#i think just bc that person is gay doesn’t mean they were not acting like a fucking c*p in that situation

[highvern]

Between the Titles

Pairing: Min Yoongi x fem!reader

Genre: fluff, smut (mature/18+)

warnings: egregious caffeine consumption, yoongi smokes cigarettes, reader is about the same height as yoongi (its me hello im almost the same height as him), gay taehyung, volunteer jungkook, silver fox yoongi (he just has some gray hair bc hot) smut warnings: making out, grinding, fingering, oral (f. receiving), semi-public sexual acts, bathroom sex, protected sex, praise kink

Length: ~9.5k

Note: no thoughts, just big brain yoongi in a sweater smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee. btw almost all the books in this are real but i haven't read them so if you have lmk if they're worth the read lmao. thank u to my dearest @gyuswhore and @idyllic-ghost for beta-ing this

Summary: Five days a week in the library means you're very familiar with the senior research librarian. It also means he has no qualms about making his own book recommendations either.

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This blog is intended for 18+ only! Minors/blank blogs will be blocked.

The sweet aroma of old books and strong coffee infiltrates your nose as the heavy doors into the library swing open, offering reprieve from the storm raging on outside. It’s far too early for anyone to be here beyond staff and a few other morning birds. You glide right to the circulation desk as if fatigue doesn’t pulse through your veins, barely quelled by the second cup of coffee you sip from.

As always, the same familiar head of dark hair with sparse silver streaks waits at the circulation desk. He’s the only person working this early despite being the senior research librarian but you never hear any complaints louder than muttered annoyance under his breath when he thinks no one is around to hear. Bent over his laptop, Yoongi doesn’t even bother to look up as he slides a heavy stack of books to the edge of the counter. 

Eleven total, ten heavy volumes on ancient fertility cults across the globe, and one book you know he’s mixed in for his own amusement. 

It’s become something of a game between you two. At first you thought he was mixing your materials with someone else’s, but every time you brought the additional copy back to his desk, Yoongi insisted he had no idea what you were talking about and questioned your reading choices. Each time the titles got more ridiculous: Castration: The Advantages and the Disadvantages, How to Enjoy Your Weeds, Amish Vampires in Space, the list goes on and on. But after he slipped Why Fish Don’t Exist into your stack a few weeks ago, you decided to start responding. 

You left the stack at his desk like usual, ears perked for his reaction to Fishes I Have Known. An amused snort rang out just as you opened the doors to leave for the afternoon. The sound was so unlike the stoic man you’d become accustomed to over months working on your thesis; not that you heard him talk much to begin with.

Since then you’ve made a point to match every book he leaves for you. Yesterday, Yoongi chose I Could Pee on This: and Other Poems by Cats. At the end of the day, you spent thirty minutes searching shelf after shelf for an appropriate response, every book failing to meet your expectations. It wasn’t fair he knew the expansive collection like the back of his hand but nevertheless you found something up to par.

Yoongi rolled his eyes when you passed your books over the counter, a copy of Staying Dry: A Practical Guide to Bladder Control, like a shining star on top. A brief pink of his tongue flashed across his lips, a feeble attempt to muffle an amused smile. It was the most obvious reaction since the first time you responded.

Smiling like the cat who ate the canary, you left on clouds last night.

But this morning you have notes to write.

Snagging the collection, you make your way deeper into the building. Your unassigned-assigned desk tucked away on the fifth floor, far enough away from any noise so you can fully immerse in work without the threat of distraction. An uninterrupted view of the courtyard below is an added bonus.

The wooden table top is covered in a neat collection of pens and sticky notes in minutes; your laptop and the foot tall collection of references you devour over the next eight hours taking up the other half.

A few titles you request over and over sit on top, too valuable to be checked out for long term use so you settle for keeping them in constant rotation since no one else bothers to read the dusty yellowing tombs. For now, you focus on the new pieces you hope hold the information you need.

Earth rites: fertility practices in pre-industrial Britain, Archaeology and Fertility Cults in the Ancient Mediterranean, Metamorphosis of Baubo: myths of woman's sexual energy— 

I’m in Love with Mothman…

Well there it is.

You thumb across the glossy cartoon cover, failing to bite back a smile. Yoongi has a penchant for tossing in the most outlandish romance books he can find. Maybe because he knows you spend just as much if not more time than he does between the stacks. The suggestion box at the desk was full of cards stained with your penmanship asking for longer hours; several of which you’ve seen Yoongi rip in half as he pointedly met your gaze.

Tossing it aside, you pull forward one of the more musty books and start reading.

When you finally manage to resurface from laborious tales on several cults of Aphrodite, the rain is long gone. Even the darkest corners of the old building seem to glow gold in the evening sunset filtering through the glass doors. They're the only thing standing between you and freedom in the form curling up on your couch with a glass of wine and a new episode of your favorite reality dating show. But first, Yoongi needs his books back. 

His desk chair is abandoned and the return cart is gone as well which means he could be anywhere in the building. Disappointment leaches into your spine at the fact you won’t be able to witness his reaction to the twelfth book in your pile; the one you spent an extra fifteen minutes looking for in the corner of the third floor. 

A thick piece of library paper lists the materials you’ll need for the next day lays atop the neon green cover of Pest Management Solutions: How to Manage Your Moth Problem. They decorate the corner of the desk until Yoongi returns to find them. Hopefully he appreciates your humor.

Yoongi isn’t at his desk the next morning when you come in either. Instead, a doe eyed man with a lip piercing occupies the chair, clearly playing some game on his laptop. 

Approaching the counter, you begin to ask, “Where’s Yoon–”

“Staff meeting,” he interjects like he’s already answered the question a million times despite the library opening only five minutes ago. The white of his teeth threaten to blind you. “But I can help you!”

His name tag isn’t the same engraved golden metal Yoongi’s is, it’s a plastic sleeve with a paper insert with barely legible handwriting you decipher as  “Jungkook” and below “Volunteer.” You’ve seen him before from a distance. Usually trudging through the shelves with the book return cart in tow, occasionally taking a quick read inside before putting them in their rightful place. 

“I need to pick up some books. I gave Yoongi the list yesterday.”

“Sure.” Jungkook jumps up, approaching the shelf lined with piles for other patrons. “What’s your last name?”

He combs through the list after you answer, finding your stack easily enough. 

“Alright so Yoongi left a note that the encyclopedias you wanted are on the usual desk you have upstairs. But other than that I’ve got: Historical Studies of Changing Fertility, Sacred Mushroom and The Cross, Archaeology and Fertility Cults in The Ancient Mediterranean…” Jungkook lists off the titles, checking to make sure they're all in order. “And, um, this one isn’t on the list.”

It must be Yoongi’s choice for the day.

“What is it?”

Jungkook looks like he’s trying to hide his own amusement as he slides it over for you to read.

If I Were a Bird, You'd be The First Person I'd Shit On.

“Huh,” you blush. “Wonder how that got in there.”

“He must have left it by mistake. I can put it ba–”

“No, I’ll take it.” You toss it on top of the other, less embarrassing books in your stack and gather it into your arms before Jungkook can get in another word. “Thanks for your help!”

Scurrying towards the hallway housing the elevators, you attempt to juggle the pile of books, your stuffed bag, and coffee without taking a spill. It’s one thing to have your silent battle with Yoongi, but having someone else witness it makes you feel downright silly. And for the first one witnessed by others to be such an absurd and downright passive aggressive selection sends embarrassment through your veins.

As promised, three encyclopedias sit neatly on your desk; the volumes so thick they protrude from the table top like a small mountain. No wonder he left them there instead of making you carry them up in individual trips. But Yoongi’s goodwill clearly ended there. A sticky note on top of the stack pens his discontent at your selection.

I had to spend 3 hours in the basement to find these. If you need them again, don’t.

Even though he hadn’t signed it, you know it’s from him. The tight script fits his personality; thin lines of annoyance bleeding through the ink, not just his words. A waft of musty old paper and dust breezes through your nose as you open the first copy. They must have been housed in a forgotten storage area. At least his bird book makes more sense now. 

You don’t dig into the heap until after the sun is halfway through the sky but when you do it only proves to unravel your wits. Reading on, the wrinkle in your eyebrows deepens further. Page after page of conflicting knowledge passes by, each sentence more confusing than the last; minutes negating months of research. The thick pages hardly provide a soft landing for your head as you allow it to thump forward in exasperation.

The scrap of chair legs alerts to a new presence watching your meltdown in real time.

“Something wrong?” Yoongi asks.

With a heavy sigh, you respond.“I want to die.”

“Get in line.”

Shifting in your seat, you peer in his direction. A different day but the same wardrobe: dark button up, glasses, same unapproachable facade. But what Yoongi is doing sitting next to you is new.

Yoongi makes himself comfortable, picking at his nails as he waits patiently for an explanation. 

“Everything in my thesis is either wrong or the world authority on fertility in Europe is full of it.”

“Bummer.”

“Your sincerity is overwhelming.” You snap.

Yoongi rolls his eyes. Boredom seeps across his face but he doesn’t move to leave, just sinks deeper into the chair. “You’ve read almost half the collection since you started coming here, why are some old dusty books such a big deal?”

“Because all of those books cite these books which means those books are wrong and all my work is in the toilet.”

“Those books are from the seventies, the information is probably out of date.”

Slamming the copy serving as a pillow shut, you take a second glance at the title: Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion, Volume 7.

“Yoongi,” you sing.

Yoongi’s gaze flashes to yours, a trickle of confusion flashing across his eyes.“What?”

You stack up the books and push them across the desk with some effort. Just to savor the satisfaction of besting Yoongi, you indulge a long sip of now cold coffee before speaking again. No one else is around to witness your victory but that won’t dampen the high.

“Looks like you’ll be back in the basement because you brought me the wrong editions.”

He opens his mouth to argue, snatching one of the books to investigate but you beat him to the punch.

“I asked for the twenty-fifth edition, not the seventh.” You smirk. “I think you're losing your touch.”

He watches you over the rim of the cover. A fleeting glance in your direction but it makes your heart squeeze with need.

“Well, I guess you’re right,” Yoongi sighs, standing. “Do you still need them for anything or can I go ahead and take them?”

With your approval, he heaves the heavy tombs on to his cart. The strain of his forearms, bare from rolled up sleeves, catches your attention. Veins raised under creamy skin, lean muscles leading down to hands you’ve noticed since the first day you started visiting the library.

If you keep staring, you’re likely to start drooling. So you dive back into one of the useful books littering your desk and pretend to read until he’s disappearing down the hall.

On your way out, leaving much earlier than a typical day due to Yoongi’s mistake, you drop the remaining books off at the circulation desk. Along with a copy of Avian Hunting Techniques. He’s absent again but it doesn't matter.

You continue out the doors and down the sidewalk only to spot him leaning against the brick exterior further down the street. Even from a distance you can make out the natural scowl he’s constantly sporting. Except this time his lips pout around a cigarette. 

Of course he smokes.

The quasi-mysterious librarian who flirts with you through book titles, smokes cigarettes and looks hot doing it. 

“You know those things will kill you, right?” 

“That’s what the box says but they aren’t holding up their end of the deal,” Yoongi responds, flicking the ash before looking at his watch. “Wow, out before six. I’ll alert the press.”

“Well, if someone gave me the right books then maybe I’d stay longer. But I’m not about to wait around while you get the ones I need.”

Yoongi takes another drag of his cigarette before responding, “Are you trying to say I forced you to take a break?”

The realization dawns on you. Yoongi is the senior research librarian. He’s never given you the wrong books, even when you request the rare copies needed to be loaned from a different part of the country. The few times you’ve offered understanding if he couldn’t get them were met with a challenge in his gaze and smug satisfaction when handing them over a week later.

“You brought me the wrong copies on purpose!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He’s lying. You know it. Yoongi definitely knows you know by the way he smirks. But he’s already crushing the filter under his shoe and moving back towards the library by the time your brain catches up to your mouth.  “Have a good night, Y/N.”

With a scoff of indignation, you stalk towards your car.

The next morning, you march straight through the class doors to where Yoongi sits, fueled by snowballed annoyance from the previous day. Waking up on the wrong side of the bed is an understatement. If there are any gods, Yoongi should pick one and pray.

Your free afternoon of yesterday was spent dealing with the chaos your apartment has become over the past few weeks. Unfolded laundry, stacks of random papers, out of place books, and errant dust bunnies all became new victims to energy usually reserved for a full day of research. Taehyung practically shit himself when he woke up before dinner and found you scrubbing the bathroom sink.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, hand to his chest like a flustered old woman.

Bleach curled in your nostrils. “I live here.” 

“Not between the hours of eight and seven.”

But after the mess was dealt with, aggravation set in. How dare Yoongi purposefully meddle in your work. Well meaning or not you were an adult and could decide when enough was enough. The purposeful mishap hadn’t set you back far, one afternoon but a drop in the bucket in comparison to the months you’ve already spent chasing new leads. But the principle of the matter is that it’s none of his business what you do and when you do it.

Yoongi slides a slimmer stack over when you stop in front of him.

“Encyclopedias are on your desk,” he announces through a sip of coffee. He continues to type away, feigning disinterest as you sort through your stack with measured annoyance.

“Are they the right copies this time?”

“Double checked them myself.”

You open your mouth to verbalize your doubts but Yoongi’s pick of the day catches your eye.

Surviving Your Stupid Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School.

Scoffing, you flip the book around and shoot daggers into his face with your eyes. “Do you think you’re funny?”

The corner of his mouth twitches then becomes a full blown smile. Leaning over the desk, he drops his voice, “I think I’m hilarious.”

Remembering you are, in fact, in a library, you manage to muffle a frustrated groan. You dump the supplementary reading back on the counter for Yoongi to deal with and head upstairs. 

Unlike the usual days where you put off finding a response to Yoongi’s extra copy until the waning hours of the afternoon, you drop your bags and head straight for the shelves. The fifth floor houses a collection of textbooks and other reference material. It’s why it's always deserted unless some poor fool stumbles on it by accident; the perfect place to work uninterrupted for hours.

You head down stairs, circling the fourth and then third floor like a shark in a feeding frenzy. A few covers spark interest but nothing captures what bubbles in your veins: annoyance, anger, confusion. A brief flutter of interest as to why Yoongi decided to mess with you but those feelings are more dangerous than the acidic ones.

