with a line from Hamlet. I don't think any of them mean anything.

The quotes might not be Hussie originals, but they definitely seem to evoke the kids' respective Quests. Dave's quote is a bit of an exception, though...

Anonymous asked: "They wait for he who would drop it while it's hot whilst the pimp's in the crib." I mean, you laugh NOW, but knowing Andrew and this comic, can you honestly say this won't end up having an incredibly important and literal meaning? @walkerbehindyou asked: Is there a quest more suited for Dave than to show up at his denizen’s (certainly the pimp of LOHAC) palace in the past and drop straight fire?

...but perhaps that means it's foreshadowing something we haven't seen yet. If Dave ends up making a Choice, I wouldn't put it past him to rap an answer to his Denizen.

@iris-in-the-dark-world asked: the soundtrack of the grimdark rose segment really gets to me. i'd highly recommend the first few songs of that album

Black Rose/Green Sun was a great song. It evoked a very different feeling than anything we've heard before, and really highlighted how alien Rose has become, now that she's been fully submerged in darkness.

@manorinthewoods asked: Ooh, here's an idea - when you do the Sahlee-and-Sally Let's Play, set it in an alternate Sburb that's based on all of your incorrect theories. Every Land has a God Tier Moon orbiting it, for instance. Would be really cool - your theoretical Sburb has a lot of super fun stuff in it. ~LOSS (12/8/24)

Oh, I like that idea. It means I can finally bring back the anti-Skaia, which is probably my favourite since-disproven theory.

Anonymous asked: I never realised that the pillow that Rose uses then is the one from her mum - well spotted :,(

A mother will do whatever is best for her children.

And a daughter will remember what was best about her mother.

Anonymous asked: So. Do you think that a Horrorterror-Boosted Rose has any chance against a First Guardian Prototyped Jack Noir? We've seen that if left alone Jack can destroy Entire Worlds and his teleporting is Nigh Instant, plus who knows how far he can go in a single teleport! […]

Dark Rose is arguably a God-Tier level threat, but we've just seen Jack one-shot a God Tier. I don't think she has a hope - there's only so many bullet-time stabbings she can take!

Anonymous asked: its really interesting to see you say that rose saying she felt mom was a sister and a mother at once made u feel like there must have been camraderie. for me, it reinforced the idea that moms parenting forced rose to act like a peer to mom when it came to her alcoholism? in the sense that moms alcoholism took her out of commission, and made it so that rose had to take care of herself in a lot of ways that a parent would, putting them on similar levels. So its interesting to see a different interpretation!

It's not impossible. To me, Rose's monologue reads as if she's trying to express her admiration of her mother. This is the first time she's admitted to having positive feelings for her guardian, and I think she's regretting that she never voiced these feelings to the woman herself, before it was too late.

That's just one reading of her words, though. I think her monologue here is meant to be ambiguous, just like the Lalonde mother-daughter relationship always was.

@manorinthewoods asked: Ooh, you're thinking of a Carapacian player, huh? That would be interesting - imagine if they go in with, like, complete knowledge of how Sburb works, so they prototype something super strong in order to buff the Ring that they then steal and equip. ~LOSS (12/8/24)

That would be interesting. Carapacians are the only species where the game can't fully compensate for the power of your race by buffing Underlings, since buffing the Underlings would also buff the Ring I'm abusing!

@skelekingfeddy asked: re: troll romance: i generally lean towards xenopsychology, mixed in with a secret 4th thing (humans can also feel troll romance), with a little dose of propaganda, and also an undercurrent of parody (because Hussie. everything has an undercurrent of parody (e.g. pretty much all the trolls are based on internet stereotypes). i COMPLETELY disagree with the notion that the quadrants are made up unhealthy bullshit. i think theres a genuine evolutionary biological origin for the quadrants if matespritship is all about Companionship, then kismesissitude is all about Competition, Rivalry, a drive to push yourself and make yourself better. both are generally healthy and beneficial in their own ways. the evolutionary basis for moirallegiance and auspisticism is the need for pacification, a better half, to prop up matespritships and kismesissitudes and keep them from being interfered with (as described in-comic). each quadrant is the result of a genuine primal, biological urge

I don't necessarily think the quadrants are fabricated, but I do think that the version of them that exists on Alternia are unhealthy more often than not, particularly when it comes to black romance. Monogamous auspisticism requires an overwhelming amount of emotional labor, all the kismesissitudes we've seen have been toxic at best, and there has to be a better way to do this.

Anonymous asked: My brother's been going through your liveblog recently and it's been fun getting to re-experience it through him, especially being reminded of all the theories you have that are shockingly accurate in very inaccurate ways. The two that come to mind are your theory that Jade was engineered in a lab (which, she kinda was, but that's not unique to her) and that John's version of Sburb is bugged (the meteors, it turns out, were a part of the game as it's meant to be played, but this whole 'tumour' thing sure isn't). Also, while I'm here, going to recommend checking out Temporal Shenanigans by Rachel Rose Mitchell, which is a gorgeous fansong about Aradia that shouldn't have any spoilsies at this point. I would also rec PhemieC's music with the caveat that many of their songs are spoilery - while most of the troll-specific ones should be alright, I'd definitely say to get someone else to go through them first to be certain. Hope you're doing well!! And I look forward to seeing more of your liveblog if and when you return to it! -Megido

Oh yeah, I was talking about how Jade was made in a lab! I'd totally forgotten about that theory.

You know, her Dreambot is actually interesting in retrospect. The bed that controls it looks suspiciously like a Quest Bed, which makes me wonder just how much Grandpa knew about Sburb's lore, and what exactly he was trying to do here.

Anonymous asked: I find it a bit funny (in good way) how aspects of your troll and human sona are kinda opposites, like life and death type of thing, sweet

Really, it's mostly just me hedging on my own Aspect. Plus, having two 'sonas lets me explore twice as much Sburb lore, allowing me to come up with two weapons, Lands, Title powers, and the like.

Within the hypothetical context of the fic, I've been thinking a lot about why there'd be two Sallys. Like, was one 'sona partially cloned from the other? If so, who was the original? Technically, the Alternian version would have existed 'first', but the existence of time travel ensures that that doesn't mean much.

@manorinthewoods asked: Rather appropriate that Rose's weapon is her Thorns. ~LOSS (10/8/24)

Ayyy!

@ipunchvampires asked: "You should understand [Rose has] been corrupted by various entities with some rather questionable motives," says Entity with Rather Questionable Motives corrupting her. Kind of the perfect Doc Scratch line, honestly.

Doc Scratch is an awful person, but he's still a funny fuck.

@heliotropopause asked: wait. is that *Guybrush Threepwood* in the boat there??? @elkian asked: At the risk of being the 88th person to say something, the troll in the dinghy is a Guybrush Threepwood cameo (using the more cartoony style from Curse Of Monkey Island etc.). Man's truly unfortunate, or maybe he's lucky for not being a focal character? XD Anonymous asked: that 'one random motherfucker on a little dinghy' is in fact, guybrush threepwood from the monkey island series, thrown in as an easter egg by one of the artists who made assets for the flash @sanctferum asked: the troll on the dinghy is Troll Gybrush Threepwood. the guest artist for that scene confirmed this on the now-defunct MSPA forums IIRC

Ahahaha. Mystery solved, I guess!

I've been wanting to play Monkey Island for some time - and now I need to, so that I can understand the true backstory of of GY'BRSH TRPWUD.

Anonymous asked: I love this section, because I think it really shows something about Dave (and Rose). Because Dave just says whatever pops into his head, when he's getting command prompts, he just repeats them uncritically. (That also supports that when he said he didn't love his Bro, it was his honest reaction) @ben-guy asked: David "Zero Filter" Strider was absolutely not ready to have thoughts beamed directly into his head by an exile lmao @krixwell asked: It's so funny to me how when thoughts are incepted into Dave's subconscious mind, they just come falling right back out his mouth at the first opportunity. Filter, what filter? Those sunglasses don't hide shit.

Reminds me of his stress-rambles from early on in the comic. The reason he wears those shades is, I think, because he is a naturally expressive person - he just doesn't want to be.

#asks #full liveblog #act 5.2

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poisonlove · 1 year ago

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I hate you! | j.o

"Damn motherfucker! I missed you so much," Maddy exclaimed with enthusiasm as she approached. My face lit up with a smile when I saw her approaching, radiating her usual splendor.

Maddy was wearing a tight red crop top with a deep neckline. Under the crop top, she had on a short high-waisted skirt made of shimmering fabric. For footwear, she opted for knee-high boots that accentuated her legs. To complete the look, Maddy was adorned with plenty of jewelry, including dangling earrings, bracelets, and rings. Her makeup was elaborate, featuring sparkling eyeshadow, bold lips, and impeccable nails.

"Hey, Mad," I replied, raising my hand in greeting. However, the Latina girl looked at me with a raised eyebrow, sporting an infectious smile. "With a hand? Come here," Maddy said, opening her arms and wrapping them around my neck, hugging me tightly.

Summer vacation had come to an end, and the excitement of beach days, summer adventures, and golden sunsets was quickly fading. It was time to bid farewell to that carefree atmosphere. Unfortunately, Los Angeles High School had already opened its doors for a new school year. Nostalgia for the long sunny days and evenings spent with friends lingered as I prepared to face a new chapter within the school's austere walls.

"What's new with you?" Maddy asked with a mischievous smile, raising her eyebrows playfully. "Any new conquests? Made any new acquaintances?" She added, revealing her curiosity.

My cheeks quickly turned red. "Maddy!" I whispered, trying to hide my embarrassment. "It's been okay, nothing special..." I replied with a slightly high-pitched voice.

Maddy tilted her head with a knowing smile.

"And you?" I asked curiously.

"Actually, you've changed," Maddy said, observing me closely. "So there's something new about you, you're much sexy." Her words were a sincere compliment as she leaned against my locker. "Summer vacation went well; I went to Greece," she added with a radiant smile.

"Fantastic," I replied absentmindedly. "Well, see you later, bitch... I need to go see Cassie," Maddy said as she approached and planted a kiss on my cheek, bidding me a sweet farewell.

"Bitch..." someone whispered behind me with a mischievous tone, making me turn around.

I barely held back the curse that burned on my lips when I saw Jenna Ortega, the most annoying and unpleasant girl in the whole school. I couldn't understand why she seemed to harbor such deep hatred for me, but her arrogant and egocentric attitude made my blood boil. She was an irritating, odious presence, and just seeing her made me clenched my fists in anger.

"What do you want, Ortega?" I asked with evident irritation, squinting at Jenna.

"Nothing, you're just in my way," she muttered with false innocence that only fueled my anger.

Jenna was dressed in an oversized black hoodie, her hair falling messily onto her shoulders, and she wore a denim skirt that barely reached above the knee. Her style screamed rebellion and attitude, just like her annoying personality.

I reluctantly moved aside, wishing Jenna would trip and fall flat on her face. I inwardly smiled at the thought alone.

"Why are you smiling? You're really weird," Jenna commented absentmindedly as she opened her locker, which was just two lockers away from mine.

Why did she have to be so close to me? I wondered in frustration.

"I was just thinking of something amusing, not your business," I replied with a fake smile. "You're really weird," Jenna said, raising her eyebrows in confusion. "See you in class, loser" she concluded, slamming her locker shut with a dull thud as she walked away.

"I'll show you who's a loser," I muttered under my breath, ready to follow her. But a voice stopped me.

"Leave her be, Y/N, she's just an idiot," someone whispered by my side.

My anger began to dissipate, and I smiled when I saw my friend Rue. The curly-haired girl wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Sorry I'm late," she said, yawning slightly. "I overslept," she confessed, and I gave her a teasing look.

"Yeah, I can imagine why," I commented mischievously, making Rue blush. "What? No... what do you mean?" she stammered in embarrassment.

"Ey girls!" someone else chimed in with a small laugh. It was Kat, who joined us with a radiant smile. "Hey, Kat," I greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, Y/N... Rue," Kat said, giving us both an infectious smile.

"Rue," she said with a mischievous smile, "I hope your vacations were as hot as they seem in my wildest dreams."

Rue blushed even more, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Kat!" she exclaimed with a tone somewhere between embarrassment and amusement.

I couldn't help but smile and burst into laughter. "Kat, I can't tell who's more perverted between you and Mad," I commented amidst the laughter.

After Kat's embarrassing remark, the three of us headed to our first class of the day. It seemed like life at Los Angeles High School was settling back into its routine.

Rue and I had history, while Kat, with a sad smile, said she had math, rolling her eyes in annoyance. It was clear that she didn't particularly care for that subject. With a promise to meet up after class, we parted ways and headed to our respective classrooms, ready to face a new day of academic challenges and unexpected encounters.

(...)

The history class turned out to be one of the most boring ones in my life. The teacher spoke in a monotone voice, the textbook felt like it weighed a ton, and the material being covered was anything but interesting. To try and survive the agony, I started doodling in my notebook, hoping time would pass faster.

Rue, on the other hand, seemed to have a different approach to boredom. She had literally sprawled herself across her desk, her calm and steady breathing indicating that she had decided to take a little nap. I couldn't blame her; in those circumstances, it seemed like the most sensible thing to do.

