#I’m 99% sure that I’m the only one who sees this comparison

[mazzystar24]

Hear me out:

Evan “Buck” Buckley 🤝 Meredith grey:

Both being reckless and acting like they are expendable under the guise of helping people, and this self destructive behaviour is caused by their parents traumatising them and making them think they don’t matter

Both miraculously surviving a billion different near death or actual death experiences

Both having a scene where they consider giving up but the people they love help them

Both having a “slut phase” + being called out on it + when they develop in the later seasons they make reference to “the old Meredith” or “Buck 1.0”

Both with have a pseudo-father who is their work superior (captain/chief of surgery) + the entire found family trope in both shows

Both have secret siblings they didn’t know about

Both have shitty parents who both used their traumas to justify being shitty parents to them

[alyona11]

Ok time for my big Hadestown hot take and that’s that West End Hadestown doesn’t give you a 100% Hadestown experience. It’s still ridiculously good and 100% worth seeing, don’t get me wrong (I used my opportunity and saw it twice and will likely see it again if I’m in London), but it kinda made me realise a couple of things about OBC production that will always be my Roman Empire and make me deeply upset Broadway is too greedy to give us an OBC proshot.

So, here are some of my thoughts and reflections based on seeing Hadestown live on West End + seeing different versions (including London National theatre proshot) in boots. I think you can pretty solidly say that in Hadestown there are 2 main stories: Orpheus/Eurydice and Hades/Persephone. And even though arguably Orphedice is the main most important story, it my opinion it also wins from Hadesphone story being strong. Which works perfectly in OBC due to Amber Gray and Patrick Page delivering a very deep nuanced performances as their characters.

I think part of the success of Hadestown when it works on its fullest is how it creates a very deep emotional journey. And I feel that regardless which pair of Orpheus and Eurydice you have (if we take Broadway/tour/West End take on the characters) it’ll still work! Like you need to try really hard to mess up orphedice the way people wouldn’t root for Orpheus or wouldn’t empathise with Eurydice because they are so relatable and cute. You instantly love them, they are so so lovable. So orphedice part is one thing in Hadestown that imo works if not always then in 99% of the cases.

Hades and Persephone’s part of the story in the contrary is VERY hard to nail on 100%, in my opinion, and this is literally driving me crazy. Maybe seeing Amber Gray and Patrick page in professional recording awoken some feelings in me, I don’t know. I will state straight away that I also do enjoy other actors’ takes on characters and I do see some very interesting character moments there and there. However, I keep returning to the thought that Amber/Patrick’s characterisation works SO WELL for the main narrative. I’ll try to explain why I think so. Consider it my love letter to the OBC.

First and foremost, I feel like Hadesphone story has a very fine dynamic that the actors have to nail, so you would feel that: 1) these two still love each other; 2) these two are buried under their problems and see no way out, only a miracle (aka Orpheus and his song) can save their marriage.

And if the first one usually works at least due to Epic 3, the second one, imo, often (at least partially) falls victim to acting/directing choices which can cause troubles with point 1 as well. I think one big thing I’ve noticed is that often Persephone’s alcoholism gets forgotten in the acting performance. Like yeah sure her choreography includes drinking from a flask but in comparison to Amber you never get a feeling that she is absolutely wasted. Which, is in my opinion something that you should feel when you’re watching the show and something I was constantly forgetting about when I was watching the show on West End. I feel in Amber’s performance you can constantly see that her Persephone’s feel good attitude is a façade of a broken person who knows that her marriage is going to hell in front of her eyes yet she is too passive and hopeless to try to make an active change (well, she does try in Chant and nothing happens), so her only way is to chase the sense of normality that the “medicine” gives her. But when she is alone, if you get to catch a moment when people are not looking at her, you can see a deep sadness under her positive front and her memory of the old days when everything was more simple. Nevertheless, the main point that the lyrics literally say is that Persephone is blinded by the river of wine. And this is crucial to her character and her relationship with Hades because the story states that even though Hades is a problem and he is an active actor in creating more problems, he is not the only failure in this relationship. Persephone needs to be woken up from her apathy almost as much as Hades does and this is something that we see during If It’s True.

From Hades’ side I feel like it’s not a good decision to make him a total villain because when he is irredeemable you don’t feel like the whole “song that will fix the world” has any chance of working long term. I think Patrick nailed a deep antagonist very well. His Hades is weird and lowkey creepy and alien. He does objectively bad things but when you look at him you can’t stop thinking that he doesn’t operate in regular human logic or morality. When I look at him in Chant, it feels to me that his words about building stuff to impress Persephone are absolutely sincere, and I can absolutely see that his Hades doesn’t understand why she is so upset about it when his intentions are so so clear. Maybe it’s my vision but even before Epic 3 when he is so far gone and buried in his projects and messed up ideas I don’t have a single doubt that Persephone is a single motivator and goal of Patrick Hades’ life and that he literally doesn’t need any other being to care about. And tragically this fixation is what makes him blind to all other things he does even if those things ruin Persephone’s life (and other people’s but tbh I don’t think he cares).

I feel like by removing Persephone’s Chant 2 verse Hadestown created more problems for Hades and Persephone part of the story making it a much harder job for the actors to prove to the audience that Hades and Persephone have a chance to make their relationship work. Like I get that maybe it was a necessary things to do (even though I think the show is much better with it) but it made it so much harder to empathise with this particular part of the story unless the actors use the choices that work in the narrative. Because for example when I was watching the show on West End part of me was wondering “what is Persephone’s deal in all of that, what does she win by staying with Hades?” With the verse, and with Broadway Previews or London 2018 in particular this part was clear: Persephone still loves Hades and believes that he has the opportunity to change and become a better man he used to be. Without the verse, however, the actors should give you the same idea during the show which is a hard task considering Hades and Persephone have only 2 big conversations together (Chant and How Long). So apart from those songs there are only subtle mostly silent moments they get together through which the actors have to convey the same thought which is hella difficult and probably hardly will be appreciated by anyone apart from the people who sit closely.

So, maybe because in the actor combo I saw (Zachary and Lauren), I got a feeling that even though they were great separately, I didn’t feel much chemistry between them as a pair. I think, Persephone seemed pissed and tired of Hades all the time until How Long and I didn’t feel that she still believes in his willingness to change. And Zach Hades despite being entertaining, kinda gives the impression of Hades who has other options, he is not into Persephone enough. The only sparkle appears between the two in Epic III which is still cute but I’m not sure if it works just as well if that’s the first time you see the show? Also considering Zach Hades gives more malicious intent in His Kiss, The Riot it seems that he is not even slightly interested in Orpheus having any opportunity to succeed with his quest. Which is not bad, don’t get me wrong! But in comparison to Patrick who is deeply self projecting into Orpheus to the point where you could see that even though he doesn’t want to let him go, part of him does because it would prove he too could succeed in his challenge of waiting for Persephone, this take seems a bit lacking. And overall because of His Kiss, their promise in Wait For Me doesn’t seem as giving much hope that the story won’t repeat itself next Sunday. Which in its turn makes Orpheus’ sacrifice feel a bit… worthless. If on Broadway, when Orpheus turns, but spring comes again you feel like it is the start of something new: hopefully a kinder and softer time. On West End the show also wants you to feel it but when you think about Hades and Persephone you feel…less certainty that this sacrifice will have a long term effect?

I guess the creators wanted to concentrate on Orpheus and Eurydice more and forget about Hades and Persephone by making them more secondary story or maybe there was a lack of director’s involvement to give the cast some hints on how to make this particular part of the story work better, but it feels to me that in its current state the show works in its 85% power which is still great but once you know there is something missing you can’t stop thinking about it and wishing the show would give you those 15% you crave.

[missxfaithc]

Okay I gotta bone to pick with Markiplier about something.

In his livestream breakdown for WKM, way back when, he made a big deal of saying how if something wasn’t expressly stated in the story, then it wasn’t canon. Like, even if he verbally said it later on, it still wouldn’t technically be canon, unless the story itself was added onto to reflect as much.

But then, by the time ISWM came around, he added in a bunch of cryptic shit to fuck with the fans and when people naturally began to theorize and be like “ohhh I see some plainly laid out connections here between this scene/character/line and something in WKM” he was just like “nahhhh none of that shit means anything. You’re looking too much into it”.

Like… bruh. You were the one who told us that the only things that mattered were the things actually stated in the story itself. Like, he made the conscious decision to put parallels in the story between some of Engineer Mark’s decisions/lines and some of the things Damien said in WKM. The same thing goes for the parallels between Mrs. Whitacre (or however you spell her name) and Celine.

People also pointed out, at the time, how Engineer Mark’s whole speech at the end to the Captain about how tired he was, and how sorry he was could be representative of Actor Mark finally taking accountability for his actions in WKM.

But then Mark was just like “nope. They’re two completely different people. ISWM is a completely different story from the WKM thing with completely different characters. Actor Mark isn’t a part of this… except maybe he is”.

Like ??? 😩😩😩

Please, Mark, just give us something. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t simultaneously say that “only the things in the actual story are canon” and “I just added that shit in there to fuck with people”. Those two statements severely contradict each other.

Unless he changed his mind and that’s no longer how he wants us to view these stories??? I guess???

Idk, fam. This is no shade to Mark. I just find it kind of funny in a weird way and also kind of frustrating.

The way I see it, there are 2 ways to look at the Markiverse. You can examine the stories themselves on their own and draw your own conclusions thusly. Or you can listen to Mark’s explanations and get the version of the story that he either intended or wanted, regardless of whether the content itself expresses as much.

Again, this isn’t me criticizing Mark (well, mostly 😂). I just love the universe (multiverse, I suppose now) he’s created so much, and I love discussing it and theorizing about it. I just find it interesting how different a story’s content can be sometimes in comparison to how its creator views that story, and what message they want people to take from it versus what message it’s actually sending.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that at one point during the livestream breakdown for ISWM, I’m like 99% sure Mark said something along the lines of “yeah this story isn’t connected to WKM at all” and then like before the end of the stream he also said “I’m sure I’ll get back to finishing that story eventually” (in reference to everything that got started in WKM). So like…??? Which is it? Are the character arcs started in WKM actually finished or not? My man’s out here changing the rules on us again during the SAME livestream.

Also I saw someone in my replies mention those godforsaken masks that came from WMLW and yet to this day have never gotten an explanation. Mark E. Plier, Sir, please… I am begging you 😩 just put us out of our misery and give us SOMETHING we can work with.

[stanathanxoox]

Don't Want To Make A Mistake

gif is mine

Thank you to @creativepromptsforwritingting for these prompts; Twenty-Fourth Day of Gift-Giving: Twenty-Four Touches. There will be more of these fics to come as they are a work in progress but I hope you like what I have so far

Stanathanxoox

Softly getting hold of the other’s hand, afraid to make a mistake – Emmett Cullen x reader

There Y/N lay in the bed, her pale skin looking stark white against the starched sheets. He sighed, it was his fault she was in here, his fault that his best friend had been in that accident. He hadn’t been quick enough to stop the vehicle from colliding with her but he had been quick enough to stop it from ploughing into three other people, three other people who would walk away with nothing more than a broken arm or a mild concussion. But Y/N, she had taken the full brunt of the crash, a couple of broken ribs, a completely shattered femur and spine, Carlisle had said that there was the potential for internal bleeding as well as her being paralysed and that was only the damage that he could see with his machines and not what he could observe from her whilst she was conscious. When you’d rushed her to the house, she was unconscious but she was still breathing but it was shallow and weak at the time, he’d given you the choice change her or let her die. To you the choice had been easy, there was no reason why you wouldn’t chose to save her if you could, she was your best friend, she had no family, she was an orphan, had been for years and you were essentially the only person she had left.

As you sat by her bedside, waiting in vigil for the transition to take hold, you gently reached out for Y/N’s hand, her small feminine hand looking almost silly in your gigantic teddy bear ones. But as you hold her hand you worry that you might hurt her, do something that might harm her whilst she transitions even though you know that isn’t the case.

“Y/N should be waking up soon Emmett” Alice whispers as she makes her way to your side and you smile, gently looking up to give her a nod of appreciation. You knew out of the members of your family there were those like Alice and Carlisle who were going to be truly supportive of Y/N joining the coven, but then there was the others who were more apprehensive to her joining, not just because of the Volturi but because they were unsure what that would do to you and Rosalie’s relationship and no matter how many times you promised them that nothing would change your feelings towards either of them Edward and Jasper were being very cautious. It frustrated you but you guessed if you were in a more stable mind you could see their concern for what it was.

The air shifts and then suddenly she’s sitting bolt upright and you breath a sigh of relief

“Y/N” you whisper as you see her awake for the first time in three days.

“Emmett?” she asks, her bright red gaze turning to yours and she raises an eyebrow

“The crash?” she asks and you frown

“You were the only one who was severely injured, the others walked away with very minor injuries in comparison. I’m sorry that I had to make this choice for you” you say guiltily and she reaches out cupping your chin in her palm

“Don’t be sorry Em, you made the choice you felt was right given the circumstances and you gave me the chance at a family, at a life with brothers and sisters and the semblance of a mother and father” she says gently and you smile, what you were sure would’ve been a watery smile if you were still truly human.

