#Limbo is so weird about her but its not out of love but not hate either? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

xhannahbananax03 · 2 years

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Trouble Chapter 6

Pairing: Austin!Elvis x Reader

MASTERLIST

Words: 5.2k outdid myself again

Warnings: pining

A/N: Reblogs, likes, comments + feedback are extremely appreciated! Please help support your content creators!

A/N 2: This is in noway me shaming Priscilla or trying to make her out to be a villain. She went through a lot and I believe she is a lovely lady.

The calls had become less and less since the two split off from each other thus most recent time, until eventually they just stopped coming in all together.

She'd occasionally write him and he'd occasionally write her but it seemed the were stuck in a weird limbo of not being sure about where their relationship stood. Y/n knew she still loved the man, but with how cold and distant she had made herself, she was sure that he thought she hated him by now, and maybe that's why she hadn't received a single letter from him for a month until today.

She still couldn't stop her heart from racing everytime she got a letter from him, she couldn't stop from racing up to her room with a giddy expression before flopping onto her bed to tear it open and trace over every single letter Elvis wrote to her with the tip of her finger and her reaction from his letter today was no different.

She raced up to her room, dropped her bag on the floor, shut her door and locked it, before flopping onto her bed and tearing the envelope open.

'Hey there doll,' She smiled softly at the pet name, missing how she used to be able to hear him say them instead, 'Only a year left until I can come home,' She bit her lip at the reminder, 'But anyways, how've you been? I've been doing great...' and suddenly it felt like her heart took a nose dive straight of a cliff, the happy expression leaving her face entirely, 'I've met somebody. Her names Priscilla,' and Y/n had to stop reading there, tears blocking her vision as her hopes and dreams of being Elvis' only girl faded away.

She threw the letter on the floor before curling up on her side trying to muffle her loud cries. When she heard a knocking on her bedroom door along with a muffled, "Sweetie? Is everything alright in there?" From her mother.

She quickly wiped up her face before going and opening her door, looking down at her feet in hopes her mom wouldn't notice her depressed state, but one little sniffle gave it all away, "Oh honey, what happened?" Her mom asked wrapping her arms around her and leading her back to the bed and just like that, Y/n broke back into hysterics.

Sobbing and choking on air while her mother ran a soothing hand up and down her back, "Its alright, honey," Her mom cooed softly leaning back before pulling her onto her lap like she was a little girl again, she didn't know how her mom always managed to do it, but she just did.

After a good hour of crying, Y/n finally calmed down enough to speak, the occasional hiccup or shuddering breath interrupting her, "E-Elvis has a girl-girlfriend mama,".

"Oh baby," Her mom rocked her gently, smoothing her hair down, "Boys like him ain't worth all your tears anyway," Her mother told her sternly, hoping that maybe she could get her daughter more on the angry side of the spectrum so she wouldn't have to watch her break right in front of her.

"But he is mama," Y/n looked up at her with wide, red eyes, still brimming with tears, "I love him," She cried out, burying her head back into her mother's shoulder and her mom realized then that there was no point in trying to get Y/n to be angry with Elvis, not when her heart belonged to the Rockstar.

So her mother just held her close, rocking her and humming sweet little tunes to her, being sure to stay far away from anything that even remotely sounded like Elvis, and she did that until her daughter fell fast asleep in her bed.

Tucking Y/n in, her mother kissed her cheek, hating to see her daughter in this much pain over some boy, but she did understand it. Seeing a neatly folded piece of paper on the ground, she picked it up and briefly looked at it. She realized it was the letter from Elvis and againt her better judgment she decided to read it and see if she could get a better grasp of what was going on.

'Hey there doll, only a year left until I can come home. But anyways, how've you been? I've been doing great. I've met somebody, her names Priscilla. I have a feeling the two of you would get along great. She's pretty, funny, smart and she lives right her on the base. Y/n, I think I'm in love, got any advice for me on that? I know there's always something going through that smart little head of yours. The military isn't as bad as I thought it would be, majority of the time we all just goof around and have parties, it's kinda fun here actually. I can't wait to get back home to you though,' This made her mother pause her reading before she looked to make sure her child was still fast asleep, 'I'm still regretful of the way we left things off darling, and I'm still really sorry about everything. Maybe you could call me sometime and we could catch up? I miss hearing that sweet voice. Anyways, I'm running out of paper space, but I love you and I miss you. Call me sometime. Xoxo E.P.'.

Y/n's mother sighed, knowing that she was probably very confused about her relationship with Elvis. After reading that letter, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little confused herself. Folding it back up, she sat the letter on her daughter's nightstand hoping that maybe she'd read the rest of it at some point and realize that Elvis still cares for her deeply, that much was obvious.

With a sigh, Y/n's mother kissed her cheek one last time before leaving the room to go and get some rest herself.

Y/n couldn't believe that today was really the day Elvis was coming home. A year flew by so quickly, the pair of them beginning to exchange letters more often, even though every time he brought up his new girlfriend Y/n would cry a little but eventually she got over the pain of it all and learned to take whatever affection Elvis was willing to give her.

She thought about flying out to Memphis to be there once he got home, but she figured that he might like to spend some time with his father and manager at Graceland winding down from his 2 year long endeavor.

Later that evening though she got a phone call from none other than Elvis himself and she could tell he had been drinking, "Hey darlin'," He slurred out as soon as she answered, "Where are ya?"

"I'm in Daytona, Elvis," She sighed out, not liking to have to talk to him when he was like this, he always made empty promises.

"Hey sugar," Elvis slurred the second he had heard her pick up the phone, "I miss ya," Which wasn't a lie, he did miss her. Alot. He just felt more at ease letting her know when he had some liquid courage in him.

"Are you drunk?" She asked after a long pause, not sounding too entirely pleased, "Its 2 in the morning E.P.,"

"'M sorry, honey. Jus' needed t'hear your voice," He hiccuped, taking another swig of his beer, "I miss ya so much, darlin'," His words coming out in a messy slur.

"I miss you too, E," Y/n sighed out, also feeling more at ease letting her true feelings hang out when she knew Elvis probably wouldn't remember this conversation in the morning anyways.

"'M gonna marry ya someday ya know?" Elvis slurred and Y/n sat quietly for a long moment, taken aback by his words and while she wished she could revel in it, she knew it was just the alcohol speaking, "Y/n?".

"Alright E.P., alright," She just agreed with him, rubbing at her teary eyes, "Listen, I need to get goin' to bed. Gotta busy day tomorrow," She half lied. All of her days were busy, but tomorrow was no busier than normal.

"Alrigh' baby," Elvis hiccuped again, taking another large swig of his drink, "I love ya, mama," She smiled a little, liking when he used that nickname on her.

"I love you too, E.P.," She told him honestly before the pair said their goodnights and she went back into a fitful sleep, not being able to get his words out of her head.

But much like she suspected, a few nights later when he called again he had no memory of calling her at all that night.

"Have you been drinkin'?" She asked him with a sigh. Y/n had also come to notice that the more time she spent around Elvis, the more she found herself pronouncing words like how he did.

"No I ain' been drinkin'," Elvis slurred defensively. Sometimes he got real defensive about his drinking habits, seeing as how most of his life he begged with his mother to stop with her drinking, "'M I not allowed t'miss ya or somethin' now?".

Y/n sighed once again, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes, "No, no E, you can miss Mr. I've sure been missin' you," She said honestly, laying back on her bed, sometimes when he was this drunk she'd use him like a therapist, admitting that she was in love with her best friend and she had been for a long time.

"Good, 'cause I do miss ya, baby," She could hear the smile in his voice and that made her smile until she heard him taking a long drink and she remembered why he was talking so sweetly to her in the first place, "'M comin' up there tomorra ' t'get ya darlin' so ya better have your bags packed. You're gonna start livin' here at Graceland, with me,".

Oh how she wished for his words to actually mean something to himself, because they meant a whole lot to her, "Alright, Elvis," She played along, not wanting to upset him as she laid her arm over her eyes.

"I love ya so much, darlin'," Elvis once again proclaimed his false love for her. She knew better than to take it any other way than friendly.

"I love you too, E.P.," She repeated back to him like she always did, "Go get some rest alright?".

"Mhm," She heard Elvis answer her, "I'll be seein' ya tomorrow, honey," He once again promised and Y/n just shook her head, "G'night dear,".

"Goodnight Elvis," She mumbled back before dropping her landline down on the receiver and rolling over onto her other side. Those calls were always hard for her to recover from because a small part of her always held onto a small bit of hope that maybe this time he'd keep his word, maybe this time he'd meant it.

Morning came and Y/n groaned as she heard knocking on her door, she tried to cover her head eith her pillow to block out the noise and for a moment a worked, before the knocks came rapidly and louder than before, "What!" She shouted out assuming it was her mom.

She sat up and stared at the door with a grimace, her hair sticking up all over the place, "Well goodmorning beautiful," Elvis peaking his head through her door with a bright smile on his face was something she was unsure if she was actually seeing or not.

Rubbing her eyes she heard him let out a laugh, that beautiful laugh, and she knew then that her best friend, her love had in fact been standing in front of her, "E.P.?" She asked out timidly, afraid that if she moved she'd wake up.

"In the flesh, darlin'," He spread his arms open, a tender smile on his face and as quick as a flash of lightening, Y/n was up out of her bed and latched onto him, her legs wrapped around his waist while her arm tightly wrapped around his neck.

Everything from the past year was as good as gone to her all that mattered in this moment was that he was here, holding her tight to him while she softly cried into his neck. He had kept his word, he'd meant it.

"Y/n, honey, while I love to be holding you like this, you may wanna put some pants on," He chuckled out, his eyes trained on the mirror of the vanity in front of them, his eyes taking in her bottom which was only clad in light pink, silky underwear.

She blushed deeply before unraveling herself from him and pulling down her t-shirt, her Elvis t-shirt to try and cover herself a bit as she grabbed the first pair of pajama pants she could find and pulled them up her legs.

"Well somebody missed me," Elvis chuckled out, sitting on her bed as he grabbed the framed photo from her nightstand, it was of them together, right before he had to get his head shaved for the military. Your arms were wrapped around each other and you both smiled at the camera.

Elvis smiled softly, running his finger across her face in the photo before setting it back down, "Ya all packed, darlin'?" He asked with a hopeful expression.

Y/n was currently a mess. Her eyes were all puffy and she couldn't contain her trembling smile, "Well, no..." She trailed off, looking towards the ground while a frown settles over E.P.'s face, "I didn't think you were serious 'bout comin' to get me," She told him honestly.

"I was very serious, Y/n," He drawled out softly, standing and slowly making his way to stand right in front of her before gently grabbing her chin and tilting her head up so he could look at her, "'Bout all of it, darlin'. Want ya to come stay at Graceland for good. Its where ya belong, honey. With me,".

His words nearly brought tears to her eyes for two reasons; one: she was beyond happy to hear that Elvis truly wanted her around and two: she knew that his words were being said to nothing more than a friend, somebody he did love and care for, just not in the way she had wanted.

"Well what about my job, E.P.?" Y/n began to look at the reasonable side of things, knowing that she couldn't just pack up and run off the Graceland... Could she?

"Whata 'bout it," Elvis chuckled, keeping her chin between his finger tips, not wanting to give her the option of turning her back on him, "I'd take care of ya, Y/n, ya know that," He told her with big, soft eyes. At this point he'd say anything to get her to agree to come home with him.

"I kinda like my job, Elvis..." Y/n told him, taking a step back and looking to the ground once more, crossing her arms over her chest, "Plus mama and daddy are here and they need me,".

No, no, no... This was all wrong, Elvis was supposed to ask her to moe into Graceland and she was supposed to enthusiastically agree. Elvis pulled on his hair for a moment, letting out a big puff of air before taking another step forward and grabbing onto her shoulders, shaking her softly to get her to look at him, "I could get ya a hundred jobs as a reporter if ya come home with me, sugar," Elvis practically pleaded, "And you're 20 for Christ's sake. You're mamma and daddy'll be fine and can come visit whenever,".

Y/n knew that he kinda had a point there. She had been living under her parents roof for two years past the point that she was supposed to move out. She knew that neither of her parents minded, but she'd be lying if she said she wouldn't like to try living on her own, or living with a roommate.

She worried her bottom lip between her teeth for a long moment, staring up at Elvis who still had a firm grip on her shoulders and a pleading look in his eye and how could she say no? "Alright, E.P.," She finally nodded, letting out a nervous breath.

"Really?" He asked excitedly, not really believing that she had agreed. When she nodded her head again, he let out a loud laugh, pulling her into him as he hugged her tight and Y/n felt her own excitement growing with each passing moment.

"'M so glad ya said yes, baby," Elvis pushed his fingers through her hair, kissing the top of her head as he took in the smell of her after all this time, "We better get t'packin'," He nodded his head, holding her at arms length.

She agreed and told him that before she could do that, she needed to talk to her parents. His smile faltered slightly, nervous that somehow her parents would try to change her mind. She had him wait in her room and he did so nervously, sitting on the edge of her bed, bouncing his leg.

Within ten minutes she walked back into the room, her eyes a little bloodshot and for a moment Elvis' lost all hope of her coming before she looked at him with a smile, "Lets get to packin',".

Elvis had moved a few things around with the help of his team back home. He changed their flights for the next day and had a moving truck sent to Y/n's house. He refused to let her or her family help pack, Elvis helping out the small team of moving people while Y/n sat on her bed, anxiously watching all her belongings being packed away.

Before she knew it, the next morning came and Elvis took Y/n and her family out for breakfast, before Y/n's patents took them to the airport, "You'll call once you get there?" Y/n's mom asked nervously, barely being able to hold back her tears as she looked out at her daughter who had grown up so much in these last couple of years.