Row after proves unfruitful in your quest for passive aggressive revenge. None have the same bite as his book, or seem to curb the homicidal thoughts raging in your head.

Until a little white book peeps back at you from the end of the aisle.

Yoongi jumps when you slam Bitter Is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass in front of him. A feat in and of itself to sneak up on him given the loan desk has a perfect view of the entire first floor but whatever he’d been clicking away at on the computer was distraction enough.

“What's this?”

“Thought you might like some new reading.” You flash your teeth.

His chin jerks towards the glossy cover. “I already gave this two stars on Goodreads.”

Of course he has.

Face prickling in embarrassment, you turn back the way you came without a word.

Hours later, when half the day has ticked by and the ache for more caffeine burns your eyes, Yoongi stops by your desk. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t try and gain the attention you pointedly withhold. He sets a paper coffee cup on the corner of the tabletop and leaves.

You snatch up the cup after he rounds the corner out of sight. The lack of sugar leaves much to be desired but free coffee is free coffee, especially to a PhD student with limited means. 

It isn’t much of an apology but guilt blooms down your spine anyway. He meant well. You aren’t known for giving yourself breaks; unable to quit while you’re ahead. A voluntary day off is less likely than winning the lottery. You’re a busy body and the constant work keeps you from dissolving into chaos.

You don’t see Yoongi again until every book at your desk is exhausted, begging for a break from your manhandling. Double and triple checking notes and citations are the poor excuse you implement to delay the inevitable. At some point you’ll have to go downstairs to face the music. 

He’s waiting like always, scanning the mountain of returns littering the counter from a long day. Each step closer withers something in your stomach. 

The copies in your hand shift onto the wooden surface, joining the stack for him to work through. Yoongi flashes a polite grimace when you catch his eye before immediately diving back into his work. Hopefully he understands why you chose Thank You for Smoking. And why you covered the second half of the title with a sticky note.

Jungkook’s smiling face greets you bright and early. His name tag has been upgraded from flimsy paper to a plastic one and a printed label with his name. 

Handing over your library card, he quickly scans it and grabs the books meant for today’s dissection. 

“Yoongi wanted me to tell you that if you want more coffee while you’re working, you can go to the staff lounge on the second floor.”

“Oh.”

Jungkook continues sifting through your requests, making sure each is correct.  “Between you and me, the coffee down the street is better. But don’t tell him I said that.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s a coffee snob and thinks his shit—sorry—stuff is the best.”

“Okay,” you say, grabbing your pile. “Thanks.”

You set up your station like always, sorting through each book and devising a mental to do list. The desk resembles a feast but instead of food it’s encyclopedias, printed articles, and dusty manuscripts Yoongi wrangled from who knows where. On the outer board of your work station rests the feature of the day: How to Beg for Cigarettes.

A few hours pass between the pages. Your previous research is confirmed by the significantly less dusty encyclopedias this time, corroborating the basis of your thesis. A new work you haven’t seen is cited in the back, piquing your interest for more evidence. 

Instead of bothering one of the staff, you use the library website and find it in their catalog. It’s somewhere on the second floor where Yoongi offers free coffee. Two birds, one stone; a new book and a new cup of coffee.

The layout resembles all the other floors. A collection of study tables in the center crowded by bookshelves on all sides. One person, an undergrad by the look of pure dread on their features, occupies a table but that's it. Glancing at the note with the call number, you start towards the stacks on the left.

You find the correct area, eyes scanning up and down the different shelves to no avail. Hundreds of books, different sizes in an array of colors, flash by but none are the one you need. You’re about to call it quits when you spot it on the top shelf, just out of reach.

Call it a moment of stupidity, a brief blight of recklessness, but the book sits only a few inches beyond your fingers. You look around to make sure no one is around to witness the brilliantly flawed idea crest in your brain. With the coast clear, you hoist yourself up the shelf.

A deadpan voice nearly makes you fall.

“Looking for something?” 

Yoongi stands a few feet away, head cocked to the side. Of course he’d find you in such a ridiculous position. Even through the blur of your peripheral vision, the harsh lines of his usual uniform clashes against the back drop of books. Dark jeans fitted over his thighs, dark button down rolled up his arms, and a pair of glasses that make him look hot. But you’re in no position to dwell when the risk of falling on your ass is so high.

“Nope, just getting in some exercise” you grunt, moving your foot to the shallow hold of the next shelf.

Yoongi moseys up behind you before continuing. “And climbing a decades old bookshelf is how you stretch your legs?”

“You smoke cigarettes, I climb old furniture. We all have our vices.”

Your foot slips from its perch, making you squeak before catching your balance. 

“Alright spider-monkey, that's enough.” His hands slide across your hip, fingers curved around the softest part of your waist as he helps you down. 

Distracted by the weight of him still on your hip, the heat of his chest a scorching across your back, you don’t even think to disparage him for the cheap Twilight reference. The few inches Yoongi has on you allows him to reach overhead to snag the copy you need with ease. But as you watch his hands close around the spine everything beyond fades to black; like the universe pinholes where you two stand.

“This one?” You feel the vibration of his words up and down your spine, warm breath tracing across the shell of your ear.

Body on autopilot, you turn to face Yoongi. His mouth moves, eyes scanning the book cover but every word deafens in a muddy haze. He doesn’t seem to realize his hand is still on your waist, or how he crowds you into the shelves; chest to chest, stomachs barely an inch apart.

“Huh?” you ask, tearing your eyes away from his mouth.

“I said, if you asked for this book earlier I could have gotten it for you.”

“Oh.”

“You okay?” he asks, stepping further into you. “You look a little flushed.”

The bastard smiles. A God’s honest smile like his thigh isn’t between your own, or he isn’t waiting for a reply while his fingers dig in beneath your ribs.

Just when you open your mouth to say something, Yoongi silences you with a firm squeeze of his hand. His head lowers until his breath ghosts along your chin. 

Then you’re kissing; lips sliding together easily like he anticipated it. The world shatters all around from just a few passes of his mouth across your own, the weight of his body flattening you against the bookshelf. 

The first hint of his tongue against the seam of your lips makes you gasp and Yoongi takes the opportunity to taste you. You melt under his attention. Head tipping back, shoulders bowing to take more, your senses flood with the remnants of coffee and something else; something so quintessential Yoongi your head spins. It lights a new flame in your veins, one burning with pure want.

A handful of his shirt pulls him closer. Yoongi follows easily but gets more than asked for when one of your hands tangles in the back of his hair, tugging until he’s tilting his chin the way you want. It’s a bad habit other dates have subtly complained about but a noise bubbles in his throat at the dig of your nails; responding with his own palm squeezing roughly across your ass until your hips meet his. 

The crash of the book near your feet is like a bucket of ice water.

“Oh my god,” you gasp. Jumping back proves futile as the shelf digs further into your spine. “I–”

Puffy lips and lowered eyes stare back at you, clear evidence that you haven’t hallucinated what just happened. Yoongi dips down to kiss you again but you slither out of his grip.

Forgetting the book on the tiled floor, you mumble an apology and flee back upstairs, beelining to the vacant restroom.

To your own mortification, your features mirror Yoongi’s; lips swollen, eyes glazed. Your sweater twisted around your torso clearly betraying your rendezvous in the stacks. Beads of sweat cling to your forehead and neck.

A few splashes of cold water help clear the fog in your brain but as it dissipates embarrassment sets in. Making out with a handsome man is one thing. Making out with the librarian assisting in the most important work of your life is an entirely different ordeal; one that can only spell trouble.

Pacing back and forth, the cool paper towel on the back of your neck helps calm your racing heart enough to leave the safety of the ladies room.

Try as you might to drown under piles of books, it’s useless. You pretend to read the same passages over and over but none of the words register. The kiss replays over and over and over again. You kissed Yoongi. Yoongi kissed you back. He tried to kiss you again when you pulled away.

The end of the day inevitably comes which means you have to face him whether you want to or not. But you won’t allow a single lapse of judgment to affect your work; a moment of weakness propelled by months of abstinence that just so happened to coincide with a surly librarian’s entrance into your life. You just needed to get it out of your system. If it hadn’t been Yoongi it would have been someone else. 

At least that’s what you tell yourself.

A glance at your watch informs you that today is the second day you’ll leave the library early. Rather than give into the stubborn instinct to stay, you decide putting as much distance between yourself and Yoongi is far better for your mental health. With squared shoulders and a raised chin, you head downstairs. 

Yoongi’s waiting behind the counter. He isn’t typing on his computer or scanning books. He watches every step you take, arms crossed in front as he leans forward like he’s eager for a confrontation. 

“Yoongi,” you say.

“Y/N.”

You use every fiber of will to maintain eye contact as you pass your stack over the counter. “I’ll need these same ones tomorrow.”

“Okay.” He nods. “And the kiss?”

“What kiss?” you croak.

Yoongi’s eyes blaze like you’re a new puzzle to be solved, like he wants to take you apart and find exactly what makes you tick. You feel naked. “The one where you—”

“Must have been someone else. Sorry. Have a good night!” You rush for the door before he can say another word.

Another morning is another day in the library, but this time your roommate begs to tag along. 

“Look, I’m not getting anything done on my thesis so maybe you’ll rub off on me,” Taehyung says.

Rolling your eyes, you step through the door he holds open. “I think you’ve had plenty of people rub off on you.”

Gasping with fake indignation, he catches up easily. “Are you calling me a slut?” 

“Yes.”

“Good, I wanted to make sure we were on the same page. Is that him?”

Yoongi and Jungkook are talking behind the counter. Jungkook’s hands wave wildly as he recounts whatever information to his boss while Yoongi listens with fake interest. Or that's what someone else might think. The subtle signs he cares are hidden in the details; the miniscule lift of shoulders, a cock of his head, and when Jungkook pouts in a way too ridiculous for a man his size, Yoongi hides a smile in the shake of his head.

“Yes.”

“And I’m the slut?” Taehyung scowls as you pinch his shoulder. “What? He’s a nerd’s walking wet dream.” 

“And he can hear you, so shut up.”

“Morning!” Jungkook calls on his way past with a cart full of books. 

He grins like he knows exactly what happened on the second floor yesterday but that can’t be true. Yoongi doesn’t seem like the type to kiss and tell. Only the type to kiss and tease you relentlessly for it when no one else is around to hear.

Taehyung’s attention immediately locks on him. You love your roommate, always have and, unfortunately, always will; but he is a slut and Jungkook is definitely his type. However, he’s on your turf and knows better than to fuck where you have to eat for the next few months. 

“Y/N, Y/N’s friend,” Yoongi says when you approach his desk. 

“Taehyung.” 

“Right,” Yoongi drawls, blinking lazily before sliding your books over and turning around to sort something on the opposite counter.

Taehyung, ever the gentleman, grabs the pile for you and follows upstairs. 

“Well he seems like a cup of sunshine,” Taehyung whispers. 

“Just because he isn’t fawning over you doesn’t mean he’s an asshole.”

“I’m very fawn-able, ask anyone,” your roommate argues as you approach the fifth floor. “Wait, what's this… How to Defeat Your Own Clone and Other Tips for Surviving the Biotech Revolution. This is the type of shit he’s giving you? You’re easier than I am.”

“Give me that.” You snatch the paperback out of his grip. “Stop being nosy.”

Taehyung lets you work in peace after that, disappearing to gather more of his own materials. Even in undergrad he’d never been one to sit still for long. But he still managed to get a spot doing an engineering thesis despite the constant changes in his attention.

After several hours of mind numbing typing you need a break, and another cup of coffee on someone else’s dime sounds perfect.

“I’m getting coffee.”

“Bring me some,” Taehyung says without looking up from his screen.

The staff lounge is nothing fancy. A couple small tables with plastic chairs tucked around, a cork board covered with fliers, and a white board stuck to the fridge scrawled upon with black dry erase marker. The coffee pot sits full in the machine, still hot to the touch. 

You pour two cups. Taehyung’s gets loaded with creamer cups until it’s closer to white than black while yours is sweetened to sickening perfection. When you try to take a sip, the liquid immediately burns your tongue. Too hot coffee is better than cold coffee but an ice cube would help make it more palatable.

Moving back to the fridge, you go to open the freeze but stop when the white board catches your attention again.

Most notes are chores or friendly reminders about time cards but almost half the board is dedicated to a back and forth.

‘Unofficial Employee of the Month: Jungkook’ 

A note in Yoongi’s tight script: ‘You don’t work here.’

‘That’s why it's unofficial!’ in what must be Jungkook’s messy handwriting.

‘You’re my official employee of the month. - Namjoon’

At the bottom is a crude drawing of stick figures, two tall smiling ones holding hands under a rainbow labeled ‘JK’ and ‘Joon’ and a comically shorter one with evil eyebrows surrounded by storm clouds and ‘yoongi :(’ overhead.

“Snooping for secrets?”

“Jesus Christ,” you jump, turning to face Yoongi. “Has anyone ever told you it’s rude to sneak up on people?”

“You’re in the staff lounge, there’s gonna be staff here.” Yoongi crosses to the coffee pot on the counter and pours himself a cup. He doesn’t add cream or sugar or anything else to lessen the bitterness. Cliche. “So, was bringing your boyfriend here your subtle way of letting me down?”

“You think Taehyung is my boyfriend?” You whirl around in shock. Yoongi raises a brow, prompting you to continue. “Jungkook is more his type than I am.”

Yoongi releases a pleased hum, eyes shining. “So no boyfriend then?”

“Nope.”

You’re shaking but don’t look away from his hungry gaze. Yoongi takes a step closer, and another and one more until you're pinned to the countertop and his mouth is on yours. 

This time, you're more aware of everything. The smell of his cologne, the tickle of his bangs along your forehead, all the tiny details that were muffled before. Yoongi’s lips are firm against your own, a little chapped but it only makes you hotter with each pass.

His mouth is everywhere; your chin, your jaw, peppering down your throat until he pushes aside the hem of your shirt and sets to work on the jut of your collarbone like he’ll never get a chance again. 

“Yoongi,” you hum on the first rake of teeth. 

He takes it as an invitation to dig in harder, sucking the skin until your spine threatens to break and you say his name again. Desperate for some kind of anchor, you knot your fingers back in his hair and pull. 

