#most translated into English so I think it should be easy to find on the internet

[marietheran]

What is the "Lenore" folk song?

Take what I say with a grain of salt because I've only read a few of the ballads and one paper about them (which I would love to link, if only it was in English), but, in general it seems to have been a folktale/folksong widespread in the area of Germany and Poland that the Romantics in both countries latched on to and made their own versions of.

Tw: slight horror and implied demonic activity in the summary.

To recount the story (I'm roughly basing it on the polish ballad by Adam Mickiewicz which I know best), it begins with a girl (in other versions named Lenore), who receives news her lover is dead in some war or other. Her family wants her to get over him; the girl fights this. First she mopes, then she blasphemes, then she meets up with a witch of sorts, who promises to being her lover back.

Cue a rider with horse arriving at the gates in the dead of the night. The girl runs away with him. They ride a long whiles (at this point several comments tend to be made on how "the dead ride fast", or asking the girl if she's not afraid), the rider three times asking Lenore to throw away her prayerbook, cross/crucifix and rosary (I think these three, in the polish version at least, but anyway, religious objects) because they impede him in some way. In a striking display of lacking in genre-awareness (or even awareness of basic spiritual realities, I'd say), the girl sees nothing alarming in this, and follows through with his demands. Pursuant to which, they arrive at their destination, which to her surprise turns out to be a graveyard. Fire flashes from inside the rider and he takes the girl into the grave.

[olderthannetfic]

I thought it would be interesting to see if I could easily determine which ships had the most works updated in 2023.

It turned out to be fairly easy, though a little time consuming. I think these results should be reasonably accurate.

Some points to note:

I did this on my own account, and I have like 2 people muted. So I am capturing the effects of archive-locked works, but my numbers might be off by one or two works due to muting.

Works updated in 2023 is a number that constantly changes as works are deleted or updated again in 2024.

I didn't scrape the entire archive or anything like that, so it's possible I missed a ship that would bump one of these down below 100. I'd take the last few at the bottom there with a grain of salt. But I think we can be reasonably sure the top ones are accurate and that the kinds of numbers that we see at the bottom there (eighteen hundred plus works updated in 2023) are about where the cutoff will be even if we find a ship I missed.

--

As for how I did this, I went to the category tags and the rating tags, filtered for updating in 2023, then excluded ships in the sidebar till I got to 130-150 ships excluded. I also grabbed ships that are big in general from tag search, which you can use to find all relationship canonicals, ordered by frequency.

I combined those lists of ships, cleaned off the works numbers, and generated a list without duplicates. That got me three hundred and something (yes, they were mostly duplicates). I generated the relevant AO3 URLs, opened them in batches with Open Multiple URLs, and copied the works totals into a spreadsheet. Not as tidy as using a script but honestly pretty easy if you know a few spreadsheet formulas to clean up data.

The key here is that if you're only going for pretty good and not accurate beyond a shadow of a doubt, all you need to do is generate a list of likely ships, then check them.

It's possible that there's some much-updated ship that is so evenly spread across these various other tags that it just missed showing up in the sidebar. Hopefully, grabbing more than just the top 100 avoided this problem.

This method also doesn't take into account backdated works. If a whole archive was imported in 2023 but all backdated, there could be some ship that didn't have new works but where AO3 users experience in 2023 was of an influx of content.

I also did this just now, in late March/early April, so some 2023 works have inevitably been deleted or updated again. So the exact work counts don't represent the experience of using AO3 throughout 2023. A fandom active in early 2023 might not have much updating in early 2024, while a fandom active in late 2023 would. This could demote the latter a few places in the rankings since I didn't grab numbers on January 1st.

Even if a person scraped AO3 every day or was monkeying around in the databases, you also have to ask what conceptual answer you're after. Is it works a user could have read at some point during 2023, whether they were deleted by the year's end or not? Is it new-to-AO3 works or only newly-created ones, not including imported archives? Does it matter if the works are fic? If they're in English? What about accidental double-uploads or translations of a single work?

I hope this makes it clear why a definitive ranking is not actually possible.

However, despite these drawbacks, I am confident that the rankings above accurately represent the broad trends on AO3 in 2023. Just don't get too fixated on whether a ship should be at number 73 or number 74.

And, of course, I excluded these from the top 100:

Original Character(s)/Original Character(s) - 20,026

Minor or Background Relationship(s) - 16,187

No Romantic Relationship(s) - 8,052

Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s) - 7,195

Original Male Character/Original Male Character - 6,283

Other Relationship Tags to Be Added - 5,618

Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s) - 3,990

Original Character(s) & Original Character(s) - 3,210

Here's a spreadsheet if you want to see the actual numbers not as a shitty screencap. I left the next few below 100 for context.

[alessiasfreckles]

Lonely

Lucy Bronze & reader (platonic)

after moving to barcelona, everything is hard; the language, your anxiety, the loneliness. after a particularly rough day, lucy finds you crying in the changing room and is determined to help.

A/N: based off of this ask! i tried to make it different enough to Fitting In but still along the same vein, i hope you like it ✨

----------------

The sun was shining, it was a beautiful (albeit a bit cold) day in Barcelona, you were playing for one of the best women’s football teams in the world, and everything was perfect.

Well, it should have been. You knew that. Really, there was no reason for you to be anything but happy. When friends and family back home asked you how you were getting on, you told them about the gorgeous scenery, the weather, and how much fun you were having. It wasn’t all a lie, the scenery really was incredible, and the weather was nicer than it was in England, at the very least. 

But, if you were being honest? Things were really fucking hard. 

You were trying to learn Spanish, really, you were, but languages had never been your thing. Everyone had told you before you left that “it’ll be easy, once you’re surrounded by it!”. Bullshit. You went through the day understanding single words and phrases here and there, but for the most part, it was like your brain just shut off when people started talking. 

The language issue, of course, didn’t exactly help your social situation. You’d always found it hard to make friends, even in your native language. Trying to do it in a whole other language felt like an impossible task. The team tried to be welcoming, of course, but most of the time your brain was too exhausted from trying to keep up with the language for you to socialise. The other international players helped a little and would translate things for you sometimes, but you were the newest recruit and everyone else’s Spanish was miles better than yours. You could tell that the other players were making an effort to speak Spanish, some even learning Catalan, and you didn’t want to be the stereotypical English speaking person who couldn’t be bothered to speak the language of the country they were in. So, when everyone would burst out laughing at something Aitana said, you laughed along, hoping no one would catch on to the fact that you hadn’t understood it. 

You had hoped to become friends with Lucy and Keira, thinking that it would be nice to have at least a couple other English players to talk to, but they seemed so settled in their lives here that you felt like you were intruding. Lucy spent a lot of time with the Spanish girls and seemed to talk Spanish, or at least a mix of Spanish and English, most of the time, and Keira did the same. Even when you had the opportunity to talk to them, your social anxiety would flare up, and you’d find yourself overthinking and debating what to say for so long that by the time you’d decided, the moment had passed. 

So, you kept to yourself, mostly. You spent a lot of time observing your teammates, their interactions with one another. Trying to figure out how you could interact with them, then losing the courage to do so. 

Your teammates felt bad, they could tell that you hadn’t settled in and that you were the outsider of the group, but with so much training and all of the games the team had, it was all too easy to forget about everything outside of football.

That’s how, on that beautiful day in Barcelona, after a particularly tough training session, you found yourself crying in an empty changing room. You’d waited until everyone went home, stalling and saying you wanted to run a few more laps. Once the changing room was empty, you collapsed on a bench, staring into space, not even aware of the tears beginning to stream down your face. You were so tired of having to try so hard all the time, and if you were honest, you were really lonely. 

The door to the changing room bangs open, making you jump, and you look up to see Lucy standing there carrying a box of towels. The look of surprise on her face quickly changes to one of concern when she realises you’re crying, as you quickly try to wipe away your tears, white-hot embarrassment flooding your body.

“Woah, y/n, are you okay? What’s wrong, do you need me to get someone?” Lucy asks, putting the box on the bench closest to her. She stays by the door, looking like she’s not sure whether to come closer and comfort you or to leave to get help.

“Um, no, it’s okay, I’m okay,” you say, sniffing a little and laughing awkwardly. “I’m fine, seriously. Don’t worry about it.”

The brunette raises an eyebrow as she comes closer and lets the door swing shut. “Yeah, right, pull the other one. Clearly something’s not okay, or else you wouldn’t be sat here, crying, alone.”

“Yeah, I guess you got me there,” you smile weakly. “But really, it’s okay. It’s nothing.”

“If it’s upsetting you, it’s not nothing,” she says firmly, sitting down next to you. “What’s going on?”

You shrug, not wanting to burden her with your problems and not sure where to start. “It’s just a lot, sometimes, y’know?”

She nods sympathetically. “The language?”

“Yeah,” you sigh. “I’m trying, I really am, but it’s just so hard, and I don’t know, maybe I’m not trying hard enough, but I am trying, really-”

“Hey,” she interrupts you, placing a hand on your back. “It’s okay. It is hard. Everyone can see that you’re trying.”

“Really?” you say, doubt clouding your mind. “Because I feel like I understand way less than everyone thinks I do. Most of the time I’m just copying other people’s reactions, or nodding along.”

She laughs. “Yeah, I did that at first, too. It gets easier after a while, I promise.”