"Yes mama, I promise," Y/n smiled at her mom, bringing her into her arms as Elvis stood back, talking to a man who took his small duffle bag and started taking it towards checking. Y/n's mom sniffle as she pulled away and wiped at her eyes.

Y/n's dad didn't cry but she could still tell that he was feeling just a tad emotional over his only child leaving the nest, with a famous boy no less, "I love you, honey. Be safe. And please, use protection," Y/n's dad groaned out like he didn't want to even say it, but he wouldn't be happy with himself if Y/n had shown up pregnant and he never even tried to prevent it.

Y/n blushed deeply as she scolded her dad, "I love you too, daddy," Elvis came to stand next to Y/n a light smile on his face.

"You take care of my daughter, Presley," Y/n's father told the young man sternly as Y/n gave one last hug to both of her parents, her dad staring at Elvis with a look that basically said, 'I'll kill you,' and Elvis swallowed down hard nodding his head.

"Yes sir, I will. I promise," Elvis told him, a serious look on his face as he squeezed his arm around Y/n's shoulders, leaning down to tell her that it was time to go.

Y/n nodded her head with teary eyes,giving her mom one last hug before starting into the airport, waving and blowing kisses back at her family, "I love you, mama!".

"I love you too, baby!" Y/n's mother waved the young pair off until Y/n couldn't see them anymore, finally letting a few tears fall down her cheeks as they waited in line for security.

"Baby," Elvis drawled out, grabbing her face and wiping at her tears with his thumbs. Y/n looked up at him with sad eyes and he leaned in to kiss her before looking around and thinking better of it, opting to instead kiss her forehead an wrap her up in a hug.

They got through security and waited for Elvis' body guard to get checked as well and once all three of them were in the clear they made their way towards their terminal, Evlis' bodyguard had shown the person at the front desk some kind of badge and she immediately led the three of you onto a smaller, more private plane that could only carry one other passenger besides the three of you.

Y/n and Elvis talked the whole way home, catching up on the last two years and they dint stop talking until they were both in bed later that night at Graceland. E.P. had told her that she could decorate the guest room however she liked seeing as how that was now entirely her room and he meant it.

The next morning Y/n made her way downstairs, wrapped up in a bathroom robe that E.P. had waiting for her in her bathroom. She went into the dining room where she heard quite some commotion, stopping when she saw Elvis leaning over a table, his backside towards her while he talked joked around with a small group of people who all laughed at whatever joke he just told.

Y/n couldn't help but stare at him, his pants hugging his waist perfectly while his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, "Ah there she is!" Elvis said happily, turning to meet Y/n and she quickly looked up to his face with a blush as he gave her a knowing look.

He waved her over and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her in close to him, "Y/n, this is my personal team of interior designers. They did all this," He motioned around the house, "For mama and I when I first bought Graceland," He explained looking down at her a little.

She gave a small, shy smile to everyone paired with a little wave as they all greeted her by calling her, 'Ms. L/n', which was forgien for her to hear so she insisted they just call her Y/n, "They have a few catalogs here today for ya to look through and pick out what ya'd like,".

Y/n looked up at him before shaking her head a little, "Elvis, I can't ask you to do all this. The room is fine how it is," She assured him which made him frown a little.

"You're not askin' me to do anything," He reminded her, which she guessed was true, "I wanna do this, Y/n," He grabbed her hands in his, giving them a soft squeeze, "Please pick out even a few things? Maybe a fresh coat'a paint, hm?".

Looking up at his pleading eyes she wanted to argue, but instead nodded her head, "Alright..." She sighed out, once again not being able to say no, "Just let me go get dressed,".

Elvis smiled brightly, pulling her in for a kiss on the lips which made her blush as she looked over to the team of people who were thankfully chatting amongst themselves, paying no mind to the pair.

Y/n decided to paint her room in her favorite color, picking out a new dresser, beside table and bedspread that helped compliment the color she had chosen.

Elvis encouraged her to pick out some of the fancy decorations for her walls and such but she simply refused that which was alright, Elvis was just happy that he got her to pick out a few nice things for herself, giving her the magazines and telling her that if at any point she changed her mind and wanted something, to just let him know.

Within the week, her room had been put together to her liking, her clothes put away, her Elvis posters hanging on the walls along with a few family photos.

Elvis smiled anytime he walked into her room, seeing posters of himself hanging up on her walls, he was sure that if he could get a poster of her on his wall, he would've.

The next handful of years passed by in a blur, Elvis had somehow managed to get Priscilla living with and Y/n down in Graceland, seeing how lonely Y/n had become when she had to spend long weeks by herself while he was off working on his acting career.

As much as Y/n hated it at first, especially after learning the girl was only seventeen years old, Y/n eventually grew to understand why Elvis loved her so much.

Priscilla was kind hearted and pretty. She was no doubt niave for being with a man nearly twice her age, but Y/n eventually took on the older sister roll with the young girl. Teaching her about love and helping her finish her high-school studies.

Within 3 years of Priscilla living at Graceland Elvis' acting career really skyrocketed. It was like suddenly everybody had forgotten that he was a singer first, but Y/n could tell that he wasn't happy. Anytime he tried to do a 'dramatic role' his movie did awful at the box office, the only time people wanted to watch him was when he was singing.

When the Christmas of '66 rolled around and Elvis proposed to Priscilla, Y/n didn't think her heart could break anymore. She tried to be happy for them, putting on a fake smile as Priscilla hugged her tightly while Elvis talked excitedly with his cousins and father.

Y/n even told Priscilla how happy she was for her as she showed off her new engagement ring, it was a bit flashy for Y/n's taste yet she still told the young girl that it was beautiful, "Congrats, Prissy," Y/n hugged the girl she had come to consider her friend, "Elvis really loves you Cilla," She smiled down at the young girl.

"You really think so?" Priscilla bit into her lip, swiveling her ring around her finger and Y/n could tell she felt insecure, how could she not? Woman threw themselves at Elvis every single day and while Y/n had gotten used to seeing it, watching Elvis actually propose to another girl really did a number on her heart.

"I know so," Y/n nodded her head at the young girl while squeezing her small hands, she looked over Priscillas head and caught Elvis string in their direction, but instead of him looking at his bride to be, he was looking at her, a fond look in his eyes and Y/n did her best to give him a sweet smile.

"Y/n?" Priscilla spoke out, making Y/n look back down at her, Priscilla squeezed her hands again, "Do you think maybe you'd be my maid of honor?" Y/n looked shocked for a moment, not realizing that Priscilla truly had no friends down her in Memphis besides her.

She wanted to say no, wanted to come up with a reason as to why she couldn't even attend the wedding but as Priscilla looked up at her with wide hopeful eyes she remembered that none of this was the girls fault. Y/n was just never brave enough to confess her feelings for Elvis and so, consequently, she lost him and with a sigh, Y/n nodded her head, "I'd love to, Priscilla,".

The night before the Presley wedding, Elvis had planned a whole party is a Las Vegas casino and hotel and while everyone was drinking and laughing, Y/n noticed that Elvis was nowhere to be found which was unusual for him. He was always the life of the party.

She walked out onto the penthouse balcony and found him, his pants rolled up as he sat with his feet in the pool, the swirling lights from the bottom reflecting over his face, "E.P.?"

Elvis jumped and quickly wiped at his face with the sleeve of his overcoat, "Hey, darlin'" Elvis smiled up at her weakly and she could see that his eyes were completely red, so she slipped off her heels and sat next to him, dipping her feet in the warm water as well.

"What's wrong?" She asked, placing her hand over his that rested on the ground between the two of them, "Wedding jitters?" She joked lightly, hoping to maybe get a smile out of him, but when his eyes stayed focused on the water and a tear fell from his eye onto his lap she knew something was seriously wrong.

"I don't wanna get married," He finally spoke out softly, "Well," He looked up at the night sky, "I do wanna get married. Just... not to Priscilla,".

Y/n found herself a little angry on behalf of the young woman that he was supposed to be marrying tomorrow, "You can't be serious, Elvis," She scoffed, catching his attention and when he saw the look on her face, a look of guilt washed over his, "The wedding is tomorrow and you're telling me you want to call it off now?".

"No," Elvis shook his head, "No, I love Priscilla," Y/n gave him a confused look, "I have to marry her," He nodded his head, as though trying to convince himself of it too and as more tears filled his eyes and a sob wracked through him, Y/n couldn't help but to take him into her arms.

"Oh, E.P.," Y/n sighed out, running her fingers through his hair as he cried into her shoulder, she was having a hard time understanding where this sudden change of heart was coming from, but she knew her friend was sad, and she knew she needed to help him feel better, "Where's all this coming from?" She asked softly, letting him keep his face buried against her.

"Its her dad, Y/n..." She heard him mumble under his breath finally and she pulled away slightly to look at him while he kept a tight grip on the back of her dress to make sure she didn't stray too far. She gave him a look that told Elvis he needed to be more specific, "He found out that when Priscilla came for that first visit here, I lied about where she was. I told him we'd be staying in L.A. and I took her to Vegas with me for a few nights," He sniffled out, finally telling the truth as to why he proposed, "He told me that if I didn't make her my wife that he'd sue me for taking a minor over state lines,".

Y/n looked at him with wide eyes, she couldn't believe he had been blackmailed into marrying someone, "What're you gonna do, Elvis? You could go to prison..." Y/n said softly, realizing there was pretty much no way out of this.

"I'm gonna marry her," He sniffled, sitting up and wiping at his face again, "Ain't got much of a choice anyhow," Elvis looked so defeated. Y/n had never seen him in such a state, not since his mother died anyway, he squeezed her hand giving her a look of reassurance when he saw how her face contorted into pity, "It'll be alright. I love Priscilla," He shrugged, which was true. He did love Priscilla, she was just never the girl he saw himself marrying in the long run.

Leaning his head on her shoulder he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the back of her hand tenderly, knowing there could be no more of their public affections after the wedding tomorrow, "I love ya, darlin',".

"I love you too, E.P.," Y/n sighed out, her heart breaking for her best friend.

The wedding was small but beautiful. Priscilla was all dressed up in a fancy, expensive dress. Her hair and makeup all done up to practically match Elvis. That was one thing Y/n had disliked about the man, he had insisted on the people around him, embodying him.

Tears streamed down her face as she faked a smile as the couple said their 'I do's' to each other before leaning in to share a particularly passionate kiss that Y/n couldn't bring herself to watch.

Later in the evening, Priscilla had pulled Y/n off to the side, needing to tell her something important, "I'm pregnant," Priscilla told her, a nervous, unsure smile on her pink lips.

It was strange that two little words could completely destroy a person, but somehow they had and she just knew that when Elvis found out he'd be devastated.

"I haven't told Elvis," Priscilla said anxiously, chewing on the side of her thumb, "I think a baby right now would ruin us, Y/n," And Y/n couldn't help but agree. Elvis didn't even want to be married to the poor thing, but a baby? That would seal the deal, permanently.

"Y/n?" Priscilla called out, waving her hand in front of her friends face while she stared off into space, "Will you help me tell him?" The young girl asked nervously, grabbing onto one of Y/n's hands desperately, "Please? He adores you, it'll help soften the blow, I just know it,".

"I-I..." Y/n stuttered out, not know what to say, but as she looked into Priscillas pleading eyes so found herself having a hard time saying no to her, "Alright," She finally caved, not happy about having to help deliver the news of a baby to her best friend.

Relieve flooded over Priscilla's face as she hugged onto Y/n tightly, "Thank you," She whispered softly, placing a light kiss to the side of Y/n's before she made her way back inside to rejoin her wedding party.

"Sure thing," Y/n sighed out watching Priscilla move over to Elvis, their arms wrapping around each other with happy smiles on their faces.

This was going to be a long life.

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@meladollsims @literally-just-elvis-fics @jessie-williams1 @venus-haze @lov3r0fr0ck @briannaisanxious @galvz-42 @omgellenlouise @flamencodiva-reblogs @missmaywemeetagain @rosecoloreddesire @knoxvillesshoes @girlblogger2002 @jessicarcates @captured-memory @madilynnk @just-a-dumb-rat @elvispresleyfanpage @perfectlyboring @ewwwyuck @aalishifts @groovydeputyfestivalkid @dailyaustin @dre6ming @austinsrealgf @cherryredheart @lwritesstuff @gjclark19100 @thatonemoviefan @ash-omalley @foxxycurriespice @heartbrake-hotel

#elvis the movie #elvis x reader #elvis fans #elvis the king #elvis presley #elvis #austin!elvis #austin!elvis x reader #austin butler #romance #fluff #angst #slow burn #trouble

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miraculouscontent · 3 years

Text

Y’know, sometimes people ask me why I bother shipping Lukanette at all when it’s not endgame. They wonder why I would bother putting myself through the "pain” of supporting something that won’t be final outside of fanon.

Now, excluding any issues I have with the show itself, I don’t let the canon of anything dictate what I can or cannot ship, nor do I let it tell me what is or isn’t healthy. I look at the dynamics myself and decide from there without listening to what the narrative wants me to think.

That said, it’s about more than that for Miraculous, and “Truth” is the perfect example of it. It’s a culmination of so many issues I have with the love square, not even as a relationship, but as a tool used to push the show in whatever direction it wants.

Look at the episode and watch how much it reminds its audience that Adrien is a character who exists. His pictures are plastered all over Marinette’s wall, Alya brings him up in response to a reaction that Marinette is having (which, for the record, was not Adrien-based at all), and characters insist that Marinette’s “secret” is that she loves Adrien despite the fact that it is anything but a secret.

Cutting out Adrien from the plot changes nothing. He has mere seconds of screentime in the episode as his civilian self, yet the show is so terrified that its audience will forget about him that he gets name-dropped constantly.