A throaty noise responds and the need to hear more rears its head. Yoongi who always watches with measured fascination undone by some light petting. The power is addictive. 

Legs spread, he presses in flat. The heat of his cock, rigid beneath the fabric of his jeans, teases across the seam of your own. You're technically still in public but the consequences concern you less than the knowledge that you’ll go mad if you don’t feel him. His arms circle your back, pulling you firmer against him, right to the edge of the linoleum counter.

Wedging a hand between your bodies, you manage to get his zipper undone while your tongue traces along his jaw. Yoongi angles his hips to help, curling into your palm when you cup him over the fabric of his boxers. Every press has him swelling harder. 

His hands reach under your shirt. Skin on skin, the rough calluses of his fingers trace your ribs, thumbs following the cup of your bra in a tease. It’s a simple touch but your own hands falter when he brushes a nipple. You melt into each other.

“Hey, Yoongi, do you know where—HOLY SHIT!”

Jungkook stops at the door, eyes wide, mouth wider. 

“Get out!” Yoongi barks. He’s trying his best to keep your body covered from the younger man’s view but even if Jungkook isn’t getting a full frontal he isn’t dumb enough not to realize what’s going on.

Yoongi shudders a few breaths. Head hung low, he tucks himself back into his pants without moving away. You’re already slipping down from your perch when he looks back up.

“I’m just gonna…go,” you mumble, scurrying out the door.

Jungkook waits outside, eyes still bugging out of his head but at least has the decency to pretend he didn’t catch you in the act.

Tugging your shirt down, you avoid his gaze. How far would you have let Yoongi go if Jungkook hadn’t interrupted? 

“Coffee?” Taehyung asks as you approach the table.

You know what you look like without a mirror. The same as yesterday with glassy eyes and bruised lips, clothes wrinkled. Thankfully, Taehyung is more interested in his modeling software than where you’ve been. 

“They were out.” 

With a sigh like he is personally victimized by the lack of caffeine, Taehyung collapses on the table and plays dead. But he perks up at the sound of footsteps approaching behind you.

“You left this in the break room,” Yoongi says, dropping a cup of coffee by your side before disappearing. 

You turn to follow his retreating for until he’s hidden back between the shelves. The back of his hair is still messy despite his attempt to fix it, same with the wrinkles in his shirt from your hands.

“I thought they were out?” Taehyung eyes you suspiciously when you look back at him.

Cradling the still hot cup in your hands, you avoid his gaze. “Shut up.”

“So you do have to sleep with someone to get a cup of coffee.” 

“I’m not sleeping with him,” you spit in a harsh whisper.

“Why not?”

“Because…”

Because what exactly? There isn’t a good reason other than the fact Jungkook was the king of cockblocks. You would have let Yoongi do just about anything he wanted and he seemed to be in agreement. But you’d rather die than admit that out loud.

“You are so smart and so incredibly stupid.” Taehyung rolls his eyes, rising to pack his things. “I need to pee.”

You point him in the direction of the bathrooms and get back to work.

When Taehyung returns minutes later he starts shoving his things in his bag. “I’m leaving.”

“Why?”

“This is like the epicenter of hot smart men and I refuse to suffer any longer.”

“You got Jungkook’s number,” you deadpan.

Taehyung can’t hide his own shit eating grin. “Yoongi gave it to me.”

“If you’re leaving, so am I.”

“Why?” your roommate whines. 

“Because I got you a hot date and that means you owe me dinner.”

“Technically it was Yoongi but I’ll concede.” Taehyung heaves his bag up. “Come now my dearest, we can still get happy hour if we hurry.” 

You reach in your own bag and toss him your keys. “Go wait in the car. I’ve gotta go grab another book real quick.”

“Whatever,” Taehyung says, mumbling something like ‘nerds’ under his breath as he heads downstairs.

You find Yoongi while on your way to his desk, already toting around the cart piled high with returns from the day. Several of the covers are Taehyung’s picks and somehow the knowledge they’ve spoken almost knocks you off kilter. Taehyung is a good wingman and that’s what worries you most.

“Hi,” he says, kneeling to put a book on a low shelf.

It shouldn’t have the effect it does but something about the way Yoongi looks up at you, on his knees, head tipped back, has your mind running wild with the image of him in the same position with both of you wearing far less clothing. Maybe if you weren’t interrupted in the staff lounge you’d have seen it in real life.

“Hi. Mind if I add these to the pile?” 

“Go ahead.”

The Stocking was Hung sits on top. You don’t wait around to see his reaction.

The temperature had steadily been increasing over the past weeks but this morning is the worst of all. That inescapable warmth fully seeded overnight and promised the comforting days of sweaters and pants are long gone.

Heat makes you lazy and fitful. In the early hours, long before you actually need to be awake, you stare up at the ceiling of your room. Not even a frigid shower helped the stickiness of your skin or laying still in your bed in nothing but one of Taehyung’s shirts and ratty shorts. It followed you everywhere until you left for the same brick building you spend more time at than at home.

Without thought, you throw on the first seasonally appropriate outfit in your closet; a thin dress that covers enough for the public but promises to keep you cool.

Yoongi seems to be taking the change in weather as well as you are. His usual attire is absent, nothing but a white shirt clinging to his torso. The pale skin of his forearms briefly catches your attention but you focus anywhere else to stop from rounding the desk and finishing what started upstairs.

You steel yourself and approach the desk, determined to act normal.

Familiar dark eyes flash up to greet you but Yoongi’s mouth doesn’t form any words. He just stares at you. You can feel the weight of his gaze on your shoulders, your neck, and then he pointedly keeps them trained on your eyes. Like he's willing to pretend yesterday didn’t happen. 

He doesn’t speak when he passes over the same pile of books as yesterday but you can feel him burn a hole in your back. Even after you climb up the stairs and out of sight, the prickling sensation you’re being watched follows.

You don’t get anything done. The words on the page might as well be another language as your mind races.

Yoongi didn’t give you an extra book today.

An endless list of potential explanations race through your mind. Maybe you’d been too forward with your choice. Maybe he’s gotten it out of his system, a quick tryst in the employee lounge enough to satiate his curiosity. Maybe because it’s the second time you’ve brushed him off. Even if it wasn’t your fault Jungkook stumbled in before anything worthwhile could happen. 

But he isn’t speaking to you and he isn’t giving you the random book you’ve come to look forward to every morning. 

Channeling the restless energy of overthinking, you take a lap around the floor. You pause to flip through random books as you zigzag through the stacks. Anything to take your mind off the unshakable tension sticking in the air like syrup.

Your laptop is in sleep mode by the time you reluctantly come back. Everything is as you left except a book you’ve never seen before sits on top of the open one you’d been reading.

There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom. 

A sticky note sticks up from the inside of the cover. A bolt of excitement shoots down your spine. When you flip it open a familiar handwriting stares back: ‘on the seventh floor’.

You hadn’t been gone too long but the fear of making him wait has you rushing up the stairs. Each step brings you closer to where he waits until you’re opening the bathroom door.

“Yoongi?” 

A hand wraps around your upper arm, yanking you in. Another hand silences a surprised shout before you realize it’s Yoongi and not a murderer pinning you to the interior of the door you just came through.

“Jesus, you scared me.” 

“Sorry,” he breathes. “It’s just not a good look for me to be up here.”

“Oh, really?” You smile. “And why is that?”

“This is my job.”

“Didn’t seem to stop you before.”

“Who says it’s stopping me now?”

He thumbs the strap of your dress, hooking under the thin material and dragging it down your arm. The heat and weight of Yoongi against you, touching you so simply, makes you vibrate. Yoongi moves into your neck, panting with a grind against your thigh. “I swear I don’t usually do this.”

You want to argue that you have two accounts that he does do this often, at least with you. But for someone who says they don’t, Yoongi is surprisingly natural. The tease prickling the end of your tongue fizzles out under his teeth across the curve of your shoulder, goosebumps blossoming along your back. 

A whimper unbecoming of an adult woman breaks the lullaby of summer air conditioner singing through the vents. You’re sweating under the cling of your dress, skin hot to the touch thanks to Yoongi’s attention; long fingers curved around your waist, thumbs skimming just under your breast.

“Could have fooled me.”

“This is a very nice dress.” His mouth bites down your neck, taking advantage of the new strips of skin the neckline unveils.

“That’s all it takes?” you pant from the wet of his tongue. “A pretty dress?”

“If you think,” he whispers into your ear. “I’m doing this because of your dress then you really haven’t been paying attention.”

The dark locks of his hair are too alluring to resist, tempting one of your own hands to scratch against the tip of his spine when Yoongi rolls against you again. A firm tug brings him to your mouth, lips molding to one another in a searing kiss. You can taste the coffee from the lounge and the faintest hint of cigarette smoke, like he thought to hide it before asking you to follow him.

“How long? How long have you wanted this?”

Yoongi hooks one of your thighs higher, savoring the heat of your core against the crotch of his pants with a slow thrust. “Since you came in and busted my balls over not having that archived manuscript when the website said we did.”

You remember that day. Patience thin from Taehyung’s loud overnight guest, you stormed into the library looking to take it out on a photocopy of the manuscript only for the only copy to be AWOL. Yoongi became the surrogate for your rage, his eyes burning into your skull as questioned how he could let it happen.

The next day was when he started adding books to your stack.

“That was months ago.”

“I’m a patient guy.”

You want him naked; ache to catalog what he’s hidden underneath bulky sweaters and loose button ups over the past few months. But that idea has to wait for somewhere less risky. You settle for dipping your hand under his shirt, tracing your fingers over the elastic of his boxers peeking from the waistband of his pants.

Attempting to hide the effect he has, you loop your fingers in his belt loops and pull him even closer so your face is hidden in the crook of his neck. “There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom? A little on the nose, don’t you think?”

“Like The Stocking was Hung is any better?” Yoongi sighs as your mouth ghosts over the rising vein webbing the side of his throat.

“Hey!” you object, rising to face him. “I thought you’d appreciate it after that mothman book.”

“I appreciate you complimenting my dick plenty.”

Yoongi doesn’t let you go, hands palming at the swell of your ass the entire way from the door to the counter. He’s got one hand curved along your jaw, thumb hooked around your chin and his teeth bruising your lower lip. The edge of granite digs in your spine but not for long as he lifts you and settles on his knees to dive under your skirt. 

He kisses up your calf, tongue snaking across the knob of your knee then the plush of your thigh. Just when you feel a puff of breath against the damp crotch of your panties, Yoongi falls to repeat the same path against your other leg. 

You don’t suffer for long. Pooling the excess fabric around your waist, Yoongi blinks up from between your thighs. The pink of his tongue follows the edge of your panties, wetting the fabric more until it clings obscenely. 

He pushes his glasses up to rest on the top of his head, keeping the mess of gray and black hair out of his eyes before diving back down.

His tongue lathers over your covered slit with a groan. “Taste better than I imagined.”

“You thought about this?”

“Couldn’t stop thinking about it. On my desk, yours, against that fucking bookshelf.” Yoongi punctures each word with more wet kisses against your core. “In my car, my bed. Everywhere.”

A cool breath has your thighs squeezing around his head thanks to the erotic combination of his spit and your own fluids drenching your panties. “Is this all you think about?”

“I had to come up here and jerk off yesterday because I couldn’t stop thinking about your hands.”

Your panties are pulled to the side before you can indulge in the new visual blooming on the edge of consciousness. “Yoongi.”

Eyes closed, his mouth circles your clit, tongue gently stroking you to life. Every pass against the sensitive bundle of nerves has your thighs squeezing around his head. 

The first prod of fingers makes Yoongi’s hold on the crook of your knee tighten. He stretches you back open, eyes following the way you suck him inside; coating his spindly digits with more arousal each time.

“A-ah,” you shake. “Please.”

Yoongi chances a glance up at your face, the needy sheen in your eyes, the way your mouth gapes, and decides to take mercy. 

He latches back onto your clit. Yoongi groans as you tug his hair, knocking his glasses to the ground. The pace he works your remains lethargic, savoring the kick of your hips until you grind against his mouth. 

Throaty groans vibrate against your cunt, tightening the muscles along the inside of your thighs. Neither of you are doing a good job muffling yourselves but if it’s between getting caught and having him stop then you’ll deal with the consequences when they come.

“Oh, Yoongi.” Your chest pulls tight; spurred on by the sounds of Yoongi bullying your insides, his mouth smacking against your folds. “I’m— oh, oh, oh!”

The rough crook of his fingers sends you flying. Only the pressure of his shoulders keep you from slipping off the counter as you explode against his mouth. Euphoria rushes your veins, licks of pleasure overwhelming. Every muscle quivers as Yoongi works you through until you use his hair to pull him away.

He’s quick on his feet. You’re still recovering as Yoongi pushes your bra down and draws one of your nipples into his mouth, licking and sucking until you pull his hair again. Eyes cinched tight, face wet, you force his pants open then his underwear until Yoongi is almost as exposed as you are; pretty in your palm, sticky and hot to the touch.

But it’s not enough to feel him in your hand, you need to feel him inside. To fill you up where you sit hollow and aching without his fingers to provide a sliver of relief. “Fuck me.”

Yoongi doesn’t tease, has no quip about how needy you are. He keeps his mouth on your chest and uses his hands to grab something out of his pocket. It happens so fast you don’t even realize the condom is on until he nudges between your legs.

Your nails dig into his back, breathing through the initial stretch is the only way you stay quiet. Yoongi hides himself back in your neck, strained noises clawing out of his throat.

Yoongi isn’t gentle. Not caution or waiting. Months of push and pull destroy any desire for him to treat you as something fragile. He rushes into desperately, forcing your palm flat against the mirror behind you for some semblance of stability.

“God,” he grunts. “You’re incredible.”

You whimper a quiet acknowledgement, too fucked out to blush under his praise; pulling Yoongi closer until he’s scooping his hands underneath your ass, thrusting into you over and over. His mouth finds yours. Greedy. Hungry. 

It’s Yoongi who struggles to stay quiet. Even through the kiss he moans loud enough you feel it in your throat. You listen to them all, twisting the hand knotted in his hair to hear the whine you’ve quickly become obsessed with.

“Should have done this sooner,” your back arches and Yoongi’s mouth slips back down. 

“I tried. But you kept ignoring me.”