“I’m not sure it will. I don’t-”, you start, breaking off as you struggle to figure out what you wanted to say. “I don’t know how to do a lot of social stuff. Talking to people. I can’t even handle it in English most of the time, to be honest. I feel like even without the language problem, there’s the me problem.”

She lets out a laugh at that, but it’s not a mean one. “What do you mean, a you problem?”

“The me problem,” you explain. “I feel like I’m like, an alien or something. I don’t know how to behave, how to be a real human like the rest of you.” 

At that, she puts a hand on your shoulder, turning you to be facing her. “Y/n,” she says, a serious look on her face. “You’re a real human.”

“No, I know that I’m a real human,” you roll your eyes, letting out a small giggle. Lucy smiles, glad to have made you laugh. “I just don’t feel like it sometimes. I don’t know how to interact with people. Like, what do people talk about? What do people do when they’re hanging out? It was fine with my friends back home, because we’ve known each other forever, they know what I’m like and I know what they’re like. But here, it’s all so… different.”

Lucy stands, holding out a hand to you. When you take it she pulls you up, a determined look on her face. “Right, well, it sounds like we have to get you feeling more comfortable here. So, you’re going to come back to my place, we’re going to play something on the Playstation or watch something on TV, and tonight a couple of the girls are coming over. But only a couple, and I’ll tell them that we’re having an English night, no speaking Spanish allowed, alright?”

“Oh, no, it’s okay, I don’t want to be a bother-” you start, but she quickly cuts you off.

“Nonsense!” she says, swinging an arm around your shoulder. “We look out for each other on this team. You’re a part of the team, y/n. So we’ll look out for you too. Got it?”

You nod, feeling nervous but excited, even hopeful. 

And she was right. It ended up being one of the best evenings you’d had in a long time, and it wasn’t long before you started to feel like you really were not just a part of the team, but a part of the family. “English” nights even became a regular thing, the Spanish and other international players eager for a chance to practise their English even more (not that they had to, it seemed like they were all basically fluent). Lucy and Keira tried to help you with the language, giving you their tips. Honestly? Their tips weren’t much help, and it was still pretty hard. But as difficult as it was, you had to admit that, slowly but surely, it was all getting easier, especially with friends by your side.

[guilty-pleasures21]

Jason Todd submissive? Please I'm obsessed 😭🙏🏼 (I don't speak English, sorry Google translator JAKSKAKSKK)

— 🐏

Ahh! My first request! I tried my best based on what I understood of the assignment and I really hope you like it 😅!

Also, I speak French, a little bit of Spanish, Mandarin (though it's been ages! 🫠) and Punjabi, so don't worry about having to translate these if it's easier for you! Although I'm only comfortable writing in English, so I hope this is still all right!

Also, also, I know most writers on this site write in Y/N format, so you guys can just let me know if you prefer that format or 3rd person and I can change it accordingly.

Interrogation practise

I feel like Jason wouldn't let you try to dominate him, so you'd just have to try to trick him into it 😉.

Part 1 - the interrogation

Part 2 - the revenge

Part 3 - the roleplay

Warnings: bondage, explicit description of sex including blowjob (m receiving) and penetration (p in v).

----------------------------------------------------------

     She gave the knot a final tug, then looked up at him. “Is this okay?” 

     “That’s perfect, baby,” Jason assured her, shifting in position to get himself more comfortable. She stood up and moved to stand in front of him. She’d asked him to help her practise her interrogation techniques - she was always too soft when it came to questioning criminals and she wanted to learn how she could improve on her weaknesses. She’d tried asking some of the others before - Bruce, Cass, Dick - but they were all either too impatient or too violent for her tastes. And even though her boyfriend could be … a little hot-headed at times, he was always gentle when it came to her, helping her use her own unique talents to better improve her crime-fighting style. 

     “Okay, so, how should I start?” X asked him. Jason let his gaze trail over her body, his eyes lingering a little too long on her tanned and tone legs, bare beneath her little shorts. He dragged his gaze back up to hers, trying not to think about how very helpless he was right now, tied up to this chair in front of his pretty little girlfriend, just waiting to torture him. He shook the thought away.

     “So, you want to start gentle,” he coached her patiently. “People are already scared of the big old Bat, right? So you want to convince them that it’s better for them to talk to you instead.” She nodded in understanding.

“Okay, so … What should I be trying to get out of you in this situation? Give me a storyline.” He smirked, amused by how seriously she was taking the situation. She was so cute, his sweet little girlfriend. 

     “Hmm … Maybe you could be trying to find out where the Riddler’s hideout is?” Jason suggested. “I could pretend to be one of his goons.”

     “Okay,” she agreed. She cleared her throat, taking a moment to get into character, then raised her head again, clasping her hands behind her back and strolling over to him. “Look. You and I both know things are going to get a lot more … unpleasant when my boss gets here. So, why don’t we help each other out?” 

     She placed her hands on the back of his chair, bending over so that her lips were just a breath apart from his. “You tell me where the Riddler’s hiding and I’ll make sure the Batman goes easy on you.” 

     Jason’s lips curled at the ends as he appraised her and he raised an eyebrow in challenge. “Oh, sweetheart. You’re going to have to do a lot better than that to convince me.” 

     “Hmm,” X considered, her dark eyes trailing down his face and landing on his lips. “What would you like me to do for you, Mr Todd?” 

     F*ck. This was a bad idea. Why had he agreed to this? Oh, right: because she’d given him that pretty little look of innocence that drove him mad whenever he saw it, her dark and curly eyelashes fluttering up at him, her full and rosy lips twisted down in a pout. But shit, they’d barely started and he was already regretting his decision. He should have made them do it the other way around instead; he should have tied her up to his bed while he ‘demonstrated’ the proper technique to her. She dragged a finger down his chest, her eyes following the path she made along his hard muscles. 

     “What would it take …” she slid her legs on top of his, settling herself in his lap, “... for you to tell me where the Riddler is hiding?” She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned forward, her breath tickling his ear as she murmured into it. 

     “Hmm? 'Sweetheart'?” His head fell back with pleasure as she chuckled at her own words before nipping playfully at his ear.

     “Ah, f*ck!” Jason shifted in position, struggling against his binds so he could free his hands and run them all over her deliciously bare thighs. God, she was hot. X straightened and moved one hand to cup his face, her lips so close to his, but still so painfully far.

     “Why won’t you tell me, Jace?” she whined, pouting at him pleadingly. Then her lips twisted into a grin and she dragged her thumb across his lip before beginning her mouth to his. “You know what I’ll do for you if you do.” 

     He leaned forward, meaning to kiss her, to close the distance between them and lick up the sweet taste of her. But she pulled away again and he growled in response. “X!”

     X giggled and stood up, curling her fingers around his shoulder and moving to stand behind him. 

     “This is an interrogation, Jason,” she reminded him, bending over and sliding her hands down his chest appreciatively. He was so hot, her big and strong boyfriend. “You’ll get what you want when I say you get it.” She nipped at his ear again and he sighed, wriggling his legs to try to free his ankles from their binds. She pressed her lips to his neck, the soft moans escaping from her throat driving him crazy as she made her way down to his shoulder. 

     “Mmm, Jason,” she mumbled, her voice low and seductive in his ear. She straightened, her hands returning to his shoulders as she stood over him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to maintain his self-control - and his control over the situation he’d landed himself in. 

     “Princess,” he called to her, his tone sweet, lazy - like he was the one still in charge. “Why don’t you untie me and we’ll see what we can work out?” She pursed her lips, pretending to think about it as she moved to stand in front of him again. 

     “Hmm, I don’t know,” she admitted, grabbing his shoulders again and bending over him, her dark hair falling forward to frame her sweet face. “I’m having much more fun trying to work things out like this.” 

     Her eyes fell to his chest, to the sharp lines of his muscles pressing against the soft fabric of his shirt as he sat there, hands bound behind his back as he looked up at her. “It’s too bad you still have your clothes on though - we could have had so much more fun if you’d taken them off first.” 

     He sighed and let out another curse as she shot him a wicked smile. Then he watched as she turned around and went over to the kitchen, grabbing a knife before making her way back over to him. His heart started picking up its pace in his chest and he couldn’t decide whether he was terrified or thrilled by the idea of what she was about to do next. “Princess.” 

     She ignored him as she walked back over to him, her steps slow and precise. Then she grabbed the collar of his shirt and traced her knife over the soft fabric before slicing it down the centre. She stood back and licked her lips at the sight of his bare chest, setting her knife aside before climbing back on top of his lap. 

     “Mmm, Mr Todd!” she chuckled, running her hands down his chest and leaning forward to bring her lips to his ear. “Looks like the Riddler’s got his men working on an extensive exercise routine.” She curled her fingers around the waistband of his pants, wriggling back a little to give her hands more room, and he felt his body start to heat up in anticipation. 

     “Does he have a gym? At this secret hideout of his?” She traced her fingers over the outline of his cock, already starting to harden in his sweatpants, and let out another little laugh. “Maybe you could take me there sometime. How about that?” She nibbled on his neck as she slid her hand into his underwear and wrapped her fingers around his cock, sliding them up and down teasingly. 

     “F*ck,” Jason groaned, his head falling forward at the sensation. X pulled back to look at him, brushing her thumb across his bottom lip. 

