Tumgik
#all the time i spent stanning them and even presenting on them in school
exoscreamsoda · 9 months
Text
if only i was a fly on the supermegaplex wall
now that a day has passed and they still havent said ANYTHING (except matt’s tone deaf concert tweet), i’m imagining the most insane and chaotic fallout. i hope they rip each other to shreds. theyre literally making the situation worse the longer they wait to say anything but maybe they deserve it. they should go ahead and halt their plans to move into a new and improved supermegaplex because 95% of the patreon is ready to cancel, even patrons who only commented jokes under every post are writing their essays. i feel more disgusted as time goes on and no amount of corporate style tweets will fix this.
15 notes · View notes
thestobingirlie · 6 months
Note
i don't ship stancy, im mostly indifferent to it, but i really don't get the lengths some anti-stancies, nancy stans (especially the ones that are massively anti steve), or r*nance shippers go to to discredit the stuff that happened in s4
"theyve been broken up for years" theyve been broken up for less than 18 months. Early November 84- late march 86 is about 17 months. Less than a year and a half. That's not long enough to qualify for the plural of "years". Saying that they've been broken up for years makes it seem like steve's in his 20s or 30s and is still pining over 'the one that got away' from high school. not a teenager that still has feelings for someone he's been broken up with for less than two years. its implied that nancy was his first 'serious' relationship. and based on what we know of his dating history post s2, his only serious relationship. its not unusual for there to still be some feelings there.
"steve wants to force nancy to have six kids even though she doesn't want kids/ a family." first nancy never said she didn't want kids/ a family, shes said she doesn't want to turn into her parents. steve never said he wanted nancy to birth six kids for him. he said he had a dream of having five or six kids and that nancy was there beside him. the number of kids doesn't matter. its him saying that he wants kids and to be a present dad. he wants a family and also doesn't want to turn into his parents, as its heavily implied that he's an only child with not great parents. Nancy said his dream sounded nice other than the six kids part. a more manageable number like maybe three kids could be the balance that would work for them.
"steve tried to get nancy to cheat on Jonathan despite knowing she was happy in their relationship." steve confessed his feelings to her in a life or death situation, after shed been showing some signs of being interested. he never said he wanted her to leave jonathan or that he expected her to just jump into his arms. he said he still had feelings for her in a high stress situation. and much of jancy's relationship in s4 doesn't read as happy. they've been together for 16-17 months, and almost half of that they've been in an ldr and they've had communication issues since before jonathan moved away.
sorry for they longs ask this is just something that's bugging me because i keep seeing this in the steve tag
i truly think so many anti stancies just hate steve, and that’s why all of their “explanations” just try to make steve look bad.
like saying it’s been years since they broke up. it’s been about a year and a half! and like you said, it’s pretty much his only serious relationship. according to joe keery, she’s the first girl to really listen to him. and he hasn’t had someone (romantically) like that since. steve was nancy’s first love (again, according to natalia). it wasn’t just some short thing. it was a serious relationship at a very emotional time.
also, i personally doubt that steve’s spent that year just pining for nancy, but they’re in a life and death situation, and i think all those feelings they left behind just came rushing back. they never truly got closure. it’s natural that being together, and fighting side by side and depending on each other would make everything between them come to the surface.
ugh the six kid thing is the bane of my existence (again, people use it to try to make steve seem weird, and pushy, and demanding). it’s so clearly a reference to the party lmao. like you said, nancy never said she doesn’t want kids, she said she doesn’t want to be stuck in a miserable relationship because that’s what everyone expects (which sounds more like s4 jancy tbh). and the crucial part of steve’s confession is that nancy is the most important part. not the kids. not the travelling. but nancy by his side. what matters to steve is that there’s love. which is what’s important to nancy too.
(and yeah. they ain’t having six kids LMAO)
yes!!! can people not confess feelings anymore without being accused of homewrecking two teenagers lol? he never said he wants them broken up. he thinks he may die!!! he wants it off his chest!!! nancy was, imo, the first to start the flirting, and steve figured… why not!
honestly couldn’t have said this all better myself.
57 notes · View notes
weridpersonhelp · 1 year
Text
Casa Bonita 3
Description: Y/n friends are worried about her, and still worried about her gift ending up getting Kyle another gift! buy after Cartman ruins his birthday Y/n gives the boy a little Suprise to make him feel better.
Warning: bad spelling, not been proof read, swearing, shit talking, fluff sweet ending
________________________________________________
"Y/n you sure you're, okay?" Craig asks walking me to my locker, it's been 4 days now since butters has disappeared. I was more worrying mess, every day after school looking by the places he would normally be. hoping he would somehow turn up out of thin air.
"Yeah, I'll be fine craig you don't have to walk me everywhere. I can walk by myself." I say grabbing some things from my locker.
"Hey honey!" I hear Tweek crock voice shout as he hugs Craig, just seeing them makes me smile.
"Hey Y/n, you are doing alright?" He asks. me.
"Yeah, don't worry about me Tweek! does your family have any knew coffee flavours? " I ask him we continue to walk to class as he talks about the new coffees. we stop at my class.
"Okay where going to head to class see you at lunch.?"
"Sure, thing bye loser!" I say flipping him off he flips me off back as a goodbye and I enter class.
"Hey Y/n, what's up?" Wendy asks sitting next to me in butters normal seat.
"Oh, hey Wendy, alright, I guess. what about you?"
"Could be better, the student council is killing me honestly!" she chuckles I smile and nod along.
"I couldn't imagine being president, how do you do it?"
"Magic honestly! are you sure you’re okay Y/n?" Wendy asks again, I give her a small smile.
"I'm fine don't worry, a little worried about butter is all. Oh! I need your advice!" "is this still on the present Y/n? i though you would have given it too him already?" "yeah but he cancelled Casa Bonita when we found out butters was missing. I asked stan and Kenny what they go him and my gift kind a seems lousy compared to theirs."
"Y/n Have some confidents! the scarf is beautiful! it matches his outfit, it's his favioute colours, It's softer than any scarf I have ever seen! don't worry about how much money you spent on it. in all honesty Kyle's not going to care!"
"Yeah, thanks Wendy I needed some sense knocked into me!
"any time girlfriend!"
______________________________________________
"Hey Tolken! trade you my sweet and tangy chips for your salt and vinegar?"
"Hell yeah! I hate that stuff; how do you even eat it?" he asks me.
"How do you hate it is the real question." I say as we trade chips, Craig was holding tweak's hand as they began to eat their foods.
"H-hey Y/n s-s-something came in the m-mail for you." Jimmy says I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Deez nuts" we all laugh at Jimmy deez nut joke.
"Tweek would you rather eat a human sized bean, or a bean sized human?" I ask Tweek shoving my packet of chips towards him craig takes one.
"Oh GOD! is it a coffee bean?"
"it's whatever bean you want it to be."
"O-okay! I'd rather eat a bean.!"
"Nah dude, I'd rather eat a human the size of a bean" Tolken says.
"What?! YOU'D RATHER BE A CANNABALE!" Tweek shouts.
"m-m-me too I-'m not eating a h-human s-s-s-sized bean!" Jimmy agrees with Tolken which starts a whole argument. I look to my cousin flipping him off he does the same finishing off a popper of his.
"Here I'll put it in the bin, anyone got any rubbish?" I ask the group of boys. they all thank me and give me their rubbish I walk up to the bin putting it all in the right one's when I hear someone call for me.
"Hey Y/n"
"Oh, hey Kyle how are you?"
"I'm good I just wanted to ask how you did on your test?"
"Not so good, I barely passed I don't know how you do it honestly!"
" Don't worry! I only got an 83, not my best." I chuckle at his attempt to relate. to me.
"Oh my god! Kyle got below 90?! has the world ended?!" I make fun of him he glares at me a little before playfully rolling his eyes and he walks me back to the table.
"You know if you really need it, we could study together?"
"That would be awesome I just-" "Y/N GET BACK HERE JIMMY SEEING HOW MANY GRAPES HE CAN FIT IN HIS MOUTH!" Tolken yells out.
"WHAT SWEET ONE SECOND MATE! I'd love just text me the details bye-" "But I don't have your number..."
_____________________________________________________
Y/n had caved into her anxiety and brought Kyle something along with the scarf she made. It was a book of Minecraft the new game that Stan got. him.
"THIS IS THE GAME I WANTED! THANKS STAN!" Kyle rejoices at his friend's gift, Y/n felt her chest get heavier knowing after Kenny she was next. her palms where sweaty, chest is heavy, mum spa-
Y/n was actually so scared she was shaking, the two presents in hands. stan looks to her with worry.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, everything fine."
"Why are you nervous to give him the scarf?"
"Wait how did you-" "Thanks Kenny! this is super nice!"
"No problem!" it was now Y/n turn, it was time to know to pick which gift to give him.
"Here Kyle! I don't know if you will like it-" She hands him the bigger gift, the book. stan notices this, his draw drops slightly. why didn't she give him the scarf?
"Oh, a book on the game, cool thanks Y/n!" Kyle says, Y/n wasn't making eye contact with him though looking down at her feet.
"Alright kids let's get going!"
"YAY CASA BONITA CASA BONITA!" Cartman sings as they all walk to the car. But stan stick behind Y/n.
"Why didn't you give it to him he would have loved that way more than that book!" stan say as they get in the car.
"Hey that books to help him build stuff and how to kill stuff in the game! and because who am I kidding the scarfs lame!"
"No, it's not! Kyle would love it. it's a great gift! and you're going to give it to him when we get to Casa Bonita!"
"Yes sir!" your solute him, he gives you a small smile and you give him one back.
"You're going to love Casa Bonita stan! Y/n! there's this part where you can dress up in old western clothes. and get your photo taken in a fake jail!"
"Really?" stan asks the boy.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool." Kyle says cartman waves him. off
" "pretty cool"? so um, should we go to black Bart's cave first. or watch the puppet show? I think we should go through Black Bart's cave first because we're goanna want to do it seven or eight times."
"I think we should do what Kyle wants?"
"Yeah, it is Kyles birthday" stan says.
"What fuck Kyle!" the car goes silent at this, Y/n knew something was up Cartman didn't care about Kyle he just wanted to go to Casa Bonita. and after this is done, he'll go back to bullying him.
"HAHA JUST KIDDING BIRTHDAY JOKE HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOO YOU-" soon enough everyone goes along with Cartmans singing, Y/n looks down at her scarf and sighs while singing along with them.
after a couple minutes we make it to Casa Bonita, it was a giant pink place like structure Making Y/n jaw drop, it was very big a pretty cool building.
"WAIT UP ERIC WE NEED TO STICK TOGETHER!" Sheila calls out, Y/n look to stan then at Kyle as she tugs on his suit a little catching his attention.
"Y/n you excited?!" Kyle asks me..
"Umm actually I wanted to um-" "wait boys! and girl I'm getting a call.
Hello?
yes.
"Oh, THATS GREAT BOYS THEY FOUND BUTTERS! HE'S OKAY!" Y/n jaw drops and the biggest smile was on her face at this news, she let out an intense sigh of relief and a small smile came to her face.
"I knew he would turn up.!"
"Oh sweet!"
"I'm glad he's okay."
"What did you want to say Y/n?"
"well-" "Yes eric carman is with us why? oh really!" Sheila face turns sour we they all looked at cartman.
"What?"
"Yes, I will certainly let him know. thank you. Well, it seems that eric here is responsible for butters missing. because he wanted to go to Casa Bonita!" Sheila explains.
"What."
"You Are fucking cunt." Y/n mutters
"Eric the south park police are already on their way here. to have a little talk with you!" Sheila scolds the boy.
"But... Casa Bonita"
"I should have known better. You never cared about my birthday at all!"
"but stand back!" Cartman grabs Kyle holding him hostage.
"Cartman stop it."
"I am going to casa Bonita!"
"It's too late Fat-ass they'll be here in less than a minute."
"I swear to whatever god you believe in that I will beat your fat fucking lazy cunt of an ass up!" Y/n shouts pounding her fist with her hand, Cartman throws Kyle to the ground Y/n and Kenny quickly going to his side to help him up and like that you all give in chase to the boy, all around the place. when the police finally get him, Kyle could only sigh. we went back to the main entrance and got our table and sat down, we got back to celebrating Kyles birthday though something seemed off, Kyle was quiet and seem sad about the whole thing.
" Are you alright Kyle?" "Yes, it's just. I should of know better than to trust that fat-ass!"
"I'm sorry that Cartman ruined your birthday, Kyle."
"it's fine it's not your fault." Kyle says leaning on one hand, Stan nudges my shoulder and looks to my pocket and Kyle.
"Well, Kyle I hope you're okay with one more Suprise for the day."
"Huh?"
"Happy birthday Kyle." Y/n places a small rectangular box Infront of the boy, its ribbon was green the box was black.
"Y/n You didn't have too"
"Just open it already!" Kenny complains, Kyle does what his friend says and slowly opens the box to reveal stipes of orange and green. he picks the thing up only for it to dangle down. it was a scarf.
"I made it myself and made sure not to add the little puffy things you said that where annoying you with your other one. The material very soft as well you see-" "can you help me put it on?" Y/n smiles and helps Wrape the scarf around him helping him put it on, I could hear Kenny and stand giggling like little girls in the background.
"Thanks... I love it."
"wooow did you make that yourself, you're a very crafty girl Y/n."
"thank you ma'am!"
"let's dig in!'
"yeah!"
I could already feel the I told you so everyone will be screaming when I got home, but we enjoyed the rest of the night, eating so much Mexican food along with cake we all passed out.
"I swear to go if these two don't get together soon-" stan says on the car ride home, Kyle and Y/n laying on each other dead asleep.
"For real."
____________________________________
okay I'm done if you want head cannons or like an actually proper series then just ask fr.
tags @naeyonie @luujjvi @leedesu
172 notes · View notes
fairlyaltheticquails · 11 months
Text
give me some tips to forget you (part one)
ford pines x reader
three times you tried to move on, three times he came back
word count: 1061 words that i didnt proofread, sorry im lazy ;P
angsty but there will be eventual fluff! this is part one of a three-part series. part two and three coming soon!
part one: could it be easy this once?
“I'm leaving next week.”
Four words are all it takes to make your heart fall into your stomach. 
Backupsmore wasn't your first decision, but it also wasn't the worst school you could've landed yourself in you suppose. Ford had yet to say much about where he was going, but you saw the scouts. You saw how he lit up as he approached them, shook their hands, and made all the right moves. You knew he would get into some great school, move away, and follow his dreams that were undoubtedly much larger and more promising than yours. But god, you didn't expect it to hurt like this. You stare straight ahead into the blue ocean waves, hear them crashing into the side of the Stan O War, while Ford shifts beside you. Uncomfortable. He doesn't like the silence from your end of the plank.
What were you supposed to say?
‘Wow, Ford! I’m so thrilled that you are leaving me so soon with virtually no warning, and even though we promised to write letters, I know you'll get busier and busier until the letters stop and I never hear from you again. Oh, and by the way, I love you and it's been suffocating me but I wouldn't forgive myself if I held you back.’
“What day?”
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .*☆ ゚. ───
His brown head of hair sat tauntingly close in front of you. Too far to get his attention without yelling (even though you wanted to scream at him until your lungs give out) but too close to pretend it wasn't him. That those weren't his glasses, his smile, his stupid sweater. This was all wrong. He was supposed to have big dreams, the kind the papers write about. The kind that changes the world, even for just a little bit.  You were supposed to get your degree from an okay school, live a quiet life filling the void he left you with, and eventually learn to be happy without him. So how did you end up in the same damn orientation, at the same school, in the same musty, damp-smelling auditorium?
Saying goodbye to him just a few short days ago felt so final. He had said nothing to you about his true plans. You had helped him pack up his few boxes, he let you hug him as tightly as you could, and you had said goodbye to your best friend, thinking it would be the last time you'd ever see him in person, knowing he was moving on to bigger things. Bigger things than Jersey, bigger things than the rotting wooden boat on the beach, bigger things than you. He had lied to you to let you maintain your hope for him. You couldn't tell if you felt betrayed or relieved.
 Everyone stood to leave as the presentation ended, and that is when he turned, meeting your eyes. Frozen in your seat, you had nowhere to hide. You watch as his eyes change from something familiar to something akin to sadness and embarrassment. As moments pass, your mind goes elsewhere. From the days spent working alongside him, to the nights quietly discussing theories and the unknowns of the universe. The way he would crack jokes that nobody but him could understand, his delivery making you laugh anyway. How he never made you feel dumb or insignificant, how he valued what you were interested in just as much as he valued his own. The way the fire that burned your heart when you were near him never died, but you were so ready to let it just so he could go on to be great. How saying goodbye was you finally stomping out the flames, just for him to show back up with gasoline.
 You feel like it's been several years before he breaks eye contact and you finally have the strength to stand from your seat. His head disappears into the crowd exiting the room. You crane your head to try and catch another glimpse of the brown curls you know so well. It's in vain, there are simply too many people, and it's too dark in the room to discern him. You rush out of your aisle to catch up, shouldering and squeezing past, until you finally break through the crowd and out the door.  You turn and look amongst the dispersing students, but nothing. You were about to turn when you hit something solid. 
“I am so sor…” You start, and there he is. He wrings his hands nervously, looking everywhere but your face. You go to open your mouth, unsure of what to even say to him.
“Just listen. Please.” He ushers out before you can interrupt. He tests to see if you will do what he asks, waiting in silence for a few moments, before sighing. You watch as he untangles his fingers and his arm lifts,  going to hold the back of his neck instead. “I didn't get in. Something happened, and I didn't get in. I didn't know how to tell you, and to be honest, I didn't know what you would think.I’m sorry, I should have told you instead of leading you on in my deception. I was hoping to find a more appropriate time to find you, but I suppose there is no time like the present, right? Heh...” he trails off with nervous laughter, only egged on by your pointed silence. 
The urge to be pissed off is strong. But, the sadness you've felt since he left sits heavy in your chest. The nerves left from wondering when or if you will ever see your best friend again for the past several days finally fizzle out as he stands before you. His eyes grow more and more anxious as you still have yet to respond to his pleas. Your resolve diminishes.
You take a quick step forward, locking your arms firmly around him. He is slow to reciprocate but he eventually comes out of his shock to hug you back properly. His fingers gently squeeze your shoulder and you relish in the feeling. The moments you spend in each other's embrace stretch on, until you pull away slightly to look him in the face. 
“If you ever lie to my face like that again Stanford Filbrick Pines, I will never forgive you.”
“I believe it.”
69 notes · View notes
emmashouldbewriting · 2 months
Note
Sometimes I see how stans builds up a story around William and I don’t think they themselves how ridiculous they make him seem? I like William, but that doesn’t mean I can’t criticize him (usually I’d do the same to Kate but she’s got a valid reason for her absence this time). ‘Hands on parents’ doesn’t mean that you can never do anything else but be with your children or else they’ll be traumatized for life (or become like Andrew like so many like to say) but try telling that to one of these stans. Or that working during the time the children are in school doesn’t mean they are bad parents, in fact that’s what those pesky “normal” parents do.
I also think it’s pretty hilarious how so many of the newer WK stans started out as anti-H&M, but are now championing the same kind of things H&M did — stop using the royal rota, only use their own social media for everything (that’s propaganda but okay), don’t invite the reporters on engagements, everything bad said about WK is part of an agenda or someone else making stuff up, when in fact things like William not working in a time like this is completely valid criticism. I know it probably comes from a lack of understanding that royals are not celebrities but part of an institution that represent the people and therefore the people have the right to hold them accountable through for example the media, but the way they can’t see their own hypocrisy is funny.
Honestly, it feels like some view William as a fictional character. Like he doesn't actually exist in their world, so he's not a real person and we can idolise him the way we do beings like Thor/Loki or whatever.
It really does come down to people not remembering that he's a public figure - the hereditary nature of the BRF doesn't exempt anyone from scrutiny. In fact, it demands that we criticise them.