"Hey, loser... can you move? I can't see the blackboard." A terribly annoying voice whispered behind me.

I turned to look at Jenna with a raised eyebrow, barely holding back my growing anger. "You're not even taking notes," I muttered wearily.

Jenna rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Just do it," she murmured, a smile plastered on her lips.

I needed some supernatural strength to endure Jenna at that moment.

I turned back to my desk and resumed doodling in my notebook, trying to ignore her.

"What are you doing?" Jenna whispered just inches from my ear.

A shiver ran down my spine. "Doodling," I replied in a monotone tone.

I heard Jenna lean back into her chair again, distancing herself from me. But the silence didn't last long.

"Anyway, they suck," she chuckled, taunting me. I bit my lower lip to avoid responding.

A crumpled piece of paper landed on my head.

"Cut it out," I muttered distractedly, trying to focus on my drawings.

Another piece of paper fell onto my head, hitting me harder. Closing my eyes, I tried to hold my breath.

"Can you stop?" I whispered through gritted teeth, hoping not to attract the teacher's attention.

Jenna seemed not to listen, continuing to bother me. Another piece of paper ended up on me, and I lost my patience.

I stood up abruptly from my chair, causing it to crash to the floor with a thud. In a lightning-fast motion, I turned and grabbed Jenna by the collar of her hoodie. "What the hell do you want? Why don't you leave me alone?" I hissed through clenched teeth, my face contorted with irritation.

The distance between our faces was minimal, our breaths mingling in the tense air. Jenna smiled, showing her dimple. "Fuck you," she simply replied, looking at me with challenging eyes.

My grip on her hoodie tightened, the distance between our faces decreasing even more. "L/N! ORTEGA!" The teacher's voice echoed in the classroom, drawing everyone's attention to us. My eyes shifted to the teacher, who was looking at us angrily.

The whole class had their eyes on us, watching our quarrel with curiosity and surprise. I released my hold on Jenna's hoodie, pushing her away from me.

"Both of you, immediately out of my class and go to the principal's office," the teacher ordered, pointing to the door.

"This is your fault," I whispered irritably as we made our way to the exit.

"Actually, it's yours," Jenna stuck her tongue out in response.

"Move it," the teacher urged us again, this time with a stern tone.

With clenched teeth, I walked out of the classroom, headed to the principal's office along with the obnoxious Ortega.

She's so insufferable.

#jenna ortega x reader #jenna ortega #jenna ortega x y/n #jenna ortega x fem!reader #jenna ortega x you #i hate it here #maddy perez #rue #euphoria #cassie howard #maddy perez imagine #barbie ferreira #maddy perez smut

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bosbas · 10 months ago

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Alternate Ending: I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs

series masterlist original ending || next part

pairing: benedict bridgerton x best friend!fem!reader, anthony bridgerton x wife!reader WC: 5.2k words (whoops I got carried away)

Warnings: period-typical gender roles, idiots in love being idiots in love, benedict being so down bad for this woman, unrequited love, pregnancy and discussions around pregnancy/birth

Summary: You and Benedict have been best friends since childhood, but things change dramatically once you come out in society. You’re struggling to find someone you’re as compatible with and who knows you as well as Benedict, all while trying to quell your ever-growing feelings for him. Shenanigans ensue.

A/N: The timeline for this ending diverges after chapter 12!! This is how life would look like if Chapter 13 and onward didn't happen.

March 3, 1820 - B,

I apologize for my delayed response – I’m sure you’ll understand that I was a tad occupied giving birth. But she’s finally here! It was easier than the other three, so I'm personally delighted, though Anthony seemed just as stressed as usual. And, as usual, he'll most likely be resting for the next five days. If he ever stops looking at her in awe, that is. It would be quite adorable if I didn't need to wrestle her away from him to nurse her every few hours!

Although, I will say that Anthony being taken with her has worked out quite well for me. I was able to finish my novel and get a full night's sleep last night. I'd love to see you soon if you're up for it. You can meet her and we can discuss your latest painting, which I heard was absolutely breathtaking. Anthony and I will both be home for the next week at least, so feel free to pop by any time.

Yours, Y/I

You finished addressing the envelope to Benedict right as Anthony walked into your bedroom holding the tiny form of your newborn daughter. Twisting in your seat to face them, you cooed when you saw her fast asleep in his arms. She was wrapped in a soft pink blanket, and you couldn’t help but marvel at her tiny fists opening and closing absentmindedly as she slept. She looked so peaceful in Anthony’s arms, and it was terrifying to think that a human being this small would grow up to be an adult and that you would have to guide her through it. Well, she would have Anthony too, you thought. And the thought did a lot to quell your fears.

For as long as you had known him, Anthony had been a steadfast figure in your life. He’d been the eldest of the Beaumont-Bridgertons, and he certainly acted like it, too. The responsibility he felt for his family was evident in everything he did, and it was one of the qualities you admired most about him. Now, seeing Anthony cradle your newborn daughter with such gentleness and awe only solidified your feelings for him.

You had decidedly not been in love when you had married him, but one couldn’t simply have four children with someone and not develop at least a little affection for them. The two of you had been wonderful friends even before you were married, and you still were, but along the way, it seemed that you had learned to love each other in your own funny sort of way. It wasn’t the sort of all-consuming love you had for Benedict all those years ago, and that perhaps you had still in a corner of your heart. But it was comforting and safe and built upon a deep respect for one another, and your life was all the better for it.

Perhaps you and Ben had never been destined for a life like this, you thought. Your childhood intention to wed Benedict had been just that: a naïve plan. That night in the studio with Benedict, after he had found out in the most unfortunate manner that you and Anthony were courting, you had needed something safe and constant. And Benedict had given you the complete opposite. For so many years, he had been your anchor, but that night you felt like the ground had fallen away below your feet and you were in free fall. You had so much love for Benedict that you didn’t even know where to put it. You could feel it from your heart to your fingertips, and it was terrifying. You thought about Violet and Edmund in that moment, and how destroyed Violet had been when Edmund passed. The thought of that happening to you and Benedict made you sick. The thought of taking the risk and putting your heart in his hands only for it to crumble.

Maybe running away from Benedict at that moment was the cowardly thing to do. Maybe you should have faced your fears and given in to the overpowering love. Maybe you should have kissed your best friend and dealt with the consequences later, holding his hand the whole way through. But you hadn’t. You had sought out safety instead, running up the stairs to Anthony’s room and knocking incessantly until he opened the door, eyes startled and hand holding a handkerchief to his cut lip.

“We’re getting married,” you had declared, breathing ragged and arms crossed tightly over your chest.

“Who’s ‘we’?” he asked, hoping you meant you and Benedict but suspecting otherwise given that you were currently at his door looking furious.

“You and me. And we’re going to do it as soon as possible.”

Anthony uttered a soft, “Oh.” He didn’t know what else to say. “And Benedict…” he added in a questioning tone.

“No,” you said firmly. “No Benedict.”

He had expected you to say more, but you just stood in front of him, unmoving.

“I suppose I can start the arrangements,” Anthony said finally. “If you’re sure this is what you want.”

“I am sure.”

God, Benedict must have truly done something stupid, he thought. “Very well, then.”

“Good night, Anthony. We can inform our families of our engagement tomorrow morning.”

He just nodded in response, still too stunned to fully process your words.

You cleared your throat and your stoic façade faded slightly. “And thank you, Anthony. For everything,” you said, suddenly very aware of what being married to Anthony might mean.

He shook his head. “No, no. It was nothing. You are family.”

A month later, you were married at the church near Aubrey Hall. Benedict barely stayed long enough to see the two of you say your vows, citing an urgent problem with his cottage in the countryside. His family was kind enough not to question his obviously fabricated excuse, but he couldn’t miss the endless looks of pity sent his way. He had been hurt. Well, you had hurt him. You hurt him when you walked away from him, and you hurt him when you announced your engagement to your family without telling him first, but most of all, you hurt him when you chose Anthony even after two decades of history with Benedict.

Maybe none of your fears would have come true, and you and Ben would have been happy. Maybe he would have treated your heart with the same love and care with which he always treated you. But it didn’t do to dwell on what could have been. Your marriage with Anthony was real. It was concrete and it was grounding, and you couldn’t imagine a more stable presence in your life.

Bringing you out of your musings, you felt Anthony kiss your cheek in greeting and ask, “Do you want to take her?”

You nodded eagerly, setting down the letter in your hand so you could hold your daughter. “I’m surprised you’re willingly letting me have her,” you teased, laughing as Anthony all but collapsed onto the loveseat across from you, clearly exhausted.

He had been an awfully attentive father the past few days, ecstatic to finally have a girl after three boys. Though she had brought out a heightened sense of protectiveness he couldn’t seem to shake. It was rather endearing to see him so frazzled over a baby that weighed less than eight pounds, but you suspected there might be something more to it.

“She’s so tiny!” he defended, gaze fixed on her admittedly minuscule form in your arms. “I can’t help it…” He trailed off, deep in thought. You glanced up at him, noticing the change in his tone and his hunched posture. After five years of marriage, you had him memorized, and reading him came as naturally as reading a book.

“Is anything the matter?” you asked gently, already having a general idea about what was plaguing him.

But he shook his head, murmuring a soft no and focusing on the writing desk behind you instead. “Is that for Benedict?” he inquired, nodding in the direction of the letter.

“Yes, I’m just telling him that she’s here and asking him to come visit,” you answered, still eyeing him carefully.

“So, he’s coming to visit, then?” pressed Anthony, eyes back on your daughter, who was currently sleeping soundly in your arms.

“Well, I don’t see why he wouldn’t. Why do you ask?” You changed tactics, trying to seem nonchalant about your concern.

“Alright. That’s good. Yes, that’s good,” he muttered, seemingly satisfied with your answer but his mind was obviously miles away.

Growing increasingly worried, you stood up and carefully laid your daughter in her crib, ensuring she remained undisturbed. With her settled, you approached Anthony, who hadn't shifted his gaze from where you had been sitting. Kneeling beside him, you reached out and gingerly placed your hand on his. The touch seemed to quiet his restless thoughts, and he turned to meet your eyes, acknowledging the weight of his anxiety.

Anthony spoke softly, carefully. “I just want to make sure that you and the children are taken care of. In case something happens to me. I want you to have someone.”

You should have known that this was what plagued him. During the first year of your marriage, you settled into a comfortable dynamic with Anthony. It was not quite love, but something like it had blossomed between the two of you. However, it was after the birth of your first son, Arthur, that Anthony reached a breaking point. He realized that his grand plan to marry someone he didn’t love to avoid any undue heartbreak was not, in fact, foolproof. Even if there hadn’t been growing affection between you, Anthony completely fell in love with Arthur from the moment he was born. It was like nothing he’d experienced before; beyond anything he could have imagined. And it was terribly frightening.

He had shared his fears with you–he’d had no choice in the matter when you were as stubborn and insistent as you were–and you had shared that you, too, were scared. But you trusted one another, and so the two of you navigated parenthood in tandem and Anthony’s fears subsided. Regardless, you could understand that the birth of your daughter brought back this fear in full force, and he felt a greater need to protect her from danger than he would with his sons.

“Anthony, I won’t need someone. You’re right here, and you always will be.”

He shook his head, looking at you with desperation in his eyes. “How can you know that?”

You pursed your lips, brows furrowing. “Even if you aren’t, it won’t be your fault. You’re a wonderful father. And a wonderful husband.”

With a deep sigh, he clasped your hand and stood up, bringing you with him. “Just promise me you’ll ask Benedict to take care of you if I go?”

Your heart softened. Knowing he needed to hear you say it out loud, you nodded, “I promise.”

---

March 5, 1820 – Y/I,

One would think Anthony had been the one to give birth instead of you! I’ll pop by today to give him a talking-to. And to meet my lovely niece, of course.

Yours, B

You found yourself in the nursery this afternoon, your three boys gathered around you and your daughter fast asleep in her crib. It was a lovely day out; sunny but not too hot, but the boys hardly noticed. Instead, they sat still, completely enthralled as you read from your current novel. Though you adored reading to your children, you found children’s books rather boring and repetitive. Thus, you had shifted to reading them excerpts from your own reading material. It made the endeavor much more interesting, and the boys seemed to love it too, evident as they hung on your every word.

“‘Listen to me, Frankenstein. You accuse me of murder,’” you read, and your sons gasped, not quite understanding the meaning of the word but easily catching onto your surprised reaction. You continued, “‘and yet you would, with a satisfied conscience, destroy your own creature. Oh, praise the eternal justice of man! Yet I ask-’”

“Surely I’ve heard wrong and you’re not reading to your children about murder!” came Benedict’s voice from the doorway.

Immediately, three voices squealed in delight and Frankenstein was completely forgotten as your sons rushed over to their uncle. Charles was only one year old, but his brothers’ excitement only fueled his clumsy crawl toward Benedict’s waiting arms.

“They don’t exactly know what it means, Ben,” you laughed. “Besides, it’s wonderful literature. And it keeps them entertained.”

