#and omg what a solid introduction and first impression | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

petals42 · 5 years ago

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been so long and now...

Alright, not writing the fic but this is the fic I want to read for julie and the phantoms (okay updated note: I wrote it basically). Going to try to keep this quick (LOL it’s 7k). We’re starting after season 1 here.

[7k, Reggie-centric, Julie POV, child abuse mention, Ray is a good dad.]

Alright, the boys can now touch Julie (sometimes) and can still be seen when playing music, but other than that, it’s not super clear how much actually changes. And after that day in the garage, life seems to even out a bit. Which means Alex is off looking for Willie and Luke and Julie are spending a lot more time writing music together (and okay, maybe that’s new but if both of them ignore it, it's fine) and Reggie is back to hanging out with Ray.

Ray can’t hear him or see him and the conversations are by necessity very one sided. Either Reggie filling Ray in on his day slash his ideas on ghosthood or Ray talking to himself/the computer but somehow it becomes fairly commonplace for Julie to walk downstairs and find her dad talking to (around?) her dead teenage bandmate. And there are times, sure, where she is like is this weird?? Should i say something about this??? But Reggie is kind of being left on his own a lot and she never really wanted to listen to her dad mutter about cameras and if that’s how Reggie wants to fill his days then… well that’s not her business. Neither party seems to mind. Probably because her dad doesn’t actually know.

Of course, the Julie-magic power does eventually start working more and more and then Carlos knows they are ghosts and then her dad hears them talking in Julie’s room when Luke accidentally starts humming and then catches a glimpse of them in garage when there’s no lights on so he doesn’t see how the hologram is working and--

“It’s time to tell him, I think,” Julie says to the boys and Luke nods and looks excited and Alex twists his hands around his drumsticks the way he does when he is a little anxious (but mostly okay) and when Julie glances over at Reggie, she expects that large megawatt smile that he directs at Flynn or Carlos but instead, he looks even more uncertain than Alex.

“I dunno,” he says, one shoulder raised. “I feel like we have an okay system?”

His concerns get drowned out by Luke and Alex and Julie herself pointing out that her dad is in photography, at some point he is going to realize that this hologram technology does not obey the laws of physics and/or light, plus he keeps almost seeing them just around his house and…

They play a song to tell her dad and lately, the boys have been able to be seen longer and longer, especially when they are just in the studio and don’t officially bow so once her dad gets over the initial shock (which, admittedly, takes him a little longer than Flynn or Carlos), there are introductions and--

Julie finds herself glancing at Reggie the whole time. Waiting for him to bound forward and say that actually he knows all about Ray and actually they’ve hung out quite a bit and actually, it was him that’s been slowly doing the puzzle with Ray in the corner room and maybe the other boys do too because there are a lot more awkward pauses that she thought there would be but Luke seems to realize it halfway through so suddenly he is taking the lead (and maybe trying to impress her father like omg what???) and so it kind of gets forgotten. (especially afterwards, in her room, when her dad lowkey tries to grill her about her relationship with these boys and she doesn’t have good answers and ugggggh maybe they should’ve stayed holograms).

Anyway, things are still mostly normal after that. The boys are not often seen or visible (except more and more to Flynn and sometimes Carlos) and so Reggie is often back to hanging around her dad and one time Julie does ask him “Do you let him know that you’re here?” and “Oh no,” Reggie says. “I wouldn’t want to bother him.” And Julie guesses that’s true, Reggie is normally chilling with her dad when he is editing photos so, alright. Again, she has lots of other things going on. There isn’t much point in digging into this.

Except then-- then the boys start being seen more and more around the whole house. It starts in the studio and then sort of spreads and it’s a weird new normal for sure, them still walking through walls whenever they want so you can’t forget they’re ghosts, but you sure can see them around a lot. And if Julie is around and can make them solid, they can eat and so it become a not rare occurrence to have the boys come eat dinner 2ish times a week or at least try to (Julie’s “powers” only work about a fourth of the time, to be honest, but they can be seen so they usually hang around.)

And right around when that becomes common place, suddenly Reggie stops hanging out with Ray.

I mean, it’s not something that Julie notices right away but suddenly Reggie is around the studio a lot more and sometimes she assumes he is in the house only to find out he has been hanging by the beach or with Alex and Willie and there’s no real reason for worry but it sort of… lurks in the back of Julie’s mind. A weird sense that something isn’t quite right there, that Reggie used to love hanging around her dad and giving her dad full reports of their days and, okay, maybe it was weird but still… it bothered her. Now that it was gone.

And then, her dad asks her about it.

Not directly, but he comes sort of frowning into her room, asking if the boys are okay, and “yeah, why?” Julie says and..

“Oh, I dunno,” her dad answers, looking over his shoulder and drumming his fingers against his thigh. “It just feels… I don’t know, the house feels empty? Like… sometimes I think there should be someone and-- you know what, nevermind. It’s probably in my head.”

“No, no,” Julie says because she’s lied to her dad enough. “You’re right. I mean, Reggie used to hang out in the house all the time.”

“Reggie,” her dad says. “The bassist. He did?”

“Yeah, he was probably… what you were sensing.” and Julie has an awful moment of wondering if her dad thought that presence around him was her mom and if Reggie being more busy with other things was like losing someone all over again and--

“That’s what that was!” her dad sounds happy. And relieved. “Sorry. Who. Who that was. I thought I was going crazy.”

“No,” Julie shakes her head. “He’s real. And he was around a lot.”

“Hm,” Ray says and turns to leave. Then turns. “You know… he’s still welcome, you know? Unless you guys are practicing more…”

“I’ll tell him,” Julie laughs. And then shoos her dad out because she has got to work on this chemistry homework and sometimes it sucks -- having three ghost bandmates who should be in high school but who never have to do anything and don’t even try to help her and--

*^*^*^

“Hey,” Julie says, plopping down next to Reggie on the couch. It’s a few days later but this is the first time they’ve been alone-- Luke and Alex, realizing they were solid enough to go eat and running for the kitchen, Reggie opting to stay behind.

“Hi, Jules!” Reggie says and he doesn’t seem any different. With her and the band, he talks just as much as always, big bright smile, whining about the need for a country song, laughing at all their mishaps.

“I have a question.”

“What’s up?” He twists to face her, giving her all his attention. He does that, she realizes. Focuses on her. All the boys do, to some extent, but with different energies. Reggie’s is the biggest, she thinks. Honest and open.

“So… I’ve sorta noticed that you haven’t been hanging out with my dad as much anymore?” Julie tries to keep her tone casual. She’s not accusing him. She’s just… curious.

“Oh,” Reggie says and his head tilts as if confused by her confusion. “Well, yeah.”

There’s a beat. Julie thinks Reggie is going to keep talking. Reggie does not. Reggie turns back to where he was tuning his bass. “Uh, why?” she finally asks.

Reggie frowns at her. “Well, he can see and hear us now,” he says, as if this is very obvious.

“So?”

“So like… I don’t want to bother him,” Reggie says. “He does a lot of work during the day. It was one thing when he couldn’t hear or see me but now you know… I’m annoying.”

It’s Julie’s turn to frown, even though Reggie is already looking down again. There’s something about the way he says it, I’m annoying that bothers her. He says it as if it is an obvious fact. As if everybody knows it. As if it’s true.

“You’re not annoying,” she says. “I don’t think you’re annoying.”

He blinks at her. “Well, no, you don’t,” he allows. “And Luke and Alex don’t. Most of the time.”

“And Flynn and Carlos,” she adds.

“Most of the time. But still, see, all kids. Teens,” Reggie says. “But old people… parents are different. You have to--”

He cuts himself off and for a moment, his hand grips the neck of his bass tightly and there is a tension in his shoulders and suddenly Julie thinks she maybe is in a little too deep here. She doesn’t want to upset him.

“You’re dad is really nice but he still… It’s different,” he says and he shoots another smile at her, but it’s tight and fake and he jumps up the moment Alex and Luke burst back into the studio.

“So close,” Alex mutters as they come back in. “I had the sandwich IN MY HANDS.”

“Dumb choice,” Luke says, mouth still clearly full of something. “You gotta just hit the snacks, my friend. Focus on what’s quick and easy.”

The boys all head for their instruments and the moment is passing, Julie knows, and she also knows she now has clues that maybe she should put together but she doesn’t have time and why couldn’t her powers last just a little longer this one time? But-

“You should still go hang out with him again,” she tells Reggie as Luke starts tuning up and Alex gets settled behind his drums. “He misses you.”

There’s no time for Reggie to ask any questions but his frown of confusion as she turns away says it all.

*^*^*^

It grows, this curiosity and she realizes she doesn’t know much about Reggie’s parents. Luke’s, she obviously knows very well and she knows the story very well and she has heard enough about Alex’s to know that they are not worth seeking out but Reggie’s…

She’s never even heard him mention them. Not even in all their conversations about Luke’s. And this is a sensitive topic for all the boys and she doesn’t know how much to push or even whether to push so--

“What were Reggie’s parents like?” she blurts one day. Luke startles and looks up at her and that’s fair as they had been in the middle of writing a song and there was no reason for her to ask.

“What?” Luke says and she gets to watch as he tries to switch his brain over from music-mode to conversation-mode.

“Reggie’s parents,” she repeats. “What were they like?”

And she knows she’s hit on something when Luke’s head goes down and his shoulders come up and “I dunno,” he says. “It’s… we didn’t hang out there that much.”

“But you must know something?” Julie presses. “Like… did they ever come to see you guys play?”

“No,” Luke says and he’s leaning further away, eyes cutting to the door. “Look, I--”

“Were they against him playing music?”

“Uh- I don’t… Why are you asking?”

The question forces Julie to pause. And she chews her bottom lips as she tries to figure out the answer. Why is she asking? What does she think? What does she actually need to know?

“I don’t know,” she admits. “I just… he’s never even mentioned them.”

“Well, then… we probably shouldn’t talk about it,” Luke says and that’s fair, she knows it is, but she can’t help if she doesn’t have some information. And going to Luke was at least better than just googling.

“So there is something to talk about,” she says softly.

“No, I don’t… look,” Luke says and takes a breath. “Reggie never…. He never said anything about them, really. Not even when we were alive. He just… I don’t know. I told you, we never hung out at his house.”

“So you think they were…?” Julie lets the sentence dangle. Luke glares at her a little. Then takes another breath. Fiddles with something on his pants. Doesn’t speak. “You know I’m just trying to help, right?” Julie asks. “I just--”

“Reggie was really quiet,” Luke interrupts. “When we met him, I mean. He was… he was really shy.”

“Reggie?” Julie asks and she can’t help the disbelieving tone. That doesn’t make any sense.

“Yeah,” Luke says. “He was a great bass player, obviously, and nice enough but… really quiet. He… didn’t even laugh really. He just hung back a lot and… it’s weird to think about. Now that I know him.”

“You think he was that way because of his parents?”

“I mean… I dunno. Maybe?” Luke shrugs. “The few times he met my parents, he was… really weird.”

“Weird?”

“Just… weird.”

Julie opens her mouth to ask more questions, to say that that answer wasn’t specific enough, but Luke finally meets her eyes and suddenly she knows that this conversation is going to end.

“Look, if you want to know more, you can probably ask him,” Luke says. “Or like… don’t. It’s not like it matters anymore now, right?”

And there’s a trace of bitterness in that and a trace of please stop and more than a trace of I am uncomfortable with this conversation and so Julie lets it go.

“Yeah,” she says, worried she pushed too hard. “Yeah, you’re right.”

*^*^*^

The clues are all there and Julie isn’t sure what they point to, so she tries to listen to Luke’s advice and remember that it doesn’t really matter. Reggie doesn’t have to see his parents again and it doesn’t matter and he continues to seem absolutely fine with the band. Fine and happy and--

“Helloooo?” she hears him call from the front door, just as she’s hitting the top of the stairs. She turns, a bit confused because the boys never bother announcing themselves but she opens her mouth to tell him she has to finish homework before rehearsal today and then closes it when she says that he is not looking at her at all, but towards the kitchen.

She walks down a few steps. Bends over so she can peer down and see what he’s looking at.

Her dad is sitting at the counter.

“Hello!” Reggie is louder this time, and then waves his arms a little bit for good measure and her dad doesn’t see him, she realizes, doesn’t even flinch at all the noise and the arm flailing and she is about to tell Ray that Reggie is there when suddenly, Reggie’s face bursts into a grin and, seemingly satisfied that he is undetectable, the teenager plops himself down in the stool next to Ray.