“I’m glad you think so Y/N, now I think there is something we need to do before anything else” you say and she nods, gulping as if she’d suddenly just realised the searing pain in her throat.

“Let’s hunt” she says excitedly and you chuckle

“Yes lets!” you say.

Tag List: @tiva-jenry-caskett-rizzles-densi​, @jimmybpride​, @dressed-just-like-z1ggy, @nikkiwierden​, @samchelforever007​, @kirkspockbones​, @xoncisxncislaxncisnolaox​, @lasalle-pride-sebastian-love​, @haliannej​, @brooklyn-99-amyxjake​​, @mizzezm​, @genius2050​, @twilight-twihard​, @cullencoven2019​, @wxlfgirlx​, @luciferxchloeislove​, @drethanramsey-ismybabe​, @sawyer-oakley-is-mighty-fine​, @loverofoneshots​, @aelin-thefirebreathingbitchqueen​​

Tag List for Twilight: @jasper-babyxx

[waywardstation]

Regarding the ask about seeing Ingo as a father figure:

At first I was surprised by that comment in the tags. I know you see him more of an uncle than anything but I still was a bit surprised.

But then it hit me. Ingo himself is more of a big brother type personality wise. A father figure and a big brother figure have a lot of things overlapping but also there are certain things different.

You could say that the closest to compare Ingo's and Akaris relationship to each other would be the fictional relationship the twins have with Iris. Technically they can be considered big brothers to her but given the age gap they're more like 'uncles' than anything. Very close but not as strong as Ingo and Emmet. It is supportive, protective and a bit mischievous and always willing to help and everything. (though the mischievous part is currently buried somewhat because of Ingo's lost memories and given the whole situation they're in he is more of a victim of mischief than doing it himself)

so while I do believe there is a familial bond between them there likely are more like biiiig sibling young sibling or the mentioned uncle/niece kind of thing.

I also think that if Akari would consider Ingo more like a parent she would be less eager to prank him tbh.

Found family as well as caught in another place/another time far away from loved ones. Two souls able to understand each other and their struggles.

of course all these depictions are valid and fun!

Honestly their bond is really fun to explore and you've created so many great fics so far with many still in the making! Also thankful for the lack or minimal ship involvement in your stuff. (nothing against romance or shipping but I don't look for that when reading fanfics)

In regards to this ask, particularly the tags

Anon I love this ask so much. I didn’t explain my reasoning mostly because I didn’t want to ramble, and also just let the fic try to explain, but you hit the nail right on the head as to why I don’t see Ingo as a father figure to Akari.

I don’t see Ingo as one, because I don’t see him as a father, like at all. There are AUs and concepts out there that I like where they do make him a father in some way or another and do a good job of explaining why, but at the end of the day it’s not canon to his base character, so I do not subscribe to it in my works.

I don’t think Ingo is capable of holding that position in Akari’s life as he is, anyways. Realistically they’ve only known each other for several months in my canon. And while bonds like that can form between people (The Last of Us), I think it’s unrealistic in this scenario, just because of who Ingo and Akari are, and what they want.

So you’re very right anon. If anything, I express their relationship more like biiiiig sibling/ younger sibling, if not uncle/niece.

Ingo looks out for Akari, makes sacrifices for her, and encourages her. Akari looks up to Ingo as stability, plays jokes on him, and knowing full-well he goes out of his way for her, worries for him and does the same when she can. These can be applied to both types of relationships. Your comparison with fanon’s relationship with Iris is a really good one too!!

Akari does not see Ingo as a father figure, and Ingo does not pretend to be a father figure. Right now, it’s just a kid who’s bonded with a guy going through a more tragic version of the same experience she is, and a guy who wants to make sure this kid’s experience never gets as tragic as his.

They both have grown to care about each other, and in my canon, they just want to help each other make it back together.

Thank you for the ask anon!! I’m so glad you appreciate my content. Nothing against shipping or romance in works either, but as someone who’s never been interested in any of that, I think I’d be terribly cliche at writing it even if I wanted to try and put it into my work haha. This blog is 99% the platonic zone haha

[feverishly-kpop]

Ateez Performance Line - Part 3

“Yunho, is there a reason you are out of bed…again?” Seonghwa asked, jumping up from his seat at the kitchen table where he was working and grabbing Yunho by the waist before he managed to collapse where he was standing.

“I don’t feel well” Yunho replied, eyes cast downward, not meeting his hyung’s.

Seonghwa sighed, knowing how restless Yunho had been since Hongjoong brought him home earlier that afternoon.

“I know you don’t feel well, which is why you need to be in bed, okay?” Seonghwa said kindly, not wanting to upset Yunho anymore than he already was as he guided him back to his room. He pulled back the covers, allowing Yunho to lie back down.

“I’m going to get you some medicine for your temperature, are you still feeling nauseous?” He asked as he rested his palm to Yunho’s forehead, getting a shrug in response. “Then I’ll bring some medicine for that too, you can take it, just in case.”

Seonghwa couldn’t help but feel on edge with two of the ‘99 liners down with the flu and a third still at the studio, trying to meet the choreography deadline. Luckily the rest of the members seemed to be unaffected but these things usually had a way of taking out a few of them at a time. All Seonghwa could do was keep Wooyoung and Yunho comfortable and hope that nobody else would catch it.

“Why does he keep getting up?” Jongho asked from the couch, where he had resolved to spend his evening doing absolutely nothing.

“You’re guess is as good as mine” Seonghwa replied. Jongho was right, though. They hadn’t been able to keep Yunho down for more than an hour before he managed to wander back out of his room. In comparison to Wooyoung, who they couldn’t keep awake for more than a few minutes at a time, it was as if they were suffering from two completely different illnesses.

As he poured a few tablets out on the counter, Yeosang emerged from Seonghwa and Hongjoong’s room, where he had been looking after Wooyoung. “Was that seriously Yunho again?” Yeosang asked in disbelief.

“Sure was” Jongho responded.

“Slip a melatonin in with his meds, it’s the only way he’ll actually get any sleep” Yeosang suggested, turning to Seonghwa, who smiled at that.

“You may be on to something there” he responded with a chuckle, stepping back into Yunho’s room where he found his dongsaeng sitting cross legged on his bed, taking his temperature.

“If it’s anything like what Wooyoung has, that fever won’t be going anywhere for a few days” Seonghwa said softly, sitting down next to Yunho and grabbing the thermometer as it beeped. “At least it hasn’t gone up though,” Seonghwa said, turning the thermometer toward Yunho so he could see the reading, eliciting a groan from him.

“What’s bothering you, Yunho-ah?” Seonghwa asked softly.

“Nothing” he responded curtly as he laid back down.

“If that were true, you’d close your eyes and get some sleep, but you don’t seem to be too keen on that” Seonghwa said as he brushed Yunho’s hair from his forehead.

“Mingi shouldn’t have to finish the choreography alone” Yunho replied, finally relenting. “It’s not fair. He’s probably pissed...”

“Yunho,” Seonghwa interjected in a serious tone. “Did you get sick on purpose? Did Wooyoung get sick on purpose? Be real for a moment.”

“I just want to go back and help him” Yunho said sadly.

“I know you do.” Seonghwa handed Yunho his medicine. “But it’ll be harder to fall asleep when the next bout of nausea hits, so you need to get some rest now, okay?”

Yunho nodded compliantly as Seonghwa left his room before deciding to make one last attempt.

“Hyung,” Yunho called, grabbing Seonghwa’s attention. “Maybe I can video chat with Mingi to help him out? I’m not feeling so poorly right now.”

“Sleep, Yunho-ah.” Seonghwa’s tone made it clear that there would be no further discussion about the matter, so Yunho allowed his eyes to drift closed, finally getting some much needed rest.

*~*~*~*~*~

Once Seonghwa was certain that Yunho would stay put for the time being, he pulled out his phone and called Mingi to check in on him. He knew that they didn’t have many options at this point but he still hated the idea of his dongsaeng overworking himself.

Mingi answered, skipping the pleasantries. “Hyung, I don’t have time to talk.” Seonghwa cringed at the exhaustion in his voice.

“Are you making progress?” Seonghwa said, trying to gauge the situation.

“I guess so,” Mingi replied distantly, “it’s slow, but progress is progress.”

“What time will you be home tonight? I’ll have dinner ready for you” Seonghwa asked, already knowing what Mingi would say.

“I’m going to stay here for the night, no use wasting time coming home just to go back in early again.”

Seonghwa wasn’t pleased with his answer and attempted to interject. “Mingi, I think…” he began but was quickly interrupted. “I have to go, I’m sorry, hyung. Goodnight!” was the last thing Mingi said before disconnecting the line.

*~*~*~*~*~

Mingi wasn’t mad at Wooyoung and Yunho. He could never be mad at something that was beyond their control, and he was sure that they’d rather be there working with him than sick in bed, but at the same time, Mingi felt the crushing weight of their deadline approaching and all he could do was take this one for the team and keep plugging away.

He had managed to get through the rest of the song that he and Yunho had been working on before Yunho was sent home, so he was down to just two songs with about five days left. That would leave him with about two days per song, then one more day to sit down and review everything carefully before submitting to management. It would have been no problem for the three of them to get done, likely with time to spare, and it would have been a challenge for two of them, but for Mingi to finish by himself would require around the clock work.

It was 2:00 AM by the time that Mingi had gotten though everything that he felt should be done before calling it a day. He took a final glance over his notes to ensure that everything was in order with what he had worked on before locking up and heading to the lounge for a quick nap.

As Mingi laid down on the couch, covering himself with the blankets that were left out from Yunho’s rest earlier, he pulled out his phone to set an alarm. After some mental math, he felt confident that he’d make the needed progress if he was up again by 6:00 AM. Despite not being thrilled by the prospect of getting just four hours of sleep, dwelling on it wouldn’t do him any good. Right now, all he could think about is getting some sleep so he could pick up where he left off again the following day.

[queen-scribbles]

(kicks door down) commentary meme for the opening of ch5 of TLBT? I’m not not sure how long 500 words is at a glance but at least through the scrying part? -emeraldgreaves

If you mean the whole beginning of ch 5 up through the scry, it's actually 877 words, but who cares, we'll do it anyway, bc you're one of my foremost enablers(especially for tLBT) and I can't really find a good place to cut part of it so it's 500 or fewer. xD Also, excellent choice. :3

----

After spending a few more minutes annoyed at her inability to talk to Red about the gala, Xaeryn managed to wrench her thoughts back to the case. There was still daylight, she had time to investigate the alleyway following up on what Ferrin had said. Just in case she wound up pushing toward evening, however, she opted to drive rather than walk. There’d been a few news articles recently about an uptick in pickpockets, and it wouldn’t do to make anyone worry.

There was, as luck would have it, a spot not far from the mouth of the alley, and she deftly maneuvered her car into the space between two much newer-model automobiles. Their gleaming black finish made hers look positively dingy by comparison but also brought to mind her tail from the last visit to the museum. Neither, however, had accents of any color, and she was equal parts disappointed and reassured as she headed for the alley.

Xaeryn's been a fun challenge to write as the main/only POV bc she's more closed off, formal, and straightforward, less the charming, friendly, lightly sarcastic banter type of character I usually gravitate towards. She eases up a bit around Red bc he rubs off on her whenever they're together(also bc she's stuck on him). She's normally not shy about making her wants/needs/requirements etc known--see her convo with Riel in ch 1, or any of the times she talks to Aerin--and is usually very good at separating the personal and professional, so for her to get tongue-tied and chicken out of asking for something absolutely vital to her investigation for personal reasons has her v irritated at herself. She's also v good at focusing on the task at hand, or at least pushing on through potential distractions. Hence the being annoyed at herself only lasting a few minutes before plowing on with the case. And I'm p sure we all know she really means when she thinks she doesn't want anyone Red to worry. :3 I had to put that in there, the lil exaggerated snipe-y mental eyeroll that's also 100% for real. She doesn't want him to worry. Mostly bc then he'll fuss, which is almost as annoying as it is endearing.

She started at the entrance and worked in toward the gates, figuring she could continue down the other side if she came up empty. Part of her was cynical about finding anything so long after the fact, but the stubborn part--frustrated by her slow progress on this case--refused to give up without confirming. It didn’t look like this alley was cleaned all that often, maybe there was something useful. 

It's very fun having a character who's equal parts stubborn and cynical. A lot of "this has a 99% chance of being useless, but my other option is giving up SO I'm doing it anyway."

Besides, it was a distraction from the other thing she needed to find--the nerve to ask Red about the gala. It was much more elusive quarry than anything case related.

Ngl, I'm very proud of this pair of sentences.

What was so hard about asking him?

YOU KNOW, XAERYN SHRIKE. YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHY.

