#it’s almost fit to be be considered lost media

[ivesambrose]

ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛʀᴜᴇ ᴘᴀꜱꜱɪᴏɴꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʜɪᴅᴅᴇɴ ᴛᴀʟᴇɴᴛꜱ

1. 2. 3.

╚══ ≪ °❈° ≫ ══╝°❈°╚══ ≪ °❈° ≫ ══╝

If you feel lost, aimless, overwhelmed or unsure in regards to yourself this has found it's way to you at the right time.

Personal Readings

Masterpost

Thank you for the tip! 🌹

Picture 1

A lot of you are burnt by your own ambitions and a need to prove something. You quietly wonder if you're even passionate about anything anymore or you are but do not what to do, where to start so you end up spacing out and procrastinating. Likely you were made to believe that if what gets you excited and happy doesn't automatically put you on the map and bring you money in traditional ways then it's practically useless.

You have in a way put yourself down consistently due to these external projections.

Of what I'm picking up on some of you are passionate about the following :

- Dancing

- Fitness

- Makeup

- Music

- The occult

- crafting something intricate such as designing jewellery or curating them

- A select few might be into taxidermy, herbology and even archeology

- A combination of the above, some of you have your own allure and might want to get into modelling, styling, dancing and design. You want to express yourself freely including your sensual as well as spiritual and esoteric side.

You want to be known but you want to stand out, with your accumulated power you want to guide others too, make them feel less alone and more understood and yet you want to be an enigma and mystery. You do have a strong potential to be a muse to many.

Your hidden talents:

- Something that is coming through significantly that it is something from your past/childhood/early teens that you had to sacrifice/were made to sacrifice even if you cared for it deeply and wanted to nurture it. It makes you bitter to this day because you were naturally good at it.

- Some of you should definitely consider working for animals especially birds. You have a gift to heal and develop empathy with them.

- Some of you can end up being excellent bakers and decorators.

A lot you can find success in the entertainment industry, media, running your own business and being your own boss, you have excellent leadership skills and determination it's just that you haven't gotten the chance to explore that side of yourself yet.

The advice here is to only look back at the past to pick up what you had left and walk ahead. Become your friend and ask your own subconscious to show the way, trust me you will be shown when you least expect it.

Picture 2

You simply love to learn and acquire knowledge. You could have specific subject(s) you're drawn to or you don't even like limiting yourself to that. You'd rather be an eternal student. I wouldn't be surprised if you were drawn to picture 1 or 3 as well. You have a thrist that sometimes almost feels insatiable.

You are rather intellectual and often give very sound advice. Mainly cuz you are highly self aware and very intuitive.

Regardless of anything else, you seek inspiration and adventure above all. You do tend to get bored with just one thing easily.

Of what I'm picking up on, some of you are passionate about the following:

- Learning, experimenting, teaching and innovating. Again this could be any topic or multiple. Could be something as literature and academics or physics or could even be cooking or carving wood. You could even be here educating people about Gothic architecture or the human anatomy. Or all of this. You're not meant to confine yourself.

- A lot of you seek travel and adventure. Even be passionate about extreme sports.

- Languages and culture.

- Some of you want to try and do everything, experience different things and don't want to niche yourself down. Your passion can simply be experiencing your life to the fullest so you have wisdom to give and stories to narrate and memories to look back on and trust me, that is more than enough.

Which quickly brings me to your hidden talents because you're supressing quite a few:

- Some of you can be excellent astrologers or even astronomers.

- A lot of you can read into symbolisms real. You can be a gifted psychic too if you aren't aware already.

- You can be really good at sports like archery, fencing, MMA etc

- Creative direction, photography is also coming through.

- You're very good with your words, whether it be in writing or speaking.

You are rather mutable and a very poised individual too, you can easily influence the people you come in touch with. Some of you can be good speakers, representatives or the face of a brand. Whatever you do, you end up being very good at it whether you like it or not.

The advice is to simply continue what you're doing, you're not as lost as you think you are. Keep making connections and continue being yourself instead of trying to make yourself small and fit in or follow trends or the algorithm.

Picture 3

You feel like a misfit and an outsider so much so that being passionate about anything worries you because you may end up looking a fool, not being good enough or not being disciplined enough.

You carry a lot of anguish in you mainly because you had to focus on things that were expected of you or because you had to survive so you might feel like you're good at many things but not great or could be great at something but you don't necessarily love it.

You're an interesting group here because you haven't even allowed yourself to feel excited about things.

What are you truly passionate about? I see nature, authenticism, a slower, softer life. The word passion itself feels too intense and deliberate for you.

You simply want to experience a life that doesn't feel like you running on a treadmill till your knees give out.

I do see there's an innate desire in you to help others, be it people or animals or even a dying plant. You want to find your peace and bring some of that peace in others lives too. Your energy feels like a walking into a warm cabin in the woods during winter with freshly made dinner waiting.

Hidden talents you have ample, a lot of them are based on learning and perfecting with practice :

- Cooking, experimenting with different herbs. I do see some of you have the potential to start a small business that involves food.

- Gardening and farming

- Painting

- Tattooing (this is coming through because it can be very therapeutic for a lot of you)

- Perfume making is also coming through as well as skincare.

- pottery and sculpting, crocheting etc

- reiki, medicine, physical therapy etc

- divination

Think of a life that's a bit more laid back a career that makes you feel less on the edge.

You've already been running on the validation of people who think you're dispensable or your worth is tied to something outside of you that you can't even find meaning in.

The world needs more souls like you.

The only advice is to be more compassionate with yourself, you're not running a race even if people have constantly been reminding you of it, there's no finish line. The only truth that matters is the story you tell yourself, over and over again. It will come to pass. Continue being. Continue creating instead of wondering about the how. You've figured out many things in your life, let life sort this out for you.

[makethatelevenrings]

Shovel Talk // B. Wayne x gn!reader

Requested? Yes!

WARNINGS: brief discussion of sex

Summary: It was the first time Bruce Wayne was introducing his partner to the world...and his kids. His very inquisitive, highly trained, pain-in-the-ass kids.

The steady, firm press of the hand against your lower back was the only constant of the night, it seemed. You were whisked to and fro to talk to various people with a tight smile on your face and honey on your tongue. Your partner kept close to your side as he warmly informed each person that you were his. Your appearance came as a surprise to Gotham society and also to Bruce’s family. Only Stephanie greeted you with a brilliant grin and a quick hug.

“So,” Tim said to the blonde as the Wayne clan sidled up next to their friend. “What’s their story? How do you know them?”

Stephanie smirked, wolfish and sharp, and tossed back the champagne that was in her hand. “Hmmm, the great detectives don’t know something? It must be eating you up. I could put you out of your misery…”

She considered her options and then shrugged. “Or I could go bully some rich assholes. Have fun! Toodles.”

Stephanie placed her champagne flute on a table, gave a little finger wave to the gaggle of fellow vigilantes, and escaped into the crowd of people. Dick glanced at Damian, Tim at Duke, and Jason at Cass. Unspoken words flowed between the pairs and they nodded.

They would figure out who this mysterious figure hanging off of their father’s arm was by the end of the night. They were determined.

Bruce finally left your side to speak with investors, leaving you to stroll through the gala on your own. It was then that the first team decided to strike.

“Hi!” Richard Grayson appeared in front of you, one hand on Damian Wayne’s shoulder. “I’m Dick and this is Damian. You are…?”

“Y/N,” you replied smoothly. “Your father has told me plenty about you two.”

“That’s interesting because we’ve heard nothing about you,” Dick said cheerfully. “How did you and Bruce meet?”

You grinned and clasped your hands in front of you. “We met at a charity event in the East End a few months ago. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you. I guess he wanted to make sure I was a good fit before he introduced me to you all. How is school going, Damian?”

“Quite well,” the youngest Wayne answered. “My art class is highly stimulating.”

“Your father told me that you liked art. Have you ever been to the art museum in the city?”

“Richard has taken me once or twice.” Damian shifted his weight on his feet.

“I don’t know much about art, though, so Little D was doing all the talking,” Dick added.

“I fear my education regarding the history and styles of art is lacking.”

You shrugged. “I took a class or two on art history in the past and I’ve got a friend at the museum who gives tours. Wanna go with me someday? We’ll make Bruce buy us ice cream and everything.”

Damian glanced up at Dick, as if searching for his brother’s approval, and then back at you. He shrugged and almost appeared shy as he responded. “That would be agreeable.”

You turned to the oldest Wayne next. “You’re welcome to join us, Dick. I hear there’s an excellent photography exhibit on Cirque du Soleil right now.”

Dick blanched and he was clearly taken off guard by your response. A shy smile flitted across his face and he lost that handsome, rakish media appearance he usually kept up. “Yeah, that would be great.”

He racked his brain for something else to say, but Dick could see that you were earnest in your attempt to bond. How many times had this family scared off a potential love interest thanks to their hypervigilant secret life? And if Bruce of all people were comfortable with you, then you had to be something special.

Dick made his decision and planted his hands on Damian’s shoulders, steering him towards the hor d'oeuvres table that his other siblings crowded around in their attempt to look inconspicuous in their snooping.

“Thank you, Y/N. I see some investors we need to talk to but have Bruce set up a day for us, okay?”

“Of course. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

The next kid you ran into was Bruce’s favorite child…and his trouble child. Jason intercepted you at the dessert table just as you were stuffing a truffle into your mouth. You glanced up at him with a wide-eyed expression and then merely held out a truffle in a peace offering. He grunted but accepted the sweet without an argument.

“So…you’re bedding the old man.” You choked slightly at his words and coughed to clear your throat before pounding on your chest.

“I mean, yeah, but he’s not paying me if that’s what you think,” you said once you could breathe properly. “Do you ask about the sexual behavior of everyone or am I just the lucky one?”

He smirked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the wall as he studied you carefully. “He’s not paying you? Really? How’d he get you to stay?”

“Oh, I would dump Bruce in a heartbeat. But then I would lose Alfred’s cooking and I’m not a masochist. Well, actually, I’m dating Bruce Wayne so maybe I am a masochist.”

He snorted at your comment and nodded. “Alright, that’s fair. What’s your schtick though? I mean, Bruce Wayne could have anyone he wants. Why you?”

“That’s a fair question.” You handed him another dessert, this time a mini bundt cake. “I’d like to think he keeps me around because I’m smart, invested in Gotham, and decently attractive. But between you and me?” You leaned in close so you could lower your voice and Jason took the bait, following suit and craning his neck down so he could hear your whisper.

“I know his deepest, darkest secret.” A flash of uncertainty crossed his features but you forged ahead. “The back of his left knee is the only spot on his body where he’s ticklish. He shrieks like he’s in a horror movie or something. You’re welcome.”

A wicked grin spread across his face and Jason stood up straight, his gaze clearly seeking out his adoptive father in the crowd. You patted his bicep and he darted out into the crowd with a mumbled thanks tossed in your direction. A muted shriek rose from the crowd seconds later and you hid your grin behind the glass of lemonade in your hand.

Turning to grab a final dessert, you nearly jumped a foot in the air at the sight of the girl staring at you. Cassandra raised an eyebrow at your reaction and bit down on the cupcake in her hand. You pressed a shaking hand to your chest and sucked in a long breath before flashing a smile in her direction.

“I like your shoes.”

You both glanced down at the bright purple converse on her feet and she grinned. There had been a fight with Alfred and Bruce that she won. While converse weren’t deemed “gala appropriate” or “formal”, Stephanie had gifted them to her and Cass loved them. “Thanks.”

And just like that, she melted into the crowd too.

You were chatting with Stephanie when the last two sidled up to you. Steph groaned at the sight of Tim and Duke with their shit-eating grins but you offered them a gentle smile.

“Hello boys,” you greeted. “I figured you would be showing up soon.”

“You probably know why we’re here,” Tim said, getting straight to the point. You shared a glance with Stephanie and leaned back against the wall.

“You each get three questions. Hit me with it.”

Duke perked up. “Who’s your favorite member of the Justice League?”

“Green Lantern.” Your smirk grew at the thought of Bruce’s face if he heard you say that.

“Not Batman?”

You pointed a warning finger at him. “I’ll allow that as a follow up question, but that’s the last follow up question you get. Still have two more. And no, not Batman. I might be from Gotham, but I have taste.”

“Social security number?” Tim asked. You gave him an unimpressed stare and leveled your hand up in the air before flipping your thumb down in the style of a Roman emperor deciding the fate of a gladiator.

“Try again, Timbo,” Stephanie snickered.

“Fine. Occupation.”

“Nonprofit director for a food insecurity program in Gotham. Duke?”

He considered his options for a moment and then nodded to himself. “Favorite place to eat in Gotham?”

You ignored Tim’s mutter of “this is an interrogation, Duke!” and winked at Duke. “Probably Ernie’s Burgers over on 7th. You ever try it?”

Duke grinned and raised his fist. You accepted the fist bump. “If you don’t tell Bruce, I’ll break you out of school one day and we’ll go get some burgers.”

Tim intercepted between the two of you and crossed his arms over his chest, trying and failing at looking as intimidating as Jason did. You merely raised an eyebrow at him and he deflated quickly.

“Okay, okay. Where do you currently live?”

