#i’m honestly so much more excited about this era than i thought i would be??

[cowlovely]

i have to say. now that i’m actually rewatching 11’s run from the start. i don’t remember him being this dark at the beginning?? it’s interesting!

[pelova4president]

My muses

Laura Freigang x Sydney Lohmann x Reader

summary~ In which you fall for two German girls that are in a relationship with eachother. They’ve had their eye on you for a little while now and decide to make a move now you’re working with their national team.

Syd and Laura are bestfriends, everyone knew that. They roomed, sat and did basically everything together. They played for different clubs but that didn’t matter, they got to see eachother more than enough.

What most people didn’t know is that they are a little more than friends, girlfriends to be exact. They didn’t really try to keep it private but everyone just thought that they were good friends since they had always been like this.

When you moved from the Netherlands to Germany it felt like a big change, you were only twenty and, ofcourse you knew a few words and sentences but that was it. German sounds a bit like Dutch but it was still hard to understand all of the difficult business words, especially when they were talking so fast.

You’ve been a sports photographer for about three years now. It began with your love for women’s football. Watching your childhood club Ajax play week in week out, you wanted to capture it. After you realised your phone camera wouldn’t do the job anymore you bought a real professional camera, it had cost you a fortune and you had to work extra hours at the cafe you served at. But honestly, it was the best decision you’ve ever made. You tried to capture moments from your seat in the stands but that was hard when the bald men in the seats in front of you stood up at every exciting pass.

Eventually, you mustered up enough courage and mailed Ajax, asking them to get access to the field to photograph the players in action. A few days later you got a response back saying that they’d like that.

After capturing many more games you signed a contract with the club, not as a player but that didn’t matter.

That’s how you got here, signing a contract with the German women’s football team as media manager and photographer. You’ve photographed some of the players because some of the girls had played against Ajax. But this was all still very new to you, working in Germany and also managing the socials.

They also didn’t really bother to introduce you to the girls, you just had to start. Or well, that’s what you understood anyway.

The start of your new era began rather hectic. The German girls were going to Italy and Portugal for some friendlies. They would play against Iceland and England to prepare for the World Cup.

You were staying in the same hotel as the team and at dinner time you eventually met some of them. Sitting alone, Laura approached you.

“Hey, ich bin Laura, ich glaube, ich habe dich schon einmal gesehen.” (Hey, i’m Laura, i think i’ve seen you before.) she introduces herself. “Ich bin y/n, but uhh i don’t speak that much German. I’m the new media manager.” you say awkwardly. Why are you like this all of a sudden. “Oh sorry, i didn’t know but you’ve got an accent. Where are you from?” Laura asks you.

You tell her about your little journey, working for Ajax and photographing. Laura sits down at your empty table and you fall into a nice conversation. She apparently remembered you from a game she played against Ajax a few months ago.

Laura was telling you about her love for photography when a certain midfielder came crashing the conversation. “Laura, warum hast du mir diese Schönheit nicht vorgestellt?” (Laura why didn’t you introduce me to this beauty?) the girl said. Laura rolled her eyes at her, “Syd this is y/n, our new media manager and sports photographer, y/n this is Sydney my idiot girlfriend.” Laura explained.

You didn’t even know the girl but to say you were disappointed that she was taken was an understatement. You really clicked and thought that she was even flirting a little bit with you but you were just imagining things apparently.

Syd sat down on the chair on the other side of you and began to ask you things too. But she had other questions in mind. “So, do you have a girlfriend.. or boyfriend?” the midfielder asked you shamelessly. “Uh no, i don’t have a girlfriend at the moment.” you said with a red face trying to look anywhere but at the couple. The two German girls smirked to eachother and continued to pester you with questions.

The next day Laura and Sydney wanted to take you out for the day since they had the afternoon and evening off. Laura had promised you some beautiful views and good food so you couldn’t resist a night out with the two girls.

You dressed up and had done your makeup and hair. The two girls knocked on your door and when you opened it you saw both of the girls looking you up and down. Sydney licked her lips and greeted you, “Du siehst echt gut aus” (You look really good) and Laura did the same, “Du siehst so schön aus.” (You look very pretty).

They walked you to the black BMW they had rented and Sydney opened the car door for you. Laura sat in the drivers seat and Sydney in the passenger’s. Sydney connected her phone and r&b played on the background of your lighthearted conversation. At some point in the conversation they stopped talking English and switched to German.

“Sie sieht gut aus.” (She looks good) Laura said looking in her little mirror. Syd hummed, “Sie ist sehr schön. Glaubst du, sie mag uns?” (She’s very pretty. Do you think she likes us?). You were looking out of the window, listening to Frank Ocean when you heard Laura speak English again. “I think so, i guess we’ll have to find out.” and with that she parked the car and opened your door.

They took you to a very nice restaurant, the vibe was good and the food and company was even better. They kept flirting with you and now it wasn’t just Laura when she was alone with you, they both were and they both seemed to be okay with it too.

“What got you into sports photography?” Sydney asked you. “Well, i wanted to capture the moments and you know, the women.” you laughed, your face heating up. The couple laughed at your answer and Laura spoke again, “I get it, i’m surprised none of my teammates made a move on you yet, you’re a pretty girl.”. You were surprised but flattered by her words. “Oh thank you, the both of you look really good too.” you complimented them.

“Sie ist niedlich.” (She’s cute) Laura said to her girlfriend. The brunette gave her teammate a smile and looked at you again. “Yeah, you think so, liebling?” Sydney asked you, trying to get more out of you. “Yeah- well i mean you know, you’re both really attractive and sweet and stuff.” you rambled and they let you. Both of the girls giggled at your rambling, finding it quite cute how you got flustered so easily.

The night ended after some more teasing and a nice dessert. They walked you to your door and told you that they enjoyed their evening with you and how they’d love to do something like this again sometime. Sydney kissed you goodnight on your forehead while Laura kissed you on the corner of your lips. You wondered of she did that on purpose or if she did it by mistake.

laurafreigang posted on their story

y/n_y/l/n

liked by victoriapelova and 78.628 others

portugal📍, italy you’re next.

comments

viviannemiedema 😍😍

stanwaygeorgia got that portugal glow

sydneylohmann looking good 👀

laurafreigang touring with a good view

l0hmannbayernn wait but syd and laura were at that same restaurant too

↳ germany_w0men they’re probably friends i think since y/n works for the national team

You traveled to Italy with the team and arrived in the evening. When you stepped out of the travel bus Sydney approached you. “We’re going to the beach with the team, do you want to join us?” she asked you calmly. You accepted her offer and walked to the beach together.

Syd told you about the time she went to Rome with Laura and how they got lost and nobody understood them because of their German accent. It was so funny that your stomach hurt from all the laughing. “Syd! Stop, my stomach!” you giggled. “Okay, okay i’ll stop.” Sydney hugged you from behind, her hands on your stomach. “Better now?” she asked you, you could feel her little smirk. “Yeah, all better.” you hummed leaning into her.

Sydney took your hand in hers and with your fingers intertwined you arrived at the beach. Apparently there were boats for rent and you couldn’t resist, floating on the water at sunset, that’s a dream. Laura saw the two of you get on the boat and joined, not wanting to miss out on more quality time.

The three of you sat at the front of the boat, looking at the sun disappearing into the sea. “I’ve had my eye on you for a little while now.” Laura suddenly says. You’re a bit shocked and your first reaction is to look in the direction of her girlfriend who laughs at your motion. “We’ve had our eye on you.” Syd corrects her girlfriend. Now you’re even more lost.

Not knowing where to look you look into the distance. “What do you mean?” you ask just above a whisper. “We both like you, romantically.” Laura says for the both of them. You look up and Laura is staring at you expecting some kind of reaction. You look at Syd and she nods assuringly.

Laura took your face into her hands and leaned in for a kiss. Your lips met hers. You’ve wanted this for longer than you’d like to admit. Your kiss with Laura was hungry but sweet. When you disconnected your lips Sydney saw that as her chance. The kiss with the midfielder was a little more rough and longer.

Laura saw the state of you and couldn’t help but smirk at your swollen lips and messy hair. “I’ll take that as a ‘i like you too’.” Sydney said giggling and pulling a strand of hair behind your ear. Your cheeks reddened and you nodded furiously. The girlfriends laughed at that and Laura kissed you on your red cheek.

laurafreigang posted on their story

The next few days you photographed the girls at training, made content, went on little outings with the team and you even got to steal a few kisses here and there. Sydney and Laura were absolutely wonderful and amazing models, both of them are pretty, beautiful, sexy, everything honestly. You liked taking pictures of them, especially when they weren’t looking or after a game they’d won. But all three of you knew that after this camp you’d probably see eachother again at the preparations for the World Cup and that was weeks away.

sydneylohmann

liked by lynnwilms_ and 103.728 others

got the best photographers out there 🎞️

comments

y/n_y/l/n i got the best models out there

stanwaygeorgia tatted girl 👀

laurafreigang du bist sehr cool lohmann✌️✌️

jule_brand 😍😍

wos011 why did y/n comment??

↳ arsenalw21p they’re sooo dating

laurafreigang

liked by jule_brand and 118.620 others

best days away

comments

lena_oberdorf looking good

y/n_y/l/n mooi meisje 😍

sydneylohmann got the coolest gf

↳ gerwntfann wait they’re dating???

sophie.kleinherne 😍😍

giuliagwinn laura freigang things

chels3akerrr why did y/n comment?

You were going from club to club in the break since you still needed to get some work done. Syd and Laura texted and called you a few times and they had a few dates planned between the camps. It was nice, they were absolutely perfect. You loved them.

The time flew by and the team had to get ready for the World Cup. You knew how much this meant to all of the girls. For some it was their first and for others just another. There was so much pressure on them, their nation was a winning one and everyone knew it, you could feel it. Germany was in it to win.

The team ended on top of their group and won all the other games in the knockouts. Fighting for every goal they got into the final. The final against England, the nation they lost the Euros title to. They wanted payback.

When you arrived at the stadium it felt like a dream. The atmosphere in the stadium was magic, nothing like you’ve ever seen before. Fans from all over the world eager to watch the rematch of the Euros final. As the match continued, it became clear that it would be a battle till the very end.

With the score tied at 1-1, it got hard to watch the game. The seconds were flying by, and both teams were pushing themselves to their absolute limit. Lohmann, your midfield maestro, got past Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway. Spotting an opening, she passed a perfectly calculated ball to Freigang, your quick forward.

Laura, known for her fast pace and clinical finishing, sprinted towards the goal. Millie Bright tried to tackle Freigang but just couldn’t get to her. With adrenaline running through her, she released her shot in the top bins. The stadium erupted as Germany took the lead in the dying minutes of the game.

Sydney flew into Laura’s arms, but Laura was searching for you. She knew you were there, capturing every moment through your lens. With one of her cocky smirks, she made her way towards you, with the high of scoring such and important goal she leaned in, planting a kiss on the camera lens. Her eyes meeting yours as she playfully winks at the camera.

The game didn’t last much longer. The extra time was over and the German girls ran towards eachother while the English girls sunk to the ground.

Your two footballers hugged eachother and you captured the moment. Nothing could top this moment you thought, atleast not for now.

The girls came running towards you and included you in their hug. “Saw what i did there?” Laura whispered in your ear. You laughed, “Yeah, couldn’t really miss it eh?”. The goalscorer poked you in your side and Sydney laughed at the two of you.

Things went really fast from that moment on, Syd and Laura asked you to be their girlfriend and you said yes ofcourse. You signed a contract with Bayern for when you weren’t working for the National team. That made it possible for you to see Syd almost everyday. As promised you had a date night atleast once a week with your girlfriends and Laura announced her signing. Both of your girlfriends were playing for Bayern and you couldn’t be happier.

It had all gone fast. You fell fast, you got close fast and you started dating fast. But in your eyes it felt like you’ve always known. You loved them and wouldn’t trade this for the world.

y/n_y/l/n

liked by daniellevddonk and 103.613 others

meine schätze

comments

laurafreigang finally learned some german

↳ y/n_y/l/n just for the both of you

jillroord you’re supposed to root for us not Germany 🙄

sydneylohmann you’re our WAG 😍

↳ y/n_y/l/n honoured to be your WAG 😘

wosogirll HARDLAUNCHH

lovef00tball i knew it!!

sydneylohmann

liked by jillroord and 271.624 others

thank you Australia and New Zealand ❤️

comments

y/n_y/l/n mijn lieveheersbeestje 🐞❤️

↳ sydneylohmann you were scared of it so i don’t take it as a compliment

jillroord loohhmaaannn ❤️

sam_kerr_ winnerrrr 🥇

laurafreigang we’re so sexy

↳ y/n_y/l/n you are xx

↳ sydneylohmann thank you baby

laurafreigang

liked by alex.popp11 and 212.427 others

australia with my mäuschen

comments

sydneylohmann you’re a rat

↳ laurafreigang awww you’re so sweet 😍

y/n_y/l/n you’ve charmed your way into my life

↳ laurafreigang it was the photographer rizz i think

↳ sydneylohmann no definitely the football rizz

sam_kerr_ freigang touring the world with her sidekicks

↳ sydneylohmann i’m not a sidekick!!

A/N the ending is a bit abrupt so there’s a chance that i’ll make a second part?? Thanks to @totaly-obsessed i think i’ve done pretty well with the german nicknames and sentences.

[potions-of-dark-devotion]

Gotta Get This off my Chest

Severus Snape & HBO Series

Alright first off, I know you are generally expecting well thought out essays from me but here I’m going to Ramble Freeform. You’ve been warned.

I don’t know how I feel at all about another actor attempting to play Severus Snape. JK Rowling is the main producer and honestly this worries me a lot considering the amount of hatred she has for LGBTQ people and the amount of hatred Severus has gotten in the last years. This space is bad sometimes but generally we have a fantastic community of people in this snapedom who love the character as he is written positives and negatives. I for one liked Snape from the first book I read and the first movie I watched.

I’ll be the first to admit that my image of him is very much wrapped up in Alan Rickman, and tho I greatly respect other peoples images of snape and I love the fan art they make, the thing that made Alan such an amazing character actor for the part was the unabashed love he had for the character. Look at any interview of him about Severus and you will see that he went to bat for him at every turn. What if we we are given someone who sees Snape through the eyes of the marauders fandom? What if they erase all of Snapes goodness or heaven forbid write extra scenes of cruelty to Lily that didn’t exist, or have him creep over her, or physically attack her, or characterize him as the aggressor with James when we all know it was the other way around? These kinds of fears keep me from being excited about the new series and instead leave me anxious.

For one thing, I wish they had focused more on a different period of wizard history, or a different part of the 1st wizarding war or even marauders/young Severus era, because there is so much to explore. I would have liked to explore story lines that really could use more fleshing out, and if JK Rowling is going to be a part of this she could have easily written new passages or short stories to suit this new narrative. I also worry about the fact that yet again because she is a producer there will certainly be no LGBTQ characters in the narrative and that’s a waste to me. We already have a fantastic interpretation of the books, and if they are doing a redo why not cast people of color or trans or any LGBT characters in the mix? It will be the same story just perhaps fleshed out more? I’m not sure what this series will bring to the table that the movies did not unless they radically change some things.

Yet, with this interpretation we may see many thing in the series that we don’t see in the books. Severus has two big scenes at the end of POA and GOF that were totally left out of the movies, and if this was left in and the “prank” was explored more in depth we could get to see an even more complex narrative than Alan was allowed to portray in the movies (largely due to directorial choices).