     “What’s wrong, Mr Todd?” she asked him, delighted to finally have the upper hand over him. “Still not convincing enough for you?” She lowered her lips to his, but continued to dodge his attempts to kiss her, chuckling when he groaned in frustration. Then she leaned forward to pull his lip between hers and sucked on it before letting him go again.

     “Ah, shit!” Jason exclaimed, his breaths getting heavier as he started to become more aroused. He let out a choked gasp as she brushed her thumb over his tip and began circling it gently. “X. Don’t … Stop it, sweetheart.”  

     “You want me to stop?” She shook her head at the thought, lips still curled into that devious smile. “Don’t you remember what I said, Jace?” 

     She brought her face back to his, smirking at him in the way he’d always smirk at her when he was teasing her, pushing her to the very limits as he played with and pleasured her. “I’m in charge tonight.” 

     His head fell back against the seat as she continued twirling her slender fingers around his cock. He should never have agreed to this; he should have known the moment she’d asked him to help her out, that mischievous glint sparkling in her eyes as she'd gazed up at him. Had she planned this all along? Had she wanted to tie him up just so she’d be able to dominate him for a change? Dominate him in the way he’d always dominate her? X frowned, feigning confusion as she looked down at the frustrated crease between his brows. 

     “You’re feeling a little dry, Jace,” she informed him, removing her hand from around his c*ck and pushing herself off of him. He swallowed hard as she lowered herself to her knees and pulled his pants down, licking her lips hungrily at the sight of his cock exposed before her. “Let’s see what we can do about that, hmm?”

     “X, don’t … This isn’t how an interrogation works, sweetheart,” he informed her, trying to keep his tone gentle so she wouldn’t be tempted to challenge him. She glanced up at him quickly, then fixed her gaze back on his cock, her eyes lighting up with delight. 

     “Hmm?” she mumbled, reaching forward to grab hold of his dick. “I’m just trying to use my strengths, Jay. Like you always tell me to do?” She turned her face up to his, grinning at the feeling of his cock throbbing in her hand. Then she leaned forward and dragged her tongue across his tip, licking him up slowly. He bit down on his tongue, trying to stop a groan from falling out at the sensation. He could do this: he’d been in much, much worse situations before and he hadn’t cracked then. There was no way he was going to give her the pleasure - the satisfaction - of knowing that she was the only one capable of breaking the unbreakable Jason Todd. No way in hell was he going to let her have this! But then she wound her tongue around his shaft, closing her mouth around him and letting out a low moan that danced along his skin. F*ck. He pressed his lips together, barely muffling the groan that managed to escape his throat. 

     “X, don’t … don’t …” he panted heavily, struggling against his binds as she continued sucking his cock, her pretty little mouth taking him in so nicely. She pulled her head back slowly, dragging him out of her mouth, then lowered her lips to his balls, her fingers continuing to work on his tip as she suckled on him gently. 

     “Don’t what, Mr Todd? Are you not enjoying this?” She licked one of his balls, curling her tongue around it before pulling it into her mouth to suck on it. 

     He was definitely not enjoying this - not at all! He was the one who was supposed to be dominating her; throwing her around and teasing her until she was begging him for relief, her perfect little breasts bouncing up and down as he brought her to the edge of her pleasure and back down again. He never hurt her, of course - never forced into anything she wasn’t comfortable with. But it was just one of the only times he finally felt in control of something in his life and he was f*cked if she found out how so very aroused he was right now. 

     She chuckled, knowing exactly how much he was enjoying it - and exactly how much he was hating the fact. She’d wanted to try it, just once, but she knew her boyfriend would never have agreed to something like this, proud as he could be. So, she’d devised this clever plan, playing into his ego to make him think that she was just so innocent and so desperate for his help. She pulled his dick back into her mouth, moaning against his tip when it hit the back of her throat before letting him go again. Then she stood up. 

     “Okay. You’ve had your fun,” Jason relented, the muscles in his shoulders flexing deliciously as he pulled against his binds again. “Now untie me, X.” She rearranged her features into that innocent expression that drove him crazy every time she used it on him. 

     “But you still haven’t told me where the Riddler’s hideout is,” she pointed out, eyes wide as she waited for his response. He huffed in irritation, his chest heaving up and down as he glared at her. He looked so hot like this, jaw clenched in anger, strands of his dark hair falling into his mossy eyes. There was no way she was going to let him go so easily - not until she was completely done having her fun! He kept his mouth shut and she shrugged. “If that’s how you want to play.” 

     X started taking her clothes off, taking her sweet time removing each piece of clothing and dropping them into his lap. She smirked when she saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down and her eyes fell back down to his cock, the tip glistening now with the prec*m starting to leak out of it. She slid her hands up her abdomen and squeezed her breasts when she reached them, her body entirely bare before him now. 

     “What’s wrong, Jay? Are you gonna come all over my clothes?” She blinked at him sweetly, feigning innocence before bending over to murmur in his ear. “Why would you do that when my pretty little p*ssy is already waiting for you to fill it up?”

He let out a choked gasp at her words. “F*ck!”

She straightened and giggled at the thunderous expression on his face, his thick brows crashing together over his darkened eyes. Then she flicked her hair over her shoulder and straddled him again, wriggling her body against his as she ground her hips into his slowly.

     “F*****ck,” he groaned into her neck, his dick so painfully hard for her. “Shit, baby. Faster. I need you. Now.” She twisted her fingers into his hair and pulled his head back, forcing him to look up at her again. 

     “You just don’t listen, do you, Jason?” She flicked her tongue out, licking his lips before giggling and tugging on the skin of his neck with her teeth. “We should do something about that.” She slid her hands down his hard chest, pressing quick kisses down his neck before licking a stripe back up to his ear. 

     “Shit, baby. Anything. I’ll do anything you want me to.” He began thrusting his hips against hers, desperate for relief. “You want me to tell you where the Riddler’s hideout is? I’ll tell you. Gotham … museum … or whatever.” Had they agreed on a location? He couldn’t remember. And he didn’t really care, either way - all he needed was her, her tight little p*ssy clenching around his dick, her warm and wet walls squeezing him tight as he unloaded himself inside of her. She giggled as she bounced up and down on his lap, clearly delighted by how desperate he was for her. Then she took hold of his chin, tilting his face up to hers so she could look him in the eyes. 

     “Really? You’re not just lying to me so I’ll give you what you want?” Jason shook his head quickly, doing his best to focus on what she was saying. But f*ck, she felt good, her p*ssy already dripping for him as she waited for him to fill her up.

     “No!” he reassured her. “I promise. I … Shit. Please, X. Please, sweetheart, I’ll … F*****ck.” His head fell forward as she stopped her movements, his dick pulsing and throbbing with desire. Then finally, she reached down to take hold of his cock, sliding it through her already drenched folds in preparation. He suck in a breath at the feeling of her warm and sticky c*m, then let out a grunt as she started easing him inside of her, his hips thrusting into hers as his body begged him for relief. 

     “Slow down, Jay!” she laughed. “You wanted to hold out against me, right? You didn’t want to give me what I wanted?” She grabbed his hair again and pulled his head back so he was forced to look up at her, at the wicked curl of her lips.

     “And I asked you so nicely, too!” she continued, letting go of him and lowering her lips to his. “Should I wait? Should I just stop and wait for the Batman to come and deal with you?”

     “F*ck, no! Don’t … Shit.” She wouldn’t actually stop, would she? Not when he was already halfway inside of her? “I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you anything you want to know, baby. Please, just …”

     He lowered his head to her shoulder, brushing his lips along her neck and murmuring against her skin. “Come on, sweetheart. Please? I’ll give you anything you want, baby.” 

     “Hmm, anything?” she asked him, her body tingling at the low rumble of his voice, at the way his thick cock filled her up so very nicely. She held his head in her hands, guiding his mouth to her breast as she ground herself into him, her p*ssy pulling him deeper inside of her with every roll of her hips. She shivered as he closed his lips around her nipple, dragging his tongue around it and suckling on it in just the way he knew she liked. “Mmm, shit, Jay.” 

     She moaned at the way he licked and sucked on her breasts, his cock brushing up against her walls every time she moved. She slid her fingers into his hair and tugged on the strands, pulling his head back again to see that dazed look on his face again. Her nipples tingled at the way his eyes had glazed over from pleasure, his pupils so wide now that the beautiful green of his irises had disappeared almost entirely. She giggled at the sight, then pressed her lips to his, moaning into his mouth as she kissed him deeply. He raised his hips to thrust himself into her repeatedly, his dick hitting that one spot that had her curling over in ecstasy. And then she hit her breaking point, her body shuddering and shaking against him as she came. She gripped onto his shoulders, trying to maintain her balance as her p*ssy pulsed around his dick, clenching it tight and begging for him to fill her up. His hips stuttered as his c*m gushed into her, the warm and sticky liquid shooting into her vagina and leaking back out again. X whimpered at the feeling, curling herself around him and burying her face in his neck as he unloaded himself inside of her. Then finally, he leaned back against his seat, the tension leaving his body as he finally got his release. 

     “We … are never doing that again,” Jason panted warningly, his green eyes boring into her as she straightened. His eyes fell to her breasts as she tried to catch her breath, the beautiful mounds glistening with sweat just waiting for him to lick away. 

     “In that case … I guess I’d better take advantage … of right now,” she joked, delighting in the way his dick was still buried inside of her. Jason growled, baring his teeth at her in a snarl. 

