#would you believe i actually pulled out a star chart for this

[papanowo]

stargazers

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Musician Age Gap AU Pt 8

"I cannot believe you told my wife your date was with *Lena Luthor*," Alex whispers mid-yell, "before you told me!"

"Would it have changed your recommendation?"

At that, Kara hears Alex pause to consider.

"No," comes the final response. Then, "Did it work?"

Kara flushes-- she'd certainly gotten the reaction she'd been looking for. She just isn't sure she wants her sister to know that they hadn't fully resolved that desire.

"Well enough," Kara returns, settling on an incomplete truth. She'd explain the rest later... eventually.

A muttered curse issues over the line. "Jesus. How did this even happen? Wait-- what happens now? Esme said her next show is in, like... 16 hours, in Denver."

Kara smiles into the phone. "We stay in touch."

She's already received a picture via text, showing Lena with a tongue-out wink and a playful peace sign. Another photo had revealed a sticky bun, with a note that Lena had gotten Jess to swing by Noonan's on the way to the airport.

Though the sight of the sticky bun had made her hungry, the selfie made her pause to absorb the image. From the relaxed tousle of Lena's wavy hair, to the ray-bans hooked on the collar of her shirt, and the luxury of the private plane lurking around the edges.... she wonders if Lena realizes just how far she's letting Kara in, allowing her to see Lena in so personal a setting.

Kara's response had been simple. "Fly safe."

It had earned her a floating heart emoji and a promise to touch base upon landing.

"That's it?" Alex asks, pulling Kara back to the present.

Kara huffs a laugh. "What did you expect? She wasn't going to cancel half a national tour for personal time with someone she only met two days ago."

"Well why not? You're worth it."

"You're only saying that because you're my sister," Kara counters. "Besides, I don't want that for her."

Seeing Lena on stage had proven it's something the woman enjoyed. She thrived on the experience of it, and so did the thousands of fans who came to see her.

Which is why, a few hours after Lena's first Denver show would have concluded, Kara is surprised to receive a call from Lena. They'd facetimed when she'd landed, so the lack of video is her first clue that something isn't right.

"Hey," Kara greets, pressing the phone to her ear as she wipes sleep from her eyes. She'd meant to stay awake to check in herself, but not even a book had been able to keep her from dozing off.

"Hey."

Lena's voice is somber. It's such a difference that a wave of concern wakes Kara the rest of the way.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

There's a short pause before Lena responds. "Nothing."

"How was the show?"

"Fine. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be calling so late. I just... I wanted to hear your voice." Lena pauses again. "Is that weird?"

"No." Kara listens closely to the quiet that follows, as though it might give her some insight into what was happening on the other end of the line. "Lena..."

"Could you... talk to me?"

"About what?"

"Anything. Just... so I can listen."

Kara's brow furrows. She fights the impulse to dig deeper, to push to find the why. She doesn't need to know. Lena has asked for what she needs-- and it's something Kara is able and willing to give.

"Did I ever tell you that I didn't always live in National City?"

Lena hums a negative, prompting Kara to continue.

"I'm actually from a town up the coast. Midvale. I miss it sometimes. The stars mostly. In high school, I had friend named Kenny, and we would take his telescope to the old barn, and we would chart the skies together..."

Kara goes on, relating many and more of the troubles she and Kenny had gotten up to in those days. She was careful to steer clear of his murder, and the bullying they'd both experienced. Lena needed distraction, not more heartache.

As she speaks, Lena hums occasionally, sometimes even giving a chuckle. When the sounds of her following along peters out, Kara pauses to listen if Lena notices the stop. When no reaction comes, Kara smiles to herself.

"Lena?" she asks softly. "Still there?"

No answer comes, but when Kara increases the volume on her phone, she can hear the steady inhale and exhale of sleep. Kara listens for a few heartbeats more.

"Sweet dreams, Lena."

[percyjavksongf]

𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬.•✵

➤𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤! 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

➤𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟏,𝟓𝟔𝟐

➤𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 )𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲), 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭, 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐨.

“𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠:

𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫

𝐘𝐨𝐮.“

𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜𐮜

You’d learnt many things since you first set foot in camp all those years ago

The Gods were real being a large one, that took you a little convincing to actually believe. You were first sat down by Groover who attempted to the best of his abilities to tell you yes they were real and no I swear we’re not just some crazy cult. It wasn’t until you finally left the infirmary and wandered around Camp Half Blood that you actually accepted it, this was your life now, child to a God. It sounded so bizarre at first, hey did you know I’m the kid of a God?, yeah totally sane sounding.

You were glad you weren’t the only person at Camp to find this all wild, you had been introduced to Percy Jackson by Groover, who figured you two were in the same boat and could lean on each other for support accepting all this. At first it was awkward, you two barely speaking a word until you offered him a piece of your crushed up candy still in your pocket from your journey here. Your friendship grew from there, both surprised to find out you grew up only a couple blocks away from each other. As you grew so did your relationship, you spent years dancing on the line of friends or lovers, both too nervous to make the first move.

You’ll never forget that day, the battle of Manhattan. It was a day you always avoided thinking about, but it creeped into your dreams and left you sitting up in bed, trying to breath in your surroundings. You weren’t there, you were safe in Camp Half-Blood

but Silena wasn’t.

You’d usually end up in tears after having yet another nightmare about her death, you had been there when she died, watching helplessly as the colour slowly drained from her face, her hand which was snugly wrapped in yours becoming cold. Clarisse had been the one to drag you from Silena’s body, shoving you to stand and telling you to get your act together, but you knew from the tears that begged to be released from her waterline that she was just trying to help, you were in a vulnerable position being there alone. Percy had found you later after Kronos had been defeated, he had turned down the offer of becoming a God. You hadn’t noticed his presence until he dropped himself down on the sidewalk next to you, wrapping an arm around your motionless frame and pulling you into his body, the only sound between the two of you being his sobs.

Guilt was a very common emotion for Demi-gods to feel.

You could spend days picking at every little action you took, every decision that ultimately resulted in the death of a friend, a sibling, someones lover. You hadn’t let yourself mourn Silena’s death for a couple of weeks, managing to convince yourself that she was just locked up in her cabin, planning the chore chart for her siblings, she always took so much pride in her work. Silena was the third person you met at camp, you two got along like a house on fire, whenever you weren’t with Percy it was guaranteed you were wandering around camp with her, laughing at some stupid joke Travis Stoll had told you earlier or listening to her gush over Charles Beckendorf.

It wasn’t until you had wondered over the strawberry fields one evening after the campfire, you had laid down and stared up at the breathtaking arrangement of stars above you, you remembered pointing out your favourites with Silena a couple of months back.

It had hit you suddenly, realising you laid on the cold earth alone and your friend would never reach a hand out to direct your line of vision to where a particularly bright star laid. Your sobs come on suddenly, ripping from your throat as you tried to breath in as much air as you could. You not sure how long you laid there until you felt someone guide you to sit up, unaware of how little air you were actually letting into your lungs, leaving you with a harsh coughing fit. The hand rubbed against your back in large circles, eventually leading your head to rest against their chest and running their fingers through your now dirt covered hair.

You stayed there for awhile tucked in this person’s lap until your sobs became quiet sniffles, you didn’t mind the position, already having a feeling who your consoler was. You lifted your head to get a look at him, his fingers still played with the ends of your hair, his eyes staring off somewhere in the distance. As if sensing your gaze, Percy’s eyes landed on you, from the frown on his face you knew you must’ve looked a state.

“I’m sorry, Percy” you had managed to get out, your throat dry from being quiet for so long. Percy shook his head quickly and gently squeezed your side where his other hand held you.

“don’t apologise” he spoke gently, moving his hand from your hair to brush off a few stray tears from your cheek. You moved your head down again to press into his tense shoulder, his own head moving to rest on top of yours.

“Percy..” you whispered, but what were you supposed to say? You hadn’t spoke to anyone about Silena since returning from the battle, it never felt like you knew the right words to explain how you felt.

“It’s alright, I know.” he had spoken into your hair, pressing a light kiss to it before turning to look back at camp once more.

After that night it had become routine to end up most evenings in Percy’s arms, or sprawled across his bed as he sat with his back against the tiled wall, somehow managing to find a slightly damaged pack of Uno cards. Those little moments brought back the first genuine smile you had in months. Sometimes your positions would change, Percy held a lot of guilt himself over the losses in Manhattan, you knew as soon as you snuck into his cabin after curfew whether it had been a good day or not, your arms opening instantly to let him in.

It got easier as the years went by, you both still had your moments, a sudden dream that brought you back to the events of that day. Which usually ended up in you knocking on Percy’s cabin door at three in the morning, to which he always brought you in and wrapped you up in his arms.

Which is were you laid now, Percy’s head tucked into your shoulder and his arms and legs through messily over your body, you stared up at the ceiling of his cabin and played with the curls in his hair absent-mindedly. Another dream had left you awake before the sun, but you hadn’t cried which was a first for you, and probably why Percy remained asleep. In your dream you had seen Silena, forever seventeen and doing her regular cabin check ups, scolding those who rooms weren’t up to standard. Your dream has changed to you staring down at her lifeless eyes, her hand slowly limping out of your grasp. You had woken shortly after, feeling yourself grip Percy’s camp shirt tighter, you must’ve both fallen asleep soon after wandering back from the campfire. You smiled, remembering how delighted you had felt watching the Apollo kids put on an amazing performance for the newer campers, landing a small grin on there faces. You turned to look over at Percy, gasping loudly when you found him already watching you, earning a small chuckle from him

“you creep” you whispered, teasingly pushing his face away from you.

“legit get out of my bed” he replied instantly, making a laugh bubbling from you which was quickly captured by Percy’s lips. You relaxed in his touch as he shuffled to lean over you, pressing you into the mattress slightly before ultimately dropping his weight on top of you, burrowing his face back into your shoulder

“Percy” you whined in protest, attempting to shove the man off of you unsuccessfully.