“A studio apartment over in Otisburg. If you want, you’re welcome to stop by. I’ll try and keep your favorite snacks stocked.”

He wasn’t buying it, however. Tim was the hardest kid to crack it seemed. You looked at Duke once more and he pointed to Tim. Alright then. Two in a row.

“What is your biggest fear?”

Stephanie stiffened beside you but you accepted the question with ease. You absentmindedly played with the ring on your finger and tilted your head to the side in thought.

“Losing the people I love,” you said simply. Your gaze strayed for a moment to glance at the tall, imposing man who chatted easily with investors. Your relationship with Bruce was both new but also building for a long time. The first meeting between you two was less than ideal, but your tentative partnership and later friendship built into an undeniable attraction. And, seriously, there was a lot of denial on both parties' end.

“What are your intentions with Bruce?” Duke’s final question snapped you out of your thoughts and you couldn’t stop yourself from barking out a laugh. Stephanie dissolved into a pile of embarrassment and giggles beside you and Tim looked positively stricken.

“Am I…am I getting a shovel talk right now?” you wheezed.

“Do you need a shovel talk?” Tim asked. You shook your head and waved them off, leaning onto Stephanie for support. The blonde wiped a tear away and snickered once more.

“They don’t have a clue, do they?”

“Not one bit.”

When the night came to a close and you were seeing out the last of the guests, you found Bruce waiting for you at the base of the stairs that led to the manor. He wrapped his jacket around your shoulders as you joined him on the steps.

“Did you have a good evening?” he asked.

“Yesit was. Thank you. And the kids were darling. Damian’s an adorable sweetheart.”

His eyes narrowed at your comment and he hummed. “Yes, a regular angel.”

“You really told them nothing?”

Bruce turned you in his arms and tilted your chin up so his lips could press against yours. You tucked yourself closer to him, both savoring the body heat he offered and the rich scent of his cologne. Resting your head on his shoulder, he swayed the two of you back and forth slowly.

“They’re watching from upstairs right now, aren’t they?” you whispered.

“Mhm.” His hand traced lazy strokes up and down your back. “I’ve trained them all for years and no one caught on.”

“Think Stephanie told them yet?”

Bruce rested his chin on the top of your head and sighed. “No, we would hear it.” He drew your hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss to the ring that sat on your finger. To some, it would appear that billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne was moving quickly. Proposing already to his mysterious partner? What would the tabloids say!

But under the moonlight and the warm lights of the manor with the eyes of all of his kids watching, the two of you knew better. The ring glinted for a moment and then, briefly, flashed blue.

You had lied to Dick. While you had met Bruce at a charity event, you had met Batman long before that on the decks of the Watchtower when Hal introduced you to the Justice League.

If there was one thing the Bat of Gotham needed, it was hope.

Tag list: @someoneimsure​ @perpetual-fangirl900​ @visagebrise​ @alexxavicry​

[jimmy-dipthong]

Why are anime translations so bad?

Disclaimer: I have never done any professional translation, and I don’t watch dubbed/subbed anime very often. But recently I watched a few episodes of subbed Demon Slayer at a friend’s place, and I noticed how bad some of the translations were. It reminded me of my childhood, watching subbed Ghibli movies and thinking “that english sounds weird”. As a kid I thought it was an unavoidable part of translation, but now that I can speak Japanese, I realise that we can do so much better with translations!

This post is my attempt to identify what a “bad” translation is, and hazard some guesses at what mistakes translators make that lead to these bad translations.

Examples are from Ranking of Kings, episodes 10 and 11. Screenshots taken from Crunchyroll.

What do I mean by bad?

Reason 1: They don’t sound like natural English.

If a character in an english cartoon said some of the stuff that characters in anime say in translations, it would sound very unnatural. Anime-translation english is unnatural and awkward sounding.

ダイダ様、久しぶりに街に出てみますか？ Price Daida, it’s been a while, so why don’t we go down into town?

This example sounds awkward. What’s with the random “so” in the middle of the sentence? No one in English media talks like that. If you just remove the “so” and replace it with a full stop, we get a much more natural sounding sentence.

Price Daida, it’s been a while. Why don’t we go down into town?

Or even something like this:

Price Daida, why don’t we go into town? It’s been a while since you’ve been down there.

Reason 2: They don’t fit the character.

This screenshot shows the character Kage speaking (the black blob). He has a character trait of being kind of immature and almost never using polite Japanese, even to royalty, which is very disrespectful. The original translation makes him sound so formal! Kage is supposed to sound like a 15 year old who tries way too hard to be rough and intimidating. Can you imagine someone like that saying “You may say those things”?

いやいやいや、なんかいい感じなこと言ってるけど、違うからね！ No, no, no! You may say those feel-good things, but reality is different!

It doesn’t preserve his characterisation at all. Way too formal and not juvenile enough! A better translation would be:

No, no, no! Nice motivational speech, but they’re just words!

The devil’s advocate & descriptivism

Now, I’ll preface this by saying I am a hardcore descriptivist. I’m not saying that these translations are wrong, or that the resulting English is incorrect English. What I’m saying is that they do not achieve the goals of a good translation, those goals being preserving what is being said and how it’s being said.

It could be argued that by now, anime translations have become a new dialect of English. Anime fans have come to expect the awkward-sounding phrasing, and instead might see natural English as unexpected. This is a fine rebuttal of my first point (it sounds awkward) but not of my second point (speech-pattern-based characterisation is often lost). Even then, anime translations are not exclusively for established anime fans. First time viewers may be put off by the unnatural language choices and strange turns of phrase. “Anime is cringe” they might say, and they wouldn’t be wrong. A good translation should be understandable to the entire target audience, and first time or casual viewers certainly make up a large portion of that target audience.

Why do the translations end up so bad?

They err on the side of direct translation over meaning-based translation

Often, it seems like the main nouns and verbs in the sentence get translated verbatim, and the rest of the translation is forced to bend around those. In addition, they do not consider how a similar sentiment might be phrased in english. Even if it’s a japanese way of saying something, they preserve the individual words instead of changing the whole sentence. Let’s look at the Kage example from before:

いやいやいや、なんかいい感じなこと言ってるけど、違うからね！ No, no, no! You may say those feel-good things, but reality is different!

I’ve coloured the text so you can see which pieces got translated separately. In this example, basically every word is being translated separately. Now let’s look at my example:

いやいやいや、なんかいい感じなこと言ってるけど、違うからね！ No, no, no! Nice motivational speech, but they’re just words!

I’m translating the entire middle verb phrase as one atomic piece of meaning. It’s not individually important that, for example, the specific word 言ってる was used, so it’s not important that I translate it directly to the word “say”. What is important is that Kage is saying that Despa is saying some nice stuff, but it doesn’t change the facts. I have a feeling that the more you can group words together and translate them as a whole phrase, the more natural the translation ends up sounding (and the more characterisation you can preserve).

They use weird words, due to dictionary translation

Let’s look at another example:

兄上は弱者だと、どこか甘えていないか？ Aren’t they sort of spoiling Brother, just because he’s a weakling?

In this example, the word 弱者 is translated as “weakling”. “Weakling” is a pretty rare word to hear outside of anime. That’s probably the best direct translation if we’re looking at the word 弱者 out of context. However, words always appear in context. Both times the word 弱者 is used to refer to a person in this episode, it’s used to refer to disabled people (Bojji, who is deaf, and a citizen, who is both blind and deaf). The citizen is actually not physically weak, in fact he looks pretty chunky and strong, so 弱者 is not being used to refer to his physical strength, only his disability. The English word “weakling” strongly suggests physical weakness, so I don’t feel like it’s appropriate here. Instead, I feel like a more appropriate translation would be:

Do you think Brother gets special treatment, just because he’s so pathetic?

Daida is immature and heartless at this point in his character. He has contempt for both Bojji and the citizen, and sees them as weak, but he also feels pity for them. I think the word “pathetic” sums up his emotions for them much better than the word “weakling”, as well as not coming loaded with the incorrect “physical weakness” connotation.

As a side note, you may have noticed I translated the first part of the sentence differently too. That’s another example of how (in my opinion) grouping words together to translate a phrase as a whole results in a much more natural phrasing.

They try to preserve the original grammar

An important skill to have when translating is knowing which aspects of the phrase are important to preserve in translation, and which parts are not important. Word order and grammar are almost never important enough to preserve.

ダイダ様こそ、選ばれた人間。 Prince Daida, you are one who is chosen.

In this example, the past tense verb 「選ばれた/chosen」modifying the noun 「人間/person」 seems to have been determined to be important to preserve by the translator, which leads to the awkward phrasing “one who is chosen”. In reality, the minutia of the original grammar is not important to preserve - we can translate 選ばれた人間 as a set phrase rather than translating the words individually:

Prince Daida, you are one of the chosen few.

Again, we can see that the translation is improved by grouping words together and translating the phrase as a piece of atomic meaning!

Anime translation is a naturally restrictive medium

For dubs, the characters’ mouth movements need to match up. This really narrows down the possibilities of translation options. It means that sub-optimal word choices may be used, and the rhythm of speech may be forced into an odd speed in places.

For subs, although the syllables and mouth movements don’t need to match up as perfectly as they do in dubs, the subtitles still end up needing to be applied over the same moments of speech. However, often, if the given situation in the anime was to be completely reframed in English, maybe no one would have said anything at that moment. There are times when someone would say something in Japanese that you would expect someone to not say anything in english.

デスパー：弟子の悪口は許しますけど、私の悪口は許しませんよ！！ カゲ：逆でしょ！！！！ Despa: You can insult my apprentice, but I won’t let you insult me! Kage: You’ve got it backwards!

In Japanese comedy, the role of ツッコミ (best translation is “the straight man”) is ubiquitous and plays the part of a laugh track - telling audiences when to laugh. In this case, Kage is playing the part of ツッコミ by pointing out that what Despa has said is the opposite of what you’d expect him to say. In this example, I feel like if this was an English cartoon, Kage wouldn’t have said anything. English speaking comedies generally expect/trust audiences to get the jokes without them being explicitly pointed out. I feel like this shows how attempting to fit subtitles to every spoken phrase can lead to slightly unnatural turns of phrase, since the translator is attempting to fit some speech into a place where there wouldn’t have been any in the first place. In my opinion, the best “translation” for the above would have been to cut the 1 second clip where Kage butts in with his line altogether.

———

Again, I should reiterate that I’m not a translator. I’m very keen to hear counter-arguments if you disagree with what I’ve said! Translations have got me really interested recently and I’m hungry for more opinions.

[the5n00k]

An observation about TGAMM The End

Big big spoilers ahead, click away if you aren't caught up

This is also my first NEGATIVE TGAMM analysis post! Wowie! So if you don't want to see me bitch, also click off now

The End and how Molly McGee's character was disrespected

The End is. An episode. I have many MANY thoughts about it but it would be far too long to put in one post so I'm going to explore one of my more reoccurring opinions. This episode recontextualized a lot of things but I'm going to talk about how it recontextualized Molly as a character. Most importantly as a MAIN character. A TITLE character. A character with her own past and personality and feelings. All of which this episode completely stomped all over, handed her the check, and said "figure it out"

I want to apologize to my friend who called this so SO much earlier into the series and that he had to listen to me watch this show on lethal amounts of copium. You were right but I knew neither of us wanted you to be.

Now let's get into the meat of it, shall we?

All throughout season 1, Molly's history and relationship with the concept of friends is always treated with complete sincerity and the emotional pause it needs to sink in with the audience that she's been through it. Moving away and leaving friends is why she put so much importance on the "forever home" in the first place because she's had to leave so many people she loved. She had a rocky beginning with Scratch during the early season but quickly became on equal footing with him as they began to understand each other and their boundaries. Because she genuinely cares about him. Similarly, season 2 explores the boundaries of their friendship and shows Scratch more willing to participate in whatever Molly is doing, even begging sometimes to be included. And Molly is very patient and kind with him all throughout trying to help him regain memories of his past. And Scratch actually reciprocated a few times like helping her learn Thai and working with Libby to set her up with Ollie. They're the closest they've ever been and something I can confidently call true best friends, possibly the closest and healthiest friendship I've seen portrayed in media. Season 2 showcases how far either of them are willing to go to help each other.

Then The End happened.

Molly is the same understanding and supportive friend as she had been all season, almost to a fault. She encourages scratch to go back to his life, knowing the risks that come with it. Why did there need to be the risk of forgetting her when his spirit didn't immediately forget his living life? Don't know. Something to do with an unreleased episode although I doubt the rest of season 3 would have sweetened my opinion of this episode. Only she knew he was about to do this, she didn't talk to any of his other friends or family before he went out to Todd's house. They only found out after the fact and the next morning is when he left. None of them had any time to process that they just lost a family member, especially not Molly.

The scene where he's talking to her on the bench breaks my heart. Knowing your friend is no longer there and is replaced with this stranger. So much of this episode would have been fixed to just let him keep his memories. Considering how hard it was to pull his living memories out of his spirit, it's very likely that even the small fragments of her he remembers will slowly fade away. She had to do the one thing she never wanted to do again and repeat the same pain that's plagued her for the entire series. And it sucks! Why doesn't she get a happy ending? Hell, I'm not even convinced this was a "happy ending" for scratch since he can't remember any of the people he just spent the last two years with.