     “X. Untie me - right now,” he demanded, not playing around anymore. X sighed and got up off of him, her body protesting at the sudden emptiness inside of her. She knelt down to undo the ties around his ankles, then moved to take care of the one binding his wrists together. He jumped up as soon as he was free, shrugging his shirt and pants off before grabbing her and lifting her up in his arms.      

“Just you wait, sweetheart,” he growled in her ear, carrying her over to his bedroom. “It’s my turn now: and I don’t care if it takes me the entire night to get what I want from you.”

[sacchiri]

I recently bought the jp volumes of Hellsing along with the guidebook, and since I'm reading the series in its native language for the first time I might as well share some random things that stood out to me in no particular order.

This isn't meant to be an analysis of translation differences, I'm too lazy for that. Also it's been 12 years since I've watched the anime and read the low quality fan scans of the manga so some of these comments are just "Lol, forgot this was a thing"

Volume 1

... I really want to know who this guy is at the beginning, yelling at Alucard in overly familiar language to "Get your shit together!" and "You're the only one we can count on!!". We know from the style of speech that it's a dude, probably just some Hellsing rando, and maybe it's not all that strange since he has probably been working with the same soldiers for years--but it's still funny.

"I know, it's just so nice out :("

..The way "HELLSING Organization" is spelled out like this reminds me that apparently the name is supposed to be an acronym. No really.

...

God they're so silly.

Now that I think about it, the only thing Seras has done this chapter since being turned into a vampire is say "I'm sorry" over and over.... girl you got shot in the lung, why are you apologizing

Not a huge difference, but what Integra actually says here is "Leaving a corpse here for 20 years... You're a terrible person too, Father" and not "What were you thinking, Father?" as the Dark Horse translation suggests (note the lack of question mark in the raw version). I thought that might be of interest to some.

Something else I thought was interesting is the first line Alucard ever says to Integra, and how uncharacteristically polite he sounds.

O-kega wa gozaimasenka- That's two honorific 御's back to back! (He even said them in kanji, even Walter isn’t that straightlaced and he’s literally the butler.) This is also the only time Alucard uses this overly flowery gentlemanly language with her, and good thing too because it would be so annoying if he spent the whole manga ending his sentences with ~gozaimasu.

What I'm trying to get at is, after seeing this sentence in the Japanese version, I'm like 100% sure he actually heard her when she was mumbling to herself about hoping to find a knight in shining armor, and he was totally going the extra mile in playing into that role for their first encounter. Which is kind of sweet.

Lol they misspelled Alucard on the top left... or rather, they incorrectly spelled it right?

One would normally expect Alucard to be written アルカード, and indeed pixiv dict lists アーカード as a misspelling (the u sound is weak in Japanese, so it's easy to mishear arukādo as ākādo). Hirano was definitely aware of the correct spelling though, since he used it in the pilot chapter and in his old character sheets. It was only when the manga officially began that he switched to the アーカード spelling. I doubt it was because of copyright issues because there is already a long precedent of vampire characters named アルカード in various old manga, OVA, and games in Japan that have coexisted without issue (like this guy Hirano mentions in volume 1's afterword).

Most likely Hirano simply thought it looked better, or was a means of differentiating his character from the others somehow. It certainly makes life easier for Japanese fans searching for fanart since アーカード is only going to bring up Hellsing and not the Castlevania character.

Jan Valentine even pokes fun at the spelling discrepancy later in volume 2, but since there wasn't a good way of expressing this in English it was left untranslated.

(Speaking of spelling inconsistencies, there's a lot of minor details I'm noticing now, like half the time the furigana for 吸血鬼 is written バンパイア and the other half it's ヴァンパイア... anyway)

Um, just noticed literally everyone's wearing glasses What should I do

Hirano's habit of jotting random comments underneath his panels is one of the underrated perks of reading the manga

The Dark Horse translation almost makes it sound like she's looking forward to seeing this battle play out, while in the Japanese she simply sounds apprehensive. Almost as if she's worried about them? And she's going out on the field personally to make sure nothing bad happens? Aww

Ok this is a weird tangent, but I just noticed the scans of the Dark Horse version I've been looking at use a slightly larger image range than the Japanese version does. It was only noticeable when I got to this part:

The second image is what the Japanese version of the scan looks like and I can confirm that this is what it looks like in my physical volume as well. You shouldn't be seeing the messy borders of the inking on the bottom like that.

Manga manuscripts are set up so that there are a few millimeters of bleed border around each page. You're supposed to color and line all the way up to (4) while keeping in mind that printing and paper cutting may result in the image being trimmed up to (3).

Either Hirano didn't color his lines all the way to (4) (this man has been drawing manga for years but this is Hirano we're talking about so it's very possible), or Dark Horse didn't honor the original bleed borders of the manuscript. I'm kind of leaning towards the former since there was a Hellsing exhibit in Japan a few years back where you could look at Hirano's original manuscripts and there's one where you can clearly see that he spilled a mug of tea or coffee across the entire page

Anyway, it's weird, and I'm curious to see if someone that owns a physical copy in English can confirm whether theirs actually looks like that. It's volume 1, page 141.

[copperbadge]

Thanks for putting Italian on my dash! Studied it a university, but haven’t used it since. It was so nice to unexpectedly get to flex that muscle! You’re encouraging me to take it back up. You’re doing amazing, keep on :D

Aw, thanks! I have to say every Italian speaker I've encountered has been very kind and supportive, whether they're native speakers or English speakers who studied the language.

If I post in Italian, I'll always include a translation, and people who know the language should feel free to let me know if I've made mistakes; obviously you're not obliged to, but it's okay to let me know if you want to. The hardest part of being at this specific point in the learning is that I know just enough grammar to be dangerous -- I can't tell when I'm incorrect, and I still make very rookie mistakes without knowing why they're mistakes.

I'm a bit better at reading than I am at writing, which I think is fairly standard for most language learners. I do understand enough now that I can more or less take over with self-instruction, so the plan is to keep on with Duolingo until my Duo subscription is up, building a language resource with flashcards and a spreadsheet for conjugation reference, then probably let Duo lapse and start doing more intensive reading work.

I have had a couple of questions about resources for self-guided mid level language learning and my plan is to read Italian language fanfic, since it's easy to find on AO3 and you can filter for length, and most fanfic has pretty straightforward prose. I'm already doing pretty well reading and listening to Italian football media, but that's admittedly a fairly limited vocabulary. (I miss Mourinho, who spoke Italian fluently but rather slowly; de Rossi is a native speaker and a Roman to boot so when he gives pre and post game interviews he really clips along, and does the apparently Roman thing of never quite fully pronouncing the ends of words.)

Anyway if I get far enough along, I'll start trying to translate Italian fanfic into English -- not publicly, at least not at first, and of course only with permission, but fandom really is a pretty great resource if you're looking to self-teach a language.

[oldbookist]

So originally I was just going to write a post indexing my favorite resources…but it ended up being way too long to be a post.

I am delighted to share my latest project that I think will be much more useful: Les Mis Resources, a quick and easy way to access Les Mis-relevant sources for whatever you may need.

So far the site catalogues nearly 200 resources, most of which you can read for free! Some highlights of the collection:

An English guide on how to live as a student in Paris

A book on the police force in the early 19th century

Links to the original manuscript and first drafts of Les Mis

Every major English translation of Les Mis

…and much more.

If you’re an artist, there’s also fashion plates and extant examples of clothing from museums—not just pictures, the museum links often include more angles and information on them!

I really had a lot of fun and learned a lot putting together the sources for this site, and I hope you guys will also find it useful! And if you know a resource you think I should add, just shoot me a message.

Maybe try searching your favorite character and see what comes up?

[old-school-butch]

What do they think Hamas wants? What do they think Israel is supposed to do? Do they seriously think Israel is supposed to be like sure here you go we are all going to leave Israel and you can have everything? Do they think that would bring about peace? I’m serious. Like really do they think there is anything Israel could do that would stop any of this? Do they think Israel should’ve done nothing and this situation would’ve just disappeared? Americans are the dumbest fucking people on the planet. Hamas wants compliance or death, that’s how terrorism works, that’s war.

Whoever is running the information warfare at Hamas is truly brilliant. The ideology of Islamists has been run through some kind of autotuner so it sounds like it came from a chapter in Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Western liberals are eating it up. While liberals are still catching up on which river and which sea the chant refers to, they still don't grasp that the end goal here is the elimination of the state of Israel entirely. And while 20% of Israelis are Arab Muslims, there are zero Jews in Gaza. The PR people are saying Zionist these days instead of Jews, so maybe it doesn't sound too bad when they say Kill All Zionists but that's just the English translation. Zionism is the creation of a Jewish state. Hamas will call it the 'Zionist entity' because they don't recognize it as a state. They don't recognize it because all states should be Muslim. Israel is occupying territory that should be Muslim. When they say 'end the occupation' it sounds like a call for liberation of an oppressed people, instead of the desire to destroy Israel, kill or expel the Jews and create a Muslim state in its place.

Yemen's Houthi rebels (who are currently attacking Israel) have a slogan "God is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, Victory to Islam" and I think it says a lot that they take the time to double down on how much they hate Jews/Israel instead of a single 'Houthis are great!' thrown into their own slogan.