These same people would likely consider me a 'hands-off' parent due to how much time I've spent working rather than doing mundane things like school runs, etc. I regret all the things I've missed, but I'm reminded so regularly by their schools that I am raising two wonderful humans, even if I'm not as present as I could be.
My 13yo won't remember the school run - but she will remember the time we spent together polishing her completely unhinged ghost story homework. :)
16 notes · View notes
kurokoros · 1 year
Note
TW: mentioning of SA (please ignore if you are uncomfortable)
I'm sorry to even ask this, but I just saw multiple people claim Steve sa'ed Nancy in s1 because he didn't have her consent. And then they claim Steve used having sex with Nancy as like a revenge porn thing because he apparently filmed them having sex. I know the last part isn't true but it's been a while since I watched s1 and you seem to know a lot about Steve's character. I always thought the sex scene in s1 was consensual, if Nancy would have said stop Steve would have complied. Those claims come mostly from Jonathan stans who have a vendetta against Steve, so idk how true that is. I also know Steve was supposed to go that way, but the Duffers decided not to go through in the actual show.
Ever since s4 Jonathan and Steve stans are at war with each other, always bringing up stuff from past seasons while the characters have evolved and apologized for their mistakes. I know some fans hold the camera incident over Jonathan's head, but to claim Steve was actually worse because he basically assaulted Nancy is just gross. They also say Steve's a creep because he climbed up to Nancy's window to check on her. I mean idk about that, he was her boyfriend after all and he was concerned about her well-being after Barb disappeared. Obviously I'm a Steve girl so maybe I'm a bit biased but those claims I just read were really gross and I feel like objectively speaking not true at all.
Anon, you sent me this while I was at work and I spent the rest of my shift seething over this ask, so thanks for that lmao
ANYWAY. Anyone who thinks Steve assaulted Nancy in S1 a) has not actually watched the show b) has purposely misinterpreted their scenes to make Steve look worse, or c) lacks media comprehension skills, because the idea that Steve was being creepy towards Nancy in S1 is just... blatantly untrue? Regardless of if that's how Steve was written in an earlier draft of the season, that's not remotely what happened in the final draft we see in the episodes.
Again, it's blatantly untrue.
In the three scenes where Steve and Nancy are shown making out, the first two both end as soon as Nancy very seriously tells him to stop. Steve stops when she tells him to. SA interpretation immediately disproven. It's also worth noting that all of those make out scenes are only allowed to happen because Nancy agrees to them. Steve puts a "hey, let's make out in the bathroom" note in Nancy's locker... and she goes to the bathroom to make out with him. Steve asks her to meet him outside of school "to study (make out)" and Nancy agrees, and later lets him into her room "to study"--and when she makes it clear she's not interested in having sex with him at that time (AKA when Nancy says she's not like those sluts he usually dates) Steve backs off and then just... helps her study for her chemistry test.
And in the sex scene in question: Nancy wears a new bra to Steve's house, as noted by Barb; Nancy goes up to Steve's bedroom with him and tells her bff/ride to leave without her; and after telling him to turn around so she can change, which Steve does, she gets his attention again before taking her top off. Additionally, when Barb is being murdered in the Upside Down and Nancy sort of hears her screaming from the flip-side and gets distracted, Steve stops and asks if something is wrong, to which Nancy says no and initiates another kiss.
Everything in the sex scene and surrounding the sex scene says that Nancy initiated it and that Steve stops when he's told to (and even takes notice when his partner is distracted/not into it). Obviously, people can initiate sex and then change their mind and want to stop, but that's not what was presented on screen.
The revenge porn thing is just a lie and I don't know who pulled that out of their ass or why.
Steve sneaking onto Nancy's roof (and not, you know, actually breaking into her room) is just a common thing from the 80s and not actually a problem. They're dating. Boyfriends and girlfriends used to sneak into each others room when technology wasn't as easily accessible as it is now. It's a non-issue.
If anything, I'd say the Duffers did a really mediocre job rewriting parts of the season from the rapey-Steve draft to the non-rapey-Steve draft, because I'll never get over how weird Nancy's vibes were post-sex scene, particularly the whole "You can talk to me/I'm fine" scene between Nancy and Karen. But that's just a result of lazy editing and not some kind of subtext that actually Steve sexually assaulted Nancy.
TLDR: I think I've seen the post you're referring to in this ask and that person is just a dumbass looking for excuses to hate Steve.
13 notes · View notes
makeste · 3 years
Text
BnHA 323: “I Don’t Know How to Explain to You That You Should Care About Other People”
Previously on BnHA: Kacchan was all, “Izuku, I’m sorry.” Bakugou Stans were all, “[sobs for a week straight and tearfully awards him the Nobel Prize for character development].” Deku was all, “[faints in Kacchan’s arms].” Iida was all, “[trying to decide if Ochako genuinely tried to kill him a few minutes ago].” Horikoshi was all, “NO TIME FOR HUGS WE MUST GET BACK TO UA.” The civilians holed up at U.A. were all, “WE TOOK A VOTE AND DECIDED THAT WE’RE ALL GOING TO BE JERKS ABOUT THIS AND MAKE A BIG FUSS ABOUT YOU LETTING DEKU BACK INTO THE SCHOOL.” Deku was all “[stands there looking like he expected nothing less and breaking my heart more and more with each passing moment].” Ochako was all, “that does it, looks like I’m gonna have to do something about this... next chapter, that is.”
Today on BnHA: Flashback!Rat Principal is all “I just want you all to know that I spent nine million dollars turning U.A. into a giant Battleship-style grid that can burrow underground and zoom around in a giant subway maze because Horikoshi lacks a grounded understanding of both civil engineering and economics.” Back in the present day, Jeanist is all, “EVERYONE TAKE HEED, MY COMRADES AND I HAVE DEEMED IT EXPEDIENT TO CONVEY THIS AUSPICIOUS YOUTH BACK TO THIS STRONGHOLD. WE ANTICIPATE THAT WE MAY DEPEND UPON YOUR GOODWILL AND ACQUIESCENCE TO THESE TERMS.” The civilians were all, “NO.” Ochako was all, “EMPATHY, MOTHERFUCKERS, DO YOU SPEAK IT?!” The civilians were all, “oh shit.” Anyway so Ochako is a giant badass, but I’m a little worried that she’s going to get struck by lightning. Please come down from there.
so before we start this chapter, I would just like to apologize for having not posted the ch 321 recap yet, and would like to reassure everyone, and especially Iida who is staring at me with Sad Wobbly Guilt Trip Eyes, that I will get to that as soon as I can
OMG FLASHBACK??
Tumblr media
yes please Horikoshi please show us more of class 1-A and their Deku intervention strategy jam sessions
oh dear
Tumblr media
Iida you are too pure and good for this cruel world. [sprays the U.A. civilians with a water bottle] NO. BAD CIVILIANS! NO OSTRACIZING SCARED AND EXHAUSTED CHILDREN IN THE HOUSE
EXCUSE ME RAT PRINCIPAL WHAT’S WITH THESE MIXED MESSAGES
Tumblr media
???
RAT PRINCIPAL: he’s free to return to us at any time!!
ALSO RAT PRINCIPAL: but it’s too risky for him to return to us
?? ??????? ?????????????????????
so now he’s going on about how strong the U.A. Barrier is, and how it’s comparable to the defensive capabilities of Tartarus. this would have sounded a lot more impressive before chapter 297 lol
Tumblr media
OH!!!! HELLO, WHAT’S THIS!!!
Tumblr media
A TIMELY CALLBACK TO A CERTAIN MYSTERIOUS EVENT WHICH HASN’T BEEN REFERENCED SINCE USJ? [U.A. TRAITOR MUSIC INTENSIFIES]
so now Rat Principal says he upgraded U.A.’s security systems with his own “modifications”, whatever the fuck that means. I mean look, I’ve been saying for a long time now that U.A. is the best place for everyone to hole up, don’t get me wrong. but that was mostly on account of there not being any other practical alternatives. but you’re making it sound like you figured out a way to actually make it Decay-proof or some wild shit like that
-- hold up, DID YOU ADD A FORCE FIELD. DID YOU TRICK THIS SCHOOL OUT WAKANDA-STYLE YOU CRAZY MARSUPIAL. HOLY SHIT. because that would actually be perfect
LMAO
Tumblr media
WHAT KIND OF GALAXY BRAIN BULLSHIT. “NAH THERE’S NO NEED FOR A FORCE FIELD, LET’S JUST PUT WHEELS ON IT”
oh okay so the whole campus is basically capable of burrowing itself underground. that’s insane lol I wonder how they pulled that off. probably got poor Cementoss working overtime
blah blah blah so basically the entire campus is split into a grid and each section of the grid is capable of its own independent movement. lol this is just the Merone Base from KHR. you thought no one would notice this casual plagiarism ten years after the fact, but YOU UNDERESTIMATED YOUR AUDIENCE, HORIKOSHI
“joke’s on you imma just lampshade it” WELL ALL RIGHT THEN
Tumblr media
“look at me I’m so fucking self-aware” fucking swear to god. I can’t believe this man is my favorite mangaka of all time smdh
“excuse me, I wasn’t finished describing all the rest of this bullshit yet,” Rat Principal breaks in impatiently. “we also added a steel wall all around the underground of the campus that’s 3000 steel plates thick. that’s fifteen fucking meters of solid fucking steel just fyi. and if anyone fucks around with any part of it the defense system will activate immediately! and also all of the plates are independently motorized, whatever the fuck that means!! in conclusion you’re gonna need a fucking tower crane to suspend all of your disbelief by the time I’m through with this paragraph”
“also Shiketsu is almost as reinforced as U.A. but not quite because we still had to make sure we were better.” but of course. and apparently the two schools are connected via a secret tunnel as Hagakure mentioned earlier
LSDKFJLSDKJFLK
Tumblr media
“WAIT WHAT” LMAO YOU HEARD HIM, NOW INASA CAN VISIT YOU BOTH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THE WEIRD DREAM HE HAD. GOD BLESS YOU HORIKOSHI
(ETA: moment of appreciation for Shouto and Katsuki having the same thought at the same time and making Knowing Eye Contact and saying the exact same thing out loud in perfect unison like the best friends they are. what a blessed day.)
so Tokoyami is all “but wait if you engineered all this shit all the way back during the Band arc how did you even know that Tomura’s quirk awakening would become a thing, Horikoshi -- uh, I mean, Principal Nezu”
and Rat Principal is all “lol idk”
Tumblr media
“basically I just woke up one morning and was all ‘say, you know what this school really needs? a fifteen-meter-thick underground steel wall, and the ability to break up into little pieces that individually zoom around wherever the fuck they want.’ jesus christ. lol if money and common sense were apparently no obstacle why didn’t you just teleport U.A. to the fucking moon or something. maybe I should shut up before I given him any ideas
dsfaelkjldkjgl
Tumblr media
you heard it here first, folks, all of this cost a grand total of nine million U.S. dollars. well technically it cost “more than” nine million dollars. never has that distinction been more important lmao. are we sure this barrier was really made of steel and not cardboard? who the hell sold it to them, Ea-Nasir??
Tumblr media
this is my favorite manga series of all time. yes I am ashamed
“in conclusion please do your best to reach Deku-kun” SO WHAT WAS ALL THAT NONSENSE ABOUT IT BEING TOO RISKY THEN. anyway thank you for this super informative and edifying flashback, Horikoshi. I will cherish it always. I don’t even want to read another translation of this absurdity lmao, there’s something special about it just the way it is. pretty sure Horikoshi just had a cracked out fever dream one night and transferred it to the pages of the manga verbatim
anyway so back to the unruly mob
Tumblr media
not their finest moment. please excuse me while I cover poor Deku’s ears and give him a good shoosh pap
oh wow the parents are out here too
Tumblr media
is Mitsuki trying to hold Inko back?? that’s the last thing this fandom needs right now is more Mitsuki discourse fffwlkjs. and even Jiroudad, scientifically proven to be the best dad in all of BnHA, is just standing there silently looking vaguely unhappy. way to rise to the moment you guys
MONOMA
Tumblr media
so this settles it for me that Aizawa is not at UA. I know a lot of people have been wondering about his whereabouts, and if I had to wager a guess it would be that something happened with Shirakumo/Kurogiri. I can’t think of anything else -- even the loss of an eye and a limb -- that would keep him from his kids at a time like this
anyway but this is excellent Monoma content right here though. I love that he apparently adopted Eri after a single interaction with her. also WHERE IS SHINSOU DAMMIT. THE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW
and Kouta’s there too looking like he wants to run over to Deku but Ragdoll won’t let him :/
Tumblr media
it’s gotta be pretty upsetting for him to see his hero like this and not having anyone stand up for him. [taps megaphone] IS THIS THING ON. OKAY YEAH IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING. AHEM. PAGING URARAKA OCHAKO. GONNA NEED YOU TO GET OVER HERE ALREADY AND MAKE THAT BIG DRAMATIC SPEECH WHICH YOU ARE CLEARLY DYING TO MAKE. IF YOU DON’T DO IT SOON I’M GONNA HAVE TO STEP IN, AND YOU REALLY DON’T WANT ME TO DO THAT SINCE MY SPEECH WILL NOT BE VERY GOOD OR INSPIRING, AND WILL PROBABLY JUST CONSIST OF “HELLO, YOU ARE ALL STUPID, PLEASE SHUT UP AND GO AWAY”
so now Mic is telling them to calm down. at least someone’s speaking up here, geez
OH MY GOD
Tumblr media Tumblr media
MY MAN JEANIST OUT HERE DOING WHAT HE DOES BEST: MAKING EVERYONE FEEL GUILTY AND JUDGED
OH MY GOD HE IS GIVING SUCH A LONG AND BORING SPEECH LMAO IS YOUR STRATEGY TO PUT THEM ALL TO SLEEP OR WHAT
Tumblr media
truly in awe of this man’s ability to take messages which could easily be conveyed in ELI5-speak, and stubbornly convert them into incomprehensible language the likes of which you need a graduate degree in order to understand
“hey guys, so originally our plan was to use Deku as bait for the villains, but that didn’t really work and also we realized it was kinda dumb and was probably gonna get him killed, so we brought him back here instead.” was that really so hard, Jeanist. also are we all really just gonna sit back here and watch Jeanist take full credit for Bakugou’s plan just like that lmao
(ETA:
Tumblr media
WHERE DID ENDEAVOR GO AND WHO IS THIS DIABOLICAL MASTER OF DISGUISE. lol I genuinely didn’t notice this because I was too busy digging through thesauruses trying to rewrite Jeanist’s speech; many thanks to @class1akids​ for pointing it out and making my day immeasurably better. take it easy there Dick Tracy.)
“anyway so please stop being dicks and let him fucking rest so he can save all your ungrateful asses” what an impassioned and inspiring plea. time to see if the masses will listen to reason
Tumblr media
narrator: they did not listen to reason
oh my god finally Ochako is doing something. YEAH OCHAKO WOOOO SHOW THEM HOW IT’S DONE
hmm
Tumblr media
this entire chapter is truly and utterly nonsensical to me lol
(ETA: on my second readthrough I’m fucking dying at how she stole the megaphone right out of Mic’s hand lmao. and how Kacchan is all “fuck yeah nothing I appreciate more than some quality fucking larceny.”)
oh I see she was jumping on top of the main building so as to scream down at them all more impressively
Tumblr media
“ANYWAY DEKU IS PRETTY COOL ACTUALLY, YOU GUYS ARE JUST MEAN” couldn’t have said it better myself Ochako
lol uh
Tumblr media
gotta say I did not have “Ochako reveals the secret of OFA to the entire U.A. Citizen Clown Parade” on my bingo card for this week. it’s a bold strategy cotton let’s see if it pays off
SDLFKJSL
Tumblr media
“NO, SERIOUSLY, HAVE YOU LOOKED AT HIM YOU GUYS. YOU THINK HE LIKES RUNNING AROUND DRESSED LIKE A RUSTED OIL DRUM?? HE DID THAT FOR YOU YOU UNGRATEFUL SLOBS”
so she is basically explaining the entire Deku Angst arc to them and explaining what a good and selfless protagonist Deku is, YES, PREACH
OMG IT’S THE GIGANTIC FOX LADY
Tumblr media
not to insinuate anything, but what exactly were you doing standing out here with the hysterical mob, Gigantic Fox Lady? you’re better than that
-- KACCHAN SIGHTING!!
Tumblr media
sdlkfjl. thanks for weighing in with that helpful and important observation. where have you been for the last five minutes. were you asleep. was it Jeanist’s speech
never mind, now he’s yelling at the civilians so I instantly forgive him
Tumblr media
THE FUTURE NUMBER ONE HERO, EVERYONE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. HE’LL BE HERE ALL WEEK
“anyway so I’m just going to end the chapter here” lmao seventeen pages truly do go by so fast. at least he didn’t try to force in a cliffhanger at the end this time. dare I say, growth
so I guess the civilians are either gonna have a Kamino and/or Fukuoka-esque moment where they remember how to be decent people and apologize to this poor young man, or else they’ll remain unpersuaded, and so Kacchan will have to knock a few of their heads around until they become more inclined to be reasonable. either option is fine by me lol
344 notes · View notes
crescentsteel · 3 years
Text
Burns
Tumblr media
pairing: Suna  x f!reader genre: fluff with slight angst (childhood friends to lovers) wc: 3.8k summary: you planned to confess to Suna on Valentines day. Unfortunately for you, he finds the holiday stupid.
[a/n]
Did this in one sitting, brain went zoom zoom
Not really comfortable writing for Inarizaki for some reason. Suna and Miya twins stans, don’t come for me. 
Thank you @tokyosdawn​, @luvnami​, @fayeiparis​ (my ride or die ily) for the betaread. 
ngl. I almost wrote smut after the fluff 
Happy Valentines Day! 🖤
This is it. This is the day. 
You’re finally going to confess to Suna. 
You have been close friends for so long, and for the whole duration of it, you have tried your utter best to feel only as such. 
You became friends with the rest of the Inarikazi team because you were always present in every game, with you being the loudest person to cheer for Suna leading everyone to pester him until he introduced you to them. Knowing Suna, he wasn’t fazed by his team’s persistent request and never mentioned to you that the team wanted to meet you. 
It had been Atsumu that day who approached you during lunch break saying that Suna asked him to ask you to attend their practice after class. 
You’ve been asking him non-stop if he can come watch them practice but he strictly prohibited you from going to the gym at all, so you were thrilled that he finally let you watch.. only to find him unpleasantly surprised that you were there. 
Apparently, the whole team thought you were dating. As much as you wish you were, you could only agree with Suna when he said you were just a long-time friend. 
But that changes today. Hopefully. 
You already know what confessing to him means, and you’re not ready to lose Suna as a friend in case this doesn’t work out. However, with the  both of you being third years already, it was now or never. You keep asking him what his plans after graduation are and he’s infuriatingly very consistent with his answer - a shrug and an apathetic ‘dunno.’
While you’re not ready to lose your friendship, you’re probably going to after high school — which is why you spent almost all of your allowance to buy ingredients to make homemade chocolate. It’s not actually that it’s expensive — you wasted so much ingredients making them that you ended up having enough for only three pieces. 
But you’re satisfied because they were of three different designs. Three cute fox-shaped chocolates of different colors. They weren’t perfect but you tailored them according to Suna’s taste - just mildly sweet so he can actually enjoy it.
You smile into the February air. 
You really aren’t sure about his feelings for you, but you know that you’re special to him. 
You’re his only female friend and despite his aloofness, he actually spends time with you outside of school. It was you who he spent New Year’s with. He celebrates your birthday even if you know he’s not really into that kind of stuff. He walks you home when you stay late from club activities. 
Being his friend since elementary school, you know he’s not the kind of guy to be nice to someone just for the sake of being nice. 
So instead of dreading for your confession, you’re actually excited. 
On your way to your first class, the chaotic twins block your path with a mischievous grin from both of them, except Atsumu’s way too obvious and upfront about it. 