The biggest slap to the face is when Libby, Geoff, and the McGees come up behind Molly and just act like all of this is fine? They're treating scratch like this wild animal that deserved to be released into the wild because he could never fit in with society when he was PERFECTLY HAPPY with the McGees. He proudly displayed to the entire ghost world that he was an "honorary McGee" and told a ghost hunter to his face that him and Molly would do anything for each other despite their differences. Was all of that completely pointless? Because it sure feels that way. He had this entire new "life" he just completely abandoned because oh I guess I'm not really dead. Guess I better go reconnect with my childhood friend I haven't seen in person or had any meaningful conversations with in decades!!! See ya, chumps, hope you weren't attached to me or anything!

It's so disrespectful to the audience's investment in Molly and Scratch's friendship, the themes of friendship overcoming all odds and lasting forever, and Molly as a character. And to a lesser degree, it's even disrespectful to Scratch since most of the season he spent brooding over the fact that he didn't remember his past! Now he's forgotten a large portion of his "life" all over again. Now he's going to have to live with this nagging itch at the back of his mind that he's forgetting something until he manages to completely repress it too. And to rub salt in the wound, the credits don't have near sight nor mention of Molly McGee outside of a painted portrait of her and (spirit) scratch. All this does is tell me a LONG time has passed and neither of them have managed to successfully contact each other. The dream team is gone, this is a story about a girl and a ghost and none of it meant anything.

"he'll remember when he dies again!" Where does it say that

"he didn't forget, he said Moll! That means something!" The longer he spends away from the McGees and Brighton, the more likely he is to completely forget them altogether. The vague memories will eventually fade away and every "forever memory" will be worthless.

"it doesn't matter, this is Scratch's story" then why isn't it called 'scratch and the human girl'? Or 'the scratch show'? Why is Molly a title character if she's nothing but a plot device for his character development.

"Molly had to learn how to say goodbye." No she didn't. She's been doing that her entire life. She's pretty well aware of how to say goodbye. Making her relive 13 years of trauma from the other side of the vehicle doors is not a useful life skill. Pain is not necessary to grow up.

I don't care what the excuse is. This was a terrible ending for both characters and no amount of "he's happy now!" coping from both the fans and the writers is going to get me to see this any other way. If you enjoy the episode, great! I'm happy for you, there's a lot to love in the music and voice acting and breathtaking animation. But none of that could save me from this abysmal attempt at a series finale. I was so viscerally disgusting by this as a finale that I spent a good two days completely nauseous thinking about it. What a disaster. The sad part is I like the story potential! Him reuniting with Adia is what I've wanted for him all season so he could get closure. Molly and Scratch having to say goodbye is heartbreaking but understandable, a lot of shows nowadays end that way and I half expected it. But him completely forgetting the girl he owes his new lease on life to? My gosh it's just a deal breaker. It is such a cruel end for these characters and I cannot wrap my head around why they thought it was a good idea outside of cheap angst.

I wanted to like this episode and I still do. But they just did so much wrong when one thing could change and it would have completely flipped my opinion on the episode and series in general. But what do I know, I'm just a negative nancy.

Anyway idk how to end this off, justice for Molly McGee, Scratch deserved to be called Scratch McGee, kill Todd Mortenson, peace out

[yojeongin]

DON’T BLAME THE LOVECATS — 36: ENTRE TUS PUPILAS

→neighbor!jaemin x neighbor f!reader

genre: social media au, neighbors au, fluff, angst, enemies to friends to lovers, humor

wc: 2.4k+

an: that’s a wrap guys, all that’s left is the epilogue

m.list | previous | next

Anxiousness and happiness was eating the both of you alive. Fighting amongst themselves to settle which feeling should take over your whole day. 

Things were going alright for Jaemin. He had preparations to distract him like getting flowers from his client (who’s website he finally finished), picking up the food from both places his friends worked at, and debating on where he should hold this little picnic. 

As in for you… you had tried watching a movie, cleaned the apartment, and even tried watching the Barca match but without their star players they lost. Again. It’s obvious not even football distracts you from what you could possibly talk to Jaemin about. 

You were more nervous about how your relationship with him is so far. Things through messages were sweet and as if nothing happened but that’s only virtually, things are always different in person.

He could be a sweetheart begging you to meet with him but once you two are face to face, what guarantees you that he won’t unleash whatever wrath you think he holds? After all, you've refused to hear him out for weeks (rightfully so).

Nevertheless the only thing left in your mind to distract yourself was to take care of the cats. Yeah, maybe if you take them on a little walk while Jaemin is ready to get you, you’ll be fine. After all spending time with your babies always entertained you (no matter the unprovoked scratches and bites).

After putting on Minino’s harness, you make your way to the apartment next door. Knocking three times as tradition to the rhythm you and Mark had unconsciously assigned to each other through the years. 

Being so, the mentioned opened the door with a smile, rubbing his eyes showing he had fallen back asleep after the little group chat discussion about you and his roommate. When he was to open his mouth, Dooie had bolted out the door, the action making Minino kick and scratch you harsh enough to let go of the hold you had on him. 

In that instant you cursed yourself for not clipping on the leach to the harness before coming to them. This always happened and none of you ever learned.  

“Good afternoon, huh?” Mark remarks, grabbing his keys knowing he had to go after them as well. “Seems so.” You groan with a shaky giggle, pulling him by the arm in order to hurry before they wreck havoc. 

“We should buy toddler railings.” He mentions, yawning while struggling to go down the two flights of stairs, your pulling making it dangerous. “They can fit through the bars though.” Bringing him down from that train of thought, Mark frowns rushing behind you. Poor boy, you didn’t give him enough time to put on shoes.

Through the transit of your chase: Mark had multiple pebbles clinging to his feet, you ran out of breath a couple of times considering the cats would go up some building just to jump off when you reach them, and on occasions you both almost fell when leaning down to grab them. In those instances, they sped faster and kicked during the act. These cats really wanted to make you guys suffer just for the hell of it.

That is until they finally halted their spree and purring was all you two heard going up a hill. ’Sneaky little monsters.’ Mark thought to himself; the universe kept showing him cats were smart enough, their minds broader than his.

“Nana?” Your voice broke both of them out of their thoughts. While Mark sported a smile despite his panting, Jaemin wanted to rip his hair out seeing only the plates and cups were out, everything looked a dirty mess and he was disappointed. 

He laughed nervously, looking between you and the cats that immediately snuggled in his lap. “Surprise…” The shaky words left his pretty lips showing his sparkling pearly whites. 

“I wanted to make it a little special but I see the kitties have other plans.” Dooie sniffed his fingers, the obvious scent of food inside the basket more prominent than before. “Oh you’re so—“ The words wouldn’t leave your throat, an airy giggle left your lips instead.

Seeing him this close again was making your insides churn. You really did miss him and seeing how Minino wouldn’t stop rubbing against his sides made the feeling increase. 

Your feelings took over your instincts, crouching down to the blanket he was sitting on top of and making your way to him to take into an embrace. The action alone took both of them by surprise. Mark looked at you two with wide eyes and a smile nodding to Jaemin who didn’t hesitate in wrapping his own arms around you, holding you tight in fear you’ll leave him again. 

Mark took that as his cue to leave. He hoped to take the cats with him but the two made no effort to leave the claustrophobic space you two squished them between. Lifting his hand tiresomely, Mark turns back praying that this time his feet won’t suffer what they did earlier.

“I’m sorry.” Jaemin is the first to break the silence, burying his face in the crook of your neck. “For jumping into conclusions and preferring to part ways instead of talking it out.” He wanted nothing more than to kiss your cheek, leaving that sweet action as a form of a caress. 

You were the one to separate, a look of confusion plastered on your face. Jaemin doesn’t hesitate in taking your hands into his, still not ready to not hold contact. Squeezing them, he nods to himself. “I overheard you and Mark talk about rejecting someone and I got scared…” 

He turns behind him, his grip off you and once his hands find what he searched for, he turns back to you. “I’m also sorry for thinking submerging myself in my job would help but it ended up backfiring.” He laughs, handing you another bouquet of white flowers, this time a small note hidden between them.

A side smile is what you could give him, taking the crisp envelope between your fingers to read what he was trying to say. 

‘You crossed my path and I found the paradise I want to stay in. It’s you, only you. The one who gives me the moon, the one to calm my insanity, forever it’s always you.’

Your smile grew reading over the note. They’re obviously song lyrics but it doesn’t matter, he knew what song to use regardless. “You’re a cheat.” A giggle makes its way to his ears, causing him to return it while squeezing your hands again.

“I wouldn’t reject you, Jaemin. You’re really dumb sometimes.” You scoot closer to him, freeing one of your hands to pet Dooie who now found purchase on your lap. “I can be, yeah. I didn’t want to face rejection, I don’t know how to handle it.” 

He hesitates, rubbing your knuckles with his thumb. “She was my client, those flowers were for you. She owns the flower shop I get them from. I really don’t want you to think I’d quickly find someone new. I make it so obvious that I only want you, y/n. Always have.” 

His eyes softened, body unconsciously getting closer to yours making it more obvious how his eyes sparkled in adoration. “Not always. Pretty sure a few months ago you wanted me gone.” You laugh, rubbing your arm that despite it being spring, you felt cold. 

He shakes his head instantly, taking off his own jacket to wrap around your shoulders. “Y/n, I’ve been madly in love with you for the past year. I only went along with your arguments because— well, it’s really cute how your face gets when you’re annoyed.” 

His laughter earned him a slap on the shoulder, startling Minino who slept on his lap when he almost fell back. “I’m sorry, you’re really cute when angry.” Jaemin holds to the cat now, rubbing its head while the rumbling of his stomach soothes his lower body. 

“Oh you dick! Do you know how many times I wished you got food poisoning because you pissed me off?!” You weren’t entirely angry, just a bit peeved. It did explain why he didn’t start arguments, if anything he only followed up yours with irking responses or questions. 

“See! Like that!” He points at you, chuckling in the process of calming himself down. “Whatever…” You roll your eyes at him, sitting beside him now. “A year, though? Might explain why I dreamt of you often.” A cheeky smile appeared on your face causing a crimson blush to spread across his face. 

“You’re lucky I like you too.” The chaste kiss he didn’t place on your cheek, you did on his, making that blush spread more. “Y/n…” He whines, hiding his face in his hands, leaving Minino to wake up from his nap again due to the missing warmth.

“I guess we have to work on our communication more.” You nod, petting Dooie who now decided to get off your lap, rubbing herself against your cat. “I got your favorite food from the cafe and the restaurant. Shotaro might have begged Winter to tell him.” Jaemin’s smile only made you feel more warmth within you. He even got his friends involved to help him please you.

“Oh and one last gift.” Behind the wicker picnic basket laid a wrapped box, the blue and silver colors shimmering with the sunlight. It wasn’t too heavy when he handed it to you but it sure caused some excitement.

With nimble fingers, you rip off the pieces of paper and soon enough the tape from the box. Jaemin seemed more excited than you, giggling to himself and to the cats every time you got closer to the prize.

When you finally ripped off the top box and noticed that similar combination of red and white, joy overtook you and you took him into another embrace. A quick one though, your mind was more focused on seeing a jersey that belonged to one of your favorite players.  

“I was looking for one not so long ago, how did you know?!” You cheered beside him, pulling it up before you and admiring every detail. It was soft to the touch and smelled great from the softener he must’ve used when washing it after gaining possession. 

Jaemin doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arm around you, pulling you closer to him once again. “I knew you liked this guy and I saw it on eBay. Almost ripped my hair out bidding with it against someone.” 

He might’ve been ecstatic to know he won but once the gears in your brain turned and you connected the dots which made you realize he was the asshole you had been fighting against for hours, the smile dwindled and your body gained a mind of its own.

“You!” The change in tone made his smile fade, gaining some fear the second he saw you stand on your knees just to pounce on him. It was more of an excuse to be near him but your hands made sure to shake his shoulders causing him to lose his balance and ended up pulling you down with him.

With his hands on your waist and yours on his shoulder, you two stay still for a second. No words left his mouth or yours, the beating of your hearts felt through touches. His eyes kept flitting from yours to your lips, biting his inferior lip. You take notice of this and decide to tease him, squeezing his shoulders and lowering your upper body, making him grow more nervous.

“You want to kiss me so bad.” Your teasing voice makes the blush from earlier appear, Jaemin taking a tighter hold on your waist as the centimeter diminished. “Loser.” Your final words leave your lips, ones you connect with his in a sweet and tender kiss he’s been dreaming about for ages. 

Your arms wrap around his neck now, bodies connected, and both of you in pure bliss that things finally led somewhere. It could’ve been left like that but the universe always has plans for you. The second you two got comfortable, the sprinklers went off. A loud laughter right after that made the two of you separate immediately startled by the water and embarrassment. 

“Oh thank you, Johanna. Thank you for pushing us, Johanna.” The owner of the laugh spoke up, making her way down the hill after checking around the complex to see if anything needed fixing. She was just glad the right timing was on her side to experience the view before her.