Severus as we all know is a complex character that can be different or difficult to understand without a trauma informed lense and the last thing I want is for them to shove him into a gross stereotype, or give him attributes that don’t exist in the books in order to cater to certain fandoms. I’m genuinely worried about the prospect of this. I also don’t want our fandom safe spaces that we’ve spent years curating to be over run with Snape hate again just because of the series. I could be being pessimistic. It’s just been on my mind lately.

No hard feelings it’s just…Severus Snape is my comfort character and I don’t want the idea of it ruined by people who don’t really understand him or who wouldn’t bat for him the way Alan did. Please understand me. Does anyone else have mixed feelings this way?

[animeniacss]

Seoksoo - imperfect Part 1 - Chapter 17 - Overthinking

Synopsis: Lee Seokmin likes a lot of things: karaoke, stuffed animals, his friends, his family (when they're not at each other's throats), and when things go according to plan. It's perfect that way. That is...until Joshua Hong, the Education Department TA, stumbles into his view one day and suddenly Seokmin has to start facing the fact that maybe not everything in life will be perfect...but with Joshua, that might just be ok.

Tags: College!AU, ActingMajor!Seokmin, Teacher!Joshua, Romance, Angst, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Misunderstandings, Side GyuCheol, Side JunHao, Side Verkwan, Other Idol appearances, Anxiety/Panic Attacks, Domestic Violence (not between the main couple), Joshua is a dork 90% of the time, (More Tags will be Added as needed)

Length: approx. 5.2k words

Chapter 17 - Overthinking

Joshua was discharged from the hospital in the middle of the following week, much to his impatient relief. Seokmin wasn’t able to be with him when he got home since he had the musical’s first table read that same day, but Jeonghan sent him a photo of Joshua lying on the couch, a blanket tossed over him as he watched TV. Seokmin debated if he wanted to save the photo into his phone because he looked really cute and comfortable, a version of Joshua that he realized he was loving more with each passing day. 

         Nobody who knew the details about what had happened was shocked when Joshua showed up to school the day after being discharged – other than Seokmin. The younger spotted the Teaching Assistant, grabbing a coffee and crossing the quad as he headed into the Education Building. Seokmin debated going to say hello, but when Joshua was greeted by another student and pulled into conversation, Seokmin simply stayed back and watched them disappear from view. 

In class, Seokmin found it difficult to focus. Junhui and another boy were in a debate about something - Seokmin honestly had no idea what - but he nodded along. Anyone who was listening would probably barely even consider this a debate, but instead Junhui playing devil’s advocate and getting under the other students' skin. Seokmin caught the playful grin on the older’s face as he fixed the glasses. When the other male shot up from his seat and shouted, Seokmin flinched back to attention. Wide eyes fell to Junhui, who only offered a playful pout at their classmate. 

“I didn’t say anything of the sort, you know~.” Junhui cooed. It took Seokmin a second, eyes bouncing between the duo before he realized they were in the middle of an improv scene, Junhui’s goal to be egging on the other. It seemed to be working. 

Junhui was just as witty as he is weird. A beautiful face with a playfully, sassy mouth attached  It was a wonder how Minghao put up with him so easily.

A nudge from his left and Seokmin saw San sitting there, an amused grin on his face. The duo sat beside one another at the first table read, and despite being in the same class all semester, had yet to have a full conversation until then. San complimented Seokmin and Jihyo’s chemistry, and Seokmin still felt the compliment sitting in his stomach a whole day later, making him feel proud each time he thought about it. 

        When class ended and Junhui wasn’t able to walk with Seokmin, San was always there to join instead. “I can’t wait for dress rehearsals.” San admitted, arms stretched over his head. “I’m excited to wear the medieval-era clothes. We’re going to look so dashing, Seokmin!” He was practically beaming. 

         “We did one table read and you’re already thinking of dress rehearsals?” Seokmin’s brain malfunctioned if he tried to think of going off book, much less anything past that. San’s reply was a cocky grin. 

“One table read becomes two, then three. Then, we’re on stage trying to go off book. Before you know it, it’s spring time and we have dress rehearsals. Then, it’s showtime!” Hearing San rattle off the schedule for the following 6 months made his stomach do flips, but he simply nodded along.

“You’re very excited.” Was all he could get out of his mouth. San only continued to smile.

         “My friend is head of the department, so he’s been showing me some of the designs already. I can’t help but be excited about it; his designs are good.” San scanned the photos on his phone, passing it over to Seokmin. “Look. He sent my friends and I some sketches.”

         The sketches made Seokmin’s eyes widen in amazement. “Wow! That’s really impressive! How did he manage to sketch those already?” Hearing compliments given to his friend seemed to fill San with the same level of pride, as if he had made them himself. Seokmin pointed to the little Post-It notes seen in the frame of little cat and flower doodles, the words ‘Seonghwa <3’ written under a little message. “What are those?” 

San chuckled. “Seonghwa-hyung. He loves to write little encouraging notes to us when we are working on different things. He did it for me when I was rehearsing my lines for the musical. I’d find the sticky notes hidden in the pages of my script with little doodles of Hello Kitty on them.” The duo crossed the quad before San finally departed, waving Seokmin off with the promise to see each other in their other class later that week. Now alone, Seokmin headed to the student union, hoping for a chance to rest before his afternoon classes began. 

         The area wasn’t packed yet, thank God. Seokmin nestled himself into one of the unoccupied couches. The only people in the area were those trying to get a head start on some work for the day, or to kill time before a call or meeting . He could hear the sound of the cafeteria across the hall getting setting up their lunch specials before the afternoon rush; the clattering of pots and pans echoing through the building. In hopes to drown out the sound, he stuck his headphones in his ears and turned on Spotify. He looked through different playlists, trying to find one that suited a casual listening mood. All of his music was organized so meticulously, some said was on the verge of obsessive. Specifically, Eunkyung said it was ‘borderline psychotic’. But the little gremlin has 600 songs jumbled together on her Spotify likes, so what does she know? As the first song began to play, Seokmin let his truly body relax for the first time since he had gotten the lead in the play. 

         Seokmin heard muffled sounds of students coming into the building and making a beeline for the cafeteria just as the clock struck noon. The influx of noise threatening to drown out his music made the hairs on his arms stand up. He turned his head, watching as the cafeteria filled with hungry, loud students. He took a deep breath, turning his attention to his phone in hopes to keep him distracted. Eunkyung had sent him a string of Snapchats around her college campus; meals, homework, even one of her smiling with a group of friends. Seeing her happy made Seokmin feel happy too. He hadn’t spoken much to her since the fight with their mother, but it was nice to know she still had a smile on her face. Pulling his own camera up, Seokmin snapped a few pictures of the building he was in, and a photo of the view outside one of the windows. The simple action seemed to calm him just a bit, for the moment. When he turned the camera towards himself to take a selfie, however, his cute smile immediately devolved into a shriek of terror when Joshua poked his head in behind him out of nowhere.

         “Oh my God!” Seokmin’s head whipped around, eyes wide as he stared up at the grinning brunette. “You scared me!”

         “I’m sorry.” Joshua said behind an amused laugh. “I couldn’t help myself.” He leaned forward, putting his hand in Seokmin’s hair and leaning forward, elbows on the back of the couch. “Are you okay?”

         Seokmin pouted, but ultimately nodded. “Yeah.” Joshua nodded, pulling his hand back. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have class?”

         “I have a few minutes, so I was going to grab some lunch.” He pointed in the direction of the cafeteria. “I forgot to eat breakfast this morning.” Seokmin’s pout only deepened, and now Joshua was not smiling. “What?”

         “Hyung…”

         “I had a granola bar in my bag!”

         “That doesn’t matter!” Seokmin rose from the couch and collected his belongings. When he approached Joshua’s side, the older simply motioned him towards the cafeteria. “You need to eat…”

         “I promise, I’ll eat a big lunch.” Seokmin didn’t look convinced as the duo hopped into line. While they waited their turn, Seokmin’s eyes raised to examine Joshua’s forehead. The bandages were no longer there, but there was a hint of a bruised, healing welt still present. The bags under his eyes seemed to have disappeared slightly, but he could still see the remnants of them under those big doe eyes.

         “How’s your head?” he asked curiously. Joshua looked at him. He was silent for a second, almost as if he was processing what was being asked of him.

“What?” he asked curiously, the corners of his lips turning up a bit. For a second, Seokmin wondered if Joshua was still suffering the effects of his concussion, but he caught the devilish glint in his eyes. He simply stepped closer, leaning forward. 

“Your head. How’s your head?”  

         Joshua’s eyes dipped down to Seokmin’s lips so quickly Seokmin barely caught it when he was blinking. He finally responded with a coy: “Haven’t had any complaints so far. Dare I say, it’s life changing. Why?” Seokmin was silent for a minute, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He leaned forward, almost as if he didn’t hear Joshua correctly. The older only chuckled. Wait…is he talking about…? It took a couple seconds, but something finally clicked in his brain, and Seokmin’s eyes grew to the size of baseballs, cheeks burning within seconds. 

“Hyung!” He shoved the older, who immediately fell into a fit of laughter.

“I’m sorry!” He said behind his laugh behind his hand. It was a laugh that pierced Seokmin’s heart, despite how flustered he was in the moment. 

“Why would you say that in public?!” Seokmin covered his mouth.

“My friend and I used to say that all the time to one another in high school.” He said. 

“Why?!”

“Well, theres a celebrity that used to say it. But I only heard it used on a show we used to watch, still watch actually.” Seokmin still looked mortified, and when he looked down at his feet in embarrassment, Joshua’s laugh finally subsided. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” His voice was softer this time. He stepped closer to Seokmin, encouraging him to look back up at his smiling face.

Seokmin finally cracked his own smile, because not doing so was impossible around Joshua. “What show was it?”

That one question made Joshua’s eyes light up. He reached out, taking Seokmin’s hands in his own as he began talking about a show Seokmin had never heard of. An American show about drag queens and their fight to win a competition using all of their talents. Joshua said the name of the show six times, but Seokmin was too busy studying the sparkle in his eyes to catch it. “My friend is actually texting me about the newest season right now. I’m going to binge it during Christmas break, once finals are over.”

“Binge it?” Seokmin almost sounded worried at the idea.  

“Well yeah, but not like crazy.” A light bulb went off in his head. “You should watch it with me. It can be very theatrical; I think you’d really like it!”

“I don’t know much English, though.”

“That’s why I said you watch it with me.” Joshua smiled. “I’ll explain everything to you, okay? Trust me. You’ll like it. There’s this challenge they always do where-.” As he began talking about the series' yearly parody of a popular game show his grandmother used to like, they walked closer to the front of the line. Seokmin looked down and saw his hand still in Joshua’s, fingers tightly interlocked. He kept listening, standing close as Joshua chatted on and on. The excitement Joshua oozed made him want to watch it, even though he knew he wouldn’t get the references or the language. Joshua rattling on about something he was so positively obsessed with made Seokmin’s heart full in a way he’d never understood before. Joshua finally stopped walking, eyeing the menu now that they were close enough to see it. “Speaking of finals…” Seokmin felt Joshua’s grip on his hand loosen, but he turned to Seokmin. “Nayeon and Jeonghan are going to have the apartment this weekend. Mind if we study at your place?”

“Oh. No, I don’t mind.” Seokmin said quickly. “That’s fine by me.”

“Perfect, I’ll bring some snacks over.” With the mention of food, Joshua leaned forward and put in his lunch order. Caught off guard when another worker asked him for his own order, Seokmin quickly assured he wasn’t purchasing anything and apologized, sending the worker to the next customer. With the food ordered and paid for, the duo waited by the pick-up area. “I’ve been itching to get back to studying for days, but Jeonghan’s been on top of me since I got home. So, I haven’t gotten anything done.”

“He’s only looking out for you.” Seokmin assured. Joshua nodded with a sigh.

“I know.” He glanced over. “I hate being behind, it’s stressing me out more than the actual work if I’m being honest.” Seokmin stepped closer to him when a few other people passed by. The closeness immediately reminded him of the house party; Joshua’s hands fitting on his hips as if they were molded just for his body. However, this wasn’t the appropriate scene for something similar, so Seokmin could only remember the feeling for now. He saw a grimace forming on Joshua’s face, mind already racing with things he needed to get done. Seokmin reached forward and put a hand on the other’s arm, catching his attention once again.

“Can you tell me more about that show?” he asked. Joshua blinked a few times, smiling a bit.

“Alright.” He shifted his entire body towards Seokmin, pulling out his phone. “I’ll show you some of my favorite contestants over the years.” As he typed away on Google, he shared the story of how his friend introduced him to the show during their senior year, and how they binged the entirety of the show – six seasons back then – in one school year. Joshua pointed out several beautiful queens, describing them as if he were talking about his idols. Seokmin saw the light in his eyes burning brightly as he continued to share everything that came to his mind. He listened carefully, taking in as much as he could from Joshua’s explanations. When Joshua’s food was ready, he continued talking the entire time he ate, but Seokmin didn’t mind. If it meant seeing Joshua smile, he’d listen to him read numbers out of the phone book. 

“Is this binge-watching of the show going to count as another date?” Seokmin asked curiously. Joshua finally stopped talking, a grin forming on his face. Seokmin felt his cheeks tint pink. “I’m only asking so I know how to act.”

“Do you act differently on our dates?”

“Do I?” Seokmin almost sounded nervous to hear the answer. Joshua’s response was to simply uncap his water, tilting his head back to take a swig.

“I don’t think so. But I’m usually too busy admiring you to tell the difference.”

Seokmin almost choked and he wasn’t even eating. Joshua only grinned behind his water. 

⚔🦌⚔🦌⚔🦌⚔🦌⚔(im)perfect🦌⚔🦌⚔🦌⚔🦌⚔🦌

The second table read had come around faster than Seokmin had imagined, San’s Sparknotes of the entire event hanging over him like a heavy cloud. He flipped through his script while everyone around him chatted. Jihoon wasn’t there yet. 

“Hey.” Seokmin turned to see Jihyo leaning towards him. “Wanna run the first few scenes while we wait? Since you’re already on it.” Seokmin smiled, turning his chair to face his leading lady. Immediately, he felt as if someone was shooting lasers into his back, but fear made him too nervous to turn around. Jihyo’s expression immediately dropped to unimpressed. “Kim Seokjin-oppa is glaring at us. He’s so dramatic.” 

       Just hearing the name made Seokmin frown. “Not enough to get the lead, it seems.” He muttered under his breath. Almost immediately, his entire body froze. Eyes shot up to Jihyo when she burst into laughter, the hand holding her script covering her mouth. “Oh, no. No, no.”

       “Oh my God, Seokmin, you’re shadier than you let on!” 

       “Jihyo, please.” Seokmin could already feel his heart rate increasing. “Stop. What if he heard me!?” His voice was hushed as he leaned towards his friend, but it was filled with panic. “Does he look angry? Did he hear me? He definitely heard me.”

       “Who cares? He’s been nothing but annoying, he deserves to be knocked down a peg.” Seokmin almost passed out when Jihyo uttered the last sentence a bit to loud for his liking. “Dahyunie, you’ll never guess what Seokmin just-.”

       “Please, for the love of God!” Seokmin choked out when Dahyun’s head turned from her own script. “I’m begging you.” Jihyo’s amusement seemed to finally falter when she saw the true panic behind Seokmin’s eyes.