“So, y/n. Anything for me?” Atsumu asks as he cocks an eyebrow at you. 
“Why would she give you any, idiot?” Osamu glares at Atsumu before turning to you with a smirk that makes you wary for some reason. “When she’s obviously giving them to Suna,” he adds.
You try to not look affected at his spot-on statement, but shit, you can already feel your heartbeat just a bit faster. Are you that obvious?
“Don’t you have hoards of shit from other girls? Why the hell are you ganging up on me?” you ask instead of answering Osamu’s speculation. 
“I want to show them to Suna during practice. His pretty little childhood friend givin’ me homemade chocolates,” Atsumu teases animatedly. 
Your eyes widen from what he said. “Wait, how did you know they were homemade?” 
The two give each other meaningful looks before Osamu leans down a bit on you. “So there really are chocolates, huh?”
You go rigid when you realize you’ve exposed yourself to these two. Shit, they’re going to tease you non-stop about this. Worse, they might tell Suna before you even get the chance to do it yourself. 
“Those are some burns on your hands, y/n. Have you treated those properly?” Atsumu eyes your hand that accidentally touched the hot pan yesterday. You tug the sleeves of your uniform lower to cover the purple-pinkish marks. 
“I’m going to be late for class, bye,” you abruptly bid goodbye and hurriedly escape from the two. God knows what else they’ll get from you if you stay longer. 
--
You erase your encounter with the twins from this morning. You can’t buckle down now. You worked hard for this day, both in body and in spirit. You’ve already had more than a fair share of doubts and second thoughts up until last night when you successfully pushed any cynicism away. 
You won’t back down, especially when Suna is just a seat away from you now. 
“Got any chocolates yet?” You prod at the topic as you put away your used cutleries. 
“Yea,” he answers lazily. “It’s so dumb.”
“What is?” you ask with a frown.
“Valentines,” he deadpans.  “Atsumu’s gonna get a fucking diabetes from the amount of chocolates he took from me because I was about to throw them away.”
You try to not let it get to you and breathe steadily to strengthen your resolve. You’re special to Suna. Surely, he won’t treat yours like that.
“What’s more idiotic is confessing this day,” he rambles on. “If a person really likes someone, why wait for Valentines to say it?” He asks rhetorically while putting away his own finished lunch. 
You feel your stomach lurch, like riding down a rollercoaster at full speed unexpectedly. You try your best to mold your face into an impassive expression to not give anything away.
On the inside though, you’re a mess. Your head feels too loud and the air feels too heavy. You want to close your eyes and disappear.
Then he looks at you. “What about you? Did you give chocolates to anyone?”
You vaguely hear his question. You feel like you’re in a bubble and every sound is muffled -- your classmates chattering, the chairs scraping against the floor, the laughter all around you feels distant.
You planned to give him the chocolates you worked so hard on, but definitely not anymore. He hit two things right (Or wrong? Who knows anymore.) on the marks and right now, you do feel idiotic for trying so hard. 
You should’ve known better. Of course, he’d find it stupid! He’s never the person to be all excited with events like this. What were you even thinking, spending all that money and effort when he obviously thinks the whole thing is a farce?
Did you really think this was going to go well? That he’d accept your chocolates and everything would be fine and you would go on as friends? In hindsight, there is never going to be a way out of this where you win. It is a stupid idea, and you’re stupid for even thinking about it.
‘Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb,’ you chant in your head. 
“Y/n?”
You flinch and find him staring at you, waiting for your answer. His golden eyes are studying your face carefully. You think you see a little bit of concern there but you brush it off.
“Oh no,” you laugh hesitantly. “No way I’d waste my time on some boy on the very rare chance that he actually likes me back, pfft.” Your laugh turns ironic and bitter. “Like you said, it’s just a dumb holiday,” you respond with a forced smile.
“Anyways, I have to go back now. Later, Rin.” You quickly stand up and head to a comfort room because you feel like shit and you need to cry it out before your classes start again, else you’d be tearing up during lecture.
“Wait.” He grips your hand firmly, adding salt to the injury as you wince when he presses the burn you got from yesterday.
“Ow!”
He’s startled by your sudden reaction, but doesn’t say anything. 
He loosens his hold and moves his grip to your wrist as he pushes up the sleeve of your uniform, revealing the burn on your hand along with small others on your arm. 
“What happened to you?” he asks with muted concern while his eyes are trained on your arm, fingers gently skimming over the burns.
You aggressively retrieve your arm and pull your sleeve back down while you come up with a lie, “Oka-san needed help in the kitchen yesterday.”
He furrows his eyebrows with suspicion. “Why? Everyone knows you’re useless in the kitchen.”
Yeah, but you wanted to do something for him, and the burns would have been worth it if he at least accepted the chocolates you worked so hard on. 
“Honestly, I don’t even know.” You try to laugh it off, but you’re losing it already, so you just give him a quick wave with whatever smile you can muster and saunter away from him. 
After a pathetic sobbing session in one of the cubicles, you make your way back to your classroom looking as normal as you possibly can. 
Thank goodness it’s Valentines. You’re not the only girl with eyes puffy from rejection. 
“Hey.” You feel a hand on your shoulder and solely from his voice, you can tell it’s Osamu. “You okay?” 
Maybe it would’ve been better if you had fallen for Osamu instead. Despite being always teased by him and Atsumu, he’s actually a nice likeable guy. Unlike Suna. 
God, why did it have to be Suna Rintarou?
“Come with me,” you say without looking at Osamu and drag him with you back to your classroom. 
“Uhh, okay.” He sounds unsure but he goes with you anyway. 
You ask him to wait for you just by the doorway of your classroom and grab the stupid box of chocolates you made from your bag. 
You practically shove it to him when you get back to where he is. “Happy Valentines, ‘Samu,” you greet with a dead expression. 
Osamu gapes at you then at the box in hand, an expression of disbelief spreading across his face. 
“Weren’t you asking for chocolates this morning?” 
“That was ‘Tsumu. Also,” he looks closely at the box. “It says ‘Rin.’
You immediately rip out the wrapper where you wrote Suna’s nickname and tuck the crumpled paper in your pocket.
“There. It doesn’t anymore,” you announce passively.
Osamu scratches his head with discomfort. “I can’t accept this, y/n. I can give it to Suna if you want,” he offers kindly.
“Miya Osamu. Either you accept it or I’m throwing it away right now.” Your voice is dead serious and so are you. If Osamu won’t accept it, it’s going to the trash where Suna would’ve tossed it in as well. 
“Okay, okay!” He surrenders with panic and opens the box slowly. 
“Holy sh-,” he clears his throat. “I mean, wow. These are so cute, the cutest I’ve received today,” he comments appreciatively before returning his gaze at you. “You sure about this, y/n?”
You nod, more convinced now that you saw his reactions towards it. “Yeah. I figured I’d want to give them to someone who’s going to actually like them.”
The soft ring of the bell alerts you that your next class is about to start. 
“Thanks Osamu,” you utter with a grateful smile before sauntering back to your classroom. 
--
“Oy ‘Samu, why are these chocolates so cute? How the hell can I eat these?” Tsumu whines.
“You shithead, those are mine!” Osamu rushes to where his twin and grabs the box protectively.
Suna just watches the two and silently waits for another fight to erupt.
“You’d just taste them and give them to me anyways. What’s the deal?” Atsumu asks with a frown.
“If you must know, ‘Tsumu. Y/n gave this to me,” Osamu announces with a condescending grin as Astumu gawks at him in disbelief. “No fucking way, you stinking liar,” Atsumu retorts.
Suna looks at the tiny box Osamu is holding and agrees with Atsumu. There is no way you’d give those to Osamu. You said so yourself this morning.
‘No way I’d waste my time on some boy on the very rare chance that he actually likes me back.’
Did you lie to him and made some for Osamu? Do you like Osamu?
Suna’s mind wanders back to the burns on your hand and arms and how your mom ‘supposedly’ asked you to help out in the kitchen. He knows something is off. You’re never asked to help out with anything that involves cooking, so why did you lie about it?
So what is going on? There’s just no way in hell you like Osamu. Not once have you mentioned liking his teammate enough for you to  venture into the ‘horrors of the kitchen’ (as you put it). And more importantly, why Osamu?
It is true that Suna doesn’t give a shit whether or not  he gets a mountain load of chocolates on this superficial holiday. He’s not eating them. 
However, he’d make an exception only if they come from you. He wouldn’t mind if they’re just store-bought ones as long as they’re from you. 
So why the fuck would you go to the troubles of making them for Osamu and not him? You can’t possibly like Osamu. He won’t allow it.
He marches to where the twins are and turns to Osamu. “Did y/n really give you that?”
Both the twins face him and while Osamu looks pensive, Atsumu wears a shit-eating grin. “Aww, Suna. Are you jealous that your beloved y/n gave us chocolates?”
“‘Tsumu, shut up for the love of God. And she didn’t give it to us. She gave it to me.” Osamu pulls the box closer to him possessively which ticks Suna off even more. 
“Did she say why?” Suna tries to sound calm despite the stupid jealousy bubbling up the pit of his stomach. 
“Obviously because-” Atsumu starts, but Osamu grabs his twin’s face with one hand to halt his babbling as he sighs to face Suna. 
“Actually, the box had your name in it,” Osamu admits. “She just ripped it out and said she’d rather give it to someone who’ll appreciate it.”
“-mmmmff Samu!” Atsumu successfully removes Osamu’s hand. “You shouldn’t have told him that! Do you realize that y/n didn’t want him to know?”
“Duh! Of course, I know. But I really can’t accept chocolates that’re supposed to be for another guy,” Osamu sighs before handing Suna the box. 
He opens it and sees the fuss Tsumu was making about it. They really are cute and are obviously made with care and precision. If someone else had told him that you made these, he wouldn’t have believed them.
But there’s something about the chocolates that he can’t ignore. 
“Why are there bites on the two pieces?” He asks as he lifts his gaze up from the chocolates. 
Atsumu puts his hands behind his head and starts whistling as he avoids Suna’s gaze while Osamu smiles apologetically. 
“Sorry, I wanted to see if they taste as good as they look,” Osamu confesses. As for Atsumu, Suna can already tell that the piss-haired setter just couldn’t help himself despite receiving so many already.
“They’re a bit bland, Suna. Tell y/n she needs to improve her baking skills,” Atsumu comments shamelessly which makes Suna scowl at Atsumu’s ungrateful ass. The fact that you made something look edible is already something commendable.
“They’re okay. Just needs a bit more sweetness,” Osamu backs his twin up.
He brings the remaining chocolate that’s still untouched to his mouth.
“What are you two talking about? It tastes perfectly fine,” he states truthfully. It’s just the right amount of sweetness that he’s able to finish it despite not really being a fan of chocolates. 
Osamu laughs softly before speaking. “She really did make them for you, Suna.”
--
That night, you toss and turn in your bed while trying to keep your focus on the movie you played. As entertaining as it is, you can’t fully enjoy it with constantly wanting to smash your head against the wall of your room.
For a good while, you really thought everything would go smoothly and that by the end of today, you and Suna would be more than just friends. 
Maybe today is a sign that you shouldn’t push it anymore. Suna said so himself: if someone likes a person, they don’t need the holiday to confess.
So why hasn’t he?
The answer is clear as day and you wish you were blind to see it, but you aren’t. 
There had been too many chances for you two to move your relationship forward, but not once had he shown a sign that he wanted to. 
He doesn’t like you like that. It’s just you and your delusional head. He doesn’t love you the way you love him. Even with the cute, romantic scene playing before you, you start tearing up. 
You grab one of your pillows and bury your face in it, effectively silencing the sob and stopping the tears that are coming as you remember your folly attempt to confess today. 
You should’ve been satisfied with the comfort of your friendship. If you hadn’t been so greedy, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt like this. 
You hear a text alert from your phone. You open it and see a text from the source of your misery.
‘Come out’
You don’t want to. Tomorrow you can be back to normal around him, but not tonight.
You hurriedly respond with a lie.
‘Went out zzz’
You throw your phone somewhere on your bed and lie down with your pillow still squeezed between your arms while you space out at nothing.
Your thirst brings you back to your senses so you stand up and get to the kitchen. When you come back to your room, you almost scream when you see Suna sitting slouching on your bed. 
“What the heck, Rin?! How did you get here?” 
“Your mother let me in. Why are you even asking obvious questions?”
You massage your temples as you plan to tell your mom later not to just let anyone in your room even though it’s someone she knows. You might be childhood friends but you’re no longer kids. He can’t just pop in and out of your room anymore like he used to.
“Why are you even here? I said I was out.”
“Your lights are open, dumbass,” he answers, to which you respond with a sigh.
“Didn’t it occur to you that I don’t want to see you?” 
He stands up from your bed and although his expression doesn’t change, you feel alarmed from how he’s towering over you without saying anything.
“W-what?” Your stutter betrays your attempt to sound fine.
“Why the fuck would you give Osamu chocolates that are supposed to be mine?” 
You gawk at him. He isn’t supposed to know that. That bastard, Osamu! You don’t have a prepared excuse for this kind of confrontation. 
“What’s it to you even? You would’ve thrown them away anyways,” you snap back with an accusatory tone.
“Not if they’re from you,” he discloses as his usually austere eyes soften up, holding your gaze. You feel like you’re about to melt.
You feel your heart beat wildly against your chest. Not long ago you had said that you didn’t want to see him, but now that he’s here, you don’t feel like moving. You don’t feel like going anywhere. Everything could be on fire around you but you’d still stay by his side.
But… this is not right. Did you already know? He doesn’t love you back.
You try to turn away to hide the gnawing pain in your chest, but he’s faster. He grabs your arm to pull you closer. When he dips down to claim your lips while his arms snake around your waist, you melt within his hold. 
His lips are so warm and uncharacteristically tender as he moves them intricately against yours, causing you to place both hands against his chest to feel him even more, to feel that he is real and not just a dream induced by how badly you yearn for him.
He pulls away a bit and finds a bewildered look on your face that just makes you look adorable. There had been many times when he thought about doing this, especially whenever you’re staring into nothingness with parted lips as if coaxing him to fuck everything else and just cross the boundary of your platonic relationship.
But to be honest, he didn’t like the complications of being in a romantic relationship with you when you already have this comfortable friendship. At the end of the day, he knows you have him and he has you. 
Yet, he absolutely despises the idea that you might have liked someone else. He’s never felt any resentment towards his teammates, not even to Astsumu who’s a fucking handful most of the time.
Only today.
Only when he saw that box of chocolates in Osamu’s hands that he realized that he didn’t want to share you with anyone.
It was selfish of him, wanting to keep you to himself but not really doing anything to actually make it happen.
That changes tonight. 
He removes one hand from your waist to hold your hand that’s resting on his chest.
“I love you, y/n.”
You blink twice at him, evidently surprised with his confession, but immediately recover when you look down and giggle softly. 
When you look back at him again, your eyes are a mixture of content and mirth. “I thought you said it’s idiotic to confess on Valentines Day,” you remind him with a wide smile.
His loving stare becomes a cold glare when you point out what he had said this morning. He didn’t plan to do it today. He just couldn’t wait until tomorrow, thereby forgetting that he had actually told you that. Although, he still believes people shouldn’t wait for the holiday to confess, it just so happened that today is when he decided to do it.
“Fine. I take it back,” he says out of petty spite.
“I’m kidding!” you respond defensively before intertwining his fingers with yours. “Actually, I was about to confess earlier, but you said the stuff about Valentines being dumb.”
“It still is,” he says, undeterred. In his defense, he really hadn’t been expecting you would. 
“Right. Yet, here we are,” you state as a matter of fact as you grip his hand tighter.
“Can you answer the damn confession already?” he asks exasperatedly which makes you laugh out loud. 
You settle down with an affectionate smile. “Yes, Rin. I love you too.”
He loses his stern expression as he takes your hand to his mouth and kisses it, rubbing the minor burn with his thumb, a reminder that he does appreciate what you did for him. 
“Happy Valentines, I guess,” he says before he goes for your lips again.
mlist of other stuff I wrote
taglist (those crossed out can’t be tagged)
@ameliaxo @suikrem @akaashisslave @tsumurai  @babythotshq @loving-unicorns106 @flairlust @geektastic84​ @anaiss97 @hqbeesun @megatron-1199 @lovershaikyuu
426 notes · View notes
nyxicnymph · 2 years
Note
*chanting* kachacco valetinez day fluff kachacco valetinez day fluff kachacco valetinez day fluff
JAKSBJHDBJDFBHJD YEAAA KACCHAKO STAN!!! I'm so excited I can't believe this is the first time I've written for them!
Pairing: Katsuki Bakugo x Ochaco Uraraka Rating: Teen and Up! Warnings: Cursing. Once again, this is Bakugo x Uraraka. If you don't ship it or don't like it, then don't read it. It's simple. Notes: many tropes abound but I don't care! :D
Caramel Scent, Chocolate Taste.
Ochaco jumped out of bed as soon as her alarm went off. She was not wasting a single moment of the day, not in the slightest. No, she had a boyfriend to treat!
For the first year of UA, and most of the second year, Everyone had assumed that Uraraka and Izuku would be a thing. And they'd tried! But ultimately, neither of them were quite willing to take the lead on a relationship, and Ochaco had put her feelings aside so much that she found rekindling them was too much of an effort.
Then, after splitting with Izuku and focusing on school for some time, she and Bakugo had gotten paired together for an assignment. One thing lead to another, and somehow, they ended up dating.
Katsuki was so very passionate, about everything. He never half-assed anything, and that extended to his love life. Now, Ochaco wanted to return that passion, even if she had to throw her gifts at him.
She quickly got dressed and pulled her hair back, then gathered up the various gifts she'd stashed all over the room. Her mouth watered as she pulled the pack of chocolates out from the desk, but as she shoved them into her gift bag, the reaction stopped. Ochaco smiled, pleased that she had made a lot of progress on controlling her cravings.
She shook her head clear, then opened the door to her dorm, and sprinted through the hall and down the stairs. Iida wouldn't have been able to catch and scold her if he allowed himself anywhere near the girls' side, and Momo was clearly still asleep.
Ochaco slowed down as she reached the last flight of stairs, hoping to avoid tripping over the doorframe or disturbing everyone. She entered the living area, windswept and breathing heavily, only to let out an annoyed grunt at the sight of Katsuki in the kitchen.
"Do you ever sleep in?!" She said dramatically, joining him in the kitchen.
"Good morning to you too, grouchy." Katsuki said, roughing up her hair with his warm palm.
"Katsss!" Ochaco wriggled out from under his hand. "I wanna cook something!"
"Then you'd better eat this breakfast I made for you!" Katsuki said, showing off a plate full of sweet breakfast foods.
Ochaco paused. "Oooh! Yummy!" She took the plate and took a bite out of the first thing she grabbed. Then she smacked Katsuki with all five fingers and pushed her now floating boyfriend out of the kitchen. "I'll eat while I cook! You don't get to do all the fun stuff today!"
Katsuki frowned as his body rotated in the air. "Tch. Fine."
Ochaco beamed and set to work. She made quick work of her planned meal, but didn't release Katsuki until she was almost done. He didn't mind, though. They'd had discussions about it. He was more than willing to let her float him around as long as she could, so she could build up her endurance.
Finally, she plated the meal, and presented it to Katsuki with a flourish. "Ta-da! Just for you!"
Katsuki looked at the plate for a minute. Then he looked up and smiled softly. "Thank you."
Ochaco beamed. "You're welcome, Kats!" She kissed his cheek and sat next to him to finish her own breakfast.
Ochaco and Katsuki spent the day pretending to be dragged along by each other to various different places. Katsuki bought Ochaco flowers, Ochaco treated him to lunch at a cat cafe, Katsuki bought her boba tea and she made him get some, too, and then they went for a nice walk in a local flower garden.
Ochaco turned to her boyfriend, ready to give him his last gift. "Kats! I have one last thing for you!"