He picked up Charles in one arm and Arthur in the other, making his way over to you as Bernard clung to his leg. “Well, I’m sure you know better than me, darling,” he commented and kissed you sweetly on the top of your head.

“Isn’t that usually the case?” you teased, standing up to properly greet your best friend. Though you hadn’t joined the welcome committee, you were positively glowing now that Ben had arrived. It had been over a week since you had seen him, and you had missed him terribly. You smiled brightly, instantly at ease in his presence.

Eyebrows raised and eyes shining with mirth, he teased back, “You forget I have three very bloodthirsty boys on my side who have just learned what murder is.”

You looked at Arthur, who was completely focused on attempting to undo Benedict’s cravat, and Charles, who had two fingers in his mouth and was unsuccessfully attempting to put in a third, then glanced back at Benedict.

“Quite bloodthirsty, aren’t they?” you deadpanned as you gently pried Charles’ hand from his mouth.

Ben couldn’t help the waves of laughter rolling off him as he observed your sons. “It seems they still have a way to go before they get there.”

Then, spotting the pink crib across the room, he gasped and set down Arthur and Charles and somewhat successfully shook Bernard off his leg. Walking over to the crib, he stared at her, completely awestruck.

"She’s so tiny!” he exclaimed, careful to keep his voice down so as not to wake her.

You giggled, making your way over. “That’s exactly what Anthony said,” you smiled at him.

But your smile did nothing to soothe the dull ache that had blossomed in his chest as he remembered all the things he could have had with you. The pain was not as unbearable now as it had been five years ago, but he was inclined to think that it would be there for the rest of his life. In the back of his mind, Benedict wondered if he would have been as good of a father as Anthony. He supposed he would never know, having devoted himself completely to his art and extinguishing any lingering hopes Violet had that her second son would ever marry. But you seemed happy, and that was truly all that mattered.

Ignoring the pain in his chest, he smiled sweetly back down at you. “What’s her name? Something starting with a D, I’m sure. Otherwise, Anthony will have lost his mind.”

“Yes, naturally,” you giggled. You tugged on Ben’s sleeve to bring him closer to the crib. “Benedict, meet Diana Bridgerton.”

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Bridgerton,” he murmured, intently observing your daughter as she slowly blinked her eyes open.

“Quite eager to meet her uncle,” you observed, but Benedict was too mesmerized by her to respond properly.

“She’s got your eyes,” he whispered after a few seconds, turning back to you and placing an arm around you. Your arm snaked around his back, and you drew him in a little closer.

Leaning down to place his cheek on your head and hugging you tighter, he spoke softly, “I thought you might name her Daisy. Flower names and all that. Besides, it starts with a D.”

Benedict didn’t quite know where the comment had come from. You hadn’t mentioned flower names in years, but the thought had suddenly popped into his brain quite unexpectedly and he had been unable to stop the words coming out of his mouth. He knew he was so incredibly lucky to know you and to love you and to have a friendship with you, but it was at times like these when he wished he didn’t know you quite so well. At times when knowing you was only a reminder of what he lost.

In that moment, you were thankful to be facing Diana’s crib instead of Benedict, because you could feel the tears prickling at your eyes. The flower names. Of course Benedict would have remembered. You had never truly regretted marrying Anthony, but what you had with Ben transcended anything you could ever have with anyone else, and sometimes it was hard to come to terms with the fact that he wasn’t your person anymore.

Shaking your head to will the tears away, you responded, “No. No, I could never.”

“What? You always said you wanted to name your children flower names.”

“No, Benedict. I wanted to name our children flower names.”

He felt all the air in his lungs escaping all at once. It felt as if someone had reached deep inside of him, taken hold of every organ inside his body, and squeezed very tightly. Wanted to name our children. Our children. Our. Just a simple word, three letters in total, had managed to leave him completely disarmed.

It was silly, really. You were married and had four children with his brother, of all people. And Benedict was still completely and irrevocably in love with you. He rather thought that he would always love you, in some form or another. Benedict suspected that Anthony knew this too, though his older brother was far too tactful to ever broach the subject.

Seemingly unaware of Ben's internal turmoil as he tried to reduce his feelings to their usual dormant state, you grabbed hold of his hand and led him away from Diana toward the door. “Nurse Edwards can watch the children while we go downstairs to have some tea. I must hear about your painting displayed at the National Gallery! I wish I hadn’t been about two days from bursting so I could have gone to see the unveiling.”

---

November 17, 1820 – Benedict,

Y/N has fallen ill, and I am away on business unable to tend to her. Go to Aubrey Hall as soon as possible and make sure she’s alright.

Please.

Anthony

Benedict could barely hear the rain pouring down outside his carriage over his racing heartbeat. Anthony’s frantic note had left Ben in a state of panic. He had left for Aubrey Hall immediately upon receiving the note, but he still worried that he might be too late. What on earth had frightened his older brother to the point of asking Benedict for help? A million possibilities, each one as devastating as the other, raced through his mind.

The sight of your home interrupted his catastrophizing, and he swung the door open and ran toward the entrance before the carriage could come to a complete stop. Benedict was somewhat aware that he was getting completely drenched in the rain, but his mind was far too focused on getting to you to care.

The front door was already open when he reached it, and Benedict burst through, barely hearing the butler’s, “Upstairs in her bedchamber, Mr Bridgerton,” before he was frantically climbing the stairs to get to you.

Once he reached your door, Ben stopped quite suddenly. He didn’t want to startle you by bursting in unannounced, so he waited a few seconds to catch his breath. Finally, he turned the doorknob slowly, hands shaking nervously as he entered your bedroom.

In between shockingly vivid dreams and a splitting headache, you vaguely registered what looked to be Benedict’s tall frame standing in your room. You shook your head, confused by his presence and not quite trusting your own eyes, but the effort left you breathless and you coughed violently.

“It’s alright, darling. You just rest,” he shushed you, shrugging off his drenched coat before he came to your side.

It killed him to see you like this, pale and sweaty as shivers wracked through your tired body. He had never seen you look so ill, not even when you came down with influenza when you were ten years old, and he was trying his hardest to hold himself together.

“Have you called for a medic?” his voice came out a bit strangled as he asked your lady’s maid, Rose, who had been nervously fidgeting off to the side.

"Yes, Mr Bridgerton. It's pneumonia," she said softly, her voice filled with concern. "The best we can do is keep her comfortable and give her fluids until her fever breaks."

He nodded, running his hands through his hair in an attempt to calm down. But you had drifted into fitful sleep, and your shallow, ragged breathing was only making him more worried.

Nevertheless, he had to think clearly. Anthony was away, meaning that Benedict was now entirely responsible for you. The realization steeled his nerves, so he straightened his waistcoat and released a controlled breath, ready to face whatever came his way.

“Where are the children? I trust Nurse Edwards is with them now,” he said firmly.

Rose nodded. “They’re asleep now, but she is there in case they need anything. They’re taken care of,” she reassured.

“Very well. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to them.” Then, clearing his throat, “Ring for tea, please,” he instructed. “And bring me towels and a bowl of lukewarm water.”

She nodded, hurrying out of the room. Benedict moved closer to your bedside, his heart twisting at the sight of you in distress. He didn't hesitate, pulling a chair close to the bed and sitting down beside you. Gently, he reached out to feel your burning forehead, but you immediately flinched, the pain evident in your eyes as they shot open.

“Too cold,” you rasped. “Please don’t.”

He cursed under his breath, heart cracking slightly at your reaction. But he withdrew his hand immediately, settling instead for sitting on a chair next to your bed, watching you intently for any signs that your condition was worsening.

You looked awfully pale, paler than he’d ever seen you, and your lips had turned a concerning shade of purple. Though even when you were drenched in sweat and shivering, you still were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, he thought. Even now, years after you had married another man, you remained his muse. The heartbreak he experienced that summer had been an admittedly excellent source of inspiration, and his new works helped propel him forward in the art world. It had served as a distraction, proving especially useful when Ben heard the news that you were pregnant for the first time so soon after the wedding. But now he supposed that art was no longer a distraction, and had instead become his life.

Maybe it was better this way, he sometimes thought. Maybe fate had never intended for him to be with you, though he couldn't fathom why the universe seemed so cruel. But the conclusion that he most often came to is that this was some sort of punishment. And he supposed he rather deserved it. He had continuously run away from the person he loved most, his best friend, the love of his life, time and again while you had only waited patiently for him to love you back.

Looking down at you now, he still felt the need to take care of you. The instinct would never go away. But it was a shame that the only reason he was allowed to do it now was because your husband had asked him to.

Your lady’s maid cleared her throat, standing at the doorway with the items Benedict had requested. He waved her in and had her place the tea on your bedside table, but he took hold of the towels himself and dipped one of them in the bowl of water.

“How long have you been here?” Ben asked Rose, taking in her exhausted appearance.

“Since midmorning, Mr Bridgerton,” she responded, stifling a yawn. "But I'm happy to do it. Lady Bridgerton seems to need it, too."

“Well, I think you ought to go to bed now, Rose,” he responded, gently placing the damp towel on your forehead. You let out a soft sigh of relief, and the tightness in Benedict’s heart loosened the tiniest bit.

Hearing his words, Rose could have collapsed right then and there. “Thank you, Mr Bridgerton. Please call for one of the servants if you need anything,” she said gratefully. And then, before he could change his mind, she hurried out of your bedroom.

The towel had seemed to rouse you from your sleep, and you sat up weakly so you could take in your surroundings.

You opened your eyes, happy to find Benedict still in your room. “Hello, there,” you croaked, but he shushed you, immediately holding a teacup to your lips. You took a hesitant sip, but the warm liquid ran down your throat so soothingly that you grasped the cup with your own hands and drank the entire thing.

Ben laughed softly, delicately taking the teacup from you so as not to touch you, not having forgotten your earlier protests when he placed a hand on your forehead.

“How long have you been here?” you asked Benedict, a particularly strong shiver making your teeth chatter. Noting his look of concern, you rushed to reassure him, “I’m fine, Ben. Promise.” However, you didn’t know how convincing you had sounded, given that you started violently coughing immediately after the words left your lips.

“I can see that. You look great,” teased Benedict.

“I bet,” you shot back, and he was unable to keep the fond smile off his face. “I’m–” you started, but another coughing fit prevented you from continuing. He looked at you, eyes overflowing with worry, and exchanged the towel on your forehead for a fresh one, hoping it would provide at least some relief.

Once your coughing fit subsided, you were overtaken by a wave of exhaustion. Sliding back down into bed, you turned to Benedict. “I think I need to sleep if that’s alright,” you said softly, eyes already drooping shut.

“Mmm, I think so, too,” he agreed.

You reached out and grabbed his hand, intertwining your fingers with his and bringing your joined hands to your chest. “Please stay, Ben,” you said, eyes already closed.

His heart nearly skipped a beat, having completely forgotten just how right your hand felt in his. “Always,” he murmured, reaching over to kiss you on the forehead. Benedict settled into the chair beside your bed, carefully watching you to make sure your breathing remained even.

An hour later, a particularly intense shiver ran through you and you woke up to find that you were still clutching Benedict’s hand. He was staring at you intently, and you felt an overwhelming sense of tenderness for him. Even though you had married Anthony, he was still here by your side, ensuring that you were safe. Even though you probably looked about two minutes away from death, and even though he probably had much more interesting things to do, he was here.

“I’m sorry, you know,” you whispered, not quite sure you wanted him to hear but needing to say it anyway.

His brow furrowed, not quite sure why you were apologizing. “It’s quite alright.”

“No, I am. I’m so sorry,” you said, barely registering the tears running down your face and mixing with your sweat.

Ben wiped away your tears with one hand, the other still holding yours. “There’s nothing to be sorry for,” he whispered.

You shook your head and the towel fell from your forehead once again, which he immediately replaced with a new one. “I don’t regret marrying him, but I regret hurting you,” you choked back a sob. “It was cowardly of me, and I’m sorry.”

Benedict was at a loss, your confession bringing his complicated feelings to the surface. But before he could find the right words, you had fallen asleep once again, eyes closed peacefully and your breathing even. He sat back in shock, attempting to process the meaning behind your words while still being careful not to move his hand too much so you could sleep peacefully.

Benedict sat there for what felt like hours, his mind in a whirlwind of emotions. Guilt weighed heavily on his heart as he watched you sleep, your hand still clasped in his. Surely you were at least a little delirious, he reasoned. How could you apologize for something he had caused?

Hours later, the morning sun filtered through your curtains and you stirred awake. You blinked your eyes open, a bit disoriented as you took in your surroundings. You glanced down, seeing Ben sitting in a chair next to your bed, fast asleep in what looked to be an incredibly uncomfortable position. Your hand was still clasped in Benedict’s, his thumb absently stroking the back of your hand. You felt a pang of guilt at the sight and cringed slightly as you remembered your tearful apology the previous night.

Sensing that you were awake, Benedict stirred, half opening his eyes to make sure you were alright. Wincing as his neck cracked, he sat up and asked groggily, “How’re you feeling this morning, darling?”

“Much better, actually,” you responded.

A sudden wave of panic washed over you. “Who’s with the children?”