The Islamists have noted the 'anti-colonial' rhetoric in Western universities and capitalized on it by positioning Israel as a proxy for the West and thus a scapegoat for the West's sins of imperialism. It does rely on some very old anti-Semitic tricks - because Jews assimilate fairly well (because they don't have an evangelical aspect to the faith) they are both within a culture and othered from the culture - the perfect scapegoat. Many liberals shrugged when the Nazis marching in Charlottesville chanted "Jews will not replace us" but the suspicion that Jews control the media, capitalism, also socialism, Hollywood (and any other center of power you can imagine) runs very deep in Western cultural anxiety. Imagining Israel as a prowerful villian is all too easy when you're primed to believe that.

A wild example of this is how Westerners view Israel as a colonialist power rather than a gathering point for religious refugees. The reality that Jews originated from the land of JUDEA should not be hard to grasp, but is conveniently ignored. The fact that they've negotiated with colonial powers like Britain and the UN is viewed as a sign of political power, even though the main goal of those colonial powers was to prevent Jewish refugees from flooding their own countries. And the memory that the post WW2 boost in political heft came at the price of the Holocaust in Europe, seems to have been lost. The reality that most Israelis are Jewish refugees expelled from Muslim countries, is conveniently ignored. There are enough white faces and dual citizens in Israel for guilty Westerners to find a convenient scapegoat to do all that decolonizing and let themselves be destroyed for our sins. Not that anyone is thinking that hard about it, it just feels right, because it's safe and convenient to accept blame and then shift it to someone else - no matter how many land acknowledgements they crank out.

I guess Westerners think colonizing is something only white people do, and they are blissfully unaware of the size and scope of the Arab Islamic Empires of the past. And also apparently unaware that Islamists explicitly say they want to recreate that empire. Zionists want a single state - and I have a lot of issues with the idea of a religious state at all, but no one can accuse Jews of ever having or wanting to create an Empire. Israel might be criticized for not having a more liberal democractic state, but Hamas isn't even trying to create one. It wants a single Muslim state occupying their entire region, where Jews are killed or expelled and Islamists can consolidate regional power - that's their goal. But the slogan is 'end the occupation' which sounds way nicer than 'end the occupation of land of Israel by Jews so we can make an Islamic state in its place and kill all the Jews who don't run away fast enough.'

Maybe it's that most Westerners don't live in a theocracy, and have no sense of just how controlling and energetic theocratic societies can be, that they can't grasp the idea of global jihad and what that really means. "The Caliphate is the answer" is written in Arabic on protest signs, flying under the radar of English-speakers and certainly not seen as hate speech, but when people tell you they want to establish a global world order under Islamic rule, and are actively coordinating their efforts between states and regions - you should believe them. Moderation is apostasy, punishable by death. Anyone negotiating with Israel faces opposition from more radical Islamists ready to take their place. This is why Islamists spend most of their time attacking more moderate Islamic states and leaders. And by 'moderate' I mean the Taliban, which can barely set up a state in Afghanistan - because it means diverting resources from expanding and conquering other areas. A group called ISIS-K is trying to overturn the Taliban to bring back the glory days of the Khorason, an entity so sprawling it would involve invading China, Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, which would undoubtedly spark a global conflict. That doesn't phase them. Hamas can barely control the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which rejects any peace accords with Israel including the Oslo accord. Dying as a martyr is the highest achivement - eternal war is not a problem. The Islamic world is failing to contain radical movements it created and supported for its own interests.

The Palestinians are a good microcosm of this. When Israel declared independence in 1948, the region was invaded by its neighbors. The war ended with Jordan occupying the West Bank and Egypt occupying Gaza and normally the people living there would have been absorbed into these countries, or created a self-governed state. Instead Palestinians, as a group, were created as a stateless people. They didn't want to form a state within the boundaries determined by the war, but instead remain as refugees from a war and promised the 'right of return' i.e. that Israel would be returned to them. Importantly, the war didn't have a declared end. It's still happening, which is how they are still refugees 75 years later. And they live in 'refugee camps', otherwise known as buildings and towns, but it's all temporary in this narrative. Does no one wonder why the pro-Palestinian rallies call for a ceasefire and not for peace? Peace is not desired, just a pause in fighting until they can regroup and try again.

A separate reality was created where the 1948 war is still happening, Israel is not real, it's a 'Zionist entity' occupying the land and that refugees includes everyone displaced by the 'ongoing' war, and all their descendants are refugees too because they have nowhere to live - because where they are living is just temporary. And ‘all they want is to go home’ (but not their current home for 3 generations, the home back in Israel ofc). In this world, they all have to right to live in the region that the zionist entity is occupying, where their duty is to establish a Muslim state. The purpose of this fiction is to create a perpetual problem for Israel, a stateless population whose entire existence is focused on them eventually overthrowing Israel. But it's had unexpected effects.

Palestinian refugees have been more than willing to bring violence to any country that has taken them in as immigrants. Their nationalists have a long list of assassinations of anyone who supports a peace treaty with Israel, including the King of Jordan, the former prime minister of Lebanon, Robert F Kennedy and more. They've also started a civil war in Jordan until they were expelled to Lebanon, where they hijacked a series of international flights and started a civil war there that lasted for 15 years. Palestinians living as refugees in Kuwait aided Saddam Hussein's invading army until they were expelled when his regime fell. These are the reasons none of Israel's neighbor's will accept any more Palestinian refugees, but the Islamist problem remains for any country in its path. What I have found most disturbing among feminists on Tumblr, however, is the complete wilful ignorance about Islamist ideology and its relationship to women. You think you’re ok with the Quran? Read it. There aren't many religions founded by a conqueror who wanted to rule the world. Read what it says about conquest, murder, torture, raping and enslaving non-Muslim women. Arab slave traders castrated men and bred female slaves who were kept as captive wives. Using sexual violence as a tool of war and as a reward for Islamic fighters is long documented and continues today. The birth rate in Gaza is about 5 children per woman and frequently exhorted to be higher. Why? Arafat said it most clearly ‘the womb of the Palestinian woman is the weapon that will defeat Israel.' Population and fertility are part of the political landscape and Islamist strategy. It's how Lebanon went from being a Christian majority country to a Muslim majority country today. There is no reason whatsoever that feminists - who have not shied away from criticizing the sexism of Christianity or Judaism - should mince words when it comes to criticizing Islam in the strongest possible terms. Islamists - who combine Islam with a goal for global dominance - should ring every alarm bell we have.

[suffarustuffaru]

Hello!

A bit of a weird ask, so sorry in advance.

What methods/sites would you recommend using for reading Arcs 5-8 of Re:Zero?

I’ve almost finished season 2 of the anime, and I’m pretty sure this has become one of my new favourite anime/works of media in general. 

And considering I keep spoiling myself anyway when I look at Re: Zero tumblr blogs, I figured I should just find a way to catch up with the rest of the series. 

You seem smart, and have clearly read Arcs 5-8, so I was hoping that you would be able to provide some advice. 

Thanks!

hi there!! :D no worries for the ask, its cool to have another rezero fan join in the fandom especially on tumblr (which is a very small, curated circle of a bunch of us trading posts around a campfire HAH) and i hope youve really been enjoying the anime and your stay here so far!! :o this is absolutely one of my favorite media as well (if. if you couldnt tell by the blog pfft) and thanks for the compliments haah i am glad to seem smart.

but yes i gotchu on where to read!! ill be giving you a pretty detailed explanation/guide. (this explanation also goes mainly for english speakers / people who wanna experience rezero in english.) (and of course if any other seasoned fans are seeing this feel free to add on if i miss anything or correct me if needed)

Main Route Stuff:

witchculttranslations is where you can find the translations for the entire main route (which is arcs 1-8). this page is where youll find the main table of contents for each arc and you can find arcs 5-8 there!

note that arc 8, at the time of me writing this ask, is still a work-in-progress and the team of translators in this fandom are always hard at work to translate each chapter. also note that arcs 7-8 are "conjoined arcs" - think of it like arc 7 is part 1 and arc 8 is part 2. so if you happen to get caught up to where rezero is currently at, the rezero subreddit regularly updates chat + update threads whenever new rezero novel content comes out in general. youll find updates on translations or summaries for new chapters there.

there's also distinction between web novel and light novel - web novel are the chapters that tappei releases online, light novel are the official finished versions of the chapters that are released for sale. sometimes there's changes between the web novel and the light novel, but for the most part it's either minor changes to improve on the web novel - sometimes it's major, but for arcs 5-8 iirc there isnt any major changes that you need to worry about.

just note that in the wn translations, all/almost all dialogue is written in script-style. let me show a small excerpt from arc 5 chapter 1:

???: “Good job, Subaru, I suppose.” A small silhouette enters Subaru’s view from above. A loveable girl with long, cream hair and an extravagant outfit—Beatrice. Her fluttering dress looks out of place in the meadow as she presents Subaru with a towel. He accepts it and vigorously towels his head dry. Subaru: “Ah, thanks. Was looking to cool down so this’s perfect.”

so yeah the wn will be formatted like this by the way, just in case you didnt know this yet!! i hope thats not much of a turnoff or anything, but dont worry you get used to it - and the story is still pretty great anyway!!

also dont bother with arcs 1-3 wn. its not so important (and you already know all the major info because youve seen the anime) and also arcs 1-3 wn doesnt have the Best writing. tappei himself had to make extremely major changes for the light novel and the light novel (along with the anime and manga) is the finished and polished result.