He hummed into the pillow, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you from under him. Once he was satisfied with your position, being tucked into his side between him and the wall, his blanket engulfing you which you let happen delightfully.

Being a demi-god was hard, it left you with lots of emotional and physical scars that might never fully heal, but it gifted you so many beautiful things too. The nightmares were a given and would never completely go away, but when you remembered that you had a camp full of people who understood and held no judgement, it made it all a bit easier. Percy’s arm hung over your chest protectively, even if you hadn’t mentioned the dream he already knew. You think back to that night with him in the strawberry field, it gets better, you think. Pressing one last kiss to Percy’s cheek you let yourself be taken once again into the world of sleep, this time having no nightmares to awaken you. You’d learnt a lot of things since joining camp all those years ago, but one lesson you had only come to believe recently,

It does gets better.

a/n: ok I legit just pulled this out of my ass lol, not sure how good this is as it only took me an hour and i haven't proof read. anyways its a sad fic which i usually steer away from but yk we're trying somthing new.

much love always 💕💕

[angelsanarchy]

Glass Houses: Jack Thurlow x Y/N Series CH 21 -> CH 22

Tagging:@roryculkinluvr@thatsthewrongwallcraig@icarus-star @cc-luvr @madamemaximoff06@shady-the-simp @quicksilversg1rl @s-0lar @kristennero-wallacewellsver@ophelialaufey @mayathepsychic1999 @x-prettyboy-x @rorylover71 @auggiethecreator @tempt-ress @blacksoul-27

Jack woke up the next day feeling lighter. He felt like the group session really helped him get some of the toxic thoughts out of his brain and all he had on his mind today was asking Y/n out on a proper date.

"Today's the day Ace. Eat up buddy because I'm going to have to drop you at home before I head out." Ace wasn't paying any attention to Jack as he was scarfing down his food. Jack made sure to clean the house up in the event Y/n actually took him up on the offer of a date. He showered and even put on cologne. He felt like he was a complete newbie, as if he never tried to go out of his way to impress anyone before. It had been a long time since he's had remotely romantic feelings for anyone who wasn't Cleo so he wasn't sure what he was doing.

He dropped Ace off at the house before stopping off and grabbing a few things with some helpful suggestions by her mom. When he walked into the clinic, there was a short older woman sitting at the desk with a huge smile.

"Hi sweetheart! Who might you be looking for?" Her nametag read Joy.

"Hi Joy, I'm looking for Y/n. I believe she's a nurse here." Joy smiled at Jack, face lighting up as she looked him up and down.

"You must be Jack Thurlow, the cute neighbor!" Once she spoke, two other women behind the desk paused.

"This is THE Jack?"

"Oh he's so much cuter than she described."

Jack couldn't help but laugh.

"I hope all the things she's told you are good things because I kind of want to ask her on a date and I'm kind nervous she'll say no." Jack explained as the three started making noises of disbelief.

"I'll fire her if she says no! She's been swooning about you forever now and we've been pushing her to ask you out since you seemed a bit...slow on the punch." Joy rolled her eyes playfully and Jack nodded.

"I've been a bit out of it lately and busy with my house renovating but I have the time to completely dedicate my attention to just her." Jack explained but before the gaggle of ladies could say more, Y/n appear from the hallway with a chart in her hand. She froze.

"Jack?" She said his name like she was scared something had happened but Joy stood up.

"Shame on you for not telling us how pretty this man is!" Joy scolded Y/n and she blushed.

"Look Y/n, he brought you flowers. You know yellow roses are a friendship flower right?" One of the other nurses spoke up.

"Yeah but she expressed they were her favorite." Jack explained earning a smile from Y/n.

"I also brought you coffee." He added holding it up. The women made noises of awe and Y/n sighed.

"Okay, that's enough. Let's get back to work ladies. I can take it from here." Y/n shooed the ladies away and Joy sat with her chin resting on her hand.

"Oh honey I work right here." She smirked as Y/n walked around the desk and pulled Jack by his elbow towards the empty waiting room.

"Sorry, I would have texted you but I wanted to surprise you." Jack held out the coffee and Y/n took it.

"I usually don't like surprises but this is a really nice one. I like this one." She sipped the coffee and closed her eyes with a sign of enjoyment. Jack had kept the receipt from when Y/n had brought him coffee just to memorize what she liked for breakfast. He thought it would be a useful thing to know if she ever stayed the night but this worked too.

"I dropped Ace at the house and your mom's day nurse said you were here covering someone's shift so I figured I would bring you a mid-day pick me up." Jack held out the flowers to her.

"These aren't from mom's garden...she'll be devastated." Y/n joked.

"Yeah well I figured having her cut me some flowers first thing in the morning wouldn't show much effort on my part." Jack laughed.

"You came all this way to brighten my day just because I let Ace stay the night?" She smirked and Jack shook his head.

"Actually, I came all this way to see if maybe you would consider having dinner with me tonight? Your mom's nurse already said she didn't mind working a double." Y/n couldn't help the grin on her face. He had gone through a lot of trouble just to ask her to dinner.

"I work until 10:00 tonight-" Joy cleared her throat catching their attention.

"I'm sure we can get you out of here by 9:15...9:30 at the latest." Joy mouthed a solid DO IT! to Y/n and Jack chuckled.

"You don't have to agree to it but you told me to wait until my head was clear and I woke up today feeling like a new person. I felt lighter and excited for the future. I also couldn't stop thinking about you." Jack stepped in closer to Y/n trying to have a somewhat private exchange with Y/n while the others watched on.

"No pressure-"

"I would love to." She smiled at him taking the flowers and holding them to her chest.

"Really? Great." Jack shoved his hands in his pockets not wanting to seem fidgety with excitement.

"I'm going to stop home and shower after work but I'll text you once I'm walking over." Y/n she put her free hand on his chest and Jack nodded in understanding.

"It's a date." He said patting her hand as it slid down his chest. He made sure to stop off at the desk before leaving.

"Joy, you're a sweetheart and my new favorite person. Never change." He grinned making Y/n laugh as he walked away. The women immediately began to bombard Y/n about Jack the moment he was out of ear shot but she wasn't paying attention to them. She was enjoying the coffee and roses that he had brought her that seemed to make her heart beat faster.

[mercurytrinemoon]

A MAGNET-LIKE RELATIONSHIP: TAYLOR SWIFT AND TRAVIS KELCE SYNASTRY ANALYSIS

Taylor Swift surprised the pop culture world once again with a new relationship, this time during a Venus retrograde as opposed to Mercury retrograde. So let's look at the requested synastry post on the pop star and her new boo, the NFL player, Travis Kelce.

I've already talked about Taylor's chart in relation to love and relationships in THIS POST if you want to check it out. When it comes to Travis, unfortunately we don't have his birth time (I know, I know) but we can at least look at aspects. He was born just 2 months before Taylor so all the generational aspects will be the same and they both share the infamous Cancer Jupiter-Capricorn Saturn opposition. Jupiter and Saturn going against each other can bring issues with faith and with feeling the sense of purpose in life, a demanding character, legal issues and having the mindset of "no pain no gain" that can lead to overworking oneself. It is a very clashy aspect to have in a natal chart and I'm wondering if it's good that they share it or actually VERY bad for them long-term because it just gets enhanced. If we strip away the lovey-dovey, some might say "shallow" personal planet synastry aspects and the Jupiter-Saturn eventually comes to the surface, this may show as disagreements in political views, worlview in general, conflicting schedules, priorities etc. On top of that, natally he has it t-squared by Sun and Mars, both in a bad shape dignity-vise. I don't know how this would relate to his love life, I guess depends on which houses these planets rule/occupy, but this can indicate that he may be someone who sometimes has to be lead by the hand (like I always see headlines that include his monther and brother in the narrative, that could be it). Or someone who switches between "I'm gonna do what is expected of me" when he's feeling virtuous and "I'm gonna go against everyone" when he's having a hissy fit. Potentially because he doesn't have a strong identity that he believes in (depends on his rising sign).

Makes sense then that he's a literal sports team player - people like him often have to work in a group where they collectively make a cohesive entity. Now a Libra can also be a great team player in a romantic relationship. He has a lovely Mercury-Venus sextile, which probably makes him very affectionate and open with his feelings, he proabably just likes the topic of love and relationships in general. Now without the exact time of birth, I don't know if his Moon is closer to squaring Mercury or sextling his Sun and Mars… Either way a heavily aspected Moon would talk about someone with strongly developed emotional side, potentially someone who can be pretty amorous and touchy. And someone with a strong sense of routine.

Okay but their synastry... Good? Bad? In between?

The first thing that pops out is his Scorpio Venus being right on top of her Scorpio rising (speculative but I'd say 95% probable) AND Scorpio Mars. Both love planets coming together in a 1° conjunction? Oooooffff! Hot. Steamy. Spicy. As well as them sharing luminaries in Sagittarius: him with his Moon and her with her Sun. Very nice, yin and yang coming together, that's a classic synastry aspect that is the base of sympathy and friendship. Both of these aspects are very alluring to one another, they're like two magnets that are pulled towards each other. With his Venus being on her ascendant as well, it's no surprise they're so showy with their affections, they also probably find each other very attractive. Both of these aspects are extremely bonding. And full of rushed actions, rapidly developed feelings and a good amount of sexual tension - this is far from being "slow and steady, let's see where this goes", it's more so "I'm yours. NOW". But also, with the support of other aspects, very harmonious emotionally and caring - Moon will cheer on the Sun and vice versa, especially in a fun and optimistic Sagittarius - this is literally becoming the cheerleader archetype that I always associate with Sagi and Jupiter. Plus, heart eyes big time.

These conjunctions are really what keeps this going as honestly there's not much besides that. Their Mercuries are in a sign-based trine, which is nice, they probably talk A LOT. Their Suns are in a sign-based sextile, on the most basic campatibility level that is very good. Her natally unaspected Aquarius Venus remains kind of unaspected, but what saves the situation is the sign-based trine to his Libra planets that fit the airy energy - a trine like this should be helpful on a more social level and the way they present themselves together to the world. We get a somewhat of a double whammy with his Mars trining her Venus within 9° orb so they have Venus-Mars aspect both ways. It should be good for the romanticism, attraction and intimate life.