Katsuki raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay."
Ochaco pulled the chocolates out of the bag she'd been carrying all day, and gave it to Katsuki. "I bought these two weeks ago, just for you! They have caramel centers, and it made me think of you," she finished shyly, her cheeks pinker than usual.
Katsuki was silent for a moment, then pulled her close and gave her a hug. Then he pressed his lips to her forehead. "Thank you, 'Chaco." He released her, and opened the box, where he saw a slender ring. Ochaco turned bright red.
"Ooh, uh, I forgot about that!" She stammered, her hands flapping about her face. "It's, well, haha, it's a promise ring! As in I promise to be with you forever, if you'll have me!" She buried her face in her hands. "God, I've made a mess of this."
"I love it. I love you. And I'll stay by your side, too. Uravity and Dynamight will be a duo to fear among villainkind!"
Ochaco blushed again, then kissed his cheek. "Uh, not to ruin the moment, Katsuki, but those chocolates have been in my room for two weeks, and I have been so strong. Can I have one? Pleeease?"
Katsuki took a step back and shoved three of the chocolates into his mouth. "No, fuck off, they're mine now!"
"Katsukiii!!!"
She chased after him, tears streaming down her face, though whether they were from laughter or sweets deprivation, an outsider couldn't tell. Katsuki ran away from her, but backwards, so she could see him eating each chocolate. Then he stopped, and when she crashed into his chest, he pinned her there with his free arm.
"Katsukiiii," she whined, looking up at his face. "Please?"
Katsuki smirked, then kissed her on the lips.
Ochaco stopped teasing him then. His caramel scent and chocolate taste were everything she'd ever wanted in the moment. And possibly all she'd want forever.
~fin~
42 notes · View notes
incomingalbatross · 3 years
Text
GF Fic: (Insert Time-Related Pun Here)
Having a birthday on the last day of summer was great when you were a kid.
When you were in college and vacation ended somewhere in the last third of August? Not so much.
“Grunkle Ford, I...I don’t think Mabel and I can make it to Gravity Falls,” Dipper confessed, the day before his twenty-second birthday.
“Is it the travel time?” Ford asked from the other end of the phone. “If your usual transportation is too slow, we can call in a favor or two for you kids—I know plenty of entities that would be happy to give you a lift as a birthday present—”
“No, I know, I know,” Dipper said, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “And I really appreciate that, Grunkle Ford, I just...it’s not the travel, it’s being there. The other years we’ve been in college, our birthday was always on a weekend—last year was a Monday, but we spent that year with you guys instead of in school—”
“Thank goodness that seer tipped us off about her vision of 2020!” Ford agreed. “Taking a gap year to sail the Arctic with us was definitely the right decision for you two.”
“Right? Half a semester of online classes was more than enough. But—I mean, maybe it’s being back in school after being gone for a year, maybe it’s just early-semester problems, but...” Dipper sighed. “It’s just, I’m taking five classes, and I’ve got a TA job this year, and I’m getting back into the DD&MD group again and maybe planning to DM a oneshot as a Halloween event, and...” He sighed again. “It all looked much more manageable on my schedule. It was color-coded and everything!”
Grunkle Ford hummed noncommittally.
“Yeah, I know,” Dipper admitted. “Not the first time I’ve overbooked myself.”
“Not quite, perhaps. But it’s very good that you’re learning to recognize it and take steps to take care of yourself—when I was in college, I burned out routinely.”
“Mabel would sic the ‘Self-Care Fairy’ on me again if I didn’t learn.” The “Self-Care Fairy” was a truly terrifying onslaught of Mabelness, complete with costume and character voice, and would not go away until its subject had reached an acceptable level of well-being and had examined their mistakes. “Which is why...I have to cancel. If I came to Gravity Falls, even with instant travel, I’d only be able to get there around like 5:00 PM and I’d be stressed and anxious the whole time. And then I’d get back here exhausted and with no homework done and with class tomorrow, and...I just don’t think I can afford that.” Dipper paused, a knot twisting in his stomach. “I’m really sorry, I wish we could come...”
“Of course, Dipper, we know you do!” Grunkle Ford hastened to assure him. “Don’t feel sorry for us—of course we’d love to see you, but we just had the summer together. I’m just sorry you’re so short on time.” There was a moment’s silence.
“But how is Mabel doing? Is she facing the same challenges?”
“I mean, sort of.” Dipper smiled ruefully. “She kept trying to figure out some solution so that we could have our usual birthday and everything would work out, but...neither of us could come up with anything that would actually work. And she’s really busy too. She jumped back into school full steam ahead, and she’s got her Etsy store, and all her social groups to keep up with—you know she’s better at managing her energy than I am, but it’s still a lot.”
“I understand that,” Ford said. “You both do what you need to to keep up with your responsibilities, okay? We’re very proud of you both, you know.”
Dipper swallowed around the lump in his throat. “I know, Grunkle Ford.”
“Well, then, I’ll let you go—I imagine you have plenty to do right now! We’ll get in touch with you tomorrow, even if only by text.”
“Thank you, Grunkle Ford! Mabel and I are going to video-call at some point, we think, so there’s that. Say hi to Stan and Soos and Melody and the kids and everyone for me?”
“Of course, my boy. Have a good evening.”
“You too.”
The call disconnected, and Dipper sighed, throwing himself down on his bed. After a minute, he picked up his phone again and texted Mabel.
Just called Ford and canceled plans. He said to take care of ourselves and that he and Stan are proud of us.
Then he pushed himself into the homework for tomorrow until his phone buzzed.
Aww, of course he did. <3 Thanks for calling, brobro. I wish we could go, but you were right--I’ve got WAY too much booked. Why didn’t we check what weekday our birthday was FIRST???
Dipper snorted. Maybe we’re dumb :/
IMPOSSIBLE, Mabel sent back. Clearly an evil College Schedule Gremlin messed with our brains
Is that the same guy who makes it so you can never take the prereqs you need when you need them?
Yep!! And the one who fogs your brain so you THINK you’ve filled all your requirements until it’s too late to patch up the holes in your plan. His phone buzzed a second time after that text. ...Ugh, maybe there ARE gremlins in all the college systems
It would explain Blackboard, Dipper agreed with a frown. Huh, maybe they should look into that...
Anyway, though, u good for Zoom tomorrow?
Dipper huffed, reminded of the fact that they had no time for a paranormal investigation right now. Yeah, he typed, I can do an hour or so anytime after 5:30.
Cool, I will figure out a time and let you know!! Can’t wait to see your 22-year-old face!! :) Even if it sucks that we can’t party :(
Same, same. TTYL :)
Dipper tossed his phone aside again, shutting his eyes for a minute. It wasn’t just the party that had him down—though he would miss the bash that Gravity Falls usually threw on their birthday. It was...everything.
It was having a birthday without Mabel.
Oh, sure, they would talk, but they wouldn’t be in the same place. That was why, really, he’d hung onto their plans until the very last minute. He’d made it work on paper—taking an evening to travel to Gravity Falls, have a party, and be back in time for the next class—and it just felt wrong to admit defeat, to compromise on something this important. Their birthday meant the two of them celebrating together, having a good time, acknowledging that it was important.
This year wasn’t going to feel like a birthday at all, Dipper thought glumly.
But no, that was quitter talk. They were going to do their best anyway, because they were the Mystery Twins! Even if the situation was lame. Even if he was going to spend his time on the call with Mabel tomorrow doing homework and/or bursting with stress.
He opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling. “Why do I always overfill my schedule?” he asked plaintively.
The ceiling didn’t answer.
---
Dipper dropped his backpack with a thud on his dorm room floor, hastily unzipping it and digging out his laptop. He was late—he’d left his thermos in his last classroom, and been halfway across campus before he realized and turned around to go get it. He blamed his sleep deprivation (a week in, and his body still hadn’t readjusted to the rhythm of morning classes).
Now, though, he could finally pull up Zoom. He plugged in his headphones as he waited for it to connect (stupid dorm wifi), and was rewarded with an ear-splitting squeal.
“Happy birthday, Dipper!”
He grinned at her beaming face. “Happy birthday, Mabel!”
“Did you get a birthday cupcake?” she demanded. “Or at least a birthday cookie?”
He grimaced. “I got ice cream at the cafeteria, but I had to eat it there,” he confessed. “Here, I’ve got...a birthday candy bar?”
“Hmph.” Mabel looked crestfallen, but plastered a smile on anyway. “It’ll have to do! We can sing Happy Birthday, anyway. One, two, thr—”
Before they could launch into an inevitably out-of-sync rendition of “Happy Birthday,” Dipper heard a loud knock. Judging by Mabel’s startled turn towards her door, she heard it too—
Wait, what?
The knocking repeated. On both their doors.
“..Huh,” Mabel said thoughtfully. With a wordless glance between them, they both unplugged their headphones and went to their respective doors.
“Happy birthday, slugger!” Stan said, grinning, the instant he saw Dipper. Over the internet, Ford’s voice was greeting Mabel at the same time.
Dipper’s jaw dropped.
“Ha!” Grunkle Stan shoved past him into the room. Waving to the camera, he added, “Happy birthday, sweetie!”
Ford peered past Mabel into the screen. “Happy birthday, Dipper, my boy!”
“But—what—”
“Grunkles!” Mabel cried. “...But wait, why not just video call us? Not that we’re not happy to see your wrinkly faces, but you came such a long way!”
“Yeah, exactly,” Dipper said, waving his arm in confusion. “You guys—you know we can’t really visit, right? Even with you with us? We don’t have time. I dont want you guys to waste a trip—”
“But we didn’t,” Ford said smugly. “We came to bring your birthday presents.”
With a flourish, Stan produced something and handed it to Dipper. It looked like...a piggy bank, but with a clock face set into the side?
Mabel gasped. “It’s so CUTE!”
“But what is it, Grunkle Ford?” Dipper asked.
“Simply put, my boy...it’s time.”
“It’s a Time-Savings Bank,” Stan said proudly. “Got our hands on these babies a few months ago, on a little side trip. See, when you’ve got some extra time—like, at night, or when you’re waiting for a pot to boil, or whatever—you can use these gizmos to store it up instead! Then when you need more time, you use the clock to take it back out. Whammo! You squeeze in a few extra hours between the normal ones.”
“Like Daylight Saving Time without the false advertising,” Ford added. “We know you two are short on time right now, but...if you’d like, there’s enough in here to give you and everyone currently at the Mystery Shack a good few hours of spare time. What do you say, kids? Still up for a party?”
“Are we!” Mabel crowed.
Dipper stared at this miraculous device. “But...that’s a lot of hours,” he said. “Where did you get the time?”
Stan barked out a laugh. “You kiddin’, Dipper? We figured from the start that at least one of you would burn out when you went back to school. We’ve been putting time aside in these things for months.”
“...Really?” Dipper said. Somehow, he found himself blinking rapidly, and swallowing down some obstruction in his throat.
Stan coughed uncomfortably, looking away. “I mean, it’s not like we gave you any time we had a use for. Just some odds and ends here and there...every day... Anyway! You kids wanna get this show on the road?”
“YES!” Mabel shouted.
Dipper beamed. “Definitely,” he said. “Absolutely.”
And a few minutes later, when they all found themselves in the Shack (courtesy of one of those “favors” Ford had mentioned yesterday), and Dipper had piled into the inevitable group hug with his twin and his grunkles—and with hours of birthday celebration in front of them all—he had to add, “Best present ever.”
117 notes · View notes
sunlightwoo · 3 years
Text
maybe in another life
Tumblr media
☀︎ pairing: soulmate!jeonghan x g.n reader x soulmate!wonwoo
☀︎ genre: soulmate au, best friends to lovers au, there is some hints of fluff, but there is like really heavy angst cause of warning major character death,,, but there is hints of a love triangle going on, and twinge of slow burn in terms of lovers to exes to also strangers to lovers
☀︎ wc: 7.1k
☀︎ plot: you think that it’s strange that your soulmate bond is based on the colors that you are able to see. the more that you’re with them, the more present the colors are said to be. however you notice that the color in your life drains more and more away your life and know that it only happens when someone is falling out of love with the other. could that be the reason why you stopped seeing color with him when you thought that you were soulmates? 
☀︎ a/n: hey guys!! i know i said that money talks was gonna be my last svt work but i decided to post this cause i was honestly interested in seeing what you guys would think in the seventeen version of this :) but the original version was posted on my birthday with my ults and you can read it right here if you want!!
[ gina is listening to : pinwheel by seventeen ]
Tumblr media
“He still hasn’t picked you up yet?” 
Your head whipped over to look at Jihoon, your coworker that was finishing up wiping down the last of the tables of the restaurant and you gave him a small smile as you shook your head in response. It had been over an hour since your shift had ended, and usually on days that you’ve had a long shift like today, your boyfriend Jeonghan would have picked up since the busses would not be running that late at night. 
“It’s Saturday, he’s probably running a little late at the dance studio today with practice and stuff.” You whisper softly and continue to glance outside the window to see that the rain didn’t want to stop at the fast race it was pouring at.
It wasn’t the first time that your soulmate had been running late from picking you up at work, but you couldn’t blame him. He had been practicing a new choreography that he had been creating with his friends these days and you knew that he was a perfectionist, one that was willing to practice until all of his limbs fell off to make sure that he had gotten all of the moves down in one go. 
That was how you met him in the first place, since a mutual friend of yours had introduced you both to one another. It didn’t take long for you both to realize that you were each other’s soulmates until you noticed that your soulmate mark was color, since your life had always been monochrome until you spent more and more time with him. He was the one person that had brought the vibrant colors into your life, and you knew that you were soulmates. 
Even though he had often been busy at the dance studio that he was often found at, he always made time for you to go on the little, but meaningful, dates that you always treasured. You remember falling in love with Jeonghan slowly, but surely, as he had been nothing but caring and acting as though you were close to one another long before you had realized that you were soulmates. 
And you loved him. 
The sound of a car going off brought you back to reality as you notice the car headlights shining past the window and you recognize it to be Jeonghan’s car. After bidding your goodbyes to Jihoon and grabbing your stuff, you tried to outrun the rain that poured as you had gotten inside the car to see Jeonghan holding a bouquet of flowers in front of himself towards where you were looking at him with a surprised and curious expression. 
“What’s the occasion, Yoon?” You teased as you took the bouquet into your own hands, raising your eyebrows at him while he was already giving you a playful look on his face. 
“I can’t spoil you once in a while?” He playfully retorts and you jokingly shake your head in response, just as he lets out a quiet laugh and held your hands into his before gently kissing your knuckles, “I just wanted to get them for you, because I know we haven’t been spending, much time together even if we are under the same roof.”
He wasn’t wrong; these last few weeks have been more off than you had felt it where it was days like today that made you think about how distant you were with Jeonghan, compared to when you first started dating. You remember the vibrant colors that flew in when you first met him, remembering that the colors of the sky when it rained were gloomy, but still more colorful than you had imagined with monochrome, and since then you remember all of your colors being more and more full of love and illuminance.
“I love you, Jeonghan.” You say with a small smile on your face, hand still in his as he started to drive once again while you were on your way back home and the three words that were reciprocated from his own lips made you feel full of love. 
“I love you, too.”
Or it should’ve, as you weren’t sure what to think of it as you drove home in comfortable silence with your hand being held in his on the gear shift and your other holding the bouquet of flowers. However, what you didn’t notice until that night was that the starry sky looked a little dimmer as you looked out the car window, the moonlight that you had grown loving for its brightness became more dull than what you remembered seeing at night.
Tumblr media
You were currently sitting on your couch with your phone in one of your hands, humming to yourself as the other was brushing through the soft locks of Jeonghan’s hair in your lap. The two of you had decided on a lazy day and were currently waiting for your takeout that you had earlier to arrive as today was one of the few weekends that both of your schedules had synched up for a date night at home, and you were excited for it. 
Despite the fact that you had thought about the idea of the color draining from the night weeks ago from the sky when you looked outside, all of the remaining colors of your life remained vibrant as you weren’t as worried as you thought it to be. You continue to go through your phone and hum when suddenly a giggle erupts from Jeonghan that you look at him confusedly for a moment, when his eyes locked onto yours in a split second as a small smile paints his face.
“Is there something on my face?” He muses and makes a weird expression that made him look too exaggerated to you as you playfully hit his chest in retaliation, shaking your head in response as you smiled back at him. 
But he had never giggled around you like that, not in a while and you were confused as to what might’ve initiated it now. 
“No, but I’m guessing one of your friends texted something funny to you that you giggled?” 
You watched as his face reddens for a moment at your words, and you were even more curious at what he might’ve been looking at on his phone that made you wonder what he might’ve been giggling about. However, it seems as though he might’ve caught onto your thoughts when he shakes his head in response and suddenly shows you a picture of who you recognized as some of his friends, Wonwoo and Mingyu from the stories that you’ve heard, messing around at the studio they danced at. 
“They’re just being dumb again,” He chuckles and sits up for a moment just as he mentions the both of their mere existences, “Reminds me, Wonwoo is actually coming over to give back the spare clothes that he borrowed the other day because he tore one of his other clothes the other day.”
For almost a split second you were nervous; you had never met any of Jeonghan’s friends except for Jihoon since you worked together, but in the three years that you had dated and been soulmates with him, you had never met all of his friends that he’s mentioned before. You were pretty sure that they knew of you, considering there were moments that he had come home playfully complaining about how they teased him about your existence, but you were also amused and confused at the very thought of never introducing you to his friends. 
Was he embarrassed of having you as his soulmate?
Just as you were about to speak up, the sound of the doorbell rings as you close your lips shut, watching Jeonghan leave from his spot on the couch to grab the front door as it leaves you with your thoughts once more. It drowned out the loud chatter that came from the duo that must’ve been at the door and the more that you had thought about him never introducing you to his friends, the more you wondered how much of your relationship was actually real considering the fact that these last few months, or almost an entire year, you had been having dates in your own home when you were able to have the time to.
“Prove it that your soulmate is real, Jeonghan.” You hear someone say at the door, and you could only assume that it must’ve been Wonwoo, when suddenly the view of the two entering your living room is present in your line of vision. 
You smile at the new individual that you had yet to introduce to and let out a small wave, when you notice how he had stood there with a nervous, but also an unknown expression on his face. On the other side of the spectrum stood Wonwoo with his mind suddenly in places that should not be in the areas that they were in. 
When he had first heard about his best friend having a soulmate of three years, he wasn’t sure if they were even real because even though they had been friends since high school, never had Wonwoo once seen a picture, or even met the said soulmate that Jeonghan speaks so highly of. However, now that he was standing in your living room seeing that you were real, he feels like he had been struck with cupid’s love arrow mixed in with all the possibilities of soulmates even existing. 
All because his mark of the red string was tied to your pinky finger, even though you were already someone else’s soulmate. 
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Wonwoo, I’ve heard a lot about you.” You softly say and he nods in response, just when he hands over the bag that was slung over his shoulder over to Jeonghan, before turning back towards where you both were standing.
“I’ve heard a lot about you too. Y/N, right?” He reiterates, making you nod in response and think about how you feel just a twinge of guilt from the fact that maybe you overthinking it all earlier and doubt Jeonghan shouldn’t have been there in the first place. 
“I shall take my leave, since I am assuming you guys are having a night to yourselves, but don’t let me stop you.” He chuckles awkwardly, turning to greet his friend goodbye and leaves out of your apartment before you could even let out a goodbye, however you thought that maybe you should get to know him more considering that both him and Jeonghan were well friends.
It was one of your goals that you plan on accomplishing and you could only hope that maybe you could understand why the color that was draining from your life was becoming more and more evident. 
Tumblr media
“Hey, where are you heading out to?”
The sound of Jeonghan’s voice ringing out from behind you makes you turn around from where you were standing at the front door and you noticed how the colors that were in your vision were duller as his neon pink hair that you knew he had recently dyed became more monochrome. You didn’t want to jump to any more conclusions since the last time that you did had ended up where you both didn’t talk for almost a week and it was because you were scared of what was yet to come. 