Julie watches as her dad continues muttering to himself for a minute and then he pauses, and shifts, and glances, and she doesn’t know if he caught a glimpse of Reggie or if he can just sense it but his mouth quirks into a slight smile and he talks more now, at maybe a higher volume, but still to himself and Reggie doesn’t seem to notice the change, so she leaves them to it.

Reggie is still there when she finally finishes her homework two hours later.

*^*^*^

It doesn’t really get that much better. Reggie still avoids the house when he is visible and, when she catches him with her dad, she somehow knows that he had made sure he was undetectable before risking it and he doesn’t talk as much now, not when he’s learning from conversations with Flynn and Carlos that sometimes it’s part way through a conversation that they are suddenly audible, but she hopes it’s a little bit nice, at least, that Reggie is there at least part of the time.

*^*^*^

They play a particularly good show and the boys stay visible for 5 straight days. Reggie avoids the house the whole time.

*^*^*^

It’s a Friday night when Julie finally gets her biggest clue. It’s a rare quiet Friday. They don’t have a gig all weekend so there’s no rehearsals and Carlos is home and the boys aren’t visible or audible to anyone but Julie so most of her time is spent laughing at what they say and then having to explain to her dad and brother and she thinks they are going to try to play a game, maybe like Clue? Something all the boys can play, though Luke is pushing for twister even though the boys can literally go through people so that doesn’t seem fair at all and--

Something (a ball) whizzes past her head as she and her dad are bent over trying to remember the Clue rules and then she jumps as there’s the unmistakable sound of breaking glass.

There’s a moment of stillness and then it makes sense. There’s a vase broken on the ground and a baseball rolling under the kitchen table and she turns to see Carlos, looking shocked, mouth already open to apologize.

“Carlos!” her dad says, standing and moving, doubtlessly to go get the broom. But there is glass everywhere and his voice comes out angry because this is not the first kitchen object Carlos has broken by a longshot. “How many times have I told you not to play--”

Things move very fast then.

Her dad is moving towards Carlos because that’s where the broom is and Carlos is standing still and looking down because he already knows he’s going to get in trouble and then just as suddenly, Carlos is sort of stumbling back because he’s been pulled back and Reggie is standing where Carlos just was.

Squarely between her dad and her brother.

“It was me,” Reggie says. And he sounds sort of breathless but also certain and he’s not moving from where he stands.

Carlos is still sort of gaping that he was just pulled back by a ghost and Julie can see the other two boys processing that fact, the fact that Reggie just managed to touch another person and Ray jerks to a stop because a full teenage boy has just popped into existence in front of him. So no one says anything.

“I threw the ball,” Reggie repeats. More firmly this time. A lie, Julie knows, because Reggie had been on the couch with Alex. Nowhere near where the ball had come from. “It was my fault.”

His voice is still firm and his eyes stay on Ray’s for a second before looking down and his hands tighten into firsts before going slack and he swallows and--

He’s scared, Julie realizes. Scared, but still.

“It was my fault. So--”

“Reggie!” Her dad exclaims and he’s beaming, she can already see it, and then without a thought to whether Reggie is still solid or not, her dad is throwing her arms around Reggie as if he is a long lost friend

(Which in a way, maybe he is)

Reggie stays solid and his arms are pinned to his side and Julie sees him stiffen, sees his face frown in confusion.

“You’re here!” Ray says, still grinning. He leans back and slaps Reggie on the arm. “And solid, I see. Thank goodness. Come, come help me on this puzzle. You’ve been slacking and I swear this dark spot near the left corner is driving me crazy and-- Oh, Carlos, go get the broom and clean this up. No throwing balls in the house! Honestly, you’d think after the last time-- Reggie, wait, whatever happened with that telenovella you guys were watching, you haven’t updated me in forever.”

And then her dad is dragging Reggie away, who still looks shell-shocked, still looks like he was expecting something different, and Julie hangs back, partly to help Carlos clean up, partly to enjoy hearing Reggie slowly start to stammer out answers to her dad’s many, many questions.

*^*^*^

“Oh shoot,” her dad says an hour later, when family puzzle night is brought to an end because the three boys have abruptly vanished from existence. He looks at where Reggie had been sitting (roughly). “Well, we’ll finish next time.”

*^*^*^

What happens next, Julie calls in her head, the Period of Cautious Testing.

She sees it play out.

Reggie comes into the house, waves hi to her, but doesn’t say anything and then he goes and sort of… lurks near her dad, watching carefully and if her dad seems to be in a good mood (which he is often, to be honest), Reggie will either say hello or obviously pull out a stool to make it clear he is there and--

“Are you free?” Reggie asks. Or “Do you mind?” or “Hey, can I--?”

He says it when Ray can hear him and writes it if there is pen and paper nearby and even when there’s not, he stays tense and ready to fly if he’s not wanted, but--

“Of course!” her dad says. “Sit down.” “Come look.” “Oh, Reggie, check this out--”

And Reggie stares and listens and there’s this smile he has, not his usual huge grin, but a smaller softer sort of wonderful-filled smile and he pays attention to her dad as if he might be quizzed on the information later, still starts out not talking as much but--

“Okay, well tell me about,” her dad says. “Oh, do you think--?” And “Wait, I want to hear what it was like to--”

*^*^*^

“Your dad is really nice,” Reggie tells her one day. He says it right as they are starting rehearsal and doesn’t really look at her when he says it, looks more somewhere over her left shoulder and he is basically running away towards his mic stand but still…

It makes her smile.

*^*^*^

“Come play with me,” Carlos asks her, throwing his ball in the air.

“Where’s dad?” Julie responds. This is usually her dad’s territory. Whatever talents she had in singing and music and sort of dancing do not translate into sports.

“With Reggie,” Carlos says, throwing the ball up, tilting his head up to watch as it comes down and catches it. “They are talking about… I don’t know. Something. He said he’d be out but you know how they get.”

Julie does. And it doesn’t bother her but..

“Are you mad?” She asks, just to be certain. Carlos had been the only son. Still is. But also… “That they are hanging out so much?” Her brother is still young. Her brother maybe doesn’t--

“No,” Carlos says. “Not like I want to learn about cameras at all.”

Julie laughs.That’s true. And her dad sure can ramble.

“Also,” Carlos starts…. And then he is glancing at her and he is young and stupid and her ilttle brother, but when he looks up at her, he looks older and serious.

“Also, I think It’s nice. Reggie hanging out with Dad. I think he…”

He fiddles with his ball, but doesn’t throw it. “I think he probably needs that, you know?”

Julie did know, she just didn’t know that Carlos knew. And understood. And was willing to share Dad like that because he knew. She feels her face start heating up with pride.

“How did you--” she starts. Then stops. She knows how she figured it out and she had mostly relied on being able to see when Reggie was around and how he tried to stay away for so long and her conversation with Luke.

“Oh. Uh. Well, he started a stash of food in my room,” Carlos says. Julie blinks at him. “I went up there one day and he was shoving granola bars in a box in the back of my closet. That was already filled with other stuff.

“He was acting really weird. I mean, nervous and I dunno. I asked him why and he said it was always a good backup in case you couldn’t go downstairs and then I asked why I wouldn’t be able to go downstairs and I think he was embarrassed but still insisted it was safer and--”

Carlos shrugs. Flushes because he realizes he had been talking a hair too fast.

“I don’t know. It made him feel better so I kept it. And it honestly is sometimes easier than going all the way downstairs.”

“Carlos!”

“He has one in your room too!’ Carlos says, laughing. “Basket tucked under your bed, I think. I’m telling you, once you get used to access to rice krispy treats in the middle of the night…”

“Oh my god,” Julie says and they are laughing about this, because what else is there to do but…

“So it’s really okay,” Carlos says. “Plus I figure now you and me can play catch?” He turns on those big brown eyes for that last part and he is so good that Julie can barely stand it.

“Oh alright,” she makes sure to roll her eyes so he knows that she is not falling for him for a second. “Let me put my bag down.”

*^*^*^

The boys are not supposed to be on her computer (there has actually been talk of getting them their own computer to uphold this rule, but none of them really seem to have much interest in technology (besides TV) given that they can always just poof to whoever they need to talk to and force Julie to do the research for them) so it’s a surprise when Julie walks into her room and finds Reggie, glaring at the screen.

“Reggie!” she says, fully intending to yell at him. She has private things on there!

And then he looks up at her. He looks dark and serious and--

“Will you help me?” he asks. “I don’t know how-- this thing is so complicated.” And Reggie isn’t the one who will get frustrated-- that’s Alex when his anxiety gets to be too much or Luke when a song isn’t going well or even herself when having three rambunctious boys who can pop in on her literally any time gets to be a little much-- but he’s frustrated now.

“Okay,” she says, her earlier rant about privacy flying out of her head. “Okay, yes, let me help. What do you need to do?”

With the boys, it could be anything. Alex wants to watch videos of skateboarding so he can pretend he knows something about what Willie talks about, or there was the week he discovered Sense8 and then Luke really just wants to google guitars or also there was that week Julie tried to get him on music producing software and then he just wanted to read articles about how digital music was destroying the industry (like some old grandpa).

“I’m--” Reggie stops and stands. Takes a breath and blows it out. Julie waits. He looks somewhere toward the ceiling. “I’m trying to find my parents.”

Julie stills.

That is not what she was expecting.

“Oh,” she says and it’s a struggle but she keeps her voice carefully neutral. She also takes the moment to look down and see that Reggie has type “goo-gull” into the windows search bar.

He doesn’t add anything and so she sets herself to opening the real google and seeing what she can do. Contrary to popular belief, it can be a little hard to find people if they aren’t famous and have fairly common names.

“What are their names?” she asks and instead of answering, Reggie just passes her a piece of paper. It has their names on it. And what she assumes to be his old address. She senses the mood and doesn’t say anything else. At least he comes and sits next to her to see the search results pop up.

There are a lot of them.

“Don’t worry,” she says when she sees his eyes widen. “Even if I can’t do it today, I can put Flynn or-or my dad on it and I’m sure one of them can--”

“No,” Reggie says. “I don’t want-- not them.”

Julie nods and keeps scrolling. She doesn’t know what Reggie’s parents did for a living so she doesn’t know if some of these websites apply but she scrolls slowly and hopes he’ll tell her if he sees something.

After two pages, “Let’s switch to images,” she suggests. “Maybe you’ll see them.”

Reggie hesitates but then nods.

After some more silent scrolling, the silence gets to be too much -- “Why do you--?”

“There.”

Julie stops scrolling and, yes, there-- there’s something slightly familiar about that woman’s nose and the darkness of that man’s hair. She clicks to enlarge it, but it’s still a blurry picture, pulled onto google search from Facebook, if she had to guess and--

And she knows that you can’t really judge someone off of a photograph, especially not one that’s older and blurry but she…

They don’t look nice, she decides. Even though both of them are smiling. The smiles look tense and forced and they are standing a hair too far away from each other to be called close.

“That’s them,” Reggie tells her needlessly.

“Oh,” Julie says again. He doesn’t sound excited. He sounds… she doesn’t know what he sounds.

She waits, risks glancing at him to find he is still just staring. And the silence drags and then right- right as she knows she’s got to say something, anything--

“I thought it was normal,” Reggie finally says softly. “They. I thought they were normal. I mean… I thought everyone’s parents were that way.”

He’s still not looking at her. Still just staring at the screen.

“I mean… Luke fought all the time with his parents and Alex’s were just… always too religious and a bit off even before they knew and so I just assumed that everyone… you know.”

Julie did not know. Not really. Not at all.

“I knew they hated me,” he says and he finally glances over at her. He’s not crying, but his voice is tight and the nod he gives her is jerky. He looks away quickly. “For forcing them to get married. And for forcing them to stay together too, I guess, though… it wasn’t just…”

His leg is bouncing now. Jumping up and down even as his fist clenches and presses on top of it.

“It’s not even just that though,” and his voice rises now, almost desperate. “They hated me. They said I was loud and annoying and stupid and I… I thought that was normal. I thought they were right.”

He shoots up now, solid enough that her little table gets pushed back when his shin hits against it, but he doesn’t seem to notice and he swipes at his eyes, but he’s not crying. Just red and Julie’s almost crying, she realizes, but she’s also tense and her stomach hurts and she doesn’t know what to do.

“They were my parents and they hated me and I thought-- I thought that was normal. That everyone would always hate--” He cuts off and Julie opens her mouth again but she doesn’t know what to say. The boys… the boys are young and happy and they are all an open book, even when they try not to be, but now… Now Reggie clenches his jaw and stops himself. The boys never stop themselves.