       “I don’t think he heard you, Seokmin…” she assured with a soft smile that reached her warm eyes. 

       “Just please.” Finally convinced, Jihyo nodded her head. As if God heard his prayer, the doors swung open and Jihoon headed to the stage. 

       “Sorry guys.” he called. “Thanks for waiting.” He pulled up a chair and smiled. “Alright, I’m going to jump right into it. I always like to start with updates on how you guys are doing. Are you finding specific scenes easier than others? Is there a part you’re confused on, in terms of delivery? It’ll help me help you during the read throughs.” 

“I’m already off book.” 

The entire auditorium snapped their attention to Seokjin, who sat cross-legged in his seat. He eyed the group for a second, before his eyes landed directly on Seokmin. He tensed up, feeling his hands grip his pants. He heard. He had to have heard, didn’t he? Please kill me now.

Jihoon, ever unimpressed, flipped the script in his hands. “Hyung, you passed the auditions, you don’t have to prove you can act anymore, okay?” Seokjin’s frown deepened. “Now is there anyone else who wants to update me on the truth?”

Seokmin’s eyes shot down to his script when he heard the room erupt into a sea of amused giggles and snickers. Seokjin’s eyes were seering into his forehead like he was trying to burn a hole between his eyes. Even when Seokjin spun around in his chair to talk with his seatmate, the stare lingered, and it lingered hard. 

He definitely heard me…Why do I have to go and start problems? 

Seokjin’s stare lingered the rest of the day; an invisible brand burning into his head, until Seokmin got home and buried himself under the covers. He never wanted to come out again if it meant running into Kim Seokjin on campus, or anywhere for that matter. He just wanted to go where thoughts didn’t stew in his head for months, or years. He wanted to be somewhere that he didn’t have to constantly worry about what other people thought of him or the things he said. Somewhere he could actually be happy and carefree.  

Where that magical place was? He had no idea. He was here, in a reality that felt that it was constantly out to get him. 

⚔🦌⚔🦌⚔🦌⚔🦌⚔(im)perfect🦌⚔🦌⚔🦌⚔🦌⚔🦌

         Seokmin had spent all of Saturday cleaning up, making sure the apartment was ready. He and Joshua had made plans to study that weekend, the first time since Joshua had been discharged from the hospital. The older hadn’t been at the apartment since the first time they hung out; back when Seokmin was originally practicing for his auditions. He turned to the kitchen table; seeing his roommate sifting through papers, noticing his script amongst the mail. Seokmin thought back to how much he cherished that time, and how far they’d come in only a few months. 

Joshua holding the script in his hands, dramatically reading a random line in the packet. Smiling at Seokmin the first time he ran through one of the tougher scenes. The way he said “I could watch you run lines all day” that still made butterflies tickle his throat. Seokmin remembered that day very well.

       He remembered that was also the day he held his hand up and said ‘SALU-TE’ with his whole chest. In front of who was, at the time, only a very hot stranger. 

       That memory sent a shockwave of embarrassment through his spine and he slumped against the sink, soapy dishes clutched tightly in his hand.

       “What are you doing?” Seungkwan asked, leaning forward on the kitchen table, confusion written on his face.

Mingyu popped his head out from the living room. “That doesn’t look like a comfortable way to wash dishes.”

       “You ever remember something that happened a long time ago and cringe?” He asked.

       “…No.” Seungkwan’s matter-of-fact self confidence made Seokmin only sink further on the floor, the dish being abandoned in the sink. He groaned. “Why?”

       “It’s so stupid.”

       “Then don’t think about it.”

       “Genius, Kwannie.” Seokmin groaned.

“What are you thinking about?”

“That time I said ‘salu-te’ really loud to Shua-hyung. It was so embarrassing.” Seungkwan snorted behind him, and a harsh pang slammed into his chest.

“Wasn’t that like…three months ago? He probably forgot about it.”

“I doubt it….” He groaned. “Nobody ever forgets. Like Seokjin-hyung at the table read this week.”

       “He heard you say something?”

       “I don’t think so.” Seokmin sighed. “But-.”

A muffled tune enveloped the kitchen area, which turned into a 8-bit version of Wonder Girls’ ‘Nobody’ when Seungkwan pulled out his phone from his pocket. “Jinseol-noona? What could she want.”

“It’s okay, answer it…” Seokmin didn’t look up from his spot. Seungkwan seemed to hesitate, but Seokmin finally lifted his head and said: “I’m fine. Go answer it…” He offered a little nod, before heading into his bedroom, pressing the phone to his ear. 

“What’s wrong, Noona?”  A gasp. “NO! No way! He is not-! Hold on!” And the rest was muffled by the closed door.

Seokmin groaned, reconfiguring himself to rest his back against the kitchen cabinets. He closed his eyes, resting his head on the wood until these stupid, pointless thoughts finally realized they were no longer welcome in his fragile brain. How could he finish getting ready at this rate? Joshua would be here in a few hours….

The sound of footsteps distracted him for a second, and he looked to see Mingyu nestling at his side. He was silent for a minute before saying: “We’ve been best friends since seventh grade.” He commented, head lolling onto Seokmin’s shoulder. 

“I know.” A dejected sigh escaped his lips. 

“So, I know when you’re lying.” Mingyu chuckled. “So does everyone else. You’re not fine.” Seokmin simply dropped the side of his head on top of Mingyu’s. “What’s on your mind?”

“You said yourself it’s stupid.”

“Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t talk about it.”

Seokmin took a deep breath. “I can’t stop thinking about it. It happens all the time. With everything I’ve said ever. Remember when I told you ‘This wouldn’t have happened if you listened to me and stopped eating after your fifth plate?’ When you were throwing up from all the hotpot?”

“…No.”

Well, I do. You glared at me so hard I thought you’d never speak to me again. I still think about that sometimes, and we were in ninth grade.” Mingyu only chuckled at the memory, which didn’t seem to even be a memory for him. “What I said was so rude, even if Seokjin didn’t hear me. I feel like it’s only a matter of time before he confronts me about it. Then what do I do? I can’t lie, because I did say it.”

“I really don’t think it’s that deep.”

“But it is. If he confronts me and I lie, then I’ll dig myself in a bigger hole. But if I tell the truth, I’ll make him hate me even more than he already does. What if he gets mad at me and yells at me in front of everyone, causes a whole scene like during the auditions? I’ll look like someone who starts drama for no reason. What if Jihoon-hyung finds out and gets upset with me? He could kick me off as lead for starting rumors and then what? I would deserve it, probably, but-.”

“Seokmin, you’re doing it again. Overthinking.” Mingyu’s deep voice cut through Seokmin’s frantic rambling. He pulled his head upright, running a hand through his hair. “If he hasn’t said anything yet, he probably didn’t hear you, and it’s okay.”

“That’s easy for you to say.” Seokmin pouted. 

       Mingyu took a deep breath, looking over at his friend. “I’m going to ask you a question, and I don’t want you to take offense to it. Promise?”

       “…You know who you’re talking to, right? I thought the neighbor's cat hated me because it wouldn’t slow blink at me, even though it’s blind!” Mingyu chuckled at that exclamation.

       “Promise?” He asked again.

“I’ll try.” 

“…You ever…talk to anyone about this stuff before?”

       “Uhhh, what do you mean?”

       A curt. “A therapist?” The word sent a shiver down Seokmin’s spine.

       “I went to one when I was younger with my sister.” He pursed his lips together. “After my parents got divorced, the court said it was a good idea. But that’s all, I stopped going right before we met in middle school.”

       “Why?”

       Seokmin paused. “My mom said it wasn’t helping anymore, and pulled us out.” Mingyu seemed a bit annoyed by the comment, but didn’t press further. “Do you think I should see a therapist? Am I finally going crazy?” 

       “Min, you’ve been crazy.” Mingyu teased. “No, but seriously. It could be good to go to a therapist. Someone who can listen without being biased.”

       “Are you biased?” 

       “I’m your best friend, and that means I know exactly how your family can be.” He said. “So, yes, I’m biased. Besides, I’m going to be a teacher, not a therapist.” Seokmin opened his mouth, but Mingyu held a hand up. “No, it’s not the same thing.” The open hand Mingyu held up, nudged Seokmin’s shoulder. “I’m not telling you what to do, I’m just saying it’s something to think about. You’re the only one who can decide to put in the work and do it. Maybe you need somewhere that you can get all of this stuff off your chest. They might even be able to show you ways to be easier on yourself. Even small steps will get you to the end goal eventually.” 

       Seokmin fumbled with his fingers, eyes cast down on his lap. Mingyu leaned to his side, arms outstretched towards the smaller of the two. Seokmin looked over with a slightly confused expression as his friend offered a dopey grin, an eager puppy who lives and breathes physical contact. “Come on. Bring it in.” He encouraged playfully.

Seokmin laughed a bit, but wasted no time reaching over to return the hug. “You’re ridiculous, Gyu.” He said, but his friend only hugged tighter. It felt as if Mingyu squeezed all of the negative thoughts of him like a juicer, and Seokmin sighed in relief.

The sound of Seungkwan’s feet padding back into the room only temporarily broke the hug. “False alarm. My sister’s boyfriend is not proposing, he just-. Hey!” He pouted. “I’m gone for five minutes and miss a bestie hug sesh on the floor?!” He looked genuinely hurt, hand to his chest as if the currently embracing duo shot him directly in the heart. “I want to have a bestie hug sesh on the floor!!”

Seokmin chuckled a bit, the duo immediately outstretching their arms to invite an even larger tangle of limbs. The little noise of glee that left Seungkwan’s lips was the cutest thing to ever enter the world as he dropped to the floor and practically threw himself around his seniors. Seokmin’s heart finally felt full for a few minutes, allowing himself to enjoy the moment.

“…What happened with your sister?” Mingyu finally asked, looking at Seungkwan with curious eyes.

“We thought her boyfriend was proposing but it turns out he’s not.” Seungkwan rolled his eyes. “I swear, he’s going to lose her at this rate. She’s too good for him. She did her nails and everything because she thought today was the day.” He grabbed his phone to show the photo his sister had sent of her French tips.  

“Aww.” Seokmin frowned. “Tell her that I think her nails are nice.” Seungkwan smiled as he sent the text. With the hug broken, Mingyu stood up, the sound of the sink sputtering on, continuing the dishes. “I’ll finish these up.” He said down to Seokmin. “Go get all dolled up for your boyfriend.” 

       “He’s not my boyfriend.” Seokmin grumbled with pink on his cheeks.

       “Oh, he so fucking is.” Seungkwan snorted. “Please don’t try to fool us.” 

       “Come on!” Seokmin covered his cheeks as Seungkwan laughed.

       “I can name like 3 things you two did that were relationship worthy in the last week alone.” Seungkwan beamed. “Just tell him you love him already, we have bets going!”

       “No, we do not!” Mingyu assured with a laugh. “Don’t listen to him, Seokmin. He just doesn’t want to be the friend in the freshest relationship anymore.” 

       “At least mine is fresh and not stale!” Seungkwan was now the one to get embarrassed despite his quippy remark. Mingyu’s head whipped around at the grinning junior on the floor. Seokmin fell quiet for a minute, looking between the both of them. Mingyu kicked his foot back and nudged Seungkwan’s knee, grinning in amusement. 

       “Just be useful and dry the dishes. We need to go before Joshua-hyung gets here, and I’m starving.” Seungkwan finally relented, standing up and nestling at Mingyu’s side to help as Seokmin got to his feet.

       “Thank you.” Seungkwan and Mingyu turned over to him, offering content smiles as Seokmin headed into his room. Taking a deep breath, he ventured into his closet to find the best outfit.

Despite Mingyu’s tight squeeze and the added pressure of Seungkwan, there was still one thought that planted itself firmly into Seokmin’s mind, unable to be juiced away no matter how many hugs he gave or received. His mother’s voice; one he could never fully get away from. 

       You don’t need a therapist. What a waste of time. She didn’t know what she was talking about. 

       Your father is the one who needs therapy, not you guys. That judge… trying to tell me how to parent my own kids. Who does she think she is?

⚔🦌⚔🦌⚔🦌⚔🦌⚔(im)perfect🦌⚔🦌⚔🦌⚔🦌⚔🦌

       Joshua knocked on the door about an hour later, Seungkwan and Mingyu long gone out to dinner. Seokmin had to hold himself back from practically sprinting to the door and flinging it open. Joshua’s stunning beauty immediately flooded Seokmin’s eyes, and he couldn’t help but smile. His hair was brushed back, showing his forehead, perfect just like the rest of him. He was fixing his strawberry red cardigan, wrapped around a white tee shirt. Seokmin’s eyes dipped to see it tucked into a pair of light jeans.

       A new item was spotted across Joshua’s chest: a white tote bag. Seokmin couldn’t help but smile.

       “That’s cute.” He said. Joshua looked down, grinning.

       “Thanks.” He said. “I got it the other day when I went shopping. I wanted to wear it out first chance I got.” He opened it, and Seokmin peeked inside. “I don’t have anything to put inside it yet. I’m thinking of filling it with little things I might need when I’m out, but-.” He shrugged. 

“You’re carrying an empty tote bag?” Seokmin asked. 

“Yes.” Joshua didn’t even seem phased. “We’ll see. We’ll feel it out, you know?”

       Seokmin chuckled, a response of “sure, hyung” while ushering him inside. The first thing Joshua did was dig through his backpack and pulled out a plastic bag filled to the brim with convenience store treats. “I brought snacks!” He grinned.

       Seokmin accepted the bag with a smile and a small “Thank you.” He’s always so thoughtful…

When Joshua uttered an amused: “Cute.” Seokmin turned around. Much to his surprise, the one thing he forgot to put away was his ravioli plush, which was sitting comfortably on the couch.”Is that yours?”

“Uh.” Seokmin stammered for a second. “Yea….Heh. I got it a while ago.”

Joshua walked over and examined the plush in his hands, grinning all the while. Seokmin couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, even though he had taken Joshua into a toy store specifically to buy stuffed animals before. Joshua turned to him. “Does he get along with our deer?”

“Our?” Seokmin cocked an eyebrow.

“Yes, our.” Joshua huffed. “I was tempted to ask for weekend custody, but I think he likes you more than me, so he’ll only end up resenting me more if I do it now.” Seokmin couldn’t help but laugh as Joshua set the ravioli plush down on the couch once again, setting his bag on the floor as well. “Ready?” 

       As the duo settled in the living room to begin their studying, Seokmin looked over at Joshua. He was already comfortable on the couch, relaxed as if he were home. He even plopped Seokmin stuffed ravioli on his lap. Sensing he was being watched, Joshua eyed the other and grinned.

       “Lee Seokmin…are you checking me out?” 

       “W-what?! No!” Seokmin gasped, his computer almost falling off of his lap. Joshua’s tongue pressed against his bottom lip in amusement.

       “You were checking me out when I got here, too.” He rested his arm on the back of the couch as he stared at Seokmin, almost amused at how red his face must have been turning so quickly.

       “Hyung, come on.” A flushed face turned back to the computer. Seokmin felt Joshua’s hand reach forward and tangle into his hair, immediately diffusing all of the knots coiling up deep in his belly. An amused hum was heard when Seokmin tilted his head a bit, leaning into the touch; smiling as he resumed typing away.

       Just confess your love to him already! Seungkwan was even loud and nosey in people’s thoughts, it seemed. Oh, how he wished he could be that carefree. 

