#best moments slideshow

[ravik29]

Beautiful Moments | After Effect template|

Just the mention of word , ‘Love’ can give anyone adrenaline rush and release happy hormones . It gives an altogether a different delight when you know that you are loved, cherished, and appreciated. There are many ways to express your love and one of the best way is to share beautiful memories captured over the period of relationship. Get a customized the photo gallery with framed photos, messages for the one you love and make them smile.

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#bestmoments #moments #love #family #anniversary #birthday #photoalbum #holidays #romantic #wedding

[too-much-tma-stuff]

Finally Getting Help (pt 12)

Masterpost

“Ya, I have questions,” Jason confirmed, trying not to shift awkwardly in his seat. “I read the slideshow but I don’t seem to fit in either liminals or ghosts, and I have some issues that I think would have been mentioned if they were common?”

“Alright, what are they?” Danny asked tilting his head a little. 

“Well, it’s been better since meeting you, and I know increased aggression was one of the thing mentioned but mine isn’t like Damian’s, or even yours I think. We’ve been calling it Pit Madness. I’ve gotten better at managing it but especially when I got back it was really bad. I… killed a ton of people and I still have a lot of bloodlust that no one is comfortable with.”

“That is unusual, especially directed towards humans. Aside from revenge against whoever killed them dead usually don’t care very much about the living,” Danny said curiously, considering Jason. 

“And I do read as- as dead?” Jason asked, he had been worried about that.

“Well you’re obviously not Dead dead,” Danny said rolling his eyes before he reached across the table. “Here, with touch I can figure out a bit more.” He said and Jason hesitated for a moment before resting his hand in Danny’s.

A cool feeling quickly washed up his arm and over his chest like intangible water. Danny tilted his head to the other side, his brows coming together slowly as he gazed into the middle distance and considered what he was feeling. He let out a hiss and some sort of chitter that couldn’t come from a human throat, then clicked his tongue and the cool feeling dissipated, sinking under Jason’s skin and cooling heat he hadn’t been aware of feeling. 

“Okay, ya that’s weird,” Danny admitted and Jason’s heart dropped. “Best I can equate it to is, like a bone that healed wrong,” Danny said thoughtfully. “You did die before?” He asked, Jason nodded mutely. “Okay, I won’t ask why or how. But best I can tell your soul was shoved back into your body and not given time to get settled back in it’s proper position before whatever was done to bind it in place. So you’re alive but with some.. Spiritual nerve and brain damage. Would you be comfortable telling me how you were resurrected?”

“Well, I resurrected myself apparently. I don’t really remember it but apparently about six months after my death I dug myself out of my grave. Before I could get anywhere the League of Shadows found me and dunked me in the Lazarus pit which is this glowing green stuff that heals the dying and kills the healthy. I don’t remember any of it, it was almost a year before I recovered enough to be myself at all.”

“That actually makes a lot of sense,” Danny said, nodding thoughtfully. “My guess would be at first you came back as a revenant, which is basically when a ghost possesses their own corpse to get revenge, not truly a living being. But then this Lazarus pit resurrected your body and your soul got stuck in your living body again without being prepared or intending for that to happen. 

“That’s what I’m guessing happened but I can’t be sure, and I’m not a healer so I don’t really know what to do about it. I’m sure my ghost doctor Frostbite would be happy to take a look at you though! Looks like we’ll be making an appointment for you too,” He joked making Jason chuckle nervously. 

“Well that’s.. Totally fucked up,” Jason said and Danny nodded.

“Ya, dying is basically always fucked up, coming back Specifically for revenge and then getting stuck here long after that’s a motivating factor is messy. I mean, for a human that would be fine, but for people like us,” He gestured between the two of them. “Obsessions are everything so that’s hard. You’ve been cultivating more healthy obsessions I know but you’ll never be the same,” Danny said, and Jason nodded.

He knew as much, he could never go back. Not that he hadn’t always had these sorts of thoughts and inclinations. Once of the reasons Bruce had taken on him and Dick was their murderous inclinations needed to be curbed, for Dick it had work, for Jason… Well it was a combination of a lot of things, it wasn’t really Bruce’s fault it had failed. Other than the fact that he’d let the Joker live far longer than he should have, but that was bleeding-heart-Brucie for you. It was funny, to not really be mad at Bruce anymore, understanding there was nothing else he could have done, and still not be able to forgive him.

Danny must have noticed how Jason had gotten lost in his own head because he reached across the table and covered one of Jason’s clenched hands with his own, soft and cool. “You’re doing really well Jason. It’s a messed up situation but I don't think anyone could have handled it better then you are,” Danny said softly.

Jason didn’t believe it but it felt good to hear and it did settle him a little bit. “Thanks Danny, that means a lot,” he said, giving Danny’s hand a squeeze before pulling back. 

There was a natural break in conversation as the waitress brought their appetizers, and when she left again Jason didn’t know what to say. Thankfully Danny spoke. “Why don’t I tell you a bit about my doctor? Frostbite can be a lot, as much as it would probably be funny to spring him on you I should probably give you a heads up.”

“Ya, ya that sounds good,” Jason agreed, glad to let Danny do the talking for a bit. And when telling him about Frostbite turned into talking about the Yetis, to talking about the Infinite Realms, to Danny info-dumping about space. Well Jason really doesn’t mind, especially with the way it makes Danny light up. It was good to see him happy.

---------

The food was good but Jason didn’t taste much of it, and aside from going “Oh wow!” When he took his first bite of his food Danny didn’t seem to either. At a certain point Jason realized he was going to have to do some talking or Danny was going to keep talking and wouldn’t eat. So he took over, but he didn’t know much about space so he started talking about literature and poetry and Danny listened raptly and finally ate his food.

It was very nice to have someone listen to him like that, it was sort of funny, it looked like it was as fun for Danny to listen to him talk then it had been the other way. Jason thought about how supporting obsessions was important for ghosts to have their obsessions supported. Reading wasn’t Really his obsession, he didn’t think, but it sure was an interest and it felt really good to get to share with someone new. 

By the end of the dinner Jason has well and truly decided that this was a date. Danny was cute, good, and passionate, and a good listener, Oh and strong as Fuck which was always a turn on for Jason. Speaking of powerful…

“Can I ask you another sort of serious question?” Jason asked after they got their dessert. Danny looked up, mouth full and a little smear of chocolate on his top lip, Jason resisted the urge to reach across the table and wipe it off. Danny nodded. “When Damian gave me his little shovel talk he mentioned that you’re going to be a god some day?” He said, tilting his head. Maybe that was a third date sort of conversation but it seemed like it would be important to understanding Danny.

Danny choked a little and swallowed, sighing heavily. “That’s what I’ve been told,” Danny grumbled. “There’s a prophecy apparently, and with how my powers have been progressing even just in the first 2 years since I died, I can already go toe to toe with some Ancients and win so… Ya, I guess it’s probably inevitable, especially since I haven’t stagnated yet. I don’t want to be one really, I didn’t ask for this, but whatever. I probably can’t stop it.” He slumped back in the booth, looking tired. 

Shit Jason shouldn’t have brought that up. “Hey you’ve got time right? That won’t be for a while. Also, what’s an Ancient?” 

“Very old, very powerful spirits. They’re essentially their own pantheon, Ancient is basically just what ghosts call gods.” He said with a shrug.

“Makes sense, I mean gods usually are ancient. Even more reason you don’t have to worry about that right now. I mean you’re far from ancient,” Jason pointed out, earning himself a little smile from Danny. 

“Ya, you’re right,” He agreed and went back to eating his dessert, the conversation moved on to the music they liked.

When the bill came Jason put his card down without letting Danny see what the bill came to and passed it back to the waitress. They lingered in the booth for a while still chatting, unwilling to part ways yet. If Jason didn’t know his family would want Danny home before they went out on patrol he might have suggested they just go to a park and walk for a while. Talk, maybe each take one of his wireless earbuds and take turns picking songs. But he had a feeling Damian really would try to kill Jason if he didn’t get to see Danny home safe. 

Eventually they left, wandering back to Jason’s motorbike and Danny snuggled up to Jason’s back again as they drove back to the manor. The silence was companionable until Jason pulled up, propping the bike up to let Danny get off. He took off his helmet and handed it back to Jason, not letting go immediately when Jason took it so their hands were touching. 

“This was nice, I had fun,” Danny said, blushing a little and looking down.

“It was, we should do it again soon,” Jason agreed, “I’ll text you okay?” 

“You’d better,” Danny teased before walking back towards the manor. 

Damian opened the door for him, shooting Jason a glare before slamming it making him laugh. He was still a child no matter how much he pretended he wasn’t. Jason kicked off on his bike and zoomed off, heading home to get ready for patrol.

Next

[ilypaigebuckets]

I Hate it Here

pairing: paige bueckers x reader

plot: based off of the tiktok trend from taylor swift’s new album ttpd. in which paige sees the tiktok you made about her.

also posting on my other acc! @kenzlovesyou

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

paige returned home from practice to find you asleep in your shared room. she was sweaty and tired but the sight of you looking so precious made her face soften. she noticed you had a tendency to do that; make her soft.

paige put her bag down and walked up to you, kissing your forehead. “hey y/n, baby. i’m back,” her tone was sweet as she shook you awake, “i’m home!”. you groaned a bit as your eyes fluttered awake. “paigeyyy” you said, still half asleep as your arms reached to hug her. she smiled and reached down to hug you. you nuzzled into her neck, you’d missed her a little extra today. she stood up fully and you got out of your bed, hugging her tightly once again. “babe i’m sweaty. let me shower, then we’ll spend some time ok?” she lightly unhooked your arms from around your neck and gave you a soft kiss on the cheek. you sighed, already missing her touch.

you decided to go on to couch and watch a show while you waited for paige to finish showering. after finally settling on a show you spaced out into it, watching intently. paige finally finished showering and came out of the bathroom onto the couch with you. she saw the show you chose and wasn’t particularly interested, but still wanted to spend time with you. you laid your head on her shoulder and snuggled close to her. she looked down at your precious head and kissed the top of it.

she decided to scroll on tiktok while you watched your show. she scrolled past videos on her for you page, not finding anything entertaining enough to like but not boring enough to scroll past without watching. she then switched to her following feed. she watched the dancing video she and kk had made earlier in the day, before practice and laughed to herself. then she stumbled upon your account. you weren’t too active on social media, so it was always a treat for her to view something you’d posted. it was one of those slideshow tiktoks, with a new song from Taylor Swift playing in the background. the first picture was a cute picture of you azzi had taken of you with your hood on your heading, looking grumpywith the words “i hate it here so i will go to”.

paige quickly realized what trend you were participating in and was excited to see what you thought your “secret garden” was. she assumed it would be Uconn, as you’d mentioned how happy going to school here had made you and how it’d brought you out of your shell. she slid to the next photo. “secret gardens in my mind” she read and saw a mirror picture of the two of you. nobody else. just her. she was your secret garden. she mattered most to you. she felt like tearing up. she’d never meant this much to someone. even though it was just a tiktok trend, she was overcome with emotion. “baby?” she looked over at you.

“hm?” you hummed over at her, still immersed in your show.

“hey, welcome back to the real world. i saw the tiktok you made about me. i love you so much. ” she lifted her arm up and put it around you.

“you like it?? it’s not too annoyingly coupley and cringey?” you asked.

“no, y/n. it’s perfect. i wish i could be with you all the time. i love spending time with you.”

you looked at her and smirked. she wasn’t this soft when she first met you. you’d changed her.

“going soft on me, bueckers?”

“OK MOMENT RUINED” she jokingly pushed you off her even though she knew she’d be holding you again not even 2 minutes later.

my first one shot 🥳🥳 ik it’s short but i felt like writing something!! feel free to send in fic requests, dialogue prompts, song lyric prompts, etc! hope you guys like this, ik im not the best writer but i just like to do it for fun!! have a great day/night <3 :)

[1800classiccherries]

Slideshow!

⚘ 1610!Miles Morales x black!fem!reader

⚘ fluff! use of n word like once, teen romance

⚘ summary: Miles and Y/n make a slideshow to convince his parents to be able to be in his room with the door closed.

⚘ wc: 631

You and Miles were on his bed, sitting in silence a foot or so apart, which was odd because you two were never normally this awkward. Occasionally one of you would glance at the wide open door, revealing Miles's parents walking by here and there, which is why you two kept your distance.

For context, when you and Miles first started dating, you two weren't allowed in his room and had to stay in a public space like the living room; however, y'all are obnoxiously loud. When you two were playing games, loud. Even just talking, you two laughed loud. Except, when it was a movie night, it was quieter because y'all were so wrapped up in the plot.

To be honest, y'all were fine in the living room, but it was rough always being told to quiet down. The volume of you two in the same room was too much, so Miles suggested to his parents that you two go to his room instead of being confined to only the living room. Under one condition, the door stayed wide open.

And so there y'all were sitting side-by-side in a semi-awkward silence.

You feel the weight on the bed shift closer to you, and an arm makes its way over your shoulder, "Hey."

"Nigga, what?" you say without thinking at his cheesy attempt to make a move on you.

With a pout, he takes his arm off your shoulder and leans back upright, "You ruined the moment."

You giggle at his pouting, feeling a little bad about your reaction, "My bad, stink, it was a natural reflex. Try again," you offer, tossing your locs over your shoulder.

Miles clears his throat before leaning back over, putting an arm over your shoulders again.

"Hey." He says with a smirk and a tilt of his head.

"Hi," you respond, tilting your head the same way, your eyes glancing down at his lips before back up at his eyes.

"You look really pretty right now," He compliments, leaning in.

"Thank you," you whisper with a smile, leaning in as well.

You hear someone clear their throat walking past the doorway of his room, causing both of y'all to quickly move away and back into the awkward silence.