“Don’t worry! They’re alright. Nurse Edwards is with them,” he assured you. “Perhaps it’s for the best; they might get to engage with some books actually meant for children.” He kept his tone light and teasing, not entirely sure if you remembered your apology and not wanting to open up the conversation if you didn’t.

“Oh, thank you,” you sighed in relief, relaxing against your pillows once again. Then, swatting his arm, you scolded, “And they enjoy the literature, mind you!”

“I suppose you are feeling better if you had the strength to hit me,” he remarked amusedly.

You rolled your eyes. “I could have hit you last night. Easily.” But your expression turned sincere. “Thank you for coming. I didn’t mean to be a burden; I know you’re working on a new piece.”

“It’s nothing,” he waved his hand. “You could never be a burden.”

You cleared your throat awkwardly, suddenly looking anywhere but at him. “And I meant what I said last night. It was ill-timed, I know, but I am truly sorry.”

“Nonsense,” he shook his head. “There is nothing to apologize for. I didn’t treat you the way I should have and I was the one who hurt you. I’m just glad I can still have you as a best friend.”

You smiled at him, pulling him into a hug. “We seem to be quite good at that, don’t you think? Being best friends.”

“Oh, the best,” he smiled at you, adoration clear in his eyes.

��

orginal ending || next part || buy me a ko-fi!

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specterllaw · 1 year ago

Text

Big Brother- Harvey Specter x Reader

Warnings: Cursing, being wasted

Summary: After finding your brother's name in the paper you go out to find him, Only to find not only him but someone you had been searching for your entire life.

You and Mike had always been close, since birth really, he was your big brother, even if it was only by a year. You two were connected by the hips, until he moved to New York which was weird because that's where you went to college currently, you weren't sure about why he was ignoring you until you picked up a newspaper to clean up your spilled coffee that you bumped off the counter by mistake. There in bold letters on page 23, 'Known Lawyer takes down another corporation' under the headline you saw it, his name 'Harvey Specter yet again takes down another corporation for suspicious evidence tampering, Specter had help this case though from a new face, Micheal Ross.'

Huffing loudly, you left towards your bathroom, how dare he? You were his sister and you knew damn well he never went through law school. Once you got dressed and put your hair up so it was out of your face you went to the place your brother supposedly worked at. Pearson-Specter-Litt. New York was loud, buzzing with life as you walked into the giant fancy building.

Once you talked your way onto the floor with the law office, you started to wander the office looking for anybody that stuck out to you. Sitting at a desk a couple feet away from the bigger desk up front was a redhaired woman, extremely attractive aswell. "Can I help you ma'am?" She asked standing up and standing in front of you to stop your wandering from going any further "I-I'm looking for Mike Ross..O-Or! Harvey Specter" You said looking at her, you saw her staring off behind you before you heard a deeper voice behind you "I'm Harvey Specter" He said, you quickly turned around to look at the person speaking behind you. "I-I'm looking for my brother...Mike Ross?" You asked watching his eyebrows furrow, he lead you into his office letting you sit down while he stood. "How can I trust your really his sister? He's never mentioned you" Ouch. "Okay one, ow, that hurt, two, If I wasn't his sister would I know that he's full of shit and never went to law school" You said, growing frustrated the more the man interrogated you. "Wait...Mike Ross..Never went to Harvard Law?..I'm..shocked" He whispered putting a hand to his chest, you went wide eyed, fuck, you probably just ruined your chance meeting your brother again.

"Donna! Call Mike to my office now!" Harvey shouted at the redhead making you look around "N-No no I was kidding" You whispered tearing up a bit "I know he's never been to law school, Y/n, and I know who you are, you think I hire people without any dive into their lives?" Harvey questioned as you quickly wiped your eyes "I knew that" You huffed looking at him "So..Why did you hire Mike if you knew he never went to school?" You asked him leaning back more on the couch, starting to grow alot more comfortable. "Why are you dressed like you just came from a strip club?" He asked raising an eyebrow "I..I'm a college student alright? I don't have alot of selections" You huffed crossing your arms over your torso now feeling alot more self-conscious with what you were wearing, you thought it was nice, a flower printed tank-top and a black pencil skirt that went down mid-thigh, you would've chosen nicer but you don't really have that many clothes.

"Y/n..?" Mike asked as he rushed into Mike's office, thinking she had gotten into trouble he sat next to you on the couch wrapping his suit jacket around your shoulders "Are you okay? What happened?" He asked quickly "Holy shit, Mike has a sweeter side? How soft can you be, kid?" Harvey laughed, going quiet after receiving a harsh glare from Mike. "I saw your name in the paper..I came here to see why you never told me you moved to New York" You mumbled, now questioning why you ever came here, obviously Mike would've contacted you if he had wanted to, now you're invading his life. "Y/n..I..I haven't been living the best life until now..and I didn't want you to see me..-" Harvey cut Mike off "Kid came in with a briefcase full of weed into his interview" He said pointing at your brother before letting your talk continue "Why don't we grab coffee sometime? Here, my new number" Mike said writing his phone number down on one of Harvey's napkins and handed it to you.

There was a reason you were dressed up in that way, you planned on going to a party afterwards with a couple of your friends, you weren't expecting to get absolutely shit-faced though. Stumbling down the side-walk you pulled your phone out, you knew you were stumbling because every couple of steps you'd run into the side of the building next to you. You didn't have anybody to call, other than one guy, Mike. You squinted your eyes looking at the napkin trying to read the little numbers at the bottom, instead of the big messy numbers on top. As the phone rang you giggled bouncing off of the wall again "Hello? Harvey Spec-" "Mikey?...I need a ride" You hiccuped stumbling as you walked on the curb like it was a tight-rope. "Y/n? How'd you get this number?" A voice asked through the phone "You..gave'it to me'silly" You slurred before huffing sitting down on the curb leaning on your elbows that rested on your knees. "Damnit...Where are you?" Harvey asked, irritation lacing his voice "Mikey, you don't have to be rude" You whispered "I-i'm sorry, Don't worry about, m-my friend'is actually here right now" You slurred now feeling guilty for calling what you thought was your brother, you hung up quickly, he's probably got a wife and he's got a job and you probably woke him up.

As you stood up to walk again, Your phone started to buzz loudly, you pressed the green accept button "Y/n? Are you alright? Where are you?" Harvey asked, he realized you were wasted almost as soon as he picked up, and he also knew that you thought he was Mike so he needed to pretend to be Mike. "Mikey...I'm by...the...police station" You slurred, you heard him mumbled 'shit' under his breath before you stopped and sat down on the curb again, your feet starting to hurt. It took an hour to find you, Harvey was a nervous wreck, he cared about Mike and if Mike cared about you then he cared about you aswell. "Y/n goddamnit" Harvey cursed as he stepped out of his car quickly, going to rest his hands on your shoulders taking in your state, you were passed out with your head against your knees. He quickly lifted you up setting you in the backseat before getting in himself.

After Harvey managed to get you up and into his apartment and onto the bed he called Mike, leaving him a voicemail explaining everything and that Mike owed him. Harvey was quick to get ready for bed and pass out on the couch.

Waking up that morning you started to panic, Where. The. Fuck. Were. You. You scooted up shoving the covers off making sure you still had all of your clothes on, the bathroom door was closed and the shower was running so you took the time to explore the home you were in. The closet was lined with suits ontop of suits, you ran your finger over them, your heart dropping in your chest seeing the initials stitched into the sleeve, 'H.S'. Right as you processed everything you heard a cough come from behind you "I didn't think you'd be up so soon? How's the hangover champ?" He asked raising an eyebrow, you shrugged "W-why- how did I get here? Where's Mike?" You asked looking around almost lost, you didn't like this, it was a new place with a new person and no source of familiarity. "You called me last night, wasted might I add, you thought I was Mike so I came and picked you up, brought you here for the night, I slept on the couch don't worry. I called Mike last night, should be on his way to the office soon, you okay riding with me?" He asked as he pulled on his suit jacket, he handed you a hoodie to put on, you quickly slipped it over your head trying to race to get your shoes on before he left you. Your head was pounding and you were still exhausted, as you climbed into the SUV next to Harvey you yawned, trying to scoot down and get comfortable closing your eyes ready to take a nap. "So. Y/n. What do you do? Other than get shit-faced on a tuesday night?" He asked, you looked at him jumping up at him in shock "Shit! What time is it? I-I have classes" You said urgently looking at Harvey with pure worry "College student?" He asked looking towards you "Y-yea, It's alot" You mumbled rubbing your forehead trying to stop the pounding against the base of your skull.

You spent the day at your university and then at Mike's office, getting lectured and now yelled at by your brother "Do you know how dangerous that is, Y/n!?" He yelled looking at you "Falling asleep in that! On the side of the road in New York! Are you stupid!?" He yelled, you just sat there and watched him as your eyes welled up with tears. You never responded well to being yelled at especially not your brother, he had only yelled at you twice and that was for stressing your grandma out. "I-I'm sorry, Mike" You whispered, you kept your head down unaware Harvey was standing outside listening "I-I just..Classes are getting harder...And seeing you..so successful..I feel like I'm failing mom and dad.." You whimpered keeping your head down "And you think doing what you did would make them proud!?" He snapped "They'd yell at you alot worse for what you did! You're an idiot!" He snapped, Harvey quickly walked in, resting a hand on Mike's shoulder "Too far Mike.." He whispered, Harvey glanced at you giving you a sympathetic smile, almost to say he's on your side.

After that you and Harvey started to grow close, it started with just him picking you up after nights out and eventually grew into you staying over almost everynight after your dormmate left. "Harvey" You whispered into the pitch black living room, there was no light and it made you nervous until you heard a tired 'hmmpf' from somewhere in the dark "Can we talk?.." You whispered again, it was total silence and you were about to turn around and just go back to the bed but the lamp flicked on and you saw Harvey's arm draped over the arm rest "Come 'ere" He mumbled tiredly propping his head up trying to wipe the sleepiness from his eyes. You walked over sitting on the floor in front of him, it wasn't odd for you to do this, over the past couple of months you and Harvey got closer, aswell as you and Mike. You looked at him, and you had to fight your instincts not to rest a hand on his cheek "What's got you up at...four am!? Sunshine you gotta get sleep" He groaned letting a hand rest on your head as he closed his eyes "Harvey I like you" You said quickly "I like you too Y/n, or else you wouldn't be sleeping in my bed" He smiled coyly at you "No Harvey I mean..I want..- I-" You huffed, growing frustrated at the fact you were at a lose of words "I know." He whispered cupping your cheek, your eyes started to fill with tears "You do?.." You whispered holding a hand over his "I do" He assured caressing your cheek gently "So.." You whispered nervously "Come here" He demanded again welcoming you onto the couch with him, You took the invitation laying next to him as he wrapped his arm around your waist pulling you closer "I want something with us, y/n..I just have to know if you want that too" He whispered, you carefully turned around on the couch to face him, cupping his cheeks pressing a short and sweet peck to his lips "I do..I do want it too, Harvey" You whispered resting your forehead against his.

Part two coming soon :) More fluff and smut on the way

#harvey specter #mike ross #suits #suits netflix #harvey specter x reader #suits usa #suits tv

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leurdhavemerky · 8 months ago

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Hello,little goofy goober!I hope this ask finds you well!How about Viktor with a reader who is passionate about researching the worst of the worst of humanity in an effort to understand the world better and possibly help,who comes to him when it all gets too much,too heavy,too ugly just to remind herself of the beauty of the world as well?

Flame vs. Fissure

Summary: When her research becomes too taxing and troublesome, she wanders off to Viktor's favorite spot in hopes of finding comfort.

Contains: Reader x Viktor, hurt/comfort, light to mild angst, reader with she/her pronouns, fluff, LIGHT SPOILERS

A/N: The clocktower ledge referred to is the same place where Heimerdinger spoke to Viktor, where Viktor and Jayce chatted during the sunsets in act 3.

I think I formatted the dialogue right but, there is bound to be a mistake or two. Also, thank you to this asker I had so much fun!

Word Count: 825

Shimmer was being passed out to sickly fiends like candy. Broken glass littered the ground, puncturing her boots- and cutting those without. Every time (Y/N) had walked up to someone optimistically, pen and pad in hand, she was quickly brushed off. Or spat on. Or shoved. Most notably, called a "topside swindler" by a dealer.

Defeated and tired of being on her aching feet for hours, she trudges back to her office at the academy.

Her poor journal, being slammed onto the table that way. Nails dig into the leather cover, injecting it with heartache. She sinks into a chair, depressed.

The plan was to survey Zaunites. To better understand their struggles- mainly with the fissures. She was going to convince the council to set aside money for repair. So much of the Undercity's air pollution related sickness was the result of toxic gas leaking from those openings in the ground.

Now, without testimonials and evidence, the grant was slipping out of her fingers. More people would have to ruin their lungs and waste away for years to come. Nothing made (Y/N) feel more trapped than trying to help... only to be pushed away. It was miserable, seeing that much darkness in the world, and realizing her lighter is empty.

There was only one person who she could count on- who knew exactly how that felt.