“I’m just going to grab some lunch with Wonwoo. I thought you had to help Hoshi with the choreography today?” You ask as there was a small hum that escaped his lips when he closed the water bottle in his hand with its cap and you wondered why the small glance that he was giving you sent chills down your spine. 
“I was going to get ready, but you’re going to hang out with Wonwoo again?” He replies to your question, and you nod in response just as you stood your ground from where you were still standing at the door. 
For the past several weeks, you had been hanging out with Wonwoo on the days that you knew Jeonghan would be busy on your free days as you wanted to be friends with him, given the fact that he was Jeonghan’s best friend. However, with the price of somehow spending time with Wonwoo apparently had the cost of the other being more distant, as you found him staying at the dance studio longer than he usually would stay, even if it was later into the night. 
Along with the distance that was created between you and Jeonghan, the colors that you once adored while being with him continuously became duller and you knew what it was. You could tell that something was wrong with your soulmate bond with him, and you didn’t want to make the same conclusions that you made the last fight you both had, but who were you to judge when all the color in your life was slowly draining out?
The sound of a car horn brings you out of your stare down with Jeonghan and you watch as he disappears back into the kitchen without another word, leaving a small pang in your heart that left you unsettled just as you decided to walk out the front door. You notice how Wonwoo was giving you a small smile by the time that you had reached his car and mumbles for you to seatbelt just as he starts up the car again. 
From Wonwoo’s end, he knows that you were soulmates since he could never ignore the red string that was connecting his pinky to yours. However, he also feels guilty knowing that you were oblivious to that information, along with the fact that you were also somebody else’s, his best friend’s. He doesn’t know when he would ever confess to you that you were soulmates, because he knows that you would probably pick Jeonghan anyways because of how long you’ve been together as a fated pair. 
He never would’ve wished it upon himself to be the person to break a soulmate bond, even if it was for his own selfish needs. 
Until then, the red string felt like a burning reminder that he almost could’ve had a happy ending, if he had met you sooner. The thoughts of him constantly practicing how to tell you that your soulmates haunted him, as he could never find the right words to say them, which was why his first resort was to ignore and push you out of his life, if you weren’t so insistent on wanting to be friends in the first place. 
That was something that he had regretfully, but also selfishly took upon himself. He didn’t want to get close to you because he’s scared of the heartache that comes with being rejected by a soulmate. He knows that those heartaches are known to be deadly to people that yearned for a soulmate, like him, and there were ways for him to get rid of his bond before it was too late, but he also knew that it was unfair to both you and him if he were to sever the red string, being warned that he would never have a soulmate again if he cuts it. 
Which was why he chose the selfish way out and continued to get closer to you just as friends, knowing that you were Jeonghan’s soulmate and not his as the two of you were currently grabbing some lunch at a nearby burger and boba joint. 
The two of you had planned to come here for days, since the minute that you both heard that it opened closeby to where you worked. Despite the fact that it was raining outside again, you still made sure that today was the day that you got lunch together, because it was the only other time that you knew that you were free before you were swamped with life responsibilities once more.
“The boba is really good here, I think I have a new favorite place now,” You smiled as the cold cup in your hand filled your taste buds with a delicious sweet flavor from the drink in your hands, “You didn’t have to pay for today though. I’ll have to owe you for next time.” 
Wonwoo shakes his head at your words with a smile on his face just as he puts down the burger that was in his hands, taking a moment to finish chewing before he could speak again. If anybody were to look at you both from the way that you were unknowingly looking at the other, they might assume that the two of you were on a date, and you couldn’t help but think about Jeonghan again as there was a flash of a frown that appears on your face until you remember that you weren’t out with him right now. 
“It’s fine, Y/N. You don’t have to pay me back, today’s my treat, remember?” 
You do remember, as the last time you guys talked about grabbing lunch was the day that you and Jeonghan fought as he walked out the front door to cool off. That night you had called Wonwoo to see if the latter had arrived at his best friend’s apartment, in which he did, making you relieved as he had asked you for your side of the story when Jeonghan had fallen asleep in his guest room. You had fallen asleep to reassuring words from him that the two of you would figure it out in the meantime, but you couldn’t help but wonder why Wonwoo’s words left a warmer feeling in your chest more than usual knowing he still has yet to meet his soulmate.
Was it normal?
“Wonwoo, what’s your soulmate bond, if you don’t mind me asking?” You say while crossing your arms on top of the table, curious as to what the latter’s bond was because he had never once mentioned it in your presence whenever you two had met. 
“It’s the red string.” He replies, suddenly growing nervous at how you were already asking about his bond, unsure of how he was going to go at it now that he was caught off guard at your sudden question about it. 
“By any chance, do you know where they might be?” You ask, now even more curious about the possibility of him finding his soulmate pretty soon if he was connected to his soulmate by a string that is known to appear if they’re closeby, however Wonwoo knows that he shouldn’t bluntly say it. 
“I do know where they are, but I found out too late, because they already found their soulmate that isn’t me.” He grimaces, noticing how the sudden curiosity that was in your eyes reduces to now an expression that left questions in both your minds as the two of you now sat in complete silence.
And maybe the both of you realized something that you shouldn’t have known, because the rain outside that was downpouring became louder than the ringing that was in your ears from your pounding. 
Maybe this was a mistake.
Tumblr media
You were now living in constant fear, but not for the reasons that you had thought it would be because of. It was another rainy day, but this time in mid-August as the colors of your life around you almost matched the grey and gloomy clouds that were storming above you. The sound of your heart constantly pounding in your chest was making you nervous every time that you woke up next to Jeonghan, unsure of whether or not the breaking point of your relationship will actually end. 
You couldn’t even remember when you had last exchanged I love yous.
Your stomach churns at the mere thought of an empty feeling that used to be so filled with love and care, but now all you could ever feel around Jeonghan was the constant worry of whether or not he still loved you. Did he even still love you, you think to yourself as the reasons why the colors draining from your vision erupted in your mind. 
They would only leave if one of you had lost the love for the other, but you didn’t want to think that Jeonghan didn’t love you anymore. You knew that he always loved everyone, platonically and romantically in your case, with his entire being to the point where he would always be willing to put their needs before his own. Could it be any different that he stopped loving you as the distance between you both grew deeper and farther?
The sound of the front door being opened and slammed shut makes you look away from where you were working on a new menu for the cafe, only to see an upset Jeonghan walk straight past you and into the kitchen as you were suddenly confused at the sudden act. 
“Is everything okay, Jeonghan?” You called out to him quietly and just as the words had left your lips, he reappeared from the kitchen with an exhausted look on his face before speaking up. 
“Can we seriously not do this tonight? I’m really not in the mood to argue or talk about it all.” He snaps and you felt taken aback from the sudden anger that was clearly evident in his words and at the tip of his tongue as you crossed your arms in front of him to stand your own ground.
“What’s your problem-”
“You, you’re my problem and I hate it.”
The three words that left his mouth leaves a heavy feeling into the atmosphere as the feeling of your heart grew heavier by the minute. There were definitely words that were waiting to be said as the two of you stared at the other, one with frustration in their eyes and tears filling the other. However, you weren’t sure what else to say, because you had never thought that you would suddenly hear him say that you were a problem to the burdens in his life. 
“What problem am I to you, then, if all I’ve been doing is try to save the dying relationship that we’ve been avoiding?” You press, already hearing the rising tone of your voice from the fact that you were growing hurt from what he was saying, unsure where all of his thoughts had come from but you were also almost sure of where it was going to go, and you wanted to wait for the right moment to ask him.
“Everyday when I wake up next to you, the colors from my life start to drain and I know that it’s the living guilt that I created for the both of us-”
“Then when did you stop loving me, Yoon Jeonghan?”
It’s silent again as his throat suddenly becomes dry at your question, his frustrated expression from earlier suddenly falling short as his eyes were now starting to avoid your pained ones. He knows he had started the fire this time around, not knowing how to deal with the almost monochrome vision that he had been experiencing the last few months, but he couldn’t let it go if he were to lie to you about when he had first stopped loving you, because that night was when he felt it that you also stopped loving him as well.
“The first downpour, when I gave you those flowers.”
Neither of you talked as you felt your heart pound even louder than it was earlier in your chest, but you weren’t even sure what else to say when you suddenly think of all of the fights that have piled up and climaxed to this exact point. The signs were all there, and you felt as though you were foolish enough to not realize that it wasn’t even healthy to stay knowing that there was something wrong in the first place when you first noticed the first wave of colors vanish. 
Rather than saying anything, you grabbed your phone from where it was sitting on the couch and put on your shoes before leaving past the front door with a slam behind you. Despite the fact that there was a heavy rain outside, you didn’t care as you felt like you were being suffocated if you were to stay in that room with him any longer, and you allowed for your legs to let you run to wherever they wanted you to take you to.
That place somehow ended up being Wonwoo’s apartment after running in the rain for almost half an hour. 
Your hand was raised to knock on the door, the thought of him possibly being busy past your mind as he opens the door with a confused look on his face, until he realizes that you were shivering drenched from head to toe. After dragging you inside, he takes it upon himself to grab some extra clothing and blankets so that you could dry off, but he was concerned at the way that you had stood in the middle of his living room with no words leaving your lips to explain why you had run in the pouring rain. 
“I think me and Jeonghan just broke our soulmate bond.”
With those words hanging in the atmosphere of Wonwoo’s living room, there was a broken sob that already slipped past your lips as your knees buckled from beneath you, making you kneel with your head low crying with your arms hugging yourself. You were definitely feeling the immense pain that came with the slight sever of your soulmate bond and you weren’t sure what was even worse, the fact that you might never have another soulmate again or the actual heartbreak itself.
“I-”
“Can I wash up in your bathroom, Wonwoo? I don’t want to get sick in your own home.” You mutter almost inaudibly, not wanting to talk about it with him when you notice how he nods just slightly, before handing you an extra towel and the spare clothes that he had earlier for you to wear.
By the time that you were alone in the bathroom with your thoughts in the shower, you could feel the tears from earlier still stream down your face, but there was nothing else except for a numbing pain that came with them as you washed up. You hated the feeling of the heartache that came along with the fact that the person you had thought was your soulmate wasn’t the person, and now you weren’t sure what else to do. 
It was when you finally dried yourself off and got dressed that the little bit of color that you once still had suddenly became monochrome and your heart sank into your stomach. A life that was once filled with color, that you were so used to in the past few years was now so easily gone as you were now greeted with the shades of blacks, whites and greys again, and you thought that maybe it was finally concluded that your relationship from fate was finished.
You walk out of the bathroom and head back to the living room to where you last saw Wonwoo, but it sounded as though he was in the middle of a call with someone, making you wonder who might’ve been calling since it was close to midnight. It wasn’t until you had gotten closer that he finished up the call and made eye contact with you, however there was a solemn look on his face that made you feel uneasy, since you had never once seen him in this scenario where he had looked like he was hit with bad news.
And it was.
“Hoshi called from the hospital,” He whispers quietly as you noticed that there were tears in his eyes this time around, his phone clutched tightly in his hand and you could feel a lump in your throat with newly fresh tears that were already threatening to leave your eyes once again. 
“Jeonghan passed away in a car accident.”
Tumblr media
A little over a week passes by. 
You were currently collecting your thoughts and leaving the funeral home where Jeonghan’s funeral was being held, heart feeling heavy as you were slowly walking back to your car in silence. There were many things that you wanted to say to his family, ones that made you want to apologize a million times for not being enough for him, but you also have heard his side of the story from Hoshi the night that it all happened, because he was on the phone with Jeonghan seconds before the accident. 
There was something that made you feel sick as you sat in the passenger seat of your car, waiting for Wonwoo as you noticed something out of the corner of your eye; a speck of color. You weren’t sure how it could’ve gotten there as you were pretty convinced that the universe wouldn’t be able to give you another soulmate so soon, and why would they when you had lost touch of all color as soon as Jeonghan passed?
The sound of a car closing beside you makes you turn to see Wonwoo, who had the keys in his hand, in which he was already looking back at you with a curious, but also concerned look.
“Are you okay?”
Those three words felt heavy like a lump in your throat as you wondered whether or not you should answer it with the utmost sarcasm that you can spare, or the truth. In the last week of mourning, Wonwoo had always been the one to check up on you despite the fact that he had also been mourning in his own time, the loss of his best friend feeling unbearable, but he didn’t want to go through the pain alone. 
It was cruel of the universe to take him away from you, Wonwoo thinks as he remembers holding onto your shaking figure the day that Hoshi had broken the news to him and his heart aches at the memory of you looking helpless. He hated how much you were in pain for the last few days, where it was hard for him to get you to eat meals and sleep during proper hours when you weren’t crying, but he knew that you also felt bad for having him around; yet somehow he didn’t mind it. 
“I can see a bit of color today,” You whisper quietly, turning away to look out the window of the car and it stops, just in time as there was a slight hue of red that you were able to see from the traffic light that makes you not want to meet his eyes. 
Wonwoo’s heart was now pounding in his chest and there was a feeling of dryness that was suddenly in his throat, words caught up in it as he wasn’t sure where he could even step in to tell you what he had been dying to tell you the last few months. The red string on his finger felt like it was tightening by every second that he was with you, but he wasn’t sure how you would feel about it, especially after the events of today. 
However, it was you who had started to connect the dots, seeing as though the more that you have been spending time with him, the more hues of warmer and eventually cooler colors start to show up again in your vision. The only thing was that you knew about the various types of bonds, where the same person would not get the same bonds twice for different people, making you question what the actual bond might be. 
“Wonwoo, I want you to tell me the truth… Are you also my soulmate?”
The light turns green and Wonwoo drives again, this time the tension that was between you both growing heavy as you were waiting for his response, when all he wanted was to buy some more time. He didn’t want to tell you the truth now, not like this as you were regaining color into your sight again, but it was almost like when you had asked him that question, his pinky had burned from the string that made him almost flinch at the pain it had inflicted onto him, which was why he had pulled over to the side of the road so that you can talk, without any other distractions towards any of you. 
“Are you able to see where my red string ends?” He whispers to you quietly, in which you shake your head in response, wishing that you could in order to ease your stumbling thoughts, but there was nothing as he takes a couple moments to collect his thoughts and takes a deep breath to himself.
“I’m sorry for not telling you the truth when we first talked about it, Y/N.”
There was a small smile on your face, one that was on your face that expressed both pain and almost relief that his soulmate was nearby and that you weren’t going to be soulmate-less. You remember the one day that you had lunch with him when he mentioned who his soulmate was, but you didn’t think that it would be you, making your stomach churn at how guilty you felt knowing that you actually had two soulmates that existed right in front of your eyes. 
“Wonwoo, you don’t have to be sorry, it’s not your fault that all of this happened. If it was meant to be, then I guess everything leading up to now was meant to happen…” You breathed out, feeling tears prick at the corners of your eyes when he suddenly reached over to hold your own hands into his, “But I’m going to need some time to just let this sink in. I want to be sure that it’s you, okay?” 
He nods in response, feeling almost as if a weight had lifted off of his shoulders and there was the urge that he was holding back to just hold you into his arms right then and there in his arms. Time, he thinks to himself as he knew that it was also a big block as to whether or not your possible relationship could continue to blossom into something more, which was why when he had started the car back up and started driving again, he can only think of the best thinking to make sure that you two could keep going with what you had, and to him it was to bring laughter and teases to make you at least feel better for the time being.  
“Wonwoo, what if we did this-“
“We say that we’re soulmates right now and kiss.” He teases, making you look at him with an amused look but shake your head in response with your hand still in his as you wonder where the sudden burst of energy had come from despite the moment that you had earlier.
“Wonwoo, no-“
“We officially become soulmates eventually,” He jokes and watches how there is a glint of sparkle in your eyes that he hadn’t noticed present before when he glances over to look at you, but he doesn’t push it as he decides to just keep your distance temporarily, “You’re not saying no, love, you have to say something.”
You thought about it for a moment, thinking that maybe playing the long game with him wouldn’t be too bad as you knew that maybe this was a sign that could test to see if he was actually your soulmate. Colors may be one thing, but would you also eventually see the red rope that he has been seeing the past few years of dealing with it?
“How about we play the long game?” You propose, looking at him with a small smile as he raises an eyebrow at your words of waiting a bit with him, “We see how the next year or so goes, and if more color appears on my end, then we’re soulmates. If not, then we can just overthrow the universe and see what happens then.”
“So it’s not a rejection then?” He whispers hopefully, suddenly feeling nervous at the fact that you weren’t opposed to the idea of him being your soulmate and feels his heart pound louder in his chest as he watches you nod in response.
“I think I knew back then that I was connected to you at some point, Wonwoo, with or without the red string visible to my eye.” 
There was a shaky breath that left your lips as you finally felt a sudden weight lifted off your chest, seeing as though you were somehow finding your own way to move on from Jeonghan’s passing. It wasn’t ideal, considering it was by testing the waters to see if Wonwoo was actually your soulmate, or if it wasn’t real since you weren’t even sure of what was happening in the moment, but you knew something was there. 
“Can I kiss you?” He asks almost teasingly, and there was a smile that coats your lips, one that you haven’t been able to express in the past few days but somehow with him it almost came naturally because of how calming his aura came to be around you. 
“Maybe during another downpour, we’ll see what happens.”
Tumblr media
“Hey Y/N, thanks for letting me head out early it means a lot.” 
You look up from where you were currently cleaning up behind the counter of the glass case that was once filled with delicious sweets, giving Jihoon a small smile in response as you waved him off. 
“It’s not a problem, Jihoon. Besides, you better not be nervous because anybody who says no to marrying you will regret it.” You teased, watching the male stand at the closest table to the counter of your co-owned cafe blush a bit at your words. 
“Yeah but… it’s raining hard out there tonight. Will you be able to get home dry?” He asks in which you nod in response, just as another individual has entered right on cue like it was meant to happen. 
“He’s here to take me home, just go propose to your soulmate already.” You grinned, watching as Jihoon gives you a soft smile and leaves before he can get caught in the rain tonight. 
With an amused look on the latter’s face, your eyes met with Wonwoo’s, who had been standing against the counter that you were currently cleaning. There was an umbrella in his hand, along with a familiar jacket that you must’ve forgotten to take with you, but he brought it anyway because he knew that you would’ve gotten cold from the rain. 
“You could’ve gotten sick, you know. That wouldn’t be good on any of us.” He teases and you give him a playful look, not wanting to be bothered with the jacket when in a split second, you felt his arms wrap around your waist swiftly, chin on your shoulder as he was swaying both of your bodies side to side. 
Two years have passed since you remember talking about the effects of a downpour with him, the sight of it making you feel various emotions as you stared at the red string tied at the end of your pinky of your left hand that was almost parallel to the ring on your ring finger on your right. After opening up your new co-owned cafe with Jihoon months after you and Wonwoo decided to play the long game, the rush of colors came along with that new success as you knew that it was for all the times that you have spent with him.
Every downpour and daylight that led to the very moment made you feel grateful that you made the decision to play the long game, because the promise ring that came with the downpour the night you both kissed felt like sparks. You probably would never forget how realizing that he was your soulmate felt, because it was the same electricity and love that overwhelmed you like you had when you first found out about Jeonghan. 
“Okay, let’s go home you big baby.” You giggled, shaking your head at his playful banter and took the jacket from his hands over your shoulders, before grabbing your keys to lock up the cafe for the night. 
The two walk into the city with peace on your mind, the gentle downpour highlighted perfectly the illuminated city buildings that were around you both as you walked to your shared home together, and you wouldn’t want to have it either way. Whether it was a day with rain or sunshine, you knew that it couldn’t be too bad as long as you had someone with you with their hand in yours.
“Do you think he’s watching us, from up there?” Wonwoo suddenly mumbles softly, your hand in his as the sound of the soft drops of the rain hitting your umbrella resonates from on top of you guys and you hummed in response, nodding as you smiled and kissed his hand gently. 