~

A week or so later--that situation happening again and again--you and Miles were on Facetime brainstorming ideas for the slideshow y'all planned to make to convince Miles's parents (mainly his mom) to let y'all have the door closed.

The both of you knew it was ambitious to shoot for something so big, so that's why you had to create the best slideshow presentation of all time.

"Okay, what do we think about this template?" you ask, turning your camera around to show a classy slideshow template.

"Perfect." he nods, and you add him to the slideshow.

~

A few days of hard work and planning go by, and it's now the day you two scheduled to present the presentation.

In preparation, the two of you coordinated your most trustworthy-looking outfits and practiced how you would present. Y'all knew you both were being extra, but at the end of the day, it didn't matter because y'all were having fun.

"Greetings, esteemed guests," Miles opens, gesturing to the title slide on tv.

You and Miles alternated presenting slides, explaining how having a door closed is reverse psychology, decreasing the chances of anything happening. Also, the classic, if the door was closed, grades would improve (don't know how, but there was a graph to prove it), along with a few other random and made-up examples.

"Thank you for your time," you close, and the two of you bow.

Following suit, his dad gives a round of applause, "That was actually pretty impressive."

His mom sighs, "We'll think about it."

Thanks for reading!

Ngl i wanna do a part two but at the same time i dont know if it'd be any good... if youd be interested in part two lmk

part 2

[swagcryptid]

Trans Storytime!

So I went to a small private school in the Deep South, which was especially hard as a trans woman. The transphobia there was usually never outright. Just weird looks in the halls and a LOT of offhanded comments made around me. This all changed my Senior year when our big senior project rolled around. Basically, my school had this year long, year-long project that is split across the whole school year. Basically the first semester is a lengthy research paper on a topic of your choice, including an annotated bibliography with a bunch of scholarly sources. The second semester was mostly making a slideshow presentation out of your research paper, which had to include a bunch of extra elements, like interviews, polls, Q&A's, etc. You would then have to present this presentation to nearly the whole school and your family (both in person and over Zoom). As my school's GSA club head (I know), the presentation portion was incredibly easy as I had been making similar presentations for club meetings every week.

So for my paper and presentation I obviously chose a topic relating to queer rights, more specifically Gender Affirming Care and the science behind it, as well as Anti-Trans Legislation and who exactly was responsible for these laws. I knew I would get at least some backlash for this but the moment I even suggested my topic the admin was essentially on my ass about what I could and couldn't include. After all of the suggested edits by Admin I would essentially be presenting a watered down version of my paper where I would say "These laws are very rare and we don't really know who's responsible!" Except THEY'RE NOT and we know EXACTLY who is responsible because I literally showed in my research. At that point I essentially said "Either I can present my presentation properly or I won't present it at all" and they backed off. To be honest, my presentation was scathing. I essentially called out some of our outwardly transphobic students by featuring their responses to a poll I sent the student body (the replies of which were honestly depressing) and I also had a section where I highlighted the transphobic rhetoric spread by our own state's Governor, as well as Trump himself.

Surprisingly the student body received my presentation pretty well, except for one kid who went on a pro-trump rant during my Q&A, but the teachers never really looked at me the same. I knew a lot of their beliefs but they treated me like any other student before presentations. After presentations it was just different. Like at first they thought I was one of "the good ones" before. This sentiment was also echoed by some of the student body, especially those whose responses I had featured. Regardless of all of this I still somehow won the best presentation award for my school!

In conclusion, fuck that school admin :)

[dnpoll]

omg can you pls do a poll that is fave jealous dan moment? <33

@silverfoxphil's jealous dan compilation helped me out a lot so watch that if you haven't!! although you (dnpbeats) did help making that according to the description so thanks for that also LOL

[etherealising]

interlude zero | dear carmy

↢ previous chapter | next chapter ↣ | masterlist

pairing: carmen berzatto x self-sabotage | carmen berzatto x fem!reader

summary: a look into carmy's life and thought process in the aftermath of the berzatto family christmas.

warnings: angst | fluff | self-sabotage | pining | toxic workplace | language | smoking | low self-esteem | self-doubt

wc: 4.6k

thank you for all the love and support, please enjoy this first special chapter dedicated to all of you! 💜

January 2019

Carmy sat on the fire escape of his New York apartment, cigarette hanging loosely from his lips, the sun slowly setting behind all the high-rise buildings. It wasn’t the best view but it allowed him to take advantage of the somewhat fresh air New York had to offer. He had been out there for quite a bit now on his second cigarette in 15 minutes.

His thoughts were racing as they usually did, never being spared a quiet moment from his thoughts. His head raced with ideas he’d thought about trying in the kitchen, thoughts about a new tattoo he was hoping to get, wondering when Mikey would finally see how far he’d come. His mind pushed forth anything and everything he could think of, all so the slideshow in his head kept what happened a month ago between the two of you in the dark recesses of his mind.

Carmy told himself that if he didn’t think about the things he wasn’t ready to resolve, then there was no way that they could hurt him, no way that they could force their way out and get him to admit that they indeed were a part of his reality. Accountability wasn’t Carmy’s strong suit, and over the years when it came to the two of you, he felt it best to sweep things under the rug, no point in prodding at old wounds if the friendship between the two of you was well past saving.

He sat there as the sky transitioned colors; blue bleeding into orange, a sunset he knew you would’ve appreciated. Cigarette already burned out, the poison coating his lungs helping to warm his body from the chill that was settling in the air. There was a knock on his apartment door, the unit was so small that even sitting on the fire escape made him feel like he was right next to the door. He ignored it, no one ever stopped by his place, it’s not like he was inviting coworkers back to his place or anything, if it was important they’d come back tomorrow. The knock sounded again, and again Carmy ignored it, his knee bouncing up and down as he hoped whatever nuisance at his door took the hint to leave.

Carmen Berzatto was never lucky enough to get what he wanted. An incessant knocking began on the front door with no indication that the strings of knocks would be stopping soon. Hands running down his face Carmy aggressively stood up from his chair, if he wanted to be bothered at home he would’ve put a fucking welcome mat outside of his door. He reached the door twisting the knob and yanking it open, he frowned at the sight of legs, face covered by the package in their hands.

“Package here for a uh, Carmen Burzetto.” The mispronunciation of his last name caused Carmy to cringe. He nodded at the delivery person wanting to end this interaction as quickly as possible, he was presented with a package slip and pen quickly signing his name without paying attention. The package was handed off to Camry, tucking it under his arm he closed the door not giving the delivery person another second.

Walking to his kitchen Carmy set the box on his countertop confused at what it could be. He never ordered shit so he knew this wasn’t of his own volition, he found the packing sticker, the return address of his family home jumping out at him. He grabbed his only knife, cutting the box open. He could only assume that the package was from his mom, and what she felt the need to send him he had no clue.

Setting the knife to the side he quickly removed the medium-sized box covered in bubble wrap. Tearing at the protective wrap, he stopped as he realized exactly what he was looking at. Sitting on his counter staring back at him was a matte black box with a matching bow and envelope addressed to him; a box he had purposely left behind a month ago, the same night he had left you.

He checked the bottom of the now empty box the gift arrived in, hoping to find some sort of return slip, only to come up short. His gaze fell back on the present, hands moving up to tug at his hair. He couldn’t open it, didn’t think he deserved to. Not after having left you to wake up in a lonely bed the day after Christmas, no apology or excuse just you and a confused Richie wondering how he had suddenly been roped into dropping you off at the airport. Not with all the disappointment he had caused, he wasn’t worthy of the kindness you had shown him time and time again.

Carmy paced around his tiny kitchen, he could always ask Sugar or Mikey for your address. Returning the present he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he accepted. You were a great gift giver, so great in fact he had your gifts in a designated box that traveled with him everywhere he went the last couple of years; even Copenhagen a box of memories taking up space in the small boat house. Memories from the person who had held his heart long before he realized it for himself.

He stopped in front of the box, hands resting on his hips debating the pros and cons of opening the gift. In a way he owed it to you to open the box, sending it back would’ve just made him an even bigger asshole than he probably already was in your book. His hands reached out pausing on the edge of the countertop to calm the shaking. When he deemed himself stable enough he reached up to untie the velvet bow, the softness that caressed his fingers reminding him of what it had felt like to hold your neck in his hand as he thumbed the ink stain behind your ear.

How his breath hitched as you shamelessly told him the small letter permanently inked into your skin could have represented his last name if he wanted it to. Losing himself to memories, he wondered what would have ensued had he taken up your offer to let the brand on your skin represent a part of him. He had wanted to give in, wanted to paint your skin with more than a letter that he knew, in reality, had nothing to do with him. It confused him all the same though, hearing those words leave your lips felt like a cruel joke to him. He was just a grown-up version of the little boy that had been your best friend, was sure you were just in need of a distraction, and Carmy had laid the perfect opportunity in your lap by inviting you to spend the night with him.

He broke from his reverie dropping the loosened bow from his grasp, eyes landing on your pretty cursive that painted the black envelope with his name. His fingers traced over the letters, the closest thing he had to touching you at this moment. Holding the envelope in his hand Carmy’s gaze burned into it before setting it off to the side. He was already opening your present, he didn’t think he had the guts to find out what was hidden inside the ominous black envelope.

Carmy took one more deep breath before removing the top of the box from its joined position with the bottom part. Carefully unfolding the tissue paper to not rip it, he uncovered two decent-sized velvet bags with the logo reading ‘Made in’ in gold foil. Carmy carefully removed the two bags from the box, pushing the empty box off the countertop to make room. He opened the first bag confused at what was in his hands for a moment before something clicked and he sat the block upright. Grabbing the second bag he took out the heavy roll laying it down before quickly unrolling it, the unblemished metal reflecting the kitchen light onto his face.

He sat his hands on the counter, head dropping between his shoulders as he let out a deep sigh. He knew this had to have cost you a pretty penny, he could tell just by looking at the knife set. Unable to help himself he pulled the Chef Knife out, testing the weight of it in his hands, he carefully looked over the tool, appreciating the wood-like finish of the handle. Before he could return the knife to its rightful place his eyes caught sight of an engraving on the handle. Holding the knife up to his eyes he felt his breath hitch as he took in the letters, fingers ghosting of the initials ‘C.B.’ that had been a personal touch. One by one he removed the other three knives only to find that they had all indeed been engraved with his initials.

Carmy threw his head back, eyes staring at the ceiling as a sorrowful laugh escaped his lips. He felt a tightness in his chest as he tried to come to terms with what you had gifted him. The thoughtfulness and the care that you put into this gift proved to him that you had always been a better friend than he had ever been to you. The fact that you had gone out of your way to get his initials engraved into the set, something he knew definitely cost extra, squeezed at his chest. He wasn’t good at this shit and he hated it because you were, it came easy to you, the caring, the friendship, everything.

Carmy came back to earth choosing a spot to showcase his new knife set and block. Just because he didn’t have any guests over didn’t mean Carmy himself didn’t want to be able to marvel at the gift every time he came home. Unconsciously positioning them so they were the first thing his eyes landed on as soon as he stepped through the door. He stood there for some time just admiring the set, envelope lying forgotten on the countertop as he mentally berated himself for all the mistakes he made with you.

April 2019

Carmy had just returned home after a particularly rough shift. His chef coat was stained with whatever concoction his co-worker had spilt on him. Carmy felt like everything that could go wrong in the kitchen during his shift, did. He felt like he was off his game, constantly striving to be the best in the kitchen, working his ass off to show how much he belonged, how much he deserved to be there. The praise he desired was nowhere to be found instead being told he was “a worthless fucking idiot not even McDonald’s would hire.”

Not even the knife set he had set up three months ago could raise his spirits. He had half a mind to knock the fucking thing over, the metal mocking him the longer he stared in its direction. He threw his soiled chef coat on the cheap dining table chair he had acquired making his way to the fire escape, a much-needed smoke on his mind.

Sometimes he wondered what would happen if he just decided to give it all up one day. He never would, he knew that, but sometimes he just needed a few ‘what ifs’ to help calm him down. He would regret it, that’s what would happen and he’d probably be more miserable without it in his life than he was with it. He sat on the fire escape for a while burning through three cigarettes in all with the stress he was feeling.

Moving back into the apartment he made his way to the kitchenette hoping to make himself a quick PB&J and call it a night. He removed a cup from his dish drain running it under the faucet to refresh himself. He drank a quarter of the cup before moving to set it down on the countertop, hand missing by an inch as he practically slammed the glass into the countertop, the cup breaking on impact as his mail fell victim to the flood.

Carmy let out a sharp curse, the feeling of being cut racing through his palm as he dropped the remaining glass from his grasp. For a moment he just watched as his mail soaked up the water, before grabbing the closest dish towel and doing his best to clean up the mess. He dried the mail as best he could snatching it up to sit atop the little dining table where the air from the open window could hit it. Carmy glanced down at his palm, the cut was not deep enough to warrant any stitches, he used the damp dish towel as a makeshift bandage and wrapped his hand.

A black water-stained envelope caught his eye stopping him momentarily before he rushed to grab it, the lettering on the front already smeared and unreadable, “Fuck!” The loud curse reverberated off of his apartment walls as he ran to quickly flick on his stovetop, hoping the heat would help to dry out the contents. He stood over the stove envelope dangling over the burner careful to not let it get close enough to catch fire. If there was ever a day to finally face what he had been avoiding and open this damn envelope, today seemed like as good a day as any.

Zoning out Carmy stood there racking his brain for what the envelope could contain. A traditional Christmas card would have been the easiest thing to find in there, but he knew you didn’t do easy. That’s why he allowed the envelope to age on his countertop, whatever you had sealed into the sleek black pocket would be a tough pill for him to swallow.