Regardless some forced thank you’s left you two, rushing to get the basket, flowers, and everything else that had been taken out. By this point the cats had been long gone and now they were something else you had to search for.

“You’re the asshole I was fighting with all day for this jersey by the way.” What you had intended on letting him know before the kiss was finally spewed. Jaemin’s smile dropped, looking at you through squinted eyes and remembering all those curses he threw whenever you tried outbidding him.

“Oh you’re sick… Why the hell would you bid a hundred more!” He reproached, taking your wet hand in his. “Because I wanted it badly!” You tried defending yourself, he on the other hand grunted. “Do you think if I file a report they’ll give me the money back?” He jokes, smiling now that this other issue was settled. “You won fair and square, deal with it.” You tease, biting your lower lip while pulling him up towards the building you two shared. 

“I planned to listen to the mixtape you made while eating but the sprinklers killed it. Wanna go on a date?” He smiles widely, finally leaving a quick peck on your cheek.

“How about we have it at my place during the match?” He nods, smiling widely at the images that have been created in his brain. “One last thing.”

You hum at his words, stopping in your tracks once you two reach the second flight of stairs. “Would you let me be your boyfriend?” Despite the kisses and words, he was still nervous. 

With a wide and tender smile you nod, taking his face into your hands and giving him yet another kiss that he didn’t fail in returning. “Yeah, I’ll grant you that honor.” The both of you laugh in between kisses, holding each other despite the bother of items you both held onto. 

After years of bickering and that slow progress into friends, Jaemin and your dreams became a reality. Just like the cats, you two could be happily together. 

taglist: @bbymatz @dandelionxgal @w3bqrl @liljeongseong @n0hyuck @minjiville @xxxx-23nct @liliansun @ihrtnyu @kpopwh0r3 @buubbbbly @luvenshiti @igotkpoops @xuimhao @enhapocketz @wonnou @channnaa @najm00

[persephone-s-moon]

Since I have Baldur's Gate 3 brainrot with only a reasonable few hundred hours of gameplay under my belt, here's what I think The Lost Boys classes would be for bg3

(I'm doing bg3 and not dnd bc options are more limited (nice for me) and I do value what little sanity I have left.)

David

Class: Rogue Subclass: Arcane Trickster Notes: I feel like this one's obvious, but for those unfamiliar, the rogue class is known for stealth and deception, as well as thievery due to their lockpicking abilities. In general, rogue characters tend to be very conniving and typically hold their cards close to their chests. The Arcane Trickster sublcass adds some ✨magic✨ to the mix with a handful of spells and cantrips. Theoretically, this Could include some illusion spells. Perhaps for tricking someone into thinking their rice has turned into maggots. (Alternatively, Warlock with the sublcass of The Fiend or Wizard with the subclass of Illusion would also be fitting for David.)

Paul

Class: Paladin Sublcass: Oathbreaker Previous Subclass: Oath of Vengeance Notes: HEAR ME OUT. I like the thought of him with religious trauma. Paladins are inherintly religious warriors (very "I'm here to talk to you about MY savior" although you can't pick a specific god in bg3) with three possible oaths in game: Oath of the Ancients, Oath of Devotion, and Oath of Vengeance. Essentially "vow to fight against darkness", "be a knight in shining armor", and "take justice into your own hands" with a handful of tenets unique to each oath. Realistically, the lost boys could easily break ALL of those oaths in a heartbeat, but I ultimately decided on Oath of Vengence on account of one of the tenets: "No Mercy for the Wicked." I believe friendship counts as mercy, and The Lost Boys are FAR from saints. Also, it'd be poetic for him to die carrying out his old oath after Marko dies :)

Marko

Class: Barbarian Sublcass: Wild Magic Multiclass: Druid Subclass: Circle of the Moon Notes: I bet yall weren't expecting a multiclass! Anyway, Barbarians are heavy hitters that rely on instinct and rage to fight. They're one of the more physically strong classes, especially in comparison to spell casters and Rogues (RIP David). When Wild Magic Barbarians use their rage, they set off a random magical effect. Anything from accidentally shrinking your team members to accidentally turning into a very useless cat is on the table, and that sort of chaos felt right for Marko. A Druid is an elemental spellcaster with the ability to turn into animals, referred to as their "Wild Shape". Circle of the Moon Druids are able to turn into a giant badger, a giant spider, a dire wolf, a normal cat, a polar bear, and eventually gain the ability to turn into an owlbear. (It's considered a monstrosity and not an animal, but in more recent dnd media, The Rule of Cool has changed some general rules.)

Dwayne

Class: Ranger Sublcass: Gloom Stalker Notes: Rangers are skilled scouts and trackers with a deep connection to nature. I almost gave this class to either Paul or Marko, HOWEVER the Gloom Stalker subclass made me think of Dwayne. Gloom Stalkers are ambush-happy attackers with an affinity for darkness and can easily hide themselve in the shadows (if desired. Gods know The Lost Boys are NOT quiet and that includes Dwayne). Honestly, it's the closest one can get to being an Assassin without classing as a Rogue. And all I can think about is Dwayne faking his death near the end of the movie (which is something you can 100% do in bg3).

[heavyhitterheaux]

Funny Seeing You Here Part 2

AN: Jackman didn't know what he had until he lost it, also this takes place during the TWTAS era and Funny Seeing You Here is a bonus track that was not on the album

Synopsis: After learning that your boyfriend cheated on you multiple times and Urban covering for him, you realized that you deserve better. However, one person might bring the two of you back together

Pairing: Ex-boyfriend!Jack Harlow x Ex-girlfriend!Reader

Read part 1 first

Thank you @mortirolo​ for helping me 😘

Please Do Not Repost My Content Anywhere

Time felt like it had been moving in slow motion with everything that happened.

The person that you would have done anything for cheated on you and acted as if you didn’t mean anything to him.

While someone you considered to be a brother was covering for him and tried to make sure that he didn’t get caught by you.

It took some time, but you were better.

Not great, but better.

Once you had gotten back home, you immediately packed up all of you belongings and there was no trace left of you in the apartment that you once shared with them.

It was easy for you to disappear and cut off ties to anyone who was associated with Jack but with Urban as well.

You blocked all of their numbers, deleted your social media accounts, and moved to a whole new state.

You admit that it was hard leaving Kentucky because it was all that you have ever known, but there were too many places that served as memories to happy times that you had with him.

Happy times that you knew were a thing of the past.

The entire care ride home after catching him, your phone didn’t stop ringing between both him and Urban calling you.

You ignored them each time and meant it when you said that you didn’t want them to talk to you for as long as they lived.

Jack cheating on you obviously hurt, but a whole different level of hurt was added when Urban was now involved.

Urban was your godbrother and he would protect you at all costs and look out for you and you felt that there was no coming back from this level of betrayal.

You would think that Urban would have told you, but you had lost enough sleep going over the multiple scenarios in your head.

You had been back home in Kentucky for a few days and you had promised one of your really good friends, Blanca, that you would stay with her and go to her birthday dinner.

This was your first time being back in 7 months and you honestly didn’t know how to feel.

You avoided or tried to avoid every single place that reminded you of him.

Which was basically impossible.

“Hey, you almost ready to go?” Blanca asked walking into the guest bedroom where you were staying. You were trying to decide on what to wear seeing as a lot of your favorite clothes didn’t quite fit how they used to anymore.

“Almost, I think I’ll go with this black one with my pink cardigan over it and my ballerina flats. The heels are definitely a no go for the night.”

“That’ll be cute. I can help you with your hair too.”

Blanca was shifting her weight back and forth in the doorway and you immediately knew that something was on her mind.

“Out with it, Blanca. You hover when you have something to tell me and usually it’s something that I’m not going to like.”

“I… I would have told you before you came back but I knew if I did, that you wouldn’t have and I missed you.”

“Blanca….”

“I invited Jack and Urban.”

Silence.

“Y/N, please. They’re my friends too. And you never even told me what happened.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Obviously it does because of the look on your face. I can’t help if you don’t tell me what happened between the two of you. Like, Jack and Urban basically turned Kentucky upside down looking for you after he came back and the tour was over. I obviously didn’t say anything and knew you needed time for yourself.”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow. I’m not going to have you focus on other things on your birthday. We need to be celebrating you and not worrying about my love life or lack there of.” Just then Blanca’s dog Panchito came to hop up and lay across your lap.

“You are literally the only person that this dog likes. He doesn’t even like me.”

“I have the magic touch I guess.”

“But you are telling me tomorrow and there is no way that you’re getting out of it.”

You simply sighed before trying to slip on your cardigan with Panchito still in your lap.

“Y/N, my goddaughter deserves to know her father, don’t you think?” Blanca asked as she looked down at your protruding stomach as you rested your right hand on top of it.

“I guess you’re right.”

It was around eight and you and Blanca had just arrived at the restaurant. You already couldn’t wait to sit down because your feet were killing you even though you decided to wear flats. Everyone met in the lobby area before Blanca spoke to the hostess to let her know that everyone was here and that all of you were ready to be seated. 

Jack and Urban didn’t even recognize you

Maybe it was the hair

It was a completely different color and a lot shorter

Once you made your way to the table, someone decided to take it upon themselves and be polite and pull out your chair for you

No one other than Jack himself

He looked up at you and did a double take

“Y/N?”

“In the flesh, thank you.” You said as he helped you to scoot in the chair to get as close to the table as your stomach would allow.

“Um, no problem. It’s uh good to see you.”

“Hmm, I’m sure it is.”

As you and Blanca were discussing the menu and she was trying to make sure that you got something healthy for you and your little one, Urban sent a text to Jack.

Urb- is that? Is that HER?!?

Jack- yes, she looks amazing and um is she dating anyone?

Urb- How am I supposed to know? She cut me off just like she did you but umm…

Jack- What?

Urb- Come on don’t make me say it

Jack- I’m confused

Urb- THAT IS YOUR BABY THAT SHE’S PREGNANT WITH, HOW CAN IT NOT BE? SHE LOOKS TOO FAR ALONG AND WHAT WE HAVEN’T SEEN HER IN ALMOST 7 MONTHS?

Jack-......

Just then all of the color drained from Jack’s face as he looked over at you, back at your stomach, and back to Urban who shook his head.

“Y/N, it’s good to see you.” Urban said while finally getting enough courage to speak to you. 

“You too, Urban.”

“So umm, Y/N, when did you get back to Louisville?”

You glanced up from your strawberry lemonade to look at him.

“About a week ago.”

“And you weren’t even going to tell me?”

“Tell you for what, Jack? It’s not like we talk often or at all for that matter.”

“I just thought…. I don’t know because we would both be here tonight and maybe you wanted to talk beforehand?”

“I didn’t know you would be here until me and Blanca were about to get in the car. But I should have known since I know the two of you are close with her too.”

“Well, how have you been? I see you’re um very pregnant. You look amazing by the way.” Jack literally couldn’t believe it was you sitting next to him. 

“I’ve been fine and thank you.”

“And you’re wearing that perfume I bought you too.”

“It’s my favorite so I figured why not?”

“I’m honestly surprised that you still have it.”

“Why?”

“Well…. You know…”

“The perfume did nothing to me, but on the other hand you did so I got rid of the one that hurt me.”

“And I’m sorry for that.”

“Jack, not now.”

“Then when?”

“We are here to celebrate Blanca. This is her night and we aren’t going to talk about whatever went on between us.”

“But I… okay just one question.”

“What?”

“I don’t see a wedding ring on your finger and…”

“Jackman, it's been seven months.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. People meet and get married in like a week. But who are you talking to now?”

“Why is that any of your business?”

“Because I want to make things right if you give me a chance.”

“Jack…..”

“Y/N… look I didn’t realize what I had until I lost it and I need to fix this.”

“What if I don’t want it to be fixed?” You asked as Jack’s appetizer of mozzarella sticks were placed on the table, without even thinking, he placed a few in front of you.

That was always the thing between the two of you.

Didn’t matter where you would go out to eat, you always ordered mozzarella sticks and shared them.

Without realizing what he had done until you looked at him and he got wide eyes.

“Oh, I just thought…”

“I know, and thank you. It’s been awhile since I had some so I see old habits die hard.”

“How’s your sister? Your niece? Is she still crying a lot?”

“They’re both fine. She doesn’t cry as much anymore, she was getting spoiled and we needed to break her out of it.”

Just then you felt yourself getting overwhelmed and promptly pushed yourself away from the table, Blanca looked over at you in concern.

“Hey, you okay?”

“I’m fine, I just did some fresh air, that’s all.”

“I’ll go with her.” Jack immediately piped up and followed you outside, once the cool crisp night air hit your face, you felt as though you could breathe again.

“You okay?” Jack asked, concerned.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“Um, I have another question.”

“Seems like you’re full of them tonight.”

“How far along are you?”

Oh, shit.

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m just curious, Y/N.”

Silence.

“The baby is mine, isn’t it?”

Silence.

“Y/N, answer me.”

“Yes.”

“And you weren’t even going to tell me?!”

“I was ready to raise her by myself because of what you did to me. I found out after I had gotten back and I wanted nothing to do with you. Even her fucking sonogram pictures, she looks like you and no matter how much I tried to get away from you, nothing worked.”

“That isn’t an excuse! So, you were just going to keep her from me?”