I don’t want to inconvenience him when he’s already doing so much for me.

You know he’d be happy to help, floated through her mind and only made matters worse.

The fun part about this is she genuinely doesn't want to inconvenience him. He's done a lot for her already and she doesn't want to take him from his "real job" to help her. And is also using it as an excuse. Both things are true!

She also knows he'd drop literally everything in a heartbeat to help her just for the asking(and she would for him).

Disrupting his schedule to travel all the way to Haven is a little different than turning him loose on a research project, she countered, nudging aside a tattered tarp with her shoe. Nothing.

He just told you he doesn’t have as much going in right now. And both of you would drop everything to help the other and you know it.  

Alright, fine, I don’t trust myself. The fact sat solid in her chest as soon as she admitted it, brusquely poking around a stack of discarded pallets. I’m afraid if I ask him to do this, even if it is genuinely as a friend, I won’t be able to hide the way I feel under those circumstances.

Her mask is only so good, after all. And she's been hiding this a long, long time. It's had plenty of opportunity to grow.

It was a tricky thing, carrying a torch for your best friend. And delicacy had never been a strength of hers. She was all honesty and no varnish, too blunt-

Forthright, Red’s voice corrected gently in her head.

--too forthright to be good at playing games and she dreaded what might happen if Red picked up on something bothering her.

I love "all honesty, no varnish" as a description for Ryn, another thing I'm v proud of. I love her hearing Red's voice in her head, correcting her to be kinder about herself while also being honest about what she sees as a shortcoming.

Well, your options are ask him or not go, so if you want to make progress on this case you better get ahold of yourself. You can do this. You are a professional, aren’t you? 

Her foot hit something that skittered away with a clattery rasp, breaking through her internal debate. A keen glance after the object revealed only a rusting crowbar, and Xaeryn gave a soft growl of disappointment. Not far from the crowbar, however, something silver and promising glinted from a jumble of discarded paint cans and crate frames half-stacked into a shelter. She shifted the debris enough to reach and found herself holding a fine black leather sheath, dagger-sized, silver tipped and accented. A silver insignia at the top, opposite the beltloop, bore an unfamiliar crest--what looked like crossed lightning bolts or vines surmounted with a sword, or maybe a lance. It was difficult to tell at that scale.

I can't make it too easy on her, or the payoff's no fun :D (Also, I wanted her to go to the library for the Ysa cameo)

She balanced the sheath on a nearby broken crate, pulled out her notebook and a pencil and took a rubbing of the crest. A quick shorthand annotation where she’d found it, and then she started to stash it all in her handbag. It would be a bit of a tight fit, but better than carrying her find where it would raise eyebrows.

Very professional, this gal. Immediately makes a copy of potential evidence, and a note where she found it, takes steps to not draw attention.

Xaeryn paused just before slipping the sheath in her bag. She studied it again, catching her lower lip between her teeth. What if... A quick glance at the wall behind her to ensure it was relatively clean and she leaned against the stone while focusing hard on the small sheath. There might, if this belonged to the green-haired man, be enough trace of the owner left to Scry a clue.

The world fell away in a watery grey roil, clarifying into a scene almost as disorienting as the shift itself. The viewing angle was odd, a blur of motion off-center drawing her attention. It shifted into focus, resolving into a pair of figures mid-scuffle. One was a green-haired man, clothes decent but nondescript aside from currently being mussed by the fight, the other she couldn’t make out beyond a wild beard and the impression of ragged clothes. A street bum maybe? They tussled, each getting in a few good licks, there was a gleam of metal in their grappled hands, then one’s foot caught the sheath, sending it spinning toward its resting place and jolting Xaeryn out of the vision.

By this point in the planning/outlining process, I had solidified Darius and Briony's actual role in the plot(Ryn was actually supposed to talk to them in the museum, when she follows Briony during the gala, but then ch 6 ran away from me BIG TIME and I had to bump it lol), but this being a detective story, I had to keep the suspense up a little longer and be a little vague about whether Mr. Green Hair is one of the bad guys or just Sus™. Scries are fun to write, bc it's a way to give her a little bit of bonus information, especially when it's bonus info with no witnesses she could've talked to. When they work. And I have a reason for the ones that don't. :3

[constantvariations]

Hi, it's the same anon. We see Jaune and his sister's relationship before the trip to Atlas. It's warm. They fool around. Also, Jaune without hatred or aggression tells Ruby he has 7 sisters. Compare this to Weiss. We learn Jacques is bad not even from Weiss. We find out it is Blake who is talking about SDC. In v1 we are shown motivated the characters to go to Beacon and what their relationships are with their families. We see the difference between the Weiss and Ruby families. We are immediately given to understand Jacques is a bad person. We are given to understand that part of Yang's family is fractured and she loves Summer as her mother. But she keeps looking for Raven. We see Summer is dead. We see Summer was a good mother. We see who Ruby got her inspiration from. Ruby has a favorite uncle. Even Blake tells us very little information about herself. Yes, she grew up among the White Fang and went to protests. But she still has privileges. They talk about the problems of the faunus, but do not show them. We know there is a White Fang. They have protests that have gone too far. But we don't see any racism toward the fauns. Even in the most racist kingdom, we don't see racism. We see an unfortunate example of racism when the heroes just show up in town. And that's it. That's just it. There is a faunus among the Ace-Ops and no one cares. No one makes racist comments. Although Marrow's portrayal of himself is very racist. They made him a dark-skinned dog/wolf on purpose, didn't they? And they kept trying to show us how good he was. He was getting into all the timeline they had. He was a very handy tool when they decided to make James evil. Jaune doesn't talk about being forbidden to train. Jaune just went along with the crime. Blake had a reason for running away. Jaune had no reason to run away. He's just a fantasist. He didn't even know anything about the aura. Aura is a hunter's most basic skill. I wouldn't be surprised if they told us that Jaune had an abusive family all along and was forbidden to look at guns because he was a boy.

Hello again, anon! I have no idea what draws you to my blog in particular for these, but I am pleasantly surprised

Jaune’s family is mostly an enigma. Yes, we see him and Saphron (honestly I forget she exists 99% of the time) and it is a saccharine sibling dynamic, but they never mention any of the other sisters. No names, no shared memories, nothing beside the fact that Jaune and Saphron are the only ones not living at home. (Ngl when I first heard that my immediate thought was that it was a cult family and these two were the only ones to escape. It’d be a really cool subplot imo.) I think there’s a single off-handed line about Jaune’s parents in one of the early seasons, but I don’t care enough to check. Either way, there’s no concrete evidence as to the web of dynamics in the Arc family

I can’t agree with the assessment that Blake, in talking about the SDC as a whole, is the one to introduce the idea of Jacques not being a good person. A company isn’t a person. That’s like trying to pin all of RT’s own scandals on one person instead of acknowledging it’s a massive mess with dozens of participants. It’s still Weiss who talks about Jacques as a person when she tells the group that his anger at business gone bad made for a difficult childhood, and it’s through her story that we learn more of who he is as both a father and a businessman

I’m not entirely sure the purpose of the comparison between the RWBY families. It circles back to your issues with Blake and the White Fang, but I don’t know how the two connect. Unless they weren’t supposed to? It’s difficult to read long asks when there’s no paragraph breaks between topics

The racism in RWBY is poorly implemented because its writers were and are cowards about their world. They want the aesthetics of deep themes and adult topics, but have no idea about how to actually do that. What we end up with is la croix racism, where bigotry looks like high school bullying (Velvet getting her ears pulled, Robin calling Marrow “Wags,” some drunkards being mean to Blake)

When you make peace with the fact that RWBY is written by people who have no idea what they’re doing, you’ll have way more fun with this series. It won’t erase the bad writing, the promises of representation that they backpedaled on, the inherent bigotry throughout the show, BUT it will give you enough distance from the Watsonian universe that you can pluck the parts of the show you like and run away with them in your imagination

That’s why there’s so many rewrites - and the especially fun thing about that is how every individual’s experience/interpretation will dramatically change how they rearrange RWBY. No Remnant will look exactly the same as another and I think that’s beautiful

[wooahaes]

a tug in the right direction

pairing: non-idol!wonwoo x gn!reader

prompt: soulmate au series. 2/13

word count: 2.9k~

warnings: some anxiety about love, i guess?

daisy’s notes: believe me when i say i tried to make this one longer. im 99% sure seungkwans only ended up being as long as it did was because of the groundwork i was laying there :(

summary: Wonwoo has had the little string around his pinkie for most of his life at this point. Sometimes he feels his soulmate tugging. Sometimes he tugs back. Sometimes he can even feel the string grow tighter when his soulmate is near...

There was a little string tied neatly with a bow around Wonwoo’s left pinkie. He remembered turning ten and watching the way it seemed to stretch out of nowhere, looping around his pinkie like magic. It looped around once, twice, and then a third time before tying itself into a little bow. When he had tried to show his parents, they had gently told him that they couldn’t see it. That his string was a part of him and his soulmate and would link the two of them until they met. He remembered lying in bed that night, trying to urge himself to get some sleep so he could properly celebrate his birthday with his family when he woke up. But instead he reached up, gently taking the pale strand between his right hand’s fingers, and tugged.

And he felt nothing back. He asked his mom about it when he woke up, and she had told him that maybe you’d been asleep. Maybe you hadn’t turned ten yet, or maybe you had just missed it. You could feel it, though, and maybe one day you’d tug back, just to tell him he was there. Every so often, Wonwoo would reach up and tug at the string. It was a “hello,” to you, or maybe a “I’m here,” to be more exact. Just his little way of letting you know that he was there on the other end after all.

He’d never know whether it was you turning ten, or you finally noticing the occasional tugs on your string, but he felt you tug back almost a year later. He had been playing games with his brother, and he ended up losing when he gasped, beaming at the newfound feeling. His brother had teased him over it, and Wonwoo had gone back to playing with him, but he was happy knowing that you were out there. He’d managed to tug back, too, while they were starting a new game. A sign to you that he heard you, loud and clear.

Over the years, he felt the occasional tug every now and again. Sometimes he tugged first, just as a reminder that he was still there. You’d tug back, sometimes once, sometimes twice, and he began to wonder if you were doing it for the same reason he did. Maybe it soothed you as much as it did him to feel that tug back, to know that you weren’t alone in the world. Wonwoo considered himself lucky that he knew you were out there. He met Mingyu in college (someone who had his soulmate’s first thought on him) and that had been how Wonwoo came to know the other soulmate signs or lack thereof. He heard about how Seungkwan shared pain with his soulmate, that Seungcheol saw the world in black and white. Truly, Wonwoo became grateful that his sign was so... low-key in comparison. He didn’t want to know his soulmate’s first thoughts if they were rude, or have his soulmate deal with his pain from the time he ate seafood years before...

It wasn’t until a few months prior to Seungkwan finding his soulmate that Wonwoo began to feel something different. He knew what the tugs felt like: he’d felt you tug at the string enough times after all. But he’d be reading in a cafe, or he’d be at work, editing another novel, and he’d feel it: the string grew tighter around his pinkie. Then it’d grow loose again too soon. At first he thought you were merely tugging it hard enough to get his full attention. But Wonwoo looked into it further, finding out that the tightness meant that you were close. You were in the city.

He could find you.

That thought both thrilled and terrified him. So he told no one for a while, because he knew his friends would encourage him to follow the string to you. And then they found out about a week or two after, mainly due to someone noticing the way he’d wince at the feeling, they did. His soulmate was close enough that he could find them--why shouldn’t he go for it? It left him with a sense of guilt when someone like Jihoon or Soonyoung encouraged it, because they were right. What was stopping him from chasing the string and finding you and hopefully falling in love? Nothing but his own doubts and insecurities. Maybe, if he stretched the truth, his career in literature. Right now it was editing, but what if he started writing? How much of his time would be eaten up by that? His partner deserved better than someone who’d be busy meeting deadlines for a while before things grew stable again.

Truth be told, he followed them a few times. Just to see if he could see you, wherever you are. Then he’d at least know your face and he could figure how the words to say. But the string would fall loose around his finger again, most likely due to you stepping onto public transport, or the one time he did right as the string began to tighten. It was almost as if the bus doors shutting while he took his seat had snipped it for the moment. He told Mingyu later about the failed attempts.

“I know,” he had said. “You get this look in your eyes when you try to go.”

Did he? Mingyu later told him it was hope. Wonwoo was inclined to believe him: despite his fears, he hoped he’d find you soon enough. Just to take one look at you even if the two of you didn’t touch.