The singe of his thumb brought him back to reality, the heat of the burner licking at his fingers burning his forefinger and thumb as he unconsciously dropped the envelope right onto the stovetop. “Shit! Fuck me!” The expletives left his lips as he forcefully plucked the envelope from its position and played hot potato with it before he was able to get it to the countertop. He brought his fingers to his lips aiming to soothe the throbbing in them.

Carmy stood with his hands on his hips, angry breaths leaving his nostrils as he tried to keep the slim thread of his calmness in check. Snatching the singed envelope from the countertop he made sure he still had a pack of cigarettes in his jean pocket before making his way out to his normal spot on the fire escape. The cheap lawn chair he had sat out there was a welcoming sight.

Plopping down in the chair Carmy lit a much-needed cigarette before stilling his shaking hands and delicately opening the envelope, not wanting to ruin something that had once been in your hands. He was right, things with you were never easy, because what he was hoping to be some cheesy Christmas card, was instead a folded letter with your pretty cursive dancing across the pages.

Head tilting towards the sky as Carmy tried to find strength in the cosmos, the weight of the letter settled into his lap where he had placed it to gain his bearings before diving straight in. Focusing back on the pages he carefully straightened them out; slight water damage had seeped through them but not enough to ruin them. Taking one last deep breath Carmy began reading the letter.

𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒚,

𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒓𝒚. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆. 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒄 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰’𝒎 𝒂 𝒋𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒇𝒆𝒘 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅. 𝑫𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒚, 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒚? 𝑨𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒎𝒆, 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆, 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆.

𝑺𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝑰 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚’𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆.

𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒓. 𝑺𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕?

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒆, 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒚. 𝑰 𝒃𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆-𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒙𝒕, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒚 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒚, 𝑰 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒅.

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒕𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒍. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒖��𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒓𝒚.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒇𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆, 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅-𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑰 𝒏𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘.

𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒆, 𝑰 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒅 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒚 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒑𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒘𝒉𝒐’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇?

𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒐𝒕 𝒗𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒅𝒐𝒛𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑾𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆.

𝑰 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒔. 𝑰𝒕 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰𝒕 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑴𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑵𝒂𝒕, 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝑹𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒖𝒑 𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚’𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕. 𝑰𝒕 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝑰 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑰𝒕 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑱𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝑨𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒇. 𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒏, 𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑰 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒐 𝒐𝒏. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒈𝒐 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑰 𝒈𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆'𝒔 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒂 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒖𝒑. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏, 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒐.

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝑩𝒆𝒓𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒐. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰’𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒕 𝒂 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. 𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒖𝒎𝒃, 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒊𝒕?

𝑾𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒂 𝒋𝒐𝒌𝒆? 𝑨𝒔 𝑰’𝒎 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒚 𝒄𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝑩𝒆𝒓𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒐.

𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒕? 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐.

𝑵𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔, 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆. 𝑩𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒈𝒐 𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖.

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒚.

𝑼𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒘 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕.

𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒚, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆. 𝑨𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒈𝒊𝒇𝒕, 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆?

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒚, 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍.

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔,

Carmy let out a slight chuckle about your lack of knowledge in the culinary arts. He traced your closing signature fingers taking extra care when tracing over the longtime nickname in your sign-off. He allowed himself to let what he’d just read sink in, he was going to have to look for that article you mentioned. The tightness in his chest was ever present as he devoured every word you had written for him. He should’ve opened the letter sooner, he knew that now. He distracted himself from your words by digging through the discarded envelope fingers hoping to latch onto the pictures you mentioned.

He brought forth two aged Polaroid pictures. The first is a group photo of the five of you - Mikey, Richie, Sugar, You, and Carmy - all squished together in the photo. The date on Mikey’s hat reminded him exactly what the occasion was. The five of you were all huddled around The Beef’s booth, Mikey and Richie on the far left side, arms thrown over the other, big smiles directed at the camera. Sugar stood smiling in the middle hands placed on the cheap fold-out table in front of them. Carmy’s eyes drifted to the last two figures in the photo, the two of you taking up the right portion of the Polaroid.

There Carmy was sitting at the table relegated to manning the cash box because Mikey wouldn’t let him help with cooking. You were behind him, bending over to be at the same level as him, and your head sat comfortably next to his. Your arms were thrown around his shoulders, hanging off of him like a koala, your bright smile mesmerizing as it was directed at the camera. While you were looking at the camera, he was looking at you, head slightly turned in your direction, a small shy smile directed your way as he focused on you.

Carmy’s thumb came up to gently caress the 15-year-old versions of the two of you trapped in the Polaroid, the same small smile gracing his features as he remembered that day. He sat the picture in his lap before moving on to the next.

The second Polaroid was just the two of you. Dressed in your finest garments for senior prom, standing on the porch of the Berzatto home. He remembered that night, the night he took Claire to the prom and realized that no girl he took an interest in would compare to the way he felt for you. He focused on the old photo in his hand trying to ignore the lavish corsage your date had bought you.

The more he looked down at the photo, the more he decided it was his favorite of the two of you together. You and Carmy stood side by side, neither of you paying any attention to the camera, your body turned slightly into his as your right hand rested right where his heart was. His arm settled around your waist, both of you staring at each other, the picture capturing the moment Carmy knew he wanted more than a friendship with you. Right before the picture had been taken Carmy had whispered about how beautiful he thought you looked, he remembered the look in your eyes as his compliment caught you off guard, the way your eyes quickly flashed to his lips as he gave you his small shy smile.

Carmy patted his pockets before pulling out his wallet and slipping the photo into the clear partition. He collected the other photo and the letter you had sent him entering through the fire escape and heading to his kitchen. He found the random magnet that had been on his fridge since moving in and placed the group photo on his freezer.

He quickly maneuvered his way out of the kitchen, making his way to the closest in his bedroom. He rummaged through the mess looking for your designated box in his closet. Eyes finding the wrapped present he had meant to send you three months ago, even though it was April he was hoping you wouldn’t be too miffed about the lateness of your gift. He had tried to convince Mikey to send it for him but was called a “fucking idiot” before Mikey promptly hung up on him, and when he tried to ask Sugar for your address she told Carmy to ask you himself.

On top of not bringing you a present when he returned home for Christmas, it had taken a month to find a reputable seller for the specific vintage camera he was looking for. And another month on top of that to bargain with them and actually buy the camera, so Carmy thought he was doing a pretty good job for himself.

Making his way back into the kitchen Carmy sat the present on the countertop. He paced around the enclosed space, hyping himself up to make the call and ask for your address, and if he was lucky, maybe even invite you out to New York if you had any vacation days. He couldn’t help himself, although your letter to him was less than heart-warming, it ignited hope in him regarding you that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Leaning against the countertop, Carmy slipped his phone from his pocket. Opening up his contact list he scrolled down to your name, he clicked on it momentarily checking the time. It was 10 pm where you were, he knew you wouldn’t have been asleep yet. Carmy took one last deep breath before pressing the call button.

Camry listened to the phone ring as he placed it against his ear, foot tapping rhythmically against the linoleum. Eyes focused on your present sitting in his kitchen.

The tightness in Carmy’s chest intensified tenfold as he listened to the automated voice streaming through his ear.

“We’re sorry; you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel you have reached this recording in error, please check the number and try your call again.”

a/n: tag yourself, i’m carmy x self-sabotage : ) i almost changed carmy’s gift because i forgot his knife (the one he gave tina) already has his initials, but then i realized baby wouldn’t even know that and since carmy seems like the type to not spoil himself baby will lol. i promise carmy won’t be an asshole forever he’s just stupid atm. also i don’t know shit about culinary tools and i got caught up looking at pretty knives so i just picked my favorite 😭

let me know if there are any questions regarding the timeline and i’ll make a post about it or something!!

taglist: @hawkins-2000 @elliesbabygirl @allbark-no-bite @anakinswh0re3005 @rexorangecouny @thecraziestcrayon @fruitcupsworld @nishinoyahhh @lilylovelyxo @ridingthehotmessexpress @noas-ark @jadeittic @hellokittyever @luvr-bunnyy @sxgees @fandomhopped @is-this-a-febreze-commercial @kravitzwhore @chanluuvr @readingwiththereids @chims-kookies @ladygrey03 @ferida-kahlo @wanderlustnightwanderer @how2besalty @armydrcamers @jointherebellion215 @jackierose902109 @blkbxrbie-esther @ajordan2020 @head-slut-in-charge @magnet-girl @thebookwormlife @yeehawbitchs @khena @kailyn-05 @ovaqma @fire-treasure-iii @frequentnosebleeder @gcidvrsh @awatt31 @cauliflowerpatch

[bloodyymaryyy]

Gossip girl xoxo

F1 grid x driver reader

This is part 2!

part 1/ part 3 /part 4 /masterlist

Side note : help this is not in correct chronological order it's like moments leading up to the first part. This took way too long and I can't be bothered to fix it properly so bare with me

Texts

Maxie

You: did you see...?

Maxie

Yeah.... You were right it was true... Now what?.

You : I don't know this is getting awkward especially now on the paddock that we have the races... Do you think he is gonna show up?

Maxie

I don't know, although we can't avoid it we have to face the music soon tho.

You : I am not ready for that

Media is gonna be fucked up.

Maxie

Oh believe me it's gonna be shit, I don't think I will last long before headbutting someone honestly

You : me too I won't last long

Fucking hell

What now? Are we gonna ignore it or?

Maxie

Maybe it's best we don't talk about it. Especially here

You :

You are right let's meet up.

🧍‍♀️👉🏡🤷‍♀️🧍‍♂️👉🏡?

Maxie

🧍‍♀️👈🏡

👉⏱️.

🍔🍟 Or 🍝🍤

You

🥇

Maxie

👍

Before that chaos you were told by Pierre that Lewis was moving to Ferrari in a year that he was told by Charles.

Which that should have been secret until announced by the teams but it's nice to know things... That was something interesting.

....

At Lewis apartment complex

*Puzzing *" Nico! Can you please open the door for me?!"

"Why? " Nico answered from the phone

"uhh I came to see you and the girls!" she made a face at that coming with a lie but not really a lie, she did missed Nico and the girls but she came here to confront Lewis about him leaving Mercedes for Ferrari

There was a moment of silence until his voice came again on the phone

"Sure" that was it the buzzing that opened the door came through and she pushed the door open and come up to his apartment, he was waiting for her to come up with his girls with him. The girls jumped to her, hugging her and welcoming her inside, taking off her shoes she came to Nico next and kisses his cheeks crossed and his wife hugging them for a bit and they started to talk about everything.

After a few hours she left and went to Lewis's apartment knocking loudly at the door. When the door opened and revealed Lewis standing there with gray sweatpants and sweater with his hair unbraided Roscoe at his feet wagging his tail seeing her after quite a bit of time he launched himself at her and she kneeled down petting him and scratching him on his back, under his head and belly making him lay down and smile getting his belly scratches.

" Lewis we have to talk" she finally spoke

" Well first of all, how did you get here?" he asked surprised

"Nico opened the door for me!" there was a pause " don't change the subject! Are you going to Ferrari in 2025?!" she exclaimed

" uh I can't tell you that... Sorry"

" Just tell me why?... Are you retiring? Oh no... Are you? You are returning after that aren't you? God!" she then started to tear up and rant about it the only thing he could do is make her stand up and walked her at the couch while she was having a mental breakdown.

Then there was lando leaked asking for nudes and honestly she learned that from TikTok, she was scrolling down on her for you page while getting her food a bit cooled down and a slideshow popped up about the situation and there was her appetite

Texts

Landinio

You :

Lando!

Lando get the fuck off of my fyp you idiot

Why am I seeing your texts on TikTok?

Landinio

What do you mean?

What texts?

Y/n?

You:

You asking for 😰🤮.... 🍜

Eww I did not want to see that!?

Oh BTW are you okay? Did you not know or?

Are you stupid? Honestly it's a bit ridiculous to leak texts from 2020...

N e way....

Landinio

Wtf?! Why are my cringe text on the open?! From 2020 especially then! I was stupid!

Fuck me...

IT'S NOT MY FAULT THEY GOT LEAKED WTF DO YOU MEAN?!?

Oh pr is gonna kill me fuck

Lmk if you want another part!

[byhees]

phone reminders.