When he wasn't slaving away in the lab, Viktor spent his sunsets out on the ledge towards the top of the clock tower. Its overgrown vines and worn charm were rare in the overly aestheticized city of progress.

Rhythmically shifting gears and cogs calmed Viktor's nerves. He found great comfort staring out into the expanse of Piltover.

The walk up to clock tower felt drawn out and tiring, like the oxygen had been sucked out of the atmosphere. The survey failed so, so terribly. The downright disturbing sights in the Undercity were still ruminating in the back of her mind.

Turning the corner, she sighs. She takes a soft step onto the ledge where Viktor stood, silently admiring the picturesque scene.

"Sorry- I didn't mean to interrupt your pondering," she states, breaking the silence.

He turns his neck to look at you, cat-like irises illuminated by the rays of the setting sun. A little smile cracks as he turns around.

"No worries, I was looking for someone to talk to."

"It's just- I'm having issues with getting the grant for fissure repair. It was embarrassing, how futile I felt."

"You've been surveying the Undercity all week, no?"

"I've tried," she whispers with a waver, "I just wasn't... welcomed."

He softens his gaze when he hears the strain in her voice.

"What went wrong, dove?" Viktor asks, stepping closer with concern.

A salty tear trickles down as her face contorts with anxiety. Her vision blurs and more water pours out, washing the rosy sunset from sight.

"It's all too heavy. I can't- I can't do this anymore. I spent months researching and begging," she whispers, choked up. "I just want the council to give the Undercity a chance." Her throat tightens as she looks down, avoiding Viktor's eyes.

He puts an end to it- tilting her chin back to him with a finger. Viktor wipes the glistening tears with his thumb, caressing her cheek with warm hands.

"Enough worrying. Come close to me dove," he speaks with a tender tone. Holding onto your waist with a gentleman's touch, his chest expands with a deep inhale. "This cycle of death and disease, it is not your fault," Viktor breathes, "you are simply trying your best. It is all you can do."

"That's the problem. I'm only able hold one candle, I can't light a whole city by myself," she whispers, sullen. Her hands find Viktor's shoulders as she sighs.

"You do not realize how bright your flame is, (Y/N)."

A silence hangs in the air as the sun begins hanging lower in the sky. She leans in and rests her head over Viktor's shoulder, The light pink hues have turned to deep oranges, and birds have soared back to their nests.

After the two give each other an, "I know, love" kind of gaze, they slowly pull away. Coming to the edge of the risky platform, they watch the rainbow light show nature has put on just for them until the stars poke through.

"The world is much more beautiful with your fire- your passion. It is too late to quit your research. The time is now," Viktor urges. He gestures out to Piltover's skyline, tracing along. Smokestacks from the Undercity rise higher.

The tears have subsided, only light stains on (Y/N)'s face as she feels the cool wind dry what's left. Her hair lifts slightly as a calming breeze blows through.

She says with determination, "I'll consult the council as soon as possible. I'm going to repair the fissures, even if I have to lay concrete myself."

#arcane #arcane viktor x reader #viktor x reader #viktor arcane #arcane viktor #arcane fanfic #arcane fic #arcane league of legends #arcane fluff #fanfic

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roo-bastmoon · 1 year ago

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Last time I'm gonna get into this...

Within the past 24 hours, there have been FIVE attacks on Weibo with paid hashtags against Jeon Jungkook.

JK has been accused of cheating on a blonde girlfriend, leaving a string of broken hearts, getting a girl pregnant, inappropriate behavior at what looks like a club or karaoke bar, and sexually harassing female staff. These accusations are being systematically criticized and debunked when errors are pointed out.

Clearly, there is a smear campaign coinciding with the release of 3D.

Now look, I cannot promise you that all the "evidence" is manufactured. But it's definitely being weaponized. So I'd ask you to just keep an open mind, use your critical thinking skills, and be patient, because this isn't the first time rumors like this have exploded and it won't be the last. Sometimes it takes a while for the truth to come to light.

You'll never catch me in these streets acting like a cult member. I'm not going to sit here and draw up schematics and comparison photos in some desperate attempt to convince the timeline of anything. Nor am I going to say someone rented a similar apartment, staged it with mood lamps and a doberman, and then had an actor wear a mask to set up JK (more likely, it's a random couple that got filmed without their knowledge). I won't delve into conspiracy theories about companies or competitors or comebacks or cosplayers or any of that.

If later it turns out that Jungkook has a partner other than Jimin, I really hope all the members of this community join me in quietly accepting that and calmly wishing him and Jimin well. The vast majority of people here do not ship them because they are pretty dolls to play with, but celebrate them because they are wonderful human beings with a unique, decade-long relationship that makes us light up inside.

Their bond and their characters speak for themselves. And until they tell us otherwise (or, sadly, until REALLY CONCRETE evidence is leaked--which will be hard to prove in a post-fact world full of AI and deep fakes), we can theorize all day long about their behavior and what it means for their personal lives, but only the Tannies ever truly know what the Tannies are going through.

And as frustrated as we are with not knowing, they have a right to keep it that way.

So please get out of my ask box and instead refocus your energy (she said lovingly). The ajumas are most definitely planning a last minute crazy-cakes push on idolplus and the gap in votes is nowhere near safe for Jimin. It's all hands on deck!! We have less than two days to get the only remaining BTS member his end-of-year award before he serves his country, so please make accounts and VOTE.

Also please stream and buy the new releases to the best of your ability, of course.

And finally, if you have the energy, take a moment to lift someone else up today. Even if it's just a kind word in their inbox. Be a good human and do something gentle and nurturing for yourself while you're at it.

Chins up, my puppykitties. We gotta pull ourselves together.

We are ARMY, and we have battles to win.

Plus, tomorrow begins Jimtober. You guys remember Jimin? Here, let JK help you out with that.

Okay, byyyyyyeeee.

P.S. I love you guys.

#jikook #jungkook #jimin

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hoseokslefteyebrow · 2 years ago

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Weak

Pairing : More of a platonic Miguel O' Hara X Reader

Genre : Angst

Summary : Miguel hates feeling weak, something that you understand more than anyone else.

Request/story idea by: @quimerathetraveler

Wordcount: 0.9 k

Miguel O'Hara Masterlist

( A/N: I’m trying different personalities to see whatever works with his character best, lemme know what ya’ll think. )

Miguel's eyes dart all over the area.

He's injured, badly. A deep gash is crossed over his ribs, and not even the spray supplied by his suit for emergencies is doing him much good.

On top of that, he's exhausted, years of taking care of the multiverse having caught up to him.

" Boss, we got hi- Oh, no." The voice of one of the spider woman who he's come to help speaks as she notices his injury.

He's hunched over, holding his side whilst taking rough deep breaths. He feels vulnerable, hates having everyone' eyes on him.

" Boss, we should get you help!-" MJ calls, taking her mask off.

" No. I'm fine. Bring the anomaly to HQ, I'll get there myself."

MJ is visibly distraught by his words, but does what he says, not wanting to face whatever negative reaction he could bring up in his pain.

As she disappears, he doubles over, nearly forgetting that Jessica and you are at the scene as well.

Jessica sighs deeply before reacting.

" Miguel, maybe we should help. I doubt you'd be able to get back by yourself-"

He glares from the corner of his eye at her.

" I can do it, just g-"

" No you can't. "

Now his eyes shift to you.

Admittedly, he doesn't know you really well, even though your powers are the only ones that are similar to his. You have talons, venomous teeth and superhuman hearing and sight as well. He's barely ever spoken to you before though.

" I-"

" Don't argue with me. I'll jab you in your wound if you're going to be a baby about it. " You scoff, your eyes showing disinterest as you move to help him.

He glares at you, but it doesn't seem to deter you in the slightest.

He's not necessarily surprised to. You've been through a lot in your own universe, the horrors you had to face giving you a pass without doubt into the spider team. You're physically not one of the strongest, but you're fearless, making you one of the stronger ones of the team anyway. It would take a lot more than his glare to shake you.

He can't help but feel puzzled and surprised as you lift his arm over your shoulder. You sync both of your watches, and soon enough you're tearing a gateway with your claws back into universe 2099.

Everyone is surprised when the both of you step into HQ, Jessica having gone back on her own.

Miguel hates the feeling he gets when everyone shares worried glances, them never having seen their boss so vulnerable before.

You must've noticed.

" What? Did none of you ever seen someone injured?" You call out roughly.

Most of the spiders turn their heads. All except Hobie, who gives Miguel a blank look as he so often does before nodding at you.

Hobie and you get along well, the only difference being that Hobie creates a lot of trouble and has quite a big mouth, whilst you refrain in the back. The calm before the storm.

Eventually, you carry him to the infirmary, and help him sit down on one of the beds.

" Will you be okay or do you need me to call a medic?" You ask, creating distance between the two of you again as you step back, leaning against a wall.

" I'll be fine." He says gruffly.

You nod, but don't move away.

He glances at you again, ignoring the sudden spinning in his head.

" What? You can go." He pushes.

" I'm waiting for you to pass out. I'll call a medic after." You tell him nonchalantly, crossing your arms over one another.

He sighs, knowing you're right. He needs help. He can't do it by himself this time.

He doesn't want any more people to see him like this though.

" Can you.... help me?" He asks, looking away with an embarrassing pink dust on his cheeks.

Your eyes widen, surprise evident before they harden again, and you nod.

" I've never done this on someone else other than myself though."

You don't say anything else as you wordlessly get to work.

He tends to forget that you've been alone for a very long time before you joined the team.

You stitch up his wounds carefully, and honestly quite messy. He still rather has this than having more people see him like this.

When you're done, you run a careful finger over the stitches to make sure they're secure before stepping away.

" This is the best I can do. Good luck with it." You tell him, going back to your stoic demeanor.

You turn to leave, not expecting a reply, when he grasps your wrist with his right hand.

You tense in response, not being used to physical contact. Upon noticing it, he lets go.

" Thank you.."

You glance at him, your eyes not betraying your emotions this time as you nod.

" Yeah... Don't get used to it."

#miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o'hara x you #miguel o'hara angst #mcu fanfic #spiderman across the spider verse #spider-man 2099

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austinslounge · 1 month ago

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People are still convinced Austin cheated on Vanessa with absolutely no proof.

So if one person on Twitter were to get a hit tweet about Austin and Zoe both breaking up with their partners during their movie being filmed, well...it wouldn't take long for people to think Austin had an affair. Anything to make Austin's ex's the victims.

I think it's a man thing. Everything is always the man's fault. At least when it comes to Austin.

I still don't get the Austin/Vanessa cheating rumors. There's ZERO proof of that whatsoever. Even the timeline and time frame that some people try to claim that he cheated on Vanessa doesn't even make sense because he and Vanessa were already long-since broken up. 😤

That just annoys me so much.

I could see if there were actual receipts, or Vanessa mentioned something, or friends spilled some beans, etc. -- but there's literally nothing.

Also, why would Ashley Tisdale be so chummy with Austin if he cheated on their (at least at the time) mutual close friend Vanessa? 🥴

Why would Vanessa be hanging out with Olivia long after the Aunessa breakup, if Olivia were somehow involved in the breakup of Austin and Vanessa? I don't care how much tea I may want, I am not spending time with the woman my ex-boyfriend of 8 years supposedly cheated on me with. 🙄

Why would Baz say that Austin and Olivia had zero chemistry onscreen with each other in trial runs if they were secretly doing smthg with each other behind the scenes?

Why would the People.com article of Austin and Vanessa's breakup (which came out in Jan 2020 btw) mention that the two might get back together, if CHEATING were the reason for their breakup? 🥴 I'm sorry, but that makes absolutely no sense. People.com info is usually directly from the celebrity themselves, their teams, or people very close to them who know them well and can validate the truth. I can see not wanting to throw your ex under the bus and make him look bad for a breakup, but hinting that there might be a reconciliation later on down the line? If he cheated? No way. That make no sense at all imo.

People are free to believe whatever they want, but those rumors have never made sense to me, and I'm sick and tired of people making up cheating rumors on the internet about Austin (or any celebrity for that matter) when there's no proof whatsoever. If there were actual proof or valid tea, then of course I'd acknowledge that fact. But there's literally nothing. And you all know good and well that if there actually were any such tea, Vanessa stans would have long since spilled that all over the internet by now. 😒

It would have gone viral.

It's been just about 5 years (this month) since their breakup, and there's been nothing. People online need to let that go -- at least until there's actual evidence.

Celebrity couples breakup all the time. Breakups aren't always about cheating. 🙄

This isn't towards you, Anon, btw lol. 😄 This is just about those people who always make those silly claims.

Same with the Zoe/Channing thing. We don't know why they broke up. And unless they come out saying something, then, we don't need to speculate about that. Cheating is a very serious allegation. Same with abuse. I don't take that lightly. So, if someone is claiming that, then they better have some actual valid receipts.

#sorry for the rant #asks

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mimiatmidnight · 2 years ago

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Hey! How are you? Would like to say that I LOVE your blog, and I was wondering if you would like to update your top 5 H&M moments, maybe add another 5??