The potential problem can lay in her having the upper hand here - with her Sun and his Moon, she's the one with the masculine energy. Same with her powerful domicile Mars being on top of his Venus. I guess it depends on his disposition and it may connect with his ego and drive - the energetic Sun and Mars - having low dignity in Libra. Like, is he really the type of person who can take the back seat and be lead by the other person or will he eventually start to crave some control and power, which he surely will not get standing next to 2023's Person of the Year. Or will he make up for it with his manly alpha look? (Which, interestingly, this is the first time Taylor dates someone like that, am I right? I recall her always dating soft boys lol).

But they also have another double whammy: Sun square Mercury both ways. This is v interesting. This usually shows up as differences in opinions and beliefs (which we talked about earlier) and issues around communication, schedules and everyday matters. As well as critiquing each other's opinions and routines. "That does not sit well with me and/or my worldview" is how a Mercury square Sun would talk. I feel like IF this relationship ends, it can go sour due to misunderstandings and clashing opinions.

Even visually, it's no doubt that their synastry looks wild. I guess it's the nature of both of their natal charts, which are not easy. Having natal oppositions of slower-moving planets, underlining that opposition through synastry and then coming with (seemingly) compatible Libra placements that t-square all of that. It is a tough slow burn.

I'm looking for a right word for this synastry. It's definitely not a fun, lighthearted and cheery one like the one she had with Matty. That one had a lot of Sun-Venus-Jupiter activity, which is very bright and positive. This one is very saturnian and martian. So it's kind of heavy. Bonding and fast-moving but heavy.

✨ MY ASTRO E-CALENDAR FOR 2024 AVAILABLE HERE! ✨

[celabi]

hi i miss u sm i come here everyday

okay but like when you said scummy heizou.. i got all excited CAUSE IM CURRENTLY HYPERFIXATED ON HIM RN YOU DONT UNDERSTAND HES SO PRETTY

anyway, i think rather than being a loser i think he would be someone respected by others, since yk detective stuff, but some people find him creepy BECAUSE he knows a lot. despite being popular af and maybe in student council i think he would actually try to hide his scumminess?? for self image but deep. deep down inside he loves you almost as much as scummy scara would (not AS much no one can replace our lil princess). like he knows so much about you, maybe even everything. hes sneaky too so that gives an advantage. i think he would be able to do those yandere sim rival eliminations too (matchmake, maybe even manipulate someone too) and instead of being like the og babygirl we all want to see oiled up during the "arguing to let a teacher sit with you" i believe that he HAS such a good reputation to the point he can choose the seating charts. and ohoho what do you know? your friends are on the other side of the room to "prevent you from getting distracted" but hey, at least that gacha life fallen angel sits next to you, maybe its a little embarrassing cause YOU? sit next to HIM? dont be silly. fuck it happened. and maybe if you're failing he WILL do everything to be your tutor, just to sneak a few (a lot) of pictures of you on his phone, spend time together and see what you like! <3 (not that it matters. he already knows, hes a detective he knows all your dirty secrets)

MAYBEE out of character cause its early in the morning and my head is NOT RIGHT feel free to change ANYTHING you want cause im not satisfied. anyway sorry this was long and i had to bother you with this 😭

- WITH SPECIAL LOVE TO MY FAVORITE TUMBLR BLOGGER (and cuddling under the stars partner), 🎐 anon

YES BC I WROTE THAT HES IN THE STUDENT COUNCIL WHAT 😳😳😳 liek like liek he abuses his power of a high rank and gets to do stuff like other students can’t, like pull you out off class when he feels like it, or study with you in a private area instead of the crowded library.

But just cause he’s respected, doesn’t mean he’s not scummy. Heizou is always resting his hand on the lower of your back and trailing it down until either it finally lands on your behind, or you pull away before he he has the chance to grope you. He’s so kind and gives you cold bottles of water, but spits it in, so every time you take a sip, your basically kissing tbh. He’s putting what he thinks are love letters in your locker, but they’re actually kind of disturbing from the way he tells you things that he probably shouldn’t know, like “I love how kind you are to your dog, it’s just so adorable.” Or “I see the way people are your job are quite rude to you, maybe you should quit.” It’s just kinda creepy, but he thinks he’s doing a good job.

He’s not shy like scummy scara, instead he’s more proud, and popular. People don’t shove his shoulders when he walks past, but high five, and greet him. He teases you to get a reaction, and I guarantee that whatever reaction you do give him, it’s gonna give him a boner. You look flustered after he complimented your body? Oh you just look so cute that he couldn’t help it. You look annoyed? He likes the way your eyes narrow at him, and couldn’t help it. You look mad, and walk away? Holy fuck that was so hot, and if you yelled at him, he probably would have cum a little tbh.

I really don’t know when I’ll post the proper thing I wrote, but hopefully soon. It’s gonna be long though, like 3k words and I’ve only finished heizou and slightly started xiao and Gorous 🫡

[theshippirate22]

maybe it’s because i’m a broke college student with crippling depression but i love the idea of Aziraphale meeting this broke college student who came into the shop to see if he had a cheaper version of the textbook they needed and like instantly just fell in love with them in the same sense that you realize a puppy is a part of your family or that a piece of art would not make your house home unless it’s there. So he miracles them the textbook and loans it to them free of charge and they don’t really know what to do with that so they keep insisting that there has to be something they can do in return and Aziraphale randomly comes up with some task for them to do.

but actually shocker! they end up needing a whole bunch more books throughout the year and they always go to check Aziraphale’s shop first. He’s always thrilled to see them and the same sort of exchange occurs where they request a book, he miracles it into the back room and then they perform some menial task to “pay” for it, like changing lightbulbs or dusting shelves or even once helping assemble a new shelf that had come in the mail and Aziraphale had no idea how to go about hanging it on the wall but a drill and a youtube video later it’s ready to go.

this goes on for a long time, this little charade, and “Good morning, Mr. Fell,” becomes “Hello, Aziraphale,” becomes “Azi! Are you here?” and “I’m looking for-“ becomes “Do you know anything about-“ becomes “I’ve brought coffee-“

Slowly, Aziraphale catches on that this kid has a bad relationship with their parents and a worse relationship with themselves and it’s a whole load of nonsense to reassure them frantically that they’re always welcome in the shop and really, it’s no trouble at all, and you needn’t come and “make yourself useful. sit right there, i’ll bring you some tea.”

Until eventually they’re stopping in three or four times a week to look at whatever Aziraphale’s gotten his hands on that he’s particularly excited about or to have a cuppa or to taste whatever Aziraphale’s been baking (he’s gotten loads better, they must admit) or just to be away from school/dormitory/home for a while

sometimes, Azi’s… partner… is there, usually flung about whining about something or other and drinking, and at first they believed him to be standoffish but realized quickly that it was all just a bit of a farce to get Azi to take care of him. He’s awfully good at fretting, they would know.

Crowley even helps with maths homework sometimes, when they’ve got their head face down on the desk over Calculus, and he’s quite good at it really, knows lots of things about numbers and measurements. sometimes, he says he has to know, how else could he build galaxies and nebulas the way he did? They think this is one of his dramatic bits; he’s got a few of those, but sometimes when it gets dark out, he’ll pull out a star chart and show them all the little pieces of a section, and he’ll tell them what the stars looked like when they’d first been born, describing such lurid color and beauty that sometimes… they wonder if he really does know something…

That bookshop becomes the quietest, softest, homiest place in the country and really they’re there more often now than home and seeing Azi and Crowley more often than their own father and mother and really, maybe there is no point to wanting to kill yourself because Crowley will go on his little bit about the farm and Azi will roll his eyes but assure them that actually, he’s right, hard things are ineffable but life is worth living and there’s something so sacred about falling asleep hunched over Psychology textbooks in the dim light and knowing that Azi will carry you into bed like a child (he’s says theyre a tiny little thing; even if it’s not true) and the lights will all get hazy and Crowley will put on records if gets the chance- usually something slow and low unless Azi can get Saint-Saens on first- and it’s the feeling of being loved again, with the laughter and whispers from the other room and yes, you know what? They’ll be properly good on the farm, bad days are ineffable, but life is worth living

[ozcarr]

You ever get really bored and just make up a little group of campy sci-fi guys for funzies?

Anyway, give it up for the crew of Star Cruiser 99. I made up extensive lore for them between work calls, under the cut.

When the entire captain’s annex mysteriously broke off vacation liner Star Cruiser 99, several randomly assigned emergency away teams were sent out do a perimeter of the area, one of which was headed by security officer Gillian Vega. Vega’s team strays a little too far from the 99’s charted path while exploring separated annex debris and ends up encountering some sort of space anomaly or wormhole because it’s a genre staple! They lose contact and tracking on their mothership, but find evidence of an escape pod launch from captains annex and are lead to believe the captain may be close, so they decide to continue their recovery mission — but now they’re stuck in uncharted space, the trail is running cold, and they have no way home.

Vega is smart and good at her job… but just transferred from a very human-majority quadrant of the galaxy and is still experiencing an adjustment period. She dreams of captaining her own explatory space vessel one day and thinks being the leader of the away team that recovers the captain of the 99 would fast-track her career. But as the days turn into weeks, she finds herself really growing into her small-crew-acting-captian position. And she starts to sort of hope that they don't find the captain. Which makes her feel really guilty. Which distracts her from the rest of the crew’s weird dynamics. It's a whole thing.

Nobody really gets Thomas from the security team and that's okay! He doesnt mind really. He's telepathic so he can read everyone's thoughts (excluding Killgore), but he doesn't usually comment on other people's internal monologs. Really good listener. He knows something is going on between Phoebe and Kurzweil but there’s inconsistencies in their memories and Thomas can’t really get a read what their relationship is.