엔하이픈 ・ female reader + word count 700 genre fluff established relationship warnings not proof-read — more

a/n. scheduled!

heeseung

would, most definitely, have a picture of you as his lockscreen. he’s so incredibly whipped for you, to the point where he’d switch the photograph for a new one every two days or so, finding all your pictures equally as pretty.

would deliberately leave his phone on tables, such that the screen’s facing the viewer; whenever his device dings with a notification, he’d be reminded of you the moment the screen lights up, heart swelling at the recollection of the photograph’s origin.

jongseong

would have multiple music playlists dedicated to you. there’d be one for nearly every passing occasion; when you’re feeling a little down and under the weather, the feeling of butterflies soaring in his stomach whenever he hears your laughs, the warmth and comfort of being in your embrace.

would regularly text you the link of said playlists, a cute message attached at the bottom; “hope this makes your day, love!” written, a keyboard heart typed beside it.

jaeyun

would have a note centred around all the little details about you— things you fancy, things you don’t quite fancy. he jots them down for future gifts and presents, especially for special dates such as your anniversary— which he’s noted in his calendars app, the date nicely filled up with keyboard smashes and little kaomojis.

would probably note down future date spots, such as cafes, museums, vice versa; watches a ton of ‘place review’ videos, and writes down ones that catch his eye; will store this note nicely in his notepad app, not wanting to ruin the surprise element for you.

sunghoon

would have a widget slideshow with your couple pictures; keeps it nicely in his homescreen. would briefly scroll through the images at least twice a day, relishing the moments. would use a very inconspicuous picture as the front cover, not wanting you to tease him for the lovesick gesture.

would tuck his phone in his pocket, ready to whip it out for endless photo bursts; would brush off the very serious photo-taking stance as scenery admiring— definitely smiles a tad too hard at his phone when looking back at the photos, finding the blurred depiction of your little curious expression, cute.

seonwoo

would have a huge photo album dedicated to you. he’d be so neat about it too, arranging your pictures nicely according to the date; would have a few favourites amongst the many, often revisiting those few whenever he misses you a ton.

would have a bunch of low quality pictures as well; when he’s out-and-about, spending time with you, photographs may not be of the best quality, given his pure excitement. would have a random picture with a smidgin of your face peeking into frame— would still keep it nice and snug in his little album.

jungwon

would have matching phone accessories; pop-sockets of cartoon characters, phone charms of your favourite colours, small animal stickers pasted messily over your phone cases. would make it a point to purchase two stickers every date-day, sticking them onto your respective cases by the end of the day.

would probably fiddle with the small accessories, hands absentmindedly extending and closing the pop-socket on the back of his phone, fingers subconsciously twirling the dangling bead chain; would flip his phone to the back, eyes softly scanning the random assortment of stickers, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

riki

would have a bunch of audio recordings saved in his phone; has recordings that are ten seconds or less— they’re mostly just of you reenacting short clips of cartoons and animations, as per his very insistent requests; he likes replaying them whenever he misses you, your voice soothing his heart instantly— a bonus when there’s a little giggle hidden amidst the voice-acting.

would suggest using voice chats to message; whenever he hears you speak, his heart flutters a little— it might even skip a beat. hearing your raw voice, and your pure laughter, heals him so much; he’d shamelessly retrace every conversation during his pastime, pressing on every one of your voice messages.

taglist open! @halcyoni-ki @wondipity @yjjungwon @shysakuno @niktwazny303 @crxzs @alyszaen @minhosify @haechansbbg @yeomha @stepout-09-15 @chansburgah @sona-verse01 networks! @kflixnet @enhanet @k-labels

[perfectsunlight]

( 𝟮𝟮 ) ✏ 𝗶 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲

𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: manipulation, mentions of sex

𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲

kim minjeong never broke rules. she would color in the lines, look both ways before crossing, and followed instructions to the letter. 

for minjeong, rules provided a sense of security. they created boundaries within which she could navigate life, making decisions based on logic and order rather than impulsivity. the structure assured her she was on the right path. breaking rules felt like stepping into the unknown, a territory fraught with risks and uncertainties.

it was unsafe. minjeong liked playing it safe. she couldn’t get into trouble if she followed the rules.

trouble, in all of its forms, was something she tended to avoid. until she met the personified version — a girl named kiran kwon.

from the moment kiran walked into the first lecture of the semester, minjeong knew she was going to be nothing but trouble. 

“this seat taken?” minjeong couldn’t even finish forming a response before kiran took a seat next to her. kiran plopped down in the seat and rested her feet against the chair in front of her. she yawned and stretched her arms before resting her head back against her arms.

“um,” minjeong stuttered as she tried to process what just happened. “i don’t think that’s allowed.” 

the brunette turned her head to look at the other girl, a small grin playing on her lips. “oh yeah? says who?”

the scholarly girl was at a loss for words. she truly didn’t know how to respond to the girl sitting next to her. caught between disbelief and intrigue, minjeong couldn't help but study kiran. there was an air of nonchalance about her, and it rubbed minjeong the wrong way. but it was a quality that both fascinated and bewildered her.

she didn’t know trouble could look so good, either.

“i just... i mean, we're in a classroom,” minjeong finally managed to say, her voice a little stronger, though uncertainty still lingered in her tone. “there’s etiquette, like the unspoken rules.”

kiran arched a perfect eyebrow towards the scholar before chuckling. “and are you the enforcer of these rules?”

fortunately minejeong didn’t have to come up with a response because the professor began speaking. the entire lecture was going in one ear and out the other. all she could focus on was the girl next to her.

that, and the fact that the professor had announced that their current seats would be the seating chart for the rest of the semester.

minjeong didn’t think much of it at the time. she simply wanted to focus on school and the upcoming student council elections. it was only freshman year, but her only goal for the year was landing a spot in the student council.

but kiran was making that goal very difficult to focus on.

“morning, loser.” the arrogant girl said as she sat down in her desk, resting her head on her chin as she looked at the girl next to her. 

minjeong could only roll her eyes, huffing in annoyance. she just wanted to focus on her class, not the girl who was constantly flicking her during lecture.

“hello, kiran.” she mumbled in defeat, focusing on only the professor setting up his slideshow. kiran seemed to take great pleasure in teasing minjeong, whether it was passing snarky notes during lectures or playfully stealing her pen during exams.

as the weeks passed, minjeong found herself reluctantly drawn into kiran's orbit. there was something magnetic about the way kiran carried herself, a confidence that bordered on arrogance, yet minjeong couldn't deny the spark of intelligence that lurked behind those teasing eyes. she was infuriating, yet undeniably intriguing.

one day, after enduring yet another round of kiran's playful jabs, minjeong finally snapped. "why do you always have to bother me?" she blurted out, her frustration getting the best of her.

kiran merely grinned, seemingly unfazed by minjeong's outburst. "because it's fun," she replied, her tone playful. "besides, you're not like the other students here. you're different. it's refreshing."

minjeong frowned, not entirely sure how to interpret kiran's words. she had been called many things before – dedicated, hardworking, driven – but "different" was a new descriptor. as much as she wanted to ignore kiran's antics, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the rebellious girl than met the eye.

despite her better judgment, minjeong found herself engaging in conversations with kiran in class. 

it had been weeks of this, and minjeong had to continually ask her friends for their notes in class because she was too busy being distracted by kiran’s presence. she didn’t think it was too much of a problem until she noticed her loss of focus continuing outside of the classroom.

“min? are you listening?” ningning asked as she waved her hand in front of her face. snapping out of her daydreaming, minjeong shifted her focus to her best friend. “sorry, what were you saying?”

the chinese girl furrowed her brows as she leaned forward. “what were you thinking about?” ning teased with a smile. “is it kiran?”

“huh?!” minjeong said in disbelief as her cheeks flushed. “what?”

ningning laughed, clearly enjoying minjeong's flustered reaction. “come on, unnie. it's so obvious. ever since kiran showed up, you've been acting all weird and distracted. i've seen the way you look at her.”

minjeong stammered, trying to come up with a denial, but the words caught in her throat. the truth was, she couldn't deny that kiran was a distraction. but that was all she was, just a simple distraction.

“okay, fine,” minjeong admitted, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “she’s just…interesting.”

ningning grinned knowingly. “well, they do say that opposites attract.” minjeong’s eyes narrowed at the chinese girl for a moment. “i said she was interesting, not that i was interested.”

the younger girl rolled her eyes playfully before going back to poster designing for both of their campaigns. minjeong was running for vice president, and ning was running for secretary. the two had been helping each other out with posters and practicing speeches.

“just be careful, unnie.” ning said after a few minutes of silence, a pair of scissors in hand as she glanced up at her older friend. “i’ve heard things about her…”

minjeong's brows furrowed in concern. “what kind of things?” she asked, her curiosity piqued despite her attempt to sound uninterested. she didn’t look up from the tape she was holding, fearing her red cheeks would betray her if she moved.

yizhuo’s cutting faltered for a moment before she forced a bubbly smile. “i don’t think it’s important. they’re just rumors after all.” she kept cutting for a few seconds before pausing to spare a glance at her friend. “i’ve heard that she’s not the best, is all.”

the candidate for vice president shrugged her shoulders, still not looking up. “i know.” minjeong smiled a little, grateful for her friend's concern. “but still, i promise, yizhuo. i'll be careful regardless.”

trouble had many forms, but so did love. however, the latter confused her more than the former did.

love was confusing for her, and the only other time she had heard the word used so much was at her brother’s funeral. 

“we love you so much, minjeong. i’m so sorry.” “your brother was loved.” “we love you and your family.”

the word “love” was always followed with the word “sorry.” kiran was no exception to this.

their interactions were always a rollercoaster of emotions for minjeong. she felt a mixture of exhilaration and trepidation whenever she was around. kiran's magnetic presence seemed to pull her in, and despite her best efforts to resist, she found herself captivated by her carelessness.

kiran didn’t care, and minjeong guessed she liked that.

“what are you doing after this class?” kiran whispered, glancing at the candidate for vice president with a small smile. minjeong turned her head slightly to make eye contact with the girl next to her, ignoring the flutter in her stomach.

“uh,” she fidgeted with her notepad before glancing back down. “nothing. why?”

the brunette’s smile widened as she leaned closer, her voice barely audible over the noise of the classroom. “how about we grab a coffee together? there's this new café around the corner.”

minjeong hesitated for a moment, her mind racing with conflicting thoughts. she knew of the more recent rumors that followed kiran, the stories of her fleeting romances and broken hearts.

yet, there was an undeniable charm about her that intrigued minjeong, and it made it difficult to resist the invitation.

“i have to study,” she replied as she started putting her pencil pouch away, trying to sound nonchalant despite the racing of her heart. a mix of excitement and apprehension coursed through her veins. kiran gently pulled the chair minjeong was sitting in closer.

“i thought you said you weren’t doing anything after this?”

minjeong felt her cheeks flush as kiran's words hung in the air, her heart pounding in her chest. caught in a moment of vulnerability, she hesitated before finally meeting kiran's gaze, her eyes searching for sincerity. 

“i do need to study,” minjeong stammered, her voice wavering slightly. “but i guess a coffee wouldn't hurt.”

“good. don’t be such a nerd. besides,” kiran's smile widened into a grin, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “i knew you wouldn’t say no,” she said, her confidence infectious. 

as the classroom emptied, minjeong found herself walking beside kiran, the flutter in her stomach refusing to subside. the bustling energy of the campus faded into the background as they made their way to the café. 

the autumn leaves crunched beneath their feet as they walked side by side. minjeong studied the way each leaf sounded differently when crushed, choosing to focus on that instead of the beating of her heart.

maybe if she looked up she would have seen the way kiran was eyeing the other girls they walked past.

to minjeong, it seemed like an ordinary walk to a coffee shop, but to kiran, it was a game she had played many times before. 

as they entered the café, the warm aroma of coffee enveloped them. they settled into a corner table, and kiran continued to maintain her charming facade. 

“so,” kiran’s velvety voice rang out as she tilted minjeong’s face towards her. “you’re running for vice president?”

minjeong's heart skipped a beat as kiran's fingers gently brushed against her cheek, her touch soft and inviting. “yes.” she rushed out quickly, ignoring the way her own voice sounded to her.

kiran’s chuckle echoed in the other girl’s ears as she brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. “i think its cute that you do such boring things like that.”

minjeong blushed, caught off guard by kiran's teasing compliment. she tried to maintain her composure, but kiran's charm was disarming, leaving her feeling both flustered and strangely captivated.

“uh, thank you?” minjeong mumbled, her cheeks tinged with a deeper shade of red. she shifted in her seat, attempting to regain her confidence. “so, what about you? are you involved in any student activities?”

kiran's smile widened, green eyes twinkling with mischief. “you really think i care about that stuff?” she replied cryptically, her tone playful. “i do things outside of school. mostly just volunteering at the animal shelter.”

minjeong's curiosity piqued at kiran's unexpected revelation. “the animal shelter?” she echoed, her eyebrows lifting in surprise. “that sounds interesting. i didn’t think you’d be involved in something like that.”

the taller girl’s playful demeanor softened into enthusiasm. “absolutely,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “i just love helping animals.”

the small insight into kiran’s life intrigued minjeong. it was like there were layers to the other girl, and she found herself itching to peel back the next ones.

how could the arrogant girl who sat next to her every other day also help animals find forever homes? 

“that's really cool,” minjeong said, a genuine smile tugging at her lips. “animals have a way of bringing out the best in people.”

kiran's eyes softened, and for a moment, minjeong glimpsed a vulnerability beneath the surface. “animals don't judge,” kiran said, her voice carrying a hint of emotion. “they love unconditionally, and helping them find homes where they can be safe and loved...it's fulfilling.”

the presidential candidate nodded, feeling a newfound respect for the arrogant girl in front of her. she realized that there was so much more to kiran than met the eye. the pair continued talking for hours, to the point where the shop owner had to tell them to get going because they were going to close up shop.

minjeong blushed as she let kiran drag her by the arm and into her car, mentally thanking the night sky for hiding her reddened skin. “where are we going?” she raised an eyebrow at the taller girl for a moment, who just flashed her green eyes at her in response. 

“somewhere.”

the night was cool, the darkness broken only by the soft glow of streetlights as kiran drove in silence. minjeong felt a mixture of excitement and curiosity, wondering where they were headed. as they drove further away from the city, minjeong's anticipation grew, her mind filled with endless possibilities.

after what felt like an eternity, they arrived at a quiet, dimly lit street. kiran parked the car and turned to minjeong with a mischievous smile. “we're here.”

minjeong's curiosity piqued even further as kiran led her down a narrow path, surrounded by shadows and the distant sounds of crickets. they reached a gate, and kiran pushed it open, revealing a small, cozy animal shelter nestled behind a few buildings.

minjeong's eyes widened in surprise. “an animal shelter? at this hour?” she asked, her voice filled with amusement. “is this even allowed?”

kiran nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “yes, they always need someone to spend time with the animals, especially at night. besides, i work here, so it’s not like we’re breaking in.”

they entered the shelter, and minjeong was greeted by the soft barks and wagging tails of the resident dogs. the taller girl led her to a room filled with a few puppies, their eyes shining with innocence as a few of them stirred from their slumber. 

“pick any dog you like,” kiran said, her voice gentle. “we can wear them out so they can sleep better.”

minjeong hesitated for a moment before kneeling down to pet a small, energetic puppy with floppy ears. the puppy licked her hand, its tail wagging furiously. the kim girl smiled, feeling an overwhelming sense of joy and warmth fill her heart.

the two spent the next hour and a half playing with a few of the energetic puppies, laughing to themselves as they just simply existed in the moment.

after what felt like forever, the puppies eventually fell asleep from exhaustion, and the pair of students made their way back towards kiran’s car.