“I think he’d be happy that his best friend is the one to save me from being soulmate-less for the rest of my life, instead of someone that I could be with that might hurt me.” 
“I don’t think I could ever want to intentionally hurt you, Y/N, or in any other life. You know that, right?” He says, joking slightly to relieve the small tension that was starting to rise, but you knew it was both of your worries that were talking and you couldn’t blame him. 
The tomorrow is unpredictable and you weren’t sure what could happen to any of you by then. 
“I know Wonwoo, and I know that you love me, like I love you.” You reply and suddenly you are pulled into his arms, hands cupping your cheeks as he places a soft kiss on your lips as you kiss him back and smile against his own. 
There were small bursts of giggles that came from you at the flustered feeling of him spontaneously kissing you, but the shimmer in his eyes said otherwise as you knew that even though the entire universe was held in them, they were only meant for you to see. A galaxy that was meant to be lost in, but somehow you knew right where you were as you were both standing underneath a shared umbrella on a night of downpour, but this time it was flushed with colors and vibrant illuminations that made you feel ignited especially with him. 
“I love you too, Y/N.”
229 notes · View notes
Text
All fans are equal but some are more equal than others. NOT.
There’s been quite a few people in the fandom lately getting very stressed, feeling they’re obligated to constantly be on the defensive re: their fandom choices.
Apparently, whoever has a different opinion about a character or a ship must be said character’s/ship’s stan i.e. overzealous and/or obsessive, i.e. not an objective viewer. Even worse, they must be a dreadful person, who condones a number of moral offences that said character/ship perpetrated (or is thought to have perpetrated). Because, of course, the only acceptable reason for appreciating/enjoying a fictional character or dynamic is their morality. And, by that reasoning, fans who support the correct character/ship must be better fans and better people.
Nothing is more ridiculous than the notion of the objective fan. An “objective” fan is called a “viewer”. You and I, Riverdale friends, we are not just viewers. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have created blogs and dedicated hours of our lives to a fictional couple from an extremely mediocre show. We are still undoubtedly capable of critical thought and objective analysis but we are also aware of our own emotional investment in the show. (Or, at least, one hopes). As a fandom, we engage in activities that exist independently of the show. Fandom is a space of free expression. No one gets to play the higher moral card here. Needing to loudly tell everybody how wrong they are? That’s not the sign of an objective viewer. That’s the sign of a viewer who is also extremely invested, just for different reasons than I am.
Are we seriously holding the morality card over people’s heads for a show that used a poc woman’s pregnancy (Toni) as the means to retroactively establish trauma for a white male (Kevin), all the while touting it in every media possible as a woke response to the BLM movement?!
Are we seriously holding the canon card over people’s heads for a show that treats its 5th(!) season as a tabula rasa?! If the Lodges new backstory in 5x12 shows anything, it’s that s5 is not a time-jump. It’s a reboot.
There are so many people “enlightening” others on their inability to understand canon …
Seriously? That’s the hill you’re willing to die on? Canon Riverdale? You think that people don’t understand what they’re watching? That they’re interpreting canon incorrectly?
No, but seriously: canon for a TV show consists of what the characters say, what the characters do and how the actors portray them. Does this really apply to Riverdale?
Let’s take Donna for example.
Canon explicitly tells us Donna did what she did to avenge her grandmother. At the same time none of her canon actions were against the people who were actually responsible. So, riddle me this, fandom friends: why did Donna do what she did, as per canon?
Let’s try this another way:
Donna is a psycho bitch. Both in terms of Riverdale’s canon (the writers’ intention) and real-life criteria. To create a tag that reads “Bonna for ever uwu!” is deranged.
On the other hand, her character is (like a lot of Riverdale’s characters) an inconsistent caricature. Canon uses ridiculous dialogue and a lot of the Bonna scenes are cartoonishly enemies-to-lovers tropey. To create a tag that reads “Bonna for ever uwu!” is hilarious.
This doesn’t mean that Bonna is a canon couple. It does mean, however, that a Bonna crackship is based on Riverdale’s campy and over-the-top canonic writing.
A viewer who thinks Bonna is disgusting is not more “objective” or more “correct” or more “true to canon” than a viewer who thinks Bonna is funny. Nor are they a better person for it, and this cannot be stressed enough.
Similarly, who is canon Cheryl?
1. Cheryl is an absolute bitch: if a privileged student was calling an actual homeless boy a hobo in your real-life school, you would neither think her a queen nor use “hobo” affectionately in your tags, comments etc.
2. Cheryl is a deeply traumatized person: her father killed her brother, her mother killed half the town and forced her in conversion therapy, she attempted suicide and more.
(Note #1: this more does not mean more than the other Riverdale characters).
(Note #2: nor is it an excuse for her rudeness, affectionately called “mood for chaos” by the writers).
3. Cheryl is also a caricature of the archetypal mean girl who’s there for laughs and meta comments. She’s not to be taken seriously.
4. Cheryl is lgbtq+ representation …
5. … who canonically shits on other lgbtq+ characters.
6. Cheryl is one half of Choni, who are canonically presented as an uber couple.
7. Choni is also, as per canon, a couple with an acute power imbalance (cough!gaslighting!cough) that visually very clearly panders to the male gaze.
But most importantly:
8. Cheryl canonically is not the sum of her parts. The different facets of her character do not intermingle in any meaningful way.
Was Betty kissing Archie specifically a sore spot for Jughead?
Canonically no [2x14]. But, also, canonically yes [5x03, 5x10].
Are there seriously fans that are astonished that Betty is making some highly questionable choices while investigating?! Did they just discover Dark™Betty/Killer Genes Betty? That is canon Betty! Was it ok before because she was then smooching Jughead instead of giving him the cold shoulder? Honestly, the only newly outrageous part of s5Dark™Betty is the fact that she still believes in “killer genes” despite having spent 4 years at Yale …
As for liking/disliking Betty and morality …
Look, I’m going to be very honest: I am NOT particularly enjoying s5 Betty. And it’s not because of b*rchie.
S5 Betty has 99 problems but the sexcapades ain’t one.
For me, it’s the fact that she’s turned into s1 Alice 2.0. But surely that’s not news either? Ever since the first info about the time jump, everyone and their mother have been speculating about the teens becoming their parents …
Just because Jughead is better written (and written to be more likable), it doesn’t make him more worthy of redemption. Just because the writers are keeping Betty’s redemption “secret” (insert eye roll) for their big reveal in the season’s penultimate episode, it doesn’t mean she won’t have one.  
Simply put, the writers have made Jughead more likable. He’s still the underdog. He’s the only character in Riverdale actively trying to deal with his trauma, since the very first post-time jump episode (working at Pop’s explicitly to fend off the debt collectors). He has scenes with a new and extremely likable character (Tabitha). He has the only new plot line (the Mothman). Said plotline is narratively already tied to both his unknown past and the town’s destruction by Hiram. His behaviour is explicitly explained, even as his recent trauma remains unknown. He’s transparent.
In comparison, s5 Betty is traumatized but not the underdog. Her trauma (TBK killer) is both known to us and a repetition of previous storylines, which makes it narratively less exciting. She is completely disconnected from any other storylines. She comes out as being judgmental and self-interested: telling Tabitha Jughead’s not her business while previously accepting his help? Berating Polly for lying while not keeping in touch and lying about her own life (TBK)? Please note: I’m not saying there isn’t a reason behind her behaviour, just that it comes out in a negative way.
You don’t like Betty’s current behaviour? You don’t consider trauma a good enough excuse? Cool.
You feel sorry for what she’s going through? You consider trauma to be a valid explanation for her behaviour? Also cool.
Personally, I don’t give a flying fig, either for Betty’s trauma or Jughead’s. Because, even though Trauma™ is s5’s actual mystery plot, narratively speaking, trauma never affected the plot of the past 4 seasons, nor s5 trauma will affect future plots, once revealed. And you know what? That is also cool.
None of the above is better.
And just because I’m not enjoying Betty right now, it doesn’t mean that I don’t want her to overcome her current situation or that I won’t cheer for Bughead like a River Vixen on fizzle rocks, once they reunite.
This thing though, where people are made to feel as if they owed anyone in the fandom an explanation about why they like the things they like, because, somehow, their preferences are a reflection on their character or their cognitive abilities to read a TV show? This is a joke.
There is no “wrong” way to consume any show, let alone Riverdale, with its fractured format, its short-term memory and its see-sawing characters.
Look, everybody’s here for their own reasons. For most people this is a place of escape. No one’s escaping better than the other, because of how they enjoy their teen TV show ... 
56 notes · View notes
teebeornotteebe · 3 years
Text
Notes on a Season - Devi, Paxton and everything in between
1. Can I just say, it is so freaking good to see POC teenagers being hot and sweet and swoon-worthy. Like, I feel like we're oddly almost taking this for granted but it is amazing to see POCs (and Asians in particular!) being shown as desirable not only to each other but to other people as well and it is NORMALIZED. Gosh, I love this show.
2. I've seen this mentioned on other pages as well but I have to chime in, the music is sooo good! And extra thumbs up to whoever is selecting the music for Daxton in particular, they are absolutely killing it with the iconic soundtrack to this blossoming relationship!
3. I don't know what it is about this season but Nalini's grief was so poignant to me, even more so than last season. She's really become my second favorite character on the show (behind Pax-Man), Poorna portrays her so wonderfully nuanced, dignified and funny!
4. The Grandparents! Oh my were Devi's grandma and Paxton's grandpa the bestest or what? Adorable, quirky personalities that really brought depth to the family dynamics on the show this season. Loved them and more please!
5. Erica and Trent! Just kidding Eleanor and Trent. This was an unexpected but super cute development, I can so see this! I'm hoping S3 will be more of these two and less of the triangle of absurdity, it about time Trent got some love and I'd much rather see this than another season of Devi (unnecessarily) waffling between two boys again.
6. I'm glad we got to see swimming taken away from Paxton. It wasn't necessarily the fleshing out I wanted it to be but it was something. I've always known there are many layers to him, still waters run deep, but it was good for the show to actually SHOW us this. I wasn't wild about Gigi being the narrator but what can you do? At least we got a Paxton-centric episode. I liked seeing him work at being better at school and being so SATISFIED when he accomplished that. That's a really beautiful part of his relationship with Devi, this is his Achilles heel and she was the perfect support and foil for him where he needed it the most. I love that he recognized that and appreciated her for it too. Devi isn't often vocally appreciated by people. I love that Paxton doesn't hesitate to thank her, it must have felt so good for Devi to hear that.
7. The disbelief in Ben's voice when he sees Paxton and Devi together at the prom... that said so much to me. Ben isn't jealous about Paxton/Devi you guys, he's just jealous of PAXTON. His uber competitiveness strikes again. It's actually already present in flashes throughout Season 1 and I didn't pay much attention before. But yeah, Ben's problem is Paxton and how. At this point it's not about Devi as much as it is, just about winning her back *from* Paxton. I bet my future mortgage that's what's going to play out next season. Ugh.
8. So um... that look down that Paxton does just before he kisses Devi outside the prom? SWOOOOON! It's not the first time he does it (he does it slightly too during THE rain scene) but it's really pronounced here and I love it! I wonder if it's just instinctive or if Darren deliberately inserts this into Paxton and if it's the latter I'm dying to know why. It just really works people. Hehehe.
9. I find it significant that we get to *see * Devi first laying her eyes on Paxton. It could've been a throw away line that states the fact but we got visuals! From the get go, she was a goner. And it wasn't even really about LOOKS at that age! Something about him instantly drew her, fascinated her, compelled her. The Paxton thing is deep with Devi. Her running after him and not Ben after her double dipping comes to light makes all the sense in the world within this context. Paxton's the one that's in her dna almost.
10. Okay so I'm biased and I'm a Daxton stan come rain and shine but I really do think they get the most thought through love scenes, not just the music which is WONDERFUL, but also the way the scenes are shot, the cinematography, the lighting, the *time* that's spent on them, it tells me something. I've seen enough tv to know that this type of treatment for a couple isn't random nor is it wasted. Which brings me to, finally...
11. I've seen many a post here on Tumblr talking about a Benvi "endgame". Errr, no. Firstly because while there's no doubt we are going to have any go-around the triangle of absurdity, I see NOTHING that suggests Ben and Devi are going to be the couple that the series closes out with. Nah. There's been far too much time and DETAIL spent on building Paxton and Devi up. There will be detours and roadblocks, Devi and Paxton aren't smooth sailing by any means but endgame isn't in Ben and Devi's future, I'm almost certain of it.
70 notes · View notes
Text
Boundary (Ethan x MC x Tobias?)
Tumblr media
Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x MC (Elle Valentine) x (hints of) Tobias Carrick
Description: Tobias and Elle get to know each other while working on a case. Tobias pushes some boundaries.
Warnings: A few curse words, underlying health problems. Most characters belong to Pixelberry.
Word Count: 5.9k
Notes: Something a bit different, but I very much enjoyed writing this. There’s no overt Tobias x MC, so this is hopefully something Ethan stans can enjoy reading too. If PB won’t give me what I want, I guess write it myself lol 
*********
It’s early Fall, yet despite this fact and the hospital’s ‘Bloom-and-improved’ ventilation systems, the diagnostics office feels uncomfortably hot. Elle feels a prickling heat across her back, one that she has become accustomed to of late. The façade she’s wearing is beginning to feel like an actual mask, all clinical-scented and restrictive and artificial.
And yet, this is not a mask she’s wearing on a crowded, sweltering T carriage. Her discomfort is unwarranted; there are, after all, only three of them in the room.
Oblivious, Ethan and Harper continue their conversation. She’s tuned out long ago, but she catches the premise- something that Dr Yannick once said at a conference in New York several years ago.
If she really tried, Elle knows she could search for a moment to join in the discussion. But if she’s being honest with herself, she’s tired of searching for sidegates to enter their house of conversation, instead of ever being invited through the front door.
She tries her hardest to appear relaxed, unbothered, indifferent. But her uneasiness spills into her mannerisms, like water through a cracked pot. Manicured nails drum erratically on the top of her thigh. Her top teeth tug, over and over again, at her lips. The apex of her stiletto heel taps the diagnostic office floor like a furious knife.
She likes and respects Harper very much, and her feelings for Ethan, both as a diagnostician and as her romantic partner are unfathomable. But as juvenile as it sounds, she’s so tired of being shut out.
A whooshing of the sliding doors breaks her out of her reverie, and she and the two other occupants of the room look up. Tobias Carrick strides in, all beams and bravado.
Her own notion takes her by surprise, but somehow, she thinks, his arrival is the breath of fresh air she so desperately needs.
“Goooood morning team!” he chimes brightly. Once again, his arms are laden with a trayful of drinks.
“Morning,” Elle offers him a warm smile, Harper echoing her words.
Ethan nods towards the drinks.
“Another round on you?”
“Sure is, but this isn’t just any old round, Ethan,” Tobias replies. “Now I’ve spent a week on the team, I take great pride in this being the first drinks order that’s just right, for all of you.”
Ethan quirks an eyebrow.
“Oh?”
Tobias grins, and plucks the first drink off the tray.
“Harper,” he presents her with an extravagant looking drink. “Chocolate frappucino. Double the sugar, double the caffeine. The Friday OR schedule is always jam packed, so I reckon you’ll need it.”
“You got that right, I’ve got two laminectomies today,” she sighs, although the passion for her job shines through her eyes. She takes a sip from her drink. “No complaints from me!”
“Excellent,” Tobias grins. “Ethan- a Vienna for you. Classic, refined, and,” he winks, “only a little pretentious.”
Ethan accepts the drink with a roll of his eyes, as Tobias moves around the desk to Elle.
“And now, for you Elle,” he hands her the third cup. “I must admit, for you I went out on a whim. I just hope my guess is a lucky one.”
Curiosity piqued, Elle presses the rim to her lips. She is aware of the eyes of both Tobias and Ethan following her action with interest. Mild, pleasant citrus swims onto her palate.
“Lemon balm?” she asks Tobias. He nods. “You going to elaborate?”
He shrugs.
“Well, I’ve noticed that I’ve never seen you with a coffee before 4pm, so I figured you like to limit caffeine earlier in the day. And I’ve seen you make up a couple of herbal teas before. I took a gamble and figured you’d like this one.”
“Impressive guess, Carrick,” Elle nods, amused. She takes a sip. “It’s good, thank you.”
“Those are some very…astute observations” says Ethan stiffly, as Tobias takes a seat beside Elle. “Maybe you can put your perceptiveness to better use for our next case.”
He slides three manila envelopes across the table, and the team begin to peruse.
“Jake Adams. 17-year-old male admitted last night, with multiple cardiac arrests,” Ethan begins. “He collapsed at school, was unresponsive, no signs of life, but luckily a fellow student was able to perform high-quality CPR until the paramedics arrived. Heart rhythm on their defibrillator was ventricular fibrillation, he was shocked, back to normal sinus rhythm. Between the scene, being loaded onto the stretcher, in the ambulance and arriving here, he arrested and was shocked again 5 more times.”
“Jesus, poor boy,” murmurs Elle, a crease forming between her brows.
“Cardiology have asked us if we can determine the cause of the arrest, which will of course determine the treatment,” Ethan explains.
“This case only came in last night and since he’s now on life support, we’re able to bypass Bloom’s absurd judicial performance and get straight into it,” Harper adds. “Actually, Ethan and I discussed it at length before you both arrived, and we have some solid ideas.”
Elle looks up from the file, quirking an eyebrow.
“Oh?”
“So I’m thinking Long QT syndrome, or maybe Brugada,” says Harper.
“They would definitely explain the spontaneous cardiac arrest,” Ethan adds, “Harper and I have ordered genetic testing for both on immediate family members already.”
“Any family history of sudden cardiac death?” Tobias asks.
“Not that we know of,” says Ethan. “But that wouldn’t rule it out.”
Elle frowns slightly as she browses the file. The tests ordered so far are scant, and in her mind, there are several pieces of the diagnostic puzzle missing. But this didn’t seem to stop Harper and Ethan steamrollering ahead, and seemingly settling on a diagnosis before the case had even been presented.
“Does Jake have a-”
“Do you remember that patient with Brugada syndrome who came in for a study a few years ago, Ethan?” Harper turns to Ethan suddenly.
“Ah yes, Paul?” Ethan chuckles, “he was quite a character.”
As Harper and Ethan drift off once again, Elle glances up to see Tobias looking at her quizzically. She lets out a heavy sigh.
Tobias clears his throat.
“Hate to interrupt your…uh…stroll down memory lane,” he begins. “But Elle was about to ask a question about the case, and you both spoke over her.”
The three other diagnosticians turn to Tobias, and a tense silence hangs in the air. After a beat, Harper speaks up.
“I’m sorry Elle,” she says, sincerely. “That was out of line, please continue.”
Tobias turns to Ethan expectantly, who meets Elle’s eye.
Something flickers across his face for a moment, a mixture of shame, guilt, embarrassment, perhaps? It’s a look that Elle can’t quite place. Then, his eyes skim to Tobias and he coughs awkwardly.
“Yes…thank you Tobias. We did speak over you, Elle, I apologise. What were you saying?”
“I was asking if he had a 15-Lead ECG.”
“Not yet,” Harper replies.
“Then until he has one, I don’t think you can consider Brugada syndrome,” says Elle. “We’d need to do an ajmaline challenge too. I can see from the echocardiogram reports in here that he has a structurally normal heart, so we can definitely exclude congenital heart disease as the cause. But for me personally,” she gestures to the file, “there’s a lot missing in here. About what actually happened.”
“How do you mean?” Ethan asks.
“About the context of the cardiac arrest. All we know is that he was at school, but what was he doing? Was he doing anything strenuous, did it happen at rest? There’s a lot more I’d like to know.”
The rest of the team nod thoughtfully.
“I agree…if it happened during exertion, there’s a few other things we could rule out,” says Tobias.