What this means for Marinette is that Adrien takes over, even if he isn’t on-screen. Not only that, but every instance of him being mentioned is either for a cruel joke, humiliating/mocking Marinette, or “because love square.” The plot grinds to a halt when Adrien is brought up, dragging dialog out and serving little to no purpose.

Marinette is doomed to fail with Adrien until the show allows her to succeed. No matter what she does, she’ll be stuck in love square limbo and forced to humiliate herself because the writers think it’s funny. Most mistakes she makes revolve around her crush on Adrien (and keep in mind that her worst, irreversible ones are also because of it, meaning her life is made worse by the ship she’s meant to end the show as a part of) even though she has other flaws that could take the focus instead.

Alya suggesting that Marinette’s reaction is due to Adrien when it wasn’t (while not-at-all-subtly mocking her) says exactly what I’m already saying here. When Adrien is mentioned, everything becomes about him. The biracial girl gets sidelined and overshadowed by a white boy who isn’t even on-screen at the time. Her interests, hobbies, and talents suddenly don’t matter because everything turns to Adrien, and even in instances where it tries to incorporate a talent of hers - such as making gifts - it makes sure to add in either it not being signed, him not receiving it properly, him giving it away to someone else, or her being forced to remove evidence that the gift is hers because apparently the world will literally end if she doesn’t.

The love square represents everything I hate about the way Marinette is treated. Its mere existence demands that Marinette be little more than Adrien’s fangirl while other characters mock her for it. She’s not allowed to move on and the writers will force her to backpedal for the sake of keeping her as their metaphorical punching bag.

I cannot, will not, nor will I ever support a ship that does that. Even if Adrien was the most perfect being ever created in fiction, I would stand by the fact that it still wouldn’t be worth it. It wouldn’t be worth watching Marinette suffering so much over a boy, and I can’t want anything out of the love square than for Marinette to be free of it.

Then, as a contrast, look at Lukanette, specifically the scene where they go to the movies together and Adrien isn’t even brought up once.

In the span of one minute, multiple aspects of Marinette’s character are shown in a wholly positive light. She gets to have fun bonding with Luka over Jagged Stone’s music, she gives him a gift that she crafted herself and went so far as to have it signed for him, and - yes - she embarrasses herself by shouting but did not receive a single weird look from Luka; only acceptance that this is who she is and that’s okay.

So, when people ask me why I ship Lukanette despite it not being endgame (outside of all the reasons), this is why. When the show focuses on Lukanette, it’s about Marinette and her bond (whether friendly or romantic) with a boy who understands her and loves her just the way she is.

When the show focuses on the love square, it’s all about Adrien and demonizing Marinette for being the way she is.

#category: long post #category: salt #episode: Truth #other: ml spoilers #((I also shipped Lukanette back in Season 2 even when I also shipped the love square by the way))#((so I ship Lukanette on its own merits.))

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uglypastels · 4 years

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To the Beat // drummer!Tom 1/2

(a/n) here it is!!! it took about a decade of my life but i think it was worth it also shoutout to @duskholland for hearing out my ideas when i was brainstorming and together with @captainpeggy40 for getting me through my breakdowns while writing. i got it finished!! <3 I really went all out with this fic, so i hope you guys enjoy it!! part 2 will come... sometime this week ;)

word count: 7939 (unnecessary content GALORE)

warning: drinking, swearing, crowded spaces, part 2 contains smut

you can find the band’s setlist here

not all songs are mentioned in the fic but it’s songs that i would really love to see them play haha. if anyone would be interested, i can make a seperate post on how i imagine them playing it (who sings and stuff idk)

Read part 2 here <---> extra headcanons here

With the right stranger, one night can feel like a lifetime.

“Will you please come?” your friend begged you over the phone. “It’s gonna be really fun!”

“You know, you say that a lot, yet I never have as much fun as you promise.” You sat down on your bed, looking out the window as the rain hit every surface outside. It was not exactly the weather you felt like going out in.

“Then that’s on your extremely high expectations, not on me.” She stated, “But pleeease.” She kept on whining, and you knew she wouldn’t stop until you gave in. It always went like this. Always.

“Ugh, fine.” you fell back on the soft mattress, your head only missing the pillow by an inch. “Where is it actually?” There was the question you both dreaded. You, because you knew you wouldn’t like the answer. Her, because she knew you wouldn’t either.

“It’s at Suki’s,” she mumbled, but you could still hear her just fine.

“That’s where you work right- please don’t tell me you’re working tonight?!” you groaned into the phone.

“I am, but I’ll be done around 9.30 I think, so there’s still plenty of time for us to hang out! Besides, you already said yes, and NO TAKE BACKSIES!” she said this all extremely fast and screamed the last two words into your ear. Then, on top of that, hung up as soon as she finished, not giving you even a second to fight back. Not sure what happened, you stared at the black screen of your phone in confusion.

She said the concert started at nine o’clock. Did she really expect you to go to this thing and spend half an hour by yourself? Or did she want you to sit at the bar while she poured drinks for everyone? Either way, none of those options felt appealing. For a solid minute, you contemplated just not going, just… not showing up. Turning off your phone and watching a movie or something at home.

But at the same time, you hadn’t left the house for a long time. And it was Friday night. Why not go out and see some obscure little band. What was their name again? Your friend had mentioned it, but you already forgot. Maybe it was for the better too. That way, you couldn’t look them up beforehand, and if they were shit, you would just find out there and not have another thing to be dreading as you got ready. Or maybe they would be good. Then it would be a pleasant surprise on the spot.

You checked the time. 7:27pm. That gave you about an hour to get ready and then some time to actually get to the bar. Should be doable.

So, you hopped in the shower to get all fresh again. Even if it would all get ruined later on in the night by standing in a sweaty crowd. It’s the effort to look presentable that counts. Then, you picked out an outfit that would be comfortable in the before mentioned crowd. You could never go wrong with the simple jeans and a t-shirt combo.

Looking in the mirror, the thought of Not Going popped up in your mind again. There was nothing really obliging you to go. And the idea of standing there listening to the loud music, whether it was good or not, sounded slightly exhausting.

No, you reminded yourself, it would do you good to leave the house once in a while. Have “fun”. You checked the time once more, 8:14. You had done everything a bit quicker than you expected. The Uber you had arranged for yourself would be there in a few minutes. So, you were stuck in that kind of waiting limbo, sitting on your couch, not sure what to do. Eventually, you put on your shoes and got your keys and were ready to head out.

The drive was quick and thankfully, mostly quiet. It was only a minute or two before you reached your destination that the driver decided to ask you where you were headed.

“Concert,” you said hesitantly. Why did these people always want to know your business? Thankfully, the man didn’t ask much more. And then it was time for you to get out of the car. The drive actually took much less time than you had expected and there was still some time left before the band would start to perform.

Suki’s was a bar downtown, in the basement of some kind of law firm. Their whole thing was that they let new bands and artists play each week so they could get some of the public’s interest going. Make themselves known to the world. It was literally and figuratively, an underground following that it had. Many, but at the same time, nobody knew about it. It was a secret amongst music lovers. Considering the bar wanted to stay its own secret, you never understood the bright neon lights above the entrance, going down the staircase all the way to the actual hall.

The bar itself wasn’t too big. Enough space for a small stage along one wall, a bar on the opposite side, and the rest was space for the crowd to either enjoy or hate the music being played. When you walked in the room was still relatively empty. You saw two guys setting up equipment on stage, you assumed it was the band. Behind them was a black banner with “Winter Solstice” written in scratchy white letters. Between the words, a star that was drawn on in precisely the same rough manner. You had to admit, it was a cool name.

Considering there weren’t many people there yet, you headed for the bar to get yourself a drink before it would be too crowded to even reach the counter. And there stood your friend, behind the bar talking to some guy. They were both laughing at something as you walked up.

“y/n! You came!” you squealed out, “what can I get ya?”

“A beer?” you said it more like a question.

“Coming right up.” And with that, your friend walked off to the tap to pour you your drink. It was more out of reflex when you sat down on the stool, you leaned your head on your hand, but you understood the question from the stranger when he spoke up.

“Not looking forward to it?”

Still with your chin on your knuckles, you turned to face him.

“Huh? Oh no, I mean… she kind of made me come here, but-” you tried not to sound too pessimistic, but the guy saw right through you.

“So, I guess the answer is yes.” He chuckled. Right then, your friend came holding your drink and put it in front of you.

“I’ll put it on your tap.” She was going to join the conversation but right then a group of tonight’s spectators walked up in need of drinks, so she was soon off again.

“I’m not not looking forward to it?” nothing in your voice made it sound like you were sure of yourself, but it was enough for him. You took a sip of your beer, which you could feel helping the situation. While doing that you looked over the brim of the tall glass to look at your conversation partner. Like you, he was drinking a beer himself and considering it was almost empty, he had done that either very fast, or he had been there for a while already.

Next, you took a look at him. From the profile, he looked pretty good. He was wearing a loose tank, showing off his arms. His dark curly hair was held back with a black cap that he wore backwards. What definitely stood out to you was his jawline. It looked like you could cut yourself on it just with the slightest of touches. For everyone’s sake, you quickly turned your gaze over to the extensive liquor collection in front of you. But you could see in the reflection behind the bottles how he was smiling to himself. He definitely saw you stare. This was awkward, and you only got here two minutes ago.

“So, do you know the band?” you asked in the hopes to weed out this weird situation you had created. For some reason, your question made him smile. In that type of way as if you had just mentioned an inside joke. Except you weren’t in on it, so you couldn’t laugh along.

“Yeah, they’re alright.” He shrugged. Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he shot up straight in his seat. “I’m Tom, by the way.”

“y/n.” Then you remembered how your friend practically screamed out your name when you walked in, “but you already knew that.” Your phone vibrated with a text, so you took it out and immediately saw the time, it was already past nine. You looked over at the stage where the two guys were trying to untangle some chords. Clearly, it wasn’t starting anytime soon.

“What kind of music do they play?” You asked Tom while still looking at the band trying to get ready.

“A bit of everything, I suppose.”

You bit your cheek not to say anything that might come off rude, but he could still read you.

“I guess that wasn’t the right answer?” He raised an eyebrow.

“I just hoped to get something more specific, but as long as they’re good, I’ll enjoy it.” You took another sip of your beer as an excuse to shut up. He must think you’re such a bitch at this point. You saw him glance over your shoulder at the stage and then smile at you.

“I like you.” there was that chuckle of his again, “I’ll see you later, then.” And he got up. You were gonna ask why later? Why couldn’t you hang out now? You didn’t like to admit it, but you enjoyed his company, even though it was only brief and most of the time you spent it making yourself look like a moron. As superficial it made you sound, you simply enjoyed the presents of a good looking guy like him.

You were going to ask him, but he quickly disappeared into the crowd that started to form along the foot of the stage. More and more people were coming and joining in. The two guys from the band had finally untangled their chords and were placing their guitars over their shoulders, and plugged them into the amplifiers. That’s when you noticed that a spot was empty on the stage. The big drum set had no occupant yet.

So, while everyone waited for the drummer to show up, you took this time to look at the other two band members, trying to decide which one was the cuter one.

That turned out to be slightly more difficult of a task, you quickly realised. Though they were both very different, they were both also extremely good looking. There was the blonde, strumming a few simple chords on his guitar to warm up. Even in the dim light, you could see how perfectly chiselled his face was. He was wearing a slightly oversized button-up shirt with about half of the buttons open. The skinny jeans didn’t seem comfortable to you, but he made them work. The rings on his fingers reflected in the lights as he kept on strumming.

The other had a bit more of a playful vibe around him. His curly mop of hair bounced with every move he made. You could hear his loud and contagious laugh all the way from the other side of the room without the need for a microphone. His outfit was something completely different compared to the blonde. It consisted of a baggy t-shirt (that you could read the band logo on), with ripped dungarees that were only attached on one side. He had rolled them up, showing off his bright converse. His bass guitar was currently hanging behind his back as he adjusted the mic stand one last time. There was something familiar about him, though you were sure had never seen him before.

Then finally, a third person joined them. People cheered since it meant that they could finally start playing. You tried to get a good look at him before he hid behind the drum set. Hair was hiding beneath a cap, tank top… wait… was it-

You got up and walked through the audience. There weren’t that many people, so it was reasonably easy to get to the front. Or, almost at the front row, standing right in front of them felt a bit intimidating. Now you could see all three of them much better, and there was no denying it. Your new acquaintance Tom was the drummer. And when you looked over at the curly bassist again, you realised why he looked so familiar. It was not an identical resemblance, but there was enough that made you think they were related somehow.

You watched Tom spin one of his drumsticks in his hand. He had the biggest smile on his face, then he caught your eye and winked. The cheeky bastard knew exactly what he was doing, you were sure of it. He was waiting for your surprised reaction, and you fell for it completely—hook, line and sinker.

The curly one got up to his microphone. “Hey everybody, we’re Winter Solstice,” his voice was much deeper than you had expected. Especially, considering that he actually looked younger than the other two, you noticed. “We thought you’d appreciate some more known songs tonight, so join in whenever.”

Alright, they were gonna do covers. That was not a wrong move at all. A lot of bands want to show off their own music, but most of the time that leaves the audience just swaying awkwardly because they don’t know the lyrics or what to expect.

“Here’s one you all should know.”

The blonde started playing his guitar, and it only took a second or two before everyone realised what song it was. Mr Brightside. It sounded a bit different, as their attempt to make the song their own, but the riff was unmistakably Mr Brightside. Everyone around you immediately cheered and started to dance along, waiting to sing the lyrics. You were too, of course, but all you could think about was Tom playing in the back. He looked so focused, but still didn’t let it sit in the way of enjoying the song.

In the song, the drums probably only started a beat before the lyrics, so you missed out on the first few words, but quickly you were singing too.