Phoebe V ("V" is pronounced "Five") is an engineer and was really popular on the 99 before The Incident. She's always fiending for gossip, an has been trying to get closer to Thomas (everyone assumes it’s because she assumes he has dirt on everyone, but is it about something else?) Now that she's been stuck in close proximity with the same 4 people for weeks... she's going a little stir-crazy and everyone can tell.

Doctor Killgore is almost cartoonishly evil and nobody except Vega seems to picking up on it. He's always saying bond villain type shit, and Vega's always like "guys I think Killgore might actually be dangerous." And everyone else just brushes it off like "he's obviously joking about killing us! What, you don't think he's capable of humor or something? Wow Vega, examine your biases..."

Killgore doesn't talk about his life before the 99 which leaves Vega with a lot of questions, namely "w...why is he called that", "why would a medical droid look like that", and "who's vitals are being displayed on that heart monitor?"

Kurzweil works in passenger services and was hired at a Starbase recruitment fair 2 weeks before The Incident. He only volunteered for the away mission in hopes it would earn him some respect among his peers. Even before the mission, he was prone to accidents and he keeps putting himself in dangerous situations which almost always end in head trauma — much to Killgore's thinly-veiled delight.

His species must be extremely resilient because he's always able to walk it off after an hour of downtime in the shuttle's back medical room (albeit with some memory loss). His accidents are seemingly random but now Vega is starting to notice patterns and is beginning to think something nefarious is afoot, whether Kurzweil knows it or not.

I don’t want to fully elaborate what’s going on because… I’m starting to think this would make a fun little mystery visual novel. But I don’t currently have the skills or patience to pull that off. So I’ll just throw this on the back burner to simmer while I decide if perusing it’s worth the effort haha.

[parkminijiminie]

Let me start this by saying I love Jungkook. However, do I feel he is the best partner for JImin? No. Do I support Jiikook? yes! because Jimin sincerely loves JK, he adores the guy. In the BPD interview it was implied JK needed nudging to produce something. JK himself say it all the time. He can be lazy and he can be greedy. He was initially lazy to work but when he was nudged his "greedy" side wanted it all. From spending his Chapter watching Anime and drinking he suddenly wanted to be the biggest Popstar. I believe he is extremely busy much like how Jimin was busy during FACE production. I feel like JK can blow hot and cold when showing affection BUT I feel JM is cognizant of this trait. I believe if JM wanted JK to greet him publicly JM has enough pull for JK to do it. I hate Chapter and I hope it ends soon.

So many of you, Anons, seem to think JK isn't deserving of JM, and I have to wonder why? It seems to me it might be because so many people are disappointed in the possibility of Jikook not being together and are secretly blaming JK for it, even though we actually have no information what happened between them, (if anything happened at all), and who's fault it was.

Let's be objective here. Jungkook is gorgeous, rich, talented, he has the same interests as Jimin- music, dancing, performing, he is in the same industry as Jimin so he understands very well the downsides and risks of it. He is sensitive yet assertive. He works hard. He loves his family and is close to them. He loves animals. He has a kind heart.

Do you honestly not see why Jimin could want him? Not to mention, he has always supported Jimin through all the ups and downs they have been through. For a long time, he was the member Jimin willingly spent all his time with, the one who knew Jimin the best. Not to mention, Jimin's family loves him, which speaks a lot.

So, really, objectively speaking, why do you think JK doesn't deserve Jimin? Because he was filmed with a woman? What's the big deal if they were not together or if she was just a friend? We don't know what JM does in his personal life, too.

Is JK undeserving because of the direction of his solo work? If so, you must know there are many factors at play with his debut, and not everything is as simple as it seems. JK mentioned last year that his album would be next, that he was almost ready to go after Suga, so that means he was working on it at the time. Obviously, something happened, and the project fell through. He really was in a bad place at the beginning of the year. Maybe he was suffering from a writer's block. I also think he felt immense pressure to make and release an album before he enlisted, a successful one at that, yet it seemed he didn't have any ideas at the time.

He must have felt stuck and pressured, and the time was slowly ticking away. Then Scooter and Band came and offered him an easy way out with Seven, and he took it. Does this make me happy and proud of him? Not in the least. Do I feel slightly disappointed in his approach and direction to Chapter 2? Definitely. Just like many other people, I wanted something more personal and authentic from him, but may be he couldn't give it to us at the time. Not to mention that Bang obviously wants more success in the US, and JK seems to be the way for him to do it. I am not happy that JK cares more about charting and fame and proving himself as a pop star than actual artistry, but I also don't think that makes him an awful person. If anything, he is at least honest, because so many singers nowadays want fame and money, but would never admit it.

Jungkook is definitely not perfect. He has flaws, but so does everyone else. As a Jimin biased person, I don't think there ever will be someone truly worthy of Jimin , but I know it is not my place. That is his decision to make.

[waraxarcana]

@waxgentleman continued from here:

Hawkins was a man who appreciated people who used their brains. Cunning was, in his opinion, an invaluable quality for a pirate. Especially cunning paired with creativity. After all, anyone could become a threat when they ate a Devil Fruit like Eustass Kid's or Akainu's. It caused too many to underestimate the less overtly deadly powers like his own, or Galdino's, or even Straw Hat's.

It was why he felt compelled to speak to the former assassin. One might assume the two had been dealt bad hands by fate, being given their particular powers, but clearly, it had been destiny for such unassuming fruit to be eaten by those who could actually make the most of them. Mr. 3 rattling off the uses he found for his wax abilities was proof of that, and Hawkins found himself more and more intrigued.

"Too many fall into the trap of presuming that our powers decide our fates. They are weapons one must know how to wield properly." And while it seems you did fall into a similar trap with the Straw Hat, I would expect it's " Nodding in acceptance of the invitation to join him for tea, Hawkins followed the wax sculptor. "As for your downfall at the hands of Straw Hat...it seems even we are not immune to falling into the same trap as our enemies. But do not be ashamed at being unable to predict him - even my cards have...trouble with that one."

Pulling out said cards, he began shuffling them mindlessly as he walked. "To answer your question, my cards tell me the future, but not in as straightforward a manner as one might assume. Tarot is often open to interpretation, so my cards rarely give me a definitive future. Rather, they give me the most probable outcomes, and I make my decision based on that. If they say a battle has a 90% chance of not turning out in my favor, why should I bother putting myself at risk for the sake of honor or pride? That sort of foolishness has led to many a pirate's downfall." It was a thing so many did not understand. They believed he was a slave to the cards. That he did whatever they said and never thought for himself. No, the cards were his guide. It was no different from a navigator reading the stars and the weather and charting the best course.

And his cards had told him that meeting with Mr. 3 would give him a better chance at succeeding at his goals. Or at least would be the better option to remove a few pesky ingrates that the cards deemed would be disastrous to his plans if he went after them himself.

The things he did to appease the woman who would make him a god...

"You may ask me what you like about my powers, as I have many more about yours. And if those answers are to my liking, I may have a business proposition for you. One my cards say has an 85% chance of success in your hands."

[starcrossedyanderes]

Christmas Shopping

I know it’s been a while.. but here’s a bit of a Christmas special! I’m kinda busy with a whole lot of baking, so I just decided to release this early!

Xavier

He couldn’t believe he was out in public, wearing simply a black hoodie and sunglasses. And the hoodie up, nonetheless!

Xavier shudders at the notion but the fact is, his current attire isn’t very.. princely.

But he supposes love makes a person do crazy things.

And Xavier was far past that point.

If you ever doubt his love for you, his darling, just know he went incognito in public for you.

The occasion? Christmas shopping.

Now he obviously bought you loads of gifts but he wanted to get you something.. more personal. Something he had to go shopping for himself.

That’s what lead him to the Kate Spade store.

Today he was going to buy you your first designer bag.

This was something he wouldn’t trust any servants with. He wanted your first bag to be special. Perfect. And he had just the one in mind.

He wanted your present to be somewhat Christmassy and he believed in his spies reports on your internet searches (yes he knows everything you look up) in the past you were looking at some Kate Spade knockoffs.

So he quickly grabbed the items and walked up to the counter.

“Hello, sir, is that all for you today?”

He resigned himself to a simple nod.

“Alrighty, your total would be..”

He quickly pulled out his Centurion Amex to simply get the ordeal over with.

“Oh.. alrighty then. If I could get your signature?”

He did so in silence as well. The woman turned the screen around only to gasp at the name.

But by then he was basically out of the store.

But all the effort was worth it to see your face light up.

He got you the polar bear Kate spade bag, with matching wallet.

Avery

Avery is actually fond of Christmas since it means he can pull out the cardigans and what not. But the thing is he almost exclusively shopped online. Since he doesn’t feel comfortable going out really.

But with you guys now sharing a residence you might open up the delivery and ruin the surprise!

So he has to do something he despises. Interacting with humans. (That aren’t you, of course.)

He went into a Target for you. That’s a lot for Avery.

Now something I tend to forget about Avery is the fact that he is a major gamer. And he likes to play games with you so he wanted to get you a gift for your shared interests!

He got you a giant korok plush! (For those unaware it’s a Legend of Zelda thing)

He also might have crocheted you a lil something..

Rygel

He doesn’t really do Christmas, surprise surprise. Honestly it’s a legitmate surprise he got you anything. But his ‘Mom’ happens to be obsessed with Pinterest so made him get you something.

They just don’t have Christmas where he’s from. They don’t really do holidays in general.

For one you will definitely get a cookie box from Rygel’s ‘mom’. Like, a real nice one. (She totally didn’t just pay someone to make the whole thing.)

Rygel gets you two things. Exactly what you wanted to the exact detail. In fact something you may not have been really aware you wanted. (Don’t question his psychic abilities). His ‘mom’ also insisted on a more personal gift so he got you a star chart of the exact you 2 met. This includes the stars your planet doesn’t even know about.