“Exactly,” says Elle. “I think we should consider catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia.”
“You’re thinking CPVT?” asks Ethan, interested. “It’s a possibility.”
“Yes, and it’s one I’d like to investigate more by visiting the school, and finding out more about what happened” says Elle.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Harper responds, twirling her fountain pen between her fingers. “But unfortunately, I won’t be able to join you on your expedition. Like Tobias said, I’ve got a full day in the OR.”
The rest of the team turn to Ethan, who hesitates.
“I…have a meeting with Naveen and the board until lunch,” he says. “Which-”
“-means it’s just you and me, Valentine!” exclaims Tobias, clapping his hands together. “Oh boy, I’ve been looking forward to my first house call with the diagnostics team. We’re going to be on some scooby doo shit, Elle!”
“I beg your pardon?” says Ethan, scowling. Elle can’t help but burst out laughing.
“That settles it then, me and Elle will go to the school,” says Tobias, standing up from his chair. At the same time, Harper gets a page that her surgery is starting and bids them a hurried farewell.
“I was going to say, which means the three of us can go this afternoon once I’m finished,” Ethan says stiffly, as Harper heads out. Tobias shoots him a bemused look.
“I’d rather not wait,” says Elle flatly.
Ethan has wasted enough time in their meetings by bringing up pointless anecdotes with Harper, and she’s very keen to revert her focus to the patients, to diagnostics- the things she loves.
“Me and Valentine will be just fine, E. After all, I’m sure what happened with Jake is still pretty raw to the kids and staff, we’ll need to handle it delicately. Two’s company, three’s a crowd, right?” Tobias flashes Elle a smile.
The same look as before flashes across Ethan’s face, although this time, Elle thinks, it has less of the awkwardness and embarrassment and more of the…something else. His bright blue eyes seem to narrow a fraction, as he looks between Tobias and the woman of his affections.
“Alright,” he sighs finally. “We’ll reconvene when you’re back.”
“Let’s get this show on the road!” says Tobias happily. “To the mystery machine!”
He crosses the room to retrieve his car keys from his bag, while Ethan turns to Elle, and this time, the look of concern is undeniable.
“If you need anything,” he closes some of the distance between them and lowers his voice just a little, “just call me.”
“I think we can handle it,” says Elle, not unkindly. “Enjoy your meeting. And tell Naveen I said hello.”
And with that, she and Tobias leave the office.
********
A short while later, Elle and Tobias are riding in his blue Mercedes S-Class on the way to Jake’s school, a short drive away in South Quincy.
“Not exactly the mystery machine, huh?” says Elle, glancing around at the plush interior.
Tobias shrugs.
“The same colour, at least.”
Boston blurs by as Tobias pulls into a main road, and Elle turns to look at him. His side profile is unmistakably handsome. He drives one handed, the other resting on his thigh.
“So, how’s June?”
He gives a wry half smile, and glances at her.
“Is that your way of asking if we’re still sleeping together?”
“No!” says Elle, honestly. “I’m just wondering how she’s fitting in at Mass Ken. I mean, she left Edenbrook when she thought the ship was going to sink. I got the impression she was pretty keen to be working on your team, now I can’t help but think now you’ve come here, Aurora too…don’t you think she’s been left kinda high and dry?”
“In all honesty, I haven’t seen her for a while, and don’t expect to again anytime soon,” Tobias admits. “But trust me, Hirata will be just fine. She’s head of the team there now.”
Elle raises her eyebrows, impressed.
“I’d say she moves fast, but actually, that doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.”
“She was pissed as hell when I said I was leaving, don’t get me wrong,” says Tobias. “But she’s the strongest diagnostician on that team, and the strongest player too.”
“Player?”
“She knows how to play the game. She’ll have no trouble asserting herself as the new leader, running the show the way she wants to.”
Elle thinks back to her time working with June. The way she changed her personality to gain patients’ trust…and Elle’s. Distant anger simmers at the back of her mind, as she remembers how June stole her employee file.
“I agree…office politics was always child’s play for June.”
“Speaking of,” says Tobias as they stop at a red light. He turns to look at her. “The meeting this morning seemed very…uh…political.”
Elle pauses as feels the uncomfortable tingling rise in her chest. She could ask “what are you talking about?”, but she knows exactly what he’s talking about. And there’s something about Carrick that makes her want to cut the crap, to be upfront. So she is.
“You mean Harper and Ethan…”
“Yeah, that. Whatever the hell that was.”
Elle is silent.
“Does that…happen a lot?”
“More often than I’d like.”
“Well, good job I’m here then,” he grins.
Elle’s head whips around.
“Excuse me?”
“C’mon, you can’t tell me you didn’t appreciate the out.”
She rounds on him.
“Ok, let’s make one thing clear, I don’t need you to fight my battles” says Elle angrily. “Since Harper joined, every time the two of them have gone off track, I’ve steered them back on. I’m here for the patient, to solve the case, and nothing is going to detract my focus from that. That’s the way it’s going to stay, with or without your “outs”, Tobias.”
Tobias chuckles.
“You’re feisty Elle, I like it.” His eyes sweep over her from head to toe, which makes Elle feel more angry, but also, inexplicably, makes her stomach flutter a little.
“What I mean is,” Tobias speaks more seriously; sensing her anger, but mercifully oblivious to the other sensation, “I hope you know you’ve got someone else in your corner Elle. I know how much you care about your patients, and I know Bloom’s going to make life for the team difficult, and try and undermine our every move. That’s not helped when it feels like you’re not listened to by the actual people in it. You’re an excellent doctor Elle, and I value your input. The others should too.”
Elle is dumbstruck. She still doesn’t know what to make of Tobias Carrick; she had picked up pieces and hints from the scattered stories she’d heard from Ethan, most recently in their walk through the rose garden. But while considering the perspective and feelings of the man she so deeply cares for, she acknowledges it is biased. Elle knows that she has good reason to be wary of Tobias; it was not just Ethan he had toyed with, after all- Aurora had been burned by him too.
But, Tobias had helped to save her life. And the genuine smile that he gave her through the contamination screens of that cursed room, on the worst day of her life, had always stayed with her.
So, with a pinch of salt ready between her fingers, Elle decided from the moment he joined the team, that she would form her own opinion of him.
It occurs to her then, just how much Ethan sees the world in black and white. But Tobias Carrick is very much a shade of grey.
Before she can respond to him, the GPS on Tobias’ dash declares that they are arriving at their destination, and sure enough, Elle sees the school up ahead on the right.
“Here we are,” murmurs Tobias as he pulls in through the school gates. “Looks like we’re expected.”
They park up and head over to the school steps, surrounded by blossom trees, where a middle aged woman offers them a watery smile and extends a hand.
“Ah, hello…the doctors from Edenbrook, I presume?” she asks. “I’m Helena Brady, the principal of Greenview High.”
“Yes, we spoke earlier on the phone,” says Elle. “I’m Dr Eleanor Valentine, and this is Dr Tobias Carrick. We’re here to speak to the people that were with Jake when he collapsed?”
“I’m afraid it’s just the one person,” says Helena gravely, leading them through the school. “His friend Charlie was the only one who saw it, and then ran for help. How is Jake doing?”
“He’s still in a coma, but stable,” says Tobias. “The most important thing for us to help him, is find out from Charlie some more about the collapse, and go from there.”
Helena nods, as they come to a stop outside a small office.
“We’ve all been praying for him, it’s so tragically sad…nothing like this has ever happened to a student before,” she sniffs stoically. “Thank you for your work doctors, but please, be gentle with the boy. He’s still very shaken.”
Elle smiles at her reassuringly.
“We will be, don’t worry.”
As Tobias and Elle knock and enter the room, the boy springs to his feet, eyes wild.
“You’re the doctors…how’s Jake, is he-oh god is he-is he dead?” he cries.
“No, Jake is ok. He’s been through a lot, but he’s recovering,” says Elle gently. Charlie sinks back into his chair, though his knees are still quaking.
“It’s Charlie right?” Tobias asks, pulling up a chair. “I’m Tobias and this is Elle. We’re Jake’s doctors. Do you know why we’re here today?”
“Y-yes, that’s me,” Charlie sniffs. “Principal Brady said you were here to talk to me about Jake…I was so scared, I thought, I thought that meant he had died.”
Elle kneels in front of him, laying a gentle hand on his knee.
“I’m really sorry that us coming made you think that, Charlie,” she says. “It must have been really tough watching Jake collapse like that, I’m not surprised you’re thinking the worst. But we think we can help Jake get better, we just need your help.”
Some of the tension seems to leave Charlie’s body upon hearing this; his shudders subside. He pulls anxiously at the strings of his hoodie, unruly teenage bangs falling over his forehead.
“So, Charlie,” Tobias asks as Elle pulls up a chair beside him, “do you think you could tell us a bit more about what Jake was doing when you saw him collapse? Had he been running, exercising, working out?”
“No,” Charlie says quietly. “He wasn’t doing anything like that.”
“That’s really helpful Charlie, thank you,” says Elle. “Can you tell us if he standing up or sitting down? Did he lose his balance or seem dizzy? Did he complain of feeling ill, or funny in any sort of way before it happened?”
Charlie stiffens.
“No. He was-we were-we were arguing.”
Tobias and Elle exchange a quick look.
“Is Jake your friend, Charlie?” Tobias asks.
“No! No he’s not, and I’m so sick of pretending he is!” Charlie shouts. “Jake’s my boyfriend!” Tears begin to roll down his cheeks.
“Oh Charlie, I’m so sorry,” says Elle. “You said you were pretending…does anyone else know that?”
Charlie shakes his head.
“No. That’s what we were arguing about,” he accepts a tissue that Elle offers, blowing his nose.
“Take your time, Charlie,” says Tobias, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. “It’s ok.”
After a few deep breaths, Charlie steels himself.
“We’ve been dating for three years, kind of in secret, kind of not,” he explains. “My parents know I’m gay, and they’re fine with it. They’ve met Jake before and they love him, they know we’re together. But he’s not even out to his parents, they just think we’re friends.”
He sniffs.
“Now we’re in senior year, we’re both looking at colleges, and we want to go to different ones. We’d be living five hours apart. I don’t know if we can make the long-distance work, especially if his parents don’t know about us. In the times we’d both be back home, they wouldn’t understand why he’d want to spend a lot of that time with me. But the one thing I just really, really wanted, was for us to go to senior prom together. As a couple, you know? To just dress up together, get photos together, dance together, one last time before we leave.”
“And Jake…wasn’t on board with that?” asks Elle.
“He was,” says Charlie. “He said he really wanted to. He just…wasn’t on board with the part of that which meant he’d have to come out to his parents.”
“I see,” says Tobias.
Charlie’s eyes begin to fill with tears again.
“I was saying, before he collapsed, that he didn’t love me,” he cries. “That he must not love me if he’s not prepared to come out. He was getting so upset, begging me, telling me of course he loved me, he was just scared, and then-” he sobs. “Then he was on the floor.”
Elle kneels beside him again, taking both his hands in her own.
“I’ve been googling stuff that could have caused it,” Charlie sniffles. “I saw there’s this condition, some long one beginning with, a C, I think, that means people’s hearts can give out when they’re stressed.”
Tobias raises an eyebrow, somewhat impressed at the boy’s diagnostic skills.
“What if-what if I could’ve killed him, because of the argument? And I told him he must not love me, I didn’t even mean it, I know how hard it is to come out, I didn’t mean to-” he buries his head in his hands.
“Charlie- Charlie listen to me,” says Elle. “It’s true, that we think Jake might have a condition called CPVT. It means that certain situations, like exercise, or stress, can cause the heart to go into an abnormal rhythm. But that does not mean, whatsoever, that any of this is your fault. We all say things we don’t mean in the heat of the moment, when we’re angry. If Jake does have this condition, and we’ll have to run a couple more tests to know that for sure, then it means that we can treat it, and stop it from happening again. It could have happened to him at anytime, anywhere, but he was lucky enough to be with you. You’ve helped him have a lucky escape.”
“R-really?” asks Charlie.
“Really,” says Tobias, who is on his feet. He lays a hand on Charlie’s shoulder.  “Your principal was telling us earlier that you did CPR on Jake while you got others to run for help?”
“Yes,” Charlie mutters, looking up at Tobias.
“Well Charlie, I think you saved his life.”
Charlie’s eyes gleam with hope.
“What are you applying for at college?” Tobias asks.
“Um..cardiac nursing,” he says.
“Very fitting. You’ll always be welcome at Edenbrook for some work experience.” Tobias smiles, genuinely. It’s the same smile Elle remembers from after the attack.
“Do you think, then, that he’ll be ok?” Charlie asks tentatively.
“Yes, I do,” smiles Elle. “And I think that you and Jake will be ok too.”
****************
Some time later, Elle steps out of the school. After speaking at length with the school counsellor, she had made sure that Charlie had some extensive therapy sessions in place. Tobias is waiting for her at the foot of the steps, beneath the blossom trees, and she is surprised to see he has a cigarette in hand.
“You smoke?” she raises an eyebrow at him as she approaches. “I thought you’d know better, Tobias.”
He takes a drag.
“Vices, Valentine,” he quips. “We all have them.”
Elle vaguely remembers Ethan had once said the same thing about butter.
“Carcinogens, though. Really?”
Tobias chuckles.
“I’m dirty, what can I say?”
He dutifully puts out the cigarette, as Elle gives him a reproachful look, and turns to her.
“You were good in there, with him,” says Tobias.
“Thanks…so were you.”
“We make a good team,” he smiles, and his expression softens a little. “That was kinda heavy though. You bearing up ok?” he asks.
Elle nods.
“I’m fine. I just hope Charlie will be ok, I really want to make sure he starts therapy as soon as possible.  I know how much of a difference it made for me, after the attack.”
She trails off, and Tobias seems to sense the darkness clouding over her eyes. The mild September breeze sifts through the blossom trees above them with a gentle sigh.
“I don’t think I ever actually said this to you,” says Elle quietly, “but thank you. For helping to save me and Raf, that day.”
“No thanks needed,” he responds. “I wanted to do everything I could to help.”
He pauses only briefly before continuing.
“You know, out of everything that happened that day, all the work we did in the lab trying to find an antidote…the one thing I remember most is how Ethan was in that room. In all the years I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him like that before. About anyone, or anything.”
A sudden chill trickles down her neck, goosebumps erupt on her forearms; a million tiny foothills.
Since their conversation in the car after Danny and Bobby’s funeral, Ethan had never really spoken in depth about his own feelings during the attack. Sometimes, in early hours when they laid in bed together, with the rain hammering against his window, she would mention it.
And every time, she would see his eyes darken with so many unsaid words. He would fix his gaze desperately on her like she was evaporating steam, set to vanish from existence in a matter of moments. His hold on her waist would tighten, fingertips tracing her soft skin as if to remind himself she wasn’t a ghost.
There had been whispers in his bed in the stillness of the night, when they were both half asleep. He had uttered sleepy confessions and declarations to her; some so heartfelt and moving, she still questioned whether they were real or if she had dreamt them.
More often straight after the attack, but still now sometimes, she would wake in his arms to find him already looking at her, his eyes filled with wonder, pain, and something else that she was starting to place.
‘Why are you awake?’ she would gently murmur.
‘I couldn’t sleep. I-had a nightmare.’
She would press herself closer to his chest, feel his strong arms encircling her as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
‘I’m here, Ethan.’
‘I know. I’m…so glad you are.’
She is jolted to the present with Tobias’ voice.
“Even if he didn’t show it this morning…Ethan’s got it bad for you, you know.”
Elle cranes her neck to look up at him- at the man who shares so much history with Ethan. He’s almost as tall as her lover, but slightly less built, shoulders not quite as broad. Alike in many ways, but different in so many others.
“Why are you here, Tobias?” she asks, without breaking eye contact. “You had it all at Mass Kenmore. You’re an excellent diagnostician, you could have gone anywhere. Why, of all people, would you want to come and work for Ethan, someone you have such a complicated past with?”
Tobias’ hazel eyes, a contrast to Ethan’s azure blue’s, look into hers deeply. She knows that there’s something hiding beneath their golden depths; either earnestness, an ulterior motive, or perhaps something more complicated- a mixture of both.
He takes a step towards her, raising his hand towards her face. Her breath hitches, then climaxes in a soft exhale, when he simply removes a lone blossom petal that has settled on the lapel of her white coat. She wonders what exactly she had been expecting him to do.
Tobias twists his tongue between his teeth, a half-smile playing on his lips. Once again, his eyes roam over her from head to toe. This close, Elle can smell his cologne. It’s good; notes of leather and pine and exotism drift to her olfactory nerve. It’s a contrast to her favourite aftershave of Ethan’s, which smelled like bergamot, cedar, and home.
Tobias drops the petal to the floor, his eyes never leaving hers.
“I’m here Elle,” he murmurs, “because I want to push boundaries.”
********************
Ethan leans against his desk, fingertips drumming impatiently. His meeting had been finished for a while now, but he was still waiting for Elle and Tobias to return.
His old rival’s keenness to go on an outreach call with Elle had stirred something within him. Something in his head had switched on. A distant alarm bell that had been silent for some time, had started to ring.
Lost in thought, he mulls over the events of the morning.
He’d done it again.
He, and Harper, had spoken over Elle when she was trying to talk about the patient. Not only that, he recognises now, but before Tobias had entered the room, the two of them had been reminiscing about something that didn’t involve Elle in the slightest.
He doesn’t know why he keeps slipping up. He harbours no romantic feelings for Harper whatsoever, but he’s been enjoying the chance to work more closely with her, the friendly conversations, to share stories and experiences.
But they haven’t just been work related, he thinks. Did I really need to bring up the flamenco lessons? Or Gaston’s? He recalls the look on her face when he’d told Elle he planned to take her there because of its intimacy, immediately after discussing it with Harper. Before Elle’s forced smile and her gracious reply of “I’d like that,” he’d always thought he had caught a flicker of dismay, of hurt, on her features.
Now he’s certain it was more than a flicker.
I don’t deserve her, he thought.
With a swoosh, the doors of the diagnostics office open. He sees the familiar head of immaculately coiffed blonde locks, and as his eyes travel down to Elle’s beautiful face, his heart soars, and he can’t help but break into a wide smile.
“Elle!” he says happily, pushing himself up of the desk.
I missed you, he foolishly finds himself wanting to say, despite the fact that like most days at work, it’s only been a few hours since he’s seen her. But as his eyes travel to Tobias following her in, he keeps the admission to himself.
“We have an answer,” says Elle triumphantly. “We’ve listed Jake for an ICD insertion tomorrow morning.”
“It was CPVT?” Ethan asks.
“Yep,” says Tobias. “Elle’s hunch was right. Turns out it was an argument with his boyfriend that brought on the cardiac arrest. We ran a test for CPVT as soon as we got back, while you were still in the meeting, and it’s positive.”
Elle smiles brightly.
“Jake’s going to be okay.”
Ethan beams. He’s exceptionally proud of her.
“Excellent work Elle,” he leans forward to squeeze her arm, as bold a gesture as he dares while they have company. “And thanks Tobias, for helping out.”
“The pleasure’s all mine,” says Tobias. He looks pointedly at Elle, then adds, “believe me.”
An unpleasant sensation coils in the pit of Ethan’s stomach. He tries to push it down.
As Tobias crosses the room to take a phone call, he steps closer to Elle, lowering his voice.
“Listen Elle, about earlier. I’m sorry,” he says sincerely, tentatively taking her hand in his own. He caresses her tiny fingers with his thumb. “It’s unacceptable for me to talk over you in meetings, and I…know that this isn’t the first time it’s happened, and that there are, uh, other things. I’m sorry if my actions have ever made you feel excluded.”
Elle’s bright green eyes look into his thoughtfully, though she says nothing; silently willing him to continue.
“I’d like to make it up to you. I think a date night between us is long overdue. Can I take you for dinner tonight?” he asks. A flash of hope, along with the tinge of dismay he remembers from before, travels across her face. “Not Gaston’s,” he adds quickly. “I want to find somewhere new with you. For us.”