Even little steps get you to the end goal eventually. 

Regardless, in this moment, he was content with this small step of closeness. This reality, even if only for the next few minutes, felt just a bit more perfect.

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[spoiledleaff]

Adore your hc of Dew being turned on by domesticity, tell me more?

ohohoho, sweetheart, anon, love of my life? i am so glad you asked!!! >:) i won’t lie, i’ve been holding on to this ask for forever, because i love!! this hc? i can’t explain it, it’s just so much fun to write for! :D i tried to do at least one act for each ghoul, so pardon me if there’s quite a bit down below, haha!

but! without further ado, here’s my notes on the ‘dewdrop gets turned on by domesticity’ idea featuring the era iv ghouls! :D oh! this one does get kinda explicit! or at the very least suggestive! you’ve been warned >:)c

✿ ＡＥＴＨＥＲ.

aether is sappy, so sappy. we know this, the ghouls know this, everyone knows this, yeah? i think part of the reason why aeth’s and dew’s bond/chemistry is so great is because aether keeps doing things for everyone, and dew keeps getting all hot and bothered about it, haha!!

i mean, what’s he gonna do? say no to dewdrop? fuck that.

dew would often spend the night in aether’s dorm when he was first morphed into a fire ghoul, so a lot of this began with their shared morning and night routine.

dew is always the first in bed and the first out of bed. blame it on the mismatched energies of having been/being a water/fire hybrid thingy, haha! his personal routine is a bit more random? kind of like that, ‘i’ll get to it when i get to it’ sort of vibe. it’s honestly only thanks to cumulus that dewdrop has a routine for his hair, and thanks to omega that he has a small routine to help maintain his vessel’s integrity.

aether has a much more solid, organized routine than dewdrop. by far! haha! he’s the kind of ghoul who brushes his teeth. twice per day. without fail! :0 goals, honestly.

so, it kinda started when dew was curled up in aether’s bed, watching aeth out of the corner of his eye as aether waltzes around the room grabbing night clothes, putting away his day clothes, talking idly about his day. and even though dew isn’t offering more than a few grunts or groans in response, aether just doesn’t shut up.

but dew notices that aether’s doing the same thing for him too. he’s packing away and folding whatever clothes he shed from the day’s activities and storing everything together.

the kicker is when aether pops into his bathroom and pops back out with a hairbrush in his hand and he’s looking at dewdrop expectantly.

“… what’s the brush for?” “for you, dew. i’m gonna brush your hair before you doze off. you can talk about your day too if you want, but you’re gonna get tangles and knots if you just go to bed like that. i can braid it too.”

dewdrop had a boner the entire time. aether thought he was just being dramatic when dew refused to flip over, haha!

another part of their morning routine is that aether insists that they brush their teeth together. at least for the mornings.

so, dewdrop begrudgingly surrenders to aether, and they’re brushing their teeth together. dew’s letting his mind wonder as he brushes, and eventually he catches himself staring at aether.

the realization dawns on dew that aether’s staring back, and when aether also catches up, the ghoul just fucking smiles at dewdrop through a mouthful of toothpaste and stupid fucking bubbles.

when dewdrop kisses him, aether tastes like that stupid fake watermelon taste of children’s toothpaste.

they fuck on the bathroom counter, and dewdrop wonders if he can somehow prank aether into brushing his fangs with dewdrop’s own cum.

✿ ＲＡＩＮ.

rain’s a bit more secretly sappy than aether. but! rain’s a little bit similar to dew in the fact that domesticity certainly excites them. rain just isn’t as… painfully obvious.

one of the easiest ways to get frisky with rain is to actually get soft and sappy and obedient with them.

the mummy dust bills gif with dew and rain cOUGH— rain is just that silent dom top where one look communicates all you need to know, haha!

it might be because of the borderline rivalry that these two had when rain was first summoned, but their affections for each other are still a bit more… subtle. at least in comparison to most of the others!

regardless though, rain very much thrives on teasing dew! but, it’s actually a bit double sided, haha! it may seem like teasing to others, but to rain and dew it’s their own love language.

when they spend the night with each other, or even if they just happen to be cuddling on the couch with each other, it’s a fucking war for blankets.

while dew feels hot to the touch, his days as a water ghoul have cursed his vessel by always running colder than most fire ghouls, and rain’s just always fucking frigid.

so, the two ghouls would be sharing a massive fucking blanket, shoulder to shoulder. but, the more and more dew fidgets and shifts, the more blanket he ends up snatching. whether it’s an accident or not is open to debate it’s not. he does this on purpose.

rain might occasionally tug them back a couple times, give the little shit a warning before going back to maybe whatever movie they were watching, or to whoever they may have been talking with.

but then dew does it again. and again. and again.

eventually, rain’s just fucking fed up (read: wants to be closer) with him. twists their body around and just hoists dew’s smaller frame right into his lap. no words, except for dew’s surprised screech and maybe a brief moment of flailing limbs and twisting tails before rain has dewdrop in their lap, his back against their chest, and the blanket wrapped around dewdrop’s lap while rain makes a point of sapping all of the gremlin’s beat through his spine.

“what the fuck-?!” “oh, shut up. you keep moving, and i’m freezing.”

there’s a couple mandatory bitter words directed at the other, but they lack the usual bite. all too quickly, they both settle down into a routine they known like the back of each other’s hand. dew hunches over himself and slumps against rain’s chest. rain’s hands are wrapped loose around dew’s middle, those freezing cold hands of theirs sometimes slipping underneath dew’s sweater and caressing the skin there. rain nuzzles into dew’s neck and peppers little kisses as their hands gently smooth over dew’s upper thighs and abdomen.

when rain’s hand wraps around the base of dew’s erection, the little spitfire melts further against rain. they set a slow, gentle pace. and dewdrop shivers and mewls through the whole thing, blindly grabbing around his body until he finds a perfectly grab-able part of rain’s clothes. when he cums, it’s quiet. and rain doesn’t hesitate to lick their own hand clean before softly kissing the mess into dewdrop’s waiting mouth.

✿ ＭＯＵＮＴＡＩＮ.

mountain isn’t necessarily more on the secretive side of sappy, per say? he’s just genuinely clueless about how the things he’s doing can be considered as ‘domestic’ or ‘sappy’.

he’s very observant. the kind of personality where if you offhandedly mention one thing, he’s going to remember it for the rest of his life. and he’ll surprise you with it to!!

when dewdrop shifted into a fire ghoul, his whole waking and sleeping routine was uprooted too. now his consciousness seems to quite literally be tethered to when the sun rises and sets.

mountain has since observed this in relation to the traditional group breakfast time.

if he isn’t too sore from working around the abbey and from rehearsals, mountain will do his best to wake up before the sun even rises, just so he can beat dew to the kitchen. he has this routine perfect timed and down to a borderline science.

by the time dewdrop lazily slinks his way over to the kitchen, there’s already a near boiling cup of coffee perfectly tailored to his magickally-influenced tastes, placed alongside a bowl of sugar, and a small canister of those flavored creamers dew likes using sometimes. the caramel ones. by then, mountain’s already preparing breakfast with some of the herbs he’s just harvested.

(dewdrop’s taste of whether he prefers black coffee or sweetened-to-heaven-and-back coffee depends greatly on his mood, so mountain never actually prepares his drink for him. but, regardless, since shifting his element to fire, his personal palette has grown pickier about the temperatures of most hot foods. if his food is borderline set aflame, his senses will think it’s gone cold. even though to the typical tastebud, it’s still really hot! it’s even more touching because mountain’s vessel is much more susceptible to burns and damage from heat thanks to his element, so the fact that the earth ghoul is quite literally risking the wellbeing of his hands just to make dewdrop a cup of coffee really gets the arousal pooling hot in his gut.)

something else that mountain will do is leave little notes to the various members of his pack and/or siblings and members of the church that he’s close with. while mountain isn’t necessarily social anxious when safe behind the ministry walls, he still sometimes finds it hard to communicate his wants and needs verbally. so, he’ll write and leave little notes instead.

most of the time they can be sweet and sappy, or even just straight and to the point instructions on how to do something. sometimes they’re fucking filthy—

whenever the notes are specifically directed at dewdrop, mountain’s always crafty enough to leave a breadcrumb trail of sorts that leads right back to him. because mountain knows that dewdrop always tries to chase him down.

the notes are always simple, but sweet. stuff like, “your hair looks pretty today”, “your outfit is cute”, “you performed really well today in rehearsal”, “you fucked swiss over real nice from that bet”. little things :)

they never fail to make dewdrop fucking soaked though.

when dew finally corners mountain in the greenhouse, by the chapel, in the abbey grounds, wherever- that little ghoul will fucking tackle mountain to the ground with an earth shattering kiss and the world’s tightest goddamn hug.

“god fucking damnit, mounty, your handwriting’s so fuckin’ pretty-“ “mhn, not as pretty as you look straddling my waist, sweetheart.”

dewdrop will ride mountain until they’re both seeing stars, and mountain will tell dewdrop about all the other notes he had planned to write before he was caught until dewdrop’s squirting with a keen.

✿ ＳＷＩＳＳ.

aether’s more obviously sappy. mountain and rain are more secretly sappy. but swiss is a genuine wildcard of the ghouls!

one thing's for certain, somehow swiss manages to make affection into a competition!

whereas rain and dew once had a... less wholesome rivalry between them, swiss and dew currently have a much more wholesome, friendly rivalry.

mountain and aether find it cute how the two ghouls somehow manage to make almost everything they do a competition.

swiss tossed dewdrop's favorite blanket into the dryer so he can be less cold on the couch? oh, fuck no.

dewdrop snatched some chocolate from a kind sibling and is saving half of it for swiss? not for long, bitch.

swiss has some clothes of his set aside specifically for dewdrop because he knows how much the little spitfire loves drowning in swiss' clothes? how dare he.

dewdrop shares some of his favorite breakfast with swiss because he woke up late and mountain has already retired to the greenhouse? how. fucking. dare. he.

haha! needless to say, the sappy side of their relationship is honestly just a series of them one upping the other.

whenever the two ghoul’s are both assigned similar cleaning duties, they make a competition out of it. who can clean the grand staircase quicker, who can trap more of copia’s rats, who can do the most dishes, that sort of thing.

(though sometimes both swiss and dew will ‘help the competition’, just to keep things ‘interesting’. though they’d both deny doing something that soft.)

but, there's sometimes moments where swiss will just collapse into a nest of his making for a long series of afternoon naps. and when dewdrop goes into his room to investigate, swiss traps the fire ghoul underneath his heavy arms, and the two fall asleep together.

they spend their day just cuddling and laughing together. blissfully left alone by the others who can probably hear the raucous laughter throughout the entire ghoul's wing.

"fuck, doll, i just adore spending time with you doing a whole buncha nothin'." and dew gets so fucking wet hearing the usually flirtatious swiss say something so soft like that.

swiss, predictably, makes fun of dewdrop for his sudden and clear arousal, trapping dew in his arms as his tail plays with his crotch.

they fuck the rest of the evening away and dewdrop once squirted when swiss said, "wanna keep you in my arms forever and make every day so lazy and lovely as today. just your pretty little face kept alllll to my selfish self, babydoll."

they’re usually inseparable for the rest of the night into the next day.

well, that’s a wrap! i know i only did the ghouls ‘cause i felt so bad holding onto this ask for so long, haha! but! I’ve definitely got my fair share of ramblings for the ghoulette, the older ghouls, and even the papas too!! :) haha, if anyone’s ever interested, i have quite a bit to say on this silly little idea, hehe! ♡

[voldemorts-tap-shoes]

For era #2 (1989/evermore) of @cruelsummer-ficfest 💕

✨ Gold Rush ✨

My mind turns your life into folklore

I can't dare to dream about you anymore

~

“There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“Anything you want.”

“You say that every day.”

“It’s true every day. I’m all yours. So what’s on the agenda?”

“You and Lavender.��

“Ugh. Pass.”

“Ron.”

“Why don’t I just throw myself off a bluff into the ocean instead?”

“Ron.”

“Okay, okay. What about me and Lavender?”

“Well, I suppose it’s more so about me and Lavender…”

“Were you snogging her, too?”

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake. I’m going to push you off a bluff into the ocean.”

“Honestly, Hermione, out with it, then. What about me and you and Lavender?”

“I never apologized to you.”

“You did, actually, about a hundred times.”

“For the birds, yes. Not for the rest of it.”

“I think the rest of it was more my doing, so…”

“I should’ve been more clear about my intentions for Slughorn’s Christmas party. And about my feelings for you in general.”

“You really don’t have to apologize for that.”

“I do. You’ve said plenty of sorry’s over the past few weeks, and I owe you some, too. Maybe if I had told you how I felt last year, we wouldn’t have wasted so much time.”

“If you’d told me how you felt, I probably would have snogged you right there in the greenhouse, and we’d have both wound up in detention. Besides, you could say that about a lot of things in the past year—hell, the past few years—but that doesn’t make it your fault that we missed out on that time.”

“I should’ve fought for you.”

“Fought for me? You make it sound like I’m the last of Mum’s Christmas biscuits around nine hungry Weasleys.”

“Well, that’s sort of how it felt last year, with everybody wondering what it would be like to love you.”

“Who’s everybody?”

“Okay, maybe not everyone. But Lavender and I, obviously. Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones both thought you were quite fit. And I do believe Anthony Goldstein would have been interested if you were so inclined.”

“Huh. Always wondered why he wanted my help with homework instead of yours. Suppose Wingardium Leviosa wasn’t the only one of my charms that caught his eye.”

“You are so lame. Why do I love you, again?”

“You just said it, I’m good with my wand.”

“Anyway…I didn’t like the Ron Weasley gold rush that seemed to be taking place. Selfishly, I hated the idea that I was going to have to compete for your attention.”

“You had it already, you know.”

“Until I didn’t. I didn’t make it clear that my hat was in the ring, and when Lavender kissed you, I folded. You had every right to carry on with her, even though I hated every second of it. I always wondered what it must be like to grow up that beautiful, and then she had you, too…”

“Hermione—”

“I was jealous, and I acted foolishly, and I took you for granted. You had to nearly die for me to see how horrible I was to you. So I’m sorry.”

“Apology still not necessary, but accepted.”

“Thank you.”

“For what it’s worth? You wouldn’t have had to fight that hard, if you had. It’s always been you. No contest.”

“For me, too. No contest.”

“But…do you ever think maybe it’s a good thing I had that little detour with Lavender?”

“You know, the wind really is quite strong out here on the coast. I could make your death look like an accident.”

“I’m serious. We don’t know what would have happened if you and I got together sooner. I do know we’re here now. I wouldn’t trade the path we took, because I wouldn’t want to end up somewhere else.”

“That’s actually very sweet.”

“Always the—”

“—tone of surprise, yes, yes, I know. I should stop being surprised by you by now, but it keeps things exciting, doesn’t it?”

“Good save.”

“Speaking of surprises, do you think Harry realizes anything has changed between us?”

“Hermione, the man has got more important things to think about than if you and I have finally got our heads out of our arses. We’re trying to save the world here.”

“So definitely yes?”

“Definitely yes.”

“I suppose it’s not exactly subtle that you’ve been sleeping in my room every night.”

“We don’t sleep every night…”

“That’s beside the point.”

“I think that’s exactly the point, and—are you blushing?”

“We should get back, Fleur will have dinner on soon.”