Folks, if you've ever wondered what is the oldest message sitting in my inbox, it's this one. (Well, I'm pretty sure there are a couple others that are a touch older but every time I try to scroll back that far, my inbox just glitches. There are . . . a lot of messages sitting in there. Sorry about that 😬). So I just want to say thank you to this anon and everyone else who has sent me tens of messages over the years asking for this updated post (unless the messages were all from the same one person all this time, in which case, my god I'd feel even GUILTIER).

It's been two years since the original, but an even wilder FIVE years since Harry and Meghan wed in one of the most consequential events in modern cultural history. What a wonderful, special day to look back on their relationship, with even more of my favorite moments between these two unlikely lovers. While writing this post, I laughed, I swooned, I cried. And I, uh, REALLY went off the rails at the end. Content warning for just the sickest, sappiest philosophizing you've ever seen. I'd apologize, but I just can't help it. Harry and Meg just have that effect on me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So, with one more thank you to everyone who has been so patient and kind and loving to me these past few years, let's get into it! Five(-ish, lol) more of my favorite Harry and Meghan moments:

5. WE will not look a mess

I'd be remiss not to start this list of my personal favorite H&M moments with what is, judging by the numbers, arguably the entire WORLD'S favorite H&M moment. This iconic video by twitter user @/ddarveyy is perhaps the Sussex Squad's most viral fan tweet of all time? And if qualitative evidence is more convincing to you than quantitative, this video has been blessed with the mark of being liked by none other than Madame Rhianna herself. That's certified social media Diamond. The tweet also spawned some great jokes, ranging from Virgo Harry always making sure to keep his wife looking on point, to some people speculating about certain other, ah, intimate contexts where H might have developed this habit of putting his hands in her hair.

Ahem, either way, I've always seen this touching practice of his as being in the same vein of all those times he watches out for her footing on stairs or treacherous terrain. He's always on standby, always keeping an eye on her, never 100% focused on something else when she's near. You know, just in case she needs help. Or (more likely) just in case he has an excuse to fuss over her 😏 And you know what? Harry strikes me as the kind of man who has waited a long time to have someone to fuss over, someone to worry about and take care of outside of himself. And now that he has that someone . . . well, Captain Wales reporting for motherfucking duty 🫡

BONUS MAINTENANCE FASCINATION:

Yes we're doing bonus content again -- I did say "five(-ish)" moments! The "ish" was forewarned!!!

Anyways, while we're on the topic of sentimentally rhapsodizing about Harry keeping an eye on Meg and her hair, I want to sneak in a reboot of a discussion I had with an anon a few months ago after the Netflix documentary came out. These quiet, behind-the-scenes moments where Meg is getting her dress fitted or painting her nails, and there is Harry happily watching from behind. It's a small thing, I know, but it speaks volumes to me. The intimacy that comes with watching your partner prepare herself to face the world, the peaceful trust and unspoken support. And if you think THAT is me reading too much into it, scroll back to that original discussion and watch me make myself cry over picturing Harry as a kid watching his mom go through her similar glam routine. Y'all don't even KNOW the kinds of crazy parasocial assumptions I can lose my mind over!!!!!

And while we're here barely on topic talking about the intimacy of behind-the-scenes, let's move now from the "before" preparation, to the "after" unwinding (and undressing??). One of the most bittersweet moments from the doc for me was this picture, taken after one of Harry and Meg's final royal duty events. Away from the cameras, and the press, and the people, alone in their kitchen at last. I can think of no better representation of "Leaving the world behind."

4. Meghan "My Husband" Markle

There has been much discussion over Harry being the ultimate "wife guy," and deservedly so. If I tried to put in this post every moment the man has practically glowed with the pleasure of saying "my WIFE," I'm afraid this website would crash from server overload. But a less-discussed, yet equally sweet through line is Meghan being the ultimate "husband girl." And I think no single moment is a better demonstration of this phenomenon than her opening speech last year at Invictus 2022.

Introducing her husband to the crowd of his Invictus family, Meghan said, "I could not love and respect him more, and I know that all of you feel the same. He is your fellow veteran, he's the founder of the Invictus Games, and the father to our two little ones, Archie and Lili. Please welcome my incredible husband, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex." And then the crowd roared, and Harry and Meghan kissed, and we got all these ooey-gooey heart eyes.

And then as Harry took the stage, overwhelmed by the love of his wife and his community, he choked up.

"Thank you my love."

And I was never the same :')

BONUS "HUSBAND GIRL" SIMPING:

At the 2021 Salute to Freedom Gala, a reporter asking, "Meghan are you proud of your husband?" And Meghan bashfully turning back to answer, "I'm always proud of him." 🫠

And one even blushier, from the African tour documentary. Somebody come pick our girl up off the FLOOR!!!!

3. BAY. BEES.

Ok so I am REALLY gonna have to restrain myself for this section, cause if I put every single heart-bursting baby moment (especially after the FEAST we were delivered through the Netflix doc), I would never be able to finish this post. So I'm just gonna highlight a select few and keep my baby fever in check (and then mayhaps rewatch the entire documentary tonight lol whoops).

Our first real baby moment ever was Harry being so delirious with joy and nerves and just like, raw energy, after the birth of his first child (and then turning around after the big birthday media announcement to thank the horses in the stable behind him 😅).

A few days later, there was a particularly famous photo of Baby King Archie meeting some regal relatives or whatever, but in THIS photo, the two irrelevant old geezers are instead replaced by the new little prince's noble steeds, Guy and Pula. An iconic family photo. Outsold the original, if you ask me 😌

The news of their pregnancy with Lili was world-stopping for many reasons, but most famously it held a powerfully touching connection with the past. Apparently accidentally, Harry and Meghan announced they were expecting their second child exactly 37 years to the day after his mother, Diana, announced she was expecting him. Two extra-special Valentine's Days to remember.

And once again, as I said at the time, I am NOT someone who is particularly occupied with imagining the spirits of the departed watching over us, nor am I crazy about inserting the memory of Diana into discussions in which she has no agency. HOWEVER . . . who could stop the wave of emotions looking at this moment, as the grandbaby she never got to meet reaches out to her photo, through glass and time, trying to hold her hand. Bruv . . . 🥲 Even a motherfucking atheist can occasionally feel God in this Chili's tonight.

I don't even have anything to say about these next two, except to wonder with awe at the universal panacea that is baby snuggles. My absolute favorites:

And lastly, to wrap up this unbearably melty baby section, I have a moment that isn't really about the babies at all. In this video you can watch here, Easter 2021, we have Mama Doria, Meg (bursting at the seams with soon-to-be Lili), the little king himself, Sir Archie, his ever-loyal canine companions, and Harry -- who stands there, on the other side of surviving so, so much, and says almost under his breath, "Come on, family, let's go." And . . . yeah. That pretty much says it all 🥹

2. My Sussex Squad Origin Story

I'm going to keep this one short, cause I know what #1 is about to be and it's a doozy. But I wanted to briefly mention a moment in Harry and Meghan lore that will forever be the most special to me, because it is the one that sucked me into this here community I still haunt to this day.

October 2018. I have just recently managed to recover my old Tumblr password and logged into this site for the first time since middle school. I am scrolling the trending pages and see "Meghan Markle" listed among the top current tags. It says she's recently announced her first pregnancy. "Huh," I think. "I kinda remember hearing she got married." I've never willingly read or watched a single solitary piece of information about the royal family ever in my life. I don't even really know who's who, outside of the members immediately surrounding Diana. But I scroll through the Meghan tag, and I see she and her new prince are on tour. I see a photo. I read the headline attached.

Is that an actual tear spilling out from the corner of my eye? I stare at the tag for a few minutes more. What is wrong with me? Maybe I'll check this page again tomorrow, just to see what else they get up to on this tour. Couldn't hurt to learn a little bit more about this couple that literally stopped me in my tracks. I wipe the back of my hand across my burning eyes. "Well," I think as I try to bring myself back to what I was doing before. "That was weird."

Ha. Little did I freaking know :')

1. A Modern Fairy Tale

And now, to end this long-winded (and -awaited, sorry again >_<) journey, if you will allow me to get a little unbearably sappy.

When I set out to write this Part 2 post in 2023, I was doubtful. Could I even muster up that same enthusiasm, that same untrampled hope with which I beamed when I wrote the original? Harry, Meghan, the world, and I have all lived a thousand lives in these brief five years. There has been so, so, so much unspeakable pain. More than anyone has a right to suffer in a lifetime, let alone half a decade. "And for what?" I've sometimes asked myself. "What is the point in trying to love when there's all this pain that follows?"

This June, we will be coming up on the 10 year anniversary of my absolute favorite Internet meme of all time: Tim Kreider's legendary New York Times Op-Ed "I Know What You Think Of Me," which gifted human history with his startlingly sincere declaration, "If we want the rewards of being loved, we have to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known."

Well, there is perhaps no one on the planet who has submitted herself to a more painful ordeal of being known than Meghan. She has bared to the world her vulnerabilities, her quirks, her flaws, her losses, her pains. To think of the life she has lived thus far, and the life that she walked away from to be here . . . I can't pretend that I've always been certain of the righteousness of her choice. But as I was working through writing this post, I reached a point in my research where I landed back on the speech Meghan delivered on the night of her wedding, shared in their Netflix documentary. And she told, as she called it, "a modern fairy tale."

“Once upon a time, there was a girl from LA (some people called her an actress) and there was a guy from London (some people called him a prince). All those people didn’t fully get it. Because this is a love story of a boy and a girl who were meant to be together.

“Amidst whatever momentary worries that creep in, they look at each other and think, ‘Whatever world, we’re in.’

“They would love, and garden, and travel, and laugh, and rack up more air miles than any couple could have.

“And when the tides were rough, they squeezed each other tighter. ‘Nothing can break us,’ they’d say, ‘For this love, she was a fighter.’

“I appreciate, respect, and honor you, my treasure, for the family we will create . . .

“ . . . And our love story that will last forever.

“So I ask you to raise a glass to the astounding assurance that now life begins, and the everlasting knowing that, above all, love wins.”

And so, here I am once again, with real actual tears streaming down my face, listening to a woman who has crossed so many oceans and lost so much of herself to get to where she's sitting today, and yet still, STILL, speaks with the same determination and conviction in love that she had all the way back at the beginning. They have taken so much from that woman, but they have not taken this. And so if Meghan, of all people, can still believe that love is worth it all . . . well, then, how could I possibly disagree?

Happy 5th anniversary to the lovebirds, and my heartfelt wish to you all that you may find victory in joy, love, and peace, just like them.

L'chaim 🥂

#meghan markle #prince harry #harry and meghan #anniversaries #see you all again for year 10?#and to many many more 💞

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crushculture03 · 8 months ago

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The Women in White

A/N : Tried to base this chapter after the pilot, I feel like this isn't good but please enjoy and let me know what you think! Also bear with me if i get some details wrong, it's been a minute since i've watched the pilot.

Gif is not mine all credit goes to the creator

Masterlist

"Wake up sleepy head we have a case" Dean says, shaking Valerie awake. "What?" she mumbles, still waking up, "This was apparently the last place John was here, apparently multiple men have gone missing over the past 10 years on this stretch of road '' Sam informs her from the front seat. "Where are we?" she asks, "We're still in California, we turned around when we saw this town was his last known location" Dean responds, not seeming very happy about the situation.

Val stretches before stepping out of the car, Sam also gets out of the car and walks over to her, handing her a coffee and a donut. "Thanks Sam" she says before taking a sip of coffee, "You remembered" she chuckles, Sam blushes "Yeah it's funny it kinda just came to me, and I even remembered your favorite donut, maple right" he says, proud of himself for remembering. Val's heart skips a beat, she's never met someone quite like Sam. While standing there with her coffee and her favorite donut, she realizes just how much she missed him and just how much those buried feelings were coming back to the surface. "Thanks Sammy" she smiles, just hearing her say his name was enough to get his heart to race.

"Sorry to break up lover fest again but we got a ghost to gank come on" Dean says as he slams the trunk of the impala shut. "So what's the run down exactly, give me a background" Val says as she finishes her coffee. "So basically over the past 10 years young men have been disappearing from this stretch of road, we're gonna ask around town, see if we can find anything" Sam says, "I'll go with Val to research the town and history, and Dean you go to interview witnesses" he finishes. Val and Dean nod their heads, showing Sam they agree to his plan. "Try to stay on task you two," Dean teases, before walking off to talk to the police and the victims' families.

Sam and Valerie made their way to the Library, it was small but beautiful nonetheless. "Ok we're looking for anything that is associated with the disappearances or anything fuzzy in this town's history" Sam says as he goes to search for any books about the town. Val decides to go to the computer, looking up past news articles for any information.

After an hour of searching, Val finally finds a lead. "Sam I think I found something" she says, causing the boy to quickly come over to her. "Ok so get this, apparently there was this lady, Constance Welch, who thought her husband was cheating so she drowned her two kids and then jumped off the bridge, which is located on the same road all those guys have gone missing on '' she says. "Wow that's intense, let's call the Dean and see if he was able to come up with anything, '' he says and goes to call the Dean.