Maybe the reason he never fully followed them was because Wonwoo was sensible. Love at first sight was just a myth--even with a soulmate out there for him. He’d heard the stories plenty of times: you found your soulmate, you fell in love immediately, and that’s that. Whether the next step was marriage, or a kid, or a pet: it always came as a fact. It felt like the sort of thing he’d read in kids storybooks, the things his parents read to him while he was a eager child ready to eat up every single word. Love was more complicated than that. Wonwoo didn’t need in fall in love to know that. Wherever you were, soulmate, he knew that he wouldn’t love you first. He wouldn’t love you when he saw your face for the first time, or after your first date, or maybe even during your first kiss together. Like was a word that felt right for those. Love came later. Love was slow, and patient, and kind: that was what Wonwoo felt it should be, at least. No immediate kisses and “I love you”s to be found until he felt and meant it. Perhaps that was why he wanted to see your face before the two of you officially met: either it’d prove him wrong about the whole “love at first sight” thing or he’d at least be able to fantasize about what kind of person you were, just to warm himself up to you beforehand. It’d be a judgment before love, sure, but at least he could piece something together. Piecing something together was better than going into it all blind and uncertain that he would love you.

That scared him more than anything else, despite the fact he knew not every soulmate was romantic. What if you expected love and he didn’t feel anything? Or if he fell in love and all you were looking for was a friend? What would he do then? Fall out of love and in with another, or turn your affections away? That was something he didn’t care for with this whole soulmate thing: too much room for interpretation. As much as he liked picking apart books and projecting his own theories and thoughts onto them, real life was too messy for that. Too unpredictable. Books he could at least search for meaning in without fear of hurting someone else. Real life was terrifying for that. Wonwoo would just make do with reading in the meantime: love could come when it was ready.

Because Wonwoo already knew there was no chance he’d have any real say in the matter.

A few days after Seungkwan found his soulmate, Wonwoo was sure he knew this story by heart. He’d heard him the first time when Mingyu invited him over, listening to the excited way that Seungkwan had recounted the whole shebang like it was no big deal at the moment. Something had felt odd about the way he told it, and later Wonwoo learned that Vernon had been there for pretty much the entire thing. Seungkwan had fluffed it up, saying that Vernon merely punched him hard enough to elicit a response from both Seungkwan and his soulmate, and that the entire exchange had been far more teary than anything else.

Mingyu had been listening, a bit dreamy eyed about the whole thing. He was probably the more openly romantic of the two anyway. “And? How did it feel?”

“It felt right.” Seungkwan said, plain and simple. “Like... I had been waiting for them. Like I came home to something, even if they weren’t my home.”

Wonwoo had merely nodded along to that. A soulmate was supposed to feel like home, then? He wasn’t sure. Maybe that was just the sappy side of Seungkwan speaking for once, enamored with his soulmate already. But he’d by lying if he didn’t notice how much brighter his friend seemed, beaming with a newfound joy at finding this part of his life. Wonwoo tried to tell himself that it was because of his link to them: he doubted he could have gone his entire life feeling someone else’s pain without feeling a weight off his shoulders when he found out that they were just clumsy.

It was during the second time, when Seungkwan and Seokmin had joined Wonwoo and Soonyoung for lunch, that Wonwoo caught the fact that Seungkwan didn’t cry when he met them, but bluntly told them to take better care of themself. He also mentioned that he had to worry about them more, because now he had their number and their name and he could see them whenever he needed to. Despite the slight complaining edge to his voice, Wonwoo could see that Seungkwan was happy to finally know who he’d be looking after--and that his soulmate was thankfully just a klutz--and that he’d be happily seeing them next week, thank you for asking, Soonyoung, and he’d introduce them when he was good and ready. The third time?

Vernon told the story and it made sense. A hard enough kick to Seungkwan’s shin made him yelp, the same blunt comment Seungkwan had recounted the last time, and Vernon made it clear that (while gesturing with a hand that had stitches down one side) Seungkwan realized he came off very strong. Wonwoo became grateful again that he just had his string. But he nodded along, Mingyu and Seungcheol listening closer than he did since they hadn’t been given the crumbs of truth from Seungkwan that Wonwoo had. Maybe it was fated that Vernon telling the story would be what made him notice it.

His string had gone tight again, and it had stayed tight. You were close, wherever you were. If not in this exact coffee-shop, then in a store nearby. He looked down to see the string stretched taut, pointing off in a direction. He could hear Vernon recount how giddy Seungkwan had been on the ride back and to not let the guy fool anyone, he was already enamored with his soulmate (and he could hear Seungcheol tell him to stop fussing with his stitches). He’d commit every detail to memory if this was the day.

So he stood up, gathering his things off the table and apologizing as he booked it, nearly stumbling over his own chair as he went. Mingyu could explain it to them: he’d seen the panicked look Wonwoo would get sometimes when he was actually going to try and follow it. Most of the time he only got so far before the string fell limp again, leaving them to surmise that you were on public transport somewhere, but he always carried that same alert look. He stumbled out of the shop, string already beginning to loosen as he stepped onto the string. With one glance down to tell him the direction, Wonwoo took off down the street.

It’d be useless if you’d gotten into a taxi or onto a bus, but he’d at least have tried again. He let the string of fate guide him, the pale thread taut ahead of him as he took off. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and Wonwoo could only assume it was a good luck text from Mingyu. Wonwoo wouldn’t fully be able to tell who you were until he came close enough (he was unlucky enough that his string wasn’t red like some were--instead it was a pretty, soft shade of green), but the string seemed to grow tighter and looser as he ran. He’d find you. He’d waited long enough.

Another buzz made him slow down, reaching into his pocket to see another text from Mingyu--barely getting any time to read it before he crashed straight into someone. He caught himself on the corner of the nearby building, a pop! gaining his attention as that painful feeling in his hand began to dissipate. He looked down at his hand, watching the way the string began to fade little by little, and he looked back to see you.

You’d been kneeling down, a stray cat nuzzling up to your legs as you must have been petting it. A reusable bag of groceries sat on the ground next to you, filled to the brim with necessities. But you, half-knocked over and bracing yourself as best as you could against the pavement, stared up at him with this bewildered look. The cat backed off after a moment, ears flattening slightly as it blinked at him with curious green eyes to try and tell whether he was a friend or a foe. You pouted as you looked over to the little guy, before regaining your footing fully and standing up. Before you turned to greet him, you snagged your bag from the ground.

“Are you okay?” You had asked, reaching up a hand to fiddle with your hair, only to stop when you noticed your own string--growing fainter by the second--that dipped down and directly connected to his. “Oh!”

To say Wonwoo hadn’t thought of this moment would be a flat-out lie. He, like many people, dreamed of the day they’d meet their soulmates. Not everyone did it, sure, but there was something sweet about falling to sleep while thinking of how he’d meet you. What he’d say to you first to make the best impression he could. He’d heard before that he looked cold at first glance, and if you thought the same, he couldn’t tell. Every word he had planned out, every hopefully smooth greeting had evaporated into thin air, filed away into that special corner of his brain for him to revisit later when all was said and done. All he could do was extend his hand to you, and say “I’m Wonwoo.”

Simple, he decided, and effective enough. Told you all you needed to know, ordinary as it was. After all, you already knew the other important thing about him.

With a smile, you introduced yourself in turn as you took his hand. It was then that Wonwoo suddenly realized what Seungkwan meant when he said everything seemed to feel right. Like the cat you’d been petting--did you like cats? He hoped you did. It was cheesy and maybe rash, but Wonwoo wondered if the two of you would have a cat one day. A home, a life, a something together that you could call yours. 

“You know,” you started, this mischievous glint in your eyes, “you should really watch where you’re going, soulmate. Following strings blindly could get you hurt.”

All he could do was smile, “It led me to you.”

Oh that pretty smile. “That it did.” You let your bag slip down from your shoulder, reaching inside to pull out a folded up list. You removed the pen attached to it, reaching out to take his palm in your hand, where you wrote your name and number in deep black ink. “You should call me sometime, soulmate.” He already loved the pretty lift in your voice when you said it, despite the way it made his heart skip a beat and his face heat up. The string connecting the two of you had faded to barely visible, but he could still feel it.

Wonwoo didn’t believe in love at first sight. But you at least made him feel a sweet warmth in his chest. Like this could work out--and it made him want to try. “I will,” he promised you quietly.

“Good,” you stepped back. “Then I’ll see you soon, Wonwoo.”

You walked away with your little bag of groceries, and with it you walked away with a little piece of his heart. Maybe he could do this. Love at first sight was still a myth...

... But fondness for another person? That could bud within its own right. All it took was a tug on his heartstrings to get that growing.

[starryoak]

Gonna step my toes in the stupidest discourse waters possible, but personal musings (that I’ve told literally any person who will listen to me);

You’re all going to hear a rant I have about a shallow crossover comparison that’s way too popular. With the caveat that I’m not actually, like, upset with anyone for enjoying it, I just think it’s not as logical as some people make it out to be, and I think it warrants thinking about why it’s so popular despite the incongruity, if you’re into thinking about media and the things it can accidentally imply.

When people do Heathers crossovers with Danganronpa, it’s very logical to do so, as both are stories about the cruelty and murder of teenagers and how society affects them, but the single most common choice for JD is literally a character who is the total opposite of JD, Nagito Komaeda.

I especially see it done with the song Meant To Be Yours (bomb ass song btw) and that they’re made out to be similar because of that, the only thing they actually share is bombs and mental illness, and it makes me kinda wary that that’s what they’re boiled down to, honestly, like no one thinks past that.  

Down to the core of their characters, they’re polar opposites in their very moral foundations. Think about what they believe and what they’re like; JD hates the social system that birthed him and wants to blow it all up to show how fucked up it is. … and Komaeda obsessively loves the social system that birthed him and adores everything about it and would literally kill himself to uphold it despite how fucked up it is.

Let me boil it down to the most very basic; JD thinks ‘system bad, destroy the system’ and Komaeda thinks ‘love the system, I’d do anything to uphold the system.’

They’re literal polar opposites in terms of philosophy.

I don’t understand how someone could listen to JD’s ranting about the bomb plot in ‘Meant To Be Yours’ and not grasp that he hates society, and then think ‘yeah, that fits Komaeda, whose main defining trait is his obsessive adherence to the social structure of Hope’s Peak’.

I get it, bombs are cool, and it’s a thing now to do Komaeda as JD, like, a lot, but I have to admit, it still irks me to see how hard people missed the point of both their characters to reach their conclusions. It’s like they look at both characters and ignore everything about them besides ‘oh, wow, they’re crazy and want to blow things up, they’re exactly the same!’

sorry, the morals part does get me, like… the actual song Meant To Be Yours is literally all about how JD hates society, how can you ignore that and say ‘yeah, this fits Komaeda’

The entire point of Komaeda’s character is that he’s obsessed with upholding the system. You have to willfully ignore everything about both of them besides that they’ve blown stuff up and aren’t in their right minds, up to and including the actual text of the song itself, to connect them together through it, and honestly it genuinely does frustrate me that people boil down their characters into ‘crazy guy that loves bombs’.

It feels weird and almost… not maliciously ableist or anything, but ableist adjacent? I’m not sure how to word it, and I entirely realize I’m reading too much into a stupid crossover trend done for fun, but I do think if you’re into thinking critically, it’s interesting to muse on.

And again, to be clear, I’m aware that 99% of the people making things like this are just doing it cause it’s fun to draw stuff like that and have Nagito making crazy expressions (absolutely fun) and they aren’t wrong to do so, I just think it’s interesting to discuss stuff like this even if the answer is just ‘lol, cause it’s fun’.

I know I’m an anal wad whose obsessed with the text of fiction, but it really just sometimes hits me that other people take such different things away from the game than I did, lol. I guess it comes down to ultimately that, to me, a characters motivations for why they do what they do matter more than their specific actions, especially when it’s for crossovers and connecting characters, and for some people, the opposite is true.

[salty-rey]

Saving Lives

Bad Batch Fic | Sequel to Come Back

Pairing: Crosshair x reader (hinting)

Words: 2.8k

Warnings: Bodily injuries, blood, story time!

A/N: Hello! I wanted to write something that elaborated on the relationship between the sniper and combat medic. It’s rather rough, proof-read once (thank you Grammarly), and I may not captured Crosshair’s personality perfect. I hope you enjoy, and I will be back with another story!

Roughly two weeks have passed since the last mission, and during those long days, you were recovering from being shot. Being bedridden was not ideal, almost driving you stir crazy. Especially whenever you tried sneaking out of the barracks, there was always one member of the Bad Batch there to stop you. 

Wrecker freaked out when he caught you slowly shuffling towards the bathroom, asking why you were out of bed in panic. He only helped you after explaining your destination, waited outside before actually carrying you back to your cot. 

Echo spotted you slowly making your way to the kitchen area before redirecting you back to bed like a concerned older brother, staying by your side and offering his arm for support in case you felt weak. Quite the gentleman.. At least he went back to get whatever food you were craving. 

Tech found you attempting to do some stretches since you were stuck in bed for Maker knows how long. He lectured you on the facts that your wound may open again if you attempt any movement during a specific time frame. Even when you decided to lay back down he was still lecturing!

As for Hunter, he entered the barracks, catching you standing on your feet. You were in the middle of putting your chest piece armor back on when you winced at the slight sting of your wound. The Sergeant went full dad mode on you, scolding you for moving when you’re still recovering. Now you knew how it felt like to be Omega, which caused you to accidentally say, “Okay, dad.”