“I can’t believe you’re blushing. Especially after last night…”

“Ronald!”

“Wow, two weeks together, and you’re already embarrassed of our relationship. That cliff is looking better and better every minute.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“And yet, you love me.”

“Alas. Yes, I do. And you love me.”

“Yep. I reckon you’re stuck with me now.”

~

And the coastal town

We wandered 'round had never

Seen a love as pure as it

[charmwasjess]

10, 14 and 20 for ask game!

For 10: Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

All of them?!?! I write mainly in Dooku's Jedi era (pre-prequels? are we still calling it that?) and that was a super tiny part of the fandom back when the movies were actively coming out. It didn't seem possible anyone would care about it now, so having any readers is like... fucking AMAZING! I love each and every one of you DEARLY.

I'll also say, responses to my fics where I'm writing Dooku and Sifo-Dyas together has been interesting. I definitely lost a reader or two, which makes me sad, but I was really surprised and incredibly touched by the much larger positive response to it. Having been a queer person in the closet for a lot of my younger life, writing queer experiences openly is really cool to me.

For 14: If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick?

Answered a little bit of this here and here. :D

For 20: What’s a favorite title for a fic you’ve written?

I admit, I really like Milk Run. For those of you who haven't read it, in the fic, a "Milk Run" is a Jedi slang term for an easy lowstakes mission where nothing exciting happens. Dooku is recovering from an injury and so desperate to get out of the Temple that he'll take any mission - so he and Qui-Gon are assigned a classic good ol' Milk Run. Of course, this is wonderful because Dooku knows how to handle the most dangerous missions the galaxy can throw at him, but not how to sit still, and it's fun to write him doing things he's bad at.

It also gave me a thematic chance to explore a topic I love: Jedi working nontraditional Jedi jobs. Jocasta and Sifo-Dyas lives as Jedi who both serve the Order in less traditional "run in with your lightsaber out" roles. Jocasta obviously in the Archives, and Sifo-Dyas currently supervising a group of graduate students at a Jedi archeological dig site.

There's actually a snippet I love where Sifo-Dyas is trying to explain to Dooku that there are other ways to deal with a space pirate queen that kind of hits at the heart of the fic's Milk Run theme:

“She threatens you?” Dooku tried unsuccessfully to keep the outrage out of his voice. He couldn’t possibly follow Sifo-Dyas around for their whole lives finishing his fights for him. Even if he might still want to try.

“Not in a real way. It seemed like almost pageantry to her, or posturing. You know, her crew gets to see her face off with a Jedi, and I get to pull out my lightsaber and wave it around in front of the graduate students, all just good fun…I never thought she’d actually try something.” He scowled. “Especially not with the connivance of the asshole Arnet!

“Sifo…” The words "wave it around" were echoing surreally through Dooku’s head.

“I know, I know. I’m releasing my anger into the Force.”

“No, it wasn’t that…" In his own career as a Jedi, Dooku was occasionally called out to deal with especially troublesome pirates on missions that were more his typical, life-threatening dangerous style, decidedly not milk runs, or research on cultural sites. There was nothing of good fun or lightsaber-waving in the desperate violence of those encounters. “I was just going to say… your life… it is sometimes strange to me.”

“What, just because of the Queen Theo thing?”

“This situation where you and a space pirate recreationally antagonize each other for the entertainment of your subordinates is a fine example of what I mean.” Dooku scoffed. “Come to think of it, perhaps you ought to have slept with her after all. She might have been less inclined to eventually steal from you.”

“Oh, wow, so you know all about pleasing women now.”

Dooku shot him a venomous look. “I get by.”

Sifo-Dyas began to laugh. “I honestly don’t understand why people think you have no sense of humor. You’re completely hilarious.”

[everybody-loves-purdy]

Since ur blog title says "AVOS is underrated", may I ask which arc in your opinion is OVERrated?

I’m sorry oots fans, it’s nothing personal… but yeah it’s oots for me, for sure.

I went into my reread really excited for oots and after I finished I was disappointed. The first half was honestly fine! I liked it but then for me it all just came apart in the second half as the lack of planning the Erins had for the arc became very unclear. And that isn’t a baseless claim, it is on record that Hollyleaf was originally meant to have a power until outcast was being written and how Cinderpelt’s reincarnation wasn’t entirely thought out at the time it was implicated. Hollyleaf not having a power is a huge deal that probably caused Dovewing and Ivypool to even exist in the first place and the fact that only came halfway through the writing process of power of three isn’t encouraging.

I just think oots is mainly remembered so fondly due to nostalgia, love for the characters, especially the idea of the dark forest trainees, and the way it concluded the Vicky era. Actually reading it (for me) in the latter half it feels taped together with duct tape and a positive attitude.

Don’t get me wrong I like the arc overall but it could have been so much more.

If anyone wants me to expand on these at all please let me know but here’s some of the problems I have with oots specifically

Dovewing’s POV becomes very redundant for the middle of the arc, it doesn’t really add anything and is mainly about Tigerheart

Lionblaze’s POV doesn’t really add anything, apart from Cinderheart stuff mainly but that could have been told through other characters

Ivypool’s entire arc has very little pay off. She never actually learns anything as a spy and it’s all completely undermined by Dovewing just listening into the dark forest anyway in the last book and hearing everything. And it’s not even like Ivypool acknowledges that her sister achieved something on 5 seconds which she never achieved in several moons and killed Antpelt over.

The Three’s powers just don’t do anything particularly special in the end? Apart from Jayfeather who reunified StarClan but even that subplot just felt forced. I guess you could count Dovewing listening into the dark forest and finding out all their plans too but then what was Ivypool for?

The forgotten warrior just painfully feels like “plot points we haven’t gotten to resolving yet: the book” as I read it.

The pacing of the arc is very steady until literally everything is just kind of crammed into the last two books, and even then the pacing still feels both simultaneously slow and fast in those books, it’s weird.

What was the dark forests plan? Were they just going to kill everyone? What then? Was that the point? Why? Why now? It’s just never explained.

Where did all the extra dark forest cats come from in the battle? The clans were overrun by dark forest warriors but we only had a handful named, and it’s not like most of the recruits were helping out. If someone as recent as Mapleshade was already almost faded then it’s not like there should be that many evil cats older than her in this time of canonity where cats faded rather than apparently stick around forever.

I don’t understand how the dark forest cats seriously thought their recruitment drive would work considering they didn’t reveal to most cats that they were evil until right before the battle. Did they seriously not foresee the cats lead there under false pretences would turn on them?

Tigerheart’s behaviour towards Dovepaw/wing

I am so sorry oots fans. That’s just how I felt reading it, it just frustrated me in the latter half. I had a good time for the most part in the first half then it all came apart. I don’t even think that’s all the problems I have with it. And like I say I do like it overall! We just could have had so much more and I do truly think that nostalgia is carrying lots of the positive feelings towards this arc. The lack of conclusiveness would be ripped to shreds if it came out today.

[tired-old-men]

Dude where was this blog when I was 12? I was obsessed with the Brotherhood so much I had the whole family tree memorized. I would info dump at the drop of a hat. I would be so feral about these sad old men and no one- not my family, my friends, or even my dogs- understood what the FUCK I was even talking about so eventually I just shut up and stopped thinking about it. And then my dash is full of Knuckles and now I’m like *gasp* “THE SAD OLD MAN CLUB!” and then you are just here??? Talking about this thing that I literally thought no one except me cared about??? Hello??? Shall we have a spring wedding???

MY BROTHER IN ECHIDNA I FEEL YOU ON A METAPHYSICAL LEVEL!!! I have never connected so hard to an ask in my life. I was hella obsessed with these guys in my teens! I knew their family tree by heart, knew their lore inside and out, I doodled Edmund and Dimitri in my science notes in class constantly, shit these guys lived rent free in my brain with how much I daydreamed about them! I might have had like 3 people tops on deviantart at the time that I could even talk to about these guys, who actually knew who they were and even made art and content for them.

Then came a period of time I ended up leaving the sonic fandom entirely, probably a mixture of being made to feel discouraged in liking my interest from my offline peers and family (back when liking Sonic din't made you a cool kid but a target) as well as getting hyperfixated on other things I just... moved on sadly. It wasn't until last year I want to say, that I stumbled upon @julie-su's art and realized that it was made in recent year, that I got genuinely excited for these guys and the sonic fandom again. You can also imagine my subsequent heartbreak when I found out about the Ken Penders lawsuit and how all of these beloved characters ended up... But as the saying goes if you want something done right you gotta do it yourself! Got sad that there's no more art of these dudes time to make some! It's how I ended up coming back to tumblr and getting to meet more echidna loving individuals and honestly I wouldn't go back not one bit. I'm sad that I feel like I missed out on the Archie comic fandom era back when the comics were still publishing, but I'm glad to be making up some lost time by indulging in the grandpa gang with my online buds. I can't imagine my life without these sad old dudes living rent free in my mind, they keep me entertained, they make me laugh, and bring me much comfort. It makes me so happy to see fans of these guys and new content being made for them just get me so fucking excited and happy.

Most of the time making content for them seems like I am screaming into a void considering how obscure they can be. But in the end, I don't I think I have had more fun creating art and writing than when I started drawing them again. In a way I keep them alive in my memories through my works and that makes me happy. I know the few that know and love these characters also love to see them still around, and have been big inspirations for me to create my own stories and headcanons for these characters and I will forever be grateful for them enriching my life with their creativity. Always a delight to meet someone that loves these tired old men as much as me, your comment literally made my day! Thank you for being awesome and for even liking my works, It really means a lot to know theres still love out there for these characters. I'm always happy to chat with a fellow guardian fan so please don't be a stranger! Besides, we have to frolic down the hills of Angel Island in the eve of our honeymoon~

[hoenn-hakase]

Summertime Confessions

[Just a bit of quiet time as they sit while hanging out on Route 118]

Aya: 

Terra, do you like me? 

Terra: 

[Snaps to attention as she wasn't expecting that] Of course! I just… um… 

Aya: 

[Giggles. Terra is so cute when flustered, so she leans in] Do you want me~?

Terra: 

[Hesitant] Yes, but…

Aya:

Then what's the problem? Look at you blushing like a schoolgirl. 

Terra: 

That's precisely the problem! I… I'm not a schoolgirl. [Lowers her face] Not anymore. It's, just… It's too complicated. I can't be with you in good faith, my whole existence is a mess! 

Aya: 

It’s just a silly phrase, Terra. I didn’t know it would upset you. [Frowns. This isn't going at all like she thought it would, and now she's concerned by the serious tone.] Honestly, there’s a lot I still don’t know about you. But since you get so touchy, I have to wonder… [Holds up her hands to show she means no harm but just HAS to ask] You don't have to try to tell me everything about you at once. I just thought, you know… Can you not trust me with even a little of it? You have so many secrets, I sometimes feel like I hardly know you. 

Terra: 

Exactly. I don't want to be known. [Tries to ease up] I decided to stay in Hoenn because I feel like I can truly get away from all of that. I spent a lot of time trying to find out who I was, but now I just need some time to figure out who I want to be. All anyone needs to know is that I like gardening, but I still get excited with technology. I find I enjoy the quiet after all the rush of the last five years I remember. And I… [shifts awkwardly] I sometimes wish our paths didn't cross so often, because you make it very difficult to ignore my feelings for you. I care for you, but that doesn’t mean I think I should be with you. Not like how you’re implying at least. 

Aya: 

[slight huff of indignance] And how do you plan to get a fresh start when you're letting your past keep you from enjoying things? If you really do like me, then we can start off slow. [Takes both her hands in her own, feeling her tremble as she looks into her eyes] If whatever happened in your past really was so terrible, I want to help you through it. But…. If you don't want to tell me, you can't expect me to understand why you keep rejecting me. Tell me just one thing, just ONE thing. Anything you choose. [Softens as her heart aches] Please? 

Terra: 

[Seeing the pain this is causing Aya, sickens her with guilt. The ninja has a point. Deep breath] Alright. [Lets out the extra air. She's not really sure how to explain now that she thinks about it. It's just too weird.] The first thing you should know is that… I have no past. Search any book, check any records, you won't find anything about me. [She can see Aya’s nose scrunch up as she's trying to figure out what that means] I'm not sure how to tell you this. But… [There's a long pause as she can see her friend is still waiting] You could say I'm from another world. My world ended, possibly a long time ago- I don't know! My brother who you met… [sighs] A bit of a lie, too. The two boys you first met with me, we're all from the same place. We were all lost in the Void as the world was being reborn. I know you and I are basically the same age, but I feel ancient. I come from another era in more ways than one. I do really like you, but it… It feels… wrong? I'm too old to be with someone like you. [Saddened] Too out of place to be with anyone... If that makes any sense. [Pulls her hands away] And it's not even that! [Rises to her feet in frustration as she takes a few steps away from her, looking out along the river as it calmly rolls by.] I know Forrest told me not to let it get to me, but I can't. [A bit of a short laugh] He's worse than I am, but… maybe that's why it gets to me. He’s probably used to this feeling by now, and I’m… … … 

Aya: 

[This is all very much NOT anything she expected when she asked, and tries to wrap her mind around it. She could make a joke how all she wanted to know were some of the small things like favorite color or places Terra had visited before, but this was too off the cuff to be making jokes about.] I don't think I understand…. Are you saying you're not human? …What?! [Gets to her feet as well. She's concerned more than anything.] 

Terra: 

[Scoffs. Not at Aya, more at herself as it sounds so ridiculous. Absolute madness. Her voice grows weary as she's gone over it in her mind so many times, it seems tired.] Some days, I wonder… Even before the world ended, my existence was a mess. [There's something soothing in watching the water, the constant flow in all the same direction. Time was often said to be like the river. One goes upstream or downstream, that's all it can be. Except…] My world was unstable by the time I was Chosen. Time itself had started to unravel and things of the past and future were all pouring into the present. I had a fresh start then. Completely blank. [Finally looks back at her. Aya had only asked her for one thing, but she can’t help it. Getting to tell someone, someone she felt so safe with, it just comes spilling out] I didn't know what I had. I was so desperate to find out who I was, I wasn't prepared for the answer. I don't really want to get into it all, but… I am a prisoner of Time itself. Maybe part of me is scared to get close to you because I may lose everything again. You could say this is my third lifetime now, and if I were to fall to my fate again, then what? Would I have a fourth and another lost love to regret? What if I'm made to be alone? That, because of my actions in that first life, I'm… I'm… I'm just condemned to be miserable? Memories stacked upon memories until I can't go on? I sometimes feel like Death has found some cruel delight in not taking me when it should have several times over now! [Her voice breaks slightly as she looks at Aya. Sweet, confused, disturbed Aya.] I don't just like you. I think I love you. But I couldn't ask you to have to deal with all this. I'm a mess! An absolute wreck! [Hand over her face as she feels the tears welling up and tries to fight it.] 

Aya:

[Honestly, it still doesn't make much sense, but in the instant Terra starts crying, she rushes over to her. Wraps one arm about Terra's shoulders, pulling her close, while her other hand takes Terra’s free hand and guides her back to where they'd been sitting] Now don't be ridiculous. You're not the one asking me to deal with this! I'm the one who was asking to be with you. That's why I can't understand why you're pushing me away. [Helps Terra to sit back down and lets her cry into her shoulder as she wraps both arms around her now.] Shhhh…. I may never know what exactly you're caught up in, but… [Gently bites her lip as she debates if she should dare to make such a promise] I'll wait. Whenever you're ready, I'll wait. 