After a few minutes he comes back, "Ok Dean said that some of the towns people mentioned a local legend about a ghost of a woman who is a hitchhiking ghost, I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that hitchhiking ghost is this Constance lady you mentioned" he says, Val nods, agreeing with him. "We're gonna do a stakeout of the bridge tonight to see if we can find anything, sound good?" Sam asks, as the two leave the library, "Sounds good to me" she responds.

Once the trio had been reunited, they decided to park just off the bridge, to get the perfect view. "So Sammy this job make you want to come back to the business?" Dean asked, the three had been sitting on the bridge for 2 hours, with no evidence so far, "No, I wanted out of this life Dean, once we find dad I'm out again, I want to be a lawyer" Sam says. "Well how about you Princess" Dean asks the young Singer girl, "Never was fully in the life anyways, plus my dads an actual decent person and didn't force me into the life like john" she says. "Hey My dad was a good dad!" Dean snaps, "No Dean he wasn't he was more of an army general!" Sam retorts, "You left how would you know" Dean yells back.

"Guys" she says as she sees a figure of a women standing on the ledge of the bridge, the boys were still to busy fighting and didn't notice the figure. "Guys!" she yells, snapping them out of their fight, "What" Dean snaps, "There's a figure about to jump" she says and points to the women standing on the ledge. "Shit, come on" Dean says, quickly getting out of the car, the other two following in suit. Before they can walk closer the lady jumps off the bridge, the trio immediately runs to where she jumped and looks down, noticing there was no body, the three look at each other in shock.

Suddenly the sound of the impala's engine being started caused the three to look in that direction. Dean looked at the two, showing how the keys were in his hands, "What the hell?" Val says as she looks between the boys and the car. Soon the Impala starts speeding in their direction, Sam grabs Val, pulling her out of way with him, while dean also jumps out of the way. The car races past them, "What the hell is driving my baby!" Dean shouts as he walks in the direction of his car, furious. "It must be her!" Val says, referring to Constance, "She also must be the figure we saw". "Well she better not harm my baby or she's gonna die again '' Dean shouts, which causes the impala to turn off. "That's enough for tonight, let's find a motel and crash" Sam says, as they all get back into the car.

The three make their way to the motel, when they arrive Dean gives the worker his fake name, the worker tells him that an older man with the same last name checked into the Motel a few days earlier but never checked out. Dean looks at his brother, Sam gives him a nod signaling that they're on the same page.

The Motel room was dingy with a strong damp odor to it, it looked like none of the furniture or decor had been updated since the 70's. "There's only two beds, I can take the couch if you want" Sam says, "No it's ok I don't mind sharing a bed with you" Val says, and puts her bag down on the bed. "Now I'm gonna go break into dads room, you guys stay here ok" Dean says before leaving the room. Once dean leaves the room, Val sits down on the bed "You think there's anyway we return to school" she says, looking over at Sam. "I hope, but once again my dad might come along to ruin things" he grumbles, "We'll make sure we get back to school Sam, even if it's the last thing I do" she says, causing Sam to smile at her kindness.

After about 30 minutes, Dean came back in a hurry, "Ok so basically Dad figured out about Constance, or as she's known here as the Women in White, we need to go back to the road to lure her in" he says. "Ok, we'll go tomorrow evening, but for now we need rest" Val says, "Yeah, I'm gonna get us some food, i'll be writing back" Dean says before once again leaving the room, as he goes to the vending machine he's suddenly surrounded by police.

Val and Sam quickly run to the window to see what's going on. "Excuse me officers what seems to be the problem" the older Winchester says, "We have a warrant for your arrest in connection to the disappearances" the officer says as he goes to cuff Dean and put him in the cop car.

Val and Sam look at eachother utterly confused on why dean would be linked to the crimes. "We gotta find a way to get him out" Sam says, "Yeah, but we won't be able to get him anywhere tonight, we gotta try in the morning" she responds, "You're right, we'll rest then go to help him" he responds.

The Next morning the two woke up and quickly sprung into action, their first stop was checking John's room for themselves, when they searched the room they found the address of Constance's Husband. "Ok lets go talk to him, see what we can find out" Sam says, Val nods her head, agreeing with him. The two then make their way to the Ex husband's house, when they get there and interview him they find out where she was buried and the location of the house. Realizing they need to work fast and get Dean back, Sam makes a fake 911 call in order for Dean to escape.

The rest of the night was a world wind, Constance tried to seduce Sam but when he didn't give in she started to attack him, but Val had been able to strike her with an iron rod causing her to disappear. When Constance went to attack again, Sam drove the Impala into her old house, which the three then found out the reason she didn't want to go home was because of the ghost of her children. Once they got rid of her, the trio made their way back to the motel.

"I can't believe you wrecked my baby!'' Dean shouts, "It was the only way I had to, '" Sam retorts, causing Dean to groan. "I got dads journal, it was at the station and there's some stuff in here that might help us find him, '' the older Winchester says. With that the trio all climbed back into the Impala and finally made their way to South Dakota.

#jared padalecki #sam winchester #sam winchester fanfic #dean winchester #supernatural #bobby singer #castiel #family business #sam winchester smut #sam winchester x oc #about you

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finallydelight · 2 years ago

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Unfortunate Encounter | Ming Chapter

author’s note: hehe an update for yall, enjoyed writing this one. there’s a part that’s suggestive and also angst, but that’s nothing new lol 😙 anyways enjoy, and lmk what you think of it.

January 4, 2023

''I've got everything I need! Thank you, Yerimie.'' Bumzu gave her a thumbs up and motioned for her to come out of the recording booth. The producer had asked her if she would like to record a few vocal guides for him in his studio, knowing she enjoys doing those.

Ming left the booth and high-fived the man. ''You're welcome.'' She smiled, grabbing her bag and getting ready to head out.

''Any plans for the evening?'' Bumzu asked her, turning around in his chair.

She nodded her head. ''Yeah, I'm gonna go over some of the choreos in one of the practice rooms here.''

''Alright, have fun, I'll see you!'' He bid her goodbye, sending a big smile her way. Ming waved one last time before heading to their regular practice room, hoping it wasn't occupied by anyone.

The halls of the HYBE building were pleasantly calm. It was later in the day, so most of the staff members had already left to go home.

Ming turned a corner, but bumped into another body. The person's box that they were holding beforehand had fallen on the ground and they both reached down to pick it up.

''Yerim?''

Ming diverted her eyes to the person in front of her, and her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach. She quickly stood up again. ''Jihyun.''

The older woman picked up her box and got off the ground. ''Oh my god, how are you? It's been so long.'' The smile on Jihyun's face made Ming feel uneasy.

''I'm good, how- how are you?'' She managed to stutter out, uncomfortable with how nervous she sounded.

The grin on the woman's face grew even bigger as she moved her left hand from under the box and held it up to Ming's face. ''Great, I'm engaged!''

''Oh… wow, congratulations.'' Her eyes widened, mindlessly staring at the big ring on her finger.

''Thank you so much! I didn't even see it coming, can you believe it? He just suddenly went down on his knee and-''

''I have to go, I'm sorry.'' Ming interrupted her ramble, not wanting to stay one second longer listening to Jihyun describe how her fiancé proposed to her.

Jihyun seemed taken aback by the sudden interruption, but her smile quickly returned. ''Oh, yeah, little miss pop star is still busy, nothing has changed.'' Despite the sweet voice she was talking with, the passive aggressive undertone didn't go unnoticed.

Ming awkwardly chuckled. ''Yeah, uh, goodbye.'' She walked past the stylist and didn't wait for her to say anything back.

The female idol wanted to be alone as fast as possible and went into the first free practice room that she saw. She threw her bag to the side and took off her vest, it had become very warm all of a sudden.

Ming hadn't seen Jihyun since their last conversation where the older woman had rejected Ming's feelings in heartbreaking fashion, that had been more than 4 years ago. It was actually surprising to her that it had taken this long for the two of them to run into each other.

The interaction had left a weird feeling in her stomach. It almost angered her that Jihyun was doing well for herself, and how she blatantly seemed to enjoy how uncomfortable she was making Ming. The young woman also didn't appreciate being referred to as ''little miss pop star''.

Ming had slid down the wall and pulled up her knees, so she could put her head on them. Tears left her eyes, remembering all the pain the older woman had caused her and that she was still so painfully ignorant about the situation.

Her sniffles drew out the sound of the door opening and someone approaching her. ''Ming?''

She flinched, not having heard anyone come in. She tilted her head and Yeonjun's worried eyes locked with hers. The man set himself down next to her against the wall. ''Are you okay? What happened?''

He had seen his friend entering the practice room, and wanted to pop in and say hi to her. It was evident something was wrong as he saw her body shake through the small window of the room.

''Are you okay, Yer?''

Ming kept silent, but let her head fall onto Yeonjun's shoulder, with his left hand he wiped the tears away that escaped her eyes. ''You don't want to talk about it? Cause that's okay.''

Her eyes glanced away from his. ''She's engaged, Jun…'' She muttered out, talking so quiet that he almost didn't hear her.

''Who's engaged?''

''Jihyun.''

Yeonjun frowned. He knew who she was referring to, Jihyun had worked with him and his members for almost 2 years before transferring to the boys of Enhypen. ''Did- did she make you cry?'' He asked, confused as to why her engagement would make her cry.

''We used to go out, like 4 years ago… and she didn't want to date me, because her parents wouldn't approve of her dating a girl.'' Ming explained, no emotion found in her voice.

''Ah, I see.'' Yeonjun didn't know what to say, it was the first time he had heard about her and Jihyun.

Ming tilted her head from his shoulder and looked him in the eye again. ''I'm not upset about her being engaged, I could care less what she's doing- it's just that… when she was talking to me, she just acted like nothing had happened between us, like we never existed before or something.'' She found it hard to explain to Yeonjun exactly why she was crying, maybe she didn't really know the reason herself.

''I understand what you're saying, that must not have been fun.'' It pained him to see her eyes all welled up, her usual smile that lit up any room she walked into was all gone.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, one that was a total contrast of being awkward.

Yeonjun's comforting hand rested on Ming's shoulder, squeezing it once in a while.

Ming let her head drop to the side, and it rested on his hand. She turned so she was looking at him through her tear-filled lashes. Yeonjun gulped, his eyes momentarily dropping to her lips.

A haze came over him, a feeling he had never felt before settling in his belly. The male idol wet his lips, and he moved his hand so he was cupping Ming's cheek. He looked into her eyes and seeing that she didn't maneuver away, he moved his head down to hers.

Yeonjun pressed their lips together, and he smiled into the kiss as he felt her kiss him back. Her hand went from her lap to his hair, tugging on his strands while Yeonjun pulled her closer. They continued their make-out session until Yeonjun pulled away, a breathy moan leaving his mouth and his chest moving heavily due to the lack of breathing. Ming resided in a similar state.

''I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, you're upset and I-''

''Don't worry about it, Jun, you don't have to apologize.'' Ming interrupted him, a soft smile hanging on her lips. ''If you're worrying about whether you overstepped a line, please don't.''

''Okay, good.'' The tension in his shoulders left, and he pulled himself up. ''I know exactly what to do that's going to cheer you up.'' He claimed, moving to the speakers and computer. Ming stayed seated against the wall as Yeonjun turned on the speaker and typed away on the screen.

She slightly flinched upon the pre-chorus of 'Hype Boy' being played loudly. Yeonjun took the center of the room, which was right in front of her. He smirked before perfectly executing the entire chorus perfectly, not missing a beat and looking content while doing so.

He struck an ending pose and Ming clapped her hands for him, yelling out praises to him. ''Wooo! Yeonjun-oppa, you're so cool!'' She copied the chants of the fans. Yeonjun did a 90 degree bow and thanked her. ''Thank you, thank you.''

''Are you feeling a bit better?''

''Hmmm, I don't know, I think you're gonna have to do more than just one song.'' She feigned, wanting to see him dance again.

He sighed, although an amused smile had made its way to his face. ''Okay, tough crowd.'' Yeonjun immediately moved to the computer again and put on another song, one that he knew she would like very much.

Ming snorted as 'Antifragile' boomed through the speakers, she and Yeonjun having jammed to the song more than once.

Like the previous dance, he smoothly went through the dance, not making a single mistake and looking happy while doing it.

''Better now?''

''I have one more request.''

''Shoot.''

''Have you ever heard of Catallena?''

''Fuck off!''

Taglist: @mystic-luv @cosmicwintr @mythicalamphitrite @billboard-singer @stopeatread @still-astray @sakuurra @multiplums @giverosespls @seongwhaffels @kimhyejin3108 @smoooore @smh-anon @cixrosie

#ming.svt #kpop oc #kpop au #kpop addition #14th member of seventeen #seventeen 14th member #seventeen female member #seventeen female addition #seventeen addition #seventeen added member #yeonjun x oc

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andrebearakovsky · 1 year ago

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(cont. ask) first of all NOOO don't apologize i was looking for a long post, this is why i came here! i've been lurking way back! i remembered your blog name! 2. wow??? this is such a comprehensive answer!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍🤗😳 thank you so much! 3. any content you want to post i am here for! 4. i can't believe there are so many new guys, like yes of course, but i can't believe it! 5. Oh yeah the details of the Holtby thing are coming back to me, i seem to have repressed it.🙈

Aw that's so sweet of you! A longtime viewer! (Viewer? What am I, a YouTuber? Calm down.) It's sweet of you to remember me and I'm delighted that I am apparently famous and evidently famous for making long/extensive posts lol. Which I'm about to do again.