Emmett

Emmett gives you his presence. He is a ghost after all. He can manipulate the air enough and play the piano and sing for you though.

[elthadriel]

writer ask meme: 13 + 29?

Hey!

13. How much planning do you do before writing?

It really depends on the length of the fic but I always do some. For shorter fics it's often bullet points of the beats I want to hit and the longer the fic the more in depth those will get. With very long stuff, <20k, the planning process is a whole thing. I make tables and charts breaking down thematic plot lines and how they relate to each other vs the driving plot.

I don't have a good one to share just now, but once I finish my big bang I might share the outline for it.

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

Have the opening 800 words from the Fox/Thorn fic that I started almost two years ago and just never seem to have the time to crawl back to.

-----

Thorn comm’d Fox about two minutes form his office, which was enough time for Fox to send a reply that Thorn would ignore, Fox to realise he was being ignored, send a second, ruder message that Thorn would also ignore, and finally resign himself to his fate.

The office wasn’t locked when Thorn arrived, and he let himself in.

“I brought you a present,” he announced, placing the bottle down on Fox’s desk, finding space between a stack of filmsi, two data pads, and five empty cups of caf. At least some of the caf looked like it had been sitting for a while and Fox hadn’t downed it all in the last couple of hours.

How much did Fox need to piss?

“You know, when a senior officer comms you, you are expected to read and obey them,” Fox drawled, somehow eyeing the bottle up suspiciously even through his helmet.

“Would you believe me if I said I didn’t understand the message?” Thorn sat in the seat across from Fox, wondering if Fox would be genuinely annoyed if he put his boots up on Fox’s desk or just pretend to be.

“You’re right, this is my fault. I forget you were trained by Alpha-31. I’ll use smaller words next time. Is asshole still too long for you?” Fox hadn't put his work down, but he had lent back in his chair and Thorn could hear the smile in his voice even if it was hidden by his helmet.

“I don’t know, Sir, maybe if you attach a picture?”

Fox snorted and Thorn beamed. Success.

“Seriously though, the drink, Fox. I had to pull rank on a whole squad of troopers to get it for you.” All he’s actually said was that Fox might like the last remaining bottle and all competitors had abruptly lost interest; they were a good bunch.

“What is it?” Fox asked, still not reaching for it.

“Not a clue, some fruit based soda. It's very popular on [planet]. The senator’s nephew gave us a crate.”

“Uh huh.”

Thorn sighed, plenty loudly enough for Fox to hear.

Fox glanced back down at his datapad and there was no way Thorn was letting that fly. He popped the seal on his helmet and pulled it off, dumping it onto the ground by. Checking Fox had looked up again he pulled the tie from his hair letting it fall around his shoulders. It probably looked awful, it had been tied up all day and was still half holding that shape.

Fox didn’t move, except a slight lift of his head and Thorn wished he’d waited until Fox had removed his own helmet.

His hair was very much not regulation and if any other CG officer tried it Fox would hold them down to shave it off himself if he had too. Thorn worked his hands through the loose curls, trying to pull his hair back into a half decent shape.

“It’s against the regs for a member of the Guard to remove his helmet while on duty—“

“Not on duty,” Thorn pointed out.

“—Or otherwise representing the Guard including but not limited to wearing other pieces of his armour or in areas under CG jurisdiction.”

Thorn rolled his eyes, a big obvious motion. Fox never mentioned his hair length though.

“Report me if you want, I know the man in charge and he’s a little bitch,” Thorn said and, stars, he could picture exactly how Fox would be smirking at the challenge.

“Need me to come over there and spank you, Commander?”

Thorn’s mouth went a little dry. He wasn’t even into that shit.

“Big talk for a man too scared to drink a soda he hasn’t heard of,” Thorn said and decided Fox would probably only pretend to be annoyed and placed one boot and then the other up onto Fox’s desk.

Fox lent back in his chair, tossing his datapad onto his desk. Thorn tallied that up as his second win.

“Thorn, the last food you brought me gave the worst shits of my life, the time before that was, according to Prayers, literally poisonous,” Fox pointed out.

“I had both just fine,” Thorn said, “It’s not my fault your delicate constitution can’t handle anything with more flavour than a purple ration bar.”

“You know that excuse won’t hold up when your dragged in front of a tribunal for murdering a superior.”

“There’s just so few chances to advance my career, sir.”

Fox snorted and rolled his shoulders in a way that suggested he’d been sitting still for far too long.

“How was I supposed to know it would make you sick? They told me it was a delicacy.” Thorn had certainly enjoyed it.

“To [aliens], sure. To humans it’s a chance to explain to your medic that trusting you doesn’t require brain damage and regular stupidity will do the job just fine.”

[vermillioncrown]

do you know who else likes horoscopes and astrology? teenage girls. it’s my very strong held belief that the girls on shinchan’s class adore him. maybe in the first week the girls sat in front if him were gossiping with each other about boys, and one of them was complaining and the other scoffs “god, i bet he’s a libra” and shinchan snorts. thus quickly making it know to the entire freshman grade girls that shinchan is without a doubt the expert on the subject. they be making star charts and calculating couple odds, planning perfect days for outings etc etc. the girl next class who plays tarot and shinchan have a Reputation, they’re revered guides and advisers. one bad word out of shinchan’s mouth will tank any boy’s chance at getting dates (not only bc of the horoscope thing but bc actually shinchan is a very sweet weirdo who has a strong moral code). between shinchan’s army of devoted girls and his biceps, and later on takao, the boys of his class maintain a very health respect for him. and that’s wo even considering his basketball mythos.

i like the vibes of most of this, but i think there's more of a western, irreverent treatment of horoscopes + superstition going on in your depiction anon.

bc i'm diaspora chinese, i can't speak for japanese culture. but it's been kinda agreed amongst a lot of my asian friends (huge demographic where i grew up) that we're all culturally superstitious.

it wouldn't be a "ugh i bet he's a libra" type remark. the girls would be worried, full discussion "idk if B-kun is compatible... he's been blah blah blah..." and her friend might pull up the latest magazine and say "what was he, again? libra? we should consult. get his blood type, too?"

and our weirdo shin-chan wouldn't be able to help but "hmph. a libra with AB-blood type is highly untrustworthy. this will not end well for you" (it's also a thing to ascribe blood typing with personality typing, too)

first girl starts whimpering and is about to burst into tears, the other girls glare at shin-chan for being so tactless

=

but it plays out as he says. turns out, 'B-kun' was double-dipping girls from different schools.

=

the reputation evolves. if you can brave the cold tsun-tsun front that is shintaro midorima's everything (having takao around to shit on him helps), catch him on a good day, he will be willing to disseminate your horoscope concerns. but this is a guy who is not direct when it comes to helping people, believes in people needing to do their best to get the best payout (so if it feels like people are using him as lazy google rather than as a genuine in-depth resource he's not helping).

he shares an unspoken mutual respect with tarot-chan in the next class over.

=

eh he might see the type of things that the girls are devoted to (re: dating and love) as a bit frivolous, but he'll acknowledge the ones that are putting their full effort into success. there's understanding that develops.

he's like the class pet lmao.

after seeing him go through death without his lucky items and takao's very real fear that the shin-chan event horizon could also threaten his life, there is a very healthy respect for everything shintaro midorima. leave him to his own happenings. he's the class cryptid. the teachers might scold him but his classmates just deal with it. the boys start jokingly (but not really,, but what if...?) asking for shin-chan's blessings on things

"i am not a priest nanodayo" >:(

they have to rearrange the class display for the school festival because shin-chan got bad vibes lol

oh yeah, the boys are more secretive about it but they also ask for his consultations on dating compatibility - this one is even funnier bc takao basically sharks them for a consultations. and uses the money to buy the two of them snacks

[jaceyneedsabetterusername]

Aliit Be Cuur

Pairings: Mando x Reader

Summary: While waiting in the hospital in Mos Pelgo after you were inured in the attack on the Krayt Dragon, Mando accidentally learns some life changing information for the both of you. You’re pregnant. 

Warnings: Description of injuries, Pregnancy, Talk about miscarriage, Mando sees a sonogram-like image of reader’s uterus while she’s unconscious, general discussion of pregnancy while reader is unconscious and unaware, made up Star Wars level medical equipment

Word Count: 2800

Read Part 2 Here!

________________________________________

Watching you lay unconscious, body littered in cuts and burns, had to be the most terrifying thing Mando had ever experienced, and that was coming from a man that had seen some horrific things in his life. It was his fault you were hurt. If only his plan to kill the Krayt Dragon had gone as it was supposed to, you wouldn’t be in this position. This was supposed to be what he was good at. Killing. Sure, he killed the dragon, but at what cost? 

When the initial plan of luring out the dragon and detonating the explosive just at his weak spot under his belly had gone south, he knew he had to think of something else. He could not leave the Mandalorian armor with Cobb Vanth. He needed it back. 

The plan to use the bantha as bait had come to him quickly but he should have known better than to not tell you what he was doing. There was just no time. Everything had happened so fast. After months of travelling together, he’d hoped that maybe by some miracle, you could read his mind and know that everything was going to be okay when he allowed the dragon to swallow him with the bantha. 

You were with the villagers and Tusken Raiders, struggling to fix the devices you’d built to throw the harpoons so you’d have a fighting chance. Being so caught up in your own tasks, sweat beading on your forehead from the heat and pressure, you hadn’t known Mando had strapped explosives to the bantha and was using it as bait. A loud screeching roar from the dragon ripped your attention away from the trying to kick a piece of wood back into place just in time to see the dragon’s mouth open, massive teeth bared, as it plunged down, straight on top of Mando and the bantha. 

You screamed in horror, running towards the beast, “MANDO!” About halfway there from your post, you whipped out your blaster and shot at the beast as it dove back into the sand. The lasers were useless and you knew that but it was the only thing you could think of to do. Your legs fumbled to a halt, the realization that Mando was really gone actually hitting you. 

But then something else hit you. 