“It wasn’t right though,” Reggie says and he’s angry now. More angry than Julie’s seen anyone. “It wasn’t fair. What they did. Making me feel… yelling at me all the time and-and sending me to bed without dinner so often that I- I fucking thought everyone snuck snacks into their room and shoving me around and even when they were happy, I just knew it could turn so quickly, that even one mistake could just ruin everything and I- I-”

He cuts off, breathing hard.

“Reggie--” Julie starts. She stands but he takes a step away from her so she stills.

“It wasn’t fair,” he says and he’s quieter now but it doesn’t feel calmer. He meets her eyes and his are wet. “I just don’t get how they could-- why they--”

“It wasn’t fair,” Julie agrees and this time when she comes closer, he doesn’t move. So she gets to put a hand on his shoulder and breaths a small sigh of relief that he is solid right now.

“I had to die, Jules,” he says, looking at her again finally. And this is… being dead is something the boys rarely acknowledge in a real way. It’s usually a joke or an offhand comment or their comeback for why they shouldn’t have to help her with calculus. It’s not this. Soft and serious and then followed by a dark chuckle. “I literally had to fucking die to figure out that they were bad parents. And I bet-- I bet they were glad.”

Julie opens her mouth to say that of course they weren’t, that any parent would be heartbroken, that he can’t know that but--

But she doesn’t know them. She doesn’t know if that is true.

“Well,” she starts but Reggie backs away and cuts her off.

“I have to go,” he announces. And then he glances at her and realizes she’s crying and maybe realizes what just happened because he runs his hand through his hair and guilt enters his eyes but “Sorry,” he says. “Sorry about-- You weren’t supposed to-- I gotta go.”

“Wait!” Julie tries, but he’s already gone.

*^*^*^

Her first instinct is to run and get Luke and Alex, to tell them to poof to all the most likely spots for Reggie to be, to tell them everything that had happened and then maybe run and tell her dad too for good measure and to probably cry a little more but she--

She doesn’t.

She doesn’t know what stops her or why instead of yelling and rushing down the stairs, she takes a breath and falls back onto her couch, but… that’s what she does.

She falls back and stares at the picture she’d found a little longer and--

I hate you, she thinks. You didn’t deserve him.

And then she closes the tab without saving it.

And she doesn’t tell anybody.

*^*^*^

Reggie is a little late to rehearsal that day, but not enough to attract much notice.

He comes in cautious though. Julie sees it, since she knows to look for it.

He poofs up outside the garage and then slowly walks in and he’s waiting, she sees, for someone to say something or act weird or for them to all stop talking at once in an obvious display of “we were just talking about your breakdown earlier.” He’s tense and cautious and--

“Dude, awesome,” Luke says in greeting, waving a hand at him. “You’re here. We can get started. I think I have a killer idea for a harmony echo thing in the chorus of--”

Reggie looks suspicious for a beat longer, eyes flicking between Julie and Luke and then Alex, but Alex is too busy trying out a new spin move with his drumsticks to really be paying much attention and Luke is still droning on about his latest idea and Julie just gives him a smile. And a nod. And hopes that her eyes convey she didn’t actually say anything.

She knows it was the right call when the tension leaves Reggie’s shoulders.

Reggie gives her a smile and a nod and then they all do what they do best.

They play.

*^*^*^

That night, Julie spots her dad alone (actually alone) on the couch, fiddling with something on his laptop, and when they were playing music together, she didn’t think about it but now it all comes rushing back.

The hurt and the anger in his voice and the fact that she didn’t know what to say or do and it was the right call, not to tell anyone Reggie’s private business, she thinks, but she suddenly feels very sad again and the only thing for it is to plop down next to her dad and curl into his side.

He hums in greeting and keeps his eyes on his screen and she just enjoys it. His warmth and smell and marvels in the fact that he is always there. That she can always do this. That she has a dad who will always let her sit with him and who has to be coached into being angry and just loves her so damn much.

“Honey?” he says and he’s closing the laptop to twist and look at her. There is concern in his eyes. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she says, shaking her head and trying to ignore the heat behind her eyes that tells her she might cry. “Nothing’s wrong. I just-- It’s been a long day.”

“Too much practice?” he says.

“No, not that. Just… you know. One of those days.”

“Oh okay,” he says and then he’s lifting his arm so he can wrap it around her and squeeze her more firmly into his side. “Okay.”

They sit for a long moment, just breathing and Reggie should do this, she thinks, just sit and be calm and be held and she hopes one day, he does. That he is solid enough and comfortable enough and maybe he can’t tuck all that way into her dad’s side like she can but he should still… he should still try. One day.

She knows her dad would let him.

“Thank you,” she says. “For being such a good dad.”

Her dad’s soft laugh answers her. “Well, you know that’s my job.”

“Yeah, but… also for everything else too. With the band and the music program and for-for being so good to Re-- the boys. All the boys.”

She doesn’t know if he hears the name she almost said, but he tilts his head as if he knows. He probably does somehow.

“They’re great kids,” is what he says instead.

“Still,” she insists. “I know it’s a lot. But they- he- just thank you.”

He looks at her for a long moment and finally nods.

“Anytime.”

*^*^*^

“Thanks,” Reggie says, the next day, drifting over to where she is resting on the couch while Alex and Luke get into a semi-argument, semi-productive debate on a certain rhythm. “For not saying anything to the guys.”

“No problem,” she says. “But if you want to talk more or--”

“No, no,” he says, waving a hand as if that is going to make her forget the entire thing. “It’s not a big deal. It’s--”

“Reggie.” She says it firmly. She says it and then waits until he actually looks at her. “It is a big deal. Your parents were-- They were wrong and mean and fucking horrible and if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s your right and I won’t say anything. But it is a big deal. Your feelings are a big deal. You are a big deal. So talk to me or to my dad or to no one but don’t tell me it’s not a big deal.”

Reggie blinks at her and Julie flushes. But doesn’t back down. Keeps glaring at him.

“Uh. Okay,” Reggie says. “I- I will. Or I won’t. Tell you that.”

“Good,” Julie says, nodding once. And then Alex and Luke turn back to them and it seems they have compromised (Or maybe Alex won and Luke is just saying they compromised) and they’re back to it.

*^*^*^

As far as Julie knows, he doesn’t talk about it. At least, not with her.

But, gradually, he stops hesitating before announcing himself to her dad and he starts buzzing with the same kind of energy that he does in the garage in the house and, then later, she goes downstairs for a late night snack and Carlos is there too, half-heartedly complaining that his stash has run out and he had grown accustomed to a certain style of living and--

“Ray, Ray, Ray, Ray Ray RayRay,” Reggie says, running into the house, tripping over his own feet somehow and skidding into the counter, knocking over the fruit bowl in the process. Her dad idly straightens it with one hand, the other reaching out to collect the apples and oranges that had rolled everywhere but Reggie grabs it and pulls. “You gotta see this, there’s a bird and the light-- bring your camera!”

“A bird?” her dad says, and he sounds a bit doubtful but he is already grabbing his camera.

“Huge bird,” Reggie says, waving his hands as if to indicate. “Biggest bird ever. I think it’s a condor!”

“A condor! A California condor??” her dad’s eyes go huge and then he’s throwing one camera at Reggie and grabbing another out of a drawer and there are apples and oranges everywhere and her dad almost brains himself stepping on one and flying forward but Reggie catches him and suddenly, Julie is in the kitchen by herself, surrounded by fruit, staring at a pancake her dad was supposed to flip.

She rolls her eyes and smiles to herself and grabs the spatula.

She doesn’t think they’re coming back any time soon.

#julie and the phantoms #jatp #jatp fanfiction #my fic #reggie #ray molina #julie molina #fanfiction #bullet point fic #but it is 7k #also yes i just pulled the title from finally free #it seemed to fit

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chimtaera · 5 years ago

Text

imagine model namjoon.

ok let’s not kid ourselves

boy’s already a model

he’s got the body.

got the looks.

what can i say, he’s no super model (too clumsy), but he get’s around with the more diverse castings yanno

probably got started on instagram,

with his #kimdaily outfits

which are sometimes just chill, pretty, sporty, casual, cool

and other times completely wacky and just ??? how did you even think to wear those ??? at the same time?? together ???

he always looks good tho

but some looks will give you whiplash. ur warned.

but that’s part of his appeal tbh

hhhh probably gains a lot of popularity when one of those more ‘out there’ outfits circulates on twitter or reddit and people are like “hOW does he make that work??? why does it look good??? is he just that hot??”

the answer is yes.

from there he builds a solid following.

for his great looks, great fashion sense, and his 4am instagram stories that are just a black pic with like a three paragraph text about how rain might feel if it had feelings.

also, solid music recommendations omg

you probably make ur own spotify playlist with just his recommendations.

ok ok so you best bELIEVE when this boy finally gets cast for a show he’s gonna fall on his ass and go viral

claim to fame baby

probably becomes a meme and rolls with it tbh

like he’ll share the memes in his story, so as not to ruin the ・ﾟ:*aesthetic*:・ﾟand react to them and shit

but then also get on live and talk at length about how faceplanting on the catwalk impacts your self-esteem, how he’s habit he could benefit positively from such an embarrassing moment, and how there’s a lesson for everyone here, and that he hopes all our embarrassing moments may in some way benefit us one day.

he’s such a sweetheart im-

so you might be a stylist?

a hair stylist?

makeup artist?

fellow model?

whatever you’re comfortable with.

you definitely see him on instagram first tho

you came for the memes but are super impressed with his profile and end up staying for the music.

...... and him.

he’s hot, come on.

also 90% of networking is done on instagram these days let us be real.

okay so oNE DAY, or like late evening, who cares

he post a music recommendation and you’re like !!!!!!!!

it’s that low key indie band with like only one EP out that you found on some obscure spotify playlist and you’ve been jamming to since october

and apparently namjoon has too because they’ve released a new single and you didn’t even know ????

and you’re so excited your fingers slip and oopsie you’ve sent a short but rambling message explaining exactly that into his DM’s

instant regret.

then the anxiety bubbles up in you.

and then you calm yourself and convince yourself that he gets a LOT of messages he probably won’t even see yours, so it’s fine it’s fine it’s-

next morning you have a reply

a new follow

and a mcfUCKING LIKE ON A PICTURE OF YOU FROM TWO WEEKS AGO

yikes, you didn’t even have time to give your feed a spring cleaning

you just like his short “ikr!!!!”, too mortified to reply.

alas, the regrets!

but also

the butterflies.

then you see him at an event one time.

it’s fashion week, you’re hecking busy and about to leave because it’s like midnight and you’ve got places to be tomorrow

but it’s always so strange to see people from insta irl like ??? all those dimensions??? you really be lookign like that ??? damn.

once you’ve stared long enough to be certain that’s actually what he looks like (so handome!!! so tall!!!! wtf!!!! who allowed this??) you turn to leave just as he glances up and cetches your eye for like the tiniest fraction of a second

and you hightail it outta there and hope to heaven he doesn’t know you were staring.

but he likes your pic from the party the next morning and you almost choke on your coffee and the lump in your throat stays there all day

and you’re like, am i?? catching feelings ??? for the catwalk faceplant guy??? you’ve never even talked to the man smh

he’s fucking hot tho.

so, fashion week ends and with it comes another party

you can finally relax, celebrate, wind down from the long week.

yA THOUGHT lmao

you’re talking to some designer about their next project and they’re going on about this instagram dude who’s already on board when they start waving someone over like “hey hey, there he is, y/n have you met kim namjoon yet?”

you turn around you’re like !!!!! fuck. he’s so much taller up close.