“I wasn’t—fuck—ignoring you.” Yoongi is everywhere. His taste on your mouth, cologne burned in your nose. The feel of him all over your body. “Shit.”

He fucks you harder to prove a point, hand slipping down to rub your clit. Your second orgasm glows on the edges. If Yoongi keeps playing with you, stretching you in half on his cock and biting a mark into your breast, you know you’ll come.

You focus on breathing. Letting it come to you instead of chasing it, overthinking it to the point it evades you. It’s easier than usual. Yoongi doesn't leave room for anything else beyond feeling good. 

“Oh my god,” you whisper as the cord tightens. 

Everything turns white hot, pleasure tearing through your muscles and ripping them to shreds. You convulse in Yoongi’s hold, only pinned down by his hips fucking you brutally. Nerves shot, Yoongi babbles praise in your ear but it's indecipherable from the headrush.

Yoongi follows you over the edge a few strokes later, twitching inside you until he stills. His hips give a few arrhythmic bucks as he fills the condom with his load. 

There's something nastier about clothed sex. The way sweat makes your clothes cling tighter, the rush of needing each other so badly you can’t be bothered to do more than pull things to the side. 

You feel dirty but in a good way. Yoongi kisses across the apples of your cheeks, your chin, your forehead, even your brows, but never returns to your lips. Each leaves you more frustrated than the last, muscles twitching beneath and head turning at the last second to try and meet his mouth. 

Tricking you with a brief connection, he laughs when you chase his lips as he dodgers back. But a pout and whine bring him back into your orbit.

He cleans you up with paper towels, wiping away the mess between your thighs with something akin to disappointment. But he doesn’t complain as he fixes your clothes and then his own. Muscles like jelly, you fall into his side when he helps you down from the counter. 

With a kiss to your temple, “Let's get out of here.”

“Morning, Yoongi.” You smile as you walk up to his desk.

A set of dark eyes rise to greet you, taking the cup of coffee you so graciously offer before smiling as well. “Good morning.”

Jungkook gawks like he’s never seen you two speak before. Round eyes bounce between you and Yoongi as if it’s a tennis match instead of a normal conversation. Probably because Yoongi was less than subtle when he pulled you out of the building yesterday, telling him to call Namjoon if anything came up.

Or maybe because you’re wearing one of Yoongi’s shirts.

You discovered much about the mysterious librarian overnight. He’d taken you back to his apartment; a perfect extension of himself decorated with dark furniture and more books than anyone could possibly read. Yoongi owned a collection of vinyl records that rivaled his book collection, he was a great cook, and he was studying to take the entrance exam for law school. 

After you were wined and dined, Yoongi dedicated hours between your legs. On his couch, against the massive bookcase in his living room, between the sheets of his bed. 

He also had a kink for eating you out while you explained your thesis in precise detail.

You’d only been allowed to leave when Yoongi was getting ready for work, not that you'd put up much argument. 

You make a scene of sorting through the stack he slides over. It’s not that you don’t trust Yoongi. But now that you’ve had a taste, you’re addicted to his presence. But he unfortunately can’t follow you upstairs so you savor the time now. 

“One of my books is missing,” you say.

“Oh, right.”

Yoongi passes over an unfamiliar copy.

Maybe He Just Likes You

And the blue sticky note attached, with his handwriting. ‘Dinner when you're done?’

Taglist: @tomodachiii @cvpidyunho @miniseokminnies @ddaengpotate @arycutie @gaebestie @primoppang @gyuguys @mine-gyu @doremifasire @missminhoe @toplinehyunjin @crvs4vldtn @prettygyuuu @sliceofwoozi @dokyeomkyeom @yoonguurt

© highvern. copying/reuploading/translating my work anywhere is strictly prohibited.

[procrastinatingsoicanreadfanfics]

Vikings and their eras

Summary: what era would vikigns be in if they weren't in their own

Notes: I did a lot of text for this one, bc I loved thinking about this!! There are some pretty popular characters missing (Ragnar, Sigurd, Athelstan) where I just couldn’t imagine a certain era for them. Thank you so much for your request :)))))) Some of these eras aren’t wonderful or filled with positivity but that doesn’t mean these characters wouldn’t thrive.

tagged: @majesticwren @obsessiveformiyatwins @leithdragon @demon-of-the-ancient-world @alicedopey, @ivarlover @levithestripper @batmandallyboy @akayxo09 @vrtualfairy (hmu to be added!)

based on this request | masterlist | requests are OPEN!

Lagertha

Lagertha would thrive well in times of crises and war (lmao). The black death, WW1 or 2, or long periods of war/famine/sickness is where Lagertha does well. Think about her what you will, but she brings people together, manages them, and takes care of them. She’s a natural leader, and a fighter, so she’s able to protect her community.

We’ve seen examples of this in the series, think during the sickness in Kattegat, or when she takes over and completely builds up Hedeby. People tend to trust her, and especially women look up to/feel safe around her. When disaster strikes, she would be able to save/take care of them.

Aslaug

I had to think about this for a really long time because I think that Aslaug fits so well into the era the show is set in, however, I finally decided on the 1920s. Even as a feminine woman in Viking Scandinavia, she had a lot of authority over herself and knew how to grow a business (Kattegat) when Hirst wasn’t feeling sexist.

In the 1920s, she’d live in a big city, maybe Berlin or New York, and she’d own some sort of speakeasy. I’d love to think that her speakeasy would be a place for the very few pagans of the city to meet up in secret, and she herself would still be a norse pagan, völva, etc. Also, she’d dip her toes into wild jewellery design (think Schiaparelli). Definitely someone who attracts artists and would be considered a muse.

Rollo

Middle Medieval Ages for sure. He thrives being a knight because he’s a manipulative little hoe that I can’t stand. Gets to do his performative heroism during tourneys and woo women only to leave them all alone.

Rollo is not a good person, esp. towards women. He constantly gets into trouble with the church and with fathers whose daughters he ‘dishonors’. Definitely needs a wife like Gisla to slap some sense into him. I think that eventually (mid forties) he’d start to mature. Also, having children would help him become a better person (I think they should have put that into a show).

Bjorn

Bjorn thrives well in the late 2000s to early 2010s, when travel blogs were on the rise. He’s one of the early influencers, and travels the world together with Halfdan. This only works bc cancel culture isn’t real yet. Bjorn would say some stupid shit and get hounded for it let’s be real. Nonetheless, there is always some rumour about him and Halfdan being a thing (they would be if they both didn’t constantly say ‘that’s gay’).

Alternatively, Bjorn might make a good colonizer (can I say that?), but it’s not like he isn’t that already.

Ubbe

Ubbe would thrive during the late medieval ages (defo not the Renaissance though). He’s the type of man who would enjoy the idea of the charming knight. I think Ubbe would definitely enjoy the idea of quests/saving damsels in distress/having the arranged-marriage-turned-lovestory (he’s a booktok girly tbh).

This doesn’t mean that all of this is totally pure. Ubbe gets some shit twisted in canon as well (ESPECIALLY concerning Margrethe). Maybe his first war was something crusade-like, and he went into it thinking of heroic acts and blabla and then got fucked up by battle and gore. Also has a religion and Madonna/whore complex problem.

Hvitserk

In the show, Hvitserk was always seeking sense/purpose while also struggling with balance, which is why I think he would thrive in the 1970s. This is THE era for protests and social change. Climate change, feminism and sexuality all became important topics. Going to protests would be able to give him a sense of change, and I think it would be liberating for him as well, to be able to free himself of his restraints by changing something.

I’ll go into communes a little more for Helga, but I think Hvitserk would thrive in an early commune a lot. He needs to have people around him taking care of his mental health, and this would be great for his mental health. Yes, therapy helps a lot of people, but I think if Hvitserk lived in our time, he would think that talk therapy is stupid, and completely close himself off to it. This guy just needs a lot of love, okay?

Also, he needs to smoke some 70s weed every once in a while.

Ivar

Just like Hvitserk, Ivar would thrive during the 1970s. However, this is for completely different reasons and also means that no one else gets to thrive. I chose the 1970s because it’s THE serial killer decade.

That honestly sounds terrible but we all know it’s true.

Ivar would be bitter about being discriminated/not being able to fully take part in society/not getting any women and that would turn him homicidal. He definitely overcomplicated his killings and does shitty bloodeagles to get some cool name but all he gets is like “the Viking killer” or something and he’s so mad about that he reveals himself on his deathbed to change his title. It doesn’t work.

Floki

Floki just wants to be where Helga is, but he would not thrive in the 2020s. I think he’d get in arguments with Helga about vaccinations. However, I want Floki to be in the 2010s/2020s with Helga. He definitely has some kind of hallucination-related mental illness at the least. I think that especially the season where he acted out against Helga (season 4?) shows that his mental health was making him harmful towards others and probably towards himself.

I can’t diagnose Floki, but I think we can all see that he might have some kind of bipolar disorder/mania disorder on top of a schizophrenia. He needs some kind of meds, and he needs someone to help him taking them.

Helga

This is very specific, but Helga would do AMAZING during the early era of Covid (like March 2020). Yes, she’s a very social person, but I do believe that Helga would be part of a quite isolated commune if she lived during modern times, and even during that time be isolated with Floki.

I would like to think that the commune could be self-sufficient and Helga just gets to go ham making banana bread and care packages. She thrives in this time where she doesn’t really have to go to work (even though she loves being a kindergartener too) and gets to take care of the people in her commune, and even further than that from the comfort of her own home.

Astrid

This woman thrives where no one else does, and that is toxic 2020s twitter. All she does is tweet, get cancelled, tweet, get popular, repeat. She’s so so annoying and bullies a bunch of people who don’t deserve to be bullied. Is most definitely blocked by trump, hailey Bieber and the Kardashians at least.

Makes a living by selling feetpics.

Ecbert

Ecbert thrives in the 1980s. Now. Hear me out. Ecbert in neon Zumba clothes. There, that’s my reason.

I’m just kidding, there’s more. I’m not old enough to fully understand most of the decades I’m talking about in here but the 1980s, it seems, were this extremely colorful and wild decade. Literally everywhere, color just kind of seemed to explode, and I think Ecbert would thrive in this kind of chaotic atmosphere.

(are there people in their forties or older on this post that can verify?)

Aelswith

I’m really sad that we didn’t go into Aelswith more in the show, but I firmly believe that Aelswith would make an amazing Sufragette. Thinking back to her time on the show, she was always very firm in standing her ground, more so than Judith or even Lagertha in some ways (especially in the sense that she was SO YOUNG). She directed and strengthened Alfred, and I think during season 6, she used a beartrap to defend her baby?

Anyway, I imagine her as a rich/aristocratic lady in London who definitely steers the household while Alfred brings the money in (he likes art) and she decides that, if she puts in the work in the house, she should be able to decide over the country that house is in as well.

[wendytestabrat]

why kyle is threatened by cartman

i’ve been thinking abt part of the reason WHY kyle has sooo much of an issue with cartman whenever he shows up or breathes or does basically anything. yes it’s also bc he’s jealous of him and gay for him but THERE’S A THIRD REASON TOO. it all comes down to the fact that kyle is a friendless loser as we’ve talked about. since it’s been shown that cartman knows how to make friends outside the group wayyy more easily than kyle and kyle pretty much only hangs out with stan & kenny all the time i think he just gets possessive of stan & kenny bc i mean they’re deadass the only friends he has so he doesn’t wanna lose them. so yeah OFC he gets threatened by cartman & jealous af when cartman knows how to rizz stan & kenny better than him and they have moments where they prefer to hang out with cartman and listen to him over kyle. he’s mad af that the person he ‘hates’ that’s mean to him and picks on him steals his friends away. i remember i was like this as a kid when i was an annoying fuck. i was never popular in school so then when i finally did make a friend it meant A LOT to me and i would try to hold onto that friend for dear life LOL. and i also HATED it when that friend would hang out with a bunch of people i didn’t like or people that were mean to me bc that would happen A LOT where i had a friend i got along with rlly well but then when other bitches were there they wouldn’t like me and i wouldn’t like them. but yeah i grew out of that shit as i got older and realized i was the problem bc if it’s rlly THAT hard to hold onto ONE FRIEND bc u can’t get along with anyone else then who’s the one to blame lol. bc tryna control your friends and getting all possessive of them and dictating who they can and can’t hang out with is toxic & immature (which kyle does all the time when he tries turning stan against cartman). i don’t do that shit anymore as an adult and if i ever encounter a situation where a friend i have gets along with or hangs out around someone i can’t stand i either just try to put up with it and get along with that person too or if it rlly becomes too much of a problem for me i’ll just stop being friends with that friend altogether. bc like that can DEF be a huge indication that someone is fake or two-faced & not a real friend anyway if they act one way with you but then a completely different person around a group of people and COMPLETELY change up their value system. so honestly as long as the friend knows how to be the SAME PERSON around both you and the person u hate that should be ok for me, it’s when they do that two-faced shit that’s the real dealbreaker. and honestly this is why kyle is such a victim bc like he doesn’t know how to make any other friends bc he’s so unlikable and like ik it’s hard for him to get away from cartman bc stan & kenny are friends with him too, but honestly he could just stop hanging out with stan & kenny then if it’s rlly such a problem, bc i mean stan & kenny have PLENTY of two faced moments where they side with cartman instead of kyle when he’s in the wrong or being a dick.