“But she’s touching his chest now, he takes off her dress now. Let me gooo,” the blonde guitarist sang. His voice wasn’t perfect, it was rough, some might have called it cursive, but in that right sort of way. It fit well with the rest of the band and how they played. In just a minute, they had gotten the entire room hyped up. Everyone was into it. Maybe it was because of the song choice, but you doubted it. A song like that can be tricky to sing to a new crowd. If you screwed it up, they’d hate you forever.

That was definitely not the case here, they had the crowd in the palms of their hands. With each beat, you were pulled in…or, was that just you?

The second verse started, and it was the bassist that began to sing: “I'm coming out of my cage, and I've been doing just fine-” There was no clear description of his voice. At least you couldn’t really pinpoint it. There was definitely that playfulness in it that he had been showing through everything he did. He couldn’t stay still, jumping in place, making his curls bump up and down as he went.

“It was only a kiss”

It was Tom that said the little interjection in the song. You had only looked his way at the end, while the other was already singing, but you felt as if he had been looking at you directly. No, he wasn’t. Why would he? You shook the thought off and continued enjoying the performance of the three men. You sang along just like everyone else.

And then the song ended. It was almost unbelievable that it had only been one song that they played, but they moved on to the next quickly.

The guitar faded out but came straight back, accompanied by a heavy bass line. Some people around you recognised the melody, but it took you a moment or two. Then it went quiet. The blonde leaned into his microphone, whispering the words.

“I’m the invisible man,” guitar riff “I’m the invisible man,” guitar, “Incredible how you can- see right through me!” His voice got louder as Tom joined in with the drums. Then those few seconds of bass followed which actually sent shivers up your spine. To put it simply, you were a sucker for good bass and beat. But what was it about them that sounded so good? You couldn’t think of anything particular that would have set them apart from all the other artists you had seen perform in the club through the years…

Still, seeing them have so much fun on stage, it was truly intoxicating, you wanted to join them. You couldn’t remember the last time you had seen someone jump around on that little stage while playing bass. You couldn’t wait to find out what their names were, but for now, “the curly bassist” didn’t take a second to stand still. The only time he stood in one spot was when he had to sing, and even then he moved around a lot.

The others didn’t have that same luxury. Of course, Tom did not have a lot of options, sitting behind his drum set. Yet still, he managed to light up the stage with his bright smile and the passion he put into his drumming. Any time you looked at him, you didn’t want to look away- which was hard, considering that the other two were also a great joy to watch.

The blonde, in his turn, stayed on his side of the stage, being somewhat stuck with his microphone since he had the most vocals. But he still had a great connection with the audience, you felt like.

Before you knew it, the second song had also come to an end. Cheers and applause erupted in front of the band, with you contributing to it as well, of course.

“Thank you, thank you,” the bassist took a little bow. Even though they weren’t playing any song, he still slapped one of the strings mindlessly. “Like I said, we’re Winter Solstice. My name’s Harry.” He introduced himself. Finally, you could call him something else than the curly bassist. Even though it was a very catchy nickname, you thought yourself.

“Here on the guitar,” Harry pointed out, “Is my good friend Harrison.” Harrison waved to the crowd, receiving screams from the audience as if it was filled with banshees.

“In the back,” Tom immediately started a soft drum roll, but Harry didn’t wait that long, “that’s Tom.” Tom reacted with a face that could only be described as “bruh”, making several people around you laugh. You wondered if it was rehearsed or if this was just how they were. Either way, it was cute.

Harry talked some more about how they were excited to play tonight, but you were looking at Tom. You watched him grab a water bottle and drink half of it in almost one chug. When he pulled it away from his mouth, you saw that he caught you staring. Even though you were between dozens of people, even though the light that was shining in his face- he saw you. And he winked again. In the next moment, you had to think if the heat burning through your body was an effect of that little gesture or because of how warm it was in the room. For your own sake, you went with the second option.

“Alright, here’s another song for you all,” it was a voice you hadn’t heard speak before. Harrison. “Here’s: You Oughta Know.” There was a mixed reaction from the audience, including you. Of course, you knew the Alanis Morisette song, but you had never heard it be played by men. It was definitely an interesting choice for them to play, especially after the Killers and Queen.

“I want you to know that I am happy for you,” it was Tom that started singing, as he drummed softly. You tried to control your thoughts as he kept on singing. Then the pre-chorus began, and you were shocked at how well they harmonised.

“Cause the love that you gave that we made wasn't able to make it enough for you to be open wide.” It actually gave you chills. How were you so excited about listening to three strangers sing?

At the chorus itself, everyone in the room went wild, singing along loudly. It was clear that the people were sold on this new version of the song. It was all fine. You were enjoying the show. It was actually fun. And then, Tom sang the next line-

“It was a slap in the face. How quickly I was replaced. And are you thinking of me when you fuck her?” It sure was a slap in the face. You had to remind yourself that it was just the lyrics of the song. And he was just a guy on stage that you had only exchanged a few words with prior. Yet, you couldn’t focus on anything from that moment on. You could barely comprehend their version of “Are You Gonna Be My Girl”, not even really understanding that they were playing a different song. It was just a big blur. But maybe it was for the better, because could you really cope with Tom singing the titular phrase of the song in that husky way that he did... debatable.

When you woke up from your daze, Tom had stood up to show the crowd the beat to clap to. You joined in before anyone noticed how far out of it you indeed were. Harrison finished the song off with a falsetto and then it was already time for the next song.

This time you knew what to do. You wanted to record at least some part of the show. And when harry started a bass solo, you made sure to get at least a bit of it and continued filming from there, ready to post it on your Instagram later on. Harrison joined in with the guitar, and you actually had no idea what song they were playing. More people didn’t seem to recognise the song immediately, which visibly amused the musicians. They couldn’t hide their grins even behind the microphones. Once again, the harmonies… how did they sound so good?

As the song continued, the more sure you were that you had heard it before, but it must have been very different from the original. No, actually… How did you not recognise Dua Lipa? It was not hard to forget about the original when you got to listen to this version. How had each song so far been this good, you still didn’t understand. You didn’t want it to end.

But unfortunately, right after that, they took another break from singing.

“Alright!” Harrison cheered (more squeals from his side of the audience followed. Apparently he had started to gain quite the following). “The next song is another classic, I like to think.” People whooed. “So we’d like some help from you guys if that’s okay.” The crowd seemed to be into it, so Tom followed with the instructions.

“Okay, so we’re gonna start playing in a sec, and Harry will sing a little melody. Just copy that, and we’ll be on our way.” In the meantime, Harry had gone off stage to grab a bottle of water, so everyone had to wait for a second. This gave Tom the opportunity to freestyle on his drum set. It was a simple beat, but it progressed into a more complex set. He, however, did it effortlessly.

Finally, Harry came back running, he threw bottles to the other two, which they both caught without a problem. Tom started to press the bass drum steadily, layering more on top of it. Then Harry joined with the bass, and ultimately, Harrison’s guitar finished it off. Harry leaned into the microphone.

“Ooooo-ooo-oo-oo, ooooo-ooo-oo-oo, oooo-oo-oo,” he almost whistled, but not quite. He continued a few times, together with Tom and Harrison until everyone in the room was singing along. Then made that kind of gesture to show you had to stop. Harrison sang the verse. Anytime it was your turn, you’d just follow Harry.

You had been to many concerts, but not many new bands had much luck in getting a full crowd to participate in the song. But by the way they played, everyone just wished they could be in the band, playing along with them. Even if it was just dangling the triangle. You, however, didn’t want that, necessarily. You assumed that it was the fact that you hadn’t been out of the house in so long, that now that you had the chance, everything felt hundred times more great. So a concert that was already amazing, suddenly felt like a euphoric, once in a lifetime, experience… though that might go a bit too far. And it for sure helped that all three band members were hot. Like, really really hot.

Literally, too, the room was getting really warm at this point, and the guys were visibly hot also. It didn’t stop them from performing at 110% though. A few songs more passed by and Harry was still jumping around the stage. Harrison sang every note perfectly as he slew that guitar of his and Tom…

You could barely look at Tom. Playing the drums as hectically (in the good sense) as he did, you thought he would be exhausted by now. But he still had that big perfect smile on his face. The sweat was dripping down his arms, but it just highlighted his biceps, making it very hard for you to concentrate on the music. And then, no matter what he was doing, he would find you in the crowd and smirk or wink, making you even more flustered than you were before. The first time, you thought he was doing it to someone else. But then it happened again, and again. And the beat of drums led your heart. You could feel it in your throat as it kept pumping with the loud music.

It was during their little break which they used to goof around and play the intro of “Chelsea Dagger”, that you decided to go back to the bar. Your friend had said she wouldn’t leave you alone for the entirety of the concert, but you were already quite some songs in and there was still no sign of her. And you quickly realised why that was. Since the show had started, the entire room had filled up with people. You had never seen it be so crowded, in fact. And then the bar was packed with people asking for their drinks.

Your friend was indeed there, with another bartender, doing her best to pour the drinks quickly. But more and more people got thirsty, so it was easy to assume you would have to spend the rest of the night alone as well.

By that time, the band started on the next song of their setlist, and you really thought they were playing one big joke on you. Or at least this Tom guy was. As he loudly sang Sex on Fire, by Kings of Leon, you decided to sit this one song out from the front row and stay back, near the bar. It actually did you well, because it was much less hot than upfront. You could just stay there for the rest of the show. They had been through around ten songs already, so they must be done soon, either way, you thought.

And you were right. Ending with Come Together, the applause was bigger than through the entire night. The boys finished with extended solo’s of their respective instruments and a bow, and it was really over. Harry came up to the microphone one last time as the other two were already getting off stage.

“Thank you! We are Winter Solstice! Buy our merch at the door! GOODNIGHT!”

The idea of buying a t-shirt was pretty fun. And apparently, you weren’t the only one who thought that. Far from it, actually, The line at the little merch booth quickly exceeded the length of the small concert hall. You wondered if they even had enough things to sell. Would it even be worth it to stand in line? You just waited for the stream of new fans to cool down.

Eventually, it did. Slowly, but surely, the line got shorter. You also noticed that there were a few people that had the exact same idea as you had, so you joined the queue before the rest could. You didn’t even have to wait that long. Before you knew it, you were standing at the little table. There were piles of t-shirts and cd’s, and there were more boxes behind the table too. They really came prepared. Harrison had just been folding up an empty box when you walked up.

“Hi. Can I get a (your size)” you asked, already pulling out your card to pay, “and a CD?”

“Yeah, of course,” Harry grabbed a shirt for you with a smile. Tom had been talking to the girl that had been in line in front of you, but he quickly turned to look at you when he heard your voice.

“y/n!” He finished the conversation with the other girl before moving over to join his bandmate.

“Hey,” you wish it hadn’t been so, but a lot changed since the first time you spoke to him, let it only have been about an hour. There was something about him being in the band you just watched perform and buying his merch, that made you feel like a little school girl standing next to him.

“I thought you had left.” He noticed you leave? Not the point.

“No, I just went to the back. It was getting a bit hot for me upfront.”

“Ah,” he nodded. “Did you enjoy the show then?”

“Yes!” you said, a bit too loud, “You guys were great.” You looked at the CD that Harry had just handed you and smiled. “And I was wondering if you could maybe sign this for me?” Out of nowhere, Harrison appeared behind Tom, grabbing the CD from your hands and putting his signature right at the centre of the packaging. Just as quickly as he appeared, he went back to whatever he was doing before. But not without sending you a wink first. What was it with these guys and winking? Not that you really minded it.

Harry took the slightly more polite approach, waiting for you to hand him the CD and he signed it above Harrison’s signature. Then he handed it over, together with the marker, to Tom.

“So, we got ourselves a number one fan, huh?”

“No, I’ll just wait ‘til you guys get famous so I can sell it on the internet and get rich.” That was probably not the response Tom had expected, which you immensely enjoyed. Next to him, Harry erupted in a fit of laughter.

“Haz, did you hear that? She thinks we’ll be famous.” His laugh was even better close up. While Harry and Harrison kept on laughing, you used the moment to speak to Tom, one on one.

“So why didn’t you tell me you were in the band?” you asked.

“What does it matter,” he chuckled.

“You let me ask all those questions about the band, it’s fucking embarrassing, man.” you couldn’t help but laugh yourself.

“Heh, sorry.” he took off his cap to rearrange his hair since some of it had fallen in his eyes through the night. You didn’t know what else to say, so the conversation died down. Then you remembered that there was still a bit of a line behind you of people that wanted to buy the merch as well.

“Let me just pay for these, and I’ll be off.”

“No, it’s fine, on the house,” Tom said. You looked at him with wide eyes.

“Are you sure? It’s really no problem.”

“Yeah, just promise me one thing.”

“What?” You raised an eyebrow, not sure what to expect. You didn’t want to jump onto that wagon too quickly.

“Will you stay? I’d really like to hang out.”

You weren’t sure what to answer at first. You did want to stay and talk to him, but it was getting late, and you had been standing for a long time, and you were kinda gross from how warm it was during the concert… but Tom was really hot. And he asked so nicely.

“Sure.” you gave in. “I’ll hang out with my friend at the bar and let ya get back to-” you pointed around the table to make your point across. He nodded and waved you goodbye as you walked away, clutching on to your newly bought merchandise.

Just like you thought, your friend was indeed still at the bar, cleaning up leftover glasses from the counter. She saw you walk over and you could tell she saw something different in you.

“Look at you beaming, girl! What happened?” she put away the half-dried glass to listen to you.

“Nothing?” you said casually. She saw right through you though, so you just decided to give up the little act. “Tom asked me to wait behind for him.” You bit your lip, expecting to get a lecture from her. But none of that happened. Instead, she squealed out in, what seemed like, excitement.

“Ooh, Tom is such a great guy!”

“You know him?” you asked, surprised.