“hey, no, yeah, no, but i’ve seen you on, uh, on instagram. i think.” smooth, y/n.

after introductions, the designer gets pulled along into some other conversation and you and namjoon are kinda awkward for a minute.

you just sip your drink like ‘fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck aaaaaaa’

but then he asks you easy questions about what you do and what you’ve been working on this week and it’s the same thing you’ve been talking about with everyone you’ve met this week so it goes pretty smoothly

he makes it easy for you, like he’s very attentive, nods along enthusiastically asking follow-up questions and seems genuinely interested in your work it’s so nice! he’s so nice!

and you ask him the same things you’ve asked everyone else this week like you haven’t seen everything on his instagram already.

actually you’ve missed a few things since you’ve been so busy and your interest is genuine, before you know it the two of you are at a table and getting along like a house on fire, showing each other pics from the week.

he asks you send him a pic from one of the shows he didn’t get to see and when he do he’s sees your old messages and is like ?? oh !!

i mean, he totally knew it was you, but he had forgotten the part about that obscure indie band and the new single, so he shows you!

you’ve been following them even closer since then so you know they’re playing a gig in like two weeks and you tell him.

turns out he’s missed this info because of fashion week and he’s super excited!! you guys have to go together!!!¨

“i mean, we don’t have to- it’s just, i don’t know anyone else who listens to them, i could probably go alone, but, you know, it would be cool-”

and of course you’ll go with him, so you two exchange numbers and end up texting the next two weeks.

at first you’re just making tentative plans to meet and go to to the gig, but then there’s a gallery opening the same day, and you know this realy good thrift shop nearby that he should check out, and you guys should get dinner before because namjoon knows this really cool place and-

and it’s a date.

namjoon has every intention to kiss you that night after the gig, but he wants to ask you first and he’s not sure exactly how so he’s just like “um ??? can i ??? uhhh ?? do you ??? uh”

and ur like, “hey, namjoon, i really want u to kiss me, please?”

the rest is history.

you two are too cute, with your instagram aesthetic and lowkey couple outfits, and highkey couple pics, i’d follow.

you two would be gOALS, and it does wonders for both your careers tbh

omg imagine all the cool collaborations you two could do.

and eventually namjoon would go viral again when the paparazzi captures him spilling his coffee and your cute reaction.

but the best thing about dating model namjoon is he makes you your very own playlist.

and you get your very own story highlight with all the aesthetic pics he snaps of you just like buying milk and stealing his fries, and exploring the city on sundays afternoons, going vintage shopping and reading in the park, titled: “bae.” with every colour heart.

hyping each other in the comments always.

and the thirst omg

anyway, nsfw under the cut.

so you take it kinda slow at first because turns out namjoon has a huge crush on you and he lowkey can’t keep his hands off you but also wants to “date you properly”, whatever that means.

props to you if you get impatient with him and tease him a little, a thirst trap here, a netflix and chill there, sending a sexy song his way, or even better post it on your story for him to see.

if it doesn’t provoke him to action it’ll at least get him hard flustered, which is cute.

in the end joon is a soft boy and you can sit up all night talking, so you end up talking about sex long before having it.

and that just makes it all the more special tbh

and when it does happen, it’s like everything else the two of you do, a little awkward at first, a little clumsy, fumbly, but a lot of fun, and it’s namjoon, and you love namjoon. so, so much.

like it doesn’t matter if he accidentally bumps your nose, because he’ll apologise and the two of you will just giggle and continue.

and he might pull your hair on accident, but that way you can admit to him that it’s.. kinda hot.

and when your teeth collide when you kiss it’s only because any amount of distance between you quickly becomes unbearable, and you both need each other so, so much.

imagine slow, lazy sunday morning snuggle fuck with namjoon.

and then later when you’re on a blanket in the park reading both your books he’ll get distracted, thinking about it, lean in close and tell you something ridiculous like he wishes you would wake him up by sitting on his face.

and imagine backstage heavy petting after a show, leaving the afterparty early, because you’re both buzzing with unrelieved tension and namjoon is very hard in his pants, pressing himself against you as you try to have a polite conversation with some influencer.

love, love, loooooves, watching you ride.

and he’ll go down on you for hours if you let him, honestly.

anytime, anywhere tbh

how did you get so lucky?

#namjoon smut #namjoon scenario #namjoon #namjoon imagine #bts scenarios #bts smut #BTS au #bts imagines #bts reactions #kpop smut #kpop scenarios #kpop reactions #kpop imagines

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anna-dreamer · 2 years ago

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OMG this. Thank you OP! This is what I've always wanted to say about the way the PC gets recruited into Wardens in DAO but couldn’t bring myself to write about it. Hope it’s ok if i rant about stuff! I just so happen to be that player whose PCs are mostly that - desperate victims of circumstance getting press-ganged into the Wardens by Duncan. Just so happy that somebody is talking about it!

This is the way i initially played ALL but one of my origins. As for me, before starting a new playthrough i still have to make a conscious decision for my PC to WANT to become a Grey Warden, since the writing doesn’t really do it for me! In my personal impression as a player, only Brosca has a fair and square roleplay opportunity to actually want the Joining and to root for the Wardens. They’ve been through shit, they are about to lose everything, and they are saved miraculously. They finally get a chance to improve their life. Beside them... I just don’t feel much solid internal motivation in the narrative for any other Wardens! Sure, Amell and Surana get to actually leave the Circle, but the circumstances aren’t exactly in their favour anyway since they immediately are thrusted into another type of prison, one that is their own bodies now. Some freedom for them mages. Joining heals Mahariel, but it also determines their soon-to-come death, forces them to leave behind their clan, loved ones, and old life and to go with a strange shem to shemlen world. Cousland is forced to leave their parents to die after that Warden stranger makes their father give them up to him as a recruit. Tabris has to trust that shem with their life or also face death, while that shem previously has been rude and dismissive and has done nothing to earn their trust. Amell and Surana also find themselves at mercy of that stranger with imminent demise as an alternative if he doesn’t step in. Even Aeducan cannot survive their exile without the Wardens, and they specifically demand to join them, otherwise they will leave Aeducan to their death. Maybe it’s just me, but none of those situations sound like a positive introduction to the Wardens, and honestly, none of my PCs except for Brosca wanted to join them. They had to, but they surely didn’t like it.

When i first picked up DAO i didn’t know anything about Grey Wardens put i already have heard about mages being under the Chantry control and the elves being an oppressed minority. So my first Warden was, of course, an elven mage named Myriil. He was a timid and gentle fellow with a lot of anger and frustration issues (which is unsurprising if you consider a drastic lack of freedom or choice in Magi Origin).

When it came to either face the wrath of Templars or be conscripted into Wardens, the choice was not only obvious but also incredibly devoid of PC agency. What happened for Myriil is his leash was given from one master to another, from Chantry to Wardens. That proved to be true as soon as it became clear just what the Joining was. I vividly remember my helpless rage when that cut scene played out and i could do nothing to escape it. Here we have a mage who suffered from Circle abuse his whole life, who then was conscripted into the Wardens with death as the only alternative and who is now being tricked to drinking that concoction that will change his body forever. Not only Myriil, but almost ALL my Wardens felt tremendous disgust towards the order as well as their own body after the Joining. It’s a traumatizing experience. None of my PCs ever return in the Awakening because they want NOTHING to do with the Grey Wardens. They want their lives back, while they still have time. And many of them I headcanon to go look for the cure.

As for Myriil, i felt that after leaving the Circle, surviving the battle, and with his new master dead, he had next to no motivation to take up a mantle of a Grey Warden and not to BOLT immediately. Sure, there was this saving the world business, as in ‘‘only you can save them’’, but again, as it happened with the recruitment, it felt like an external motivation, which you have to obey, but you don’t really like it. Maybe i am wrong, but an internal motivation that i as a player don’t have to invent entirely by myself would be kinda nice, no? So that, you know, my PCs don’t have to hate every second of this forced Wardenship?

And oh boy that Alistair thing does not help the situation at all. Since my first playthrough i’ve felt that exact alienation towards Alistair, and it always has to be worked through entirely within headcanon space, since there are no opportunities to do that in the text. I find it both ironic and frustrating that Alistair, himself a victim of being forced into what he never wanted to be, comes off as completely blind towards his companion’s plight who is forcefully being made a Grey Warden. When playing DAO for the first time, i found it really hard to connect to Alistair specifically because of that. His worship of Grey Wardens was rather isolating for Myriil who had no desire to adopt this identity. I even made it a roleplay thing as he hated it when people addressed him as the Warden: he would always reply, I am not a Warden.

Seeing how Grey Wardens were all about “The ends justify the means”, during Landsmeet when an opportunity to make Loghain a Grey Warden came up, i immediately was like, NO. That fate is worse than death. Duncan would do such thing - but i will not. And mind you, i still had no idea about the ultimate sacrifice! Also I had just found out about the early death thing because due to that alienation i didn’t really talk to Alistair! My mage boy did tell Alistair that he felt betrayed, and there, i believe, came a sole opportunity to directly express PC’s disdain towards Duncan, He got what he deserved. I did pick that line because i was pissed, but later i felt i had to apologize to Alistair since he really loved Duncan and wasn't responsible for Duncan’s choices. But the thing is - the fact that Duncan was nice to Alistair and gave him a whole new life doesn’t negate that he tricked and forced people into his command and killed Ser Jori who did no wrong. And it would be great if Alistair recognized that.

A thing that I find really fascinating about Alistair and the Warden's dynamic is how for Alistair becoming a Warden was the best thing that could have ever happened to him, but it's very easy to have a Warden for whom it ruined their life.

Like, the only Warden who absolutely had to become a Warden or they would die is Mahariel, because the Joining was the only thing that would stop the Blight from killing them. Some of the others needed rescue, but Duncan could've "conscripted" them and then let them go free once they were away from the people threatening them. Some of them would've been in trouble if left on their own, but the Wardens weren't the only group that could've helped them! It's possible to play a Warden who absolutely wants to be a Grey Warden, but it's just as easy to portray them as a frightened, desperate victim of circumstance getting press-ganged into the Wardens by the man who in that moment has a huge amount of power over them. The Warden can say no... but they don't really have a choice.

Meanwhile for Alistair, Duncan absolutely saved him. He hated the Templars and the Wardens were a dream come true for him. But that creates a situation where you can have this massive disconnect between him and the Warden, because for him the Wardens were his salvation but it's very easy for the Warden to view it as a fate worse than death, and we never really get a chance to get into that conversation with him. Which is like... I would've loved to really get into that with Alistair! It would've been fascinating to hear Alistair's near-worship of Duncan and respond to it with "He ruined my life, I didn't want to be a Warden and he made me do it anyway". And I do wonder if sparing Loghain might have been gone over somewhat better if we were able to have that conversation with Alistair before that point? Because Alistair has this very firm image of the Wardens as heroes because he views Duncan as a hero, and the image of joining the Wardens as a reward when... yeah, for most people being dragged into a secretive society that worships self-sacrifice and that will ultimately kill them is very much not a reward. It is better than the Templars! But it's not something most people would want. So Alistair is looking at you sparing Loghain and going "You're rewarding him for what he did", but for any Warden who wasn't super into joining the Wardens it's more... this is a punishment for Loghain. This isn't something he wants. He's being sentenced to serve the organization he betrayed until the day he dies, and from the way Riordan talks about it it seems pretty clear to me that his intent was basically "If I can't kill the Archdemon, these two young adults should not be the ones to die for the world"? The intent in putting Loghain through the Joining is to have a convenient sacrifice to throw onto the fire, not to spare him or reward him. From what people have said Alistair is less angry with you if you sacrifice Loghain, which suggests that in hindsight and with the knowledge of how killing the Archdemon works he does understand that joining the Wardens was not a reward for Loghain? But it's a little sad that there's no equivalent realization if you don't sacrifice anyone, so if you choose to go through with the ritual after sparing Loghain Alistair just... continues to be angry with the Warden for keeping Loghain alive. I don't know if it's ever even confirmed that he was told about how the Warden who lands the final blow dies. Although he does seem to have relaxed about it by the time of Awakening.

I wonder if a Warden who was forced into the Wardens by Duncan ever explained that to Alistair, though. Because the disconnect between Alistair worshipping Duncan for saving him and a Warden who loathes the man for forcing them into a situation they never wanted to be in against their will on pain of death is fascinating to me.

#dragon age origins #dragon age duncan critical #dragon age grey wardens critical #dragon age alistair #Bless you op #dragon age

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graysonhq-blog · 7 years ago

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IT’S TOO COLD FOR YOU HERE — AN INTRODUCTION.