[starrynightzie]

I mostly wanted this acc to be specifically for art, not rly for anything else but i need to get this off my chest. Obviously if you’ve been on twitter, you’ve probably seen a lot (and i mean a LOT) of hate towards gay ships/shippers recently, (first w togachako, then w stsg) i wanna address all the weird shit thats been happening w jjk dudebros lately. Idk what it is but they’re rly upsetti spaghetti abt even the mere thought of stsg being more than platonic besties, going so far as to shoot down any hint of them being romantically inclined in the slightest - so i thought that i’d take it upon myself to provide poof that stsg has queer, romantic subtext since ppl are being extremely obtuse abt them, all for the sake of protecting their friendship from us evil gays. (other shippers do this too but im mostly focusing on dudebros bc they’re the ones primarily acting like assholes to us for no reason, like yeah, sure, some stsgs are extremely cringey & weird but that can be said for ANY shipper in ANY fandom. When you’re in a fandom as big as this, of course there’s gonna be some bad eggs, it’s inevitable.

ok so. !!DISCLAIMER!! i do not speak japanese, so if i say something incorrect then please correct me. i’ve done enough research to be sure that what im saying is right, but im only human, and sometimes, i might be wrong. so, take what im abt to say with a grain of salt. (just in case).

first off, it should be stated that gege akutami, the creator himself, is an avid bl fan (and ik what ur thinking, ‘oh, that doesn’t mean anything! just bc u read bl, it doesn’t mean you’re likely to write gay relationships into ur own manga!’ which is true, gege HAS said that he doesn’t want to write romance in jjk. HOWEVER, as much as i love stsg & see them in a romantic light, i do definitely think that the reason why their relationship feels so ambiguous is bc gege intentionally made it that way. i think he made their relationship up to the individual’s interpretation. And for ppl who’re thinking ‘why would he do that?’ well, he doesn’t like writing romance, right? so this is the next best thing he could do. and also i have to point out (in case ppl get defensive), gege literally does not and will never care if ppl ship stsg or not, again, he’s a bl fan and if anything - all of the evidence that im going to talk abt proves that he most likely ships stsg himself, so… 🤷‍♂️

2. i’d like to talk about s2’s op & ed which are HEAVILY romantically coded. If you don’t know, the op was written to be from gojo’s pov & vice versa with geto for the ed, the op in particular is a very special case. The song is explicitly abt reminiscing the past , wishing gojo had noticed geto’s sorrow sooner and it also mentions a ‘silent love’. the word ‘love’ being used here is ‘koi’ which EXCLUSIVELY means romantic love… now, since this song was specifically written with gojos pov in mind, doesnt it seem kind of weird to have the word for ‘romantic love’ in there?? (koi can be referred to as ‘young love’ or having a ‘crush’ on someone…. hm… ThAts WeIrD.) instead of using ‘ai’??? which would make more sense if stsg were just besties bc ai is more general and can be used towards friends & family.

and then ofc there’s the whole theme of ‘blue spring’. director park (who directed s1 & jjk 0) has stated in an interview that geto was gojo’s last warm spring of youth. now if you dont know, spring of youth/blue spring means a time in a young person’s life where they have hope and happiness… in animanga, it often means falling in love too… so judging by this, it seems very likely that gojo perhaps developed feelings for geto during their teen years together. Director park has also mentioned in an interview that gojo & geto’s relationship goes beyond ‘friendship’ & being ‘familial’. 👀

3. another clear indicator of gojo being in love w geto is the whole ‘love is the most twisted curse of all’ spiel he said to yuta. ‘but he could mean platonic love!!’ idk, considering yuta had romantic feelings for rika and hes discussing them with gojo & gojo knows this, dont u think it’d be a bit weird for him to mention geto here too? if they were just best friends?? (that’s not even mentioning the fact that gojo & geto’s relationship is supposed to parallel yuta & rika’s in jjk 0…)

4. and then ofc we have gojo saying his last words to geto, which were censored. now, correct me if im wrong but the ONLY times ive ever seen inaudible dialogue being mouthed to another character is when its a love confession mostly seen in romance anime. and like, there’s also no need at all for gojo’s last words to be censored in the first place. (although, i do suspect that his last words may play a major role in the future when he faces kenjaku.) what solidifies it for me being a love confession is that, 1. geto blushed after gojo said whatever it is that he said to him, (only in the manga tho, idk why they didnt make him blush in the movie but its whatever.) and geto replies with, depending on the translation, ‘at least curse me a little at the very end’ or ‘you should at least curse me at the end’. which heavily implies that gojo said something extremely sweet & heartfelt to him as his final words. and if thats not enough to convince u that gojo’s last words were indeed a love confession.. gojo’s eng VA HIMSELF, said that his last words when translated into english means three words… im not saying that gojo’s last words were specifically ‘i love you’ or anything like that, but i am definitely sure that whatever he said was a love confession/something very romantic in nature. bc why else would gege choose to draw geto blushing?? that wouldnt make any sense.

gojo also killed geto on the 24th of december, which in japan, is the most romantic day of the year & couples in japan treat christmas eve as kinda like a separate valentines day. even in the jjk manga recently, gojo offered to fight on dec 24th & kenjaku mocks him by saying how romantic it is… even gege himself acknowledges how romantic christmas eve is in japan, this enforces the idea that gege must’ve chosen dec 24th for a reason, bc why else would he have picked an extremely romantic date as not only the day where he fights kenjaku who is inhabiting geto’s body, but also making it the day geto died?? yall have to remember that all of this has been planned out by gege, none of it is a coincidence… he didn’t just come up with all of this on the spot, he’s been planning this stuff & thinking about it for literal years.

5. and finally, probably the BIGGEST piece of evidence there is, geto & gojo’s character songs. gege chose romantic break up songs for BOTH of them.. like im sorry but if stsg were rly truly only best friends, he would not have chosen those songs for them, it just doesnt make any sense.

conclusion: obviously, this probably isn’t every subtextually romantic thing about stsg’s relationship but these are all the things that i’ve noticed. again, if you see their relationship as purely platonic then that’s fine but don’t be assholes to people for seeing romantic subtext that’s quite clearly there. if i have missed anything out then please let me know and i’ll edit them into the post.

[joyswonderland1108]

Please take time to read this

Hello, i’m ranting again but ffs Army are infuriating i simply cannot.. I’m making this post for my queer people but also for my non-queer people but who support the LGBTQ community. Again sometimes i’m really bad with words, i really don’t know how to put shit out there correctly but please bear with me. 

So i’ve been on tiktok and that lovely girlie’s video popped up on my fyp (the same girlie i posted yesterday), basically the caption on the video was “Me watching homophobic “armys” throwing a fit bc queer armys find comfort in Jimin’s queercoded lyrics”, me being me i checked the comments and i come across shit like this 

The way people are so very against any of BTS members being anything but straight and like to throw the “don’t assume” stupid comment, that “they never came out” “they never said it themselves” yada yada, bitch do you even know what queer coded means? Do you know what a code means to begin with? 

People seem to forget that these men are in an environment that doesn’t allow them to just “come out” they can’t just fucking shout to the world that they’re fucking gay Patricia! 

 It’s the fact that Jimin has been dropping hints here and there to HOPEFULLY people can understand, can get the fucking message, but people are still out there wanting him to just say it as it is, they don’t understand the effort it take to fucking come out in a homophobic country in a God forsaken industry with entitled fans who can’t accept idols being non-hetero. 

It’s like people are trying their best to break Jimin’s effort in trying to “set himself free” as he fucking just said from all this bullshit, from holding back, from “HIDING” bitch he literally said that wtf do you think he’s hiding from? The monster under his bed? The muffin man in his closet? Wake the fuck up! You’re stanning a man but refuse to understand him, refuse to give him a chance to express himself without having to put himself in a tough position.

I remember sharing before this one video from a tiktoker who made a joke about how queer celebrities deal with dating questions when they didn’t necessarily come out or weren’t intending to but still were trying to drop hints :

(Matt Taylor)

It is already hard enough for queer people to be accepted in this society and people keep on making it harder for them. People saying that your own personal interpretation shouldn’t be imposed on what Jimin means, if y’all keep on acting this way when the fuck are we ever going to understand him? Are we always going to put his efforts in vain? That man simply CANNOT COME OUT and you know what? He doesn’t HAVE to either, why tf do people think he will just trust such an entitled fandom to come out to them? 

Bitches be really quick to deny the fact that they’re simply homophobic but Jan, could you please enlighten me on why tf do you get so fucking defensive whenever anyone mentions the possibility of any of these men being queer? Them assholes aren’t even ready to accept that Yoongi, the man who ACTUALLY said it, is queer let alone making effort to understand Jimin. 

I won’t say this enough, i will obviously not repeat it enough but THIS is why Yoongi said that FANS, MOTHERFUCKING FANS will understand not Army cause y’all only hold the fandom’s name nothing more. So fucking entitled and want everything handed to them on a silver plate. Now the narrative is that queer people aren’t “supposed to look a certain way” aka members who look “manly” are surely not queer. Yesterday again i came across a tiktok of a dude doing a prank to his BOYFRIEND, here’s what they look like : 

Now don’t bullshit me on “this is not what i mean when i say manly” cause i know perfectly that this is the exact image some people picture in their head for how men looking like that can’t be gay. You want Jimin to feel comfortable enough to come live often, to share things with us, to see him perform, bla bla bla but how tf can he be comfortable with your sick asses when he can’t even be given a chance to be understood, to not put him under the projector? 

People assume that you just gotta tell the world about your sexuality and that’s it, easy peasy lemon squeezy, such a happy world and everybody will be accepting yey

You don’t know the struggle of fighting to let yourself known to others without being put in a risky situation as a common person let alone as a celebrity in a very unforgiving industry, people tend to forget that it can be career threatening, so just for your own comfort you’ll have these men risking everything just so you can have that verbal validation? 

I’m going back to the term “Queer coded” It’s called that way because there are “CODES” used by a person to hint to their sexuality and if your illiterate asses could spare 5 mins to google what that means y’all would’ve been 10 times smarter. 

If you can’t support Jimin, or any member really, the right way, please see yourself out these 7 men really don’t need no more of these people as part of this fandom, it’s already hard with straight up haters and now they have to deal with supposed “fans” who can’t do shit correctly. 

So please for my queer people, let's do our best to support and let our boy know that we understand we get it and we are sending him all of our love and for people who support the community and still understood Jimin and are supporting as well, thank you, thank you so much for being amazing, thank You.

[mc-i-r]

I just reread all of Disposable Heroes because it is just so good and I’m in love with it. I really hope Joyce and Hopper get the riot act read to them as well! They just saw awkwardness going down with Steve at the center and told him that they don’t trust him at all. Despite all he’s done for their kids, Joyce doesn’t believe he could be gracious about Eddie’s crush or about Eddie being gay in general, and Hopper just tells him to fix his shit when they don’t have the full story. Especially with Joyce pulling out the “I love you” card right before telling Steve that she still expects him to act like he did three years prior. Robin should get to yell at them and tell them to leave Steve alone if that’s what they really think of him

Thank you so much!! Don't worry, I'm definitely planning on them facing some repercussions for how they treated Steve after the main story is done. I wanted to add the part between Joyce and Steve bc I feel like they don't get a lot of time together (both canon and fanon) so I wanted to give em a lil spotlight. In my opinion, Joyce doesn't know about Nancy/Jonathan's lil get together via Murray and what that meant for Steve and has just assumed that Nancy left Steve for something he did. Joyce wants to be nice to Steve bc he's been there for the kids but she still distrusts him bc of the conclusions she jumped to about his character (even tho those assumptions were true once upon a time, that doesn't mean they're necessarily true now). The same goes for Hopper bc he knows kids can be stupid and he remembers all the times he would go to Hawkins High because some kid got beat up too much by some rich pretty boys who lived off daddy's money and assumed that people like that couldn't (and wouldn't) change. Also he's an extremely awkward person when it comes to emotions/emotional confrontations so he would absolutely just avoid talking about anything meaningful whatsoever and instead give a vague reprimand like he does to Steve. Joyce is naturally motherly, and I added a bit of angst with the "I love you" scene bc I feel like Steve's parents have never said that and meant it before. Having Steve hear it from a motherly figure like Joyce while also knowing she distrusts him and his intentions is just- ugh it's good angst. I'm definitely planning on getting them back pretty good and letting them learn they cannot judge a person just because of what they did in their past. As always, thank you for the ask!!

[homosapiennns]

LET’S TALK ABOUT MR. SADIK ADNAN AKA UNCLE DILF OF HETALIA

Sadık is an unique name. I never met a Sadık in my life. It means loyal. Adnan is usually a name, not a surname. It’s an old name, people don’t name their sons Adnan anymore. Both names are pretty masculine sounding. “Sadık” is pronounced S, A in dark, Dı is read the same as the word “the”, K is normal. Adnan is pretty easy, all As in our language are the same.

Sadiq is not a real name, we don’t have q in our alphabet. But I understand that people don’t know this so I forgive u guys 😙

Do I like his name? Tbh the first time I’ve seen it I didn’t, but I like it now. I can’t imagine him having a different name.

I have a few headcanons of him!!!

First of all, this man is LOUD. Like he is not shouting obv, but he talks loudly, energetically, and a little fast paced. He is extroverted, he can carry a conversation easily, and I can see him being “the dominant one” in a convo if it makes sense. Like u don’t have to worry about finding a topic bc Sadık naturally finds it.

His voice is deep.

He is friendly, but he doesn’t share his romantic life if it’s not a close friend. I can see him being close w Balkan countries, Bulgaria especially. A lot of Turks came to Turkey from Bulgaria in 50s and 90s (bc yk Ottoman Empire was there) But I think his personal relationship with Balkans doesn’t get affected by foreign policies. Bc fuck governments and politics. Anyways LOL. He is friends with Russia too. I read some RusTur fanfics? I don’t even know the name of the ship but it was fucking hot. He likes Europeans, Germany is his fave, but he isn’t close with them. Greece will have his own section 😉

He lives in Istanbul, in Anatolia side. He just can’t escape this city he loves it so much even tho it’s overpopulated.

He likes fishing like every uncle ever. He falls asleep in front of his TV like every dad. He loves drinking rakı and eating the fish he caught w it. He loves to eat, he has a dad bod. When he’s drinking he prepares the table like this n people go insane for it, also he always pays the meal’s bills. His hospitality has no limits like this man can die of hypothermia if it means his guests are warm and tucked in bed.

He has ZERO drip 😔 he has a beard n a hairy body. Idk why but I can’t rlly imagine him with abs. Maybe Osmanlı (Im gonna use Turkish bc Ottoman Empire is so long bro) had an athletic body, but Mr. Turkey just doesn’t care.

He loveeees cooking. Ok so Turks hate takeouts unless u live alone. If u go to a Turkish household and suggest that u want to order a pizza they will act like u just cursed their entire family. Sadık is the same unless he eats kebap outside bc mmm kebap is yummy.

He is a Muslim, not a hardcore tho, he only practices it in Fridays the same way Christians go to church in Sundays.