There was a loud explosion and a wave of fire, rocks, sand, and dragon flesh hit you, throwing your body back. The last thing you saw was the wave of orange and red coming at you before everything went black. 

Just as planned, Mando had managed to escape the beast’s clutches before the explosion but suddenly regretted every decision he’d ever made when he saw the little figure of your body running towards where you assumed Mando to be. Even from dozens of feet in the air, he knew it was you. He couldn’t imagine anyone else there willing to run straight at the monster to try and save him. The bombs were sure to detonate any second but by the time he’d noticed you, it was too late. The bomb detonated with a massive wave of heat and debris. 

He watched in horror as your body flew back at least twenty feet before sliding another fifteen across the sand after the impact. Time seemed to stop around him as he jetted to you in less than a few seconds. He couldn’t breathe, fear that he had caused your death choking his airways. “Y/N!” He yelled, landing harshly on his feet right beside you before falling to his knees. You were lying face down, eyes closed. “Y/N, talk to me.” Mando looked over your body and, by some miracle, there didn’t appear to be any broken bones, at least not any that looked immediately disfiguring. With a nearly effortless nudge, he rolled your body over. Your clothes had been ripped and/ or singed in many places. Multiple large holes in your pants revealed reddening burns and blood dripping from sand scraped skin. Your shirt was torn in multiple places, the left strap of your shirt torn so severely it could barely count as a sleeve. The side of your face that was on the sand was also scraped up, thankfully not too deep, but enough to cause bleeding. 

Now the two of you were in the little hospital in Mos Pelga, along with the rest of those who'd been injured in the attack. You slept now, bandages covering large portions of you body that was now largely exposed. They had had to strip you down to your underwear to reach all the wounds but had wrapped your chest in wrappings in place of a bra for the sake of your privacy. Mando had pulled his cape over the majority of your body, knowing you'd be upset if you were to wake up practically naked in front of everyone. 

He hadn't left your side since the explosion. He carried you to the infirmary. He laid you down on the cot. He watched as both human nurses and medic droids worked to patch you up and take blood for tests. They had told Mando that they wouldn’t know anything for sure until the tests came back. Even with the bacta that they’d lathered on you, it would take time for it to work and there was a possibility for further damage that they couldn’t see on the outside. 

The child had been sleeping in his little cot, sealed up safely inside the levitating metal object. Mando had just been sitting beside you on a crate, leaning forward on his knees. This was his fault. He should have known you’d run in. He should have known that something like this could happen. 

“Mandalorian.” A robotic voice gently called for Mando’s attention. 

He looked up at the awkwardly proportioned grey medic droid who stood on the opposite side of the bed. “Is she going to be okay?” 

The droid spoke again, its body shifting unnecessarily to emphasize some of its words, “Patient 728, also known as Y/N. Female. Age: (Y/A). 2nd degree burns on the abdomen, arms, and legs. Superficial graze abrasions on the face, neck, arms, hands, abdomen, and legs. Bruising on face, back, hips, and legs. Probability of death: 7%. No damage to the fetus. Probability of miscarriage: 19%.” 

Mando found a hard time finding any solace in the words of a droid. When a young male nurse walked up beside the droid, Mando immediately turned his attention to him.

“It’s a miracle the baby survived unharmed. I’ve seen much less cause a miscarriage.” The nurse mused, flipping through the clipboard in his hands. 

Mando stood up, brows furrowed beneath the helmet, “That must be someone else’s chart.” 

The nurse flipped back to the front page, “Patient 728? Y/N L/N?” The young man confirmed.

“Yes.” 

He shook his head, “Nope, this is hers.” 

Mando gestured to you, “There must have been a mistake. She’s not pregnant.” 

The young nurse looked at the beskar helmet that he was actually slightly taller than and swallowed hard, “I’m sorry. I assumed that you were the father. If not, this is confidential information that I can’t share with you.” It was obvious that the man was afraid to stand up to a Mandalorian, surely hundreds of stories of their superior killing ability running through his head. Nonetheless, he held fast to what was right. 

Mando’s head was reeling and all he wanted was to run and take off the helmet and take actual, non-filtered breaths. Instead, he was wide eyed and silent as thoughts ran through his head a million lightyears an hour. The beskar betrayed none of his emotions. To the rest of the world, he appeared frozen, standing strong and staring right at the nurse when in reality Mando had zoned out somewhere off to the side. 

If you were pregnant, the baby had to be his. For the last few months, the two of you had had an unofficial relationship of sorts. Nothing was ever said, no official labels, but the two of you behaved like any other couple, or at least a much less touchy-feely version of one. After a night of confessions brought on by an unrelated argument, it had become an unspoken truth that you were only taken by each other. You were his riduur, no doubt, and, as far as he knew, he was yours. You would never lay with another man as long as you and Mando were together, that much he was sure of.

“If she’s pregnant, I am the father.” His voice was calm as always but he thanked the modulator for the slight distortion. If it hadn’t been there, he would have sounded shaky. 

The nurse sighed, choosing to believe him because he really didn’t see much use in lying over something like this. He flipped to the next page on his chart and walked over to stand beside Mando, pointing at some numbers that meant nothing to him. “hCG is a hormone that’s created in the placenta and is only present in pregnant women. According to her levels, I’d say she’s about eight weeks.” He paused for a moment, allowing time for the new information to sink in. “You really didn’t know?” 

“If I’d have known, I wouldn’t have let her fight the Krayt Dragon.” Mando snapped, almost angry at the mere suggestion that he would put his own child in that sort of danger. 

The nurse put his hand up in defense before continuing, “Do you think she knows?” 

Mando shook his head. He believed that you still would have jumped into battle even if you had known, at least from a distance. It was just who you were. But he really didn’t think you had any idea that you were pregnant. Mando had been trained to read people his entire life and surely such news would have brought about some change in your demeanor. Mando hadn’t noticed any change in your behavior. Besides, he would like to believe that you would have told him if you knew.

He couldn’t believe this. How were you pregnant? Okay, well he knew how you could have possibly gotten pregnant but the two of you had always tried to be as safe as you could to avoid this exact scenario. Neither of you were in a position for children, the Child being a special circumstance. Your life was full of danger and violence. How could Mando protect you for an entire nine months while pregnant and then for the rest of forever, while also protecting the Child against what felt like an entire galaxy that wanted him at any cost? 

“Do you want to see?” The nurse’s voice brought Mando back to the present and his helmet tilted in curiosity. 

“See what?” 

“The baby. I need to do a scan to ensure that it's still doing alright. You can see the fetus on the screen while you scan.” He set the clipboard at the foot of your bed and procured a moderately sized glass panel with a metal border that he’d had pinned between his arm and side while he spoke to Mando. 

With a few taps on the glass, bright blue words and images appeared. He tapped on one selection and the middle of the screen cleared, aside from a thin column on the right hand side that had stats and vitals. “See, if you put anything under this, it will show you an interior view of the body. This mode shows organs and blood vessels and stuff like that. See?” The nurse put his hand under the glass panel. The screen showed a light blue version of his hand but instead of skin and nails, it clearly showed the lines of his muscles and the veins that overlapped them clearly. 

Politely as he could, he pulled the cape that had been draped over you down just enough to expose your lower belly, stopping just above the hemline of your underwear. The only thing indicating that you were even alive at this point was the deep inhale you took, drawing both Mando’s and the nurse’s attention. It was the only time Mando hoped that you weren’t waking up. He had no idea how to explain this new situation to you. Hell, he was still having a hard time understanding it for himself. Thankfully, a deep breath was all it was though. You were still asleep. 

The nurse moved the glass panel over your lower stomach, just about where your belly button was, and the image began to form on the screen as he adjusted a few things. Mando’s helmet tilted forward as he leaned over to see the image. 

A nearly perfect view of your reproductive system appeared as a blue digital image. Mando felt uncomfortable looking at the image, feeling like he was violating you in some way. He knew he shouldn’t be looking at this without your permission but then the nurse zoomed in on your uterus to the point where the only thing that could really be seen was a little being. 

Mando’s first thought was that it looked like a little alien. There was an identifiable head that appeared to be looking down and the cord that was attached to you through its belly. The rest of the body was curled into a fetal position. 

The nurse tapped something on the screen and there was a rapid thudding sound that emanated from the device. 

“Is that the heartbeat?” Mando asked, knowing that the answer was probably obvious. For someone who was used to working under pressure, he felt like his brain was only receiving radio static. 

“Mhm, nice and strong.” The nurse said with a warm smile. He tapped a few notes onto the board and then turned it off, the blue image disappearing and the amplified heartbeat ceasing. 

Mando couldn't believe this was happening. How could you not know you were pregnant? He was no expert on the female body, aside from the basics, but weren't you supposed to be throwing up or missing periods or something? He couldn't wrap his head around how you were eight weeks along with seemingly no clue of your condition. 

"Look, I can see that clearly this was something unexpected. I don't know if this is something you want to tell her or want me to, but either way, there are some conversations you two need to have." The nurse told Mando matter-of-factly while gathering the few things he’d brought over before leaving. 

Mando shifted on his feet and reached down to pull his cape back up over your torso so you wouldn’t be cold and exposed, though it was mostly for the second reason. It was next to impossible to be cold on Tatooine, at least during the day. That was when he noticed the small, barely there bump on your lower stomach. It was such a slight variation from its normal size that he never would have noticed it had he not just learned about the life now growing inside you. It was so slight that he imagined you probably would have just attributed it to bloating perhaps, since you were unaware as well, considering all the less-than-pleasant food you both came across in your work. 

Part of him wanted to place his hands over the ever-so-slight swell of your belly, just to see if by some chance he could feel anything. Mando decided against it, shaking his helmet at himself with a heavy sigh. He would wait until you woke up and the two of you had a chance to discuss everything before he did anything relating to the baby. 

Gently, he pulled the cape back up over your body and sat down on the crate again, leaning his elbows on his knees where he sat with his thoughts for several minutes in a zoned out daze. His attention was only broken by the cooing from the Child’s metal pram. Mando tapped on the controls on his arm, opening the pram, and removing the little green baby who was now wide awake. 