MWAH hello yall cuties :”)) i’m lucy i’m 9teen i just spent the afternoon staring @ my blemishes n wondering if i should spend the $115 for the foreo luna mini ! but sdsdsj before i get distracted n start ranting abt myself, let me tell u about this trash bag aka grayson easton via this messy af intro xxxxxxx

- ̗̀ ❛ GREGG SULKIN, HE/HIM. ❜ ̖́- is that grayson easton getting out of their car blasting the new year by death cab? i heard they’re twenty five years old and they’ve been living in scarsdale for twelve years. i mean, i’m not surprised –�� i hear their family’s networth is 800k. everyone’s always said they’re pretty industrious and disciplined, but rumor has it they can be deceitful and rigid, too.

so grayson easton was conceived when thomas easton aka international millionaire couldn’t contain his dick @ a medical conference 🍆💦 but even though it wasn’t necessarily how lauren hannigan imagined starting a family, she was still excited

she already understood that he wouldn’t be v involved (because smh his ass already had a family and was too high profile to risk exposing himself as a cheater), but it didn’t matter to her ! after all, she just finished her residency program and was gong to *lil wayne vc* cash money make it rain ! lordt she was so HYPE she was close to spending a small fortune on little einstein storybooks 👀

but she never got the opportunity to read him those stories because a complication during her labour meant she passed away before she even had the opportunity to see her son—and because she wasn’t interested in involving his father (and honestmeme it wasn’t like he was knocking down doors to bring home his son), custody went to her parents, tessa and charles hannigan

they were fantastic guardians like clearly they were so distraught when their daughter passed away, but they decided to take all the love they couldn’t give her and direct it towards their grandson

he had a lemonade stand up every month, and his grandfather spent hours helping him make the posters and decorate the table before sitting out in the heat with him :”) it was called gray’s and grayson’s lemonade

they took turns helping charlie work through his dyslexia and brought him to the library regularly 💕 they were adamant about showing him that he wasn’t stupid just because he needed to work ten times harder than everyone to understand things, that he could do everything everyone else can do and more if he tried hard enough

also tessa taught him how to play the guitar and they spent v many fuzzy afternoons doing bad covers of sesame street songs shshsjs

but everything started going downhill when grayson turned ten—at that point, his grandparents were already p advanced in age, and that ultimately meant that their health was always v precarious :// before he could process what was happening, tessa was diagnosed w stage three breast cancer that showed no indication of slowing down—and all of a sudden, he was spending his nights doing homework in her hospital room and sleeping on the tiny chair near her bed because he refused to leave

( tessa was always miserable in the hospital, but always brightened whenever he told her that he won a poetry competition or that his teacher put a sticker on his latest test because he got a hundred percent and he just wanted to make her happy ahhhh )

he was doing homework the evening she passed away in the surgery room—and after that, it was tbh emotional earthquake after emotional earthquake because the shock was too much for his grandfather, who died from a heart attack a few days after

he’d barely processed what happened before his father ended up in the picture again—his father was concerned that the press would find the story, and he was smart enough to know that everyone discovering how he abandoned his bastard son would not be great press—and before he knew it, he was wrenched form his family home in maine, with only a few cardboard boxes in his arms, and dropped into this wildly privileged lifestyle in scarsdale, new york

he soon became the center of immense gossip :/ because of his spontaneous appearance onto the otherwise exclusive setting of high class new york, people considered him a “leeching bastard son” who was only interested in getting his hands on some fortune

but he never felt that he could actually say something about his circumstances to his father smh at that point, he’d lost so many loved ones consecutively that he was desperate for someone that he could consider family, even if it meant steadfastly ignoring the genuinely shitty things about his father

he started attending first class institutions that cost as much as his old house’s mortgage per term, his dad gave him an allowance that made his weekly paper run money look like dust bunnies, he was introduced to businessmen and politicians and lawyers whose names he’d only heard on the evening news

though he was already v hardworking and disciplined because he wanted to honour his grandparents and mom’s memory, his efforts to counteract the rumors that were being spread about him and his attempts to impress his detached father meant that his desperation to impress everyone became even more exacerbated

by the time he graduated high school, he was the Golden Boy™ who sat at the popular table, got glowing comments from his teachers whenever he handed in assignments, and was celebrated as the star quarterback—but so much of his reputation was actually just constructed as a means to impress his father and as a way to please other people yikes he doesn’t even like playing football wtf

the fact that he was exposed to such a toxic environment that demanded everything from him to be considered valid and the fact that he’s so desperate for the feeling of compassion that he used to get from his family drove him to try finding validation and love in the wrong places, using the wrong ways

smh you would hope that spending time away from new york would’ve helped him become a little less reliant on other people’s opinion and more willing to be flexible but :) since finishing university and passing the bar exam, his family’s net worth dropped 200k and his father is placing even more pressure on him to help their firm get back on solid ground

he’s doing everything he can and spending all his nights staying up late at his office, so much so that he sleeps there more than he sleeps in his still barely furnished apartment—but yikes he actually secretly hates corporate law and sometimes fantasizes about working for an non-governmental organization smh

despite everything his father tried to make him as cold-hearted as him, his years with his grandparents meant that grayson is genuinely still such a compassionate and kind person underneath everything—he nags all his friends into eating vegetables and enjoys sneaking baby carrots into their homes and will always put everything on hold for the people that he loves and didn’t punch someone when they drunkenly vomited on his carpeted floor :”)

but yikes he’s also repressed all the grief and trauma and bitterness that he’s experienced in his life, incorrectly thinking that his validation comes from authority figures and stubbornly ignoring anyone who suggests otherwise because “they’re just messing with me so they could be better than me” (also sidenote sometimes that bitterness manifests in some v questionable drinking n dating habits smh i hate him)

ANYMEME that’s grayson easton he’s a lil fake bitch who needs some help sdshdsjd the only person he talks 2 abt things is his corgi plz help

oK that should b it omg if u managed 2 finish this fckn ... verbal diarrhea of an intro plz know that i love u 5ever mwah ! if ur lookin for some childhood friends n old exes n fwbs n ride or die’s n will they won’t they and tBH w/e plz hmu my ass has graduated from thirsty 2 plots to dehydrated for them oOF

#scarsdale:intro #after only 21281291 yrs .... ive posted my intro :)#SDKDS yall plz if u send me one (1) sec of attention i Will send u all the headcanons #im a thirsty ho !

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kpopfanfictrash · 8 years ago

Text

99 and Marlowe

Author: kpopfanfictrash

Pairing: You / Jongin

Genre: Soulmates!AU (kWritersNet May Prompt) + Angst

Prompt: “You can’t eat solids, only liquids until Thursday.”

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 4,158

*Marlowe578 has entered the chat room* [10:24 PM]

Marlowe578: hey 99, you there? [10:26 PM]

Marlowe578: just watched West World and thought it was complete crap [10:28 PM]

*99problemsBUTaSnitchaintone has entered the chat room* [10:28 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: I shouldn’t be surprised by this. I know you hate everything, but I let myself hope. [10:29 PM]

Marlowe578: I refuse to be lectured by a child. It was just so impractical… If the robots were that terrifying, why didn’t they just burn them or destroy them? [10:30 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: See, this is what’s wrong with you old folk. Thinking you know everything. Nothing is new. Tell me, Marlowe – have you ever seen a robot? [10:32 PM]

Marlowe578: I’ve seen Christopher Walken, that’s pretty damn close [10:33 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: lol [10:33 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: There was nothing you liked about it??? [10:34 PM]

Jongin sits back, almost smiling in the light of his computer screen. 99 is young, that much is obvious by her ellipses and hyperbole. Everything is new, fresh and intense with her. Maybe that’s why Jongin enjoys her company. He knows 99 is a she from a slip-up she made once, accidentally sending him her grocery list instead of a novel attachment. Jongin opened it and nearly choked – tampons and avocados being the first and second items on that list.

If he doubted 99 was a female before, he didn’t then. You were, of course apologetic. Sending cringe emojis and memes until Jongin finally typed STOP in all capitals. That did it – rarely did Jongin express emotion outside of bored amusement, so when he did people tended to listen.

These days though, if Jongin delves into anything deeper than antipathy it’s near impossible to escape.

Jongin sets his fingers against the keyboard.

Marlowe578: The special effects of West World were cool [10:36 PM)

99problemsBUTaSni…: Wow, hopeless [10:36 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Is that all you wanted to say? Message me and shit on my favorite TV show? [10:37 PM]

Marlowe578: hey, you’ve shat on plenty of my favorite things in the past [10:38 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Name one!!! [10:38 PM]

Marlowe578: Tesla, Schubert, Oscar Wilde, Proust… [10:39 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: I said one [10:40 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Also, only pretentious people like Proust [10:41 PM]

Marlowe578: why hello, pot. Calling the kettle black. [10:41 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: hahaha Okay, I apologize. You gave me one suggestion that I love, so I thank you [10:42 PM]

Marlowe578: you’re welcome for your introduction to higher culture [10:43 PM]

Jongin sits back, tapping his fingers against his wooden desk he’s had since 1982. He met 99 on accident when he entered the wrong chat room. Jongin was rather disgruntled at finding himself knee-deep in some Young Adult vampire teen novel and didn’t fail to make his displeasure known. As soon as he did though, 99 appeared.

Jongin was called a snob, a nitwit and a newt amongst other things that night. Most of her insults left him gaping, staring open-mouthed at his screen. The creativity of 99 was astounding, as was the speed with which she typed. Her words flowed like water, the sudden barrage of insults made all the more impressive by her fault-free grammar. Jongin actually laughed, the first time in a long time such a thing had happened and that was the beginning of his and 99’s friendship.

Sometime after that Jongin ended up telling her about the movie his URL was based on. Only Lovers Left Alive, a vampire movie released a few years back which still gave Jongin chills every time he watched it. His URL was an ode to a side character, Christopher Marlowe. In the film Marlowe is a vampire who writes most of Shakespeare’s plays in the sixteenth century.

Marlowe578.

The Marlowe part comes from the movie, 578 being the year in which Jongin was born.

It’s not unheard of, living for multiple centuries. Fifteen centuries, though – Jongin sighs. He’s an anomaly. Maybe it’s why he relates so much to that vampire movie. 99 is typing, Jongin watches her ellipses blink as he stretches his arms overhead. The noise of the city drifts through his open window, the only sound helping him sleep at night.

Jongin can’t relax without the background noise, without distractions that don’t require actual participation. It’s why he continues to lose himself in his worlds – in fiction, science, anything that’s not real life. It was a long time ago Jongin stopped caring for the real world. The real world hasn’t really worked out all that well for him.

Soulmate. The concept is intriguing, if somewhat unrelatable to Jongin at the moment. The idea of one person you’re destined for, another human who completes you. In a world with 7.3 billion people though, what’s the chance you’ll find that person during your lifetime?

Jongin imagines those odds would be slim, if it weren’t for the freezing. The freezing is the point where people age until twenty-ish and then just… stop. Halting their decay until meeting their other half. Once they find them, their soulmate – they start to age again. Slowly. Together. Jongin has searched for this person for 1,439 years. Frozen with this face, this body until his soulmate is found.

It seems like a long time, if he stops to think about it. It’s at the point though, where the passage of time has dulled any fear or sadness Jongin feels about his existence.

The saddest part of eternity is having to spend it alone. His parents, sister, friends – they’re all gone. Jongin watched them meet their soulmates. Watched them grow old, have families and eventually die. With each death, he felt the uncertain chasm inside him widen.

99 is young still.

99problemsBUTaSni…: I watched Only Lovers Left Alive again [10:44 PM]

Jongin sits up to respond.

Marlowe578: It’s one of my favorite things to introduce others to a thing that they love [10:45 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Is that what you do for a living? Professional hobby-finder? You might want to start with Trump. He seems bored, trolling Twitter and whatnot [10:46 PM]

Marlowe578: sigh. 99, I was trying to enjoy my evening. Now I’m over here thinking about a pumpkin tyrant [10:48 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: LOL sorry. So, did you leave the house today? [10:49 PM]

Jongin glares at his screen, hands falling off his keyboard. 99 knows his age, knows how antipathetic he is towards the world and seems to take certain pleasure in teasing him. Not in a mean way, 99 is never mean. She isn’t malicious even when she’s calling him a sniveling, cowardly nincompoop. She’ll say all this and apologize moments later saying she doesn’t know what came over her and really hopes you have a nice day.

99 enjoys pushing Jongin’s buttons. Loves finding his triggers and making him angry, happy, sad. Her pushing has led Jongin to do some rather stupid things over the past year. Bungee jumping, line dancing, going to the circus. All of which Jongin was instructed to report back following. That’s how long he’s been talking to 99 for now – just over a year.

Marlowe578: I left the house. Went to the park, stared at a few squirrels and wondered how it’s possible they haven’t evolved in over 1,000 years [10:51 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: But why would they need to? They’ve got us humans feeding them, extending their species [10:52 PM]

Marlowe578: true. The park was too sunny. I squinted at various children and ended up going home [10:53 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: It must be so strange to see you in person, since you’re an actual grandpa trapped in the body of a young adult. Does Hollywood know about you? [10:55 PM]

Marlowe578: we can’t all be a few years past our freeze date, still confident that the world will do right by us [10:56 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: : ( [10:56 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: She’s out there, Marlowe. I know she is. [10:57 PM]

Jongin shuts his eyes. Keeping them closed until there’s another ping from his computer.