and of course the light novel comes with illustrations for each arc. the web novel sometimes includes images as well at the beginning of each chapter, but if youd like to see finished and official illustrations for various scenes throughout arc 5-8 its easy to find them if you search them up online!!

the anime also has a few bits of Important cut content from arcs 3-4 - unfortunately i dont have any resources on hand for this ;-;;; but you can look this up on rezero reddit or online in general since a lot of people have made summaries about this. from what i remember in arc 3 (which is the royal selection/white whale/petelgeuse half of season 1!), the main thing is just the reveal that al has some sort of connection to ram (and rem by extension), some sort of connection to satella possibly, and he is ALSO someone that was isekaied into rezero's fantasy world.

as for arc 4 (which is season 2 of course), the anime got down almost all of the general important info you need to know, but there's a lot of important information in the last parts of arc 4 that the anime didnt include. the anime may include this information (and the al stuff from arc 3) later, but you'll need to know it for arcs 5-8. you can find the witchcultranslations guide for arc 4 here - scroll down and youll find the chapter called Appendix: Advent!! you'll need the info in that chapter for later.

if you want, you can also read the chapters after that - theyre sorted under One Day II and are the official arc 4 interludes that take place before arc 5. i do recommend reading through them, but theyre mainly characterization stuff, character dynamics post-arc 4, everyone trying to recover after arc 4, etc etc. the most important info in there is leadup for arc 5 (all the post-arc 4 aftermath stuff) and also some info/introduction on clind and annerose (who are characters that are briefly shown in the anime for like two seconds). these two do play minor roles in arc 4/beginning of 5, but theyre hinted to be important for later. if youre in a hurry to get to arc 5, totally fine to just skim through it, get basic info on clind and annerose then continue into arc 5 or something. or you can look at their wiki pages - totally cool to enjoy rezero however you wish. it's a LOT of reading dont get me wrong HAH.

as for the manga - this is not required reading or anything, the manga has only done arcs 1-4 atm so it's not really super relevant to you since youre almost done with arc 4 already via the anime!! but of course if you havent done so youre welcome to check it out if youd like, the manga artists are pretty great imo. im just gonna show some art from the manga artists here:

isnt it pretty? :O very nice stuff.

anyway thats it for main route content!! now i gotta explain side content.

Side Content:

you can find witchculttranslations' side story table of contents here, which very neatly shows you Every Single Side Story and is updated regularly every time tappei comes out with new side content. and trust me, tappei makes A Lot of side content. i guarantee you a lot of rezero fans havent read every side story (and i still have a lot of side stories to catch up on myself), so theres absolutely no need to read every single side story!! honestly just read the ones you find interesting + the ones that are required reading! im not sure how much of the side content youve heard about, but ill give you a rundown:

this extremely helpful google spreadsheet here (thats also regularly updated) tells you how important each side story is and where you can find it so you dont have to go on a wild goose chase wondering which ones you need to read for the main story. rezero side stories are on a sliding scale of just silly stuff tappei wrote for fun to this is VERY crucial for the main story. that google spreadsheet should help you out with that - both the spreadsheet and witchculttranslations have links to almost every side story available.

(the spreadsheet also tells you important details and who it's centered around + when each side story is safe to read free of spoilers after a certain point - so it's easy to decide when you wanna read the side stories and WHICH side stories you'd like to read!)

also i guarantee you that if you have a favorite character in rezero that character Probably has a ton of side content theyre featured in - so i recommend just hunting down all their side content and devouring it whole because im sure youll have a fun time with that. a lot of side content also fleshes out a ton of side characters as well in general - people who Looked shallow in the anime ARENT shallow at all, i promise. many people have hidden depths, which is one of the fun parts of rezero!

witchculttranslations and the google spreadsheet also tell you what order you might wanna read in terms of when each one takes place. i recommend following that order for the most part if youd like, but if you wanna binge read side content or something later you can also do that after reading arc 6.

that's how i experienced the side stories myself (i started reading them after finishing up with the arcs 5-6 plot) and in a way, i would say that might just be the easiest way to do it given a lot of the side stories take place during arcs 1-6 or before the events of arcs 1-6. itll make you go "ohhh thats what was happening with these background characters during *insert event here that was focused on in the main story*" or "ohhh thats why These Guys are like this" a lot pfft. so its easier to just get out the most important ones / the ones thatre most interesting to you all in a row after finishing up with arc 6 👍

The Ex Novels:

these are THE MOST IMPORTANT side stories. :o theyll be extremely important for arcs 7-8 especially!! also because these are light novels the dialogue is written in normal narrative format so hooray for that!!

anyway theres five ex novels. i recommend reading these after arc 6 so you got them fresh on the brain for arcs 7-8.

however if you happen to be a crusch camp fan, you can read ex novels 1-3 at any time youd like!! these flesh out characters like crusch, felix, wilhelm, and theresia (some of the wilhelm and theresia content was shown a bit in season 1 of the anime!) so youd probably enjoy these even more if youre a fan of any of them. ex novel four also features felix, julius, and reinhard too, if that interests you! (as a knight fan ex novel 4 was my favorite akdndn and i loved ex 1!!). but yeah in general though read the ex novels in order (from 1 to 5 of course) so you dont spoil yourself for other ex novels, but as i said - you can read 1-3 at any time, and in general its best to read the rest of the ex novels after arc 6.

the ex novels in general mainly focus on important historical events in the rezero world and stuff that happens before arc 1. the ex novels are also our first introduction to the nation and empire of vollachia—this is also the country that priscilla is from (and al also came from there)!! you get introduced to vollachia's whole deal in these novels. youll need this info for later!

anyway witchculttranslations and the google sheet dont have links to them because theyre published + officially translated light novels that are easiest to access by buying them, so harder to get a free pdf of them. however i got you (and your wallet) covered because i got pdfs for all of them right here (if these links dont work let me know!):

ex novel 1 - crusch and felix-centric

ex novel 2 - wilhelm and theresia-centric

ex novel 3 - wilhelm and theresia-centric

ex novel 4 - felix, julius, and reinhard-centric

ex novel 5 - priscilla and al-centric

anyway thats the ex novels in a nutshell!! and of course if you want a physical copy of these books (or any of the rezero light novels in general) in english you can buy these online (sites like amazon has them) or at a bookstore. if you live in the US like i do, barnes and noble has them irl as well. or if you happen to live near a kinokuniya store, they also sell rezero irl. kinokuniya is also specifically for japanese media so i highly recommend giving it a try if you happen to be near one (i got a rezero keychain from there also hah, rezero merch is a little hard to get a hold of sometimes).

rezero light novels are also translated in a few other languages (iirc spanish and polish are some of the other languages its translated in) so if youd like that too you can look into it and buy some!!

The If Routes:

if youre not familiar with these by now, theyre basically "what if"/ alternate universe stories where subaru makes a different and Very Major choice at different points of the main route. theyre not necessarily required reading, but some do have some important lore regarding several of the characters and in general most of them are extremely important AUs for rezero that emphasize all the themes of the story. they also show the Insane butterfly effect of subaru’s decisions.

and if youve gotten this far with the anime already im gonna assume you probably like subaru at least a little bit? :o yeah his character gets fleshed out in Very Interesting ways in these routes. other characters also get changed in various ways due to his decisions!

new ifs are also released typically every year on subaru's birthday - april 1. so with every april 1 the entire fandom plays russian roulette because either the if will be a super silly one or a Very Important one LMAO.

also these ifs tend to be mentioned a lot in fandom bc theyre very beloved and interesting side stories, so i highly recommend choosing which ones you find interesting and just have fun reading them!! you can find them on the spreadsheet, if you want to read them in a more chronological order, or you can find them on the main witchculttranslations website as tabs on the side underneath Re:Zero If Stories. (but ill provide the links to each separate one in this post also.)

all current if routes at the moment take place somewhere in the arcs 1-6 range, so you can look at them either after arc 6, like i said, or in order as you read along with the main route. ill give a quick breakdown of each if just in case!!

Pride If - diverges from arc 1; subaru doesnt call for help when fighting the three thugs in the alleyway. slight spoilers for one part of arc 5 in like One Scene of pride if.

Wrath If - diverges from arc 2; subaru accepts beatrice’s offer to help in the loop where rem dies + subaru tries to run away from the mansion. very minor spoilers for ex novels/arc 7-8 (characters who appear in those arcs appear in wrath if).

Sloth If - diverges from arc 3; subaru gives up and runs away with rem instead of dealing with the arc 3 conflict. very minor spoilers (a character who later appears in arc 8 appears here).

Aganau If - diverges from arc 3; in the loop where rem dies in the cave and subaru carries her back to the mansion, he decides to go down another route away from the mansion instead. years later, he’s now older and still alive after almost everyone else has died. this if is one of the routes in the now discontinued lost in memories mobile game (and this is The Most Important route out of the whole bunch anyway). you can find a playthrough + english translation of it here.

Greed If - diverges from arc 4; subaru accepts echidna’s contract. major spoilers for arc 4 of course. minor spoilers for arc 5+ (small plot beats are mentioned iirc). a bit of important lore for characters like echidna and clind. the first edition of it can be found here - make sure to read this first. this is because this if was also given a longer and polished light novel version of it (it was a special that came with some of the season 2 blueray dvd packages?) and you can find an english translation for the extended + final version under the Blueray Novels and Databooks section of witchculttranslations' side content page.