“Well, he was the one that got their band the gig here, so we talked here and there, mostly planning,” she explained. “And I mean, look at him.” she sighed and her eyes glazed over a bit when she looked in the direction of the merch table. Not sure what else to do, you followed her action and glanced over. Of course, right at that time, Tom decided to look in your direction as well. He smiled and waved lightly, making your cheeks heat up and quickly look away. Your friend, however, waved back enthusiastically.

“So you think it’s safe for me-” what were you even gonna ask her?

“Go have fun, I say. But if anything does happen, remember the codeword?” Her tone changed to a more serious one, which you appreciated. You had agreed ages ago on a codeword to use. In case a date turned for the worst, or generally if something felt off.

“Broccoli, baby. I know.”

“Broccoli.” She held up her hand for a high five, which you gladly accepted.

You chatted for a little bit longer. Every few minutes tho, you’d be sure to glance over your shoulder to see if the merch line was getting any shorter. It didn’t seem like it. There was simply no end to it. You felt yourself getting frustrated. To the point that your friend actually pointed it out, snorting from holding in her laughter.

“He has got you whipped, hasn’t he?” she bumped your shoulder playfully. All you did was roll your eyes. Which, actually, said everything she needed to know. He did, didn’t he? You always had a soft spot for musicians, dated a few. But comparing them to Tom now… it felt like a joke. There was something about this guy that made you want to know more about him. You wanted to see him play and sing again. You wanted- do a lot of things. But you had to get that out of your head. Let the night speak for itself, see where it leads you. If it would be his bedroom… that would be fine. Just fine.

You knew you were crazy for thinking all of this, but a girl can dream, right?

You looked across the room and were glad to see that there were only a few people left. Harry had already started packing everything up that would most likely not be sold that night. You watched the three of them make some small chat with the people walking by, but all your real focus was on Tom and his deep stare right at you. It made your heart beat faster. With his arms across his chest, the muscles seemed even more prominent.

He was suddenly pulled back into the conversation, and it was as if he changed into a different person. All bubbly, none of that- what even was it that he looked at you? You decided to not think about it too much. One does not do well when dwelling about anything.

Finally, the last person bought their shirt, and they were done. Hoping it didn’t make you look too desperate, you didn’t waste a second to walk over to them. Harrison and Tom were helping Harry pack up the rest of the things that were left on the table.

“Hey,” you said awkwardly. Tom almost dropped the stack of shirts he was holding. Again, the attention fell to his arms. You had to force yourself to look up at his face, which didn’t help much either, but it made it easier to think thoughts that would not mean a one-way ticket to Hell.

“Hi! I’m so glad you stayed,” he said after putting those shirts in the box. “I thought we could go grab something to eat. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” He spoke really fast, just showing how excited he was to talk to you again. To be honest, you weren’t necessarily hungry, but going out to eat with Tom didn’t sound too bad.

“Don’t you have to pack up?” You pointed back to the stage that still counted all of their equipment.

“No, we’re playing here tomorrow, again,” Harrison explained.

“Oh, cool.” Was all you said. It was cool, you just didn’t know how to say anything without sounding dumb.

“Well, shall we? There’s a diner on the way to my flat. It has the best burgers.” Tom exclaimed. You ignored the little mention of his apartment and focused on the burgers. He wasn’t suggesting for you to come over to his place. It was just a fact… right?

“Lead the way,” you told him, but before you left, you turned to the other two members of Winter Solstice. “It was nice meeting you guys.” Everyone waved, and so on, and you were off to eat.

It was almost midnight by the time you got there, but the diner Tom had mentioned did advertise as a 24/7. And it held up. When you walked in, you were practically hit in the face with the delicious smell of pie. You sat down in a booth next to the large window and very soon after a waitress walked up.

“What can I get ya?” she asked, flipping her little notebook open.

“I’ll have a cheeseburger and fries, thanks,” Tom asked. Then it was your turn.

“Just large fries for me, thank you.” The waitress wrote it all down, then continued to ask if you wanted anything to drink.

“Ooh, do you have milkshakes?” The woman smiled and nodded. “So a chocolate milkshake then.” You ordered.

“Make it two,” Tom added. Then the waitress went off, Tom leaned on the table toward you, with his hands in front of him. “So, just fries, huh?”

“I’m not super hungry, and I wasn’t going to steal your fries,” you explained, making Tom laugh and shake his head.

“You’re interesting, you know that?”

“I like to think so, yeah,” you answered straightforwardly. It was a pity you had not gotten your drinks yet, or you would have taken a very nonchalant sip. You leaned your chin on your hand, just like you did at the bar before the show. Except for this time, there was a smile hiking up the corners of your mouth. Tom mirrored your position.

“So how did you guys come up with the name?” you had been wondering that ever since you saw that banner hanging on the stage. It was always interesting to find out the thinking process like.

“You gotta ask Harry, he came up with it one day, and we just went along. He’s the more artistic one of the bunch.” Of course he is. Well, that didn’t answer anything then. But another question popped up in your mind.

“Are you guys related?”

Tom smiled at that question. “Yeah, Harry is my younger brother. Harrison has been my best mate ever since I can remember. We’ve always been close and messing around. Then one day we decided to grab some old instruments from the attic and- sorry, I’m probably boring you, aren’t I?” He took off his cap again and ruffled his hair. You thought he would put it back on, but he left it on the table. There was pretty good lighting at Suki’s, but the colourful spotlights were no match to the bright LEDs of the diner.

“I don’t see how you thought that was boring,” you assured him. You truly enjoyed his little story, talking about his friend and brother. You had doubted the choice of going out to eat so late at night with a stranger, but now the reason was apparent. He didn’t want to be strangers-he wanted to get to know you. And you wanted to get to know him.

The waitress came back with two large milkshakes, topped with whipped cream and syrup. She said that the food would be ready in a few more minutes and left you to continue your conversation. You nudged Tom on to go on where he stopped previously.

“So yeah,” he cleared his throat, “we played and thought, hey that doesn’t sound shit, and we practised for a few months and decided some time ago, why not try and play.”

“Was this your first gig?” you asked in disbelief. He shook his head, though.

“We’ve performed a few times, but this was the first one that felt… real, you know. Maybe it was just me, but I felt this great connection with the crowd, and it felt great.” You nodded along with every word, without realising that you had been getting lost in his eyes. He had been looking into yours as he spoke about that connection, and it made you feel that maybe, just maybe, he meant you specifically.

“y/n?” He eventually asked, waking you up. You almost spilt your milkshake from the abrupt movement you made as you tried to sit up.

“What? Sorry.” You held the glass until it didn’t shake.

“I asked if you enjoyed it? The show?”

“Didn’t you ask that already?” Stupid way to answer! “But yeah, I loved it. You were really great- I mean, all of you.” but especially you, you wanted to add on, but that felt like going too far. As you were trying to come up with a normal-sounding answer there, Tom sipped from his milkshake. Something in his eyes told you that he could tell what you wanted to say, and that thought scared you a little bit. All you wanted to do was to give this hot guy a good impression of yourself, was that really that hard?

But he didn’t say anything about it. Just continued the conversation as you hoped he would.

“Well, I’m glad. Honestly, you had scared me a bit back then, when you left,” he admitted. And there were the heart palpitations again, beating faster and faster. You grabbed the cold milkshake because you could feel yourself getting hotter.

“How so?” you choked out.

“Just because I could tell you weren’t exactly looking forward to the show, and then I saw you leave and didn’t come back. I thought you didn’t like us.” Us. He said “us”. Then we did it feel like he just wanted to say “me”?

“I wanted to check up on my friend, and then I realised that it was much colder in the back, so I stayed there.” you explained again, “But why be worried about me, there were plenty of other people enjoying themselves.”

He was about to answer when the waitress walked up with two large plates. She put them on the table with a smile, which you noticed was more directed towards Tom than you. He responded with a tight smile himself, but only shortly, turning back to you quickly to respond to your question.

“No one there was as cute as you.”

“What?” This time you made sure not to make any sudden movements to save your food and drink on the table. Did he really say that? But he didn’t clarify himself, he just smirked, enjoying your flushed expression a little too much. He put a fry in his mouth and still ate it with that smug smirk. You just went and ate some of your own fries, avoiding eye contact with him. You just needed a second to sort your thoughts.

That second lasted a little longer, but at least you had the food to use as an excuse to avoid “awkward silence”.

“So do you play any instruments?” he asked. You looked up to see that he had almost finished his burger. When you saw the dish being brought up, you thanked yourself and any god watching out there that you didn’t choose to order one. It was absolutely massive, meaning you would make a complete mess out of yourself—a sight for no one to see but your tv screen on a lonely night.

“Uh, I can play a few notes on the piano but all very beginner's level.” You dipped a fry in your milkshake.

“Like what?” He seemed genuinely interested.

“Uhm.. the Flintstones theme song, for one. There was more, but I haven’t played in ages, so I doubt I remember anything.”

“Flintstones, huh, nice.” He took the last bite of his burger. Knowing how weird it is to look at someone when they’re eating, you looked out the window for a second. It was dark outside, and the rain had come back, letting all the street lights reflect in the asphalt.

You both finished the remains of your fries and milkshakes while making some more small talk. You got up simultaneously from the booth. Was it over now? You hoped not. You didn’t want to say goodbye.

You grabbed your things while Tom paid for the food. Then you realised he had left his cap on the table so grabbed it too. But your hands were already full, so you decided to just put it on. Backwards, just like he had been wearing it through the evening.

“It looks good on you,” he commented when you met at the door.

“Thanks,” there was the heat up your cheeks again. “And thank you for everything else, I had a really great night.” you were about to take the hat off to give it back, but he stopped you.

“It doesn’t have to end here, darling.”

To be continued...

> Thank you for reading!! I hope you enjoyed

> please leave a comment or ask with your thoughts. i love reading them and let me know if you want to be tagged in part 2!

>masterlist and link to taglist in bio

tagging:

@definitely-not-black-cat @artemisiaarm @nerdyhockeygirl @miraclesoflove @justasmisunderstoodasloki @thefridgeismybestie @m19friend @creative-happenings @parker-holland-osterfield @fanficparker @fanficscuziranout @peterparkoure @xxtomxo @happywolves81 @captainbuckyy @tra-gicx @qxeen-of-hearts @varshavisuu @kangaroobunny @petersunderoos96 @the-lost-fairy-tale @nerd-domland @sleepybesson @rissa067 @the-queen-procrastinator @scarletteclipze @screeching-student-unknown @tomhollanders2013 @miraclesoflove @playinonaloop @queenoflostspirits @roses-hxlland @hereiamhereigo @sunnydays0803 @averyfosterthoughts @moorehollandplz @beiroviski @you-bleed-just-toknowyouarealive @peterparkerbabyyy @multifandomlover21 @lmaotshollandd @badbitchydecisions @tikapollak @starkeybabie @awesomehritz @madzleigh01 @oh-what a beautiful-parker @taciturnspidey @quaksonhehe @mountainsforwords @harryfobter @peepeeparkerr @viagracex @ethereal-beauty-p @perspectiveparker @slytherin-chaser @worldoftom @moonysoftt @peeterparkr @wazzupmrstark @saintlavrents @peachybloomss @blissfulparker @chloecreatesfictions @fallinfortom @londonspidey @spidey-reids-2003 @hollandcreep

#tom holland #tom holland fic #tom holland fanfic #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland imagine #tom holland au #band!au #drummer!tom holland #smut #tom holland smut #strangers to lovers #au

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faebriel · 3 years

Note

ok ok I'm insane and couldn't pick one so have two (no need to answer both if you don't want to)

“You talk to him.” Not kindly, but he does.

“I’m used to him,” he shoots back. “I’m the only person who is.”

That makes Niki feel something, some uncomfortable tug in her chest. She mentally kicks herself. It’s not jealousy, she reminds herself, because despite the near-cliff jumping and the long nights without food and the nuclear fallout that has punctuated her last few months, being jealous of Tommy would be the least reasonable thing she’s allowed herself to be, maybe ever.

“You don’t believe me,” Tommy says flatly. “You never - eugh.” He cuts himself off with another ragged sigh, running a hand down his face. “Look, Niki, it’s - we were all together in Pogtopia, right? But I was there first. With him. And you didn’t see the start of it, it was horrible, and I’m glad no one else saw the beginning of it either but it was still just so shit and he kept saying all these terrible things about Tubbo and Fundy and you and,” he takes a shaky breath, “then, when I died, I saw him.”

Her breath catches in her throat.

Well, the voice in the back of her head whistles. If you were still wondering about all this afterlife bullshit, if you want to know where you’re going after your third life, here you go.

and

“You didn’t even - this isn’t about L’Manberg, Wilbur!” Niki shouts.

And then he stops, breathing hard, and he looks at Niki the same way he does whenever her voice is being drowned out in a crowd - the way he does when he wants to hear her, when he wants to know what she has to say.

“What else is there?” he asks.

Niki freezes. Stock still, unable to move, unable to breathe, ice threading its way through her gut, her chest, her shoulders, chilled down to the bone. With slow-dawning horror, she can feel hot tears welling up behind her eyes, sitting in her throat, threatening to spill over into a sob. She swallows - to keep her cool, to stay calm, to keep it together -

And then, something in her chest just snaps.

“You said you’d come back for me!” she cries, and her voice hitches on the lump of tears at the back of her throat and god, she sounds absolutely pathetic. Wilbur’s face softens immediately, which somehow just makes her feel even worse. “In Manberg. When Schlatt put me in prison, and you and Tommy were in Pogtopia, you said you’d break me out when it was safe. I waited for weeks , Wilbur. It was… it was horrible.”

“Niki…�� a kaleidoscope of emotions flicker across his face, and he seems unsure which to settle on. “We got you out though, right? After the festival.”