“you looked cold.” kiran said as she swung her jacket off her shoulders and draped it over minjeong.

minjeong shook her head, feeling a sense of warmth not just from kiran's jacket but from the night they had shared. “oh,” she said, her voice soft and filled with gratitude. “thanks.”

the brunette smiled, her eyes softening as she looked at the slightly smaller girl. for once, minjeong didn’t see the usual arrogant smirk on the taller girl’s face.

as they stood beside the car, kiran hesitated for a moment before taking a step closer to minjeong. the night air between them, filled with only the ambiance of crickets and the soft breeze blowing.

“minjeong,” kiran said, her voice barely above a whisper. “i’m not really good with words but…”

before she could finish her sentence, kiran gently cupped minjeong's face in her hands and leaned in, pressing her lips against minjeong's in a soft, tender kiss. time seemed to stand still as minjeong felt a rush of emotions flood through her, a mix of surprise, warmth, and a deep, inexplicable connection.

the kiss was gentle and fleeting, yet it held an unspoken promise of something more, something that went beyond the confines of friendship. when they pulled away, their eyes met, and minjeong saw a vulnerability in kiran's gaze, a raw honesty that mirrored her own feelings.

“i've wanted to do that for a while,” kiran admitted, her voice mumbling a bit as she scanned the other girl’s face for any sign of rejection. “i hope that’s okay.”

minjeong didn’t remember what came over her, but she remembered pushing kiran into her car with her lips against hers. the kiss deepened, their hearts racing each moment filled with an overwhelming desire that neither of them could deny. kiran responded with equal fervor, her hands finding their way to minjeong's waist, pulling her closer in the already crammed space.

“it's more than okay,” minjeong whispered, her voice husky with emotion. “i think i wanted this too.”

a small smile lit up kiran's face, her eyes shining with unspoken affection. as they caught their breath, minjeong gently traced her fingers along kiran's jawline, memorizing the contours of her face. she knew others had done the same, ning had made her a list.

but minjeong didn’t care at the moment. she knew this was a bad idea, this was going against the rules, this was coloring outside of the lines. 

she knew she shouldn’t. but god did she want to.

the next morning, minjeong told ning what had happened and the younger girl had screamed so loud in the library she thought the windows were going to explode.

minjeong winced as ning's scream pierced the otherwise quiet atmosphere of the library. heads turned, and curious glances were thrown in their direction. minjeong gestured for ning to calm down, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “ning, please, not so loud! people are staring!”

ning, wide-eyed and mortified, couldn't contain her concern. “unnie, are you stupid?" she squeaked, her voice still loud enough to draw disapproving glares from nearby students.

minjeong sighed, her face turning even redder. she lowered her voice, trying to salvage what was left of their dignity. “it's complicated.”

the chinese girl shot her older friend a disapproving stare before shaking her head and plopping down in a nearby chair. “well, we can’t focus on that right now. we’ve got our speeches to give, and i for one need to make sure my outfit is perfect.”

minjeong rolled her eyes playfully before giving her a small smile. “i think every pink dye in the world went into your outfit, ningning.”

“good! it will make people remember me better.” she said matter of factly as she paced around, mumbling her rehearsed speech over and over again. 

ning was nervous. she acted confident, as usual, but minjeong knew her best friend was nervous.

“you'll do great, ning,” minjeong said, reaching out to squeeze her friend's hand reassuringly. “and your outfit will definitely make a statement.”

yizhuo grinned, her nervous energy momentarily pushed aside by her best friend’s encouraging words. “thanks, unnie. i'll try my best,” she replied, her determination flickering in her eyes.

with a deep breath, minjeong gathered her own composure. “we both will. let's focus on giving our best speeches. and afterward, we can deal with... the complicated situation.”

ning nodded, her gaze softening with understanding. “you're right. we've got this.”

as the time for their speeches approached, minjeong and ning stood side by side backstage, their friendship grounding them amidst the nervous energy of the room. 

minjeong spoke eloquently about her vision for the student council, emphasizing unity, empathy, and understanding among the student body. her words resonated with the audience, drawing them in with her sincerity. 

afterwards, the kim girl made her way to the nearby exit to get a breath of fresh air. she stared out at the student parking lot as the sun slowly set, catching her breath after the speech she gave.

“good job, nerd.”

minejong whipped around as she saw kiran leaning against a nearby wall, cigarette in hand as she smiled at the presidential candidate.

she couldn't help but roll her eyes at kiran's teasing remark. “smoking on school grounds isn’t allowed,” she replied, her tone light despite the flutter of nerves in her stomach.

kiran took a drag from her cigarette, the orange glow casting a soft light on her face. “i just complimented you and you’re telling me off?”

minjeong chuckled, her nerves slowly giving way to a playful spirit. “i can multitask, you know,” she chuckled, taking a step closer to kiran.

kiran's smile widened, and she let her cigarette drop to the ground, grinding it out with her heel. she leaned in closer, their faces mere inches apart. “you're something else, minjeong,” she whispered, her voice husky.

the distance between them closed as kiran pulled the younger girl in for a deep kiss. minjeong's fingers found their way into kiran’s hair, holding her close as their kiss deepened, their mouths moving in a slow, sensual rhythm. 

when they finally pulled away, breathless and flushed with desire, their eyes met in an unspoken understanding. 

“i guess here’s another rule we're breaking,” kiran murmured, a mischievous glint in her eyes. minjeong could only smile as she let the older girl drag her to her car.

minjeong missed ningning’s campaign speech because she was too busy in the backseat of kiran’s car.

the following week, ning spent a lot of time hunting down minjeong. her best friend had been oddly quiet, and the chinese girl was well aware of the fact that her friend had missed her speech. 

kiran kwon was minjeong’s first ever girlfriend. but ningning knew her best friend was getting deeper into trouble with the girl who was known for nothing but trouble itself.

but kiran’s eyes were rose colored glasses, and minjeong couldn’t see any wrong when she looked into them.

“kim minjeong!” 

the chinese girl in a pink skirt and matching hoodie stomped her way towards the presidential candidate, who was standing next to the infamous kiran kwon.

ningning's voice sliced through the air, sharp and filled with frustration. minjeong turned, her eyes widening in surprise at her friend's angry approach. kiran, unfazed by the tension, simply crossed her arms, her expression unyielding.

“hi?” minjeong said softly, her voice hesitant. “what’s going on?”

“you missed my speech, unnie!” ning’s eyes were ablaze with a mixture of hurt and anger. “i thought we were supposed to support each other. you've been avoiding me, and i know it's because of her,” she said, pointing her pink painted nail at kiran.

minjeong shifted uncomfortably under ningning's accusatory gaze. “ningy, it's not like that,” she began, her voice faltering.

yizhuo scoffed, her frustration bubbling over. “not like that? you're throwing away our friendship for her! she's trouble,” she hissed before getting pushed slightly by kiran.

“i don’t think that’s very nice, ning yizhuo.” kiran said in feigned innocence, giving the chinese girl a small smile.

“oh, you want to talk about being nice?” yizhuo scoffed as she glared at the taller girl. “tell minjeong where you were this weekend.”

the mentioned girl’s eyes widened in surprise at her best friend’s accusation. she turned her gaze towards kiran, her heart pounding in her chest. “what's she talking about, kiran?” minjeong's voice wavered with uncertainty.

kiran hesitated for a moment, her eyes flickering with guilt before she composed herself, a mask of indifference settling on her features. “i was just at a friend's place, i told you that already, baby,” she said casually, avoiding minjeong's eyes.

ningning crossed her arms, her expression skeptical. “funny, because i saw her at a party on saturday night with choi jisu sitting in her lap,” she retorted, her tone cutting.

minjeong's heart sank at ningning's words. she felt a mix of disappointment and betrayal, unable to comprehend why kiran would lie to her. “is that true?” minjeong asked, her voice barely above a whisper, directed at kiran.

kiran looked away, a hint of annoyance flickering in her eyes before she regained her composure. “ningning must be mistaken. i wasn't at any party,” she said, her tone convincing.

“unnie,” ning said in a frustrated sigh, stomping her foot for emphasis. “come with me right now. i will show you the pictures.”

​​minjeong's heart was torn between the friend she had known for years and the girl who had ignited a passionate but confusing connection within her. as ningning urged her to go see the pictures, she hesitated, torn by the choices before her.

kiran, noticing minjeong's inner conflict, decided to take a different approach. she sighed, her expression softening as she met minjeong's eyes. "look, minjeong, i was at a party, but i promise, nothing happened. i was just there with some friends," she admitted, her voice filled with sincerity.

ningning was still agitated, but she recognized the shift in kiran's tone. "let's just go check the pictures, minjeong. then you can decide for yourself," she suggested, a hint of worry in her voice.

minjeong nodded, her heart heavy with uncertainty. she couldn't ignore the evidence presented by her best friend, but she also wanted to hear kiran's side of the story. “okay, where are the pictures,” she said, her voice determined.

the youngest hesitated for a moment, “well i took them on my film camera so i have to get them developed…”

“see?” kiran was quick to scoff at ning. “she’s just reaching.”

ningning clenched her fists, her frustration mounting. "i'm not making this up, kiran. i saw you with my own eyes," she shot back, her voice firm despite the trembling in her hands. minjeong watched the exchange, feeling a knot tighten in her stomach. the tension in the room was palpable, and she struggled to make sense of the conflicting accounts before her. 

the trust she had in both ningning and kiran was unraveling, leaving her feeling adrift and uncertain. kiran rolled her eyes dismissively, her confident facade momentarily faltering as she glanced at her girlfriend. “babe, you know me. i wouldn't lie to you,” she said, her voice carrying a hint of desperation. minjeong sighed, her head throbbing with the weight of the situation. “i need time to think,” she said, her voice wavering. “i can't make a decision right now. and i need to focus on tomorrow.”

the election results would be announced tomorrow morning. minjeong didn’t need this mess right now.

minjeong couldn’t distinguish “vice president” from “girlfriend,” and kiran only ever wanted the latter.

truth be told, kiran didnt care about the election. she found minjeong’s obsession with academics truly a turn off, and more boring than watching paint dry. but she forced herself to accept the “lousey” conversations in favor of getting to sleep with the future student council member.

but minjeong would never know that. kiran wouldn’t say it out loud. at least, not to her directly. but to a group of strangers at a party?

she just might.

minjeong spent the rest of her day pacing around her room, anxiousness from everything in her life surfacing. she had about 100 missed calls from ning, but none from her girlfriend. 

torn between the duties of a presidential candidate and the emotions of a confused teenager, minjeong found herself unable to focus on anything other than the looming election results and the tangled web of relationships surrounding her. she knew that her decision could have far-reaching consequences, not only for her personal life but also for the student council and the school's atmosphere.

in the early hours of the morning, after a sleepless night filled with doubts and indecision, minjeong stood in front of her mirror, her reflection appearing weary and conflicted. her phone buzzed with a new message, and she hesitated before picking it up. it was from kiran.

i'm sorry abt last night. i didn't mean to upset u

the message was lacking the sincerity minjeong longed for.

gritting her teeth, minjeong replied, “we'll talk later. i have to focus on the election right now.”

it wasn’t until minjeong heard the knock on her door that made her sigh in defeat. she knew from the annoying pattern of knocking that kiran was outside.

with a heavy heart, minjeong opened the door, and there stood kiran, her expression a mix of concern and uncertainty. "can we talk?" kiran asked softly, her eyes searching minjeong's face for a sign of understanding.

minjeong nodded, allowing kiran to enter her room. the atmosphere between them was charged with unspoken emotions. kiran hesitated for a moment before speaking. 

“i didn't mean to lie to you, baby. i care about you, and i didn't want to upset you. but i also didn't want to lose you. i messed up, and i'm sorry.”

minjeong sighed, her shoulders slumping with exhaustion. “i don't know what to believe anymore, kiran. i trusted you, but i also trust ningning. i need honesty, especially now.”

kiran took a step closer, her eyes pleading for understanding. “i'll be honest with you. no more lies. i care about you too much to lose you over something like this.”

a few moments of silence passed between them before the presidential candidate spoke again. “kiran?” minjeong asked softly, eyes hesitant and conveying a plethora of emotion. 

“have you heard the rumors about you and jisu?”

the taller girl’s expression flickered with surprise, but she quickly composed herself. “rumors? what are you talking about, baby?” she asked, her voice steady, but her eyes darting away for a split second before meeting the other girl’s gaze again.

minjeong's brow furrowed, suspicion creeping into her eyes. “there are whispers around school, kiran. i’ve heard people, who are not just ning, saying you and jisu have been spending a lot of time together, more than just friends,” minjeong said cautiously, watching kiran's reaction carefully.

kiran's smile seemed forced, her eyes searching minjeong's face. “babe, you know how rumors are. people talk without knowing the truth,”  she said, her tone convincing, but minjeong couldn’t help but feel unease.

she wanted to believe kiran, wanted to trust her completely, but doubt lingered like a shadow. 

“i need you to be honest with me, kiran. can you do that?” minjeong's voice wavered, revealing the depth of her vulnerability.

the taller girl gently cupped minjeong’s face, looking into the younger girl’s eyes. “i love you, i would never lie to you.”

kim minjeong had never felt this way before. those 3 words were supposed to feel euphoric, to feel right. neither of those things felt like this.