Gluttony If - diverges from arc 6. major spoilers for arcs 5-6.

Mimigau If - this is just a genderbend au that tappei made that starts from arc 1!! almost nothing is changed besides the characters’ genders, biological sex, names, etc. i sadly dont have a link to this one, but iirc this hasnt been fully translated yet? and it's also very much not that important of an if lore-wise so you're not missing out on much. the genderbent character names are really fun though!

Lust If - this is, supposedly, an if that tappei wrote in one sitting and then decided to delete off of the official rezero wn site. this if is just an april fools joke where subaru gets a harem of various rezero girls. and imo its not Particularly Good, but it was meant to be a joke and tappei just wrote it for no reason so ig the quality makes sense haah. and also sadly that harem includes petra iirc which. yeah. not what id call great.

Vainglory If / School If - basically a canon high school au for all of rezero! not a necessary read at all but it's super silly and fun. and if you like anastasia and/or priscilla they have a lot of Fun Interactions in this one. im not sure if all of this if is english translated yet, but you can find chapter one here.

Other Various Ifs from Lost In Memories - i dont have the links to all of these, but lost in memories has a lot of other more minor aus as well, aganau if is just the most important + the darkest one. the other ifs are more lighthearted and just extra stuff for funsies. other big examples include a julius if (subaru calls for help in arc 1 and julius is the one who comes to help), a reinhard if of sorts (takes place around arcs 1-2, it's a sillier story where reinhard just keeps appearing out of nowhere to help subaru every time he needs help), and also an otto if (arc 1 divergence; subaru gets involved with otto and the two of them decide to start a mayonnaise business).

A Side Note About Rezero Video Games:

ok i know your ask is mainly about how to READ rezero but i figured i might as well explain this really quick just in case!!

there are a bunch of rezero video games and none of them are really Necessary, so dont worry about it. theyre either like - silly alternate universe stuff or theyre a bit more of the serious au variety (like aganau if, as mentioned earlier. i dont know every single rezero video game out there (and i think theres still new ones in the works at the time of me writing this??) and also almost none of them are english translated so its hard to experience them if you dont understand japanese.

the two most important ones (aka the ones with more story in them) are gonna be prophecy of the throne and lost in memories (which i mentioned earlier!). and again, these games are not necessary content - theyre mostly just side content that you can look at/watch/play through for fun and if you just wanna see more of your faves. you can check them out at any time since they dont have any major arc 5-8 spoilers.

Prophecy of the Throne - this is visual novel + a divergence of arc 3 where a new and sixth royal candidate emerges and it looks like emilia is the fake royal candidate here.... so yeah the plot is just. it's like a game of among us. but it's a fun story with a lot of different character interactions (so if you really like the entire cast of rezero youre in luck!!) and features a tiny bit of lore about some powerful groups in the fantasy world. a few of subarus failed loops in this one are also Particularly Brutal. you can watch gameplay of it on youtube or play through it yourself (i know that the game IS on steam too) since it's fully english translated (and all the jp vas and english vas reprised their roles as well).

Lost In Memories - as mentioned earlier, this is a now discontinued mobile game. iirc it was a gacha game? a sort of fighting game? and also it's narrative driven with a bunch of different routes. you can find the wiki for it here - it summarizes a lot of the main story beats. theres no official english translations for this game, but theres a lot of fan translations that you can find on stuff like youtube if youre ever interested in any part of the game. also it has a really fun opening song and animated sequence. nonoc's rezero music is great <3

A Side Note About Rezero Youtube:

theres a lot of summary videos for both main content chapters and side stories on youtube. im not sure how accurate these videos are, but i know that at the very least they can give you a brief rundown on the main points for certain chapters/side stories if thats something youd like to have!

theres also an entire team of people making a fan-run audiobook for arc 5. ive given some of their episodes a listen, and i can confirm that theyre absolutely great. you can find their readings of chapter 1-47 on spotify, and on their youtube channel theyre up to chapter 62. i think theyve also expressed their interest in branching out into other rezero content as well? :o so if thats also something youre interested in you can check them out there!

In Conclusion

anyway, that should be all you need to know - thats a summary of basically all important rezero content from here on out!! i know this is like. Super detailed. so i hope that this was helpful and didnt scare you away or anything hah. and i hope you have fun reading through rezero :o !! you got a lot of content to choose from thats for sure!!

but yeah ty for the ask, i hope i explained everything clearly enough :o !! and if you need any clarification feel free to ask!!

[starflungwaddledee]

do you have any tips for leaving compliments on other people's art ?? your tags are always so well phrased !

oooo oooooooooooooo uuhhhhhhhh hmmm!

firstly, thank you!! i'm rather glad to hear that! i try quite hard to leave meaningful comments so it's nice when folks notice or appreciate it!

outside of commenting on the work, i first consider the tone of what i'm saying and who i'm saying it to.

i always try to make sure that what i'm saying will be appreciated by the person! that's the point. for the most part i leave comments to bring joy to the op, and thank them for their hard work, for being here and sharing art that made me happy! if i'm speaking to a mutual or friend, there's gonna be inside jokes and probably an amount of casual yelling. possibly even a little friendly roast, if i know them well enough. if i'm speaking with someone i don't know as well i try to keep it a little more professional, but i keep in mind that this is a fandom so an amount of yelling and screaming is expected. i tend to think about what i would like from someone else.

also if i notice that a caption or a blogs about is not in english i double check. if english is not the first language of the artist i make sure to construct tags that are easily translated and i use only and exclusively positive phrases. saying things like "delete this!!!! /pos" or "eating my own hands" can be totally lost in translation. i also keep in mind the age of the OP. don't tag as though you're Looking Disrespectfully at the art of a minor, even if that's your favourite blorbo.

as for how to comment on art or storytelling itself, this is indeed a learned skill, and it can be helped by training your eye to understand different things in artwork. but it's easy to start practicing! this is intuitive to me now, but an easy way to begin is to pick out one or two things that really stand out to you on a piece. (examples could be line quality; is it smooth? neat? textured? full of emotion?, shading: is it crisp? atmospheric? realistically rendered?, or colour choice: is it vibrant? is it moody? is it perfectly on model?) and draw attention to them and how the artist successfully used them to make the piece work.

if the piece includes design-work, pick something of that which you like as well. (clothes, colour choices, abilities, parallels to other characters, totally new or unique concepts that you haven't seen before. if you see your favourite colour combos or notions, let them know, but if it's a stranger remember they made the design for themselves, and you just share (good) tastes!) if you really want to make an artist/designer/storyteller's day, try to find the Little Thing that they've snuck into their art or design that ties into the story or lore that they are telling. even guesses to this end tend to be appreciated!

generally useful things you can also comment on are how well an artist has utilised a medium for its strengths, especially if the medium is a little unusual. if someone @'d me in particular i make sure to acknowledge that too because they probably read me for something and i should acknowledge the effort!

another thing i also always, always encourage, is to try to periodically share and comment on the work of people who are either less experienced or who have less visibility than you. especially if you have more of a platform! if you want to keep your blog clean of too many reblogs for aesthetic or professional reasons you can even go through and remove them later, but sharing the work of smaller accounts- even temporarily- makes such a huge difference! and encouraging + supporting younger or beginner artists is something we should be endeavouring to do as much as possible!

at the end of the day, i always just try to be very earnest in my tags.

there is generally no reason to withhold any praises i can think of, because it's usually nice to have your work perceived and appreciated! i personally loooovvve long rambling tags, screaming tags, stuff like "AAHH NOOOOOOO (THE BLORBO)" and so on. i try to leave the kind of thoughtful comments that i like (and am lucky enough) to receive, and i try to share artwork from a wide variety of people!

[stoopid-turtle]

Overall BTS in Order Summary + Takeaways

Okay, this project was a) impromptu and b) fun and c) biiiggg.

There are some observations and thoughts that didn't quite fit in any one month that I wanted to add on. I also wanted to think through what I take away from this timeline as far as ggdd's relationship. So here's super-duper long post.

Shenanigans on set - professionalism

It's commonly observed that ggdd are a chaotic duo, and the impression you get from watching bts highlights is that they must have been a nightmare on set. If you watch through the bts clips on the daily, though, it's easy to see why gg and dd are well-regarded by people they work with.

Most of their day is endless takes of doing the same scene over and over. They spend a lot of time talking through a scene and their characters. Sometimes making small modifications but usually just giving a scene another go. They're usually doing this in harsh physical and emotional conditions, whether hanging on wires, immersing themselves in cold water, doing fight scenes in thick robes and sweltering heat, or working into the wee hours of the morning. Both gg and dd worked while injured and/or sick.

The moments of chaos are pretty rare and typically not disruptive. They're during moments where they're waiting for the crew to set something up. Sometimes they're egged on by the crew and the director. Overall, they're dedicated professionals who took advantage of slow moments for some fun but were otherwise focused on the show.

Kudos also to the rest of the cast and crew who were similarly dedicated. (Also, how do I get a job as dd's umbrella holder? Where should I send a resume?)

If you go into the bilibili playlist expecting non-stop ggdd shenanigans, you're gonna be disappointed. If, you're, like me, a nerd who finds the meta of filming interesting and doesn't mind sitting through people doing the same thing over and over again, then you're in luck because there's literal hours of that.

The fuzziness of the timeline.