“No! Well….. I don’t know!”

“You don’t know?!”

“Look, you know now and you can do whatever you want with that information.”

“I want to raise her with you!”

“I’m not moving back to Louisville so you can get rid of that idea immediately.”

“Why not? That’s what we talked about!”

“We talked about that before you fucking cheated on me and Urban covered for you!”

Just then Jack’s eyes went wide and you turned around to see that you were now face to face with Blanca who wanted to come and check on the both of you. From the look on her face, you knew that she had heard and that she was about to kill the both of them.

“Blanca….” Jack softly said and she was shooting literal daggers at him.

“You cheated on her? And Urban covered for you?”

“Umm…”

“You are such an asshole! No wonder why she ran away from here and literally begged for me not to tell you where she was!”

“YOU KNEW WHERE SHE WAS THIS WHOLE TIME?!”

“Of course I knew! But she never told me what your dumbass did!”

“Blanca, come on, let's just go back inside.” You were pleading with her. 

“Nah, I’m about to go get Panchito and let him have his way with both of their asses! Like how fucking dare you!”

“Well, how dare you not tell me that she was pregnant with my kid!”

“Cut the shit, Jackman! That was not my place! Looks like I did a good job with protecting her from your toxic ass!”

Just then Urban came outside to see what was going on between the three of you.

“What’s going on?” He curiously asked.

“Y/N is pregnant with my baby and Blanca knew where she was the entire time.”

“And I don’t regret hiding it. Urban, I’m about to kill you too. That’s your got damn godsister. Does that not mean anything to you?”

“It does….”

“Obviously it didn’t. I see why she didn’t want to be around either of you. All I’m going to say is Jack you better take care of my goddaughter or else and Urban you have a lot of making up to do for her to forgive you. I’m going back inside and I just….. Y/N… baby I am so sorry that you got knocked up by him.”

“BLANCA!”

“Jack, I will let Panchito loose on you. I said what I said. I’ll let you be adults and work it out, but if Y/N comes back in there crying, I am killing both of you.”

Once Blanca had gone back inside, there was an awkward silence between all three of you.

“Look, I just want her to be taken care of.”

“And I’ll do that. I’ll take care of both of you.”

“But, I can’t trust you, Jack.”

—

You were now back home in Savannah, Georgia and had been for about a week.

You honestly didn’t know how to feel and was taking it one step at a time

Phone numbers had been unblocked and communication was beginning to happen like it was before when you two had first started dating

You wanted the best for your daughter, but you weren’t sure if you were willing to open up your heart back to him

Does he deserve a second chance?

Just then Blanca sent you a text and you quickly opened it to read it

Blanca- Jack wrote a song about you

You- What?

All Blanca did was send a link for you to listen to it and you eagerly clicked it

I know you hate the way we drifted

But we both decide this party and we lived it

So what's up?

I'ma sip my drink and crack a big smile

Just to see if I can still get you 'cause it's been a while, yeah

It's been a minute now

Your friend just started listening to my music but I been in style

You say that I play too much but we both know I been a child

Asked you when you got to town

You say that you been in town, it's fucked up

So you just wasn't gon' hit me?

Lookin' like this, she thought it wasn't gon' tempt me

I'm sorry but you ain't gotta Barbie up

You should come and step into my world just like Narnia

I wouldn't do no harm to you

Come on, let's find a quiet spot

How's your sister and your niece? Does she still cry a lot?

Who you talkin' to now? Are y'all 'bout to tie a knot?

Hope not, speak now, hold yo' peace, I will make that show stop

Remember back when I would come and spend the night at yo' house

Wake up by myself in bed 'cause you be at the stove top

Walk inside the kitchen put my hands up, let me stop

Please excuse me, I know these are heavy thoughts

A man's greed can't see the things that he's already got

Fucked it up between us 'cause I wanted you and every thot

Things would only worsen when you left me rock

Your bestie tried to warn you but you told her that, "He said he stopped"

He used to say her man was trash and tell me 'bout the way he'd act

I would shake my head until I realized I'm the same as that

Now I wonder, did she tell her man that I'm a trash dude?

And would he shake his head until he realized he was trash too?

I know this reunion's unexpected, but it's past due

At least if you ask me, I won't ask you

So what you 'bout to do?

I know you hate the way we drifted

But we both decide this party and we lived it

So what's up?

Just then your phone went off indicating that Jack was calling you.

“Hello?”

Taglist:

@harlowsbby

@babyharleezy

@hoodharlow

@stefansalvatoresgf

@jackiehollanderr

@primadxna-girl

@dessmxsworld

@cockslutslurper3000

@raelorns21​

@variety-fangirl​

@gbaabyyyy

@kamorsstuff

@harlowthot

@sinsandsuccubus

@curlyhairclub

@bootlegroach

@haylexo10

@thinkingaboutjharlow

@fluidsentiment

@charli123456789

@moody4world

@yourstrulymayah

@yana4life

@beanbagbitch

@alinaharlow

@carma-fanficaddict

@minaxcarter

@arination99

@xjup1t3r

@venusvinc

@jacksmoviestar

@jackharloww

@midnight-star47

@minkookie95

@inluvwithladybug

@tynesharandolph8633-blog

@exoticr0ses

@jharlowsangels

@jackierose902109

@jackmansbabymama

@cmalass

@megawhoree

@softtcurse

@sia2raw

@miniaturehideoutmentality

@hoya122

@nattinatalia

@jackslover12

@skyesthebomb

@jackharlows-world

@louisianalady

@fdl305

@automaticpeachsong

@harlowcomehome

@gassyandsassy1

@babygirlwilly

@amethyst09

@harrycanyonmoonn

@toocriticalharlow

@liv2sworld

@tattered-tales​

@sisiking99

@dessxoxsworld

[itsalwaysmay]

my reasons why ☁️

if you want to add some to your list <3

for the glow up

for all the nights you cried over your body

for feeling great in just underwear/naked

for using up only half a seat when you're sitting

for saying your weight out loud shamelessly

for getting weighed without worry

for a more defined face

for a flat stomach

for a tiny waist

for thin legs

for small wrists

for feeling like flying when people pick you up

for being smaller and cuter

for bones instead of roles

for being the skinny friend

for the worry of friends and family

for them trying to make you eat

for people's jealousy

for being that one person that never eats

for the control

for your childhood dream coming true

for sitting on someone's lap shamelessly

for feeling good in your own body

for feeling happy & proud

for people talking about you

for all the compliments

for fitting into all your clothes again

for not being ashamed of your body

for being able to wear anything and look good

for getting 'that' look from people

for amazing selfies and pics

for feeling weightless

for proving everyone wrong

for a thigh gap

for hating yourself less

for being full much quicker

for being smaller than your friends

for cuddeling and feeling their hands on you

for sweating less

for sweaters looking big on you

for a small number on the scale

for not having to squeeze into clothes anymore

for crossing your legs without worry

for not being judged for what you eat

for fitting into your tight clothes

for your clothes being too big on you

for fitting into size S or XS

for being used as thinspo

for almost fainting from hunger

for confidently wearing bikinis

for being considered pretty

for people crushing on you

for having a perfect body

for being called skinny

for meeting friends and not feeling bad

for not feeling ugly

for being skinny once in your life

for receiving nice comments on social media

for feeling cold easily

for getting dizzy and off balance cause you're so light

for loose rings and bracelets

for more defined collar bones, hip bones and ribs

for people telling you you've lost weight

for watching the scale drop each time

for confidently wearing crop tops

for looking like a model

for a toned body

for fasting without a problem

for never having to purge again

for looking forward to weighing yourself

for not being able to finish your meals

for going swimming shamelessly

for going on dates again

for being confident again

for people being able to carry you for longer

for looking cute on someone's lap

for amazing sex

for feeling comfortable in your skin

for openly talking about your weight and body

for being all aesthetic and petit

for being healthier and fitter

for being the skinniest person in the room

for a sharp jawline

for thin arms

for being sexy

for feeling complete

for being skinny for vacation

[sapphic-agent]

There’s a headcanon I’ve seen pop up in the comments of a fanfic recently (Shota Aizawa vs The Media by water_in_a_bottle, it’s great at calling out Aizawa) and it makes a lot of sense in universe. It’s an extension of the headcanon that Aizawa rigged the QAT scores against Izuku with the intent to expel him. It’s the idea that when Izuku got zero offers from pros, Aizawa was actually hiding the offers from him. Izuku should have gotten at least some offers. He has an incredibly powerful and flashy quirk similar to All Might. He broke free from a mind control quirk, and he also went up against the number two hero’s son in a showy match. At least some pros should notice him and be interested. I know that from a writing perspective, Hori is just making Izuku an underdog again and putting him under unnecessary pressure, but I feel like it fits with Aizawa’s so called teaching style as a whole and his view of Izuku.

Aizawa seems to view Izuku as sort of lazy for apparently neglecting to get his powerful quirk under control (when everything else about Izuku should really make him question that view). You would think that he would want Izuku to figure it out, but I think that he wants Izuku to “take responsibility” and figure it out on his own without any help, instead of from a pro who might offer him an internship that Aizawa might feel Izuku doesn’t deserve or isn’t ready for yet.

This also fits with his teaching style, considering his massive amount of expulsions. This probably isn’t the first student Aizawa has pulled something like this on. He likes to lie and trick his students with logical ruses constantly. The QAT isn’t just an excuse to expel students on the first day. He probably also uses it to figure out which students to specifically target for future expulsion (if he doesn't immediately expel them, fake or not). As the year goes on, he gives them secret, biased challenges or obstacles that they might not even know they’re being put through, and when they fail, he eventually expels them, without acknowledging that he deliberately set them up and sabotaged them to justify expulsion.

Most of this is just headcanon, but I feel like it makes a lot of sense with a more negative interpretation of Aizawa and his views, actions, and teaching style.

So, I actually don't think Aizawa rigged the QAT.

I'm not saying it would necessarily be out of character for him to do so. But the thing about the QAT is that it's not assessing physical fitness, it's assessing how well you use your quirk. If it was assessing how fit the kids were, Momo would have lost to Bakugou and Todoroki and she beat both of them.

Quirk users have advantages in almost every field, especially hero work, that's just a fact. And that's especially true in the QAT as it's geared towards quirk users. I never thought it was weird that Izuku placed last since here because he only had 10 months of basic training as opposed to these kids who have used their quirks all their lives.

(I read a fic where Hagakure used her invisibility to take a head start during the race. Things like that where they're "cheating," but not really because Aizawa said they could use their quirks to their advantage in any way they want)

Now, I think that the test itself was probably rigged against Izuku. It's basically canon that Aizawa was targeting him that day. But to rig the results themselves, I feel, would have been detrimental to the point he was trying to prove.

But always a fun headcanon to read about :)

[heliza24]

On Felice (Or the Lack Thereof) in Season 2

I have recently been writing a lot of meta defending season 2 and explaining why I like it. And I do love season 2, especially Wilhelm and Simon’s arcs. But I thought it was time to write about my one big complaint with the season: I was really disappointed in the way that Felice was written.

Right off the bat, I want to make it clear that I really love Felice as a character, and my disappointment comes from the ways that the writers failed to capitalize on the complexity and depth they had established for her in season 1. I wanted the season to have more Felice, and I really think the writers (as much as I adore their other choices) missed some really easy opportunities to strengthen the show as a whole by spotlighting her more.

In my mind, there are three really interesting components to Felice that start to be explored in season 1. The first is her relationship with her parents and the ways she feels she can or cannot live up to their expectations. This struggle pulls on all sorts of interesting threads. Felice is mixed race, and her white mom seems to be the one pressuring her the hardest to be a perfect, upper class lady, so this conflict with her family automatically invites us to explore questions about race and class. There’s also an element of fatphobia in the way that her mom expects Felice to be able to fit into her old clothes, another interesting idea to explore in light of how much fitting in visually seems to matter at Hillerska. The way that Felice feels pressured to perform the role assigned to her, mainly through social media and photos with Rousseau, brings up questions of authenticity, performance, and privacy, which are some of the main themes explored in the show. And the way that Felice stands up to her mother during the Lucia ceremony creates a satisfying arc for her that mimics Wilhelm’s larger journey towards standing up to his mom.

This story line seems to have been pretty firmly dropped for season 2, which I found very disappointing. We see Felice embrace her natural hair, despite her mother’s wishes, at the beginning of the season, but her relationship with her parents is never touched on in any significant way again. That feels like a huge missed opportunity especially since Wilhelm’s rebellion against his parents really blooms in season 2. The writers lost an opportunity to create dramatic foils in these two characters. 

Felice’s mom also puts a lot of pressure on her to start dating in a way that will further raise her social standing. (Presumably because dating a royal while she’s in school could lead to an eventual marriage and Felice herself becoming a royal.) This is the second thing that I find really fascinating about Felice: she is in a pressure cooker of heterosexual expectations. Partially this comes from her family, and their old-fashioned belief that Felice’s greatest value is as a potential royal wife. But this also comes from the position she’s found herself in at school. Felice has power in the Hillerska hierarchy because she’s popular and considered attractive. But this is not a comfortable position for her to be in, because that popularity depends on her sexual availability. We see August almost maliciously target her as his desired girlfriend, and we hear gossip about other boys pursuing her aggressively. One thing I did like about season 2 was the inclusion of some small hints about how being viewed as an object of desire affects Felice. We see how uncomfortable she is with her past sexual experiences when she lies to the girls during their sleepover, and we see how quickly the school weaponizes her desirability against her when she kisses Wilhelm. Felice’s relationship with her sexuality and her role as a woman is endlessly fascinating to me, so much so that I don’t think season 2 went far enough in exploring these themes.  