“i love you too, kiran,” minjeong replied, her voice soft and shaky. “but i need to be sure. i need to know that i can trust you completely.”

her green eyes softened, her thumb gently brushing against her girlfriend’s cheek. “you can, baby. i promise i'll prove it to you,” she said carelessly. “now let’s go, you’re going to be late for the result reading. i’ll drive you.”

when ning saw kiran and her best friend walking into the gymnasium together, it took everything in her to not ruin her perfectly pressed pink blazer by strangling kiran with it.

despite her frustration and suspicion, ningning decided to focus on supporting minjeong.

kiran, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed by the tension in the air. she wore her signature confident smile, her arm around minjeong as they walked. 

the school principal stepped up to the podium, capturing everyone's attention. the room fell silent as the results were about to be revealed. minjeong's heart pounded in her chest, and she clutched kiran's hand tightly one last time, before moving to take a seat on the stage.

ning took her seat on the opposite end, not wanting to risk the chance of having the sudden urge to swing at her best friend on stage.

“and now, the moment you've all been waiting for,” the principal announced, her voice echoing through the gymnasium. “this year’s new student council secretary is…”

the tension was palpable as the principal opened the envelope containing the results. ningning, seated on the opposite side of the stage, exchanged a knowing glance with minjeong. both of them held their breath, waiting for the verdict.

“ning yizhuo!”

ningning shot up so quickly as she squealed and bowed in every direction, waving as she took to the podium to give a quick congratulatory speech with an outfit even more pink than her former one.

minjeong felt guilty, since all she could focus on was her girlfriend’s figure slipping through the exit with a girl’s hand in hers. she tried to push the nagging thoughts away, telling herself that she needed to focus on ningning's achievement right now. 

her best friend had won, and minjeong should be silently celebrating with her.

with a forced smile, minjeong turned her attention back to the back of ning’s pink figure, clapping along with the rest of the students as her best friend finished her speech. despite her efforts to be present, her mind kept drifting back to kiran and the mysterious girl she had left with.

she was only brought back to the present after the principal announced the election results for vice president.

“your student council vice president will be…” the woman smiled as she read out loud the name next to the new title. “kim minjeong!”

the cheers were all muffled to her, except for a very loudly screaming chinese girl that sat only 8 feet away from her.

as the newly appointed vice president stood at the podium to give her congratulatory speech, her eyes scanned the crowd briefly. 

her mother wasn’t there. nor her father, or her girlfriend. 

“i love you, kim minjeong!” yizhuo whisper-yelled from behind her.

but she had ningning.

minjeong smiled softly, as she heard ning’s numerous cheers of encouragement from behind her. “i’d like to thank the student body for their generous votes,” she spoke into the mic with a small smile still on her lips. “but most of all, i’d like to thank my best friend, and your new secretary, ning yizhuo.”

more applause erupted from the crowd as minjeong took a quick glance back at her best friend before resuming. “i promise to serve you all and give my best to this calling. thank you so much, go tigers!”

after the speeches, minjeong made her way through the jubilant crowd, congratulating ningning and her other fellow council members. however, her heart wasn't in it. she felt a gnawing sense of unease, wondering where kiran had gone and who the other girl was.

"hey, where did you go after the announcement? is everything okay?" she typed, her fingers trembling slightly.

minutes turned into an agonizing hour as she waited for a response, walking around in circles. 

“come on unnie,” ning said as she dragged the older girl by the arm. “president jimin unnie is throwing a party at her place to celebrate. everyone is going, and we should go too!” she said with a knowing smile.

minjeong didn’t even get a chance to refuse before the chinese girl had dragged her across the street and down the block to yu jimin’s party. 

the atmosphere at jimin's party was lively, with music blaring and students dancing and chatting animatedly. minjeong tried her best to immerse herself in the festivities, attempting to push aside the nagging worry about kiran. she joined in on the laughter and celebrations, but her mind kept drifting back to the unanswered message she had sent earlier.

as the night wore on, minjeong decided to step outside for some fresh air. she found a quiet spot in the backyard, away from the noise of the party. leaning against a fence, she took out her phone and checked for any new messages. there it was, a response from kiran, but minjeong's heart sank as she read the words.

just hanging out w a friend. don't worry abt me, babe. enjoy ur victory party. i'll talk to u later.

something in kiran's message felt off, but minjeong couldn't pinpoint what it was. she hesitated for a moment before deciding to trust her girlfriend's words and rejoined the party, trying to put her worries aside.

half an hour passed by and minjeong went to the bathroom, only to stop dead in her tracks at the scene in front of her.

her girlfriend was leaning against the wall with choi jisu’s lips on hers.

heartache wasn’t something minjeong thought could be felt twice. she felt it once when she lost her brother, and yet here she was feeling it again.

it was as if the ground had crumbled beneath her feet, leaving her suspended in a void of betrayal and despair. she couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight before her, the image of kiran and jisu entwined haunting her like a nightmare she couldn't escape.

every word kiran had ever said, every touch they had shared, now felt like a cruel mockery. the love she thought she had found had turned into a cruel deception, leaving her feeling raw and vulnerable. the realization hit her like a tidal wave, threatening to drown her in a sea of her own heartbreak.

ningning had followed her best friend when she saw her wander off, and now was witnessing minjeong's devastation. 

she pulled her into a tight hug, providing a comforting presence amidst the storm of emotions. “i'm so sorry, unnie. you deserve so much better than this,” she whispered, her voice filled with genuine empathy.

minjeong clung to the younger girl, her tears soaking into her shoulder. “i thought she loved me," she sobbed out, her voice breaking with each word. 

ningning held her even tighter, offering silent support. there were no words that could mend minjeong's shattered heart, but in that moment, the presence of her best friend was a lifeline, grounding her amidst the devastation.

the newly appointed secretary looked around before pulling minjeong into a spot outside, away from everyone at the party to spare her friend’s dignity.

the chinese girl let her friend sob against her for over an hour and a half. she let minjeong release the pain she had been holding in, allowing her friend's tears to flow freely without judgment or interruption. the night air was cool against their skin, but ningning's presence provided a comforting warmth for both her body and soul.

“i knew she was trouble,” minjeong's voice was hoarse from crying, her words barely audible through her sobs. her heartache echoed in the stillness of the night, the weight of betrayal pressing down on her. “i should have listened to you.”

ning gently rubbed minjeong's back, her touch conveying understanding and empathy that words could not. “love blinds us," she murmured, her voice soft as the bass from inside boomed loudly.

"it's not your fault, unnie. we all make mistakes when our hearts are involved."

minjeong nodded weakly, her fingers gripping the fabric of ningning's ruined pink outfit as if holding onto a lifeline. (ning didn’t mind though, only because it was her best friend.)

“why couldn’t i just leave?” she whispered, her voice filled with a mix of sorrow and disbelief. “i knew better…”

ningning pulled back slightly, her hands cupping minjeong's tear-streaked face, forcing her to meet her gaze. “you can’t blame yourself for that, especially since she lied, unnie.”

minjeong nodded again, her eyes searching ningning's for solace. “but it hurts, yizhuo. it hurts so much.”

yizhuo’s gaze softened, her thumb gently brushing away a stray tear from her friend’s cheek. “i know. just let yourself feel the pain now, but promise me you won't let it consume you. you’re better than that.”

minjeong let out a shaky breath, the weight of her best friend's words sinking in. “thank you, ning.”

as the two sat there, the kim girl could only think about how she never wanted to feel this again. if this was love, minjeong never wanted to feel it again.

she should have known that love never lasted, her parents taught her that years ago. but she was naive enough to think she could find her own version of love that didn’t end.

“yizhuo,” the vice president whispered, swallowing dryly as she let out a shaky breath. “i don't know what i'd do without you.”

ningning grinned, her eyes filled with unwavering determination. “you'll never have to find out. and even when you find someone who’s perfect for you, i’ll still be there.” she gave her best friend a sudden serious tone as she continued.

“unless they don’t like pink, then i don’t think i can give my approval.”

and all minjeong could do was laugh softly. maybe one day she’d believe in love again, but as long as she had ning, she’d always be okay with or without it.

𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧: @silantryoo @forever-in-the-sky2 @rosiehrs @urfriendlylocalidiot @chaewonluvsme @zhivaxo @baebeefyburrito @jisooftme @winterlve @mina1vr @rgxjsss @uzumakioden @bexisbomb @tzuyuscloud @cwpiqwon @dream-chasers-things @demtions @sewiouslyz @jeindall777

@writingficsblog @ad0rechuu @lauxymy4 @awkwardtoafault @popstaryunjin @hibernatinghamster @tocupid @myothegreat @yerevies @alexxis10 @sighsam @ddeulgiheree @kikelikesmc @ddoxhan @justalittledissociation @jenaissantex @captivq @lea-pg @skisk1 @justme-idle @neuftaeng

CLOSED.

[pinkmirth]

What do you think Reiner and his s/o would argue about in a relationship? I can't imagine it would last long

BACK TALK, reiner braun !

SYNOPSIS — just a fluffy lil drabble about reiner wanting to take care of you. he doesn’t want to argue, but you’re just so stubborn…

CONTAINS — 1k words of . . . fluff, fem!reader (black coded), “girly-girl” reader, reiner feeds you, lowercase intended, just sappy stuff with this caring gentleman <3 (kinda sorta self indulgent!)

this is a tough one, nonnie…. only because maturity is reiner’s best attribute! picking a problem with you is the last thing this man wants to do, and he’s very slow to anger. you’re right about any disputes not lasting long! even if he tried, reiner can’t stay mad at you.

the most that could happen between you and him are petty squabbles about preferences, something dumb like waffles over pancakes! the pair of you ultimately laugh it off and end up cuddling once all is said and done. It’s hard to envision a topic that could stir such a reaction from him to the point where he’s arguing with you. i think the only thing that would get him going back and forth in an “argument” is if he’s worried about you, but you decide to be stubborn with him.

for instance, you’re tired and have been studying all day, and he just wants you to allow yourself to relax. but! you’re persistent on finishing up your assignments. he’d probably grow upset and insist that you deserve a break . . . (veryyy self indulgent ‘cause i’ve been studying for a gajillion tests lately!)

dull thuds of reiner’s heavy footsteps upon carpet announce his entrance into your room. he strolls around your cozy little home-desk, the one he helped you build a couple months back when the school semester first began. it’s adorned in sanrio stickers galore and polaroid pictures of you and him, nostalgic square photos secured with baby-pink thumbtacks. reiner circles you with a brooding silence, flitting his eyes from the slideshow on your laptop screen to your scribbled notes. you feel him linger behind your chair, but opt on saying nothing.

“baby, c’mon…” reiner calls out, his tone borderline pleading, “you’ve been here for hours.” from behind your seat, he inches in until he’s close enough to rest his weighty hands on your stiffened shoulders. reiner’s warm palms rub along the junction of your neck. it’s helping— he can see it in the way your body slackens in your swivel chair.

“i gotta prep for tomorrow’s test,” his touch brings you to release a lax hum, but you don’t allow yourself to dwell on it for long. the fleeting moment of bliss he provides ends too soon, as you smooth out your oversized baby-pink tee-shirt and begin to refocus on your work.

“have you eaten?” he asks. the shake of your head brings about his frown. you could surely get your work done without depriving yourself of basic needs… all he wants is for you to be well taken care of. “no, not yet.” you spare him a glance before looking back over your laptop.

reiner’s hand shoots out, grabbing your chair and turning you halfway-round to face him. the closeness of his face to yours makes it seem like the perfect opportunity to press your lips to his and linger there for a while. instead, you remain still, choosing a safer route by stealing glances of his handsome attributes. your eyes run across his prominent collarbone peeking through his low-neck sweatshirt, the slight clench of his firm jaw, most especially the raw concern swimming in his honey-golden eyes. “why not?” reiner questions, with his brows drawn tight in worry. you whirl back around, for the sake of your own resolve.

“because i’m studying, reiner.”

“no, you’re cramming.” he corrects. reiner can read you like a damn storybook; it’s almost as though he knows you more than his very own self. “at least i’m drinking water,” you raise a bottle from your desk for emphasis. water sloshes in the cylindrical confines as you set it back down, “happy?”

reiner rolls his tongue and prods at his inner cheek. he decides to pay no mind to your little attitude. “water’s fine, but you need food.”

“a meal would be too heavy for me... i’d probably end up falling asleep.” you haphazardly shoo his suggestion, scribbling bullet points onto your notebook.

“so a snack would be better, then? your favorite fruit is in the fridge downstairs.” reiner turns on his heel, intent on coming back with a bowl of nicely-cut strawberries and mangoes. you reach out, clasping onto him forearm before he zips out of your room and descends the flight of stairs. “it’s okay, reiner.” you assure. the ends of your manicured nails ghost his wrist.

“is it really? ‘cause it’s hard to believe that you don’t want me to get anything at all.” he quirks up a thin brow as he says it. reiner knows just how much you need his support— you’re simply choosing to act like you don’t.

“i’ll get somethin’ to eat later, i promise.” with the twirl of your ballpoint-pen, you’re back to writing. this is his third time checking up on you, and you give him the same answer with every visit. all this stubbornness has gone on long enough.

“you may be busy, but you’re also tired.” he's quick to snatch the pen from your hands, right in the middle of you scrawling a sentence onto lined paper. “hey! reiner, give it—”

“nuh-uh. stop bein’ difficult about it.” he plants a large hand onto the back of your macbook and shuts it closed. you do an over-exaggerated huff, make a pout, throw in a bratty eye roll— he doesn’t care for it. what you need is to allow him take care of you. he can’t let his darling work herself to death, now can he? not in a literal sense, but he wouldn’t forgive himself for allowing this to continue.

“i’ll be right back, okay? and for the love of god, don’t open that goddamn laptop.” he makes his leave. you hear the faint hum of a microwave. it doesn’t take long for him to return, with a steaming plate of food in hand. reiner takes joy in replacing that stupid notebook of yours with the reheated dinner that he cooked up for you over an hour ago.

he pulls up a seat, scoots in close, and brings a hot forkful up to your mouth. “don’t argue. just eat, baby.”

this sly man knows that it’s your favorite food. you have no energy left to brush him off. finally, you give in. with a soft ‘ah’, you allow reiner to feed you. there’s a satisfied gleam in his eye as he stuffs your mouth with bite after bite.