LETS TALK ABOUT OSMANLI OMG. So yk Mr. Adnan is friendly softie etc etc. But Osmanlı was different! I think his personality changed after the Turkish War of Independence and the Republic has founded. He had to change himself, we the people had to change ourselves to fit the modern Western world.

But at it’s prime Sadık was crueler, focused on wars and fighting and conquering, making his Empire bigger. He has seen many things. Had to betray, manipulate. He was impatient, cunning, cynical. He was never cold though. I think he was always sincere, like yeah his words hurt but he was telling the truth. I don’t like portraying him evil, like a villain. He doesn’t have a bad heart. He knows how to have a good time if u are his friend.

I think he got THE drip bro. Like his clothes were the most expensive fabrics, sewn by the best tailors.

His sexuality hmmm well 🤔 I think he likes woman but Osmanlı was really gay at that time. Lots of gossips about bisexual Sultans. So I hc him as bi leaning to woman. He loves woman but he bedded many manyyyyy men yk. Especially when he was younger and sexier and he fucked some Sultans with their wives. Like casual not-so-secret threesomes in Has Oda, yeniçeri’s blushing listening outside of their door (Sultan’s main bedroom 😉) he probably wanted to sleep w women in harem too but he couldn’t 😔 no men were allowed inside.

I don’t ship TurGre. I’ve read fics, some I really like, but when I think about it I feel weird and uncomfortable. I like their dynamic as complicated frenemies. Sadık was never a parent to Hera. I think their dynamic was like Romano-Spain. Boss and ??? Child??? I think Hera never did housework though. Humans already did that. When Hera was little, he hated Sadık. But as he spent time w him, he liked him a little bit. Sadık taught him many things, but he never saw him as his “son” or “student” it’s just. It was a land under Osmanlı, and Sadık wanted to know him. He looked after him of course, and he enjoyed his company. Telling him stories, traveling Istanbul, talking philosophy. We all know Hera loves philosophy. I also think they didn’t spend a lot of time anyway, Sadık was too busy.

Today, they pretend to hate each other but they don’t actually hate each other?? Wowneifnifj. It’s like Turkey vs Greece memes. Like they make fun of each other but it’s teasing, it’s not mean, both went through so many things. They both suffered n they understand each other.

AND TURKEY TOUCHES PEOPLE. A LOT. He hugs n slaps n pokes. Hera is used to it. Turks are touchy in general, including men. No boundaries at all. I’m glad Hima put this in the comic :D

That’s all about the Istanbul gentleman 😙✨

[bylertruther]

Im like slash gen confused on the gnc debate like what sparked this. Will is canonically the most visibly gay out of everyone in the show according TO the show, so why are people so against it? Like I get headcannoning mike as gnc but that doesn’t take away or mean that Will isn’t bc he canonically is. I’m Actually confused

I wish I knew lmao. People think that calling him that or acknowledging the misogyny involved in being assumed to be gay due to a perceived lack of masculinity is somehow homophobic and enforcing stereotypes. As if refusing to acknowledge a very real phenomenon that still occurs now and thus insinuating that "those" kinds of gay people are invalid is somehow morally correct lmao.

Will is the ONLY character who is called all of the many slurs he faces and he's the only character we've seen be targeted for his sexuality. Will has never done anything with boys—he doesn't get called a fairy because of that, he gets called a fairy because of the way he acts and how he exists outside of what Hawkins deems to be acceptable masculinity.

We know that he's a sensitive kid who isn't like anyone else and who gets made fun of. They call him names and they make fun of his clothes among other things. The words used to describe him—gentle, soft spoken, sensitive, artistic—were all euphemisms for gay (and still are in some places, since the internet does not reflect real life and we do not live in a homophobia-rid utopia). Like, this is part of his character design. Those are the words of the Duffers themselves. He's the only character that experiences any of that. If you want to consider actor opinion, too, Noah has spoken for years about how Will feels like he doesn't fit in anywhere, that he's sensitive, scared of everything, he's the one that takes care of his friends emotionally, and so on and so forth.

I don't know why it's such a big issue or why it's something so many people are, like... unwilling to even consider. Men get called gay whenever they're deemed "not masculine enough." Nonconforming behavior is a part of Will's homosexuality and that nonconforming behavior is what clued the people of Hawkins in to who he is. They could've just called him a twerp, or called him a nerd the way they do Mike, but they don't. Instead, they call him gay and a fairy and his father calls him the f slur and he has people ranging from his peers to adults talking about his sexuality. Like, not even Robin gets that treatment lol. Will is literally the only one, and they went out of their way to show us that first thing.

Will isn't a stereotype. Not being super masculine does not equal being super feminine. Gender nonconformity is not about just what you look like, and it's based on your society's values as a whole, not your personal leftist values. Feminine gay men exist and have done so much for our community, and seeing people inadvertently hate on them online makes me wanna throw bricks. Headcanons are not canon, and discussing canon is not a diss to anyone's headcanons because those are two different discussions.

This was one of those things that I naively thought everyone knew only to post about it online and receive so much hate about it. People get really defensive when you talk about how Mike is canonically written. The same thing would happen whenever I'd post in support of Mike with a sword. People really act like you're disrespecting them personally and get super petty and spiteful, and I don't get it. Have your headcanon if you want, but don't get upset that it's just that: a headcanon.

The Duffers nor Finn speak about Mike the way they do, and the behavior Mike has exhibited on screen does not support the wimpy, meek, known by everyone to be gay caricature that they cling to and suggest is actually canon. If it was JUST a headcanon to them, then they wouldn't get so upset about it, but they do. They don't like the way Mike's sexuality has been depicted thus far, and now it's everyone else's problem, too.

There's more than one way to be gay, and those experiences help shape who we are. Will has never fit in and instead has always stuck out. The fact that he's never been allowed inside, so to speak, is why he tries his best to embrace/explore his otherness and clings to people who can make him feel better for being different. Mike has always been Wrong—deemed a nerd, then a hellion, then a satanist—but he's able to blend in well enough to not be found out. He gets mocked and bullied, but at least he can pass as straight and be targeted for that instead of his sexuality. He still has a shot at conforming and playing by the rules, even if it isn't fulfilling or something that comes naturally to him. This is in part why he became so attached to Eleven and why he struggles to accept that he can still be worthy without her.

I just... I don't know, man. I'm confused, too, lol.

[menalez]

About the pressures on gay people to be het acting and how we react to them…….. I think one thing people have to accept is 1) yeah it affects people … it affects people DIFFERENTLY. Five different gay girls growing up in the same town in the same family with the same religion taught to them will have 5 different experiences with it. Some people are more people pleasing. Others are rebellious but deeply taken in by the idea of gods and devils judging them and tormenting them forever. And so on. I grew up being taught to be scared of hell and mostly just low key rejected it from the start. My sister is also now an atheist but is still terrified. Still has nightmares. Still catches herself subconsciously adjusting her thoughts and behavior to “avoid hell”.

2) yeah admitting that and saying it aloud DOES make at least some bi or het people further self-delude for whatever reason that they are gay despite not being gay, which yeah does continue to have some negative effects when they speak over us, but let’s be real hear it’s just one more half-out cig butt getting dropped on the ground in the middle of an already raging wildfire of homophobia… we got other problems

3) AND it doesn’t make it less true — some people really do experience pressures great and small to be or try or pretend to be het. And some act that out while others don’t. And it doesn’t make someone not gay to have been in a situation like that. It’s a cold day in hell where I want someone who went through that to suffer even 1 second more …. And for what??? so I can scrabble to try to keep political fake gays and other fake gays from overrunning? When that is more to do with their own psych and less to do with what we do or say? Nah. We should fully and openly talk about pressures to try het sex and try to become/pretend to be het. AND be very clear that it doesn’t confabulate whole feelings of desire for the other sex. Not just like desire to be het or desire to be desired or whatever. And we can be clear too that sometimes bi people for personal reasons lose the passion for one sex or the other. But still have the capacity for it and are bi.

A lot of this confusion crap to me is 1) homophobia— being grossed out or freaked out by genuine same sex only attraction so people keep trying to erase that including by faking gay to change the socially accepted meaning of it to include the other sex 2) people not getting the range of bisexuality or how affected people are by their own experiences and politics. Like yeah it’s possible to lose attraction to men functionally from being around them and seeing their shit. You’re still bi or het though. Just with a zeroed out libido for men from life experience.

If anon wants to stop the madness around this she should talk about all that not worry about, cast doubt on and bother lesbians from traumatic backgrounds who experienced trying to force themselves to be into men.

totally agree, i keep saying people will go thru similar situations but have different reactions for many reasons such as personality. it just falls in deaf ears bc i feel like some ppl just get some kind of pleasure or joy out of framing gay ppl as liars for having frankly traumatic experiences of trying to be het in a homophobic world. so i feel like no matter how much any of us explain and talk about this phenomena, some ppl will only hear what they want.

there’s indeed OSA ppl pretending to be gay and explaining away their experiences with the opposite sex, and i get being wary bc of that. i’ve been in such situations where i wasn’t certain ppl were actually gay but who does it actually help to harass every person who has for any reason ever had any experience with the opposite sex, gay ppl included, and to harass them & call them liars & make it seem like their story can’t possibly be plausible? it hasn’t helped gay ppl from what i’ve seen. doesn’t help us form communities, sense of togetherness, give us protections, or anything else.. and it probably pushed some gay ppl back into the closet. i’ve seen so many lesbians harassed off of these platforms over it too.

when there’s ppl openly claiming to be gay while talking about being into the opposite sex, im not going to be wasting my time harassing traumatised gay ppl about how it doesn’t make sense to me that they forced themselves thru a heterosexual experience in hopes that it’d change their sexuality.

[alarrytale]

"Sony can say, hey Louis you signed a contract that states that we, Sony, will do anything in our power, by any means neccessary, to make you a star " and "As long as you willingly sign a contract and both parties holds up their end of their deal, it’s hard to sue and win." But now you say "So i think even if louis wasn’t with harry, they’d closet him regardless. Harry is a superstar, but the way Sony went about it, harshly closeted and sabotaged the others to make Harry a star"Are you confused?

Hi, anon!

No, i'm not confused, i wrote it. It seems like you are a bit confused though, but i can clarify it for you if you'd like?

Harry and Louis signed seperate but same contracts with TXF/Syco/Sony, before they were even together. 1d later signed album deals with Syco. Syco/Sony invested money in them and made 1d famous superstars and made them a lot of money. To end up there they had to closet H and L and make them stunt. H and L couldn’t say no, because they'd signed contracts and clauses stating that sony controls their images (their personalities and how they're portrayed to the gp).

Sony knew that boybands doesn’t last forever and they wanted to make harry a solo superstar. They started to position harry. So they gave harry the best part in songs, helped him get into fashion shows, made him stunt with TS to have his name be known in america and signed a pr deal with nick grimshaw to get him pr and cool points with the gp. Sony did everything they could do to position him for a successful solo career.

What was the biggest hinderance/threat to harry making it big? His sexuality and his relationships with louis. Sony can't stop harry from being gay, but they can make him stunt and gaslight the gp into thinking he's straight. The more gay louis seemed the more plausible the larry theory seemed. So they made louis deny larry several times. It made him seem insecure and homophobic. It hurt his own image and he took the blame and the burden.

Sony also created a fake 'they are not friends anymore' narrative to distance them. Sony also started bg, to keep louis controlled and to make it seem like larry wasn't real. Now louis solo career is suffering bc his fans are mostly larries and don't buy into bg. Sony is still claiming that it's in everyone's best interest. Harry is doing well and there is no evidence that louis isn't doing well that will hold up in court. Afhf is growing year after year and he's playing bigger and bigger shows. Fitf outsold walls. It's just we all know he could be even bigger if bg ended. But sony doesn’t agree. So to us it's sabotage from Sony, but to sony it's them acting in his best interest and holding up their end of the deal.

Are you still confused?

[wontbyers]

12, 18, 19, 27 👀

Salty Ask List

Thank you for sending, Rae!! My answers ended up way too long/detailed so I’m putting them under a read more to save space <333

12: Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

I’m trying to think of an arc that’s unpopular…Maybe Eddie? Just Eddie in general, because I feel like most people either hate that he died (or the way he died) because they love him and think it was a shitty plot for him, or they’re indifferent to him as a character so they’re upset that the show even introduced him in the first place just to die (instead of focusing on other original main characters.)

But I have a unique relationship to his story-line, in which I didn’t really care for him when he was introduced (the way he acted towards the party made it seem like he’s just the equal opposite of the conservative jocks where you still have to conform to his specific “anti-conformist” ideals to be accepted—Lucas playing basketball is demeaned and he’s excluded from the Hellfire session bc of it), and I could tell he was gonna die obviously so I didn’t want to bother to get attached either (even when he had an admittedly sweet scene with Chrissy in the woods.) But he slowly grew on me towards the end of the season until he finally died and that was the very exact point where I actually cared enough about him to cry over his death.

So it was an interesting sort of situation TO ME where the peak of a character’s arc was just finally making you like them once they have no time left for this world. Especially when you knew they were gonna die the whole time and it was just unavoidable, but you still managed to grieve for it.

Could they have figured out a way to drive the Hawkins plot of s4 without creating Eddie? Probably. Do I think the show suffered for spending time introducing a character who was written to die? Not really. It was an interesting/unique experience for me the way his arc played out. Besides, his death is going to affect characters (especially Dustin) in season 5. Bob was also written as a one-season-and-he’s-dead character and I still appreciate his role and that grief was still felt by Joyce through s4, like Nancy’s grief for Barb, etc.

18. Does not shipping something ‘popular’ mean you’re in denial and/or biased?

On a general basis, no, not at all. Everyone doesn’t have the same taste in ships whether something is canon or popular or not. Simply not shipping something isn’t really within a person’s control just like not enjoying a certain food or music style, it’s just down to personal taste. There doesn’t need to be mental gymnastics involved (like being in denial) to not liking a certain thing.

That said, if someone is hardcore against a certain popular ship that is...literally not harming anybody, like for example a super innocent childhood-best-friends-to-lovers trope with two boys in the 80s, and they absolutely refuse to believe there’s even a chance that ship could be canon and are really mad that it became the biggest ship in the fanbase after the 4th season of the show when one of the characters involved was confirmed to be in love with the other…idk they might have some biases to uncover and deal with?