You watched Hunter’s back stiffen, an unreadable expression crossing his face before he turned around, leaving you alone in the barracks. What was that? You thought before sighing, slowly removing your chest piece. 

Speaking of Omega. Maker, bless that little girl. 

When you were initially knocked out after returning to the Havoc Marauder, Omega refused to leave your side. The boys tried to reassure her that you would be alright, but she wouldn’t budge. After a couple of hours, you woke up, disoriented at first, before spotting the little girl fast asleep on a chair at your bedside. Hunter was awake at the time, and he explained everything while you rested. The boys learned that it was indeed a trooper who shot you and not Crosshair because Omega was persistent in backing you up in your story. You watched the Sergeant carefully picking the youngest member up and carrying her to her makeshift bedroom.

You were awake when Omega rushed into the small barracks, eyes wide before spotting you. She first cried tears of joy, happy to you see that you were okay. Hearing her crying caused Hunter and the other boys to rush in, worried that something was wrong before relaxing after you explained why Omega was crying. 

Since that moment, Omega stayed and kept you company. Whenever she wasn’t informing you of the group’s next objective, she would ask if you needed anything like food or water. You felt bad having her grab something to eat for you, and you mentioned it to one of the boys whenever they pass the barracks. 

“I’ll let her know. She is looking after her teammate though.” Hunter commented before leaving. 

One day during the weeks of recovery, Omega came to your bed per usual and sat down. You were reading on your datapad before glancing up. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” she first started off, looking a bit nervous. 

“Sure, what’s up?” You asked after putting your datapad down. 

“I heard stories of the Bad Batch back on Kamino, but I was hoping to hear how you became part of the team. Since you’re not a clone like us. I-if you don’t mind!” The child asked bashfully, causing you to smile. 

“Of course! Heh, no need to be shy,” you grinned before relaxing against your pillow. “I was formally part of the 501st under General Skywalker, still as a combat medic. I helped aid their soldiers and taught any clones who wanted to become a medic. But I was taken out of that battalion and introduced to these guys after Wrecker’s accident.” You said, pointing to the left side of your face. 

Omega frowned at the mention of the deep scar on the more giant clone’s face. 

“Do you...know how he got it?”

“Not the specific details. Just that his fondness for exploding things up got the best of him at that moment,” you answered. “But that is a story for Wrecker to tell you himself. After his incident and intense care, the Kaminoans and High Command thought that it would be best for the Bad Batch to have a medic at all times. And that’s where I came in.”

“What was it like first joining them?” Omega asked, scooting her chair closer, eager to know more.

You laugh nervously before answering awkwardly, “A nat-born joining a bunch of mutated clones who have a distaste for regs? It wasn’t sunshine and rainbows, Omega. At least, for some time.”

“Wait. Hunter and the others were mean to you?” Omega looked shocked, unable to imagine any of her older brothers being cruel. She began to turn towards the door, ready to get up and give the boys an earful.

“Whoa, whoa. Easy there, targon.” You quickly said, grasping her hand to stop her. “They weren’t mean to me. Just...indifferent.” Omega looked confused still, but she was no longer about to charge out of the room. Seeing that the girl was relaxed, you let go of her hand. 

“The boys are thick as thieves. Having a complete stranger joining them for Maker knows how long it was off-putting. But, one by one, they slowly welcomed me into their merry band. Well, all except Crosshair.” The mentioning of his name caused you to frown, your hand gripping the sheets. 

Omega noticed your shift of emotions, her eyebrows knitting together in worry. “You two were close.”

You couldn’t help but softly laugh a bit. “Not at first. He was the hardest one to be accepted by. It took us potentially dying just to get close.”

At that, Omega’s eyes widened, her jaw-dropping, and you knew that you had to tell her the story now, or she will never leave you alone. 

“Keep up, medic. Or I’m going to leave you behind.”

“Where have I heard that before?” 

It has been several months since you have joined Clone Force 99. And each mission has been quite eventful. All dangerous, non-stop action and heart-pounding moments. You had seen your share of action before joining this group, especially when you were with General Skywalker and his boys in blue. But the 501st pale compared to the Bad Batch. Then again, the Bad Batch is sent to suicide missions, unlike the 501st, so the comparisons aren’t fair. 

Such missions that you were on right now. 

Infiltrate a Separatist’s stronghold, eliminate the enemy commander and destroy their entire base. Nothing new but this time, you found yourself on a thick rainforest-like planet. It was the dead of night, using the shadows to your advantage. While the boys handled the assigned target, you and Crosshair were tasked to eliminate any remaining outside forces and retrieve a getaway vehicle. 

You have been paired with Crosshair in the past, but they have never been pleasant. The sniper all but ignored you or let out harsh remarks, insulting even, but you did your best not to let it get to you. All attempts to befriend him or have him loosen up a bit around you. It was all in vain, though, and even the rest of the batch members have told you to simply give up.

“It’s not you,” Hunter said one day as they were currently jumping through hyperspace. “He’ll come around. Just you wait.”

But it has been so long now. When will it happen? You were getting tired of the glares and sneers, but you refused to give in. 

Focusing back on the mission, the two of you reached the edge of the forest, locating the hanger currently guarded by battle droids. 

“Those dwarf spider droids may be a problem,” you stated, spotting the said droid following the standard clankers. 

“You should have stayed on the ship if you’re going to get cold feet. You’re useless on the battlefield,” Crosshair sneered under his helmet. You remained quiet, refusing to glance at him. To give him any satisfaction of his words stinging you intensely. 

“Just give me some cover fire. And don’t hit me,” you stated before donning your eyeshield then rushing in with your dual pistols. 

Having done this countless times, taking down the droids has become second nature to you. So, one by one, the droids fall, caught off guard from a sniper shot from the thick forest. They were also surprised to see a single soldier rushing them with nothing but two pistols. 

Once the separate hangar was secured, Crosshair silently joined you, neither one speaking. No “thanks” or “great job.” Then again, the Bad Batch weren’t the ones to compliment each other. Do the job, and get out alive. 

“Crosshair, (Y/N). What’s your status?” Hunter’s voice came through the comlink. 

“Just cleared out the hangar. We’re getting the getaway vehicle right now,” you responded as Crosshair began to hotwire one of the landspeeders. 

The landspeeder came to life, and you quickly hopped on, not wanting to test to see if Crosshair would actually leave you behind. The speeder raced down towards the rest of the crew’s location, staying on time with the plan. As the wind whipped through your light armor clothing, you began to hear a faint beeping sound. Leaning down to the ground, the beeping was getting louder and faster. 

“There’s a bomb!” You shouted with realization before rushing towards Crosshair. 

The sniper didn’t have enough time to respond because you tackled him off the ledge of the speeder. You had thought that you reacted quick enough, but the planted bomb exploded, launching the two of you further into the air. You felt your hands slip from Crosshair’s armor, separating the two of you. 

Then, you landed hard onto the ground, and you felt something snap within you. You couldn’t scream, the air being knocked out of you as your body tumbled and rolled to a stop. Summoning whatever strength you had, you slowly pushed yourself up with your arms before sharply sucking in some air, pain flaring on your right side. Carefully feeling your side, you came to a quick conclusion before gasping.  

Crosshair?! Looking around, you spotted the nonmoving clone a few feet away from you, and your stomach dropped at the sight of him. The silver-haired man was lying on his back, his helmet knocked off his head, and you spotted blood oozing from a cut above his eyebrow. Not only that but his right arm and left leg were awkwardly twisted. 

Fighting off your own pain, you crawled towards him before pushing yourself on your feet. The world spun, almost causing you to fall backward, but you quickly regained your balance. We can’t stay out in the open. That explosion will attract more droids to our location. 

Placing his helmet back on his head, you hook your arms under his shoulders. 

Dragging his body deeper into the forest was no easy feat. You were panting and sweating, your head was pulsing, and the pain on your side was overbearing. With every shift, you felt your bones poking at your lungs, causing you to slow down before resuming.

There! 

You spotted a large tree, and underneath the roots, the ground sunk and became hollow. It was a perfect hiding spot, and droids are dumb; they never look up or down. 

Not wasting any more time, you slid both you and Crosshair into the hole, and once settled, you immediately went to work. 

.

.

.

.

Crosshair slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times as his vision cleared. He tried sitting up, but that caused his head to ache more than it already was. Raising a hand, he felt bandages wrapping around most of his head.

“Leave it alone unless you want to bleed again.” 

Crosshair looked over, spotting you sitting nearby, weapons at hand. “What happened?” The sniper groaned, lowering his arm down.

“The landspeeder had a bomb planted and exploded. You broke your arm and leg and had a concussion.” You answered, receiving another groan from the clone after he noticed those said injuries wrapped up in wooden splints. “I’m guessing if the vehicle was activated improperly, it would self-destruct. No wonder the GAR had issues with this Separatist; they thought of everything. Hey! What are you doing?”

Crosshair had begun to sit up, using his good arm to push himself from the floor. “What does it look like?”

“You’re not fit to move around, Crosshair! And neither am I.” You shouted, shuffling towards him, putting your hand on his shoulder, forcing him to stop. “I broke 3 ribs, and I can feel them poking my lungs. Hunter knows of our situation, and they’re working right now to find a way to pick us up.”

Crosshair pushed your hand off of him with his good arm, his glare piercing you. “I don’t need you telling me what to do.”

“Apparently, someone does. As your medic, my word is final when it comes to your wellbeing.” You snapped back, putting your hand back on his shoulder and pushing him down. “I’m not letting you toss your life away, all because you want to be stubborn!”

“Don’t act as you care about us clones!” The sniper growled, struggling underneath your hold. “We’re exposable for you perfect nat-borns!”

Your grip on his shoulder loosen, and your glare slowly softened. “Is that why you hate me? Because I’m a perfect nat-born?” You questioned almost a bit too calmly, which startled Crosshair a bit. He wasn’t expecting this reaction from you. No glares or quick remarks. Just silence. 

“I am not perfect, Crosshair. No one is perfect. Nat-borns, regs, defects, we’re all the same. Living and breathing, filled with emotions and flaws. What we do with ourselves is what makes us unique.” You said before moving away from him. “I chose to be a medic because I was tired of seeing everyone dying around me.”

Crosshair slowly raised an eyebrow, his face slowly relaxing. “What...do you mean by that?”

You spare him a brief glance before leaning against a stomp, steadying your breathing. And so, you began your tale. 

You were born into slavery and having no memories of your parents, too young to really. Among the slaves were children such as yourself, and you called them brothers and sisters. However, one by one, they either died in accidents, killed by their masters, or sold off to buyers. Finally, after years of servitude, you managed to escape, sneaking onto a shuttle and never looking back. 

“The moment I left the shuttle, I was given another chance. A chance my brothers and sisters would never have. That’s when I decided to become a medic. Then I volunteered to be a combat medic because I wanted to save lives.” You finished your story, your breathing steady.

“Even if you were created to fight for someone else’s war, that doesn’t mean your life is meaningless. Believe it or not, but I do care about your life. And that of your brothers’. Losing a loved one is never easy, and I don’t want to see any of you go through that.” You fell silent before taking a small breath. “I didn’t tell you my life story so that you can pity me or for me to win you over. Just to tell you my reasoning in life. What you do with my story is up to you.”

Silence fell between the two of you. Neither one dared a glance at the other. You didn’t like opening up old wounds, telling others your story. The only one who knows is Anakin because the two of you share a kinship of being former slaves. 

An hour has passed, and your comlink came to life. Hunter and the rest of the Bad Batch contacted you, informing you that they have returned to the ship and are en route to pick both of you up. Their arrival was quick, and so was being carried into the Havoc Marauder. 

They had succeeded in their part of the mission, even if they were now chased by any remaining droids. It wasn’t an issue, though, once they left the planet and jumped into hyperspace.   

“After that, we were flown to the closest medical station, and we were both healed up.”

Omega was speechless. She had heard stories of the Bad Batch’s missions back on Kamino through word of mouth from the troops, but nothing detailed. This was quite the tale, and she felt a lot of emotions. The first thing that the girl managed to say was, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. The important part is that we both survived, and after that, Crosshair wasn’t so harsh on me. In fact, he always had my back. It was his idea to outfit my old armor to that of Clone Force 99, officially making me one of them.” You replied with a soft smile. 

“Thank you for telling me your story. I hope we get Crosshair back soon because I would like to know what he was thinking throughout that moment.” Omega said, causing you to smile sadly. 

“Yeah, me too...”

Omega noticed your sadden expression at the thought of the sniper, awkwardly shifting in her chair. Hoping to lighten up the mode a bit, Omega asked you, “So, why is your nickname “Freckles”?” 

Your cheeks warmed up and you softly laughed, looking embarrassed. “When the rest of the boys checked up on us, I was being removed from a bacta tank. All I had on was my top and tight shorts. They saw that my mostly covered areas like my thighs were littered with freckles, and that’s where I got my nickname. It was embarrassing.”