“it’s good?” he softly asks. you cover your mouth while chewing, giving him a sheepish nod. “mm-hm.”

“you feel better, don’t you?” reiner nudges your shoulder with his broader one. you don’t try to fight the smile overtaking your lips. “i do…” you relent, looping your arms around his neck. he firmly hugs you in one arm, and uses his unoccupied hand to hold onto the ceramic plate. over half of the food’s gone.

he hears your quiet, sincere ‘thank you’ murmured into his chest, feels your frame relax against his. “good.” reiner sighs into your hair. he wants you to put yourself first, every single time. “that’s good.”

[colonelarr0w]

A/N - I don't really know what this is, but I randomly thought of this because of those fucking TikTok slideshows.

"And Yuuji?" 

The pink-haired teenager turns, eyes meeting your awaiting gaze. His lips curl upward in a smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners.  

"Yeah?" 

"Be careful out there." 

Yuuji's smile widens – if that was even possible – and he sends a thumbs-up in your direction. "You got it!" 

No, no, no, no. 

"Kugisaki! Run!" Yuuji shouts, hand desperately extending in the direction of his friend. His eyes widen as the sound of a slap echoes throughout the otherwise empty train terminal. He can feel his heart promptly stopping in his chest as Mahito continues running, only turning once he's skidded to a stop a few inches behind Nobara's back.  

His head turns, eyes casting a glance over his shoulder. A grin spreads over his face at the destruction he's caused, a childlike glint to his eyes as he watches Nobara's palm cover the eye that he had touched.  

You stare silently from your place, eyes wide at the scene that begins to unfold in front of you. You had seen this somewhere before, a muddled memory that featured different figures – but it was a dangerous similarity nonetheless. 

Yuuji freezes in place, watching as Nobara's eyes cast themselves to the ground, her palm still covering her right eye. Her expression conveys just how conflicted she is, but for a moment, there's a moment of acceptance.  

That's where you'd seen it before.  

A bright eyed girl with her entire life ahead of her and a boy who only wanted to help her. Then, just like the snapping of someone's fingers, gone is the girl.  

And left behind is the boy to grapple with the aftermath of her death.  

With a smile on her face, Nobara uncovers her eye, allowing Yuuji to see the veins beneath her skin. Already they are enflamed – both she and Yuuji know what is going to happen, and shockingly, she accepts it.  

Yuuji shakes his head, slowly approaching Nobara. He doesn't want it to be true … she knows that there's no other outcome.  

"Y'know … it wasn't so bad," Nobara admits with a closed-eye smile. She chuckles breathily, a tear slipping down from her uninjured eye. Her head tilts, her bangs flopping momentarily over her eyes before the veins in her right eye expand and explode.  

Yuuji stares, eyes widened in horrified shock as the body of one of his closest friends falls to the floor with a lifeless, heavy thud.  

You remember seeing that exact expression worn by another face, one that had blurred with time, but one that you had once regarded with a love so pure that surely anyone would be jealous of it.  

From your place behind Yuuji, all you can do is watch – just as you had done all of those years ago. All you can do is watch as he stares down at her corpse, just like another had done. 

But this time … 

… you approach Yuuji carefully. Extending your hand, you lay your palm flat against his back, turning him to face you while your eyes never leave Nobara.  

Her eyes stare blankly up at the ceiling, devoid of any and all of the warmth that once encapsulated her irises. You'd seen that before too.  

"I--" Yuuji begins, but the thought is cut off as a sob rises in his throat. His eyes crinkle, tears falling from where they had been clinging to his bottom lash line. His body turns, arms wrapping tightly around your midsection.  

You say nothing as you return his embrace, allowing him to bury his face away into your shoulder – likely not wanting to stare into the lifeless eyes of one of his best friends. "Shh." 

"Geto-san," Yuuji whimpers into your shoulder, then dissolving into tears. You screw your eyes shut, trying your best to mask the shaky sigh that falls from your lips. You turn your head, laying your cheek against the top of his head and squeezing him tighter into your embrace.  

"I know," you say shakily, swallowing your own tears, "I know." 

[ginalongillustrations]

Taryon Darrington

& Doty

Vox Machina

Critical Role

Hello, yes, I have loved this one human male Adventurer and his best friend robot since the moment he yelled out 'you there' and I would defend him with my life.

I was so lost and frustrated with my MN designs that I honestly might just put them away until the animated show drops, so I have some time to rethink things. Fjord is the first design I've ever made that I've wiped from my timeline but I hated it so much. So why not make a character I just love and know I can't fuck up.

While I was struggling and wanted a laugh, I kept returning to Tary's scenes and just knew I had to get his print done to honour this great character.

I went very Elizabethan with his design because it seemed the right amount of flamboyant, but the helmet wasn't working in the design, so it was relegated to a symbol at the bottom.

Doty changed a lot, as you can see by my sketch to final designs. Originally, he was much more blocky. More square headed and a bit of Laputa because I love that whimsy of it, but I ended up going almost entirely with the insanely amazing Doty design done by Slideshow Collectibles for their figure.

[murdrdocs]

OH EM GEE IK IM PROBABLY SPAMMING BUT OFF THE PIC OF THE LESBIAN IN THE WORK BELT IMAGINE HAZEL COMING OVER TO FIX THE READERS WHATEVER AND HER ARMS I CANT

MMMHMMMM

you should've known what you were getting yourself into whenever pj and josie completely blew you off to do ... whatever it was they had planned, and they'd instead cited hazel to help you out. truth be told, they didn't explicitly know about your small crush, but them blowing you off in the first place was bad friend behavior.

not like you can really hold a grudge against them in this moment, though, hazel callahan in a wife beater ("wife pleaser" according to josie) as she stood in front of your previously blank, now tv-mounted, wall.

you're practically drooling behind her, unashamedly staring at the subtle muscles in her back as she lifts your tv to the mount, placing it between the metal holds. the definition in her biceps stands out with her arms spread wide like that, and you're suddenly wondering what her arms would look like as she holds onto your hips, her own hips drilling into you with a merciless pace.

for a brief second, you feel disgusting to think about your friend like this, but it's not necessarily your fault when the thinnest bead of sweat slides down the center of hazels back and sinful images flash through your mind in a slideshow.

"you think that's okay?" she's speaking to you. your brain blares alarms inside, trying to alert you that she's speaking to you. but you still don't realize until hazel turns around and looks at you, pink lips parted and eyes wide with wonder.

when she sees your current state, though, she smiles, a little cocky and teetering on the line of being a smirk.

"huh?" you say, blinking rapidly, trying to focus your thoughts.

"i asked you if that was okay?" hazel throws a thumb over her shoulder, gesturing to your, admittedly perfectly mounted, tv. you just nod, attempting to seem sure by pursuing your lips and giving your best serious face.

but you end up gulping with your eyebrows raised as you watch hazel's hands situate themselves on her hips, resting right above her tool belt. the accessory was a little bit unnecessary, but it's so fucking hot that you can't even bother criticizing it seriously.

hazel clears her throat, runs a hand through her hair, and then crosses her arms over her chest. they're a little tanner than usual, making the sparse hairs on her forearms stand out more in the ambient lighting of your dorm room.

"is there ..." she throws a look around your bedroom, her cheeks hallowed as she bites the insides of them. "anything else you need me to do?"

[lovethatmakingcoffee]

what am I? The devil's advocate?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE GIFT OF APPOLLO STRIKES AGAIN FOR ME SPECIFICALLY CAUSE I CALLED OUT THIS CANCELLATION THE MOMENT FOREVER GOT CANCELLED!!!!! Its just so easy! So simple! Of course a male musician is gonna get cancelled and so few listened to me cause you are dumb children because obviously its children who make up the majority audience of a Minecraft roleplay server!!! Ha! At this point its comical! I'm busting a nut on how funny and predictable this all is. Haha, ah sadge. Oh noooos! Are you all gonna burn your merch and delete your art cause you're afraid that u are supporting an abuser creep. Ah waaaahhhh. Like i havent heard that tune the past two months, sing another one. Bitches.

Pft, you all are so pathetic and funny, at this point there really just must be this shadow group or whatever that is trying to destroy the qsmp from the inside out. Like really? Two months, three major creators of the qsmp are targeted by cancellations, and there is plenty of drama in between. So obviously suspicious and coincidental. And it happened so fast and so many people just dogpiled on the accused, i would have to say its almost organized. And that there is just so many jumping the gun, ready to tell these creators to kill themselves, you guys certainly have numbers, holy shit. Ha! I wonder if Forever actually finds and sues that first anti, that he'll be able to figure out who these people are because isnt this also just so conveniently timed? Each cancellation one after another. There is so much drama clouding the qsmp community that how could it not be schemed out at this point? I already predicted that with Forever's downfall and now with attempts I. Cellbit and Wilbur, Im starting to have an inclination that someone approached these girls.

With cellbit's ex it would be easy to deflame him, but i wonder how they got to this sherby whatever. Maybe cause he chose his career over her like i've heard in her video. But being exs is already hot opportunity for scorn of any kind, so its quite easy to jump on one or the other when one of these two accused the other. So really the motive could be anything at this point. anything she said or not said or those requests she asked of him and he never fulfilled. And to me she never delved too deeply in to what those requests were either. Which ok then. Fine, keep your secrets.

But biting is so fucking weird to accuse someone as abuse. Especially physical. Like just biting? That's all. Not that if its true that's not bad, but it would make sense that he was physically violent in any other way at least once. Like hitting, strangling, anything. But no, biting is the best she could come up with when it comes to physical. Mental and emotional abuse is a tricky in cause its not visible and it will always boil down to a he said she said type of shit but if there is no physical text or people witnessing their conversations then good luck with that.

But firstly, if she wants the whole world on her side then physical evidence should be so easy in this scenario. Like as easy as pie! If he bit her so badly every day where he tore skin, or whatever, then damn weren't they in a relationship??? Did they not take couple pictures? Wouldn't these pictures show the obviously horrible bitemarks? That is the first actual physical evidence that she could show that would be so easy to solidify her stance, but no, just hearsay. And nothing like texts either! Maybe a text to a friend complaining about how bad the bitemarks are. But no, nothing. No slideshow of evidence at all, just saying it happened, because words are all she needs to win the internet nowadays.

And then there are her complaints about him financially taking advantage of her, like girl, receipts! Show the receipts at least please, god damn it! Or again, these supposed texts to your girlfriends that he is taking financial advantage of you!!! Anything at all. The male accused is always expected to provide evidence that he did not abuse his ex but the girl isn't expected to show physical evidence that he did it, come on!!!

And I mean the biting in itself is so strange too. Cause like- how did it even start? She says he did it out of nowhere and my brain cant even wrap around that there was no pinpointing starting point. Said that it was a normal affection thing that his parents said was normal. If his family actually said that at all. And that he just randomly introduced it to her like ... Huh? Nothing she could accurately point to and say then, thats when it began. No sexy time or sex or whenever. Just he walked up to her in the kitchen one day and took a bite, huh? Like as far as im aware, to me (and a mutual of mine who pointed this out more accurately) their situation just sounds like a bdsm thing that went south. These two were not on the same wavelength, realized that and went their separate ways. Maybe he didn't follow the safe word every time, maybe she was also mutually into it like Wilbur said. Maybe they just changed their minds on things. Who knows! Not us, that's for sure. Not that their love life should be any of our business, but she yelled abuse so...

And the fact that she acts like biting is such a weird foreign kink. It's tame is what it is. More tame then the feet kinks in my opinion. But if what Wilbur says it's true and it was mutual, 😮‍💨 then fuck, man.

And why would HIM leaking past conversation be power over her? Wouldn't any mutual conversation or evidence they have over each other, negatively effect him in a bad light? Would it not be good if one of these parties showcased a lick of evidence to evidentally prove her right??? Or would it be like Cellbit and explain thoroughly how not everything she said is the truth?

Who knows. There is probably some truth to what she said like he reiterated. About being a slob and that biting happened. But the invasiveness of the bites and the violence of it might not have been accurate. But he needs to absolutely admit it or she needs literally any physical evidence at all to give weight to her claims. But there is nothing because of course there isn't. She could so easily expose him if what she says is true... So why didn't she in her video? If that is what she wants? But then if it is just to bring awareness then she did so in a selfish manner that is only accusatory and not grounded. Ground me Shelby. Show me the bad boyfriend he is. SHOW ME.

But she won't. Will she? :/

Anyway. The qsmp. 👏👏👏👏👏

Like in the past two months, creators have been cancelled or dropped from the qsmp one by one and damn, quackity must be super evil or one unlucky son of a bitch to have hired all these secretly maliscious people. My goodness gravy gracious, how impressive!

I mean come on, really. Like really. Have we not overheard this tune by now? Male creator gets cancelled cause of something to do with a woman, is rushed to answer and is (luckily for cellbit he had an essay on why he was innocent so people are fifty fifty on him at least) then dogpiled by the people waiting to rip his apology or response apart. And then it doesn't matter what they do, anything they do will be seen in a bad light and no one will take into consideration on their stance at all and turn on the male creator. Its crazy how the pattern keeps repeating itself and keeps being successful because everyone is afraid that they are supporting an abuser pedo whatever and have all this time.

It actually makes me sickly relieved that no matter how Forever managed his initial response, he was doomed from the start.

And i mean these younger streamers certainly think they're smart by immediately turning on Wilbur's obviously curated damage control lawyer made response, but ha! That will bite them in the ass soon too. When its their turn. Because its going to be their turn. These cancellers don't care at this point who you are, they just want to see you fall, which is what i predicted and shouted to the heavens months ago! That they should have stayed as a community instead of turning on each other.