99problemsBUTaSni…: If she never shows though, at least you’ll have me [10:58 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: an actual bundle of sunshine! [10:58 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: the queen of quips! [10:59 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: the gatherer of geniality! [10:59 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: the minister of magic! No, wait that’s different [11:00 PM]

Marlowe578: let me know when you’re done [11:00 PM]

Marlowe578: … jester of joviality [11:01 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Omg a JOKE? A JOKE! THIS, FROM THE MONARCH OF MONOTONE [11:02 PM]

Marlowe578: I don’t want to admit I’m laughing, but I am [11:03 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Good! Haha okay Marlowe, got to go – sleep is calling. Tell me the new thing you do tomorrow, k? [11:05 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: night! [11:05 PM]

Marlowe578: night [11:06 PM]

*99problemsBUTaSnitchaintone has exited the chat room* [11:07 PM]

Marlowe578: sweet dreams [11:09 PM]

Jongin stares blankly at the page. Quickly, he shuts his laptop.

His bedroom is dark and he rubs his eyes, staring out the window at the concrete beyond. 99 isn’t real, she’s just a fantasy. An online persona, a portion of human that’s not whole. They might be friends, they might be friendly – but definitely no more than that.

99 wouldn’t think of Jongin in that way, anyways. She’s still in that phase of her life where everything is new, everything is exciting. Where possibility lies around every corner and the idea of her soulmate is still somewhere far in the future. A hypothetical concept, rather than tangible.

Jongin stands, stripping his t-shirt to toss this in a corner. His pants quickly follow, leaving him naked but for his boxers. As Jongin collapses on his bed, he stares up at the ceiling. Planning methodically for what he’ll do tomorrow.

Breakfast, sure. Eggs or maybe toast. He’ll work from home since Jongin is a computer engineer, one who takes government projects when he feels like it – mainly whenever he’s bored. It’s not like Jongin needs the money at this point, it’s more that he doesn’t like being idle. Jongin made his fortune early on. It’s not too difficult to do, given enough time and real estate. Jongin just likes working, likes something to do with his time that’s not thinking about the one thing he doesn’t have.

Jongin falls asleep slowly, the hum of his computer mingling with the street outside. Drifting over in waves until softly, he’s pulled under.

Jongin’s computer pings first the next night.

*99problemsBUTaSnitchaintone has entered the chat room* [10:50 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Marlowe, are you up? [10:51 PM]

*Marlowe578 has entered the chat room* [10:53 PM]

Marlowe578: good evening [10:54 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Marlowe… sigh. Today was absolute shit. [10:55 PM]

Jongin blinks at his cursor. This is unusual. Normally it’s 99 who consoles him, not the other way around. Slowly, he lowers his hands.

Marlowe578: what happened? [10:56 PM]

99 starts to type, then stops. Jongin pictures her erasing. Lowering her head in frustration before typing again.

99problemsBUTaSni…: My boyfriend broke up with me. [10:59 PM]

Jongin falls back in his seat. Ah. There it is, the answer to the question he didn’t even know how to ask. 99 is taken – or she was. It appears she’s now single, very much so. Bending forward, Jongin types back.

Marlowe578: he’s an idiot [11:00 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: He’s actually very intelligent. He went to a prestigious university, scored highly in standardized testing. [11:02 PM]

Marlowe578: an intelligent, emotionally stunted idiot [11:04 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: haha [11:04 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: I guess I knew this was coming. We’ve been dating for over a year and … no fireworks. No spark, no buzz, no zap. Aren’t you supposed to feel a zap when you meet your soulmate? [11:06 PM]

Marlowe578: you make it sound like a bug spray [11:06 PM]

Jongin stares at the screen for a while longer before he types again.

Marlowe578: my sister said it felt like sunshine. She was in the shade, beneath a giant elm tree when her skin… she said it glowed. Glowed, when she met him. [11:08 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: You have a sister? [11:09 PM]

Marlowe578: *had [11:10 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Oh, fuck. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. This whole thing just … I’m sorry. My problems are unimportant, compared to that [11:13 PM]

A smile crosses Jongin’s lips.

Marlowe578: don’t be sorry. It’s not often I get to talk about her. She’s been gone a long time now [11:14 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: I’m still sorry [11:15 PM]

Marlowe578: stop. Tell me what happened [11:16 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Well. He wasn’t my soulmate. I never felt that glow, I guess. But I still cared… He didn’t seem to think caring was enough [11:18 PM]

Jongin’s fingers curl into fists and he very slowly releases them. It’s infuriating anyone would hurt 99. She gives so much of herself – gives so easily and without judgement. Jongin wishes he could be like that. It’s not just the passage of time that’s made him this way – even when he was young, he was scared to be alive.

Scared of going outside his comfort zone, in case he was rejected. The idea of someone hurting 99 for being what Jongin never could be, makes him furious.

Marlowe578: he’s stupid if he thinks the love of soulmates is the only love that matters. All love is important, not just his [11:20 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Believe it or not, you just made me feel better J [11:22 PM]

Marlowe578: good. [11:23 PM]

Jongin settles back to stare at his screen. He’s about to say more when she responds.

99problemsBUTaSni…: Do you ever get scared? Scared your soulmate has already come and gone and somehow you missed them [11:25 PM]

Jongin can’t quite breathe. Without realizing it, 99 has hit upon the exact fear which keeps him up at night. What if his soulmate has already happened? What if they were already born, in the middle of living when they met their end. Though their bodies freeze around twenty, humans are still susceptible to harm.

Death by gunshot, stabbing, drowning, hanging. Anything could have happened to his soulmate – sweeping them from his life before they even entered. Leaving Jongin to be faced with an endless existence until his body disintegrates into the sun. He’ll never know that connection, never find the peace he craves. Somewhat shakily, Jongin types.

Marlowe578: Every day, 99. Every day I’m scared. [11:28 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Well. At least I’m not alone, then [11:29 PM]

Marlowe578: As long as I’m here, 99. You’ll never be alone [11:30 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Same. [11:31 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: I’m going to go to sleep, Marlowe… I’m exhausted. [11:32 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Thank you [11:32 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: For being here [11:32 PM]

Marlowe578: you’re welcome. [11:33 PM]

Marlowe578: goodnight [11:34 PM]

*99problemsBUTaSnitchaintone has exited the chat room* [11:35 PM]

The next day, Jongin leaves his apartment. Maybe it’s 99’s influence, maybe it’s something else entirely. For whatever the reason, he decides to eat lunch outside. There’s a deli 99 told him about he’s been meaning to try. The problem has always been that they’re only open at lunchtime and don’t deliver – so it means Jongin would be forced to go in person.

When he steps out on the sidewalk, he squints uneasily into the sun before catching himself. He should at least try to be present. Walking through the city is disorienting. It’s crowded and noisy, two things Jongin greatly dislikes. If it weren’t for background noise, he would have left long ago.

The hustle and bustle flows around him, easing Jongin into the tide of people. He allows himself to be carried, pulled along by this wave of humanity. The deli is a few blocks away and Jongin manages to arrive relatively unscathed. Unscathed but for one, rather unsettling incident which occurs when he’s nearing the building.

It’s one block away when he feels it. The day is sunny, so for a second Jongin thinks he’s stepped from the shade. Thinks his jacket is too heavy but then – the oddest sensation passes over him. A light tingling starting at the base of his neck before wrapping around his chest, wrapping around his torso. It spirals down his arms, caressing his fingertips as Jongin’s gaze snaps up.

There’s so many people though – too many to see through and Jongin stumbles, gaze darting every which way. Though he moves fast, pushed on by the bustling crowd, the tingling begins to fade away. Soon it’s nothing and outside the sandwich shop Jongin comes to a halt. It’s been so long. Hundreds and hundreds of years and now that the moment is here, Jongin can barely think.

After a few minutes of standing there wild-eyed, he becomes aware he’s garnering attention. Slowly Jongin ducks into the deli, head buzzing as he steps up to the counter. He ends up ordering the completely wrong sandwich. It’s impossible to think, given the situation. Impossible to sit here in this small shop and eat so Jongin ends up taking his sandwich with him. Walking dazedly back to his apartment as he struggles with the nausea in his body.

What if he just lost his soulmate for good?

No – straightening his shoulders, Jongin takes a deep breath. This is good, this is a good thing. Jongin’s soulmate exists. They exist, they’re here and they’re in this city. Excitement growing, Jongin slowly – for the first time in years – allows himself a bubble of hope.

Later that night, his computer pings.

*99problemsBUTaSnitchaintone has entered the chat room* [10:05PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Marlowe!!!!!!!! [10:06 PM]

*Marlowe578 has entered the chat room* [10:07 PM]

Marlowe578: your apartment had better be on fire [10:07 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: What, why? [10:08 PM]

Marlowe578: only a fire can warrant eight exclamation points [10:09 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: har-dee-har. If my apartment were on fire, why would I be chatting you about it? [10:10 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Anyways, I digress. Marlowe, something weird happened today [10:11 PM]

Marlowe578: what happened? [10:12 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Okay I’m going to sound crazy but… I think I passed my soulmate [10:13 PM]

Jongin can’t breathe. Can’t do anything but stare at the screen. His room is suddenly too small, too claustrophobic and for a solid minute he stares.

99problemsBUTaSni…: Marlowe? [10:14 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Okay, I’m just going to tell you anyways. I was going to get coffee and this amazing warmth came over me… this tingling. I was warm and I was tingling and before you even make a joke no, I didn’t need to pee [10:16PM]

Slowly, Jongin exhales. 99 was going to get coffee. 99 passed her soulmate on her way to get coffee. There’s no way it could have been Jongin, since Jongin didn’t even leave his apartment before lunch. Slowly, he lowers his fingers to type. Jongin’s head feels heavy, his thoughts numb and for some reason he’s disappointed.

Marlowe578: did you see his face? wow, 99 [10:17 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Your enthusiasm astounds me. LOL no, I didn’t see his face. Just, you know – *the feeling* I think I’ll stake out the place tomorrow. See if he shows up [10:18 PM]

Marlowe578: you should do that [ 10:19 PM]

Jongin looks suddenly away from his screen. As he stares out the window he wonders why he’s feeling so upset by this. He hasn’t been upset by something in a long time and besides, he also encountered his soulmate today. Jongin also passed his soulmate and should feel excited by this. He should want to tell 99 all it, instead of worrying about the fact that 99 might very soon be leaving him.

Jongin turns back to his screen.

Marlowe578: 99, I’m tired. I’m going to sleep but we’ll talk tomorrow, ok? [10:21 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Oh. Yeah, sorry! Sleep well [10:22 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Marlowe, wait [10:23 PM]

*Marlowe578 has exited the chat room* [10:23 PM]

99problemsBUTaSni…: Marlowe…. what if you aren’t sure you want to meet your soulmate? [10:23 PM]

When Jongin wakes, he doesn’t let himself to think about his conversation with 99. Instead he showers, repeating his daily routine and quietly redirecting his thoughts every time they stray to 99. Today she’ll find her soulmate. Today she’ll leave him and Jongin will be alone. He might as well get used to that fact.

Around lunchtime, Jongin decides to walk towards the deli. If he’s going to be alone for the rest of his life, he might as well be alone with someone else. The thought makes him wince. This is depressing. His soulmate is a soulmate for a reason. They’re meant for him, he’s meant for them. The thought makes his stomach sink though, worry growing heavier with each step.

When Jongin enters the deli, he pulls the rim of his baseball cap lower. Staring at the other customers while trying to appear as though he’s not. He orders an iced coffee, taking a seat towards the back and watching people enter from the street. Nothing happens though, no pulse racing or no tingle and eventually Jongin opens his laptop.

The words of the café surround him as Jongin starts to relax.

“So, I told her that he was crazy. Four weeks is way too long to change a pillowcase.”

“No, love. You can’t eat solids, only liquids until Thursday.”

“When I get home, okay? We can talk about this when I get home.”

He’s on page 254 of his book, halfway through chapter 25 when he hears the bell ding.

Heat blazes up his neck.

Jongin looks up, startled to make eye contact with the loveliest pair of eyes he’s ever seen. Slowly, the door falls shut behind you. The heat from his neck wraps his body, burning Jongin from the inside out. This isn’t just a tingle. His sister was wrong – this is a blaze, an inferno, a moment that swallows him whole.

You appear similarly entranced, staring at him with such sincerity that for a moment, Jongin doesn’t know where to look. That’s when the door opens behind you, smacking you upside the head and making you stumble. Jongin shoots upwards, forgetting his laptop entirely as he rushes across the room.