“Hey, buddy.” Mando breathed out, watching as the baby stretched his arms out to you, “I know, I know. She’ll wake up soon.” 

The Child looked up at Mando sadly before snuggling down onto his lap, sitting there comfortably. The weight of such a small being had become comfortable and normal for Mando now after all this time with him. He was, by Creed, his son now. Mando was already a father. You had stepped up as a mother for the young child. So why did this feel different? 

Mando imagined the new future, assuming you had decided to stay with him and care for the baby together. He had every intention of raising the baby with you and would do whatever it took to keep the two of you safe. He loved you more than he knew was possible to love another person and the last thing he wanted was to leave. Mando hoped that, one day, you would be officially bound by riduurok. Once the Alor approved it, Mando’s clan of two would become an aliit be cuur. Clan of four. 

[uelden]

Vanity Fair interview translated

Just a side note before the actual translation; I don't know why, but instead of reporting the full questions and answers in full as she should, the journalist decided to report only summarized fragments of what Måneskin said and patch these fragments up into messy clusters. She also worded a couple phrases in a very confusing way (and yes, she's fully Italian). In short, she did quite a poor job, so the final shape of the interview is not that good. I didn't expect top-tier journalism from Vanity Fair but ffs. You'll see what I mean.

I translated it as it is, adding just a couple footnotes to give you insight on Italian pop culture references.

Translation under the cut

Måneskin: "Different from whom?"

by Lavinia Farnese, 09 June 2021

"True justice is being judged for what you do and not for what you are." The ones who are convinced of this are Damiano, Victoria, Ethan and Thomas who, by being the emblem of a generation that is finally free, refuse labels and conformism. In life, in love and on the stage. Where, maybe precisely because of this, they're winning everything

With the still unexpected (first place at Sanremo Festival) and the incredible (triumph at Eurovision) in their eyes, Måneskin are on the sofa of the house-studio they rented - to resume writing songs and rehearsing them - like you are after a won battle: lying in a calm and unreal silence, alert and a bit irreverent, happy.

In the garden there's the tennis table and the pool, the light of summer when it's starting and calming the country all around, and it filters inside from the large windows, and it goes onto the shining black of Ethan's hair, which blends with Thomas' eye shadow and the butterfly he has tattooed oh his naked forearm, which completes the picture of Victoria's golden crucifix hanging between neck and tank top and ends on the black nail polish of Damiano's stretched hands.

It's a human fresco, a Theatre of wrath [translator's note: "Teatro d'ira"] - to call it with the title of their latest album, a platinum record already - where their flaunted 20 years of age, their irregular femininity and virility are grown into proud and challenging custom, a pop glam rock generational manifesto of hard-earned liberties in a finally-unconditional expression of the self.

To watch them from any angle and from another age is to think that a great love will be born in those who'll understand: this new way of being in the world, the true and sovereign realm they hold where "diversity=exceptionality", the power of the artistic and cultural revolution of which they are healthy carriers in establishing in all lyrics and gestures the right to live according to one's own nature past the "people (who) talk, the people (who) unfortunately talk, and don't know what the fuck they're talking about." [tn: "Zitti e buoni" lyrics]

We go where we're afloat, where the air isn't gone. [tn: journalist's own variation on "Zitti e buoni" lyrics]

Miley Cyrus says hi – The numbers of a phenomenon

"The streams of Zitti e buoni are growing by the second, and they bring us above Muse, at the top of English charts, twelfth in the Spotify Global Chart. Followers almost tripled, in the post-Rotterdam period (from 1,4 to 3,3 millions, ed.) Contagious and universal folly: t-shirts and merchandising sold out in 10 minutes. Like the records, the tickets for a tour that keeps adding dates and expanding over geographic maps. They're contacting us even from some festivals were The Rolling Stones went." Thomas

"After the pretextual controversy over cocaine that France built against us, later disproven by my drug test, some graffiti popped up in Spain depicting me as a “No drugs” poster guy. Some tweets made us laugh: "Congratulations, Italy! I've never been more certain that four people have had sex with each other." Miley Cyrus started following us -You're great. -You guys are greater." Damiano

From the garage to the stars – Story of a flight

"It was only 2016, and we played in restaurants, in the streets, in via del Corso. Damiano without even a microphone, Thomas' guitar with wonky strings, Ethan was drumming on a cajón. During Rome highschools' sit-ins (Kennedy, Virgilio, Mamiani) we had our first confirmations and half-hours of celebrity, playing among those who criticized us and those who went "wow they're really cool." One of the rare times when they would have paid us – 50 euros each – we gave the money to the next band in the lineup so that they would make us play in their spot, later in the day, when there would have been more people. We had already realized how things worked. Visibility mattered more than money. And we still think that." Victoria

The intimacy of rock – Choice of a genre

"Music allows us the miracle of extending to others some very personal and private topics, sometimes even difficult and thorny ones. They are and they remain deeply your own, but at the same time they become a confession that reaches a wider audience, and in this passage that is alike a delivery, they find a place in you as well, a processing of them. You overcome them, you accept them. One second it's something aggressive, the next it's a ballad. Cathartic». Damiano

Against panic – The stage as therapy

"I've suffered a lot from anxiety and panic attacks, it's an issue I've worked on thanks to a psychotherapy course, my friends and my family. Playing helped me in not letting myself be paralyzed by my fears, not making myself limited in my private and professional life. I've learned to accept, to live with this side of myself. I don't hide it. I don't feel ashamed of it." Victoria

Analysis as necessity – Relying on someone saves you

"This belief that only madmen go to the psychologist is a widespread ignorance. No-one's born learned. [tn: common Italian saying] And it's often hard to understand the very reason why we're here, let alone the origin and direction of our desires. It's a long and legitimate journey towards lucidity, a kind of backing to become transparent." Damiano

Being out of our minds – But different from them [tn: "Zitti e buoni" lyrics]

"When you feel a strong passion towards something that is not a canonical job but an artistic language, that already puts you on a level of anomaly, which is not superior or inferior to other people, but it puts you in the position of the one who breaks the mold and also works at a loss, the one who sustains great risks while trying to do something that who knows if it will take you anywhere. "Why do it if it doesn't pay?". You want to give this dream of yours an aesthetic, but it becomes "You're dressing so weird! You must be gay!" - now that I'm 22 I laugh about it, but when I was 17 it had an effect on me, too." Damiano

The beauty of uniqueness – Of believing in it and defending it

"And I mean, at the end of the day if we're all different it's not because we want be alternative but because, really, no-one is the same. Justice is being judged on what you do and not what you are. Justice is equality, respect, beauty." Ethan

Fluid sexuality – Pride is freedom

"Heels for men that like themselves in them, kisses among ourselves, we have an open, extended mind, and we're proud of it. The horizons become vast, past the oppression of conservative families. With the information on the web knowledge becomes greater and with it the possibility that minorities will be less and less minorities, because the majority will be less of a majority. This way we'll make insults and bullying grow quieter. If social media get to a village of 50 souls and reveal to a girl who's afraid of the dark that someone has felt her same fear, then there's no reason to give a name to that fear, to mark it with labels which also limit and restrict. Definitions always had this effect on me. You shouldn't even consider the gender when judging someone, let alone their orientation." Victoria

Sexism – A culture to be dismantled

"Emma [tn: Emma Marrone, Italian singer] drops the bomb: “At Eurovision when I was there they massacred me for a pair of shorts, while they said nothing to Damiano – bare-chested and in heels.” The easy judgment against women is more fierce, constant, debasing (if I have a lot of sex I'm cool while Vic is a whore, where I show myself strong I'm a leader while Vic is despotic and a pain in the ass who reached success because she's hot.) As a male I'm privileged, the abuse I get is not comparable to those a woman has to live through, the comments over my aesthetic are centered only on my aesthetic and don't insinuate anything about my professionalism and my competence, while women are victims of this kind of thought in a systematic way. It happened though to find myself standing with a woman who while pulling me to herself to take a selfie, started licking my face out of the blue... I mean, what the hell do you want? Who asked you? Consent exists, and it's due." Damiano

Grow yourself – The only commandment

"To me conformism is the opposite of education [tn: could also mean "politeness"] and is the asphyxia of expression. I fortunately never endured heavy bullying, heavy enough for the the judgement of others to change me. But the mold of the small crumbs of bullying I got and of the kind of aggression that scars is the same. If I'm a kid who dances and likes dolls you have to let me do what I like. I was a kid who wanted to keep his hair long and played with Barbie. As a teen, my friends looked at my hair: " You have to find a girl with short hair to be at your side." My grandparents took away my dolls: "Stop it, they're not for you." Ethan

"When I was six I was already sick of them, the distinctions between masculine and feminine. I've always had strong ideas about how I wanted to be. I refused things that were typically defined as girly, and all around me they mocked me because I went skateboarding, I played soccer, I didn't wear skirts, I was giving myself the chance to be as I wished. I endured it a little, I suffered a little, but I had courage, and now thanks to that courage I know that I could have gotten even much more hurt, otherwise I would have left to others the most important choice: the one about myself." Victoria

Love in progress – Music, girlfriends

"I've been married to music for the last 20 years. I can't wait to celebrate our golden wedding anniversary." Ethan

"Everyone makes their own experiences, sometimes it goes well, sometimes it goes wrong, but it's always not anybody's business." Thomas

"When I first felt feelings and attraction towards a girl it was a bit disorienting because I had never had the courage of going beyond the limitations I had put for myself. For society being heterosexual is the norm and so you often define yourself in that way automatically, depriving yourself of the freedom to live many shades and faces of love. Once I overcame the initial insecurity of having to call into question my certainties I've lived my sexuality in a very natural and free way, as it should be for everyone." Victoria

"I had paparazzi at my door every day and night. So, after four years of relationship, I revealed her name. I still have paparazzi at my door every day and nigh, but at least I don't have to hide anything anymore." Damiano