Like they think they are so smart responding this quickly, cause the quicker your response to injustice, the more innocent you are 😇. Because if they dont respond immediately (literally hours after the fact), then they will be treated like creators such as Phil and Tommy; be treated like shit and accused for supporting an abuser by the hysterical masses. Because that's who you are if you are against whatever the ex's name is or dont speak up about it at all. And like dont speak up immediately too. You have to have a quick response or there will literally be a ripple effect of cancellations cause if you dont say anything then you are a bad person too. And all i hear from the social media smucks are Wahhhhhh.wahhhhhhhh you're bad if you support so and so! But i already made my side so im a good person wahhhhhhhh

And no, im not even enteraining shit like this anymore when she goes "uwu, i'm finally coming out on social media to spread awareness that my famous ex boyfriend (and it is ALWAYS at the height of their popularity, remember that) used to abuse and bruise me." Like sure- the benefit of doubt for the female victim blah blah but she's like- "oh but this is based on my experience and I'm just here to spread awareness. Anyway, I'm going to hang out with my friends now after dumping that clusterfuck on the internet. Bye~." Like everyone in their collective minds won't go after him and demand answers then judge his response and then turn on him anyways cause lemme be honest, when has an internet open apology ever worked? It never has. And now she has put the spotlight on him, his pr team is scrambling for an escape, he's probably messaging her behind the scenes going what the hell, and his family and friends who wont actively denounce him will be sent death threats. Just like Forever. Forever mi amor. Ah. I miss you bibi.

Anyway, girlie knew she was setting the hounds on him and acted like she didnt. Like she was just going to say her piece and dip. Like the internet wasn't going to explode. Like what the fuck? Whatever her intentions were, whether she was abused or not, she wanted this. She didnt want to get him before he got famous or even during dsmp. She wanted to do this now. For some reason it had to be now. I guess in her mind the bigger they are...

It's always the same.... goes on social media. Verbally accused with no physical evidence. Leaves. The man is left flounder in the mob of social media. Repeat.

And damn, this really makes me doubt Cellbit's ex now like- im starting to really not believe any of them anymore. Cause these cancellations are just all so convientely timed!!! Forever at the height of his lore, Cellbit's weird ex comes out of nowhere with a heavy hitter accusation, but thankfully my guy predicts this and was able to deflect that one with his PHYSICAL EVIDENCE, and now Wilbur's ex is breaking out the easy 'he abused me~' song. Like why are you all still falling for this? Why? Why? Why? Why?!

And hell, i might be a hundred percent wrong, but you might be too, so might aimsey and ranboo and tubbo. This chick might be a sweet angel that didnt mean to release an innocent criminal accusation on her famous ex, oh no~ but like, i dont even care if im wrong and am acting like a jackass.

They cancelled Forever and my man was not a pedo. I stand by that. I'll stand by it until there is a literal mugshot of him commiting said crime. Or literally any lick or shroud of physical evidence! Anything instead of the basic she said he said nonsense. The Forever texts were gross but i've already determined what I have understood from that girl Sol's response. And I've explained it on my tumblr hear before. Right here :)

-https://www.tumblr.com/lovethatmakingcoffee/739974345599926272/part-1

And these remaining qsmp idiots can be cancelled for all i care at this point. For staying quiet and letting their friend fall into a pit of vipers. I think its hilarious if they all got cancelled. Ive already seperated art from the artist with all of them after what they did to Forever. The only one I didnt do that to WAS Forever.

But they let that shit happen, they let my man get labeled as a pedo, so they reap what they sow.

And yeah i may be a hypocrite and still post qsmp stuff, but like whatever :P. I lost my mind months ago cause of circumstances and Forever was one of the few things keeping me afloat. And i mean like- phaw, these content streamers are funny, what can i say. Even though i dont agree with literally any of the shit they pulled in the last couple of months, they get a hearty chuckle out of me and their character is fun and their lore is (less) interesting. I mean- they are likeable. Thats why they are content creators. Cause they got great personalities. Doesnt mean they are good people though.

And heh, the qsmp really will die soon, i mean really. Just look. Pacfit is cute but it barely holds much in the shipping department, the lore might as well be dead cause many have left or were cancelled or have to deal with the aftermath of their friends being cancelled or leaving. And just it looks like not many people are on and that quackity tried to commercialize it with purgatory 2. Bringing all these new people and having storylines abandoned left and right. Then forever got canceled and quackity chose to throw his friend under the bus (doesnt even matter if forever secretly asked him to) and protect his project which was his first mistake. Now all these creators are getting picked off one by one because of their past relationships. Insteading of standing unified together.

And i will laugh at all of you stupid fucks who whined and cried that ohhh noooo, my favorite creator is a bad person with little evidence, and just the one side talking about it. And it doesnt matter if Wilbur said that was a consensual kink they shared and they met on www.bitemynipple.org, he will be framed as the bad guy, with whatever she said. My god. The fact that everyone takes this shit at face value and dont question anything, and quickly announce that they hate the guy to prove that they are a good person is insane.

Like holy shit, tubbo, ranboo, aimsey, and others. You jumped on him so quickly and literally ranked and ripped apart his apology like it was supposed to win some literary award, the fuck? Why are you so weird?! It's obviously a PR curated response and you are treating it like it is his actual words! The fuck?!

And then y'know, i think there are people who never really were fans and are just part of that well orchestrated alleged anti group that took down Forever and are using what wilbur's ex said to fan the flames. Loudly announcing, 'IM DELETING MY STUFF AND YOU SHOULD TOO UNLESS YOU ARE A BAD PERSON!!!" you want to talk about manipulation? That certainly looks like manipulation to me. Pathetic. Guilting people before the final verdict. My braincells are dead on the floor cause of youm And then the rest of you all roll over, bend your back and just take it. Well lube up your stupid little holes.

But honestly, i called this shit so hard. I more so guessed a fan would damn him later, but its an ex girlfriend who felt like it was a great idea to air out their personal lives to the voyeuristic eye that is the internet. Just peachy. Like this is your own personal shit, and again if there aint even a police report talking about their domestic abuse, i wont take this seriously. It a photo or a screenshot of a text about it. ANYTHING!!!!! The fact she just discreetly brought it up out of nowhere to bring 'awareness'. She knew what she was doing. And if her intentions were to tear him down cause she was angry at him or get her noticed because of his popularity or to use him to lift her agenda of this so called awareness then ok, i guess??????

And what's with this bullshit of not knowing that wilbur is manipulative? That is literally is one of his number one character traits. You can think of it negatively or positively, but unless you are new here, that dude is a manipulative hussy. Like this is a well known fact, how are any of you surprised at this? Its like saying the sky is blue. I mean- if by anything dsmp wilbur is the most manipulative lil bastard ever, obviously he is leaning into a character trait he already knows and has.

But go on, hm, cry. Write your little announcements that you always knew he was a bad person uwu and that you are deleting all your content of him. Go on and do it. Delete your art and fics that you worked so hard on just cause some drama is happening where there is no hard evidence so far except what she said and he said. Heh, I dont stan him. I aint saving this shit. If the art gets deleted, oh well! Too bad, so sad. Thats on all of you who wanted to panic, act out like toddlers and delete your art. Go on. Delete it. Feel sad. Boohoo. Waaaaaaaahhhh. Ask no questions and just side with the 'victim' who conveniently brings this up now.

Who knows. Maybe I'll act up too. Maybe i'll draw Wilbur getting eaten out and bitten and sensually gang banged. Maybe I'll draw art of tntduo chewing on each others' cocks. Bite bite bite. Maybe I'll just make a lot of wilbur biting art just to spite everyone. Who knows?!

Maybe i will also keep the wilbur soot tag alive, like i am doing with the forever, sugarduo, and the 4halo tag. Because you stupid ass bitches just squeal when these creators arent perfect when someone drops dirt on them. Well newsflash you dumb fucks, they all have dirt on them.

Also my next guess on who the cancel qsmp victim will be ... Fit. They havent got anything on Philza yet to my surprise. Maybe the man just surrounds himself with loyal people outside of minecraft server cause obvs those people aint loyal as shit 🤣. And i dont know much about fit outside of qsmp, like i feel a lot of us do. But he totally fits the qualifications. He's a man so he's an easy target. He's older so he has a 'past tm. And he is seen as otherwise good and another pillar of the qsmp. So if he is taken down, many shall follow. It would be another good shock to the community to destroy the server like these antis want. And yeah- i actually think this all stems around the qsmp. Aint no other Minecraft servers are having this level of drama right now, so why is it qsmp that are getting all these leaks and drama bombs at ... At the height of their popularity? I wonder. Or maybe i already know.

But all these pr disaster drama landmines, i even made a funny theory joke in my head that what if the ringleader to these alleged anti groups is actually a pr manager of one of these groups? And thats how they have been destroying everyone from the inside, collecting some OLD dirt, and being able to maybe connect or approach these exs. But that's just a funny theory i have. Like could you imagine???

Could you imagine?

And damn, i just wonder if there is a content creator policy that if one of them is being attacked than the rest have to dogpile on them no matter how they feel or what they think about the situation to save their own assets and finances? Do you think? You think that's in their contract? That would be absurd and hilarious. Imma piss myself from laughing. Look piss.

And no, i will not talk nicely about this. I never should have. You guys all deserve to be spat on and talked shit to. And i mean all. Im talking about everyone. All those that fall hook line and sinker. Dumbfucks

Will i respond to anything from this...? Mm maybe. Probably not. I don't really care what happens :P sucks to suck

(Also yeah this was barely edited, eat my ass)

(And I mean, damn if I'm wrong I'm wrong, but you fucks turn so quick when yeah- there is no physical evidence that she could easily provide)

(to reiterate for those who don't want to read the finer details. I totally think everything that has happened so far as been to rip apart the qsmp and think all these ex girlfriends as well are too conveniently timed. And whether or not they are telling the truth, there are and will always be antis lying in wait to shame and guilt everyone to damn the male accused while no physical evidence is brought forth and that they pressure people to delete their art and fics. Gross)

[halfratsalready]

The Unhinged Jack x Wanderlust Conspiracy Board Explained

A few days ago I posted this silly conspiracy board I made for a slideshow night with my friends where I talked about how Ubisoft loves to deny Jack x Wanderlust and everyone seemed to like it so here’s an in-depth (and I mean in-depth) explanation of everything on it.

We start, of course, with Si’ha Nova and the Traveler, and Wanderlust wearing his dad’s cape at the beginning of Canned Heat because it’s super cute.

And you can’t talk about this ship without the moment from Majesty that perfectly mirrors the moment from Save Your Tears because genuinely why would they do this if they didn’t want people to ship these two? (Rainbow flag added for ✨flavor✨)

I also thought it was worth mentioning that the only time we ever actually hear any of these characters speak across all 14 lore playlist maps is literally Wanderlust calling out Jack’s name.

And now it’s time for the part that I like to call Ubisoft’s crusade against a monster of their own creation (because look at those last two points and tell me they didn’t do this to themselves. You can’t.)

Now in making this I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Ubisoft isn’t being as harsh on the ship as we’ve been thinking, because “they’re such good friends” and “best friends” with a thumbs up automatically reads as very sarcastic and joking to me, like all the memes about “historians will say they were close friends.”

Then there’s the infamous in’s and out’s New Years post, but what I hadn’t picked up on until I saw this screenshot from Twitter is that the inclusion of “normalize being evil” on the in’s list is rather suspicious and that, according to Just Dance, “this was posted by Night Swan’s army.” So I feel like that’s worth mentioning, because it casts a different light on all the other things on the lists. As in including Jack Rose in the in’s list since he’s the only one she didn’t corrupt yet and she wants to do that this year? And putting stanning Jacklust on the out’s because she’s evil and doesn’t want us to have nice things? Not too sure but hey, if someone better at analyzing things wants to look into that, I’d be down to read it.

(I also think it’s worth mentioning that “worrying about getting a Megastar” is included in the out’s list when the tweet just before that one is encouraging players to get Megastar on Zero to Hero, so some more contradictions there, but that might not mean anything, given that Night Swan’s whole thing is perfection and I feel like she would definitely be in favor of worrying over getting Megastar.)

Plus there’s the pretty popular belief that they’re just pointing out how stupid of a ship name Jacklust is, but I’m personally not at all sold on this being the reason, even if Jacklust is a stupid ship name. (I told my friends the ship name during this presentation and one of them said “Really? Wanderrose was right there.”)

Lastly, I threw Night Swan in there because of the theory that Ubisoft is denying Jack x Wanderlust because the Traveler is Jack’s father. Now, I have opinions about this theory and I hope it’s not true for obvious reasons, but I feel like if it is, it’s a serious oversight on Ubisoft’s part.

Firstly, if they’re half siblings why did they recreate the move from Save Your Tears in Majesty? Seems odd to have half siblings recreate a pretty iconic romantic duet moment.

There’s also the fact that we can clearly see that Wanderlust takes physical traits from each of his parents - his mother’s blue skin and his father’s dark hair. If the Traveler is Jack’s dad, why don’t they share any physical characteristics? At the very end of the beta for Sweet Dreams (spoiler?) we see Night Swan with green eyes, unlike the yellow eyes she has in the rest of the dances we see her in. (While this could just be an older design choice, I personally interpreted this as meaning that her eyes were green before she went evil and then they turned yellow.) In all of his character artwork, Jack’s eyes are green, which I take as meaning that this is a trait he got from his mother. So I personally feel like it only makes sense for his father to have red hair (and we’ve got plenty of options to pick from with that criteria).

But hey, that’s just a theory… I don’t need to finish that part, you’re already thinking it. Thanks for reading my insane ramblings!