We’re told, rather than shown, that lots of boys have crushes on Felice. An example of this is in the lead up to the Valentine’s Day ball, when we’re told that she’s received a lot of invitations, but are not shown her receiving them or how she feels about them. In her conversation with Wilhelm after their ill-advised hookup, we can see some similarities between the ways that August and Wilhelm treated her: both used sex with her as a way to satisfy their own emotional needs without thinking about hers. But we never see Felice really put this all together. Yes, she decides to go to the ball with her friends and not with a boy. But I wanted to see more of her thought process here. How does she feel about the ways in which she’s been used? And what would her desire, her needs, look like without the constant social pressure she’s under? What kind of relationship or sexual encounter does she really want, deep down inside her heart? I wish I knew the answer to those questions. 

The last thing I love about Felice is her passion for justice, which is another defining theme of Young Royals. I love the way she defends and then befriends Sara, and her dogged determination to figure out who posted the video. The way she supports Wilhelm in the beginning of season 2 in his quest for revenge against August (and therefore implicitly agrees to keep the real culprit hidden from Simon) sets her up to be an interesting part of Wilhelm’s arc away from this kind of retributive justice. 

However, the season fails to develop this theme for Felice. For Wilhelm there are consequences to trusting an old-fashioned, almost feudal system of justice. He exerts his power to make August suffer, but this does not bring him closer to his goal of repairing his relationship with Simon. In fact, it jeopardizes any closeness he is able to re-establish with Simon when Simon discovers that Wilhelm has been lying to him. So by the end of the season Wilhelm has turned away from vengeance and has instead leaned into protecting his relationship with Simon. This is a really satisfying arc, and I expected Felice, who also initially subscribes to Wilhelm’s version of vengeful justice, to experience a similar disillusionment. If she did, this would mimic the way that her season 1 character arc (her growth away from her mother’s expectations) reflected and shed new light on Wilhelm’s arc which contained similar themes. But instead, Felice’s initial enthusiasm for punishing August alongside Wilhelm seems to simply fizzle out. There are no consequences for her, which feels like a huge missed opportunity to allow her to change and grow. 

So those are my disappointments. Now let’s have some fun, and pretend that I was in the writers’ room for season 2. I would obviously be accompanied there by @bluedalahorse; all of these thoughts about Felice are things that we’ve hammered out together, and some of my best ideas about the character come from Blue. What would we have done differently?

I think there are a few routes you could have gone to deepen Felice’s character without compromising the overall current structure of the season. 

The first option, and one that I was strongly predicting would happen when we were in the months in between season 1 and season 2, would be to make Felice queer. I think this potential plot has a lot to recommend it. It would allow us to compare and contrast her journey into queerness with Wilhelm’s. It would force Felice to really reckon with how she feels about the ways she has been objectified. And it would allow her to discover where her true desires lie. If I were pursuing this avenue, I would keep her hookup with Wilhelm in episode 2.3, and use it as a jumping off point to help kick start her journey of self discovery. As it stands now, I feel like that hookup does a lot to further Wilhelm’s growth, and evolves their friendship. But it doesn’t really change Felice as an individual. It would make perfect sense for Felice to start questioning her sexuality if after she finally kissed the boy that she thought she had a crush on (and that the world told her she should have a crush on) she felt nothing but disappointment. That’s a perfect catalyst to start questioning compulsory heterosexuality.

I can see two possible outcomes to Felice questioning her sexuality. She could discover that she’s actually gay or bi, and the show could introduce a female or nonbinary love interest for her (maybe in season 3, if season 2 was already too busy). Or, she could decide that she’s actually ace, and she doesn’t want to have sex with anyone at all. I think this option in particular would have worked really well with the remainder of the season. As it is, Felice decides to lean more into her friendships in the latter half of the season, which makes her fallout with Sara feel more dramatic. Having Felice realize that she’s ace and values her friendships above any other relationship would have further raised the stakes for her and Sara’s conflict. 

I think it’s unfortunate that this plot line got handed out to Stella and Frederika instead, because that decision effectively minimizes Felice’s role in the season. Stella and Frederika become almost equally featured as Felice, which I don’t think their development in season 1 really supports. I also can’t help but be frustrated by the way this decision reduces screen time for a main character of color, who could have easily fulfilled this role and been queer herself, in favor of two much flimsier white characters. 

Another option might have been to explore more of the complexities of her relationship with her parents. I think this could have been woven into the “we’re selling Rousseau” plot line pretty effectively. If her parents have capitulated and agreed that Felice doesn’t need to be a rider any longer, are they pressuring her to pick up another lady-like hobby? For that matter, what is Felice choosing to do with her spare time now that she’s not always at the stables? Do her parents approve of her new passion? I would have loved to see Felice get a new interest or hobby, and I also would have loved to see her relationship with her family continue to act as a foil to Wilhelm’s. 

Lastly, the show could have leaned into Felice’s passion for justice and allowed her to learn from her desire for revenge like Wilhelm did. If she took a more active role in punishing August alongside Wilhelm, and the school at large found out about it, would it have affected her social standing? If Sara had found out about it, would it have further damaged their friendship? If Felice had a change of heart and encouraged Wilhelm to forget August and do right by Simon (instead of just giving Wilhelm half-hearted advice about how to win Simon back) could that have created a new bond between Felice and Simon? There are a lot of different ways this one could have played out, and I really think any option would be more interesting than “provides bland support for Wilhelm and learns nothing”.

That brings me to my last big complaint. While I do love Wilhelm and Felice’s platonic relationship, I can’t help but feel irritated by the way that Felice is slotted into the role of “perfectly supportive Black best friend” in season 2. Having her assume this role for Wilhelm would not have been a problem if she had been given more development and depth in other areas. But because that was pretty much the extent of her development in season 2, it felt like the writers were writing a trope—and a racist one at that—and not a fully fleshed out character. Nikita’s performance is always layered and lovely, and I think she managed to make a lot out of the whole lot of nothing she was given in season 2.

Because I love Felice and I see so much potential in her, I am still hopeful that the show will course correct and give my girl some more love in season 3. Here’s hoping for a complex, developed character arc for Felice next season. I think the show will only be stronger for it.

[ilovethewaleses]

But is she putting in as much effort as she used to? I’ve never seen so many illfitted trousers on her as I’ve seen the past few weeks (today and the beige ones are the worst). And wearing Burberry today was a weird choice given the content of the engagements, considering their clothes isn’t even made in the UK. Her team would’ve been much more on top of that in the past. I think she wants to portray a certain look but whether she likes it or not what she wears is important too.

But I will say, William is worse. He shows up in wrinkly clothes almost every day, and he seems to have forgotten where his ties are most days. Receiving guests in Windsor Castle not even wearing an business suit was a real low point for him. The media and royal watchers just forget the men and don’t have the same kind of expectations on them.

I don’t know if you’ve seen their staff but some of them dress so bad even on official engagements, like I’ll never forget one of their engagements during the coronation week when one of their staff showed up in cargo pants. I think their office in general became too casual during the pandemic and they haven’t regained what they had before that (the pandemic overall was really detrimental to their office, I think they lost too many staff members at the same time so there’s too many newish ones there, see how awful their social media has been the past few years (the last few weeks have been much better though)).

Umm... what?? Sorry anon but I do not agree with much of this.

Catherine has worn a wrinkly outfit probably one time that I can remember in recent years. It was Wimbledon and when I saw it on tv, you couldn't even tell. Even if I haven't liked an outfit, every single outfit she has practically EVER worn has been completely appropriate. Yes she's had a few wardrobe snafus here and there but as one of the most photographed women in the world under an intense microscope, she is of course going to have a few of those.

What she wears is important, you're right. Which is why she is always beautifully turned out with well-fitting clothes appropriate for the occasion. She looks completely professional. There's nothing "not princess-like" about wearing trousers, unless we're still stuck in the 1950s. I think what it is is people got used to her dresses and when she's been changing it up, people don't know what to do with themselves... lol. She goes out and does these engagements in nice clothes and then when it comes to the big royal events, she wears very "princessy" clothes and tiaras and jewels. She's been at this for 12 years, she is going to go through lots of different clothing eras. She's experimenting, she's trying a new look, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I am incredibly confused how somehow putting on a dress = effort but putting on a three piece suit does not... there is nothing ill-fitting about this look at all to me 🤷🏼‍♀️ And one quick google search tells me that Burberry is made in multiple locations including the UK.

I also... don't care what their aids or staff are wearing lol. And I don't think their social media is awful, either. In fact, I think it's been pretty great these past few months.

[skullkxd]

It’s the final battle.

Ree is ready. They know they are. They’ve fought their way through every other challenge – this one? It should be a piece of cake.

Satoshi stands over them, grinning wide, Pikachu at his side. The blond takes a deep breath as they step onto the battlefield, cane leading the way. They can hear their heart pounding in their ears, and they can feel the heat of all eyes on the two of them.

This is what they have been working for, this whole time. This is the crux of achievement for them. It’s been – a little under a year, since they started their trials. Almost a full year since they got the idea of actually doing them – when Leon started to encourage them, pushing them to go ahead and try.

Everyone is watching.

Boss. Hau. Ingo. Peej. Red. Leon. Rika. Giovanni. Silva. Proton –

E v e r y o n e.

Ree can’t let them down --

They won’t.

Po Town’s Hero pulls a ball from their belt and calls out their first.

“-- Pickip! Let’s go!”

……….

— It comes down to be a lot more neck-and-neck than anyone would have expected. Ree brings their all to the fight, and so does Satoshi – of course he does. He isn’t going to disrespect Ree by handling them with kid gloves – it’s an all out battle.

The field rocks with each attack thrown at the other, and Ree keeps the intensity up with each exchange of power, crashing into each other like waves. It’s definitely getting difficult to keep standing, and Ree’s throat burns from the dust that kicks off the field with each hit, but they persist. Because they always persist.

They’re nothing if not stubborn.

They exchange blows and trade off switch offs, pokemon being recalled in turn with each other.

Dewott. Zorua. Donphan. Flygon. Lucario. Sylveon. Pikachu. Rockruff. Torterra. Gengar.

As the fates dictate – because of course they do – it all comes down to the final Pokemon – 

Lady of Destruction to Satoshi’s Ditto. 

The crowd watches with bated breath as Ree and Satoshi call out their commands, readying themselves for anything. Lady  is definitely the star of the show – the Pokemon people have waited for so long to see. She’s the pokemon people associate with Ree, just like people associate Satoshi and Red with Pikachu – which is something they never expected. Zorua was definitely a more fitting Pokemon to be considered “Ree’s Star”, but – hey. They can’t control the media’s headlines.

They hadn’t told anyone that Lady had finally evolved – they had kept it a surprise for this final battle – and seeing the ten foot tall owl throw out moonblasts like they’re nothing is definitely worth the wait.

The duo of Pokemon give it their all. They both know what they’re fighting for, and neither holds back from that onslaught of power. Ree tosses out a hand as Lady uses Recover, followed by a Moonblast, just as Satoshi’s transformed ditto does the same. The arena is covered in smoke and dust as the blasts collide with each other, and Ree has to shield their eyes in the winds of it whip around them – and then the smoke clears, to a massive Pokemon keeling over and fainting.

Lady is down.

Ree’s ears ring as the call is made. Their vision blurs as heat hits the back of their eyes, and they feel a raindrop cascade down their cheek.

“TOGEKISS IS UNABLE TO BATTLE. CHAMPION SATOSHI IS THE WINNER.”

They …. 

They lost.

[randaccidents]

I've got an idea, but, I don't remember if it was mentioned (ah yeah, me and my memory of a pebble)

Alright so.

Heart with crutches.

That's all

That the whole idea

OK I HAVE BEEN. LOOKING INTO THIS TOPIC FOR AWHILE SORTA. Because my Tridential Whole!Soul ALSO has muscle weakness so I was looking up whether crutches or walking canes would be better (neither so I just made him the most stubborn stupid man alive)

But yes yes I have been quietly considering that in the background of doing the main portions of this AU. Since Heart ends up with 4 weak limbs that randomly knock out on him occasionally, and lets be honest he would want to wander the house instead of being stuck in his room all day. Let him have his hobbies!

Anyways my long ass thought process that came out of this below. Fair warning it is DEFINITELY going to be inaccurate because this is like.... an hour of research? And I am Not a mobility aid user At All.