“You looked for the button first,” she says quietly, and he stills.

Her sniffling sounds embarrassingly loud against the quiet background of night.

thank you sm!!! i’m gonna put these under the cut because they got a little long sorry (tw for discussion of suicidal ideation)

to preface: tommy is kind of the accidental but incredibly necessary invisible support beam for niki and wilbur’s making amends in bitter. niki cannot accept wilbur’s actions and apology without first acknowledging her own actions and making steps towards an apology, because otherwise it kind of falls flat? in that ending scene niki finally gets what wilbur is feeling and wilbur finally gets that someone else knows how he feels (it’s not perfect 100% yet, but…. that’ll get explored later)

onto the actual snippet! “tommy talks to wilbur - not kindly, but he does” was very important to me! tommy has stuck by wilbur ever since pogtopia, but the tragedy is that he is not equipped to deal with wilbur’s issues, and it shows. wilbur’s first stream after revival depicts this really clearly, where tommy tails wilbur around the whole time but insults him, is still stuck on calling him the villain, physically fights him at some point, etc. on one hand this isn’t healthy but on the other hand tommy is actually around, which is more than can be said for basically any other ally wilbur has had on the dsmp, maybe excluding his dad, who literally killed him lmfao.

this whole issue is exacerbated by the fact that tommy believes that he is the only person who properly understands wilbur, the only person who gets what happened to him, and feels like wilbur is generally his burden to bear. he failed to stop wilbur from both 1. hurting other people and 2. killing himself after the pogtopia-manberg war - and he doesn’t trust wilbur not to do either of those things again, so he’s stuck hovering around wilbur while wilbur is inadvertently setting off his own trauma and feeling responsible for any way he might fuck up and hating that but not wanting to leave. tommy’s memory isn’t perfect and he isn’t a perfect narrator, what he remembers from pogtopia the most were the scariest parts and that’s understandable but it means he’s holding wilbur to the worst expectations of behaviour (and he does so very vocally). the others showed up later, sure, but in tommy’s eyes he’s the only one who saw wilbur’s descent, and by the time they showed up wilbur had already changed irreversably. tommy tries to rationalise this by splitting the ‘different wilburs’ apart from each other in his head (he does this in canon too - there’s one quote from like late 2020 where he says he and tubbo need to keep on going for who wilbur used to be, not who he became, even though they’re,, the same person), and no one challenges that perspective, so he just keeps doing it even though it’s not healthy for him or wilbur.

and then limbo happened and, oh geez, THAT didn’t help jhfaskjjfsa

tommy is on a bit of a knife edge with niki in this fic. niki’s in this state of “ok, he’s annoying whatever, i’m moving on”, but all tommy knows is that she tried to kill him that one time, disappeared off the face of the map, joined a book club with two people who definitely do not like him, and now is just acting weirdly mellow and polite. she is not someone he wants near wilbur bc what the fuck is she gonna do? what is he gonna do? who knows. he’s frustrated that niki doesn’t seem to acknowledge how he’s feeling (especially bc once upon a time she would have been someone he trusted to acknowledge them - they were friends, they fought together) and he’s taking a big step by telling someone about his concerns here, especially bc tommy doesn’t really like talking about them at all. he wouldn’t be saying absolutely anything to niki if he didn’t truly believe she should stay away from wilbur, even if he’s wrong about him. (sometimes i think i write tommy as a little too emotionally mature here but it all goes out the window when wilbur’s brought up. idk if that balances it out)

ok onto niki: this is the first she has actually heard of limbo! she’s only just come around to the fact that resurrection is possible at all. death is kind of a touchy subject for niki both in general and re: wilbur in the fic - she’s coming off of a period in her life where suicidal ideation was, uh, a big thing (whether you want to read that into canon or not is subjective, that’s just the angle i went with in this fic). the sudden existence of a life after death, miserable as it is - and whether she really believes in such a place, when it only exists in tommy and wilbur’s words - that is a lot of information for her to absorb all at once. death is a weird connection point for tommy and niki here, coming right off of the fact that they’ve just acknowledged each other having those problems - tommy, out of, yknow, altruism, would very much like to keep niki out of that place, and niki is quietly reckoning with the fact that that is where she would have sent him. the concept of limbo from the perspective of a character with no experience of it, even secondhand, is so interesting to me like what kind of eldritch location would you feel like you’re living in asghjkl

(also - i gotta be honest the jealousy angle here but mostly when she’s talking later about dream not deserving wilbur’s companionship kinda came out after this post came across my dash while writing. whoops /j)

fun fact, this is the very first snippet of bitter that i ever wrote! all the way back in may!! this is like the moment of the fic - it's where the miscommunication that niki and wilbur have been having is shattered entirely - and so sticking the landing was uhhh kinda important to me lol.

wilbur's entire being in this fic is basically consumed by L'Manberg - he equates his self worth to it entirely. in his eyes, everyone (rightfully) hates him because of what he did to L'Manberg, because L'Manberg was corrupted and he himself with it, etc. niki tries to tell herself this, and while it definitely does form part of her issues with him, it was the betrayal that causes her this much pain - that he seemingly brushed her and their friendship off entirely when he supposedly left her for dead in manberg. because here is what we as the audience know: wilbur couldn’t leave niki in trouble when he heard her life was in danger, even when he was trying to find the button (pretty much the only thing he sees himself as having left at this point) and so he returned. here is what it looks like from niki’s perspective: wilbur told her to wait in manberg until it was safe to come to pogtopia, laid the place with TNT, went to blow up the place, and only returned when he couldn’t find the detonator (and then the first thing she saw him do in pogtopia was encourage the pit behaviour but that’s not what we’re talking about asdfgh). that is massive miscommunication and it’s been brewing between them for months - to make a quirky little reference to the title, niki has been carrying that anger with her so long it's gone bitter. it was never just about l’manberg with niki - not that anger, not her and wilbur’s friendship (hence the little flashback earlier in the fic, bc niki’s relationship to anarchism and statehood or statelessness juxtaposed with her friendships with wilbur and eret - she loves l’manberg bc she loves wilbur, but she loves eret too and those national ties don’t undermine that - is Real Interesting to me) - so when wilbur asks what else there could possibly be (because in his mind, what else could she have bothered staying around for?), she just fucking breaks.

“Niki freezes. Stock still, unable to move, unable to breathe, ice threading its way through her gut...with slow-dawning horror, she can feel hot tears welling up behind her eyes” - prose discussion time! heat and cold are two big throughlines in this fic - particularly for niki, cold is what she is. admittedly when i started with it i mostly wanted to subvert hot = angry and cold = dead but i kinda ended up enjoying this take on it for what it is instead of just as a subversion (also i like the idea of revived people running hot, their bodies r working hard to keep em going). she’s holding onto her feelings and refusing to deal with them, she’s frozen over. descriptions of cold are key to niki’s mental state throughout the fic - cold weight on her chest, feelings of frostbite when she and wilbur hug the first time, ice cold water during the dinner scene, waking up in the cold flat, etc. this was an attempt at describing a more visceral feeling of like, when you’re really mad and you can just feel the adrenaline running through your veins. always felt more cold than hot to me. when she starts to cry, the facade she’s been putting on is finally thawing out and cracking the ice she’s buried her feelings under. (also gives an excuse to write warm comforting hugs towards the end /hj). it’s a loss, it’s catharsis, it’s a whole mess.

and ofc this is all news to wilbur and he feels terrible, because as unintentional as it was, he really really hurt her - because the destruction of l’manberg fucking sucked but above all else wilbur hurt the people he loved because they loved him so much and not in spite of it, because they cared about him so deeply and his death was a massive blow to them. this hasn’t even dawned on him, because how could it? he respects deeply niki (lowkey respects her opinion more than his own at this point) so he has to listen, because it’s niki (“and he looks at Niki the same way he does whenever her voice is being drowned out in a crowd - the way he does when he wants to hear her, when he wants to know what she has to say” - because he does), and what she says fucking floors him. in his eyes, he failed her by putting her in danger and then by destroying her home - the idea that she valued him and their friendship so much flies entirely over his head until this moment, and he is forced to re-evaluate the mindset that has motivated him since… basically since pogtopia! the way i write wilbur is like… yes, he’s one of niki’s closest friends and he’s more aware of her insecurities and issues than most (which is why he does always take the time to listen to her, etc) but he does over-idealise her a bit. tbf, i think he does to some extent with everyone (calling tubbo strong on the anniversary stream, for example). also the fact that he really wasn’t around for niki’s lowest moments as a character! he still thinks of her the way she was in l’manberg - confident, steadfast, respected - and this moment shatters that for him as he realises exactly what effect he and his death had on her and everyone else, not just by his actions, but because they loved him and cared for him so deeply.

sorry that this got horrifically long!! and thank you so much for sending snippets in <3333

#ALSO SORRY THIS TOOK TWO WEEKS. LMFAO #asks #thespoonisvictory #dvd commentary #< i have successfully coerced a discord server into doing the dvd commentary on a regular basis and it is the BEST thing

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riseofnightwing · 4 years

Text

Never felt so good to be so wrong (enemies to lovers) - Dick Grayson Imagine

pairing:Dick Grayson x Titan!Reader

request: “heeey honey, can you do one like enemies to lovers with 5 and 50? i love u girl, you and your write are perfect 🤧”

prompts: 5. “What are we fighting for?"

50. “Why are you in my bed?” ‘It’s actually my bed…”

notes: @jurassicpzrk i hope you like it, lovely gurl, i’m sorry i took so long, i was trying to do my best. xxxxx<3

notes²: thank you to my girls, without your support i wouldn’t do this. @incorrect-titans-quotes @donnatr0y @wintercapilson

“I still can’t believe we finally did it” Dick said putting his arms behind his head and your eyes drifted towards his arms admiring him. You chastised yourself, you weren’t supposed to think things like this since you both didn’t get along that well

“After many tries, we got her. Nothing could be better than this.” it was the first time in years in which you and Dick would actually talk instead of barking at each other.

The group sat together in the living room to celebrate Poison Ivy’s imprisonment.

“We’d have done it sooner if we had followed my plan since the beginning but that’s okay” you said with a smirk, pushing his buttons, knowing that he was going to respond to your little snarky comments.

“I think you trust yourself way more than you should” he said taking a sip of his beer.

“What do you mean, Grayson?” you told him

“I mean that I am the leader for a reason, and the plan went just the way it needed to be. My way” he said with his usually tone of superiority that he loved to use with you knowing how much you hated it.

“Now i remembered why i hate you so much.” you said getting close to his face “Fuck you and your leadership” you finished the sentence with poison in your words.

“What are we fighting for?” Dick asked you trying to understand the purpose of all of this. “We won, our plans complemented each other and we got her, that’s what matters.” you listened to him and even thought he annoyed you he had a point. Today was for celebrating.

“I offer you a truce.” He said not waiting for you to answer, you raised your eyebrows not believing him completely “Just for today, let’s ignore the fact that we hate each other and let’s celebrate.”

“I’ll think about it, and maybe if you weren’t such an ass” you mocked him “it wouldn’t be an impossible mission.” you said and left to get another beer.

You made your way to the kitchen and you didn’t notice that Donna was right behind you.

You were getting a beer when you heard her voice next to you:

“So...did I just witness you and Dick actually get along for once?” she asked.

“i think you're hallucinating, you know how much i hate him.” You said not very convinced anymore. You couldn’t even remember why it all started to be honest.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night” she replied taking a sip of his beer not believing you for a second.

“Here” you handed Dick another beer “I’ll take your truce, but only tonight” you half smiled at him and sat by his side.

He smiled at you and accepted the beer, you didn’t know if it was the alcohol or what but Dick’s lips looked so kissable, you took a sip of your beer hoping that he hadn’t noticed you looking at his mouth. “Tomorrow we can go back to normal” he said and you agreed. It wouldn’t hurt to try, right?

You looked at the other side of the room when you saw Hank dancing ula-ula with Dawn, and the woman wouldn’t stop laughing. The beers were definitely making effect.

“Oh my god” you said stifling a laugh and Dick also looked at his friend’s direction and burst out laughing. The moment was good and you welcomed it without reluctance; all the fighting and the nagging were now forgotten and you were just two adults having a good time with your friends.

When you looked back at Dick, you saw the boy already starting at you.

You were too high to believe he was looking at you in purpose, maybe you were just drunk. But he knew it was very much in purpose, because in this moment he wasn’t that capable of hiding his true feelings for you like he did everyday.

“Dick, come here, it’s your time to play out limbo with me!” Kory called Dick whining for his attention and you quietly rolled your eyes, Dawn held the rope along with Hank and everyone laughed when Gar couldn’t pass through it.

You looked at Kory and Dick laughing together and you felt something weird, you tried to fight it, but you knew that feeling and it was jealousy but he wasn’t yours, you actually hated him and it didn’t make any sense.

“You don’t fool me” you heard Donna’s voice and it seemed that she had appeared from out of nowhere.

“What?” you asked, after taking your eyes off of Dick and Kory.

“Dick. You’re in too deep.”

“Shut up. You’re not playing with them?” you asked her, trying to change the subject quickly but this didn’t go unnoticed by Donna.

“Oh no, i’m not drunk enough to do that” she replied finishing her drink and leaving you alone with your thoughts.

She was right, you were in too deep. You hated yourself for that. First: he hated you and you had to pretend to feel the same way. Whenever you met, you argued. You even liked it, seeing his face whenever his plans or decisions were questioned by you, but deep down, you knew he was not that arrogant; you knew how many qualities he had although it was hard to admit.

You sat far away from Kory and him, because it became too much to see the two always together getting along so well.

Across the room Dick had the exact same thoughts. He felt bad about being with Kory, thinking about someone else the person who hated him: you. Despite Kory being an amazing woman, it was impossible for him to see her as something else. She was not you.