The worth of the group – Phenomenology of protection

"The true engagement though, the true family is among ourselves, our band. We've believed in it since day zero, even before we called ourselves Måneskin (Moonlight in Danish), even before Ethan drew a giant moon on the flier for the first concert we ever did. We share everything, even the pain for the tragedy of Seid Visin, who committed suicide at 20 because of racism. [tn: I think the journalist asked them their opinion about Seid Visin's death, which was a current events topic in Italy, and then pasted it syntaxically in the middle of Thomas' answer, which was not a great move] A group is what we all should be: stay united and not back down an inch in the face of oppression that is generated by a distorted view of diversity." Thomas

I'm not of the right age – Like Gigliola [tn: Gigliola Cinquetti won Eurovision with her song "Non ho l'età", which means "I'm not of the right age"]

"Before you the only one who won both Sanremo and Eurovision on the same year was Cinquetti (1964). If there's anything I feel I'm not of the right age for? No, honestly no. Maybe having children. Regarding children I'll be honest: I'm not of the right age." Damiano

Having touched the sky – The fears that remain

"We're more than inside the dream, we're in the conquered dream. When you fly high there's the risk of plummeting and hurting yourself, but we'll work hard not to end up like Icarus, who burns his wings with the sun. Everything is in our hands. And this - a bit pretentiously - reassures us rather than scaring us." Damiano

[byulsgrease]

if you arent too busy, can you write a idol!hwasa x idol!reader, wherein they both have to practice with each other for a special stage. However on the first meeting they become starstruck and cant believe somethings are real, but soon warm up to each other?

i'm not terribly busy but this still took a while anyway oops - sorry this took so long anon! here you go :D

if anyone has requests for the other members hmu cuz I've got 2 more hyejin reqs after this one (not that I'm complaining)

"who says we can't do something on our own?"

(hwasa x idol!reader, ~1.2k words)

cw: food + alcohol mention (y'all know how it is)

I named someone Minjeong - it's not Aespa's Winter, idk anything about 4th gen gg's - 민정 is my Korean name so it's just what came to mind

"Hey, wake up. You've gotta see this. GET UP," a voice piercing through the fog of your sleep.

What a rude awakening. Your shoulders being shaken vigorously by a pair of small hands meant they belonged to none other than Minjeong, your youngest group member. You rolled over to glare menacingly at her with one eye open, trying to pull your brain out of the slumber. All you could see was the bright light of her phone shining in your eyes - a video of some kind. But then you heard the audio:

"Have you seen the clip?" asked the interviewer.

"Yes, my members and many MooMoos made sure I saw it"— Moos? Oh, it's Hwasa. WAIT. Both your eyes flew open as you sat up and snatched Jeongie's phone out of her hand to stare at the video. Your mind immediately flashed back to the interview you did last week - they asked who you most wanted to collaborate with, if there were no limitations. Your ears started to heat up at the sheer thought of the flustered mess of an answer you gave - of course you said Hwasa. Both of you debuted relatively close to each other, within a year, but never interacted much over the years. Mamamoo as a group was a force to be reckoned with, but there was just something about Hwasa specifically. You mostly just admired her unique singing voice and undeniable stage presence, and her relentless drive to always be herself in an industry constantly trying to fit women into a box.

Finally snapping out of re-living that embarrassment, your attention turned back to the phone in your hand. The interviewer must've asked her to send a message in response to you, because you couldn't believe that she was waving and saying, "How haven't we gotten to know each other better over all these years? I'd love to work with you on something sometime," curtly dipping her head in a slight bow.

"SEE? You needed to see that," Minjeong rushed to say, full of energy. "And close your mouth, your jaw's on the floor," jokingly pointing.

You side-eyed her and shut your mouth. "Is this what Loco felt like when she called him during Hyena on the Keyboard?" you wondered aloud.

"At least she's not calling you while on camera," she commented, knowing full well that you'd probably embarrass yourself again if she did. "But hey, at least she noticed you! Can I have my phone back now?" It would be a dream come true to collaborate with her, but cross-company collabs... always a pain. that couldn't be helped. The fantasy abruptly ended with demands from your rumbling stomach. Done with your what-if's, you placed the phone back in your maknae's outstretched hand to get up and make breakfast.

~~~~

With award show season rolling around, the crazy scramble of rehearsing for special live stages without leaking sets and collabs began. Checking your email that morning showed a schedule to record the backing track for a special live stage, but that was it. With who? You texted your members a screenshot, but they all told you that block of time in their schedule was empty. A solo stage? The solo mini-album you released this cycle did relatively well, the title track got a music show win, but not a multi-week chart-topper by any means. Possibilities turning over in your mind, you stepped out from your place to head to the company, totally in the dark about what was in store.

The recording studio always smelled the same along with the couches, a comfort for all the insanely long nights and crack-of-dawn early mornings over the years. With a bit of time to kill, you plopped down on one and gingerly patted the worn cushions as some kind of symbolic thank-you for supporting you (literally).

A hesitant but loud knock sent your gaze directly to the door. Watching it slowly open, you leaned forward to see who it was. Needless to say, your jaw fell to the floor again as you clapped a hand over your gaping mouth, eyes widening. Like a soldier obeying a command, you immediately stood up as straight as possible and bowed profusely at Hwasa, sporting a very similar expression on her face (which you failed to notice, your mind running a million miles a minute).

After a series of frantic bows and miscellaneous utterances to each other, she spoke. "It's nice to finally meet you," she said with calm, surveying your frenzied state. "I guess we're granting that collab wish from your interview, huh?"

The red-hot embarrassment leapt to your face. "I...I definitely made a fool of myself answering that question. And our maknae showed me your interview clip too, which was cool, but never did I think it would actually happen," you stammered. I should probably stop talking.

"Well, here I am," she half-smiled coolly. "Let's get started, I'm really looking forward to finally work with you on this," a gleam in her eye and a hint of excitement in her voice.

The studio suddenly felt a lot smaller with her in it, despite there only being your managers, the producer, and the both of you - less people than you and your members alone. Both of you remained relatively quiet the whole time, rather unsure of what to say or talk about. You watched enough MMMTV to know that all the members on their own were shyer than together, and Hwasa knew the same was true for you. But the work basically took care of itself, seamlessly taking turns in the recording booth, witnessing each other's work style and process. The both of you knew your way in front of a mic, seasoned professionals by now. Upon wrapping up, you bowed politely to each other after a quick exchange of KaTalk info, a short and sweet goodbye.

That was... anticlimactic. I mean, it's finally happening - I can't believe it. But maybe I was too idealistic about maybe creating a meaningful relationship with her outside of work... What does she think of me?

~~~~

In the days leading up to the collab stage, you kept going back and forth on whether to reach out or not, despite now being in possession of her contact info. What would you even say? Thoughts of a witty one-liner or relatable meme came to mind, but maybe she'd assume the worst - that you were clout-chasing, or something. Anxieties abuzz, your phone vibrated in your pocket. The KaTalk notification sprawled across your screen. Speak of the devil, it's her.

"Hey, awards season has me stressed. I know you must pretty busy right now too, but I somehow get off early tomorrow if you wanna grab dinner after work?" You had to reread that one. Oh, what? She's inviting me?

Trying not to be weird about responding too quickly, you typed out, "Wow, yeah, that sounds great! ^^ wait, your company doesn't care about you going out to eat during award season?"

"nah, they stopped having that kind of control over us a while ago, we are the money-maker of the company, after all 😏"

"so I guess this means they don't check your phone either ㅋㅋㅋ"

"nope :)"

You proceeded to set a time and place to meet, someplace with meat.

In the process of feasting on an inordinate amount of gopchang imbued with a splash of beer, you learned a fair amount about each other. You talked career, professional aspirations, the weird habits of your members, and more. What surprised you most was the amount of things she already knew about you, having admitted to watching some of your behind-the-scenes content after seeing your interview clip.

"Ah... I'm sorry if I came across as distant during that first recording session," she confessed, pausing to sip her beer. "I honestly didn't know what to do with myself, I felt a little star-struck."

"Oh what?? I felt the exact same, so no worries - and sorry if I came off similarly distant," you rambled back. A bit of silence fell between you, acknowledging the mutual sentiment. You spoke up after a bit, "Thanks for inviting me out tonight, I didn't realize how much I needed this."

"Thank you for making the time, I had fun getting to know you better," she articulated with a smile. "Maybe it'll make the collab stage better," she added on jokingly. You responded with a nod and expression of mutual affirmation.

~~~~

After that, messaging each other became a regular occurrence, that gopchang outing having broken the ice. Honestly, you tried your best to talk about anything besides work, but the baseline of shared understanding connected you in a way that came more naturally than it did with your non idol friends.

You stood across the way from her at the sound check for the final stage, dressed in joggers and slides. Funny to think that you'd be recording this for real in a couple hours, making eyes with the blinking red light on the cameras surrounding you. It sucks that fans wouldn't get to experience the energy and atmosphere of the performance - Hyejin alone is one thing, but adding someone else into her stage presence? Unmatched. There's nothing quite like a live performance - and while you knew everyone in the industry dealt with the consequences of the pandemic, it certainly took a toll to perform and not feel the energy from fans. But realistically, nothing you could do about it. The sound check went over smooth like butter. The stage chemistry came flowing naturally between you both, even when bare-faced and dressed in just sweats.

And when the time came for the actual filming, you both absolutely killed it, an upbeat mash-up of TWIT and your title track. At the very end came a sliver of hesitation before throwing your arms around each other with a big smile for the ending fairy, proud of the work you accomplished together, and a mental fist-pump to yourself for making friends with one of the industry's finest.

Once again walking to a restaurant that served mostly meat to celebrate, you playfully proposed, "We... should do that again sometime." A little puff of air came out her nose in amusement.

"Yeah, we should. Too bad we're gonna have to wait a whole cycle before we can release anything else together again," she sighed longingly.

"Who says we can't do something on our own?"