I'm going to assume that Heart is fully weight-bearing, meaning he can place full weight on his legs (even if theyre weak)

Off topic, I did debate a walking cane but. All Four Limbs. Yeah that's not gonna work out. I also debated a wheelchair and then realized that they would have to remodel the whole dang house AND that Heart is definitely pretty vocal about having access to Things. (and also that he's nowhere near ready to accept what he's lost yet. that he's not going to be the same Heart)

On one hand, crutches (hospital standard issue variant, very often seen in media). Very nice, very cool, but imo unwieldy and not meant for lifetime use, especially in their messy ass house. Apparently they hurt the elbows if used wrong or for extended periods of time? Plus the fact that it would limit Heart a lot since he would have to not drop them aaaaaand he has a little problem called weak arms as well. And idk something about those crutches made my brain go "you've seen a better version of crutches before". No offence to crutch users its just that my brain KNOWS there's something that fits better.

And then I FINALLY remembered what the fuck I was thinking about when it came to crutches.

ELBOW CRUTCHES/FOREARM CRUTCHES

This kind! (dont axe me its on a Creative Commons license I am LEGAL)

The vibes fit better. He's still blatantly a crutch user but its more flexible? There's bars for him to catch himself on or lean his weight entirely on the occasion when all four of his limbs decide to clock out on him. (reads medical guide) And apparently elbow crutches are among the most versatile mobility aid? I did Not know that. Also the entire "weight thrown off because he no longer has to lean forward to balance out the weight of his wings" thing.

Although as a little bit of a downside, Heart doesn't accept he needs crutches initially. He's fine guys he swears. He can walk on his own, he doesn't need some stupid sticks to walk just because his legs are shaky today (immediately falls over trying to walk and almost cracks his head on the counter).

Heart takes awhile to accept that he lost something in his decision and he does, in fact, require mobility aids now. (That realization is its own bout of mourning and grief) But he will learn and adapt and accept his new normal in time. Maybe one day he will see them as just as much a part of himself as his wings once were.

(On a more lighthearted note Heart absolutely is still a gremlin that pokes Perseverance and Penitence with his new in-built poking sticks. Whacks them on the head from the sofa. Smacks the remote off the table when he sees Perseverance reaching for it because The Stick is Longer. Little things that make the crutches a stand-in for his wings. Perseverance is incredibly vexed by the fact that he cant just. Take the crutches away because that's just mean to Heart. But also please stop hitting his head and saying "bonk".)

So yes. Heart with crutches :3. Very good idea thank you.

[snowandsage]

⚠️⚠️TRIGGER WARNING: ED, body image, depression, mental illness ⚠️⚠️

I would never in a million years post something like this to any of my other social media accounts but I’m proud of myself and how far I’ve come and want to make a post. It’s likely that this will be taken down for the “inappropriate photos” and I sincerely doubt that many will take the time to read this, but oh well. I’m writing this for me.

The purpose of this post is to share my story and spread awareness as well as positivity.

My body image is something that I have struggled with for a very long time now. Since middle school, I was overly aware of how my body looked and I developed severe body dysmorphia. I refused to wear bathing suits, I cried in the dressing room whenever I went clothes shopping, and I constantly compared myself to those around me. I hated my body and the way that I looked. This obsession with my appearance and my weight continued to progress throughout high school and even college. I began working out frequently, I logged my weight and everything that I ate for years, I counted calories, I would use a tape measure to measure my waste. At 15 years old, I would sob quietly to myself while looking at my body in the mirror. I would force myself to throw up after meals or when I felt like I overindulged. I wholeheartedly hated myself.

It wasn’t until my adult years that things started to get really bad. From 2021 to late 2022, I was at my absolute worst. I was in a bad place mentally and I was feeling out of control. As unhealthy as it sounds, my eating disorder was one of the few things that helped me feel in control of my life. I began weighing myself 4-5 times every day, my hair started falling out in large clumps, I began passing out almost on a daily basis (at home, at work, in the shower, in public), I was freezing cold all the time, i was chronically fatigued, and my body hurt and ached at all times. I was refusing to eat more than one full meal a day, and that meal typically consisted of a bagel with butter. I would look up the calories in ibuprofen before taking it, I started drinking my coffee black to avoid the calories from cream, I was constantly lying to my friends and family about my eating, I wouldn’t even let myself drink carbonated water because it made me feel bloated. I was so so so sick. Within one year, I had lost a total of 50 pounds, gone down 2 bra sizes, and had no longer fit in any of my clothing. I am a 6’3” woman and was weighing in at 124lbs when I decided that I needed to make a change if I wanted to live.

In November of 2022, I decided to actively work on getting better. I threw away my scale and called my doctor to get a referral to an ED program. I was advised to go completely inpatient considering the severity of my problem.

It’s hard. Every single day of this healing process has been hard for me. I have not once weighed myself since November and have been eating normal meals again. I refuse to let myself see the calories of the things that I eat and I’m pushing myself to break all of the unhealthy “rules” that I had previously made for myself. It’s obvious that I have gained quite a bit of weight since starting this journey, and although I still struggle with that and frequently have negative thoughts… I’m recovering and I’m trying. And that is all the matters.

I’ve slowly been learning to love myself with this new and improved body and I’m proud of myself for making it this far. I promise myself that I will continue to grow and heal even on days where I want to relapse or when I feel worthless or uncomfortable in my own skin.

I just recently learned some information that caused me to really, truly think about this terrible illness and how deeply and negatively it has, and always will, affect my life. About 3 weeks ago I wound up in the emergency department with severe heart palpitations, tachycardia, and vertigo. After doing an EKG and further testing, I was diagnosed with a rare heart condition in which can cause sudden fainting, seizures, or even sudden death. Unfortunately, one of the few things that can cause this, are eating disorders, more specifically anorexia nervosa. I wanted to throw up when I heard this. I didn’t realize how badly my ED could have been affecting my health. All that ever ran through my head was that I wanted to be skinny. I wanted to be thin because I didn’t feel worthy if I wasn’t. Surely, nobody would love me or want to see me naked if I wasn’t thin. What absolutely bullshit that is. I’m heartbroken for myself and I am so sad that I ever let myself get that bad. It devastates me to think about how many other people (men, women, young, old, etc.) struggle with eating disorders every waking minute of their lives. It isn’t worth it.

Please, please, please reach out to somebody if you are struggling with an eating disorder. You are so worth it and you deserve a chance at a happy and healthy life. You are SO much more than a number on a scale.

The first 5 photos are pictures that I took when I was at my unhealthiest and the remaining pictures are recent.

[tiffanylamps]

Han Joo Won: the 'I don't like touching people' boy and his manhandling victim.

Hi! I am here once again to give you a Beyond Evil analysis/meta-commentary. This time we are discussing Joo Won's whole touch deal... (and briefly discussing Dong Sik's, as well).

This show has a very big thing about hands and touching (women's fingertips are literally cut off) and they decided to have one of its main characters are issues with touch and chooses to avoid it. Who then proceeds to... well... we all know.

This is an excerpt from the essay I mentioned in this post. So, if it reads as being a bit little unfinished that's because it is meant to be a part of a larger piece.

I will also prefix that this post doesn't really delve into Joo Won's mental health or family history. It's just a commentary on how he treats Dong Sik differently from other people.

[I advise not taking shots every time you read the word "touch"... you'll end up in hospital]

[29/06/22 Note: This post has been edited and improved.]

[A continuation from a separate paragraph.]

As physical touch is something that can be taken away, for a character like Joo Won who struggles with giving and receiving it, it is important that there are only two characters that Joo Won will actively choose to touch throughout the show; as in, he chooses to touch them more than once.

Those two characters are Kwon Hyuk and Lee Dong Sik.

Joo Won touches Dong Sik (in the beginning) due to surges of uncontrollable anger, feelings of upset, or frustration. Other people have the capacity to upset, frustrate, and anger Joo Won but he doesn’t get physical with them in the same way. Almost like he doesn’t want to be in their personal space. 

This is deemed as an unusual characteristic, considering Joo Won's preference for avoidance. The show's creators highlight that this is not a signifier of Joo Won being a hypocrite or a liar, but instead, it portrays that Joo Won either cannot control his emotions and/or actions around Dong Sik, or he doesn't want to.

Joo Won treats Dong Sik (physically) from everyone else in his life. We are given a direct comparison to show us the difference in which Joo Won treats Dong Sik. That is shown through Joo Won's relationship with Kwon Hyuk. Dong Sik and Hyuk are the only people (that I remember) receiving physical contact from Joo Won that was affectionate.

However, the intensity with which he touches them is the main difference. For Hyuk, Joo Won would pat his shoulder quickly to show his thanks and appreciation. It is friendly, platonic, emotionally stunted and a little sterile but affectionate, nonetheless. 

(It took me so long to find that gif)

Compared to Dong Sik, well… In the most simplistic terms, Joo Won manhandles Dong Sik. 

Within South Korean media, it is not uncommon for male characters to display their frustration by manhandling another male.

Stranger

Vincenzo

Welcome 2 Life

Are some examples. However, the frequency in which Joo Won does this is what makes him stand out.

Dong Sik also manhandles male characters when he has lost his temper (Club man, Han Joo Won, the guy he may have killed). For a character as multi-faceted as Dong Sik, it would have been easy for the show to make Dong Sik a touchy-feely man, as it would have fitted within his archetype: bouncy, loud, maybe the village gay, vibrant... tactile. But they didn't; Dong Sik isn't very physical at all. There are three occasions (or reasons) in which Dong Sik is tactile:

Moments of extreme anger: always toward men and always because the male is acting in an unacceptable way (The club man, punching Joo Won in the face, maybe killing that other guy)

Moment of extreme stress: trying to save Sang Yeob's life

Moments of affection: offering comfort to his mother and Joo Won.

Unlike, the two times he reacted negatively to Joo Won touching him (the first time Joo Won touched him and when Joo Won handcuffed them together), Dong Sik tends to not have that much of a reaction to being touched. Having said that, there is one time I can think of when Dong Sik is touched by another male and he has an immediate negative reaction. In episode 3, Jung Je pulls on Dong Sik's arm to stop him from walking and Dong Sik (notably angry) yanks his arm away.

So, despite the fact that Dong Sik's characterisation could have easily made him a tactile person, they chose not to do that. I believe they did this to show that despite how (initially) antagonistic Joo Won was, Dong Sik never had that much of an issue with the younger man touching him. If he did, he would do more about it, as proven by the scene with Jung Je.

[Side note: Dong Sik was beaten up by the police when he was twenty. So, I do think there is something to say about how he reacts to Joo Won being aggressive with him. Dong Sik has a side of him that can be aggressive and when pushed, he can become physically violent (beating up the man he might have killed and choking Lee Chang Jin are two examples), which suggests that Dong Sik is not a passive man. However, those instances were when he was the aggressor. When he is on the receiving end of aggression, especially if it is Joo Won as the aggressor, he becomes placid and almost like a rag-doll. Due to his history, it would suggest that this is a trauma response, his way of trying to keep Joo Won from actually hitting him. BUT, but, but, but that doesn't explain this-

The amounts of times Dong Sik does shit like this ^

Despite his history of being assaulted and Joo Won's continual aggressive behaviour, Dong Sik sure doesn't have a problem being in Joo Won's personal space. He might not actively choose to touch Joo Won but he does get in his personal space. I think it's partially because he wants to intimidate and aggravate him with his ambiguous sexuality and because he enjoys it. His way of dealing with Joo Won's aggression is kind of like: what?? are you going to punch me or kiss me? make your mind up, I'm waiting... He's an interesting, complicated, slutty man... ]

But like many other characters within South Korean media, especially in the crime genre, Dong Sik's acts of physically touching other characters are sporadical. He'll do it once (perhaps twice to a certain character) and that’ll be it. [from my personal knowledge] Han Joo Won is not like other mainstream male characters in South Korean media (within the crime genre), he’s (despite his mysophobia/mental health) a very tactile person and will go out of his way to be physical with Dong Sik. 

Joo Won is the (one of two) main character in a show that is within the crime/murder/mystery genres. He is not a love interest in an obvious romance show. He is not showing his anger for reasons of jealousy, protection, or peacocking and yet, he still finds a way to physically touch Dong Sik. The older man is not his rival in his romantic life or at work, he is his suspect turned ally. He is a man Joo Won (at one point in time) seems to loathe... and yet, from the beginning, he finds any excuse to be in his personal space. Joo Won doesn't do this with any other character.

What is telling about Joo Won’s interest in only touching Dong Sik, is that as their relationship develops, his touches diversify:

Grabbing Dong Sik’s clothes: to prevent him from moving (episode 3-16)

Grabbing Dong Sik’s clothes: to pull him closer/emphasise his point or his feelings (episode 3-16)

Holding onto Dong Sik even when Dong Sik is doing something else (checking his phone: episode 6)

4 specific examples that stand out to me:

Cradling Dong Sik’s crying body whilst holding hands with him (episode 10)

Angrily holding onto Dong Sik’s clothes, pulling him closer and looking at his lips (episode 14??)

A soft (absent-minded) brush of his hand (episode 15)

Clutching Dong Sik’s hands and crying into them (episode 16)

(This show has a lot of hands in it and that’s so beautiful) 

Here's a quick visual example/summary of the progression:

The first time Joo Won touches Dong Sik [Disclaimer: I'm discounting the ep1 hand pat because ep3 was the first time he is the initiatator]

The last

Joo Won's tactile nature with Hyuk displays his philia/storge* love for him. Whereas, the way Joo Won touches Dong Sik shows his eros/ludus "love"/interest/repressed feelings for the older man. It is passionate, angry, confused, uncontrollable, desperate, and lustful. But then it becomes: repressed, affectionate, desperate, passionate, lustful, caring, absent-minded, and natural.