I talked about Strome, Milano, Sandin, and alllll those young guys on my last post, as well as Darcy and TvR. [And Dowd but you already knew him.] The rest of the guys currently on the team I haven't really touched on yet that joined post-Holtby era are Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Anthony Mantha, and Charlie Lindgren. I'll get into them in a bit, but I gotta get into some other things first.

You said you haven't really watched since the Holtby era, so I'm going to assume you know everything that happened/all the people we had up til that final season, and that you know little/nothing of what has happened since then. So I'm gonna give a quick recap of some of the big things that have happened in that time:

You missed the ENTIRETY of the Sammy and Vitek goaltending era, which was kinda turbulent. Sammy was gonna be the starter with Henrik Lundqvist as the backup, but then it turned out Lundqvist had a heart condition and had to retire and never played a game for the Caps. This forced Vitek into action, and we had 2 years of the Sammy and Vitek goaltending duo. I, personally, loved it. Some people did not. I still hold that they were BOTH GOOD!! They split time, neither one ever TRULY grasped the starting reigns. There was also when Vitek got taken by the Kraken in the expansion draft and then immediately traded him back to us. Also they were besties, which started when they were a duo down in Hershey. It's also why my blog is titled "goalie best friend tandem," though it also currently applies to Darcy and Chuck who are besties. You can search the "goalie best friends" tag on my blog for cute Sammy and Vitek content. Neither of them are here anymore, but they're still friends - I remember seeing a quote Vitek gave to some Devils people talking about him and about still being friends and such.

Players you knew back from the Holtby era who are no longer with us: Lars Eller, Richard Panik (useless), Jonas Siegenthaler, Travis Boyd, Christian Djoos, Michal Kempny, Radko Gudas, Garnet Hathaway, Dmitry Orlov [don't talk to me about these last two I'm sad]

Players that played with us for multiple seasons after the Holtby era who are no longer with us this year: Justin Schultz, Conor Sheary, Daniel Sprong, Matt Irwin

COVID robbed us of our time with Brenden Dillon and I'm sad about it

We had Zdeno Chara for 1 year, and he straightup fixed Nick Jensen. Jensen was abysmal before that, then Chara was his defense partner for the whole year, and Jensen is good now. I no longer dread every time he touches the puck, I trust him. Also he has a personality now! Idk what kind of dark magic Chara used, but I will be forever thankful to him for it. 1 year of Chara absolutely 1000% worth it just for fixing Nick Jensen

We got Marcus Johansson back! :) And then we traded him again

We traded Jakub Vrana for Anthony Mantha, who is useless and unfortunately still here. He never fit in with the team vibe of "sexy idiots," he's not loud enough or slutty enough.

In March 2022 Carl Hagelin suffered a really bad eye injury during practice. I think the butt end of someone's stick got into his eye? (We were never told whose stick it was, I'm sure they have to feel absolutely terrible about it.) He's lucky he didn't lose his eye. He tried to come back, but he never played a game again after that. He was technically on the roster all of last season, but he never got into any games, and he just announced his retirement this summer. A really sad end, tbh. And RIP to the 4th line of dreams.

We were GONNA have Connor Brown for the 2022-23 season, and he was gonna play with Dylan Strome whom he's friends with and played in juniors with. But he played for like 2 games and then got hurt and was out for the season and never played for us again. I think he's in Edmonton now.

You know about goal songs, right?? I think the last year of Holtby was the first year of goal songs. I have a Spotify playlist of goal songs if you wanna check it out

There have been SO many injuries the last 3 years. 2021-22 was what I like to call the year of babies. I don't even remember who exactly was injured but there were so many injuries it necessitated the callup of SO many rookies. TWELVE rookies played that season: Martin Fehervary, Connor McMichael, Beck Malenstyn, Garrett Pilon, Hendrix Lapierre, Brett Leason, Aliaksei Protas, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Zach Fucale, Joe Snively, Alex Alexeyev, and Lucas Johansen. All of whom made their NHL debuts that season except for Fehervary, McMichael, Malenstyn, and Pilon. Of those rookies, Fehervary and McMichael were the only ones who were really supposed to make the team that season; they stuck around the whole season, while Leason and Protas played 30+ games, AJF played 20+, Snively and Malenstyn played more than 10 each, and the rest had 6 or less. It was truly the year of babies. Some of those guys aren't in the organization anymore, but I think this is the year the rest of them finally make the leap and are true full-timers. [Except for Fehervary, who already is]

More injury news: Nicky and Tom were injured for like the first half of last season. And in December, John Carlson broke his fucking face. He got hit in the face with a puck and it broke his entire face, like it was really bad, and he hardly played again. I think he came back for like the last few weeks, but tbh his injury was when the season went downhill. [I say "broke his face" but the official reports are he had a fractured skull and severed temporal artery. Yikes! He's fine now though]

Ovi just keeps breaking goal records. He got 800 goals and then passed Gordie Howe last season!!! He is now number 2 all-time in goals!! He currently has 822. Watch out, Gretzky, he's comin' for ya

Oh yeah the Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup this year!! It was absolutely epic. They played the Coachella Valley Firebirds (Kraken AHL team) in the finals, and it was an awesome finals. It went to Game 7 overtime. GAME SEVEN OVERTIME!!!!! Do you know how rare that is? It's only the 2nd time the Calder Cup Finals has gone to overtime in Game 7, with the first time being in 1953. In the NHL, it has only ever happened in the Stanley Cup Finals TWICE. EVER! By the Wings in 1950 and 1954. So the Bears won the Calder Cup in Game 7 overtime and it was exciting as FUCK. And a lot of guys who might make the Caps roster this year were on that Cup-winning team: Snively, Protas, McMichael, Malenstyn, Johansen, as well as top prospects Lapierre and Iorio. They're the oldest franchise in the AHL, and that was their 12th Calder Cup, which is the most in AHL history.

And you said to feel free to post some content so I am going to POST some CONTENT. Starting with:

✨Darcy Kuemper✨

I fucking love Darcy, so much. I've already said that I've liked him for a long time, and I'm absolutely elated to have him on the team. He won the Cup with the Avs in 2022. He is also very tall, he's 6'5", one time he hugged TJ and it made TJ look like a child. He's so sweet, and he's so dumb. He's like a giant labrador. Some of my favorite assorted Darcy things and moments include:

In one of his first interviews after signing he said he was gonna visit every museum in DC, and I'm like no you're not, Darcy, that's not possible. Our first sign that he was a big dummy

One time suplexed Matthew Tkachuk into the ice

Got a shot on goal during a game last year

The time he tried to "interview" Nick Jensen at the outdoor game practice while giggling incessantly

Here's him at NHL media day last year, featuring him kicking a soccer ball like you see in my profile pic :)

Says one of his life goals is to bring back the dinosaurs. Please see this post for the full story on that one

Is absolute BESTIES with Charlie Lindgren, the backup goalie. Like, so much so that they and their wives constantly take their dogs on walks together, the dogs are reportedly besties as well, and the Kuempers dog-sat Chuck's dog over Christmas. They also kind of have matching dogs, I'll include a picture below. Chuck also called himself and Darcy two of the "more normal goalies in the league" which is an absolute lie after the dinosaurs thing, so clearly Chuck doesn't have that many brain cells rolling around up there either. They also did THIS at media day this year. Their friendship is just so pure. You can read more about it in this article. And like, they didn't know each other before signing here. According to the article, evidently after they signed, they texted each other and then literally the scene from stepbrothers happened

And then TvR 🥰 Mine own love TvR. I adore Trevor van Riemsdyk so much. He's just got incredibly good vibes. I also have a bit more of a personal attachment to him, because he and I have the same birthday (July 24). He's a bit soft-spoken, especially compared to some of the other freaks on this team. Possibly one of the only ones with any semblance of a brain cell. He's not flashy; he's a steady-eddy defenseman, almost always on the third pair barring injuries. He's not gonna score a bunch of points, but he plays hard defensively every game (one of the reasons goalies love him), he's reliable, and he blocks SO many shots. He's also one of THE guys on the penalty kill. The penalty kill is TvR, Jensen, Fehervary, and Dowd, those are the main guys. We also officially claimed him as our own. As of this year, he will have played more years with the Caps than with anyone else, he currently has more goals, assists, and points with us than with anyone else, and after about 40 more games he will have played more games with us than with anyone else.

Also the ENTIRE team is absolutely fucking OBSESSED with him. There aren't like that many big specific things I can point to, it's just how I've noticed them treating him over the years, and how they talk about/to him and the general energy. They all love to shout "REEEEEEEEEEEEMERRRRRRRR" at any and every opportunity. And like you can just tell that every single one of them is deeply in love with him. They are all constantly tripping over themselves to give him the player of the game award in the locker room, even when other guys have a bunch of points in the game and it feels like they're the obvious choice but no they all want to give a love letter to their collective crush. The goalies especially love him. (Here's Chuck giving him the POTG, Nicky giving him the POTG, and a recounting of Sammy's love affair with him two seasons ago). The coaches also love him, sometimes too much for their own good - there have been times in the last few years when they've put TvR on the power play and in the shootout (??) when he had no business being there lol. And like I don't blame them lmao. He's grown to become a leader on the team (and occasionally gets As on his chest during preseason games and when a bunch of dudes are injured - another thing that confirms to me they're all in love with him, he got real high up on the chain of command real quick), he's super consistent (there was one game last year when there were so many injuries on D that the defense was quite literally just TvR plus a bunch of rookies - I said that day that the defense was "TvR and a dream"), and he will absolutely never put his mouthguard in his mouth. So as the year goes on, and as you watch games and social media content, just keep your eyes peeled, watch TvR, and you'll see that the entire team is so fucking horny for TvR specifically. I made this meme awhile back, which is exactly how the Caps feel about TvR:

Other miscellaneous fun facts about the team and players that I think you should know:

Our backup goalie is Charlie Lindgren, but we all call him Chuck. It suits him better, especially with his mustache. He also catches right-handed, which is different than practically every other goalie in the league. So like if you look, he and Darcy wear their catching gloves on different hands.

There are a LOT of NHL brothers on this team. Dylan Strome's older brother Ryan plays for the Ducks, and his younger brother Matt actually plays for the Hershey Bears. Trevor van Riemsdyk is also the middle child of three hockey-playing brothers: his older brother James plays for the Bruins, and younger brother Brendan doesn't play in the NHL but played college hockey. And Charlie Lindgren is the oldest of 3 hockey brothers: Andrew played college hockey but never made the NHL, and youngest brother Ryan plays for the Rangers.

Kuzy has been doing some wacky shit in the shootout the last few years, just go look it up on YouTube

Here's a video of the mentors trip this year so you can see Sonny Milano's father who is simply exactly who I envisioned him to be in my head

Nicolas Aube-Kubel (NAK), a French-Canadian fourth line winger that the Caps picked up on waivers in November last year, is Sergei Ovechkin's (Ovi's son) favorite player. We learn this in a video feature with Ovi's wife and kids (I'm including the link to this gifset from the lovely @thornescratch which is where I first saw this). The producer asks who Sergei's favorite player is, and Sergei immediately answers "Aube-Kubel." Not only is Aube-Kubel his "guy" according to Nastya, but then we also see that a selfie of Sergei and Aube-Kubel is the lock screen of Sergei's iPad. And Sergei calls Aube-Kubel his "best friend." Learning this information is such a curveball, because it's like the last person you'd expect Sergei's favorite to be. It's not somebody Russian or even European, it's not somebody old or someone who's been on the team a long time, it's not one of his dad's closer friends, and it's not even one of the stars of the team, it's a young Canadian dude who plays fourth line if he's in. Aube-Kubel must be REALLY friendly, otherwise why else would he be Sergei's favorite? You know it has to be absolutely devastating to Tom Wilson to not be Sergei's favorite lol. [I'm also convinced this is why they re-signed NAK so quick in the offseason, you HAVE to bring back Sergei's favorite player!!]

Speaking of NAK: remember how I said Beck Malenstyn was Nic Dowd's chosen winger? NAK is his OTHER chosen winger. Those two are twin shitstarters and Dowd loves them and I know he absolutely wants both of them on his line this season. They're gonna be a great 4th line. I could talk all day about Dowd and his 4th line duties, and you can ask me to do that if you want but I'm not gonna do it here

I also know everyone's zodiac sign because I'm a freak. I can also get more into that in a separate post if you want

There's probably more stuff, but this is all I can think of for now. Please feel free to ask me more stuff, I love diving into things. Stuff about the team, players, my favorites, whatever. I hope this is both informative and entertaining!

#anon #asks #washington capitals #long post #darcy kuemper #trevor van riemsdyk #charlie lindgren #evgeny kuznetsov #dylan strome #sonny milano #nicolas aube-kubel #nastya ovechkina #nastya shubskaya #john carlson #alex ovechkin #i could probably tag more guys but i'm not gonna #these are the big ones

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