(Anti-Bylers get some help challenge. You don’t have to ship it, but don’t be homophobic. If you just don’t ship it, but accept that its canonization would be a win for gay representation, you’re cool.)

19. What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

People who deny that Billy was a racist abuser just because he was abused himself and was still young when he died. I mean. That one’s low-hanging fruit. But tbh I don’t really consider his fans part of the same fanbase as me even though we technically like the same show…I feel like they’re in their own group that’s cordoned off from the rational world? They don’t usually cross my path, I just know they exist...

So what I hate most about the side of the fanbase that I actually interact with—which is not the racists/homophobes/abuse apologists/etc. More the fans of the party, like Byler side of tumblr? I feel like people vague-blog here a lot. (Tbf nobody’s innocent because even I’ve seen a post with a headcanon/opinion I disagreed with and then made my own post with my contrary opinion, not out of spite but in a light-hearted/humorous way.)

Which I’m sure is probably better than directly arguing with people on their own posts if they weren’t specifically seeking a discussion/debate, that’s just tumblr culture (“don’t agree? make your own post”) but the way some people act like their interpretation of the show is the only correct one, and anyone who sees it differently is obviously missing something. Until the show is complete, a lot of what we talk about and theorize could be proven otherwise, so idk. It would be nice if people were more respectful of others’ ideas. We’re all on the same team here.

Least shippable character?

Ooh I’m not gonna say something easy & obvious like any of the antagonists (because if anybody is shipping Brenner or Henry or Billy with anyone I’m side-eying hard, and I think that’s a pretty popular opinion except for amongst B*lly stans 💀)

Out of the main characters, I’m gonna be so honest and controversial and brave rn and say fan-favorite Steve is actually not super shippable. Despite Steve’s whole appeal as the apparently most-shippable figure in the fanbase (I mean, you’ve got the Steddies and Stancys and H*rringroves and Stonathans—and even romantic Stobins if they exist which I don’t like to believe is possible🤮) And I kinda do like Stonathan/Stoncy in a crack-shippy way, not super seriously, but otherwise?? He’s a good dude and he deserves to live his dream life with a wife and 6 nuggets in the future, but I don’t think that’s any of the characters we’ve met in the show (certainly not Nancy.) I don’t seriously ship him with anyone.

Honorable mention is Dustin, but just because I feel like the rest of the party members I have a really strong ship for with another main character (Byler, Lumax, Elmax) whereas Dustin has his own solid long-distance relationship with Suzie instead of a potentially romantic bond with any of the other party members. So like Duzie is cute enough that I don’t need to pair Dustin off with anyone else, but bc Suzie isn’t super relevant on her own and they don’t have much screen-time together (the s3 duet being amazing but that’s all they have) I also don’t really think about them enough to have a strong OTP status for them?? They’re there, they’re cute, it’s whatever.

I also feel like with Steve and Dustin often being paired together as a platonic, brotherly duo of sorts—they don’t strike me as very shippable in canon because if they’re not in group settings they’re just paired together (whereas Byler, Jopper, Jancy, Lumax and even Elmax in s3 are often getting solo scenes/plots together.) Unless you actually really enjoy Stancy for some reason, bc they’ve had solo “romantic” time, but to me they’ve been specifically designed/presented to not be good together so? Idk idk

[allhallowstiel]

so, i’m gonna try to provide an explanation as to why people are upset about will rn, because there seems to be some misinterpretation going on. if you read through what i have to say and you still don’t agree, cool. i just think it’s understandable why people are hurt and wanted to explain that a bit more.

(explanation under the cut bc this post is long):

first and foremost, we know that the show itself did not queerbait with byler. although the show heavily implied that will had feelings for mike, they never strongly suggested that mike felt the same. most of the “evidence” that byler had was mostly just theories put together based on crumbs- and i say this as a byler shipper.

the reason people are saying they were queerbaited is mostly because of netflixgeeked.

egging fans on on twitter:

using the byler tag on their tiktoks:

being unhinged on instagram:

“but netflixgeeked is just a glorified fan account” true! but they have that checkmark and they’re affiliated with netflix

but rest assured, the official netflix accounts also got in on the action!

(i borrowed some of these screenshots from hypnct1c2.0 on tiktok)

for those of you who witnessed the voltron mess, you might notice that this all seems rather familiar. netflix has a bit of a history of baiting fans.

now there’s a bit of a debate on whether noah is also to blame considering what he’s said about byler- and while for the most part i think actors are just people who read a script, i do think it was kind of odd that he would tell people to ship byler knowing that it only ends in heartbreak for will. i also don’t know why he would say that they’re building up byler when the only thing volume 2 did was break it down. i’d like to think it was just poor wording on his part- he’s a kid and probably doesn’t even know what queerbaiting really is, but i do wish he had chosen his words better because i think they gave a lot of people hope.

THAT is where the queerbaiting accusations are coming from. people are for the most part pissed off at netflix.

will’s sexuality

people are also upset because they didn’t feel that will’s sexuality was addressed properly. i think the van scene was clear as day to people who can read subtext, but the fact that i still see people insisting that will has been acting weird because he’s secretly in love with eleven and upset that mike is with her is... frustrating. at this point, the general audience should get it, and they don’t. 

i mean, look at this screenshot i took from an article today talking about unanswered questions in volume 2.

“it’s unclear”. we have people who are writing about stranger things and covering it in their articles that were left feeling like it wasn’t clear. personally im flabbergasted since, again- that van scene was incredibly loud to me, but then i remember that not everyone automatically reads into byler shit. like i mentioned before- there are people who still think will is in love with el, even after david harbour shot that idea down.

but the general audience doesn’t typically watch or read interviews, or read into things with a byler lens. but- aside from a few idiots that desperately want to ship robin with steve for some reason- most people in the ga do know and understand that robin is a lesbian. she never explicitly said the word lesbian, she didn’t get up and wave a pride flag around- but we all got it. for some reason, the message that will is gay isn’t getting to people. we still have people insisting that he’s in love with el, or that he just “doesn’t wanna grow up”.

now it’s important to note here that will isn’t any less valid just because he’s not out, but there is more than one way to indicate that a character is gay. no one is asking for will to start waving a pride flag around in indiana in the 80′s. but i think that this is the main reason people wanted will to get vecna’d- we would likely see vecna taunting will over his feelings for mike, which would confirm his sexuality without having him come out to anyone. i think what fans wanted was more of something along those lines- no one wants will to put his safety at risk and no one thinks will is any less valid for not being out. the anger all comes out of love for the character- it’s just that sometimes that anger ends up being misdirected because people don’t know who to be angry at. 

there are some fans that feel represented by will, since having a crush on your straight best friend is a relatable and common experience for closeted kids. there are others who are frustrated with the ambiguity. both of these feelings are valid and i believe they can coexist.

what i think is going on with this is that the duffers assumed the van scene and that hug with jonathan would be enough to clue the general audience in. it wasn’t, and now will fans are frustrated at having to defend will being gay for another two or three years while we wait for season 5.

but i will say that anyone saying “we got the van scene, what more do you want” needs to just Not, because despite how loud that scene was, his struggle with his sexuality is far from over, and there are some things that i think season 5 needs to deliver on. it just fucking sucks that it turns out we have to wait again- and we have to hope that what we get is worth the wait.

the painting

now this is the biggest thing that most people are angry about. people are angry that will’s feelings for mike were essentially used to push mike and el back together. 

yes, will made the choice to lie about the painting. but i honestly don’t think mike would’ve put it together even if will hadn’t lied. he clearly doesn’t remember the letter, because if he did, he would’ve seen through will’s lie right away. if he can’t remember what el said in the letter, then i don’t think he would read into the painting if im being honest.

but even putting the painting aside- which is beyond frustrating since it was hyped up as this important thing between mike and will, not mike and el- all of mike and will’s scenes this season were just them talking about el. will spent the entire season trying to fix mike and el’s relationship despite how much it’s absolutely breaking him- and he doesn’t get jack fucking shit for it. no closure, no self-acceptance, no character growth- just angst for the sake of angst. 

and the worst part is that he’s always going to be exposed to their relationship because el is now his sister. he’s trapped. he’s always going to see them together and wish it could be him in el’s place. it feels like they’ve made him miserable and they’re never gonna let him move on. 

queer characters should never be used to strengthen or push a straight relationship. mike did not need to be involved in will’s coming out storyline. that’s why i feel like they only did it for the drama. will could’ve easily started having feelings for a guy at his new school. but honestly, at the rate they’re going, i feel like the most we’ll get is a five second shot in the last episode of him and his boyfriend.

it’s disgusting that will’s feelings were used for mlvn. his feelings were not treated with any sort of respect or decency. we deserved at least one fucking scene of them this season that wasn’t will pushing mike to be with el.

-

so, yeah. hopefully this post gives you some insight on the real reasons people are upset, because a lot of things are being wildly misinterpreted rn and i wanted to set the record straight.

[suitsusboth]

I agree something weird happened behind the scenes in Bridgerton because who vilifies the heroine in a romance? Who doesn’t give the heroine a good monologue? Especially after she’s been told off and treated like she’s conniving when we all know she sacrificed years of her life and was willing to sacrifice her happiness for her sister’s sake and suffered all season? Who doesn’t let the heroine say anything about that? Who doesn’t put the heroine front and center in promo? There were so many bad decisions in s2. It’s like they didn’t understand the expectations for historical romance or the audience for it at all. Forever grateful for Simone and JB but the writers and showrunner…I have no words!

I really think there’s layers to it but also just bad management. I think the writing team should have worked together to write episodes and not divided them up. It’s not cohesive.

I think they did want to do something different that season 1 which okay sure but they took it too far and completely missed the mark for the romance genre like you said.

I think CVD had a realllllly weird obsession with Edwina. Again, which I don’t understand? Like okay flesh her out more but good god they changed her completely??? And then try and make her the main character for some reason? We!! Aren’t!! Here!! For!! Edwina!!!! I don’t!!! Care!!!! About!!! The Goddamn wedding!!!!!!!! Screw all your BTS, the obsession with the dress, etc on that one terrible, episode where you basically assassinate characters left and right. I tried. I tried so hard to understand. But I’m so over it. Everything I have learned or heard about that episode makes me mad. I am not hating on the actress but good god everything she says just makes it worse and makes herself look worse. Did she think she was the hero? Even my causal viewer friends did not like edwina. (Also, that one quote where it felt like her wedding, etc and how she’s can’t quite separate herself from the character…like maybe you’re in the wrong career that’s really not good for your mental health. I’d say the same if it was any other person on who said that instead. A character is always going to get hate no matter who they are. You have to accept criticism. Note: she is a good actress so pls no one try and kill me)

tldr: How did noooo one turn around and say….this is bad?

Also let’s just try and villainize your leads (like let’s be honest there were points where we just didn’t want to root for Anthony with his behaviour) and let everyone shit on them and then try to sell the sister soulmates tag line and the family love (Christ we didn’t even see that with the Bridgertons they were just MEAN).

I’m not one to make conspiracy theories but a part of me really feels like they felt they couldn’t promote a openly gay man and an a brown woman for a romance so they didn’t try. I think CC had a louder voice than SA (who maybe is just quiet generally) and things went her way a bit more promo wise (why do I also think she got babied a bit bc she’s relatively new to acting? That might be my imagination though). I think they scrambled after rege’s exit but for the life of me can’t imagine how that effected the scripts that much (except maybe adding more Featherington scenes?).

Part of me thinks there was alterer motives but honestly I think it comes down to a lack of leadership/direction or at least some people up top had conflicting ideas about the season and this was the garbage they produced

Simone Ashley & Jonathan Bailey you always be famous to me, thank you for your outstanding performances and you did the eldest siblings proud and you deserved so much better 💜

End of rant ❤️‍🩹

[lesbianwithchainsaws]

hi, i’m getting into the community side of tumblr (i’ve been a fan of the show for a while but im only just now following community blogs) and i just followed your page! i saw your ao3 and your trobed fics, which im definitely gonna be reading, but i also saw your daredevil ones and!!!!! omg!!!! i can’t believe you’re the same account!!! i love those fics so much and i can’t believe you’re the same person!!! :D i love the way you portray him, it’s very relatable, 10/10!!!!

anyway, i saw that you wanted fic prompts and idk, this is kinda specific, but have you watched psych? it’s another 2000s sitcom, and if you wanted to write a crossover i think it’d be so good. i just think shawn and gus’ friendship is really similar to troy and abed’s relationship bc they’re all silly4silly and unconditionally supportive and also soulmates :3. (i do interpret shawn and gus platonically tho, but that’s just personal opinion) (also psych is somewhat copaganda tho, so there is that :/ )

if you did want to write this, tho you totally have zero obligation, i think it could go something like: the santa barbara police have a suspect flee to colorado and pursue them/shawn and gus take a case about a missing person or something (star burns??), and shawn and gus maybe go under cover at greendale? i think they’d fit in pretty well, but shawn would definitely fuck w jeff’s ego lol. i think troy and abed would think shawn and gus were super cool, but i think that at some point abed maybe realizes shawn isn’t psychic? i don’t think he’d say anything about it tho, just sort of keep quiet about it bc it’s more fun to pretend and go w it. but things can go from there!

and if you haven’t watched it you can disregard the previous two paragraphs😅

something else that would be just community would be a collective queer awakening for the study group! like, trobed happens, and something about it makes annie realize she’s a lesbian, and talks to shirley about it. shirley is like “everyone has those (gay) thoughts about women, you just need to pray about it” and annie points out that no, she’s been informed that not everyone has those thoughts, and asks if prayer has ever worked? and shirley realizes that no, it hasn’t, and annie and shirley go on that adventure together. and jeff and britta act as queer mentors, bc they’re both practically bisexuals (and dating?). at some point i think shirley would apologize to the dean for some of the things she’s said about him, he forgives her, and they go to brunch. eventually, jeff joins them and they have a nice little weekly brunch thing where they gossip :). this is all happening while troy and abed are being soulmates, and maybe shirley gets past some internalized homophobia by seeing them so happy and realizing there’s nothing wrong w them. maybe annie does, too, bc she wants to be that happy/also realizes that there’s nothing wrong w her for liking women,, etc. but trobed heal the study group. and maybe pierce either doesn’t exist, has a different personality and is supportive, or is kicked out for being homophobic

anyway this is extremely long, but i just wanna say that i love your work!!! whatever you write will be great, even if you don’t write anything!! <3 <3

First of all, welcome to the Community tumblr! The blogs here are lovely!!!