=+=

[After Sapphire crisis events] 

Aya: 

You know… [Comes up beside Terra.] I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said. Back when you tried to tell me about your, um, unusual situation? 

Terra:

[Tenses up a moment as she looks at her, and blushes a bit] I told you I’m a mess. I shouldn’t have made such a scene about it.

Aya:

[Shakes her head] No, no. You didn’t bother me or anything, just… It sounds like a lot. Past lives and such, it must be confusing. 

Terra:

It’s not technically like a new life each time, it’s really… 

Aya: 

[Waves her off] I don’t care. [Slight giggle and gives a shrug at Terra’s confused face] You’re worried about some judgment or implication or something, I really do not care. Maybe someday I’ll understand all of this, but all I know for sure right now is… [Takes both her hands in hers as she looks her in the eye] You said you love me. And [gosh this was harder than she thought it would be as she feels her throat try to hold her back] And I want to be with you. You’re worried you may have to, to, to go away again, well… Then I’ll go with you. Back in the Seafloor Cavern, it felt like the worst thing ever had suddenly happened and being in the heart of the storm, I just… I wished I could find you. I don’t know why, but I suddenly thought of you, and my family, and my friends, and… And the last time I had seen you, I knew you were close. If anything had happened to you-! I didn’t want to lose you! [There’s a long pause as she sees the shock in Terra’s eyes and immediately averts her own towards the ground] I’m being very selfish right now. I said I’d wait for when you were ready, but I… I need you to know what you mean to me! Because, if only for a short time, I realized I may never get the opportunity again like I have right now. 

Terra:

[Pulls one hand away, but gently brings the other to her lips to give a kiss to the back of Aya's hand. Aya glances at her in surprise, and Terra tries to give her a soft smile] I know exactly how you feel. 

Aya:

[A bit sourly as she shies away again] Like when you lost your first love at the end of the world? [Glances back just long enough to see the frown on the Time Traveler’s face.] You somewhat implied last time that I’m not your first.

Terra:

No. [She lets go of her hand and watches Aya cross her arms to keep her from taking it back. Hesitates as she debates how to put it.] There was a woman, I guess you could say back in my first life. But we broke up because of me. I was [clicks tongue at herself] I pushed her away. I pushed everyone away. Like I’m pushing you away, I guess. It ended badly. I left her long before our world fell apart. [Sighs as she starts to walk again] I was driven by my pride and my ambition, but… at the end of it all, all I had was myself, and only myself to blame for it. And when fate or karma or what have you decided to come for me, there was no one left to save me. I’ve had many lessons since then, friends, family, other Hosts, but old habits are hard to change. I don’t want to be alone, and yet, I don’t think I fully comprehend how to stop pushing everyone away. [Looks back and sees that look of pity from Aya again. Comes back to her, tempted to take her in her arms again, but stops herself short as she lets her hands sink down to fold in front of her. Ahem.] I was really scared, you know. As soon as I realized you were out there in that storm, I felt something like I haven’t felt before. When the world was breaking apart, I was terrified for my friends, and coming to peace with my own possible end, but the thought of losing you hit like I can’t explain. I had to be there. I had to do something. If anything had happened to you, I swear to you this region would have seen the Dark God’s wrath. Let me tell you-! [Actually, maybe she shouldn’t. As concerned as she was, she feels like maybe she’s scaring the girl when suddenly, Aya was laughing at her. Terra was being dead serious, but here she was laughing at her! Terra finds herself starting to grin in relief.] You get my point. 

Aya: 

I guess we’re both a mess then. [Holds out her hand to offer again, and the pair start to stroll towards Lilycove again] I have the weirdest feeling things aren’t over yet, unfortunately. 

Terra:

Probably not, knowing my luck. But, if it should ever be so bad again [struggling a bit] … Will you… help me? I really don’t like being alone. I’ve come to notice over the years I don’t fare so well when left to my own devices very long. 

Aya:

If another Titan gets out, you couldn’t stop me. [They walk for a little while in silence, enjoying the cool ocean breeze wafting from somewhere unseen yet. There’s a few berry trees along the road though, and they stop to take a break under the shade.] This is going to sound absolutely ridiculous, positively sappy, but I had a thought. 

Terra:

[Amused as she plucks a couple of berry and goes to sit down beside her] It can’t be anything weirder than I’ve shared. 

Aya:

Well, it’s about that. [Takes one and starts twisting the stem off] You said you may have been cursed by Time where you can’t die, but what if… [hard swallow] Maybe you and I were meant to meet. If you really were from some “bygone era” or whatever, maybe the gods found a way for you to be here, like this, right now. So we could be together. [Leans on her shoulder and takes a bite] So we can have moments like this. So you don’t have to be alone anymore. 

Terra: 