One display is relaxed, not easily given and platonic (Hyuk). The other is intense and is not platonic in the slightest (Dong Sik). Further proving how differently Joo Won views and treats Dong Sik.

*the seven kinds of love defined by the Ancient Greeks.

Joo Won is… hilarious and so obvious.

In the beginning, he thinks that Dong Sik is either a serial killer or at least complicit in multiple women’s brutal murders and yet, he’s popping around his house, whispering in his ear, getting in his personal space- he doesn’t fear Dong Sik.

Dong Sik’s person doesn’t set off his mysophobia, he does, however, cause Joo Won to have anxiety responses to their interactions. (This is also triggered because of other things going on with Joo Won’s mental health/ the stressful nature of the situation.)  

A quick summary of the different ways Joo Won's able to touch others:

Moments of stress or extreme anger: always toward men and always because the male is acting in an unacceptable way (Dong Sik, the group he beats up in ep5//kind of, Kang Jin Mook) Moment of extreme stress: trying to save Nam Sang Bae's life Moments of affection: Dong Sik (I don't need to elaborate). For work: Joo Won is capable of touching people for work. As shown by his interactions with those who are mentally unwell: Bang Ho Cheol, the boy from episode 2, Jung Je.

If it's for work, he can do it. But does he want to? No. This further proves that there are only two people he actually wants to touch: Hyuk and Dong Sik.

Notably, he never touches any of the female characters, either.

What I’m trying to say is: that Dong Sik from the get-go is a special case in Joo Won’s life and I think that further supports Joo Won’s queer coding. 

(^ what they said)

So, as we have established how Joo Won treats Dong Sik differently, we now must ask: why?

-

Anyway, thank you for reading this short excerpt from that essay I mentioned. I had a whole bit analysing Joo Won's mysophobia and his potential OCD/ASD and how that affects his actions. But I've decided not to include it because it lacks direction and doesn't do his character justice. Not to say that this entry does, but it has something to say, even if it the obvious and only small.

I hope this was entertaining to read. It's a mess but... yeah... I'm not going to do anything about that.

Once again, if you want to add to the conversation/share your own thoughts in any way, please feel free to do so. I love talking about this show and its layers, and would be more than happy to do so with you lovely lot!

Bye!

[solsticevanfleet]

strawberry vines; s.f.k.

chapter one

Pairing: Sam & female!Reader

Word Count: 2.2k

Summary: You had always been passionate about music and marketing, so when your final capstone university project is to create an exhibit with a specific muse, your chance encounter with a small local band leads you to an epiphany for the showcase. You never meant to mix work with play.

WARNINGS: Mild swearing, alcohol mention.

Notes: Hi guys! This is my first time posting fanfic for this fandom and I’m kinda nervous lol. This is an intro chapter to what will become a series. I hope y’all enjoy this plot layout, please let me know what you think! My asks are always open to comments, concerns, and suggestions!

It had always been cold in Clark, but never like it was today. You always brought an extra sweatshirt (sometimes a blanket) in the winter, but today it was nice outside, so you didn’t think too hard about it when you showed up in a flannel. The wind outside was warm, a nice 76 degrees that felt like a Californian beach-side haven compared to the 59-degree library. Courses had begun a week ago and being a senior, graduation could not come faster, though you were pleasantly surprised when the senior advisor offered a new capstone course. Opting for what felt like the ‘easier’ option, you decided to capstone in “American Magazines” rather than write a 25-page paper in some nondescript writing seminar. All magazines are is journalism of some sort… and it fits almost too perfectly considering your little hobby blog kickstarted pretty well this concert season.

It started as a way to get your writing out, a way to combine your love of music with your dream of working in music management and social media. Snippets of concert reviews and novice photos taken on your cheap Nikon camera were littered throughout the blog, as well as album reviews and interviews with amateur bands and musicians. A blog is basically an online magazine, right? You sat down in the surprisingly comfy library chair and skimmed the class’ syllabus, “END OF YEAR EXHIBIT” was displayed in bold caps and seemed to be the assignment of the year: an exhibit dedicated to the subject of your choice, paired with a homemade zine to be handed out to spectators at the show. 

Subject of your choice… you wracked your mind, flipping through the mental trading card binders of the musicians you’d worked with in the past, you were sure one of them would be up to the idea of being this semester’s muse. 

•

Lecture hall never got better, no matter the course or the people around you. But why would it? It was a lecture hall, but at least your professor seemed nice. Dr. Richards was an older eccentric man who wore his gray hair in a slicked back ponytail. He looked as if he was meant to teach in the fashion department and not in communications, but it made sense as he explained his requirements for the class. After going over the bulk of the syllabus, he went over the end-of-year exhibit in finer detail. It was meant to be a multimedia project where students needed to tie in their overall career goals with, something that reflected what the student had learned in the course as well as their own personality and aspirations. You smiled slightly to yourself, excited about the creative liberties you were being given for the project, and the prospect of being able to design your own exhibit for the public. You hadn’t realized that class ended, and you quickly gathered your things as you rushed to get out, not noticing the tall figure gazing toward you. You looked up and came face to face with your TA for the class. 

“Hey, I’m Danny, I noticed you were kinda zoned out for a moment there and wanted to check in,” he chuckled lightheartedly. His hair was done up in what looked like a turquoise claw clip, his curly bangs and front pieces tousled and frizzy. He radiated what could only be described as pure joy, as if he wanted to help in whatever way he could. 

“Oh my god, sorry, I do that sometimes, you know, lost in the mind of an artist or whatever, I’m just wracking my brain trying to think about what to do my exhibit on…” You cringed at yourself, “You know what, just ignore me. I’ve seen you around before, actually.” Danny looked surprised, and you could see the wheels in his head turning until his eyes lit up. 

“Wait, yeah! I think we have a few mutual friends, small world UMich is. About your exhibit, do you have any ideas so far?” 

“Well, I review local musicians and write about their gigs, usually free ones at bars or restaurants. I was thinking about possibly setting something up with maybe a band of students but I don’t really know where to search for one.” You saw Danny’s eyes light up for the second time.

“It’s funny you say that, I have a band and we perform quite a few times a week at The Garage Bar on Church Street, you know the one right?” You nodded as he spoke, a silent yes to his question. “We’re called ‘Greta Van Fleet’. I don’t think my bandmates would mind you coming in for a few practices or gigs, to be honest, I think Josh would love that. Why don’t I give you my number and we can talk about it more later, I’m running late for practice, actually.”

Danny scribbled his number down on a piece of paper and ripped it out of his notebook, handing it to you with a smile and a nod as he rushed out of the hall. You were alone as you gazed down at his hurried scrawl, who the hell is Josh?

•

Thursday night rolled around and you found yourself staring at the mirror, for the millionth time it seemed, deliberating over your outfit. You didn’t care what you wore, really, but you couldn’t help but feel self-conscious all of a sudden, they wouldn’t scrutinize you, right? They’re just a group of young guys- possibly young? Who were you to know if it wasn’t just your TA and a bunch of grandpas? Or maybe dilfs? Who knows, though you semi-wished for dilfs.

You finally settled on a black mini skirt and a plain orange tee with a jacket thrown on top, something safe but still giving the illusion that you might have gave a fuck about your appearance. As you walked out into the brisk autumn air, you shivered and pulled the jacket closer to you, berating yourself for not dressing warmer. It wasn’t too long before you showed up at the address Danny had sent to you a couple of hours prior, accompanied by a few dancing emojis – he was a frequent user of emojis, you had discovered, with the few texts you two had exchanged. You weren’t expecting google maps to take you to a house, maybe a bar or a practice hall of some sort, but it looked like your typical college-aged boys home. Fairy lights which were strung haphazardly over the porch, lawn chairs on the patio, and a turned-over welcome mat greeted you as you rang the doorbell. You could hear the plucking of off-key guitar strings and chatter coming from behind the door, which only heightened your anxiety about this whole evening. You brought along your laptop and camera, hoping maybe to get some off-the-clock practice shots if the band agreed to work with you on the project.

The door suddenly opened and jarred you from your thoughts, a flash of warm light came from inside the house and a curly mop now stood in front of you. Attached to the mess of curls was a bright white smile belonging to a handsome young guy; he couldn’t have been much older than you, 3 years at most. 

“Welcome, welcome! You don’t have to stand outside, come in and make yourself at home. We have beer and seltzer in the fridge if you want, or apple juice,” The guy blabbed, ushering you inside the foyer leading into the kitchen and living room. 

“Don’t be a dick, she doesn’t want apple juice.” The voice came from beyond the door frame, yelling almost as it berated the man in front of you. As you opened your mouth to speak, almost the exact same motherfucker walked out of the kitchen, “Sorry about Josh, he can be a bit overbearing.”

They had the same look, though this one had long wavy locks and his presence was not as bold, yet he shined as he entered the room. “I’m Jake, and this one is Josh, obviously, I assume youre the girl Danny’s mentioned.” You instantly felt at home, with the yin and yang nature of their contrasting personalities, and you nodded as you looked between the twins. 

Josh knocked the back of his hand into Jake’s shoulder, “Lighten up, will ya?”, he turned back to face you. “Let’s go, Danny and Sam are downstairs tuning. Did you need a drink or anything ‘fore we go?”

“Honestly I’m okay, thank you for asking though. Do you have anywhere I could plug in my charger, though?” 

“Yeah, just follow me.”

You made your way down the narrow staircase into what felt like a make-shift man cave of sorts, traffic signs, and rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia coated the walls as you entered the dimly lit basement. It smelled of incense, alcohol, and a hint of cologne as the boys ahead of you went straight for their bandmates. There sat Danny, and who you could only assume was Sam. He was hunched over what you thought was a guitar, only it was a light blue, almost green color, something you didn’t usually see. He had long brown hair, brushing his shoulders and wrapped like a halo around his face as his eyes were focused on the strings and his plush lips were mumbling something quietly, too quiet to hear. He seemed to be closest to your age, maybe a bit older, but nothing too crazy. Jake gestured you to the couch, where the outlet was sat directly next to, and you took a seat next to him. 

“Nice guitar, I love the color,” you uttered loudly, loud enough to get his attention. He was the only one who hadn’t immediately perked up at your presence, even Danny had greeted you so welcomingly, now occupied with the brothers. This one was seemingly too entranced by the sounds coming out of his instrument as he tuned the strings. At the sound of your voice, he slowly looked up, and you could see he had large, downturned chocolate-colored eyes. He smirked gently, one side of his mouth lifting as he scoffed.

“Thanks, but this is a bass. I understand the confusion though, especially since it is customized. Though, it does look almost brown to me... You don’t get much of those out in the wild.” His eyes quickly scanned your appearance, looking for a comment of his own. “Nice… leaves?” 

You glanced down confused by his comment on the color but noticed your tattoo peeking out from under your skirt, “Oh, thank you, they’re berry vines, strawberries actually. You don’t get much of those out in the wild, either.” He chuckled as you smiled to yourself, pleased with your quick wit. 

“Well, Berry, it’s nice to meet you. Daniel over here has been talking about you coming over for a week now and I think we’re all a little interested in hearing about this little project of yours.” 

“Nicknames already?” Danny chimed in, Sam’s head turning to meet the sound of his voice. “We can talk about logistics later, I have class in the morning so let’s get this shit started.”

The boys all made sounds of agreement and got into position as you looked around and decided to sit on a large purple bean bag chair on the floor, near where Jake was messing around with the pedals next to his feet. It was then that Danny counted them in and Josh’s vocals came in, loud, raw, and powerful, something you didn’t expect to come out of such a small man. The combination of Jake’s electric riffs, Danny’s pounding beat, the smooth and sexy bass lines, and Josh’s voice, you were quite frankly surprised and pleased. When Danny had mentioned a band, you had expected an amateur bunch of musicians trying to mesh their different sounds together, but this band was amazing, sounding as if they had been practicing for years and years together; their chemistry was addicting. As they finished off the song, Josh looked over at you for approval, grinning widely with a sparkle in his eyes really only seen in people who were truly passionate and into their craft. Your only reaction was a dropped jaw.

“That was… insane. Like, I’m blown away to be quite honest, you all work so harmoniously together- how? I mean, you’re all so cohesive.”

“I mean, we’ve been playing together since high school, we got a small following back home because of it but there’s always room to practice.” Jake was so genuine with his responses, probably the most level-headed out of the bunch. You nodded, urging them to tell more. He continued, “It’s been a rollercoaster but we’re looking to reach outside of just local bars and lounges.” 

Sam chimed in, “Yeah, I’m kind of sick of college.” he flashed you a smirk, which made your cheeks heat, but you ignored the urge to keep eye contact with him. “Well, I would love to work with you guys this semester… I’ve got good social media skills too if you’d like this to branch outside of academics…,” Even asking the question felt embarrassing to ask, but something inside told you to stick around. 

The boys looked around at each other, communicating with their eyes, silently agreeing with nods of approval and shrugs before Josh spoke up, “I think we could swing that.”