Second, oh my god??? Thank you so so much!!!!!!!! aaaaa, that's so sweet!!! I have a Daredevil fic I still need to finish and this might just motivate me to finish it. I absolutely love writing Matt and projecting onto him lmao!!!! Thank you <3 and I hope you like the trobed fics too!!! Those two consume my brain 24/7

I've never watched Psych so I don't think I can write a crossover fic anytime soon. But I will keep the other idea in mind! Writing everything and everyone to be queer is always the best, and we can just pretend Pierce doesn't exist.

And genuinely thank you so so much!!! It means so much to me to that you like my writing and I think I might have to go cry about it (in a positive way like happy tears). Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!! 💕💕💕

[daydadahlias]

Ooh i would love for u to rant about why fine print ash is your fave! (If you want to ofcourse x)

beware: me talking abt my own fic like I'm not the one who wrote it.

thank u sm for this opportunity for me to gush abt my guys asdfghj i am abt to talk so much im sorry in advance wow

ok so FP ash is my fave for several reasons. Buckle up for a book report:

1. mans is hot. I absolutely love the "character design" of this Ashton. Which is to say: messy black hair, ascots, loose shirts, and nipple piercings!! I love his nipple piercings so much !! I mean I love this part of the fic just because think about it!! this is the kind of guy that not only gets his nipples pierced but wears fancy nipple rings! with pearls! that says so much about him right there.

Specifically, he’s drawn to the piercings on Ashton’s chest, the small decorative barbells that are on his nipples, a tiny pearl just beneath them attached to a silver ring that’s sparkling in the lighting of the hotel room.

2. not to pat myself on the back but he's funny. he's a little mean-spirited in his humor too, I think, but never to the point of being a full blown asshole (and his initial bitchy behavior is explained later so). Non-asshole but still semi-rude guy is Hard to write and I'm glad he comes across the way he does!! I think he's a sassy charming little guy with a heart of gold. Also this is just one of my favorite exchanges in a fic of mine ever:

He can’t help but grit out, “God, don’t tell me you’re homophobic or something now too.”

Ashton’s mouth drops open in a loud, disbelieving laugh as he stares at Luke. “Homoph—Dipshit, I’m gay.”

3. He stands up for himself. like, ok, was he kind of bratty to Luke in the beginning? yes he was absolutely. But he had his reasons and I’d say he’s fairly justified in having initial prejudices. And idk, I just really appreciate him being open abt that in one of his earliest interactions with luke. he doesn't mince words and he doesn't pretend to like him. he does his job but he makes it perfectly clear that he's not going to pushed around. He takes no shit!

“I’ve done this a long time, dude.” He raises his large hand to cut off any words Luke was even hoping on saying. “And I know by now that means you want an assistant but you don’t wanna pay the extra cash that job title and resume would require so—” He gives Luke a stiff smile that doesn’t reach his eyes— “I’m just saving us the time and orders and bullshit and I’m doing the job we both know you want me to do. So are you absolutely sure you want those nachos? Because you really seem like the kind of guy who wants a grilled salmon.”

4. he is a consent king!! one of the things I like about this Ashton (bc I’m me ofc) is that he is very careful about boundaries. And it's not in a... bend over backwards to not make someone uncomfortable way but just the acknowledgement that he understands why Luke is hurting and that he wants to do whatever he can to help. And it was also very important of me for Ashton to not only to acknowledge Luke's fear but also sympathize with it. He's the only person in Luke's life who agrees that he would also be scared if he were in that situation. And that's a reassurance Luke really needs at this time in the story so I think it's a great illustration of why these two little cuties make sense together!!

And then Ashton adds, bumping his shoulder into Luke’s and staying close, “I’m sorry. I get why you’re freaked out. I would be too. If there’s anything I can do to make you more comfortable in the hotel rooms, just let me know.”

5. He has the capability of violence but never actually acts on it. I really love protective characters and I love characters that can make their partner feel safe. Obviously, since Ash is Luke's bodyguard in this fic, his whole job is to keep Luke physically safe. And, a lot of the times, bodyguards are portrayed as really Intimidating and Scary people. And, yeah, this version of Ash is intimidating but I never really think of him as scary, which is an important distinction. for instance, the scene at the party where Ashton gets the impression Luke is in danger and threatens a guy for him.

And he says, nothing about his voice anything less than terrifying, “If you ever put your hands on him again, I will break them, do you understand me?”

This shows that Ash definitely has the ability to hurt people if need be. but also, it's important to note that even when Luke was with this guy and Ashton perceived him as threatening, he didn't Attack him. He didn't engage in any kind of physical altercation at all. He just asks what the guy said to Luke and then immediately focuses on Luke's well-being instead of attacking whoever he thought was the reason behind Luke’s distress. It shows that his priority is Luke's safety first, not violence or holding someone "responsible."

6. He establishes his own boundaries. I think a lot of times, in order to make others more comfortable, people neglect their own boundaries and that can often put pressure on a relationship and create a very unhealthy dynamic. so it was important for me to show that FP Ash isn't just setting aside his own comfort levels to take care of Luke. And, whenever their wants don't align, he offers compromises and other possible solutions. <3

He says, in as even and kind a voice as he can, obviously knowing the words are going to hurt, “Luke, I’m not going to sleep in the same bed with you, okay? Especially not when you’re drunk. That’s not something I’m comfortable with. I’m sorry.”

Luke’s vision is getting blurry. His voice comes out cracked. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just—I’m so tired and it helps when there’s someone there and I-"

“Shh.” Ashton lowers himself back to sit on the edge of the bed. “Luke, it’s gonna be fine. Here, I’ll sit with you until you fall asleep instead, would that be okay?”

7. He's cute!! Character contrasts can be really hard to write at times and this Ashton in particular is so... filled with layers and direct contradictions. it's difficult to make him somehow kind of a Dick but not Mean and sassy but not rude and youthful but not innocent or naïve and... yeah, he's a lot of things all in one and it was hard to make him feel like the same person throughout. And, for most of the fic, I wouldn't say this Ash is particularly adorable because he is consistently putting up walls to protect himself but then, as he gets more comfortable with Luke, there are little moments where he's just Cute and carefree as he lets his guard down.

Ashton trills happily and puts his toothbrush back, expressing enthusiastically, “Yesh! Thwanks. Lo’e my nwame.”

&

Ashton laughs at him, mocking an offended expression. “Mr. Hemmings! Sir! You can’t say a thing like that to me! You’re my boss!” He fans himself exaggeratedly. “Oh, whatever would the girls back home think? My superior attempting to invite me to a whore house! My God, I feel faint!”

8. He's a respectful slut. I've at this point in my fanfic career written a lot of slutty guys, as you may have noticed. I love writing slutty characters. And one of the things I really like about this Ash is that he is definitely sex-positive. He’s a touch of a whore. But, unlike a lot of my other slutty characters, he's not very... raunchy. He always waits for the other person to make the first move, even if he actively enjoys sex and talking about it at times. At no point does he actively flirt with Luke or try and entice him into sexual situations (even if he makes a few jokes about their fictional sex life and also gets a little defensive in the beginning of the story about Luke possibly contracting him for sexual favors). Once he and Luke are comfortable with one another, he is always careful to keep from pushing too far and after they kiss, he never so much as alludes to wanting to go any further. But he's also very open about enjoying sex!! and he doesn't feel bad about it <33 which is something I appreciate it.

Luke brows are drawn up sadly. He says, in a voice as quiet as he can make it without it being silent, “You’re not a slut.”

“Oh, I very much am.” Ashton giggles, rubbing his cheek against his arm. “It’s kind of a personality trait of mine.”

9. He understands the importance of having secrets. Obviously, in the last chapter of the fic, readers learn that Ashton has known the album was co-written the entire time. And he never told anyone. I think it says a lot about him that not only did he keep the secret to himself (even when he initially disliked Luke) but also, he didn't even tell Luke he knew because he didn't want to make Luke worry about it being used as blackmail against him.

“I heard you on the phone with him the first night,” Ashton explains like he's scared to, playing his bottom lip through his teeth. “I’ve known the entire time.”

“And you—” Luke gapes— “And you didn’t tell anyone?”

“Of course not.” Ashton reaches out to clasp at Luke’s knee fondly with a large hand, holding on tight. “That’s your secret. Not mine. I’m not gonna tell anyone.”

10. He never asks for more than someone's willing to give. This is genuinely one of my favorite "confession" scenes I've ever written just for this bit right here:

Ashton shrugs. “You gave a lot of yourself to him. I get it. And I get that part of you still loves him. Maybe part of you always will. But whatever part you’ve got left to give, I want it if you’re willing to give it. Whatever you want to give of you, I’ll take. I want all of it.”

11. He's so unbelievably chill. To this point in his life, FP Ash has been through a lot of bad stuff and he is at the phase where he just could not give A Single Shit. And I just love it. I love the casual attitude of "eh, if I can't control it, why bother caring about it?" It's something that's very important to balance Anxiety-ridden Luke out. It's the kind of attitude he really needs to be around, especially after being with someone who was also so terrified of perception.

He nuzzles into Ashton’s shoulder, chortling softly while blush decorates his cheeks and wonders, lips almost touching Ashton’s hot skin, “It didn’t upset you at all? Really?”

“No.” Ashton’s voice is close to his hair, proving to Luke that Ashton’s head is still currently tipped down to look at him and he probably still has that cute double chin. “That’s not a story about me. It’s a story about a guy with my face and my name but it isn’t me. So why would it bother me?”

12. He's a mystery. Everything we learn about Ashton's past, we learn from someone else without Ashton’s consent. In fact, it’s kind of implied that Ashton has been trying to hide his past. This is mostly a technical story thing but FP Ashton, for the most part, remains a mystery to us throughout the fic. And, honestly, even by the end of the fic we still don't know That Much about him. But I really like when Luke starts discovering Young Ashton through twitter and it's an entirely different version of Ash to the guy he currently knows. It insinuates that - in the world of this fic - Ash was a different person before. He was a session drummer from Sydney with honey hair and a more open, happy-go-lucky attitude. So that means that something happened to alter him. Something made him change career paths and give up music. Something made him dye his hair. Something made him different. What was it??

There’s one video that circles more than the others. A video of a honey-haired guy banging on a drum kit with a condor tattoo on the back of his neck. It’s Ashton. Maybe. Sort of. It’s a part of him. It’s a version of Ashton that Luke has never known before.

But this version of Ashton is the one that decorates his phone now. This honey-haired, dimpled young guy who plays drums and flips off the camera while giggling.

Luke thinks obsessed is a strong word to use… but he’s obsessed with him. He’s overwhelmed by him. This younger piece of Ashton who grins bashfully whenever the camera is pointed at him and plays drums in such a way that with every beat, a jolt of electricity rocks through him so his entire body moves when he plays.

Obviously, this description is meant to be a contrast to the Ashton readers have gotten to know to this point. Current Ashton isn't very bashful by any stretch and he doesn't have honey hair anymore and he doesn't play drums. At no point in Fine Print does Ash ever even so much allude to having played music in the past even though he’s working for a musician. So this insinuates that there's a tension between him and music. Which the begs the question!! why!! why doesn't he play drums anymore!! Who knows!! and we never find out lmfao!! I never tell you guys!! I just really love having a character that has so many questions a reader can fill in on their own if they want to. And this Ash is full of questions!!! There's so much about him readers simply don't know. All you know about him, really, is his personality. You know that he's a little sassy and a little sweet and a little cruel in the most kind way. And that’s all you really need to know to love the little guy.

So, yeah, that's why I love my boy <3

thank you sm for asking

[kabutoraiger]

double... whatta tv show!

wowow is usually the place to go for more Artistic dramas but the vast majority of those are like. about crimes or political conspiracies. very interesting to see something like this which has no mystery to solve, no deaths, no corporate sabotage, just a slice of life about two Are They Gay Y/N theatre homies doing acting gigs,

except the presentation here actually isn’t dissimilar from a murder mystery bc the main characters are SO dramatic about their emotions and occasionally unmoored from reality. i would love to see more dramas like this get made where “will these 2 men ever fuck each other” is treated with the same sort of gravitas as finding the killer would be in another show.

i mean just on the basis of production value i’d recommend this show to most people - it’s very atmospheric, well-shot, i especially loved the music used in it which made me feel some kinda way.

it all combines together to really capture the strange mindset of these two people who exist in this like dreamy borderland between their real lives and their entwined identities and their acting. certain scenes actually reminded me of my favorite movie of all time millennium actress, so. bonus points there. i do kinda wish double had leaned into the “boundaries between reality and fiction blurring” angle a little more; i think it could’ve done some wild stuff with that. but as is i still enjoyed what it was going for.

if it has any issues i’d say... the end does feel a bit abrupt. you expect some big final confrontation about their relationship but it all happens inside takara’s weird headspace without the real yujin being present and you kinda feel like you missed a step in the finale and wish you had more of yujin’s actual perspective on all this. but perhaps it makes sense that you don’t get it. maybe even he will never know how he really feels since it’s so wrapped up under layers of Acting Hyperfocus.

i’m still not totally sold on chiba yudai in this. he’s very good as takara, especially his cuter, naive moments, and he is a good crier i’ll tell ya what, but takara is also supposed to be this like enchanting magnetic stage presence in every role he takes and. that part just doesn’t really come across in yudai’s performance. i’m not sure it ever could have come across bc that’s just not the vibe yudai conveys. it does take you out of it a bit.

the other minor problem is the fansubs which are good enough for your average jdrama but. this is not your average jdrama. it’s laden with parallels and subtext and complicated exchanges that even if i was fluent in the language might give me pause, but as someone reliant on subs there were several times when i just couldn’t really grasp what was being communicated at all. (some weird turns of phrase used by the subber too and they get one character’s name wrong every time it’s spoken which was driving me up the fucking wall.)

so maybe only really recommendable to people who don’t mind being a bit confused by media. in the end i found the nebulousness to be more of a pro than a con, honestly. it’s a fun show to sit and think about after you’ve finished an episode. like me going “damn.... being a theatre person seems exhausting”