You were immerse in your own thoughts when he appear by your side.

“Here” he said handing you a shot of tequila, taking the now lukewarm beer out of your hands.

“Are you trying to get me drunk Grayson?” you smirked.

“No, i’m just trying to see if you can be nicer with this.”

“Fuck you, Grayson” you both smiled and took the tequila, the liquid went down burning your throat.

“Ready for another?” he asked you.

“You need to calm down, I could barely swallow that and you want me to take another one? Do you wanna kill me?” you told him laughing. Shit, he was making you laugh.

“What? Why the hell would I do that?” Dick asked pretending to feel disappointed.

“Because you hate me?” you answered him.

Dick laughed.“Is that what you think?” He shook his head. “You’re an arrogant twat and you’re annoying as hell, but I don’t hate you.”

“Yeah well, is not going to work the other way around though. i still hate you.” You told him getting closer.

“Yeah, and why?” he asked, confronting you.

“Because you’re an ass and you think that you’re the last coca cola in the world, which is not true.” you answered being sassy.

“Right.” he said getting dangerously closer to your face “But i’ll make you a drink anyways. No hard feelings, you know?” he said with charming smile.

“Should I trust you to make me a drink, Grayson?” you asked him not very sure of that.

“You should” he said and you both went to the bar.

“it’s probably going to be the worst drink i've ever had anyways.” you mocked him.

“Just wait and se Y/LN, just wait and see” he said radiating confidence.

Dick put a lot of things in the cup and started to mix the ingredients. You could only stared at the man in front of you. Since when was Dick so nice? You decided to stop asking questions, and just enjoy the moment. Dick poured the contents into an ornate glass.

He cut a lemon and placed it on the rim of the glass.

“The best drink you will ever drink” Dick said, extending the drink to you. You looked fearfully at the glass.

“Come on, try it” He encouraged. You looked again at the drink, closed your eyes, and drank.

The drink was sweet, and bitter. Hot and cold, all at the same time. You could hardly tell the taste of alcohol. It was good.

“Wow Richard” you smiled “It's actually pretty good” Dick smiled with satisfaction. That fucking confident smile that used to get you so mad, now you just got all hot and bothered

“Do you want to know what’s the name of that drink?” He asked, looking extremely serious.

You didn't understand the question, but you smirked. You didn't understood Dick's sudden seriousness.

“What’s its name?” You asked. Dick moved closer to you.

“Kiss Me.” You didn't know if he meant it, or if it was just the name of the drink.

His seriousness proved the first option. Without thinking twice, You pressed your lips to Dick's, who immediately hugged you tightly.

Depending on Dick's reaction, she could blame the drink. But his reaction was not one to complain about.

He pressed your bodies impossible closer, and kissed you as if the world was going to end. His hands lightly tugged on your hair.

They didn't think, they didn't know how they would look when they broke the kiss. In fact, neither of them wanted to leave that kiss so soon.

They both waited years for this, and didn't want it to end anytime soon. Dick bit your lower lip and broke the kiss.

Both with incredibly red lips. Dick started giving you small kisses on your neck. He was intoxicated by your perfume. You shivered with each touch of the boy. You never wanted that night to end.

Still hugging you, Dick looked deep into your eyes, pressing his forehead against yours. He had no idea what to say. You put your arms around his neck to hear his voice finally say:

“I think we should go somewhere else” he said with a hoarse voice that made you forget about everything, about who you were about who he was, the sexual tension that was established was palpable.

“yeah” you breath out as led you to his bedroom.

He opened the door without breaking the kiss, he didn’t want to take the risk of letting you go, making you realize that you still hated him for some reason. He closed the door behind him with his free hand while the other held your waist.

I feel like a hero

And you're my heroine

Do you know that your love is the sweetest sin?

You both could still hear the music coming from the living room as your teammates went crazy and drank like there was no tomorrow. It was Hero/Heroine from Boys like girls. It didn’t matter anyways, because you both were now on your own worlds.

And I feel a weakness coming on

Never felt so good to be so wrong

The music played and Dick smiled when he heard a particular phrase.

Dick carefully touched your lips, as if you were kissing for the first time. He put one hand on your neck, and with the other he stroked your hair. Dick started peppering kisses along your neck, making your body shiver. Dick noticed and smiled.

And you caught me off guard

Now I'm running and screaming

With each touch of Dick, you felt your body heat up. Dick pulled you in , placing you on his lap as he sat on his bed, without stopping to kiss. You took his shirt off to see the vision that any woman would dream to.

As you kissed, Dick put his hand on the your leg as the kiss heated up.

Dick realized what he was doing, and what was about to happen. He stopped, and looked you in the eye. You were a mess. A beautiful mess.

He didn’t wanted it to be like this, both drunk almost out of conscience, he wanted it more than he could tell and he wanted it to be so good but he also wanted you to remember.

“Yn” he said and you couldn’t understand why he stopped, you were too drunk to control yourself and understand it was the best decision.

“What? Why did we stop?” you asked feeling sad.

“Because I want you to remember everything” he said softly.

“But I will” you said and your words already rolling up told him he was right.

“Lay down with me.” he said leading you to lay by his side.You laid and looked at him while he also looked in your eyes, you were facing each other. You felt the smell of his perfume in the pillowcases and it felt so good and comfortable.

“If i sleep here with you, you promise that we’ll still hate each other in the morning?” you asked fighting through sleep.

“I’ll do my best” he smiled softly at you, seeing you surrendering to your tiredness and he closed his eyes, enjoying your presence until he also fell asleep.

You woke up with the sunlight hitting your face through the curtains, you slept so heavily that you didn’t even remember how you got in your bed. Dick woke up with your moves, looking at your confused face.

“Hey” he said

“Why are you in my bed?” you asked him trying to understand the situation.

‘It’s actually my bed…" he answered in an obvious tone.

“Did we...?” you lift the blanket that covered both of you to see if your clothes were still on, and they were. You sat on the bed and he did it too.

“No, relax. We just slept, that’s all” he answered calmly and you remembered everything that happened yesterday. If you weren’t with him now, you’d probably think it was a dream. A weird one.

“Oh...okay.” you said and Dick instantly recognized the disappointment in your voice.

“Are you...disappointed?” he asked lifting one of his eyebrows, he hoped you felt as disappointed as he did.

“Uhm...no, i’m not. it’s fine” you answered him with your head down.

“Y/n, Hey.”

“I know I kissed you, Dick. It was the drink, i know you meant that kiss me was the name and...” you said nonstop until he interrupted you.

“Hey, hey, just listen to me. It wasn’t the drink, you wanted this as much as i did; and to be clear, I don’t hate you.”

“And why didn’t we do anything?”

“Because when we do, it’s going to be so good and i want you to remember it.” he said and your body trembled, you thanked god that you were sat.

“Then show me, Grayson. I think we wasted enough time.”

Dick didn’t answer, he grabbed you by the waist taking you to his lap and this time he took your shirt off.

He wanted to enjoy you as much as he could, he didn’t know about tomorrow. He just knew that now, you and him were only lovers, not enemies anymore.

#dick grayson x reader #dick grayson x y/n #dick grayson imagines #nightwing x reader #nightwing x y/n #nightwing x you #brenton thwaites #titans imagines

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necropxlis · 3 years

Note

THIS GAME IS SO EXCITING. My living room tv is constantly being put in hallmark thanks to one person or another so I’m too into this. Thank you for this genius and getting me into the Christmas spirit. Ok so for this one, I kinda want to see what trope you would pick so instead I’ll give you a fact.

Baji x Ryder, random relationship fact: Baji and me both love our families so much, so naturally some quality holiday time with them. Baji loves to force my half shy self into situations with his mom and grandma and me and then get along great. With my family, I have two older brothers that fight with feeling the need and wanting more o hate baji but it’s impossible, so he’s in a weird limbo where he’s family to them but they also make it easy in him 🤣 like a “we can give him shit him but you can’t” type of situation

I’m gonna stop here bc I could given your paragraphs and you just wanted a fact I’m sorry 😭

Your Movie Title: Unexpected Christmas Gift

Starring: Ryder and Baji Keisuke

Synopsis: The infamous Sweeties Sweets. Known all throughout Tokyo for their Christmas goodies, run by Ryder and her brothers , is always the hotspot around the holidays. Until a newer spot opens up a couple of blocks down. What once was a warm and inviting place for everyone, now was on the verge of growing cold and shutting its doors. Sibling fights and bills continue to grow and the likelihood of danger increases. Until one Baji Keisuke, owner of Baji Bakes, walks through those doors and says he can change their lives. The Ryder brothers want to refuse, but with his smarts and charming looks they can’t help but say yes (much to Ryder’s enjoyment.) With both of their families businesses on the line, can Baji save their bakery? Can two families come together to help one another out? Or will this be another loss to Ryder and her brothers? Find out on: The Unexpected Christmas Gift

“I’m about to change your life. Do you trust me, Sweets?”

Hallmark Selfship Event

#hallmark event #game time: Hallmark event #soul: seraphofthesimps

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medea10 · 3 years

Text

My Review of Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni GOU

(a.k.a. When They Cry Gou)

I know what you’re thinking. Why the heck am I reviewing this anime again? I’ve already written a review in 2009 and re-polished it in 2016. (Here it is BTW) I’ve made my point on who I like, hate, what ships are worthy, and poked fun at all the deaths that happened throughout the series. I think some time has passed that I should say some thoughts on this…um, story. After all, Higurashi is one of my favorite animes.

STORY: Ah shit, here we go again!

Higurashi or When They Cry is about a boy named Keiichi Maebara who recently moved to a place called Hinamizawa. And ever since moving to this town, he’s found his days are filled with fun mischief with fellow friends Rena Ryuuguu, Satoko Hojo, Mion Sonozaki, and Rika Furude. But little does Keiichi know that there’s a little murder mystery that surrounds the town. During a town festival known as Watanagashi (or Cotton Drifting), there’s usually one or two people that go missing or turn up dead. And this year, Keiichi is next. So let’s relive the horrors that plague the town of Hinamizawa and…

One episode later.

Wait, what the…?! It’s episode 2, why are we seeing Hanyuu? I don’t remember that in the manga. The visual! THE VISUAL! WHAT THE FUCK?! ISN’T THIS SUPPOSED TO BE A REBOOT? WHAT THE FUCK?! WHAT THE FUCK?! WHY IS THERE AN ADULT RIKA?! WAIT, IS THAT ADULT RIKA OR BERN? IS THIS GOING TO BE THE PARALLEL UNIVERSE TO THE WITCHES OF UMINEKO?! THE SHADOWS IN THE OPENING ARE TOO FAMILIAR FROM OTHER WORKS! Ryukishi07, you magnificent, fucking troll master for keeping this hidden until the second episode’s air date!

Many of us did not see this coming. When they announced a new Higurashi series that was going to be done by a different studio, many of us speculated whether this was going to be a reboot or a sequel. But then we got the PV trailers and it looked like we were going to get a reboot to correct the mistakes Studio Deen made years ago. Rika’s head doesn’t look like its gonna snap off because her body is so small in comparison. Improvements! I mean, they showed everything we were already used to like the yandere girls, the original soundtrack, the original freakin’ cast, and death by baseball bat. Hell, the first episode ended with an Eiko Shimamiya song! It was on track to being a reboot! A better looking reboot!

Here in lies the sequel aspect! After episode one, we get a scene that isn’t usually seen until the Kai part of Higurashi (a good 4-5 arcs away). And they give away the secret that Rika Furude is repeating the timeline of June 1983 over and over because she keeps dying. And as the series progresses, you notice little things different from the original series. Many of the well-known storylines end much differently than what you remember. Instead of Keiichi killing Rena and Mion with a baseball bat, you’ve got Rena going psycho on Keiichi. And Rika’s fate is somehow worse than the stories of the original series. So let’s head back to Hinamizawa to hear the cicadas cry and watch a murder mystery unfold.

THE SUB: All the original voice actors have returned to voice their respected roles. Perfection in a nutshell!

LICENSING: You’ve gotta be shitting me!

As I’ve mentioned years ago in my review, the original Higurashi anime went through a turbulent time being licensed in the states. It was originally licensed and dubbed by Geneon. But once Geneon collapsed, FUNimation licensed it and did absolutely fuck all with it. Geneon could only manage to squeak out one season. At this point, FUNimation was picking up titles that Geneon used to have before it fell under including Familiar of Zero, Kyou Kara Maou, and yes, Higurashi. All of these titles mentioned here were done absolutely nothing with despite having cult followings, second seasons, and OVA’s.

A year or two after licensing it, the license expired for Higurashi. For nearly six years, the only copies you could get were out of print and estimating at $500 at the very least for a full collection. Single DVD’s could be found in rare shops, but it would take like 13 years to complete the fucking collection if you did it that way. And that was only for the first season. Second season, the best all of us could do was bootleg DVD’s from Japan Town or fansubs with glaring errors for the best season to Higurashi. We had to deal with this shit until Sentai Filmworks licensed and released the first 2 seasons and the Rei OVA’s.

AND NOW YOU’RE TELLING ME FUNIMATION IS CLAIMING HIGURASHI ALL FOR THEMSELVES?!

Where the shit was this love 10 years ago when we were asking politely to release Kai? People ignorantly blew Higurashi off for years because season two was never released in the states until 2016 because they thought the damn anime ended after Rena held up the school. I’m already irritated with FUNimation after the Interspecies Reviewers debacle and I’m still quite butt-hurt over them re-releasing Nichijou with a dub to make a quick buck. Licensing Higurashi just brings back old anger. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy Higurashi is legally licensed and can be seen on at the very least Hulu. It’s just that I hold grudges and this was a big one.