“Yeah! But Crosshair was the one who pointed it out!” The booming voice of Wrecker came as the boys now stood at the doorway.

“From what I remembered, you were the one who whistled at her in the first place.” Tech pointed out. “Quite improper if you ask me, since she is part of our team.”

“Need I remind you that you were the one who recorded the whole thing,” Hunter added in. “Don’t you think that’s improper?”

The boys began to bicker among each other, except for Echo who simply listened to the retelling of that moment with intrigue. All of this just made you blush harder, covering your face with the sheets. Because you also remember Crosshair looking you up and down, before smirking and saying “Nice freckles.”

[fallingsunflower]

Okay hello, I’m here to tell you my experience at Harry’s MSG 10/16 show (from a GA perspective). I tried to avoid going online and looking at too many asks so my opinion wasn’t influenced by anything.

I went with two friends and for the sake of this post I’ll call them B (who’s a big Harry fan) and C (who is still a big fan but isn’t too aware of anything going on with him).

We didn’t know the rules with lining up or camping out so after doing a little bit of research, we showed up at about 4 am and there were about 150 people in front of us. I think the first person in line got there around midnight or 1 am. There was a sharpie being passed around so we all numbered our hands so it would make it easier to keep track when getting our wristbands.

Around 7 am we got shifted across the street and that was a shit show. I have no clue who was directing that but it was poorly done and we all got out of order. We wound up awkwardly clumping together and a couple girls were trying to direct us to stay in order, which led to a group of other girls complaining that number order doesn’t matter (and that bothered me because they were about 50 people behind me so yeah it mattered lmao).

By some miracle we wound up getting in number order again, where we were supposed to be. MSG started handing out wristbands around 8 am when they technically said they’d wait until 9 am but I wasn’t complaining. My wristband number was also basically the same as the unofficial one on my hand, which was cool. There were a lot of people trying to cut the line and fake wristbands/their number.

My friends and I came back around 5 pm and although they advertised it as a lottery system, it wasn’t. They let us in in number order and we managed to get basically right behind barricade.

Jenny Lewis is absolutely adorable. I had never heard of her before but I loved her and thought she was great. She got emotional when we all put our flashlights on during one of her songs. It seemed like that's never happened to her before.

Harry came on about 25 minutes after her set ended, and to answer an ask I happened to see - yes, “Olivia” played twice during the pre-set playlist - once before Jenny came out and once after. But after she left it played immediately after “I’m Coming Out” so do with that info what you will. Also they played “Toxic” and “Stockholm Syndrome”.

Harry was pretty good. He’s pretty tall, especially in comparison to Jenny. She’s about 5 foot and he’s a solid head taller than her, at least. Also yes, he’s very pretty. I think I was most taken back by seeing his tattoos in person, idk why. And some of the pictures I took are clearer than my eyesight and I’m having trouble believing I took them lmfao

But although Harry is Harry is pretty in person, his band is BEAUTIFUL. Like deadass every single one of them was glowing. I’m obsessed with Elin and Sarah omg. Also Pauli. He was literally smiling the entire time. I was I was closer to them but they were on the other side of the stage. Mitch and Niji I couldn’t really see unless they were on the cat walk but 👀 I got some solid footage of them vibing (the pictures I’m sharing are screenshots from videos).

Overall I had a good time. I’m just like 99% sure the girl jammed up next to me had a fever because she was scolding hot (like physically warm lmao). It was like a furnace which made me warm. I’ll probably get covid tested in a couple days.

Harry’s energy was okay. Again, I’m not complaining. I had a good time but he seemed tired. There were a couple of songs where he looked like he was zoning out. He also messed up the lyrics to 2 or 3 songs. And the only time it was really obvious he got choked up, to me, was when he was making a speech (I think it was about how much he likes MSG but I’m not 100% sure). I’ll also watch some videos later and see if I notice anything else but yeah, that was the only time it was super obvious he was emotional last night. I thought he was going to break down.

He spent a long time thanking us for having his back and talked a lot about One Direction. He also assured us performing is his favorite thing to do. And he thanked Rob Stringer for allowing him to create the music he wants to create. Honestly? It didn’t really feel that forced to me. My friends agreed. Maybe rehearsed but I wouldn’t really say forced.

He didn't really interact with the crowd that much. My friend, C, saw him in concert in 2018 and said he was much more interactive but she thinks that's because he had less songs to play back then and was filling time. I'm not 100% sure if I agree with that but yeah, she said she was "disappointed" with his lack of interaction.

I will say that while although I agree, Harry's a great performer. He is way better live than in the studio. I'm not sure if it's the arrangements that are different or his vocals but I just prefer him as a live singer. "TPWK" was a ton of fun, and "SOTT" was beautiful (one of my favorite all time songs). "Kiwi" was also a good time, and yes MSG shook. There were several songs I thought the floor was going to collapse.

He didn't do the "what does it taste like" spiel before "WMS". He also sang "TBSL" which I was pleased about, and yes the "arrogant son of a bitch" part was screamed the loudest. A couple of the songs felt shortened tbh, but I think that was just me because things move quicker when you're having a good time.

Harry seemed to favor my side of the stage, which was by watermelon pit I believe. He stayed primarily in the general stage area and only came out on the cat walk a handful of times.

Before anyone asks, no I didn't see Olivia. I'm 99% sure she was on the opposite side of the stage. I also wasn't looking for her though but I heard some girls next to me talking about her while Harry was singing "Cherry" and they kept pointing towards where he was. And my friend, C, is a fan of Olivia's and isn't that deep into Harry's life but she thinks they're a stunt (she said it doesn't bother her though).

Overall it was a good time, however I will say this: Harry exudes this energy that took me back a little because it's different than I thought. I have no idea how to describe it but it was a bit off putting. He's very confident in how he moves but he does these movements that seem like he's also guarding himself. He seemed emotionally distant as well. I don't really know if maybe I was just in a different headspace or what the deal was but I'm a little taken back by how I felt watching him. It's not a bad thing because there's a million reasons why I could have felt that way but I thought I'd mention it. I'm seeing him on the 30th too so I'll give a rundown of that concert, too, for comparison.

Let me know if you have any questions in case I forgot anything!! <3

(he looked up in there for a decent while - this is a screenshot from a video I took)

[raymondebidochonlifechoices]

All fans are equal but some are more equal than others. NOT.

There’s been quite a few people in the fandom lately getting very stressed, feeling they’re obligated to constantly be on the defensive re: their fandom choices.

Apparently, whoever has a different opinion about a character or a ship must be said character’s/ship’s stan i.e. overzealous and/or obsessive, i.e. not an objective viewer. Even worse, they must be a dreadful person, who condones a number of moral offences that said character/ship perpetrated (or is thought to have perpetrated). Because, of course, the only acceptable reason for appreciating/enjoying a fictional character or dynamic is their morality. And, by that reasoning, fans who support the correct character/ship must be better fans and better people.

Nothing is more ridiculous than the notion of the objective fan. An “objective” fan is called a “viewer”. You and I, Riverdale friends, we are not just viewers. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have created blogs and dedicated hours of our lives to a fictional couple from an extremely mediocre show. We are still undoubtedly capable of critical thought and objective analysis but we are also aware of our own emotional investment in the show. (Or, at least, one hopes). As a fandom, we engage in activities that exist independently of the show. Fandom is a space of free expression. No one gets to play the higher moral card here. Needing to loudly tell everybody how wrong they are? That’s not the sign of an objective viewer. That’s the sign of a viewer who is also extremely invested, just for different reasons than I am.

Are we seriously holding the morality card over people’s heads for a show that used a poc woman’s pregnancy (Toni) as the means to retroactively establish trauma for a white male (Kevin), all the while touting it in every media possible as a woke response to the BLM movement?!

Are we seriously holding the canon card over people’s heads for a show that treats its 5th(!) season as a tabula rasa?! If the Lodges new backstory in 5x12 shows anything, it’s that s5 is not a time-jump. It’s a reboot.

There are so many people “enlightening” others on their inability to understand canon …

Seriously? That’s the hill you’re willing to die on? Canon Riverdale? You think that people don’t understand what they’re watching? That they’re interpreting canon incorrectly?

No, but seriously: canon for a TV show consists of what the characters say, what the characters do and how the actors portray them. Does this really apply to Riverdale?

Let’s take Donna for example.

Canon explicitly tells us Donna did what she did to avenge her grandmother. At the same time none of her canon actions were against the people who were actually responsible. So, riddle me this, fandom friends: why did Donna do what she did, as per canon?

Let’s try this another way:

Donna is a psycho bitch. Both in terms of Riverdale’s canon (the writers’ intention) and real-life criteria. To create a tag that reads “Bonna for ever uwu!” is deranged.

On the other hand, her character is (like a lot of Riverdale’s characters) an inconsistent caricature. Canon uses ridiculous dialogue and a lot of the Bonna scenes are cartoonishly enemies-to-lovers tropey. To create a tag that reads “Bonna for ever uwu!” is hilarious.

This doesn’t mean that Bonna is a canon couple. It does mean, however, that a Bonna crackship is based on Riverdale’s campy and over-the-top canonic writing.

A viewer who thinks Bonna is disgusting is not more “objective” or more “correct” or more “true to canon” than a viewer who thinks Bonna is funny. Nor are they a better person for it, and this cannot be stressed enough.

Similarly, who is canon Cheryl?

1. Cheryl is an absolute bitch: if a privileged student was calling an actual homeless boy a hobo in your real-life school, you would neither think her a queen nor use “hobo” affectionately in your tags, comments etc.

2. Cheryl is a deeply traumatized person: her father killed her brother, her mother killed half the town and forced her in conversion therapy, she attempted suicide and more.

(Note #1: this more does not mean more than the other Riverdale characters).

(Note #2: nor is it an excuse for her rudeness, affectionately called “mood for chaos” by the writers).

3. Cheryl is also a caricature of the archetypal mean girl who’s there for laughs and meta comments. She’s not to be taken seriously.

4. Cheryl is lgbtq+ representation …

5. … who canonically shits on other lgbtq+ characters.

6. Cheryl is one half of Choni, who are canonically presented as an uber couple.

7. Choni is also, as per canon, a couple with an acute power imbalance (cough!gaslighting!cough) that visually very clearly panders to the male gaze.

But most importantly:

8. Cheryl canonically is not the sum of her parts. The different facets of her character do not intermingle in any meaningful way.

Was Betty kissing Archie specifically a sore spot for Jughead?

Canonically no [2x14]. But, also, canonically yes [5x03, 5x10].

Are there seriously fans that are astonished that Betty is making some highly questionable choices while investigating?! Did they just discover Dark™Betty/Killer Genes Betty? That is canon Betty! Was it ok before because she was then smooching Jughead instead of giving him the cold shoulder? Honestly, the only newly outrageous part of s5Dark™Betty is the fact that she still believes in “killer genes” despite having spent 4 years at Yale …

As for liking/disliking Betty and morality …

Look, I’m going to be very honest: I am NOT particularly enjoying s5 Betty. And it’s not because of b*rchie.

S5 Betty has 99 problems but the sexcapades ain’t one.

For me, it’s the fact that she’s turned into s1 Alice 2.0. But surely that’s not news either? Ever since the first info about the time jump, everyone and their mother have been speculating about the teens becoming their parents …

Just because Jughead is better written (and written to be more likable), it doesn’t make him more worthy of redemption. Just because the writers are keeping Betty’s redemption “secret” (insert eye roll) for their big reveal in the season’s penultimate episode, it doesn’t mean she won’t have one.  

Simply put, the writers have made Jughead more likable. He’s still the underdog. He’s the only character in Riverdale actively trying to deal with his trauma, since the very first post-time jump episode (working at Pop’s explicitly to fend off the debt collectors). He has scenes with a new and extremely likable character (Tabitha). He has the only new plot line (the Mothman). Said plotline is narratively already tied to both his unknown past and the town’s destruction by Hiram. His behaviour is explicitly explained, even as his recent trauma remains unknown. He’s transparent.

In comparison, s5 Betty is traumatized but not the underdog. Her trauma (TBK killer) is both known to us and a repetition of previous storylines, which makes it narratively less exciting. She is completely disconnected from any other storylines. She comes out as being judgmental and self-interested: telling Tabitha Jughead’s not her business while previously accepting his help? Berating Polly for lying while not keeping in touch and lying about her own life (TBK)? Please note: I’m not saying there isn’t a reason behind her behaviour, just that it comes out in a negative way.

You don’t like Betty’s current behaviour? You don’t consider trauma a good enough excuse? Cool.

You feel sorry for what she’s going through? You consider trauma to be a valid explanation for her behaviour? Also cool.

Personally, I don’t give a flying fig, either for Betty’s trauma or Jughead’s. Because, even though Trauma™ is s5’s actual mystery plot, narratively speaking, trauma never affected the plot of the past 4 seasons, nor s5 trauma will affect future plots, once revealed. And you know what? That is also cool.