Her face floods with warmth, eyes gazing into his searchingly. He desperately scans her beautiful face, seeking some inkling of her true feelings; the ones he knows she’s bottling up.
“You’re right, it is long overdue,” she says finally, her gaze steady. “And I’d really like that, to find somewhere new to go to dinner with you. But I can’t do tonight.”
His heart sinks a little, and as if sensing this, like she always seems to, she squeezes his hand reassuringly.
“I’m out for drinks with Si, Aurora and Jackie tonight. But we’ll go soon.”
She offers him a soft smile, which he returns.
It doesn’t quite quell the slight but unmistakable feeling of anxiety in his stomach. It’s guilt, it’s the gnawing thought that he will never be good enough for her, the idea that he’s taken her for granted.
Worst of all, there is the completely irrational, but terrible notion that he could lose her.
And somehow, the thought that he could lose her in living rather than in death, as he had once feared, is almost more terrible.
She gently lets go of his hand. On the other side of the room, Tobias hangs up the phone.
“I’m going to go and speak to Jake’s parents,” says Elle, slipping off and readjusting her white coat.
Ethan’s eyes travel over her form-fitting pencil skirt, clinging to her delicate body in all the right places.
He doesn’t miss the way Tobias’ do the same. Then, as if knowing he’s being watched, he looks up at Ethan. His eyes narrow, and the corners of his lips twitch.
Ethan wants nothing more than to sock him in the jaw.
“We’ll check in later, once Harper’s finished surgery?” she asks, breaking the two men out of their reverie.
Ethan nods, and Elle bids them goodbye. The click of her heels on the linoleum echoes into the tense silence. Then, he can’t hold it in any longer.
“Could you be,” Ethan begins through gritted teeth, “a little more fucking subtle, Carrick?”
Tobias chuckles.
“I can’t help it, Ethan, and clearly neither can you. A woman like that, body like that…we’re just as powerless as any other red-blooded male.”
Ethan curls his fists in the pockets of his coat.
“Don’t talk about Elle like that. I won’t have you disrespecting her in that way,” he spits, taking a step towards him.
“You want to talk about disrespecting her?” counters Tobias, unflinching. “Because I think taking a stroll down memory lane with your ex, every five minutes, is pretty disrespectful to the woman you’re currently fucking.”
Ethan is stunned. Had she told Tobias that it had happened before? Did she tell him they were seeing eachother, or had Tobias clocked it himself? What exactly had they talked about while they were away?
“Elle is- she’s off limits,” he snaps, the only response his seething mind is able to come up with.
Tobias smiles, satisfied at seeing the other man riled up. Then, infuriatingly, he turns away.
“Who decided that, Ethan?” he says quietly over his shoulder “Her or you?”
And with that, Tobias turns and leaves.
*******
Author’s Note: Thanks for reading this far! I wanted to explore the dynamic between Elle and Tobias, and the way I wrote him in this fic reflects my own thoughts about him; I think he’s a good guy, as demonstrated by him helping to save her life and his thoughtfulness, but I’m definitely suspicious of his ulterior motives and his past actions. I also wanted the sexual tension between Ethan, Elle and Tobias, and was hoping that PB would make Tobias call out Ethan shutting her out of meetings. They didn’t deliver so I did it myself lol Also wanted Ethan to start feeling insecure about the way he’s been treating Elle since his behaviour has been trash thanks to the OOC writing, but I still love him
133 notes · View notes
isaacthedruid · 3 years
Text
Please allow me to tell you about one of my favourite cartoons through this informal essay I did for school a couple of months back. 
Tumblr media
Gravity Falls and How it Did The Unimaginable
**SPOILERS... KINDA**
The 2010s saw the creation of some of the most iconic animated tv shows ever made, the likes of Adventure Time (2010), Steven Universe (2013), Over the Garden Wall (2014) and The Legend of Korra (2012). To explain why this era’s shows are so admirable is honestly rather difficult. Yet, there are many factors that can be taken into consideration when looking for an answer.
The past decade was very successful in perfecting their craft and utilizing the animated format to their favour, creating some of the wackiest and fascinating cartoons ever made. With the advancements made in both 2D and 3D animation for film, this bled into the world of TV as well.
To mention that 2010s cartoons have stunning visuals would be an understatement. Everything about the animation was beautiful; the strong colour palettes, the clean and imaginative character designs, the colourful and immersive backgrounds and especially the mesmerizing worlds that can be found within episodes that are half an hour.
This era’s cartoons also led to a massive shift in storytelling, writing longer-running stories that spread out across seasons while also swapping out episodic adventures for serialization. This heavily aided in the popularization of these shows, due to the rise of internet fandoms and dropping the taboo that cartoons were only for kids. Many shows acknowledged their older viewers by leaving clues and even puzzles to be solved by the theorists who have a large appearance on social media platforms like Reddit, Twitter and Tumblr. As the shows progressed, their fandoms created many theories for what they believed might happen within their favourite series. The top three shows from this era all utilized these changes, being at the forefront of the shift and helping guide the creative vision of 2010s cartoons.
Often regarded as many people’s favourite cartoon, Gravity Falls presented one of the best mysteries of the decade with two seasons and only 40 episodes. Inspired by Twin Peaks and The X-Files, it’s considered as the kids’ version of these two iconic shows as this cartoon acts as many people’s first introduction to horror through bright colours and fun characters.
This series follows the adventures of Dipper and Mabel Pines, twins, who are sent to spend their summer with their great-uncle or Grunkle Stan in Gravity Falls, Oregon. This town is full of oddities like supernatural creatures, insane and eccentric inhabitants, and many puzzles. The Pines twins must adjust to the weirdness while uncovering the mysteries and protecting their new town.
While living in Gravity Falls, the twins are forced to work in the Mystery Shack, a tourist trap created by their Grunkle Stan that overcharges unlucky tourists, teaching about fake monsters despite there being real creatures all over town. On his first day in Oregon, Dipper accidentally came across a mysterious journal written by an unknown author that explains all the oddities to be found in this strange town. This book acts like an encyclopedic of the Weird for Dipper, an inquisitive 12-year-old kid who seeks answers.
Dipper is an extremely intelligent kid, his brain being far more developed than his body. He’s rather awkward and self-conscious as he often stumbles over his words or gets embarrassed trying to talk to girls. Despite this, the boy is an adventurer at heart who just wants to grow up and skip his upcoming teenage years.
While Mabel is quite the opposite in many ways, she is loud and has an in-your-face personality. Mabel is bouncy and fun, she is so excited to start high school. She is easily excitable and for the larger part of the series, she is in her boy-crazy phase. Mabel is a girly-girl as she likes all things; glitter, unicorns, rainbows, partying and crafting. Yet, she doesn’t often compare well with many of the other girls in town, they see her as weird and “too much”.
(In all fairness through, it is not too kind to either of the characters as their personalities are more complex than just awkward nerd and artsy girl-girly.)
Dipper and Mabel’s personalities are very different but somehow, they—along with their Gravity Falls family—manage to solve mysteries and save the town, multiple times.
Gravity Falls is an honestly genius series that completely changed the way cartoons were made. Originally when writing a series, you’d create a base of your story; characters, the universe and a basic plot. Yet, when creator, Alex Hirsch (who was in his early/mid-20)s and his small team first began constructing their show, they planned out everything they could possibly think of for the first season. Additionally, outlining some answers for their biggest mysteries that would be answered at the end of the series.
Despite being rated TV-Y7, this series really pushed the boundaries of kids’ television. From the teeth being ripped out of a deer’s mouth by a demon, rearranging the functions of every hole on a man’s face to an aggressive pop-rock sock puppet show that ended in a dramatic slow-motion scene of the puppets burning. Gravity Falls wasn’t afraid to get a little weird or creepy. Or create some genuine nightmare fuel. 
From the beginning, Gravity Falls had built a mystery into its series, hiding secrets and clues all throughout the show. Most notably were the backwards-recorded message and cryptograms, using roughly nine different kinds, even creating two of their own.
The inclusion of cyphers and mysteries for fans to solve is possibly the reason why this series was so successful. As one of the first shows to do something like this, Gravity Falls used social media and internet fandoms to its advantage.
As mentioned earlier, cartoon fans have quite a presence on social media platforms like Twitter and Tumblr. They create theories and share fun ideas about their favourite shows. Viewers of Adventure Time, Gravity Falls and Steven Universe were all included in their share of theory fun.
Sometimes, fan theories end up being correct but when you’re Gravity Falls creator, Alex Hirsch, you don’t just watch from the sidelines as your viewers figure out the biggest mystery of your show. No, you create a hoax to get your viewers off your trail and that is what he did. Around 2013, only halfway through the first season of the show, viewers had started to follow the clues, theorizing who was the author is Dipper’s mysterious journal.
Unfortunately for the Gravity Falls production crew, the viewers were right— for the sake of readers who have never seen the show, I will not mention who the author was as it would be the biggest spoiler.
In 2013, a supposed leaked image of a tv showing a younger version of the show’s crazy old man character, Old Man McGucket, writing in the infamous journal was uploaded anonymously (by Alex Hirsch) to 4Chan.
Despite the image only being on up for a few hours, it spread like wildfire. Much to the team’s success, theorists stopped searching for the answer to “who is the author” and just accepted the image of McGucket as the truth.
To further push the fake-out, three words were posted to Alex’s Twitter, “fuming right now.”
The tweet was deleted a few minutes later and fans genuinely believed that someone from the Gravity Falls team had leaked the most important part of the story.
While doing research, I came across a Reddit post from April 10th, 2013, the day after ‘leak,’ Alex’s tweet was uploaded. In this post, user, TheoDW uploaded an image of Alex’s tweet with the caption, “It seems that Hirsch got mad at last night’s leak. He already deleted this tweet.”
Seeing the reactions of these Redditors in 2013 is kind of weird and crazy to look at. “He has every right to be upset. Someone internally released a plot revealing screen shot of series breaking spoiler information,” a deleted Reddit account commented.
“This is Alex Hirsch’s biggest success by far, he spent a huge amount of time carefully planning out the series, and then in a moment someone releases a major spoiler. It would make anyone upset,” the user, Time_Loop commented.
“Seriously, this is a nightmare for a storyteller, and shows a breach of trust. I feel so bad for him–honestly, I hope whoever did the leak gets caught and appropriate action is taken. You don’t f–k with someone’s story like this. It’s unprofessional.” the user, lonelybeloved angrily commented.
In 2014, this ‘leak’ was finally disproven when viewers were given an episode on McGucket’s backstory and an amazing tweet from Alex Hirsch. 
Alex had post an image of himself playfully pointing at a monitor with the supposed leaked picture with the caption, “1) Make hoax  2) Upload to 4Chan  3) Post angry tweet about "leak" 4) Delete tweet 5) Let internet do rest”
It is so interesting to look at these comments know that all of this was orchestrated by Alex.
I wish I had been old enough at the time to follow theories and fandom stuff like I do now with current cartoons but really looking at this from an outside perspective, this was insane!
The real author wasn’t revealed until 2015 and when viewers first got the answer to this biggest show on their screens, they must have freaked out!
Following the finale in 2016, a single frame of a stone version of Bill Cipher, the show’s villain, flashed in after the credits had finished.
Alex Hirsch and his team actually created a real-life statue of their villain for their viewers to find and on July 20th, 2016, the Cipher Hunt began.
By following clues, the Hunters found themselves all over the world; Russia, Japan and then travelling throughout the United States for the final 12 clues. When the hunt took them to Los Angeles, actor, Jason Ritter (voice of Dipper Pines, also a massive fan of the series) and Alex Hirsch’s twin sister, Ariel Hirsch (the inspiration for Mabel) joined in the fun helping the search.
Finally, the hunt ended on August 2nd when someone tweeted out an image of the found statue in Oregon, the same state in which the fictional town of Gravity Falls exists. The Cipher Hunt had ended but finding the statue wasn’t Alex’s goal for the scavenger hunt, it was about the journey and bringing together the viewers, more than having them actually find the statue.
Creating its own hoax, an international scavenger hunt and quite a bit of nightmare fuel, Gravity Falls was a show truly unlike any other.
The 2010s saw some of the strongest cartoons ever made, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls and Steven Universe acting as the leaders for multiple different changes in the medium; storytelling, worldbuilding, interaction with viewers, utilizing social media, representation and further pushing music into the cartoon world. From what was created this past decade and what has already been released in 2020, I’m so excited to see what comes next.
Tumblr media
I have another one of these which is on Steven Universe’s representation and music if you would like to see that too!! 
70 notes · View notes
klaineownsmysoul · 3 years
Note
Why does D agree to certain things? It’s probably because the alternative is worse but then I still don’t understand why he agreed to the sham. He could not have right? Idk what would have happened had he, but I feel anything is better than being married to her. All she does is ruin his reputation, and give him a straight image (to his team), so I genuinely wonder what image he wants for himself because if he didn’t go along with it, what else could they have painted him as that they haven’t already and continue to?
There are endless opinions on this, depending on who you ask. The m/iarren stans and the fans who believe that every message from D’s SM are actually from him will tell you that there was nothing to agree to because he loves her and wanted to marry her because he can’t live without her. They have a love that’s truer than true and are #couple goals. They are perfect for each other in every way and he adores her every breath and she’s just as devoted to him, which is why she follows him everywhere he goes. There’s nothing odd about the length of their relationship and the fact that no one involved in it can give you a consistent time frame. You ask 5 people how they met or when they started dating, you’ll get 5 different answers. All those pics of them together where she’s grabbing onto him and clutching at any limb within her reach are just her being affectionate. The fact that they sit like strangers on a subway during one part of an interview and when it’s noticed, the next part that’s released has both of them being all touchy feely is just coincidence. The dude bro slang and emoji filled posts are just him having fun and being spontaneous. They’re cheeky and silly. Its just him living his best life and there’s nothing forced or untoward about it. He loves only hanging out with her trashy besties and spending nights entertaining the masses in her piano baby/lifelong dream business that she can’t be bothered to promote or run while he accompanies her on the piano looking completely lifeless as she drunkenly butchers one of the 4 songs she knows and thinks she can sing. He’s just being a supportive partner when he talks about the awful branded merchandise from the strip bar during a tv segment that’s supposed to be about his career and then models it later on in a cute coupley pic where he looks like his soul has just left his body. Having her accompany his every move is just what married couples do or didn’t you know that? It’s not natural for one partner to do something without the other, especially if it’s career related. All celeb couples are joined at the hip once they officiate their own wedding. All celeb couples have a wedding - or a great party as it’s sometimes known as - that is corporate sponsored to within an inch of its life. All celeb couples who have one person say they didn’t want to be in a public relationship have a cover story done in Vogue magazine and then have their pr team make sure the link to that article is noted and shared in practically every print interview done for the other person for over a year. This is all completely normal behavior for a 100% believable couple.
There are no such things as contracts that dictate behavior and managers and pr teams don’t post things on their client’s behalf. Lavender relationships and marriages are a thing of the past. No one would dare impose something like that on a celeb in 2021. It must be nice to be that naive. Or sad. Mostly sad. If you believe that, then you haven’t been listening to the stories of celebs who’ve been closeted and decided to come out at the risk of their career. It’s a thousand times easier to market someone as straight - there’s no denying that. And when you’re young and just starting out, you have no leverage whatsoever and will go along with what people tell you to do. If you don’t, you don’t have a career. It’s as simple and evil as that. They hold all the cards and if you want to be a musician or an actor, you have to play by their rules. You sign a deal and before you know, everything has snowballed and you’re in so deep, you don’t know how to begin to climb out. Look at Taylor Swift and the mess she’s gone through with her songs and she’s one of the biggest singers on the planet. Whether you’re a fan or not, you know who she is. If she can’t get control over songs that she freaking wrote because of a shitty contract she signed when she was like 16 without massive amounts of legal issues, what hope do the people who are less famous have? Look at what D said about his lack of input on the evolution of Blaine’s hair and how he didn’t want to rock the boat. Something as simple as that and he didn’t feel like he could or should speak up. Now apply that same mentality to a legal document and think about how hard it would be to try to countermand any part of it, especially when you’re as young as he was then.
D’s team is particularly troublesome because they’re lazy and incompetent and have no interest in marketing him as he really is. The easy way out is the straight way out and that’s their lane. That’s the one they’ve chosen and they will ride that till the wheels fall off. Let’s be honest: D is all RR has. He’s going to milk every drop he can out of D while he can. There’s no celeb out there with an established career who’s considering new management who looks at D’s situation: the circus that is always around him, the garbage that’s posted on his SM in his name, the endless ads for things like ugly ass jewelry and a paid promo pic for a 5 star hotel in the Philippines from the group honeymoon (not a thing) that they crashed after D spent days sifting through garbage with women who live in abject poverty and will never make the kind of money that even a meal at that hotel would cost which totally makes him look awesome - and think “yes! This is what’s been missing all along. Where do I sign?” He’s not getting a free home reno and some TV time from the girl who played Luna in the HP movies and B/ecca T/obin - someone who played a forgettable and unremarkable bitchy blond cheerleader (def breaking the mold there, totally not a trope that can be found in every 80s high school movie or tv show) and now hosts a ridiculous podcast. So he’s going to push his own agenda and make sure that everyone knows his client is straight at every opportunity that’s presented and foist his bride in our faces at even more opportunities just in case it wasn’t clear because oh my god did you hear that D is straight? And he’s been dating this super cool rockstar woman since he was an embryo so there’s no way anything could have ever happened between him and someone else from this show he was on for a while. It wasn’t a big deal or anything. He had a small role and a love interest but they weren’t real popular. I mean if you’ve seen one gay teenage romance, you’ve seen them all. The show’s been over for 5 years and they’re hardly ever mentioned now so there’s no point in keeping them alive. It’s not a role that meant anything to him and it’s certainly not something he would want to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of. I wonder if he was allowed to do that as long as managed to shoehorn in a mention of his lovely ball and chain of many moons. Because that’s what always happens. Doesn’t matter what the topic at hand is - it always seems to come back around to her. And she just smirks and flashes her fake engagement ring at the camera and eats it up because he does all the work and she reaps all the rewards. Like RR, she’ll never give him up without a fight because what then? No one will write articles about what a badass she is. No one will be there to do free promo for her strip bar. No more red carpet pics or designer duds gifted to her. No more free trips to Europe or last minute weekend getaways with his stylist. No one will care about her super secret Instagram account and post pics from it that she’s forwarded over so they get picked up and pumped out to news blogs for maximum coverage. No more pics with actual famous people because who’s inviting a career less nobody to events? She’s a woman in her mid 30s who behaves like an 18 year old on spring break and thinks nothing of it. She doesn’t give a shit how her behavior reflects on D because she doesn’t care about him. All she cares about is what he can provide her and that’s secondhand fame, money, and the image of the best wife to ever wife. But if he was single, then there’d be even more questions about his sexual orientation than there are now and no way to refute anything. So we get this clusterfuck. What they fail to understand is that the harder they push, the more holes they create and the more distasteful this all becomes. I just want to be a fan of D. That’s all I want. But I can’t do that because he comes with a front and center “work family” that I can’t get away from.
I sometimes don’t know what he wants for himself image wise but I truly don’t think it’s this. The difference between in person D and SM D is too great for me to believe he’s really cool with all of it. I don’t know how many more times he has to say that he’s rarely on SM, which should be the reddest of red flags that most of the stuff posted is not coming from him. The fact that he’s taken to SM to rebuff things said in his name that are patently false and insulting reinforces that belief for me. He’s not perfect but he’s not the fake barely literate guy he’s portrayed as. I wouldn’t still be here if I thought that’s who he really was and I wouldn’t care at all about his personal life if it wasn’t shoved down my throat ad naseum.
Well this post kinda got away from me. 😊. I’m so very tired of all this and if I’m tired, D must be exhausted.
57 notes · View notes