THE DUB: Holy…um, okay! This is a rather big gulp to take in. As I’ve repeatedly mentioned in past reviews, the Higurashi dub was a mixed bag of okay, bad, and oh gasperts kill it with fire. So, not great! The good folks at Geneon (before bankrupting in America) dubbed the first season with a good chunk of folks that put their fake names to the credits. Again, not great! To me, there were some aspects of Megan Hollingshed, Mela Lee, and Grant George’s performances of Mion, Rena, and Keiichi that were okay. SOME! John Snyder and Karen Strassmen as Ooishi and Takano were the best out of that dub. Everything else was just irredeemable! It needed a redub, an overhaul, and a spit-shine. For years, I’ve wondered who would be the dream cast. Sentai Filmworks unfortunately never dubbed the remaining seasons when they released them. Would Luci Christian be the heavenly voice to do Rika Furude? Could we get Hilary Haag to do Satoko? Okay, that never came to pass.

This dub is a breath of fresh air. Rika doesn’t sound like Mihoshi. Satoko doesn’t sound fake, Keiichi doesn’t sound like a weird Sonic the Hedgehog. It’s perfect. ESPECIALLY BRITTANY LAUDA AS SATOKO! I knew the second she was cast as Satoko that she was going to excel the fuck out of this role. And I was not disappointed! The only voice I’m still not quite used to is Michelle Rojas as the Sonozaki twins. Probably because I was somewhat okay with Megan Hollingshed’s voice in the 2006 version that it’ll take some time! And we FINALLY got a voice for Hanyuu. I am super excited that Xanthe Huynh is the voice and I know she’ll do great with this role! With all of that said, here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

*Keiichi is now played by Khoi Dao (known for Kiriyama on March Comes in Like a Lion, Murata on Demon Slayer, Chaka on Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Pt. 3, and Iskhan on SAO: Alicization)

*Rena is now played by Emi Lo

*Mion/Shion is now played by Michelle Rojas (known for Shizu Delta on Overlord, Touka on Assassination Classroom, Minase on Psycho Pass, Kanan on Love Live Sunshine, and Kusakai on Keijo!!!!!!!!)

*Rika is now played by Apphia Yu (known for Rio on Assassination Classroom, Marie on Black Clover, You on Love Live Sunshine, Victorique on Gosick, Natsumi on Danganronpa 3, and Laki on Fairy Tail)

*Satoko is now played by Brittany Lauda (known for Riko on Made in Abyss, Meidri on Interspecies Reviewers, Lessar on Index III, and Ichigo on Darling in the FranXX)

*Hanyuu is played by Xanthe Huynh (known for Menma on Anohana, Haru on Persona 5, Hanayo on Love Live, Hidomi on FLCL: Progressive, PallaPalla on Sailor Moon Super S [redub], and Sachi on SAO)

ANY CHANGES IN YOUR HATE-O-RADE:

Okay Medea, let-a-rip!

*inhales and exhales*

Teppei Hojo is trash. He is ultimate trash. This fucker needs to be murdered in every timeline. He is a turd in a Glenn Quagmire shirt. Him and his wife are trash. And when this pile of trash is cheating on that pile of trash, he sleeps with peak trash named Ritsuko. Teppei Hojo needs to die in every timeline. Whenever Keiichi bashes this cum-burger’s head in with a blunt instrument, I scream at the top of my lungs, “DIE SCUM, DIE”! And nothing, I repeat, NOTHING will change my opinion of Teppei Hojo.

Episode 23.

Oh, fuck you Higurashi Gou!

MUSIC: Okay, thank you for proving me wrong. I did not despise the opening theme. Having Higurashi with no Eiko Shimamiya is like having Pokemon with no Rika Matsumoto. Or Rozen Maiden with no ALI PROJECT. But this new opening is fine by my standards.

That’s right, get the niceness of the review before I get angry down below.

THESE TIMELOOPS: Rika tries to find solutions to end her time-loop in June 1983. Much like the original series, we follow stories from the Onikakushi-hen, Watanagashi-hen, and Tatarigoroshi-hen arcs (the first three stories to Higurashi, although now these have different names). However, all of these arcs have different endings. And after a positive turnaround with Satoko escaping from her abusive uncle, shit goes south when Detective Ooishi, who up to this point has never suffered under the Hinamizawa Syndrome or died a painful death goes on a murderous rampage. Higurashi style! That means, he’s after Rika Furude, will slaughter anyone in his way, and scratching his neck because he sees maggots (part of the hallucination effect).

What the shit? Ooishi for the most part has been a great guy. With the exception of the Tatarigoroshi-hen storyline, he was a nice guy! In the limbo with Hanyuu, Rika now remembers who has killed her. Every time Rika dies up to this point, she never remembers who was the cause of her demise. Hanyuu implanted that power to remember the deaths and a clue for Rika to use and then she disappears.

Now seriously, imagine Rika’s plight here. She has been repeating the month of June 1983 for over a hundred years. And each of these times she repeats, she’s horribly murdered. Rika got the shit-end of the deal in the murder department in the original series, including being dissected on while alive. Then, leaving her bloody, naked corpse out in the open of the Oyashiro altar! She’s tired of this shit! She wants to live a happy life away from Hinamizawa. She wants to grow older, become a teenager, and have fun. And this series made it worse by having her die four times in one episode. Not just that, but murdered by the most unexpected people including Akasaka, Chief Kimiyoshi, Mion’s mother Akane, and Keiichi. Keiichi has never killed Rika in any of the timelines up to this point. He has killed Mion and Rena, but never Rika. Keiichi loves Rika! Welcome back to A Million Ways to Die in Hinamizawa.

I’ll just add decapitation, drowning in a lake, set on fire, drowning in a sewage pipe, and death by…um…

Alexa, play Chandelier by Sia.

ENDING: We all know by now that in the original series, Miyo Takano is the betrayer and the reason behind all the murders during the Cotton Drifting Festival. This time, it’s someone closer to Rika that’s causing Rika so much pain. After we watched the worst kinds of murders happen to Rika, the episode after gave us our answer. Satoko, Rika’s friend and confidant is not happy that Rika is turning her back on Oyashiro and Hinamizawa. All the while pulling out her intestines!

Oh Higurashi, don’t stop being gory!

Yes, Satoko is aware of past timelines much like Rika and is almost on a god-like state. So what the hell happened to her? I know Satoko’s past has been a cluster-fuck of horror with her brother disappearing, her parents dying, and every form of abuse from her uncle. But she was able to prevail after all that. After surviving 1983, a lot has changed in Hinamizawa. The three big families of Hinamizawa put an end to the Cotton Drifting Festival and claiming there is no curse of Oyashiro. Mion and Shion moved on and are going to high school. And Rika decides she wants to move away from this village. By attending St. Lucia! And she wants to do this with Satoko.

Oh, if you don’t recall St. Lucia, Shion attended this academy until she escaped during the Meakashi-hen arc. It was also the same school that Ange from Umineko attended. But of course Ange attended it in the 90’s and we are clearly in the 80’s. Moving on!

Rika and Satoko studied their butts off for years and their hard work paid off as both were admitted into St. Lucia. Now Rika was able to prevail and fit in with everyone. Satoko on the other hand couldn’t do the same as her grades took a dip, her manners are atrocious, and she doesn’t seem to fit in with anyone. And this caused a drift between Rika and Satoko! And so during a trip to Hinamizawa, Satoko went to the old shrine where she ended up getting sent to that limbo place Rika and Hanyuu were at many times before. There, she meets Eua (God, I hope that really isn’t her name). She’s much like Hanyuu except a lot more condescending. Oh, and she’s that mysterious shadow during the opening theme. She bestows the power to Satoko of reviving on death and returning to a certain point in time. In the hopes that Satoko is able to stop Rika from going to St. Lucia! But Rika is not going to budge. She wants out of Hinamizawa no matter what. And Satoko just wants to be with her friend no matter what. Satoko is even shown Rika’s past and still no dent in…Okay, this is bugging the fuck outta me. Pause the Ending portion!

MY GRIPES WITH SATOKO: Satoko, girl, the fuck is wrong with you?! I know Rika is like your main chick and everything, but for fuck’s sake loosen the grip you have with Rika. This season has changed you and not for the better. You made a connection with ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS from Hinamizawa. Big connections! At least in the original series you did. Look at your moments with Keiichi and Shion. Are you just going to shove them off? And what really sets me off is that Satoko literally had the opportunity to learn about Rika’s hundred year’s loop of death. And feels nothing about it! Only that it’s a challenge to break her herself! God damn, at the end of season one, Keiichi learned the truth and he was remorseful. This bitch doesn’t care that her friends were murdered in such a way. And Rika’s been shot in the head, had a live dissection performed on her, and other forms of torture…AND IT DOESN’T FAZE SATOKO!

I know in my original Higurashi review, I felt sorry for Satoko as she did seem to get the short-end of the stick living in Hinamizawa. I mean, her parents died right in front of her, she suffered abuse from her uncle, abuse from her aunt, ostrisized by the town for years, and a myriad of all types of shit to befall her. But Higurashi Gou has ruined this character. Rika didn’t really do anything wrong to Satoko. She didn’t snitch on her when Satoko got in trouble. She offered help to Satoko when she thought her grades were slipping. Satoko just held onto this petty vendetta. Satoko acted like Rika sexually assaulted her and have two other people gang rape her while drugging her. Okay, that’s a call for revenge, not your petty shit.

YOU SEE WHERE I’M AT WITH YOU SATOKO?! Your actions are so bad that you have me siding with the protagonist from Redo of Healer.

REDO.

OF.

HEALER!!!

I’m done with you! Girl, bye! We now return you to my talk about the ending already in progress.

BACK TO THE ENDING: Sorry, had to get that off my chest. Yeah, Satoko is leaving a bad impression on many of us who have been following the Higurashi story for years. And it just gets worse as she uses her new power for petty shit and abusing it at that. I mean, we saw Rika use her power in order to find a way to live past June 1983. Satoko is just using that shit to win some games and have things go her way. What else could this series bless us with? How about an epiphany from Teppei Hojo?

What?!

Teppei changes for the better.

What?!

Look, I admit that these moments with Teppei and Satoko were tame compared to the shit she’s pulled in the last several episodes. But this is Teppei Hojo! The same guy that used Satoko as his personal punching bag! The same guy who fleeced Rena’s father! The same guy many of us who cheer every time we see him on a moped because we know someone’s going to bash his head in with a baseball bat. Even my best friend knows how I am with this guy. When she gave me Higurashi free swag, I took everything except for Teppei. I don’t take trash. So seeing him so remorseful makes me…conflicted.

So now Satoko’s got things turned around for her. Her uncle has…changed?! Add to that, her God-like power. Satoko decides to change the past for her own advantage. This includes changing one of the biggest stories in Higurashi Kai with the kids vs. Miyo Takano. If Rika doesn’t experience the pain in those timelines, she won’t think about leaving Hinamizawa. And if she doesn’t leave Hinamizawa, she’ll stay with Satoko forever.

Oh what a tangled web of crazy Higurashi Gou was! I gotta tell you, Higurashi got me excited all the way up until we learn it was Satoko. And then it went straight to Hell. They turned Satoko into a straight-up selfish monster. Totally unlike the Satoko we’ve all grown to love in the original series. Yes, Satoko had those moments where, yeah, you would want to throw a chair at her and beat her ass with it. But that was only temporary! You would always see the good in Satoko despite that mischievous laugh and those episodes in Higurashi Rei. And God help me, I was a shipper of Rika x Satoko 10 years ago. Not a big one, but a supporter of it. Now, I would rather support Amourshipping from Pokemon than root for this. And I despise the living fuck out of Amourshipping. That should tell you something!

If original Satoko were bestowed the powers from Eua, I think things would be different. Satoko would probably use her powers to prevent all the bad stuff from happening to her friends and to her brother Satoshi. I mean, my goodness, not once did I see her think, hey maybe I should find a way to help my ailing brother. Change a few timelines, make him all better! And of course, feel sympathy for Rika’s plight. Do it for Rika’s sake, not your own selfish desires! Rika has died horrificly for hundreds of years. And I seriously just can’t get over Satoko’s reaction to that when she learned the truth. Instead, she wants to treat Rika like a caged bird. Best friend my ass!

Now can Higurashi SOTSU fix the hot mess of Satoko? Time will only tell! And good on them for having Higurashi air in the summertime. Summertime is for Higurashi! Autum is for Umineko. Speaking of, it’s been since 2009. Any chance you want to give Umineko the old reboot or sequel it sorely needs? Oh forget it! My likeness for this season is conflicted. I was annoyed by it, but I didn’t fully hate it. It’s just that last arc with Satoko really burned my beans. And I’m sure a lot of you all feel the same way.

Guys, if you want to watch Higurashi Gou, do yourselves a favor and watch the original series first. Let that swirl around your heads for a while. I know the creator tricked us at the beginning of this series thinking it was going to be an honest-to-God retelling. It is not! It is a sequel. And a sequel that isn’t based off a game or manga of all things. So fans are jumping into this with eyes closed! And if you’re a fan of Satoko Hojo, I’m sorry. I’m just sorry.

If you want to check out Higurashi Gou, it is available to watch on FUNimation and Hulu. But please, if you haven’t watched the original series, go to HI-DIVE now and watch “When They Cry” and “When They Cry Kai”. I think you can manage without watching any of the OVA’s.

I’d rather watch that Kira OVA where the fanservice is thin, you can practically lick off the whipped cream from the Sonozaki’s tit.

That should tell you something if I’m starting to say something nice about Higurashi Kira.

See you in a few months when Higurashi SOTSU comes out.

#anime review #Higurashi no Naku Koro ni #higurashi no naku koro ni gou #When they cry #when they cry gou #Rika Furude #satoko hojo #mion sonozaki #keiichi maebara #hanyuu #rena ryuugu #miyo takano #eua #teppei hojo

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