None of the above is better.

And just because I’m not enjoying Betty right now, it doesn’t mean that I don’t want her to overcome her current situation or that I won’t cheer for Bughead like a River Vixen on fizzle rocks, once they reunite.

This thing though, where people are made to feel as if they owed anyone in the fandom an explanation about why they like the things they like, because, somehow, their preferences are a reflection on their character or their cognitive abilities to read a TV show? This is a joke.

There is no “wrong” way to consume any show, let alone Riverdale, with its fractured format, its short-term memory and its see-sawing characters.

Look, everybody’s here for their own reasons. For most people this is a place of escape. No one’s escaping better than the other, because of how they enjoy their teen TV show ... 

[acerace]

tumblr user buildmartenjoyer did you hear dream's latest build mart rant made it onto reddit

I did hear! I read the transcript earlier as well to see more than just the random screenshots people like to vague lmao

Obviously I, Tumblr user buildmartenjoyer, quite like Build Mart! I think it gets a somewhat underserved amount of hate that has little to do with the game itself. That does not mean I think it is a perfect game. If multiple people have multiple complaints over multiple events about a specific game, then yeah there's probably an issue somewhere! Doesn't mean the game is bad and irredeemable and awful and needs to be removed or even retired.

Also whoops I rambled! Below the cut for general musings on Dream's recent Build Mart comments. This is not cc!Dream critical or neg, btw, most of my rambling is me considering his points from the pov of someone who really loves Build Mart and enjoys watching it. 

Man I wanna pick the green man's brain on MCC so bad like!! I don't think Build Mart is a bad game- in fact I think it's like A Tier- and I disagree with a lot of what Dream says about mcc in general, but he also makes good points! Like he's right- if you play 100 games of Build Mart of, let's say, orange 17 and cyan 17, orange is going to win 100/100 games, whereas with games like Sky Battle or Parkour Tag, for example, there's going to be more of a split, because the games have "pop off" potential as he says. See Grian being #1 individual in Sky Battle in 17 with one (1) tnt and good survival points. Personally, I think this is a fair point because part of the fun and charm of MCC is that it isn't set in stone and you don't know who the winner's going to be half way through the event like with twitch rivals or mcm.

In that specific post, Dream's main issue he describes is him struggling with memory and knowing what blocks he needs. Fair enough! The game stresses communication and memorization more than any other skill, and struggling with those is going to hurt your performance and how much fun you have. But imo there are in game strategies you could implement to help. And obviously I say all this as someone who has never Played BM/MCC in general so grain of salt lol.

If he's good at placing blocks but not collecting them, then have the team split into pairs- two builders taking a build each and two runners working with a builder each. Dream stays at the build and tells his runner what blocks to bring him, then Dream can build while the runner goes to work on the 3rd build, for example. Then maybe rush gold builds? Like if the issue is physically getting the blocks, then work with your team to get someone else to do it. For the first set of builds when no one has blocks, have one builder get wood and the other stone, while the runners work on the specific blocks for their pair's build, maybe, so no one's sitting around waiting. Like I feel like there's options, you know?

I also think that most of the problems with Build Mart comes from the fact it's the only "building" game. If you like pvp you can vote for Sky Battle or Battle Box or Survival Games, all of which are pvp games that test differing skills and have distinct strategies- you don't need to bridge in SG, for example. But if you want a building game you have BM and only BM, and it's barely a building game at that. Adding another option- I like the battle box inspired idea- would lessen BM's dominance, because non pvp teams almost always want BM and want it late, giving another option will shake up the meta here and expose the underlying issues with BM.

Also I feel like the thing people get most pressed about is when Dream brings up Grian? I think it's usually a fine comparison because they have very different preferred games and play styles while having similar amounts of experience, and Grian is the largest of the non dsmp streamers. Grian is one of the best Build Mart players and hates Parkour Warrior and says he won't play if it comes back; Dream was one of the best Parkour Warrior players and hates Build Mart and says he won't play if he knows it's going to be played. The difference comes up in specific contexts- when Dream said Grian could hate pkw but he can't say anything about bm because people get mad at him, for example, that was meh to me because yeah you have a point about how people attack you over everything but did you have to pick the one person who had an actual panic attack playing the game? In this specific post, Grian has indeed killed Dream in pvp before, but it's never been 1v1 when both are prepared for it and at full health lol. The closest you get to that is the original Dreamslayer moment in MCC9, but even then Dream was healing from a previous fight and Grian got the drop on him. Dream will kill Grian 99/100 times.

Dream was being pretty sarcastic with his comments on not needing to communicate in BM, and yeah Pete was being quiet but that's because he was listening to what Grian was saying lol. With Grian's BM strategy, the CEO is loud and in charge and constantly talking, the builders only speak up when they need something or have a gold build, and the floater is constantly talking to the CEO. Dream saying Pete wasn't talking much is true, because he was one of the silent roles! But he was still communicating- if he hadn't told Grian about the gold build or asked what was behind the duck build or told Grian to get more glass then they wouldn't have done as well. I also think it's interesting he chose Pete's pov to watch, because it seems to me he's looking at BM strategies and trying to find some that'll work for him? He can't be CEO or floater because those both rely on knowing what blocks everyone needs, so him watching one of the builders makes sense to me.

Most of my issues with how people (Dream included) talk about BM is when they're flat out wrong or subjective lol. Build Mart is not a slow game, you're just watching someone who doesn't know what they're doing. It's not a boring game, you're just watching a team that gives up before the game even starts. I feel the same intense excitement and stress about BM as I do about SG and SoT! Watching Grian play is intense and exciting and edge of the seat! People have a lot of misconceptions about BM, which I rambled about in the tags of this post here, which I still stand by. The tl;dr of my thoughts on what makes a good Build Mart player is that Grian is not good at BM because he's a good builder- he makes mistakes constantly in BM- but rather because he can communicate with his team so effectively it doesn't matter if he spends 30 seconds looking for a crafting recipe or collecting the wrong block.

So there are my thoughts anon! I’m not sure what you were expecting, because I like both Grian and Dream and think they both make very good points about MCC and game design in general (considering they both have experience running mc servers lol) and they tend to have very different opinions and experiences, so comparing them is interesting to me! I don’t necessarily agree with Dream’s points about MCC in general (the only people whose views I tend to wholesale support are H and Pete lmao) but Dream is allowed to dislike a game based on his personal opinions and feelings and he is allowed to rant about it in his own merch discord. Doesn’t mean he’s wrong or right, or that you have to agree or disagree. 

[biggest-stupidhead]

I don't know If you watch brooklyn 99, but Levi so much like Captain Holt? 😂😂

What about a crack funny scenario where the pregnant!reader is from levi squad and instead of going to the infirmary when her water breaks she just keeps working?

(Not necessarily romantic! levi x reader)

Thnks!

haha I love Brooklyn  99 and Parks and Rec and the office, all some of my faves. Pls send me more requests like this I adore these au’s/ comparisons  I find them so very hilarious and endearing. (This includes How I met your mother and Malcom in the Middle as well ) 

Summary: Even when you’re pregnant you work your tail off and it annoys the fuck out of Levi. 

Word Count: 1.3K

__

Levi had tried everything. He tried taking your keys from you, getting the whole office to stop drinking coffee, giving you easy assignments that could be done at home. All of this just to keep you out of the damn office. You had taken every obstacle thrown at you in stride, something he knew that you were capable of, since that was one of the reasons that he had picked you for his squad in the first place. So Levi peeked through the blinds of his office, Hange was sitting in his desk chair, spinning like a maniac behind him. 

“I’ve tried everything Hange, she just won’t fucking leave.” Levi growled as he watched you bounce on the exercise ball that Connie had gifted you a few months prior. 

“Yeah well she’s never going to listen to you. She’s weird about attendance you know.” Hange said as she swiveled in the chair. 

“I know I know.” Levi groaned, leaving the window to come shove Hange from his desk. 

“Go take her home.” Levi said as he shooed Hange from his office, fed up with the mutiny that was occurring within the office. 

“Nah she already ate like half of the break rooms supply. The beast is satisfied for now.” Hange objected as Levi pushed her to the door. 

“Then make something up I don’t care, just get her pregnant ass out of here.” He said pointing at the woman in question as she bounced on the ball. 

“Fine okay, just quite shoving me.” Hange huffed as she opened the door and fled to her own desk that was in the next room over, being a captain of her own squad, they had shoved both of them into the same bull pen. Forcing them to work closely together. Levi returned to his place at the window, where he could see the entire bull pen, it was only eleven in the morning, and you looked exhausted. He was sure that part of the reason that you were still even coming to work almost nine months pregnant was to prove a point to Eren, who had started a bet that you wouldn’t make it past five months. So now here you were looking miserable as you bounced on that stupid exercise ball. Mikasa was watching you like a hawk over the top of her computer screen. She had been one of the few officers to not partake in the bet, only focusing on your needs and how to best help you. Sasha was pawing through her desk drawer, where Levi knew that she kept contraband, aka snacks that were located outside of the break room. Connie was balancing a pencil on his upper lip as he stood by you, his hand held on your shoulder, clearly asking for your attention. Jean and Eren were starting to get rowdy, taking turns shoving one another as they argued. Hange came over to you and clearly asked you a question and you shook your head almost as soon as she opened her mouth. 

This was the first of many hints that something was wrong, you were a very patient person, even when it came to Hange. Levi began to pace as he considered how he could get you out of the office, he cared for you deeply. Even though he cared for all of his team he cared for you the most secretly. He had been surprised when you made the announcement that you were pregnant, having saved up to invest in a sperm donor, the office had been ecstatic with the news of a new baby. Levi was yanked from his daydream when a bellow echoed through the bull pen. He yanked his office door open and stood at the threshold, you were doubled over with your hands on your knees. Connie as holding your shoulder, having abandoned his pencil to attend to you. Hange took a step back, eyes wide with shock at the sudden noise that you let out. 

“Wasn’t me!” Jean yelled, earning a high five from Eren as you whimpered, gripping your swollen stomach. 

“Jean, shut up.” Mikasa deadpanned as she rounded her desk and placed a soothing hand on your back as you began to do your breathing exercises. 

“Sorry Mikasa.” Jean said, also straightening up at the sight of his captain. 

“What the hell is all the racket about?” Levi growled, his grey eyes focused soley on you. 

“I’m fine. Just go back to work everybody.” You said dismissively, waving your wrist to play off the pain you were obviously in. 

“Stop lying. You’ve proved your point, just go to the damn hospital already.” Levi said, pushing Connie off of you to stand in his place. Connie looked at him in offense before going to grab your hospital bag that Eren had prepared for this very situation. 

“Captain’s orders.” Mikasa said sternly, looking up at Levi who couldn’t help but feel a tinge of pride in finding one of his officers who wasn’t out for blood today. 

“I’ll order a pizza!” Sasha said, standing up from her desk and snatching up the phone that was on her desk and pressing the speed dial, where she kept the pizza place’s number. 

“No, don’t it’s too early I think that-” another deep groan wracked your body. Levi growled and shooed Hange and the others away as he looked to Jean and pointed a finger at his chest. 

“Wheelchair. Now.” He said sternly and the young man whirled around and raced off to find you a wheel chair. You groaned and shook your head, breathing becoming more erratic by the minute. 

“It’s fine Levi, I’m okay, it’s not time yet.” you protested as he placed a firm hand on your shoulder. 

“Stop being so damn stubborn and just fucking go to the hospital.” Levi scolded as he helped you to your feet as Jean raced back into the room with the wheelchair. He helped you sit down, his nerves on fire at the pinched expression on your face and the beads of sweat rolling off of your temple. 

“Will you come with me? My mom won’t be able to fly in fast enough.” You said, catching his wrist in your clammy hands. After a beat of considering, Levi turned to Hange and pointed at her. 

“You’re in charge while I’m gone, I’ll call in with updates soon.” He said to appease the crowd as he pushed you out of the door and towards his car. Even if the baby wasn’t his and you weren’t his girlfriend, Levi vowed to care for you and the child as if that were the case. You sill held his hand as he pushed the wheelchair, and Levi knew then, that there would be no getting over you. 

[jeontaehui]

TAEHEE WITH WAYV

kun kunhee

taehee’s true aegyo only shows when she talks to kun.

she would call him ‘kun gege‘ or ‘kunnie kun kun’ when she’s feeling it lol

taehee Loves kun’s cooking !!! every time the neos would separate into groups during an activity that involved cooking, she’d beg to be in the same group as him.

(nct world ep. 8) “oppa, your food is to die for.”

kun looks at taehee very fondly, like how a dad would watch his child. 

he thinks taehee can be a bit out of hand sometimes, but 98% of the time they’re together, kun looks like he’d spoil taehee without her having to ask him. 