[Quietly thinks on this as she finishes her own. There’s a peace in the world in moments like this. Just the distant bird calls and sweet tropical scent of the fruit trees surrounding them. Even if some part of her mind still felt Aya was wrong, that there really was more to it than that, whatever point to it there was could be ignored for now. Enjoy the moment. There will be plenty of time to worry about the future later. Wraps an arm around Aya’s shoulders to hold her close as she rests her head against hers] I think I’d like that. I’d like that very much.

~~~~~~~~

A/N: I've been obsessed with Terra since Randomized Violet+ so for her to come back as the Super Gauntlet Ruby just makes me happy. It's also kind of funny that I thought RS would wrap up with Terra finally getting her happy ending, but the SG anniversary has been full of cameos and Host interactions, so Terra has continued to travel the regions with Aya since then. I love these two so much. <3

I originally thought these two scenes would be part of my longer novel with them, but it's gonna be forever before I get to those scenes and it may change. So have it now because why not?

[mcrcki]

♥ closed ♥

closing this on 2/10/23 solely so i can be prepared for the event starting !! if we discuss writing any more starters , we totally can in dms , but for now any unplotted starter requests are closed !!

wednesday, bloody wednesday 💕 happy mini event, hidden!! super excited to get this one going with y’all, we know you will have a total blast!! i’m gonna throw together a quick combo plotting / starter call for the upcoming mini event here! just a heads up, i will be trying to focus on these plots / the pairings over my other threads. you’ll still get them, but i wanna get the mini event stuff moving at a decent pace once we start! i don’t plan on having any of my girls go unaware atm, but i am open to any and all injury plots (minor or major) and if you need someone to be unalived, hmu !! that said, y’all know my rules for the combo move here : LIKE for a plotting message on discord. RESPOND for starters. if you don’t specify who the starter is for, i’ll ignore you. and please do not request more than FOUR starters per writer, at the moment. wanna make sure i can write with everyone!! but without further ado, here’s what my babes are doing this valentine’s day

** crossed out means they are queued

                                                      𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂

chibiusa tsukino || sailor moon || unaffected - ( 1 / 4 )

she/her pronouns. lowkey expected something Insane™ to happen while she’s been here, so this was honestly not that big of a shock. will be in full sailor chibimoon form, doing whatever she can to help. if you need assistance, she’s the senshi for you!

-- plots : major / minor injuries, protecting someone, offering a place to hide, stopping someone from attacking.

usagi tsukino ( swan )

daniela dimitrescu || resident evil 8 || paired w. viscount tewkesbury - ( 3 / 4 )

she/they pronouns. decided to put themselves in the ring to get a free meal. had always intended to kill their date, but hey, this is just an added bonus, makes this that much more fun. will be going after anyone who looks like them, and anyone who stands in her way. 

-- plots : unaliving someone, injuring other people, conflict outside of the dates, pretending to be helpless to turn on someone, all around menace.

bela dimitrescu ( kasey )

yoon chi woo ( atlas )

cassandra dimitrescu ( jodie )

emma vanity || harry potter : marauders era || paired w. nancy wheeler - ( 2 / 4 )

she/her pronouns. was trying to get settled into the city and thought this would be an easy was to learn a little more about it, and if someone else was paying, who was she to say no to dinner? but now? this is way more fun. she thrives on this energy and will be having far too much fun with it. 

-- plots : unaliving someone, injuring other people, helping her friends/strangers with their attacks, offering shelter just to turn on them

rabastan lestrange ( alex )

alecto carrow ( cherry )

leia organa || star wars || paired w. han solo - ( 4 / 4 )

she/her pronouns. if she kills her husband twice, they cancel each other out right? like no one can hold her accountable for it if she just.. rights the wrong from the halloween gala? that’s how it should work at least, in her mind. will be full sith vibes again, i’m so sorry to anyone who gets in her way. she’s gonna try to control it, but really, i don’t think that’ll last for long.

-- plots : major / minor injuries , offering help to anyone who needs it (good or bad), someone trying to talk her down from this, injuring someone who does stand in her way

han solo ( mario )

yennefer of vengerberg ( alex )

jacen solo ( moon )

luke skywalker ( cherry )

marlene mckinnon || harry potter : marauders era || unaffected - ( 2 / 4 )

she/her pronouns. marlene is really having a full on ‘what the FUCK is happening!!!!!!!!!” moment. she really thought it was just fucking valentine’s day, already a bad holiday, and now she’s in full on order mode trying to stop people from committing a murder in the middle of the national mall. what was in the wine, my guys!!!

-- plots : major/minor injuries, offering people shelter, fighting against people trying to attack someone, penelope mitchell doppleganger attacks

emmeline vance ( mario )

sirius black ( jodie )

omega archeron || star wars : bad batch || paired w. renesmee cullen - ( 4 / 4 )

she/they pronouns. omega honestly?? kinda loves this. they don’t get to really cut loose all that much and not for nothing, this is a nice break from having to always be the good guy. they’ll definitely be going a little wild once they realized their date can’t be hurt that badly, but big rip to any other jessie mei li fcs :)

-- plots : injuring others, major / minor injuries, helping other people look for their dates, convincing people that this isn’t that bad

jill roberts ( swan )

yuri plisetsky ( ollie )

amber ( sunny )

billy loomis ( alex )

pj halliwell || charmed ‘98 || paired w. oliver mckinnon - ( 1 / 4 )

she/they pronouns. pj doesn’t have the active powers to actually kill someone, she’s definitely a maiming kind of person, but as much as she hates it, she kinda likes that they’re finally able to cut loose a little. they’ve always been The Good Kid, and getting to really let their powers shine now is really freeing. 

-- plots : injuring others, major / minor injuries, fighting people trying to stop them, someone to talk sense into her

oliver mckinnon ( sam )

rosemary winters || resident evil - shadows of rose || paired w. mob - ( 3 / 4 )

she/they pronouns. my moldy gal, they are finally getting a real hang on their powers and then this happens. lowkey paired with someone else who is op so like, it’s fine, it’ll probably be fine. gonna definitely be testing out the upper limits of their powers, so, so sorry to anyone who gets in the way

-- plots : injuring others, major / minor injuries, attacking people who are in the way, helping other people find their dates/injure them, maybe someone to talk them down (doubtful it’ll work)

chu wanning ( ollie )

mob ( sunny )

charles xavier ( alex )

rowena ravenclaw || harry potter - founders era || paired w. hunter - ( 2 / 4 )

she/her pronouns. rowena is a very good witch, not just morally but in skill as well. she will be struggling A Lot with this turn in her mind, and will be doing what she can to avoid hunter. will be turning to people to help keep her away, to keep him safe. she isn’t going to become something she hates. she has to fight it

-- plots : major/minor injuries, someone to lock her up, someone to try and talk sense into her, someone to corrupt her into just giving in

heron lyptus ( moon )

helena ravenclaw ( jodie )

sella palpatine || star wars || paired w. allana solo - ( 1 / 4 )

she/her pronouns. was looking forward to one!! normal!! date!!!!!!! for the love of literally everything could she have one normal date with her girlfriend, PLEASE. very much on the run, knows that allana could hurt her faster than sella could ever land a punch on them. big ‘this isn’t you’ vibes. someone please help her out, she is not going to win that fight.

-- plots : major/minor injuries, someone to offer shelter, someone to help her fight, josephine langford doppleganger attacks

samara palpatine ( moon )

sophie hatter || howl’s moving castle || unaffected - ( 2 / 4 )

she/they pronouns. they’re getting a much needed, much deserved Break. they are unaffected by this, having expected this day to be a giant rush for the shop she couldn’t take time off to go on any kind of date. real smart vibes in hindsight. will absolutely be offering help/shelter to those who may need it. if you seem dangerous, they’ll kick you out. they do not need that drama rn.

-- plots : minor / major injuries, offering shelter, offering help, trying to convince people to calm down, jessie mei li doppleganger attacks, someone to raid the shops?

lumine ( kasey )

juliet capulet ( atlas )

tatum riley || scream ‘96 || paired w. fred weasley - ( 3 / 4 )

she/her pronouns. girl is reaching final girl status no matter what it takes at this point, she is not going to be someone’s victim. v much willing to kick peoples asses to succeed in that. will be using her self defense training to beat up her date and then booking it to the nearest shelter. any tom holland fcs will also be getting some kind of punch thrown at them if they get in the way. 

-- plots : major / minor injuries, someone to offer shelter, abigail cowen doppleganger attacks, other tom holland fcs that she can beat up, someone to run with her, final girl tag team vibes

buffy summers ( swan )

stu macher ( moon )

josh washington ( blue )

victoria sutherland || twilight || unaffected - ( 4 / 4 )

she/her pronouns. best. valentine’s. day. ever. seriously, what more could she have asked for? the whole city is a total mess and she just gets to run around and grab a bite just to blame it on someone else? that’s so hot and please understand how annoying she and james are going to be about it. if you want someone to be unalived, she’s your gal. if you want a fight, she’s happy to oblige. this is victoria unaffected and just having a great time.

-- plots : unaliving someone, helping someone find their date, convincing people to just let go and have fun, being an all around terrible influence but at least she’s fun!

bree tanner ( swan )

riley biers ( mario )

mo ran ( kasey )

james witherdale ( kasey )

[onomatopiya]

piya’s year in review!

thank you to the lovely @yvesdot for the template, this is such a fun idea!! i’ll include more in-depth elaboration for each month’s little snip under the cut, but first some general thoughts:

this has been a big year for me! these past few years i’ve been pretty stagnant in my development as a writer, and this year i’ve not only evolved, but i’ve opened myself up to having more projects and overall improved on the quality of my craft. (also! i started out having one (1) main project that is now shelved and now i have five. which is insane)

In 2023, I really want to focus on publishing short fiction! I’ve gotten a few short stories under my belt now, and I want to put myself out there. Also, I want to be more organized with my time and try to 1) Finish draft two of Revolution, Retribution (my main sci fi book) + 2) Finish my first draft for The Voids We Fill (my coming-of-age aro book).

and now onto the month by month breakdown!

JANUARY // REVOLUTION, RETRIBUTION

I started proper work on my second ever novel writing project this January! Revolution, Retribution is my main wip atm, following two twins at the center of conspiracies and revenge plots in a hypercapitalist society. January honestly feels like years ago but overall it was a productive month.

FEBRUARY // REVOLUTION, RETRIBUTION

During February, I got heavy into plotting out RR once I realized it would be a big project. I want to say I shelved my first project around this time? Hm. I had been having ideas for other novels but my attachment to that first project was impeding my development so. Kill your darlings etc etc. And I’m much happier now! And my projects have matured with me :)

MARCH // ROTTEN ROOTS

Short story era! I kept up with working on RR naturally but Rotten Roots also happened during March. I had lots of fun with that one (it was admittedly written partially as a joke that I took too far) and it was really nice to work on short fiction. I may or may not edit this one and submit it somewhere! Not sure about that yet 👁️👁️

APRIL // REVOLUTION, RETRIBUTION

April took us back to the old RR grind! I was super excited this month bc I hit 25k on the draft 😌. Which. Four months into the year and I’d already written more than the entirety of last year! That’s growth babey!

MAY // STORMKISSER

Naturally I still worked on RR during May, but I did get a small short story done too! Stormkisser was a good exercise in writing romance as someone who always hits their written relationships with an aspec beam. Also, I graduated high school in May and finished Act I of RR! Double win :)

JUNE // THE REFLECTION SMILES BACK

I LOVED this flash piece so much actually <3 I love liminal spaces and I was like “hm, I need to write more transgenderism into my short fiction” so I did. And it was great. I spent most of June working on in-depth plot stuff for Act II of RR, which was slow going because I realized that I’d screwed up my timelines, but it was nonetheless progress.

JULY // ECHO CHAMBER

While still plotting stuff, I also wrote a small snippet of my queerplatonic love story, Echo Chamber! I didn’t write too much this month because most of it was spent traveling, but I did still get some stuff done just before I left the country.

AUGUST // REVOLUTION, RETRIBUTION

In August, I started my first semester of uni! Which is bonkers insane! I started drafting Act II of RR, which was very nice because I had MISSED writing in the RR doc. I feel like my writing matured very quickly over this period which is such a good feeling to have—I’m actually proud of some of my writing now, which hasn’t been the case historically.

SEPTEMBER // THE BALLAD OF THE GOLD-PALMED PROPHET

In September, I feel like RR hit a bit of a roadblock? This semester was a bit rough overall, both because of my mental health and because a lot of my coursework was A Lot. However! I did write a backstory piece for one of Lamplight’s (my na fantasy featuring cryptids, trans people, and gods with teeth) main characters, a church prophet toeing the line between duty and the truth. And that piece has honestly been one of my favorites this year!

OCTOBER // THE FOOTNOTE

In October I had more of the same issue with RR. So I let myself write what my brain was wanting to write and write another backstory piece, this time for the aforementioned church prophet’s gay little priest who is soo devoted to him. And I had a good time, even if that wasn’t as “productively” spent as possible (and productivity culture is a sham anyway)

NOVEMBER // DEATH OF A POLTERGEIST

In November I did decide to dedicate time to RR! At the same time, though, I did realize that my writing had grown beyond what I’d written way back in May. Which is good! Growth is good! But I kept thinking of more stuff I wanted to implement in RR that I simply couldn’t do with the current draft. I wasn’t enjoying writing very much but I did want to push through anyway. I did also write a short story that I’m working on submitting somewhere (featuring ghosts and self-acceptance)!!

DECEMBER // LAMPLIGHT

In December, I made a Decision. Regarding RR, I decided to move onto draft two. I already had more than half of the draft written, and I’d outlined Act III, but I wanted to enjoy writing the book. And currently I’m about done with a new rough outline and I’m trying to finish a chapter-by-chapter :) The excerpt above is from a Lamplight prologue I wrote as a warm-up exercise!

[magmahearts]

TIMING: the first week of june PARTIES: @ariadnewhitlock & @magmahearts LOCATION: downtown wicked’s rest SUMMARY: after seeing a movie together, cass and ariadne converse and bond. CONTENT WARNINGS: none! it's a soft thread

The movie was over and Cass was buzzing. She was a flurry of excited energy as they walked out of the theater, practically vibrating with all the things she wanted to say. She hadn’t said a word during the film, of course — even if she hadn’t been too engrossed in it to speak, she’d never break the sacred bond of movie theater silence. But now that they were stepping out into the sticky summer air? It would be difficult to hold herself back.

“What did you think?” She turned to Ariadne, eyes bright. “I loved it. I mean, I think it’s my favorite movie of all time now. The part where — And then! It was like — Just!” There were no words to her ‘review,’ only exaggerated hand motions and poses. And joy. There was certainly no small amount of joy. “Don’t you think so?”

The movie had been good. Great, even, compounded by the fact that she’d gone to see it with a friend. Ariadne still wasn’t quite sure that she fully believed that this was all real, and not just some sort of fabrication she’d created in her desperate attempt to have more friends. But Cass was real, and Cass was her friend, and when she started talking Ariadne couldn’t help but brighten up herself, pushing the not-so-great thoughts away and out of her mind.

“Yes! I do think so!” She didn’t know if she could entirely match her friend’s energy, but she was going to do her absolute best to try. “It was just so well done, I don’t know - I feel like people don’t like animated movies as much any more but this feels like it should be shown as proof that animated stuff can be better than like, whatever the real people stuff is called. Not that it should need proof but… yeah.” Ariadne offered Cass another smile. 

Ariadne was great. She seemed to understand Cass in a way few people ever had. In fact, few people had ever even attempted to understand her, but Ariadne made it look simple. Like she was easy to be around, like she was worth caring about. Who else would go see a movie with her and listen to her yell about it after? Cass wasn’t sure there was anyone else, even among the friends she’d made in Wicked’s Rest.

And Aria seemed to understand her ‘review’ despite the fact that it wasn’t much of a review at all. Who could ask for more? “People are so lame with animated movies,” she agreed, nodding adamantly. “These movies, like, should totally lead to a new era of animation. I think more superhero movies should be animated, honestly, because some of the CGI they end up with after their whole time crunch thing is cringe. Animation opens up way more doors. And for less money!” It was clear that this wasn’t her first time ranting on this subject.

“They should, and like - if superhero movies are based on comics, which they are, then it’d make like, more sense for them to be animated, right?” She bounced lightly on the balls of her feet as the two of them walked along. “But you’re the expert, not me.” Ariadne offered Cass another smile. “You clearly know so much - it’s - I’m wildly impressed. Which…” she sighed, “I’m not just saying!” Maybe she squeaked a little bit too much. “I do really mean it, I don’t like to lie, especially not to friends.”

Which they were, right? That was what they’d decided, and Cass – cool and nice and way too smart Cass - hadn’t decided that Ariadne was too lame to hang out with, at least not yet. “If you could make any superhero comic into a movie, what would you choose? Even if it’s already one that exists - I bet you’d make the best movie of any comic, like, ever.”

Cass nodded in agreement, pointing at Ariadne with a bright grin. “Exactly!” She exclaimed, clearly excited that her friend shared the sentiment she hadn’t spoken aloud. “It definitely makes more sense. Live action is fine, but I feel like it’s impossible to really capture, like, the spirit of the material with it. They always change the costumes up because things that look good in comics look kind of lame in live action, but animation doesn’t have that costume. And they can make it so much more colorful in animation! Like those scenes in the Mumbattan universe!” 

Her grin grew impossibly wider as Ariadne complimented her, as she reiterated that they were friends. In all honesty, Cass hadn’t been this happy in a very long time. Maybe ever. Friendship was something she’d always longed for, but it had always felt at least a little artificial. Not with Aria. Aria said she was being honest, and Cass could tell that she meant it. And Ariadne asked her the kinds of questions she desperately wanted to answer, the kinds no one else ever asked. “Stephanie Brown and Cass Cain teamup movie!” She replied quickly. “Oh! Or Young Avengers! But I think that one might work better as, like, a miniseries, you know?”

“Right!” Ariadne nodded. It made sense, and it made extra sense because Cass agreed, and she was pretty sure that her new friend was pretty close to being a genius, especially about superheroes. “Yeah! And like, there’s a lost - uh - ele- art - something, to everything being live action. Not that it’s bad or anything, always, but it’s just not the same, and I like animation, there’s an extra level of beauty to that art.”

She was so thrilled that they were getting along so well. Cass even knew that Ariadne was a monster and she had still wanted to hang out. It might not last very long, but she was going to do everything she could to enjoy the time that she did have with her friend. “I’m gonna have to ask about your expertise but - Stephanie’s the blonde, huh, Batgirl, right? Is Cass also a Batgirl?” She nodded readily at her friend’s next comment. “Yeah, I think so, too, there’s so much going on that it’d probably get like, lost in a movie??”

“Definitely,” Cass agreed. The conversation was invigorating. It was so rare that she got to talk to people like this, so strange to allow herself to be excited the way she was now. She had a tendency to hold herself back, to try to be a little less than she was in her natural state for fear of being rejected. But things were different with Ariadne. Ariadne liked Cass the way she was and, more than that, wanted her to go on and on about the pros and cons of live action movies over animated ones. “I think there’s a lot more, um… passion to animation, too. At least in these movies. The way the animators talk about it, it’s so different than the way you hear CGI artists talk about how they’re treated by the industry. Like, they put their soul into it. And the CGI artists can’t do that, because there’s so much time crunch and so many demands.” 

Normally, she’d feel self conscious about this. She’d retreat into herself a little, try to reel herself in. That inclination just wasn’t there when she was talking to Ariadne. And it was so freeing. There were no secrets here, no reason to hide. It felt good. “Yeah! Yeah, Stephanie’s blonde. She’s Batgirl, and Spoiler. And Cass has also been Batgirl, and Orphan, and Black Bat. Those are their biggest titles. They’re both really cool. And, like, at least a little gay.” Which was always a plus, if you asked Cass. “Yeah, definitely. I think movies are a good way to tell some stories, but not all. Like, the Spiderverse stories work really well in movie form, but I think Young Avengers would definitely work better as a miniseries. There’s too much that they’d have to leave out otherwise.”

Cass’s enthusiasm was absolutely infectious, and Ariadne found herself incredibly drawn to her new friend. It was nice, to have someone who knew what she was, still wanted to hang out with her, and moreover, was still thrilled to hang out with her. It felt unbelievably nice, if she were honest. “I could listen to you talk all day about this - and yeah, I agree, there’s more love and care in actual animation. Of course, CGI and whatever can be cool, and there’s absolutely no way that I could ever do any of that, but animation feels warmer - safer - I don’t know if that makes any sense at all.” She hoped it did - and either way, Cass had a special sort of ability to still make her feel heard, even when Ariadne was positive she wasn’t making any sort of sense at all.