He comes to a stop before you, one hand on your elbow to steady you. The blaze has faded to a dull heat, pulsing through his body as you take a step closer. “Hi,” Jongin breathes, staring at you.

“Hi,” you say.

Jongin smiles. Your voice is warm, full of laughter and he can’t help but grin. “I’m Jongin,” he says.

“Y/N,” you respond, glancing over his shoulder. “Are you in the habit of leaving your expensive electronics out in the open?”

Jongin nearly laughs, raising an eyebrow instead. “Not usually, no.” He turns towards his table, looking back over his shoulder to see you follow. “I, uh.” He glances down at the floor. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Me either,” you confess, taking a seat before him. “Jongin,” you repeat, nodding once. “I like it. You know it’s odd,” you say as you survey his face. His deep, brown eyes. Sharp jaw and cheekbones. Soft, full lips. “I felt it yesterday when you passed me.”

Jongin’s lips lift. “I felt it too,” he murmurs, oddly shy for some reason.

“I didn’t want to meet you,” you add, watching his eyes widen.

“Oh?” Jongin seems surprised by this. “Why not?”

“I was just in a relationship,” you say, picking a spot on your jeans. “My boyfriend broke up with me two days ago. He said we weren’t soulmates and were wasting each others’ time. There’s also, well.” Here you pause, flushing when you look downwards. “There’s this guy. We’ve been talking online for about a year, discussing vampires and whatnot and I really thought I wanted to meet him.”

Jongin can’t move.

The room fades to black, then back into view around him. He scans you slowly, taking in your voice, noting your mannerisms. He looks at you again, seeing the Harry Potter keychain dangling from your wallet. It’s shaped like a snitch. Heart beating strangely fast, Jongin wonders if this is a moment of brilliance or insanity.

It can’t be you.

Slowly, he leans forward. “Did you… happen to get coffee yesterday afternoon?” he asks, your brow crinkling in confusion.

“I – uh, yes?”

Taking off his hat, Jongin sets this on the table beside him. He feels as though he’s going to be sick, feels delirious because – oh, you’re smiling again. “I just want to say,” he says, his voice low. “That boyfriend of yours is an idiot.”

Across from him in your tiny red chair, you stop moving.

Gaze lifting from your lap to his face while your expression shifts from confusion to something else entirely. “I,” you start to say, then stop. Your hand drifts to your mouth as you stare across the table. “He’s actually very intelligent,” you whisper.

Jongin’s smile widens, reaching to take your hand in his. Where he touches, there’s light. Sparks, fire - zip, zap, zop.

“99?” he asks softly.

Nodding, you lower your other hand to his. “Marlowe?”

“Jongin.”

kWritersNet May Prompt Event (soulmates!AU) + [3,000 Followers Drabble Game Master List]

#kWritersNet #kwriters bless up #noonanet #kai scenarios #kai soulmates!au #jongin scenarios #jongin soulmates!au #kai fantasy #kai fanfiction #kai one shot #jongin one shot #jongin fantasy #jongin fic #jongin fanfiction #q: jongin tag

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kbbeautyblog · 8 years ago

Text

Fenty Beauty recently launched a limited edition, Galaxy collection and today, I am going to be talking about and arm swatching the Galaxy Palette. This is the first post of many on this palette, and after this I will begin working on an eye swatch and FULL review and eyeshadow look post/s.

PRODUCT PHOTO GALLERY!

Click image for full-sized view

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The Fenty Beauty Galaxy Eyeshadow Palette contains 14 shades of ALL shimmery and glittery eyeshadows. Each shade contains 1.4 grams (0.04 ounces) of product, giving the palette a total of 19.6 grams (0.56 ounces) of product. The palette has a shelf life of 9 months and is made in Canada.

As I said, all of the eyeshadows have a shimmery finish and there are no matte eyeshadows in the palette at all. The eyeshadows also contain a lot of glitter, although they are not pure glitter shadows, they are very shimmery based, glittery shadows. Each shade has a different ratio of glitter, meaning that some shades are more glittery and more sheer than others, and vice versa.

This is only my arm swatch and introduction post so I really can’t comment on performance yet (I do this in my full review posts), but I have tried one shade and it was beautiful!! Of-course, I HAD to try the light shimmery blue shade in the palette called Cosmic Ocean. It is a sheer based glitter shade, and OMG, it looks so beautiful all over the lid. I can say that I am very impressed upon my first use of the palette.

Other than that, the packaging is super sleek, reflective and halographic. The front is a plastic type glass material, and this coupled with how reflective and glossy the finish is, means that you will get fingerprints ALL over the palette. This doesn’t worry me at all because when I’m done with products and especially palettes, they tend to look beaten up anyway and I really don’t care after I get my first product pictures, but if you are a neat freak this could annoy you, so beware! The good thing is you can wipe any makeup off the surface of the packaging so easy because the material is so glossy.

As I said, I am super impressed with this palette, but I can’t really say much because I have to get in and dig right into it. In my full review/look posts, I swatch EVERY shade on my eyes and talk about each eyeshadow in-depth. I also rank each eyeshadow, and generally just pick apart the palette and give you all the information. Along with this, I will be posting full eyeshadow looks that I do with this palette, so expect to see more of this beauty!!

LET’S GO OVER THE ARM SWATCHES!!!

Since the palette has a weird layout, I have numbered the shades so you can see the order I am swatching the shades in!!

Shade 1– Mars on Fire

Mars on Fire is a Sheer Copper Rose Glitter Shade

Shade 2– Oh-Zone

Oh-Zone is a Sheer Platinum Glitter Shade

Shade 3– Cosmic Ocean

Cosmic Ocean is a Sheer Aqua Blue Glitter Shade

Shade 4– Midnight Bolt

Midnight Bolt is a True Blue Shade with Halographic Blue Glitter (note- in some of the swatch pictures I have accidentally labelled this shade ‘Midnight Swim’ lol!)

Fenty Beauty Galaxy Eyeshadow Palette Arm Swatches – Shade 1-4

Shade 5– Xtra Terrestrial

Xtra Terrestrial is a Smokey Moss Shade with Iridescent Green Glitter

Shade 6– Ultraviolit

Ultraviolit is a Smokey Violet Shade with Iridescent Glitter

Shade 7– Meteor Crush

Meteor Crush is a Sheer Pink and Gold Glitter Shade

Shade 8– Space Owt

Space Owt is a Smokey Grape Shade with Halographic Blue Glitter

Shade 9– Light Year

Light Year is a Smokey Charcoal Shade with Gold Glitter

Fenty Beauty Galaxy Eyeshadow Palette Arm Swatches – Shade 5-9

Shade 10– Sublime

Sublime is a Sheer Mint and Gold Glitter Shade

Shade 11– Jupiter Sand

Jupiter Sand is a Smokey Chocolate Shade with Iridescent Purple Glitter

Shade 12– Sunburst

Sunburst is an Amber Shade with Gold Glitter

Shade 13- Planet Ex

Planet Ex is a Smokey Brown Shade with Iridescent Glitter

Shade 14- Milky Way

Milky Way is an Ivory Shade with Iridescent Glitter

Fenty Beauty Galaxy Eyeshadow Palette Arm Swatches – Shade 10-14

Fenty Beauty Galaxy Eyeshadow Palette Arm Swatches

SWATCH GALLERY

If you want to view the arm swatches up close, click the images below

[supsystic-gallery id=72]

What do you think of the Fenty Beauty Galaxy Collection?? Let me know in the comments below babes!!!

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Kylie Cosmetics Lip Gloss Review + Swatches (x12 Shades)

Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick Lip Swatches + Individual Shade Ratings & Comparisons – x 34 Shades!!

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Fenty Beauty Galaxy Collection Eyeshadow Palette Description, First Impression + Arm Swatches Fenty Beauty recently launched a limited edition, Galaxy collection and today, I am going to be talking about and arm swatching the Galaxy Palette.

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petitmimosa · 4 years ago

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Now that I’ve slept, I can think back on the movie with a bit more clarity. It has one spoiler so be careful if you haven’t read the book.

At the very beginning I was fighting like mad not to fall asleep so at first I didn’t really understand where I was or what I was seeing. It felt like scenes were coming one after the other with little to no link between them BUT THEN at some point I realised the link was Paul and how he’s being introduced to Arrakis. Yeah, I know, duh. But. What I like very much a lot about this movie is that the leader isn’t in your face. You follow Paul because you’re invited to, gradually, not because he’s being shoved down your throat with one liners or intense stare downs, all that boring and cringe worthy bs we see too often (cough marvel cough).

I was surprised by their choice of him reading about the suits and knowing how to put it on the right way. I think I remember it from the book as such a strong sign, that he just KNEW, that seeing it like that really threw me off.

As I said I’m really glad they didn’t get lost into the back and forth motions the book paint. They gave less space to the Harkonnens and their plotting and their plotting and their plotting (and their plotting) and I’m glad because the stakes really are elsewhere. We get the gist of the politics and it’s enough. And honestly who wanted to see the Baron’s nephew (did I already forget his name, it appears so) complaining all the time? Nobody.

I wanted more Voice moments buuuuut the ones we get are cool so I might be okay with having less.

I also wanted more Lady Jessica because, come on. But I accept that they couldn’t make a 3 hours movie.

[SPOILER] I was a bit thrown off by Doctor Yueh as well. He has so very little screentime during the movie that the betrayal isn’t a very OMG WHAT moment. It’s kind of like in the book but, this is a movie and they usually give a bit more space to the Judas (especially since it leads to the death of Leto). Or maybe it’s because Chang Chen didn’t make a big impression on me.

I see people criticizing the visuals and some of them really amuse me. “It looks lifeless.” Well, I mean, what did you expect? An orangey and inviting desert with deep blue skies and warm sand so you want to lie down and tan while they have to change their walkt patterns to avoid calling a death sentence upon them? The whole damn planet is lifeless, there is no water to nurture the land, IT’S THE WHOLE POINT. It might be Denis’ style but for Dune it is appropriate.

Some are also disappointed by the meeting with Chani. But had they done it in a grand way, those same people would’ve pegged the movie as too teenagey so. I don’t waste my time with void critics. Go watch Twilight if you want a 30 seconds slowmo scene where the hair floats around and the light peaks through and the angels sing. He’s been dreaming about her, seeing things through her and now he’s meeting her. Did we really want an entire scene of discussing the visions righ after he accepted a deah by combat challenge and she’s telling him his death will be quick? We did not. Thank you very much.

I think what people also forget is that it’s a PART ONE. The title on the screen literally is “DUNE PART ONE”. They made it so you NEED a part two. Grow a brain at some point, idk. See the movie for what it actually is : a beginning.

It’s not perfect, because nothing is ever really. But damn solid is what it is. I firmly believe they found the balance between setting the tone and introducing the whole universe while dealing with the matters at hands in this first part. The stakes are high even for an introduction, you don’t really get time to breathe. Even the tent scene which is their only physical breather, and the audience’s only opportunity to take a step back from the noise and the violence tbh, is so emotionnally loaded you still don’t get the chance to let your mind rest. That’s the thing with this movie : it overstimulates your mind. Which, fitting, with the whole spicexpaul thing.

I hope people are surprised by Timothée. From my experience whether it’s friends or family or coworkers, he’s the french american kid with the weird clothes and the new idol of the kids on social media. Which might not be the most promising opinion to have on someone taking on such a huge role. But he carries Paul so well. Paul is 15. He’s lost. He’s supposed to be the future of House Atréides and then in a split second he’s on a new planet where somethings awakes inside of him and he’s supposed to be a whole other future, a whole other person. I hope people don’t expect a hero because this is so not what he is. Paul is a leader. Well, he’s a growing leader. And I truly love how Timothée portrays the evolution of this young man throughout the movie. The fear, the doubt, the defiance, the arrogance. It’s all very subtle but plain to see at the same time. It’s amazing work and I hope people get to experience it the right way.

Yes your shoulder is comfy @alittlefrenchtree but maybe it was the dress that made it so.

And one last thing : where the hell is now old man Gurney. I forgot.

All my exhausted brain can formulate atm about Dune is that it's an epic and thrilling, gorgeous monster. To me Denis and his team made the right choices on how to approach this beast. They didnt fall into the trap of just telling a story, of explaining the mythology and inevitably getting lost. The path they carved really does come alive and my are we in for a majestic journey.

The visuals are so pleasing, the cruel ocean desert looking almost white, endless. I love how it feels like a character and a variable of its own. The danger that becomes the home. The ennemy that becomes the ally. The threat that becomes the power.

THE MUSIC. HANS ZIMMER IS A GENIUS. That is it.