(180403 vlive) “kun-ge,” taehee skips in her steps as kun turns his head to acknowledge her, “hmm?” “if ten oppa asked you to cut me in half, would you?” she asks him expectantly, and without missing a beat, he replies, “no”. triumphantly, taehee turns to the back to stick out her tongue at ten, “see, you’re the only person—“ “i don’t want to have two of you around,” kun cuts her off with a playful smirk, which turns to a laugh as soon as taehee lets out a gasp. she continued to ramble about how she trusted him, how she felt betrayed. “i’m just kidding,” kun says as he put his arm around taehee’s shoulders, pulling her close before ruffling her hair. 

although they’re not a very popular duo or not seen together quite often, taehee absolutely missed kun and his playfulness (and maybe his cooking too).

iconic moment (uncut take #1 | 2020 yearparty behind scene #2) “hello,” they respectfully greeted, with taehee clinging to kun’s side. “i’m here with taehee,” kun starts, “and even if we aren’t in a scene together, we’re hanging out.”

“i missed kun oppa,” taehee pouts, “kun gege.” this immediately made kun smile, it was clear how kun adored taehee like she was his own child. “really?” and taehee nods in response. “it’s been like, what, two years? since i’ve last seen you. moments with you are like, a breath of fresh air,” kun softly laughs at the comparison as he shakes his head at her dramatics. “you’re just making stuff up, aren’t you?”

“i’m not! i swear!”

“are you sure it’s not my cooking that you missed?”

“well... maybe that too.”

song happier by marshmellow ft. bastille

ten tnt / tenhee

taehee likes to think of ten as her twin, but then he would always shoot down the idea. 

(n’-75) “we’re like twins, right?” taehee tells ten before throwing a chip into her mouth. “yeah, but you’re the annoying one and everyone likes me.”

their videos on nct’s dance channel are literally Divine !!!!!! nctzens especially went wild when taehee performed with ten on ‘hit the stage’.

the dirty jokes ..... don’t even get me started. ten would make one remark and it immediately becomes dirty when he makes eye contact with taehee (ft. mark sometimes). if taehee was about to break out laughing, she’d go “UGH I HATE YOU!”

but even if they’re like this with each other, ten and taehee care about each other a whole lot :(

(nct world ep. 3) taehee strained her wrist while attempting to do jump over the vault. though she was able to balance herself quickly, she looked as if she were about to fall; at this split second, ten took a worried step forward, afraid that she’d slip to the ground. later, when taehee comes back with a wrist guard around her hand, ten takes a concerned look at her and asks if she was okay.

taehee also caught a cold while they were preparing for ‘90’s love’ and ten kept insisting he’d make her something to help her feel better.

ten would never admit it but taehee is his baby, anything or anyone that’s bothering her will have to go through him first >:(

iconic moment (jcc ep. 25) “ten, i don’t think it’s supposed to work that way,” taehee giggles at him as he stood a foot away from her while mixing his self-made cookie dough. “no, you wait for it. it’s gonna work,” ten insists while pointing the wooden spoon menacingly at taehee, but this just made the girl smile wider.

she secretly slides the jar of white sugar towards her and scoops up a spoonful, before moving carefully towards ten. “i don’t even think you added sugar,” she mumbles, but his body moves to block her and she bumps into his back with another step. “HEY!” she laughs at how protective ten was getting over his cookie dough, and his stirring becoming more and more aggressive as she tries to put sugar in it, “i’m going to place some so it has a taste!”

ten protests that he already did a while ago while taehee maneuvered her way around him laughing. ten knew what she was trying to do and so he bumped his hip against hers to stop her from getting any nearer. “this is going to spill! ten, stop!,” taehee tries to hold in her giggles, ten was being too cute. “and you’re going to clean it up when it does,” he bites back.

taehee resumes to finding ways to get sugar into the mix while ten resists, causing a very entertained mark to fill the studio with laughter. after a few minutes of trying, taehee sighs and puts back the sugar in the jar, "wow, i never knew baking could be so tiring.”

turns out, ten’s cookies didn’t come out that well and taehee’s expression said it all. “i told you so.”

song positions by ariana grande 

winwin winhee

when winwin was promoting with wayv, he and taehee would send each other messages asking about their days or if they had plans for anything. since both units were busy, they really never do this and it’s only rare that they message each other, let alone call each other.

that’s why taehee was very happy when she saw winwin again for resonance :(

if taehee was chill about her love for winwin before, now she’d just poke his cheeks every once in a while.

(uncut take #1 | 2020 yearparty behind scene #1) taehee watches from the side as three or four members corner winwin to gush over him, making her give a disapproving shake of the head to the camera. “everyone, winwin hyungie is like a baby,” she nods. “babies won’t like it if you bother them too much, so you have to be subtle with your affection.” taehee gives a playful smirk to the camera, “that’s why winwin hyungie likes me.”

winwin, on the other hand, thinks that taehee changed very much the last time he saw her. from being childish and innocent, she became matured and confident. this is how winwin felt time really flew.

(uncut take #1 | 2020 yearparty behind scene #1) “winwin gege~,” taehee whines, seeing how it would roll off her tongue. “did i say that right? ‘winwin gege’?,” she looks to see that winwin already had a fond smile on his face. “you are so cute,” he pouts, “jeon taehee, you are really too cute.”

iconic moment (201106 twitter blueroom live) “winwin hyung, who is your favorite member here in 90’s love?,” haechan asks from his left. and as everyone appeals to him, including mark who touches his ear out of affection, he already had one person in mind. “jeon taehee.”

song left to right by marteen

lucas luhee

a very very very very chaotic duo.

if you watch compilation videos of the funniest moments from empathy era, the iconic clip of lucas and taehee saying something else instead of ‘yadom’ (nasal spray) would always be included. they had to cut out that part from the live later, and members had to tell them what ‘야동’ actually meant in the next live.

taehee would try to teach lucas some korean before, but then that’s just her talking in korean with an english accent.

(180712 vlive) “why are you so tall?,” taehee raises her eyebrow at him. “why are you so short?,” lucas laughs.

taehee threw a pick-up line at mark during that same live, and lucas asked her why wasn’t she like that to him too. “lucas, don’t laugh but,” taehee tells him, “even if you’re as tall as a tree, i’ll still see you as a big baby. i’m not lying.”

and so jungwoo and taehee’s snacking tradition was actually jungwoo, taehee, and lucas’ snacking tradition.

for taehee, it’s so satisfying to watch lucas eat especially if he’s enjoying it so much. lucas actually admitted that the food that taehee carried in her bag would eventually go to his stomach. it became a habit for taehee to carry some in her bag even if lucas wasn’t promoting with her anymore.

iconic moment (uncut take #14 | ‘resonance’ mv behind the scene) “yo lucas,” taehee greets as she was pulled into a friendly bro hug. when she pulls away, she quicklt takes a look at lucas’ gorgeous features and steps back, “woah, you’re seriously so handsome.” lucas turns shy at her compliment and rubs the back of his neck, “you too.”

taehee raises her eyebrows in amusement, smirking as she says, “i’m handsome too?” lucas thinks for a moment before nodding yes, “you can be handsome too.”

“okay czennies, meet two very handsome people. hello!”

song rather be by clean bandit (ft. jess glynne)

xiaojun xiaohee

out of all the ‘99 boys, she’d want to get to know xiaojun more the most. 

they’re not awkward with each other, they’re just shy to approach each other and start a conversation. 

(sun & moon ep. 2) “taehee-ssi told me the other day she really liked xiaojun hyung’s voice out of the blue,” the said girl eyes haechan carefully, suddenly feeling nervous at what he’s going to pull. “i told her she should tell you herself, why is she telling me? she said she was shy,” when he had said this, a chorus of ‘ohh’s’ came from the rest of the bunch, except for taehee. she had a threatening smile on her face directed at the one and only lee haechan, so he decides to prod her further, “taehee-ssi, perhaps you’d like a guesting on awsaz?”

unknowingly though, xiaojun soon becomes one of the causes of taehee’s smiles or laughter whenever they’re filming together. 

(nct world ep. 2) “taehee, fighting!,” he cheers as taehee stepped forward to arm wrestle. the latter quickly turns around to give him a salute as she winks.

(201120 vlive) “xiaojun comes home and he talks about taehee too,” kun shares, “they hang out a lot.” doyoung snickers, “he fell for her too? taehee tells us how funny you guys are in your dorms, but she only ever talked about xiaojun.”

so yes ,,, they are very shy around each other but as far as we know !!! they’re really good friends who want to be closer to each other.

iconic moment (uncut take #14 | ‘resonance’ mv behind the scene) “you guys have pets in your dorm, right?,” taehee asks him as she leaned back, her arms supporting her from behind. “yes, we have three. the dog is bella and we have two cats named leon and louis,” taehee’s eyes widened, though she admits she feels jealous to have their pets around.

“i would keep my dog with me but they won’t let me.”

“oh really? what’s the name?”

“her name is 뚱이, and she’s a lhasa apso.”

“ahh,” xiaojun nods, “does she pee on your carpet?”

taehee throws her head back slightly as she laughs at the question, bringing a hand to her mouth to hide her growing smile. “do your pets pee on your carpet?” xiaojun shrugs, “well, sometimes,” he nods off disappointingly, causing taehee to giggle. “but we love them,” xiaojun sighs, and his eyes see taehee’s wide smile as she agrees with him. “that’s right, we love them.”

song i really like you by carly rae jepsen 

hendery deryhee

taehee finds hendery SO funny, i swear.

like he can literally just smile and nod she’d bust her lungs out from laughing

nctzens found it cute when taehee and hendery monitored each other while they were shooting for the ‘misfit’ track vid.

(misfit track video behind the scene) “ooo hendery is good. he looks cool.”

taehee watched the awsaz episode of winwin and jisung ,,, firstly because of those two.

but then hendery and haechan were so funny too she may have shed a tear from laughing.

a fan asked in those video call fansigns if taehee has watched any of wayv’s videos and she laughed, saying that she watched the one where they acted as disney princesses.

“hendery is so funny, really,” she smiled. “I CAN SHOW YOU THE WORLD!!!!”

they became really close during resonance era and talk about games, their pets, and already have some inside jokes between the two of them.

like a member would just say ‘cabbage’ and we already have the two of them smiling to each other from across the room !!! or they’d make eye contact when looking at the mirror and taehee would just bust out laughing.

iconic moment (201106 twitter blueroom live) “you’re really, really, really, really handsome,” yuta starts with utmost sincerity, “hendery.” the latter brings a hand to his face, his face warming up at the compliment as he sighs contently. this comical reaction causes taehee to burst into a fit of laughter, one you could hear off-cam.

later, when it was time for the ‘90’s love’ unit to take charge of the live, taehee giggles out of the blue, trying to keep her laughs in. “why?,” mark asks as he glances at her. “i’m sorry i just,” she pauses. surely, she was thinking about the funny things hendery pulled when they were doing the live before them. “i just keep thinking about how funny hendery was. i’m sorry, i’ll just eat my fries,” she says the last part quickly, throwing a french fry in her mouth as she bites back a smile.

song love story by taylor swift (disco lines ft. cassidi remix)

yangyang yanghee

taehee finds yangyang SO cute, precious, and tiny.

whenever yangyang is speaking, we’d see taehee in the corner of the frame smiling. 

she’s all over the yangyang vocalist agenda !!!!!!

(uncut #16 | ‘90’s love’ recording behind) “this is yangyang’s voice, isn’t it?,” taehee beams as she hears the younger’s voice through her headphones. “i really like his voice.”

yangyang’s such a smiley baby around taehee, partially because she told him he was very cute when he smiles.

fans find it so endearing when taehee calls yangyang “yangyangie” as if she’s talking to a baby :(

(201022 weibo live) “taehee noona and i play games when she comes here,” yangyang tells renjun. “and then she’ll hangout with the pets later,” he and renjun laugh at this. typical taehee.

taehee would buy drinks from the vending machine for sungchan since he’s the maknae in ‘90’s love’ but !!!! she makes a special exception for yangyang.

just a little bit more and he’s up taehee’s baby list ^ ^

iconic moment (uncut take #8 | ‘90′s love’ mv behind) “today is yangyang’s birthday!,” taehee chirps as she held the camera, making sure she and yangyang were both in the frame. “you’re like, 21 now, right?,” yangyang nods, “how are you feeling today?”

“i feel happy right now since you guys like prepared a cake and stuff and sang ‘happy birthday’ to me awhile ago,” taehee smiles at this. “so i’ll continue to work hard with you guys as we wrap up filming,” yangyang finishes as he beams at her, the latter mirroring his expression. 

“you’re so cute, you know that, right?,” taehee coos as she focuses the camera to yangyang (who smiles shyly at the compliment), before placing herself back in frame. “i only got to play games with yangyang a few times because chenle invited me, but now that we’re all spending time together, i think yangyang’s a very cute dongsaeng.” at this, they both giggle and taehee raises her fist for a fist bump. “i know,” yangyang says as he bumps his fist against hers, taehee laughing at this cute ball of sunshine. 

song timber by pitbull (ft. ke$ha)