“I mean, anything being even a little gay is a win, always.” Ariadne looked back over to her friend. “If that Cass has dark hair, then they’re like us!” She made a small face. “I mean, I’m not a superhero at all, I just mean that uh, like, if they’re friends and they have hair like ours, then that’s pretty neat is all.” She chewed on her nails for a moment. “Yeah, that makes sense. When it’s a - uh - like, told almost in episodes in the writing - in the comic book - and when there’s so many characters who all have their own development, it makes more sense to tell it in episodes so they don’t ignore people.” She glanced over to her friend. “Do you wanna go get uh, an ice cream or something? Or maybe keep walking, if you want? Unless you’ve got somewhere to be.”

When she got to talking about this, most people looked annoyed. If she went long enough, they’d even ask her to stop. Good manners went a long way, she’d learned, but there was only so much people could take. At a certain point, they’d tell you to shut up already. Cass had gotten good at learning when that point was approaching, was skilled at looking people in the eye and knowing when they were starting to grow irritated with her. And Ariadne wasn’t. If anything, Ariadne was the opposite. She looked genuinely intrigued in what Cass was saying, looked like she wanted her to speak more. That was a new experience. “No, it totally makes sense! CGI has, like, a tendency to get kind of… uncanny valley, sometimes? They try too hard to make it look real, I think. Animation doesn’t really have that. You know it’s animated — it doesn’t pretend to be anything else. At least, that’s what I like about it.” People lied to you; art didn’t. In fact, Cass thought that art was probably the most honest thing there was.

“So true,” Cass agreed with a grin. Her chest felt warm as Ariadne pointed out that they could be like Cass Cain and Steph Brown, with their combination of dark hair and blonde. “She does, yeah! They are kind of like us. And I think you could be a superhero, if you wanted to be. You’re pretty super already.” Maybe she could get Ariadne to do vigilante things with her sometime. She thought a mare’s skills could make them good at it in a way that would probably work well with her oread powers. They could have a good balance. And it would be fun, Cass thought, to do it with a friend. “Yeah! With a TV show, you can have one character at the center of an episode. You can’t really do that in a movie. So I think TV shows work better for teams like that.” Smile widening a little, she nodded. “I’d love to get ice cream,” she agreed. “I have nowhere else to be. I can hang out for as long as you want to.”

There was something continuously refreshing about how much Cass talked. Ariadne didn’t prefer to talk a lot, even though she often did, if only to fill awkward silences. With Cass, it didn’t feel forced, it didn’t feel like she was only causing a problem. She was able to lift up her friend and she didn’t have to talk all the time, which was absolutely and entirely the best of every world. “Oh yeah. Yes, that’s what that term is!” She exclaimed, “that’s true. It just is what it is – and there’s something wicked beautiful about that.” She offered her a big smile.

“You do? I -” if Ariadne could have blushed, she was positive she would’ve, now. “I mean, you’re the superhero expert, so I guess I’ll have to believe you?” It would be nice to have a sort of friendship people wrote about; one that people idolized. “You’re more super, but I - th -” she shook her head. “You know. What I was gonna say.” Part of her wanted to grab Cass’s hand - because best friends did that, but she held off for now. “I agree. Besides, no offense, but I don’t want like, Iron Lad or whatever to get all the spotlight and leave Cassie and Kate and America and everyone else out.” She wanted to get ice cream. “Good! Yay! I am craving hot fudge and sprinkles and gummy bears today, I think. I’m also free as long as you want.”

It was exciting, talking to Ariadne. Cass didn’t have to worry about saying too much, about being too much. Aria didn’t think she was a know-it-all when she offered up terms to go along with the phenomenon they were discussing — she was happy to have words put to her thoughts. And she seemed to share a lot of opinions with Cass, too, meaning Cass didn’t have to shift her views and bend over backwards to both keep from making herself sick by lying and keep from saying something that Ariadne might disagree with. There was something so relaxed about the interaction, something so laid back. It wasn’t a minefield, the way conversations usually were for Cass. It was like the animation they were discussing — it just was what it was.

“Yeah! Yeah, definitely. Being a superhero is, like, mostly about just… wanting to help people. You know? A lot of superheroes don’t even have powers. They’re just people who want to help. And you want to help, I can tell. And you have powers, which makes it better. I bet you’d be a really good superhero.” Maybe one day, they could work together. The idea of bringing Ariadne into her vigilantism was exhilarating. They could build their own team, the two of them; like Young Justice or the Champions. They could make up a name and everything. “I know what you were going to say,” she agreed with a smile that said she’d probably utter the phrase right back. “No, you’re totally right. The movies would definitely focus on somebody boring. And they wouldn’t be able to, like, define everyone’s relationships, either! Movies always just focus on the romance. And romance is fine, but I like friends. I want to see more heroes being friends.” Like Cass and Ariadne. Friendship, Cass thought, was more important than romance in the long run anyway. “Hot fudge and sprinkles and gummy bears sound awesome,” she agreed. “Come on! I want to see how many toppings we can fit.” 

 “You can tell I want to help?” Ariadne didn’t want to seem too eager, too much, but she found that even if those worries still existed (and they certainly did), they didn’t show themselves quite as often when Cass was around. Which she was grateful for – grateful and ravenous – there was a certain hunger that came along with the idea of being wanted, of being someone’s friend, and the thought of that made her nearly as hungry as her craving for nightmares did. “I do, I really really wanna help, however I can. Back when I was little, when they’d still come near me, I used to pick up bugs and stuff on the sidewalk so they wouldn’t get squashed.”

Ariadne nodded again. “Also yes. Absolutely. We need more things about friends in general. Friends are the best. You’re the best!” That was what Cass deserved to hear, it was what was true anyways, and that made it all the better. “Let’s go and see!” She grabbed Cass’s hand and pulled her friend towards the ice cream shop.

“Yeah! I hope that’s okay.” She was a little sheepish now, worried that she’d read something wrong or picked up on something Ariadne hadn’t wanted her to. But then Aria confirmed it, admitted that she wanted to help even the bugs on the sidewalk, and Cass felt a wave of intense kinship towards her. She’d do anything, she thought, it it meant she could have more of this. More quiet moments with Ariadne, or late nights of giggling with Nora, or half-baked adventures with Van. This was all Cass had ever wanted; it felt a little surreal to get it all at once now.

She felt warm all over, like she was laying in the sun on a summer day or basking in the warmth of a volcano. Ariadne’s hand fit perfectly into hers, and Cass felt so much less alone when their fingers intertwined. “You’re the best, too,” she replied, smile wide and bright and genuine. “Let’s go get ice cream.”

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Hi BPP. I don't know much about the mechanism behind music industry. I thought that pictures of producers with Jimin would mean they’re collaborating on Jimin’s music. Is that not the case? Not seeing their names on Jimin’s Track List made me puzzled. Also, I can't believe I'm getting so hyped over this Track List. This is my Minimoni revival era. XD I’ve been starving of their interaction, but this also shows how little we really know what’s going on. +

*

Ask 2: I’m listening to D2 right now, and it’s beautiful. It’s so,,, nice. ‘Set me free’ is SO calming. I can’t stop listening to this on repeat. This Track List,,, I'm imagining what those titles might mean and building my own narrative behind them. I’m incomparably hyped!! There’s a lot of first that BTS has brought in my life. Actually getting/posting on SNS, for one, and listening to music and trying to understand lyrics, for two. But yeah, I’m SO excited. Like I’m giddy and giggly. +

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Ask 3: It makes me so happy and pumped that my days feel brighter and better. Lol So I had to reach out to you! Lol Do you know how I can send you longer asks with proper line breaks, and Markdown formatting? I’ve tried to get an account but that wouldn’t even let me post an ask. Whereas when I’m not signed in, I can post a very short ask. Sorry, I don’t really know how Tumblr works. I’ve never really wanted to have a blog, but I’d love to chat with you more! haha

***

Hi Anon!

For your first question, I recently replied to another Anon asking the same thing, but my short answer is that yes it's possible they still worked on the album in a bunch of ways - arrangement, sound engineering, vocals processing, etc, but it's also just as likely that Jimin met them to collaborate on his music post-FACE. We won't see the full credits until the album is out.

Everything else you said made me smile and your energy is so positively infectious. But maybe that's just the Jimin Effect - he's got us all charmed, giddy, and hungry for more. Thanks for expressing your thoughts in my inbox.

About the Anon asks format... I honestly don't know. I haven't sent an ask in forever but I think some Tumblr features sometimes don't work if the app version you're using isn't the very latest one. I've also heard that Tumblr features on desktop (through the Tumblr website, not on my blog page) allows people to post long asks and in general is better than mobile, so maybe using that format could benefit you. It's odd having an account hinders your posting though, when it should be the opposite... My settings allow asks from everyone too, I even allow submissions, asks with media, etc, so I'm honestly not sure what the problem is. If any of my followers can help Anon out with advice, please do. Alternatively Anon, my DMs are always open so feel free to stop by.

Anyway, Jimin's FACE is coming. And I'm with you that it can't come soon enough.

[the-lonelybarricade]

Feysands have fanfics for days and I love them all so much, I would just say commissions became more popular in the last year or two so the older series pays the price of not being in this era where people do commissions unfortunately, but if fans would do art for them more often that’s when the content would be more balanced. But if we all don’t put in an effort it’ll be expected to dwindle yk. The difference is that and Acosf stans dedicate themselves to commissions, it’s a full thing. So what’s going on makes sense. But I do some people doing quite a few commissions lately! Which is amazing 😭 They’ll always be loved they’re just the og’s so they aren’t the main focus. In CC3 I think they’ll play a big role though so we have that to look forward too 😏

Sadly, I think it's very natural that the fandom is moving on from being Feysand-centric since ACoSF’s release. I also get the sense that the fandom, in general, is waning as the time between releases continues stretching.

I’ve seen this idea that Feysands should commission more art floating about quite a bit recently and I admit that I’m skeptical of its origins. I think that Feysands were originally less inclined to commission art because, as the main characters of the series, art of Feyre and Rhys arose more naturally than for side characters. I haven’t noticed that there’s less art of Feysand than other couples, even now, and I’m not convinced this narrative hasn’t come from people simply being upset that ships they don’t like are being commissioned/becoming popular. (Not saying this reflects you specifically, anon, it's just my thoughts on the narrative that’s been circulating).

Art is expensive to commission and I don’t love the idea that fans should feel pressured to do so in order to keep up with other ships. It’s not a competition. I honestly think the *best* thing we can do for the Feysand fandom is to just keep having fun with our ship and not worry about what other people are doing.

I know that me and @separatist-apologist and @highqueenmorrigan have all commissioned Feysand art for this month. We did it simply because we love the characters ❤️ Just today I got a delviery for a piece I'm really excited to share with y'all so I really hope you enjoy it!

[maximura]

MAXSIX: TOP 22 SONGS OF 2022

Hi tumblr! Wishing you all a Happy New Year in 2023. Things have been absolutely crazy busy down here so I haven’t posted much lately but I hope you’re all safe, healthy and will have a successful year ahead. I thought KPOP gave us an absolutely amazing year of music actually. It was truly the year of the Girl Group and even though I love boy groups more, I have zero complaints. Here’s my Top 22 songs. 

22. That Feeling When by Enhypen. This song is just so comforting for me. I put it on when I’ve had an awful week. It sounds like a walk in the park on a sunny day. The structure, tempo and instrumentation sounds very very similar to Post Malone’s Circles but much softer and less traumatised.  I appreciate that they consistently put out albums with fully-formed songs on them. I don’t think they will ever be my bias group because I just don’t really vibe with them. I don’t understand their identity or personality (as a group). I don’t understand what part of the market they are aiming for. But they are just new so they have time to figure that out. 

21. BTBT by B.I. Oh Kim Hanbin, we meet again, under very very different circumstances this time. It’s been nearly EIGHT YEARS since Ikon debuted and excuse me while I ride this wave of memory and nostalgia for a minute. I’m always proud of how he came back. I wanted to include Illa Illa but that was last year. There’s something so fluid, calm and content about his material now. It’s a lot like the flow of water and I’m sure there’s a whole paragraph about symbolism and rebirth and change in here somewhere but ain’t nobody got time for my essay on him (me included). 

20. Antifragile by LE SSERAFIM. I only checked out this group because I really think Bangs (Chaewon) is a big star and would be an IT Girl if Wonyoung did not already exist. I like Fearlesss and Sour Grapes too but I won’t lie, I am really in my Trash-GG-Pop era and Antifragile is so weird but so catchy. I like the use of these lesser-heard chords and it honestly sounds so enjoyably wrong. Fearless is the more stylish song but sometimes you’d rather wear a fur jacket than black suit, you know? They’re off to a good start but the reason they’re this low on my list is because I cannot really love them yet? There’s no gateway bias for me into LS. Excited for their future output though. 

19. INVU by Taeyeon. She is one of those cases where I truly have to separate the artist from the art to enjoy it. Her voice is just beautiful here and this song is so lush and gorgeous. I really like the bittersweet nature of INVU and the emotion she was able to bring to it. She really connects with the audience and I think it’s why she remains so successful and popular. The rest of her personality? I will not comment on. 

18. Shut Down by Blackpink. Sorry I ended up liking this trash. I know I am already contractually obligated to support all Australians in KPOP but sometimes the Garbage lady did well and needs to be promoted to Garbage Boss. It was a toss up between this and Pink Venom but this won because the Lisa verses bothered me less here. Jennie was always their better rapper anyways and for those who disagree, you are 100% entitled to your (wrong) opinion. 

17. Feel My Rhythm/In My Dreams by Red Velvet. For me, they will never top Bad Boy and Psycho but I enjoyed the classic sampling of Bach in FMR. I’m including both in this because they are so similar and I often listen to them together when I want to be in this very particular mood. They’re just both so pretty and soothing to me and that’s all there is to this comment. Great gowns, beautiful gowns etc. 

16. Ballroom Extravaganza by DPR Ian. The contractual obligation to support all Australians continues. He has some absolutely devastating material to be honest. He writes things that take me back to my disastrous uni years; when I thought I was living in a Hole album but truthfully, I just needed therapy and a good night’s sleep. He’s my Breakdown OST man. If you vibed with anything I just wrote there, you need Christian Yu in your life. I don’t listen to him often because I don’t like revisiting my breakdown eras but the music is very very good. He’s like the music version of Sicario, which is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen but never ever want to see again. 

15. After Like by IVE. It’s just so cute. That’s all. It’s just fun and cute and you can listen to it without any kind of stress or expectation. The sample from Gloria Gaynor had me wondering how rich their management is because damm, not even BTS sampled something this famous. This one is particularly good to have on when you’re getting ready to go out. 

14. Young Luv StayC. This was a song that I instantly understood and connected with. I always thought of this as the sister version of TXT’s Loser = Lover, which was actually my most played KPOP song of 2022, even though it was released August 2021. Sentimental rock songs are just my thing I guess. I really love the tempo of these pop-rock songs and it’s crazy to me that StayC and TXT do the genre SO well but don’t lean more heavily into it. This constant need for re-invention is not always necessary. Sometimes I wish groups could figure out what they do best and stick with it. Not everyone can be Seventeen. 

13. Muddy Water by Stray Kids. This is my favourite Skz song this year and if they don’t play this when I see them live, I will protest loudly and annoyingly. Changbin usually has my favourite verse in every single Skz song but it’s all Felix MVP for this one because I always prefer deeper-rap to chipmunk. Hyunjin’s lower register is so nice to listen to and I’m so frustrated they don’t use it more often. Jisung is flawless as usual and I sit here patiently waiting for him to drop his (likely) psychological Jixtape. No clown music please, give me all the shadows of your mind Han Jisung. 

12. Ash by Seventeen. What a surprise and revelation this song was, tacked to the end of the album like a “Oh yeah we’ll just put one of our best songs here like an afterthought”. This is Vernon’s song and his rap verse is one of the BEST I have heard all year. It is just flawless in its tone, pace and delivery. He’s a really good example of knowing what he does well and perfecting it over time. Black Eye just came out and I absolutely adore his voice on it. He’s just such a revelation and I hope there is more solo material from him in the future. I didn’t think Seventeen could do anything to surprise me anymore but they do it every time. What a group. 

11. HOT by Seventeen. This was the song that got me back into the fandom, after Mansae (seven years ago!) I love the intro. Definitely one of the best intros I’ve heard in a long time because it set the tone immediately. This song always gives me a big hit of energy when it plays, kinda of like taking a sip of Red Bull. I have to just talk about how crazy talented the video editers were. The amount of work that went into the HOT mv blows my mind every day. Whenever I sit and watch it, my head can’t compute that humans put this together. 

10. Guerrilla by ATEEZ. The most surprising song for me this year. It was at once the most expected thing from Ateez and so damm unexpected. I didn’t think any group would lean this hard into this genre because Korean versions of anything but pop is always a diluted Hello-Kitty version. I feel like it announced them in a Big Way and I love watching them riding this wave. Every time I listen to them I thank the Universe that they managed to get Jongho in the line up. I think this needed to be their title track (for the impact) but the album absolutely had even better songs on it.

9. Cheers by Seventeen. The confidence and arrogance and cockiness involved here was so tasty to witness. Also: Seungcheol ass. Yeah, I play this one a lot and whenever I blast it driving, my lil Kompressor thinks he’s a Nissan GTR in Tokyo Drift. 

8. Wildfire by Monsta X. I know the bare minimum about this group so I had the lowest of expectations but the longevity of this song on my playlist truly surprised me. It’s a slutty club jam with torment and a narrative that I totally understand. I have always maintained that the writing, production and depth of this song is what ‘Red Lights’ was striving to be. I think you need to have lived through some shit to bring the necessary conviction to songs like this. Do I feel that Chan has been through a soul destroying toxic relationship? No. Do I believe Hyungwon has one every Sunday? Absolutely. I pray every day for him to release a solo version of this. 

7. Attention by New Jeans. The first thing I heard from them and man, what an introduction. A total breath of fresh air in the age of mash-up noize songs. It took me a long time to figure out what I really like about them and it’s the minimalism. KPOP is so crazy and OTT where More is More so when you get something stripped back like this, it seems new. 

6. Cyberpunk by Ateez. The World: Movement was one of the most solid albums released this year and it absolutely blows my mind whenever end of year lists don’t at least acknowledge how cohesive it is and how TIGHT that production was, like damm, they really kept only the choice cuts. I love the journey of Cyberpunk because when it started, my brain just went: Bladerunner 2049 Club Jam. The Hongjoong-Mingi rap though, worth buying the entire album for. They just never disappoint me. If you see Song Mingi today, please tell him that I love him. 

5. Hype Boy by New Jeans. This song reminds me SO much of 2nd Gen SM girl groups. It reminds me of S.E.S, who were the first Kpop group that I knew about and loved. This is just a very very good and well written song. There’s really nothing else to it. When the music is so solid, there doesn’t need to be anything else added to the equation. By sounding 2nd Gen, they’ve managed to make groups like Itzy and NMIXX sound so dated and messy in comparison. 

4. Run BTS by BTS. Well well well. And look what we have here. It took years of utterly whelming material for me to get something like this from them again. This is so fun, memorable, catchy and full of the attitude and personality I think they kinda lost along their way to infamy. It sounds like 2nd Grade lost all its baby fat and graduated from college with $3 in its pocket. If you think I sound like an old person then get off my lawn. 

3. Ring by TXT. Kang Taehyun is my favourite boy on this entire list and this song is his (feat. Yeonjun’s rap, which is one of his best imo). It’s cute but not saccharine. It’s simple without being one of those superficial filler songs on an album. It’s lighthearted but performed seriously well. Anyways, Kang Taehyun is my favourite boy. Did I tell you how Taehyun is my favourite boy. No? Well he is my favourite boy. Ok. That is that all.

2. Ditto by New Jeans. Australians in KPOP always outsell but an Australian-Vietnamese Girl in KPOP? Represent, Pham Hanni. This song and the MVs were like a shot of Nostalgia Cocaine straight into my veins. It hit really hard in a way I was not expecting and I was thinking about all the friends from school that I don’t see anymore. I hope they continue to provide to us with great, well written (age appropriate) music. I have my own issues with their management and can only hope good things for them in the future. This just came out like 5 minutes ago and I already love it. 

1. Love Dive by IVE. Even if I didn’t like this song (which I do), I can comfortable give it the title of Song of the Year. This is the perfect representation of them as a concept: high teen, unattainable but not intimidating, cool but not in a way that alienates kids who grew up unpopular. The minimalistic structure and tight production of this song is 10/10 but the things that truly made it for me are the ethereal angel vocals and that beat pause before the chorus at the end. The choices......they are flawless. Future Classic already.