I'm also very glad they decided to skip the back and forth between Arrakis and the Baron because I wouldve fallen asleep on @alittlefrenchtree s very comfy shoulder.

The cast is right on the money (i dont care much for the Baron he's a creepy creep who creeps creepily), every one of them. Rebecca is a frkng goddess and Timothée Chalamet is so so solid you just think the role was written with him in mind. The humanity, the fear, the awakening, the seed of impending growth we witness coming closer to the surface here and there throughout the movie to reach the end..

It's so so good. Very much worth your money.

#dune #dune movie #dune 2021 #see how my rested brain has always more things to say #timothée chalamet #rebecca ferguson #this woman is a queen #and i will not talk about that here because i will get lost #thank you tom cruise for making her explode on the big screen #lady jessica is a goddess #she deserved more but #pick your battles lou #pick your battles

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imthepunchlord · 8 years ago

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Me Rewatching ML: Evillustrator

I guess Nath really likes Climatika and Lady Wifi’s design to dream about them. That or the ML team really liked their designs and wanted to bring them back in some way XD they are really good designs and fun villains.

Hm, rewatching now, don’t know if the ship of Marinette/Nath appeals to me anymore. This dream sequence seems to suggest that he connects to the trope that the hero that saves the damsel must get her naturally, for he deserves it for his efforts.

Also thinking Marinette needs to be saved; that would be quite a wake up call. Far more likely she’ll save you. She is scary. There is a solid reason why she can go solo just fine.

Nathanael is failing science.

Mendeleiev wipes her hand on shirt after dropping Nath’s picture. She calls his really good drawings chicken scratch.

Juleka sits next to Nath in physics, Rose sits on the other side. Juleka and Nath are possible friends. Also Mendeleiev might’ve separated Rose and Juleka possibly from talking too much in class.

Rose and Ivan sit alone. That is sad.

Mendeleiev picks Nath up like some cat she’s ready to throw out.

Marinette sees Nath’s sketchbook falls open, is confused why he drew her.

Chloe is amused to see Nath crushing on Marinette, confirms what Marinette certainly wondered.

I saw Nath akumatized through humiliation, with Mendeleiev being the biggest instigator, Chloe’s verbal reveal about his crush in front of the class being the final snap.

And with Nath upset that Chloe revealed his crush to the class, he is definitely a very private person. Don’t know about him being shy, but definitely reserved and private.

“Artists are so emotional. I love it.” Speaking from experience of having an artist friend? Gabriel certainly can be rather reactive when agitated. And Mama, who I do like the idea did play piano, is described to be very emotional and sensitive. You referring to both or just one? Most likely Mama though is who he might be thinking of since she seems a lot more reactive than Gabriel.

“You tired of having your creative spirit crushed?” With this, I would definitely count Mendeleiev as the big main cause of Evillustrator, because it is only her that picks on him for his drawing, which is what his transformation resolves around.

Alya why do you look offended to work with Nino and Adrien? Do they spew puns together? Are you and Nino still working out things? Is it kind of awkward? Or did you want alone time with Nino? Probably alone time with Nino if they are dating at this point.

Mendeleiev officially doesn’t give two shits about making Chloe happy.

“I hate dealing with it.” This is like the perfect summary of Chloe.

Alya loves Marinette, but not enough to deal with Chloe and Sabrina, who she both refers to as “twosome of terror”.

Marinette is appeased with just being mentioned to Adrien.

Marinette used tackle.

NINO AND ROSE ARE FRIENDS.

Alix’s locker is opposite of Chloe’s and it looks like it’s on the far left end.

Marinette is unaware of how Chloe and Sabrina’s friendship works.

Chloe and Sabrina have known each other since elementary (grade school in French), which is where this started.

I find it funny that when Chloe states that Sabrina has to do what she says, Sabrina’s smile just drops right then and there and she has this “wait” expression.

I like the touch of detail that you can see Sabrina thinking this over while Chloe and Marinette argue, like you can tell she’s looking over facts and observations and considering what Marinette said to what Chloe insists.

While Marinette is open enough to work and interact with Sabrina, Sabrina has left a bad enough impression that Marinette is a bit put off to receive a hug from Sabrina, very different from the sudden hug she received from Alya in Bubbler, which she quickly accepts despite her surprise. Here Marinette is just really put off and doesn’t seem to know how to respond.

Despite this Marinette is open to test the waters and develop a friendship with Sabrina, though definitely still unsure.

Sabrina suggests to Marinette that they should reveal Chloe to the teacher. They do have a right to do so and should with Chloe hardly doing any work, but for Sabrina to propose this out of nowhere is very sudden and off putting; even Marinette is pretty put off and unsure about it. Kinda gives me an impression that Sabrina can be shifty with loyalties if she sees a better opportunity for a nicer friendship, at least what she grasps as friendship which is someone helping her do work. Really does make me think about the possibilities of Lila and Sabrina in s2, with Chloe’s redemption very likely resolving around her connection to Sabrina, which does need to change for both to get better.

Day’s not over yet and Marinette is already tired. And doesn’t want to be in the middle of Chloe and Sabrina’s fight.

Sabrina can be appeased/tempted with bribery, something Chloe has likely discovered works in getting past any fights.

Chloe seems genuinely think that this is how friendship works, with friends that answer her whims and do what she wants. Being spoiled by the mayor and having Adrien and Sabrina as her only close friends, I can see how she thinks this is how it works. I’ll be looking forward to seeing her struggle as QB, cause LB, CN, and fox!Alya aren’t going to cave to her at all. And you have to do actual work. I am looking forward to a hard, painful redemption for Chloe.

Chloe really cares about her hair. This is the most I hear about when she’s distressed.

Fresh as an akuma, with a power to erase and create, and the worse Evillustrator can think of to torment Chloe is drop a bunch of hats on her and blow her with a hair dryer.

Omg Adrien... so many puns...

With Chloe, Chat is doing the questioning, a role LB usually does. LB though has this grossed out expression on her face.

“Yay! Ladybug said I’m adorable!” There she goes with her crush. And is bothered that LB didn’t really smile right. She wants the perfect picture of them together.

LB is so tired and done.

Chat is calling out on LB for her attitude here.

This is the first fight I’ve ever seen between LB and Chat.

A frustrated Marinette will throw her bag when she gets home.

Damn that’s a lot of missed phone calls. With all of this happening in the same day, it takes her a couple of minutes of travel from school, to Chloe’s, to home, and Marinette only lasted probably five minutes at most in Chloe’s company, I guess she’s about ten to fifteen minutes late to get in contact/meet up with Sabrina. And Sabrina called her constantly in that short time period, possibly suggesting that she’s a clingy friend, something that will certainly be an issue when Chloe gets her miraculous.

Evillustrator don’t erase your crush’s window, that is not reassuring. I would’ve flipped out and thrown something at you.

I say this crush on Marinette is pretty new since he doesn’t seem to know her very well; plus in a web episode, Marinette doesn’t list Nathanael as one of her friends (even Sabrina and Chloe got mentioned).

Marinette a bit unsettled by infatuated akuma, and a likely reaction to someone she doesn’t know well approaching her romantically.

Nathanael has a nervous habit of touch the back of his head.

Pfffft, Evillustrator gives himself intense anime eyes. And of course Marinette has adorable, big eyes. It really does echo how he views them both.

Look at my daughter go, making plans on the fly.

And even when frustrated with Chloe, she makes sure and akuma won’t go after her.

And she has the utmost trust in Chat to do his job well despite their little spat. I love this trust she has in him. Tikki approves of Marinette relying on Chat.

Chat is an attentive guard cat.

Evillustrator confirms that Adrien has physics down.

Chat isn’t amused with Chloe’s cat pun.

Adrien needs to learn to say no. This push over.

When LB tells him to leave Chloe, he kind sighs and looks disappointed, mostly likely thinking LB is brushing off Chloe’s danger again.

How long was Sabrina standing in that doorway waiting for Marinette? It looks like she’s been standing there for a while, no move to knock or anything. That hints that Sabrina will stand around and wait for Chloe.

Body language and expression suggest to me that Marinette is still unsure about how to handle/respond to Sabrina.

I think most likely for both girls to develop, grow, and have healthy friendships, this current one has to broken up between each other and both willing to change and learn what a real friendship is and have a good, solid redemption. In the future if they’re up and willing, they can have a go at friendship again, but for sure, after they have developed.

MARICHAT YES.

With how quickly Chat arrived from Chloe to Marinette’s, through miraculouses, that’s just a couple of minutes of travel.

Boy immediately moves to kiss her hand with his introduction. He wants to make make sure this “first” meeting goes right so much.

Lmao, his face just screams “score!”

There he goes, flexing and flirting and putting on a show. He wants to impress Marinette so much.

I love this different opinion that Chat and Nath have of Marinette. In Nath’s dream, Marinette needs to be saved, to rely on him to get her out of that trouble. But here, Chat asks Marinette if she would help him, suggesting that he knows and trusts that she is capable, that she is his equal in this and can help him, not just a damsel in distress for him to impress with saving her. Even recognizes her to be a helpful Ladybug to him tonight (which understandable unnerves Marinette).

And he’s so sad to say that LB is busy. He was probably looking forward to working with LB AND Marinette. And he rings his bell.

Chat is pleased with Marinette’s overdramatic fangirling.

I will say, this is a very nice date Evillustrator put together.

Promises are important to Nathanael. Marinette it looks like appreciates this.

Marinette does a little wave to Chat when he’s behind them, subtly telling him to wait. I love that touch of detail.

“...you’re just like Chloe. Teasing me, mocking me, leading me on!” To make comparisons like these means that they’ve happened before, and that possibly not only has Chloe picked on Nath, but evidently lead him on too. Maybe Nath was the first one Chloe encountered to have a crush on her. Something she likely took advantage of, and sparked her finding amusement in boys confessing to her (like Kim in DC).

Evillustrator can jump, damn.

14, Tikki pops out of the purse where Chat could’ve seen her if he looked down by chance.

Adrien’s first instinctive response to Marinette coming up with a smart plan is to pull her close and flirt. Marinette doesn’t respond positively to the sudden closeness.

Chat is more than fine to back off, and Marinette is still physically comfortable with him. Bless these dorks.

Lmao, he still wants to be impressive.

15, Tikki floats into the open, and if Chat looked back, would’ve seen her.

Chloe, all this effort wasted to try and appeal to Mendeleiev, who don’t give two shits; you could’ve been done a long time ago.

Chat left first, with Marinette grumbling for a minute, yet LB is there first? Is LB hero faster than BC or did she purposely go faster? Or maybe she it’s her knowing the streets better?

Look at these two. They’re flirting.

“...this is known as the final showdown.” “...she’s a baddie!” This tells me that Nath bases his thinking off comics, or at least uses examples of comics with heroes. Also, declaring Chloe’s a “baddie” and deserves to be harassed, that’s a pretty black and white view to have. Also adds to why he didn’t go after Mendeleiev, he believes it was her right to call him out for drawing in her class. And yes, she is, but she doesn’t have the right to treat his work with such disrespect (reacting to his drawings in disgust, calling it chicken scratch).

“Once I have them all in my grasp, I will have absolute power!” So HM wants all miraculouses. Or at least for sure, the ones he knows about.

“...they only made matters worse.” Chloe you tsundere, that’s not what I saw earlier. This is a public front, you still adore LB.

Alya is more than happy to put aside her personal feelings for Chloe for an interview.

I stand that Adrien was totally waiting for Marinette in the locker next to hers. He was not there before.

Marinette’s locker is the 2nd from the last on the far right of the row next to the wall. And Chloe and Marinette share the same locker row.

Sabrina is back to being happy to work for Chloe again, Marinette is baffled.

Hi Adrien. Just out of nowhere, he totally had to come out of that locker. This nerd. Being a cat. Hiding in spaces and waiting to pop out.

And Adrien, wanting to make sure Chat left a good impression on Marinette. He really cares that Chat left a good impression.

Marinette states that Adrien is far more awesome than Chat, Adrien isn’t bothered at all. He is pleased enough that Marinette has deemed Chat awesome.

16, it’s a school day, people coming in to gather their stuff for the morning, and Tikki’s just hanging out in the open on Marinette’s shoulder where she can be seen.

I RECOGINZE THAT. That is like one of the earliest concepts of ML that Thomas Astruc did, isn’t it?

Also it seems Nath’s crush on Marinette is over, hinting that he possibly has some memory of what happened, though probably fleeting. If he does have a crush now, most likely for LB.

#Punch Rewatches ML #miraculous ladybug #Evillustrator

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