I want to provide some cautions with the timeline. I rely heavily on a cfan-made bilibili playlist whose method I honestly can't understand bc it doesn't translate well through Google. What's more, I made some judgment calls when comparing against other timelines I've found, a cfan-made Weibo timeline, and vic's timeline here on Tumblr. Any of these could be wrong, so don't take this timeline as super-duper solid.

There are times I identify a clip as a widely-known translated clip, and there were also clips that were NOT in the bb playlist but that I tried to place based on some assumptions. I want to break these down.

Type 1

This is simple. These are when there's a clip on the playlist that is identical to a translated clip I've seen, just without the subtitles. This makes up most of them. The chocolate bar hug, the bondage conversation, the jealousy in English clip. As long as the bb playlist date is correct, then the date for these clips should be correct.

Type 2

Much less common. This is when I've seen a longer, translated version of a clip on the bb playlist so I'll include in the timeline what else goes in that clip.

As an example, the bb playlist has the clip of dd pretending to choke gg. I've seen elsewhere that this clip continues past where the bb playlist cuts off to also show gg singing Sam Smith to dd. So I place those both on the same day. These should be as reliable as Type 1

Type 3

These are the most open to error. There are clips that are not in the bb playlist but that have gg and dd in the same costumes, shooting the same scene as playlist clips. In those cases, I make a (big) assumption that they took place on the same day.

As an example, the bb playlist has Cloud Recess era gg and dd in the Cold Springs (not the secret cave but the place where gg makes his sword pee). The playlist does not include the clips of gg injuring his foot, but I've seen those clips and they're shooting the same scenes so the costumes and such are the same. I assume they're all on the same day.

But I could be wrong. Oftentimes, the same scene is reshot weeks later for technical reasons. Some scenes take multiple days to shoot. The script was also changing as they shifted away from het-washing wwx, and they had to reshoot some scenes as a result. The clip of gg injuring his foot could be from some other day when they had to shoot those scenes again for whatever reason.

Likewise with the cloud recess library pretzeling clip. I'm guessing it goes on 8/20, because that's the only day the playlist has clips from those scenes. But that does not mean that 8/20 was the only day cloud recess library scenes were filmed.

The other scene that falls into this type is from June, when gg and dd complain to each other about how few scenes they have together. The clip I've seen (elsewhere) was clearly taken while shooting the scene where LSX and WN run off together, so I've placed it there.

This brings us back to what I explained in April but I really just want to pound on it: we know SOOOO little. Most days, we don't even have an hour's worth of bts footage. There are so many scenes shot that we don't have any insight on. And we don't know what we don't know (and probably never will).

There are some clips that weren't included on the bb playlist that I can't even begin to guess the date for. I've seen the clip of gg saying "delete it" to a wwx/wq scene, but even though I know the costume that gg and dd were wearing, I don't have anything more specific to place it to a date.

I also really wanted to know what the date is on the clip of dd questioning a costume-jiejie about what gg said about him in an interview. No such luck. The most I can do is guess it may be related to the interview in July. The Aug interviews seem way too late for that clip, but who knows? (Honestly, the July interview seems a bit late for that type of clip)

Another clip that I wish I could date: the clip where dd casually mentions how handsome Xue Yang is to prompt gg to give rainbow farts to lwj.

I was also just curious about the WQ scenes in general, so I was disappointed they weren't on the playlist. I've seen some of the original WQ scenes elsewhere (I guess from gg solo playlists on YouTube), and I'm just generally interested in the shift the production team made in response to fan complaints (and maybe to complaints from their stars?).

All this to say, take the timeline as fuzzy. If someone wants to take on the herculean task of tracking down and correcting my errors (and making that super-awesome comprehensive Google sheet), then you have my highest respect (and my sword).

Is the devil's timeline possible? Looking at you, may.

I've been approaching my takeaways from the assumption that they met first on DDU, didn't interact for a year, then properly met again when they ended up on the Untamed. I don't have strong feelings about the Devil's Timeline, honestly, and I wouldn't be too surprised if it's true. But I tend to stick to the documented first meeting timepoint when speculating, just to not compound speculation atop speculation.

But putting that aside, if there anything in the timeline that rejects the Devil's Timeline out of hand? Not really. Some of the harder to explain dates are also hard to explain with the standard timeline (I'll get to those), so the devil's timeline is as likely as anything.

Is there anything that supports the Devil's Timeline?

Well, there are some clips that indicate a committed relationship much earlier than the standard timeline assumes. This may not necessarily mean we're in devil land. It could just mean their relationship moved faster than most people think. But they are notable.

Let's look at 2 clips in May that stand out as odd.

On 5.22, there's a clip attached to a rumor that gg and dd had a fight. The rumor goes that dd left the set early for some reason. In the morning, when gg asked where dd was going, dd said it was none of his business. When he returned, gg gave him the silent treatment. Dd grew increasingly upset about it while gg got snippy about how dd clearly didn't want him to care about him.

The clip this goes with is shot from a distance. There's no real sound, so I'm assuming that somebody did some lip-reading to come up with a transcript (that was then translated to English for the version I've seen). In it, an upset dd tells gg that he never told him (gg) not to care about him (dd).

There's obvious issues when relying on lip-reading for a conversation. Especially in this case, because their mouths are blocked at several points by people bustling around. The most I can reliably say about this clip is that gg does look a little frosty and dd is most definitely upset (like, startlingly upset).

If the rumor and the lip-read are accurate, this type of exchange only really makes sense in the context of some type of serious relationship. This was about a month before the dragon boat festival date.

I don't know enough about the original rumor to even have a guess as to how reliable it is. It's interesting to me, though, and I'm not inclined to dismiss it out of hand. If it's not true, then I wonder what, exactly, dd was so upset over if they're not yet in a relationship.

The other odd clip is the 5.17 clip of gg being jealous of the camera guy.

It's clear that gg felt threatened by the camera guy, but it's ambiguous as to what that implies about their relationship. Jealousy can rear its head within a romantic relationship, of course. But it could also manifest if they're still just friends but gg feels a special claim on dd somehow. Maybe they're in early flirting stages. Maybe gg knows dd has a crush on him, likes it, and feels threatened when dd's attention (which is usually pretty focused on him) is taken by another guy.

Any of these could be the case here. So gg's jealousy doesn't necessarily indicate that gg and dd are an item at that time. But it could.

These 2 clips are definitely interesting in how early they happen, and the earlier we see signs that gg and dd are an item, the more likely the devil's timeline is real.

So yeah. If you're on the devil's side, you got just as much support as anybody else based on this timeline.

Confusing dates

@bzhitstruth and I brought up a couple clips on the timeline that surprised us with their dates. Specifically, the jealousy in English conversation and the "I'm not talking about wwx, I'm talking about xz" moment. Both of these take place in July, while it seemed to me that mid-June would be the latest that gg and dd could get together based on the walk of shame after the dragonboat festival date.

Why is it weird to have these 2 clips a month later?

Well, the jealousy conversation involves them each accusing the other of chatting up other people. DD is specific about having heard gg talking to a girl some days ago whereas gg just accuses dd of having talked to men on WeChat. (I'm putting aside whether dd and gg were chatting up other people bc I'm not incredibly interested in going there. I'm more interested in what it says that they had this discussion). This is a conversation that I would expect to see if they were either not yet in a relationship or if their relationship was brand new and they were bringing up old habits the other had that they feel threatened by.

It reads oddly if they're a month into their relationship.

The other clip is more subjective, but my general impression before doing the timeline was that dd's smooth pickup line there is some early-stage flirtation. Both dd's line and gg's reaction come across as fresh and new, not an interaction one has with a person they've been dating for a month.

These are both Type 1 clips, so as long as the bb playlist is correct, then I'm 100% sure that they're dated correctly.

As to what to make of all this...uh...

"It's complicated" relationship status

Here's a best guess? I'm not committed to this. Just spitballing ideas that may fit the timeline.

I'm also basing this on my experience dating before I got married (I got married when I was 28, so I was still dating when I was gg's age). Of course, I got married around 2010, so the tech and dating landscape was different then. And obviously, I'm an American bisexual woman, not a gay/bi Chinese man. So my experience is probably gonna be a poor fit for gg and dd's experience, is what I'm saying. Take everything with a big ol' grain of salt.

One thing I'm pretty firm on, they had a sexual relationship on or before 6/18. Dd's walk of shame is hard to otherwise explain. There is the possibility that dd did that lazy smell test thing where he didn't have any clean clothes so just wore what he wore yesterday without thinking about it. I knew a looottttt of guys his age that did that (in fairness, I did that sometimes). Course, they were poor college students or burnouts who did not have PAs and staff to do their laundry so...

I'm sticking to it my certainty here. It's not realistic that they started a sexual relationship later than 6/18.

I noted in the May summary post that when dd realized that gg was physically affectionate, he hopped to take advantage of that (not in a predatory way). On 5.4, dd was constantly draping himself all over gg. What if they started having casual sex around this date?

Bear with me, y'all.

Plenty of decent relationships start with casual sex. My marriage began with me intending it to just be FWB (my wife had other intentions and, well, obviously it moved beyond FWB). So let's not do any shaming on this (in other words, I will take it personally). It's a part of modern life. In addition, my understanding is that actors' sex life is oftentimes connected to what they're filming at any given time.

Being friends w/ benefits (FWB) means gg and dd have an intimate connection that we see on set sometimes. On 5.7, dd helps gg practice his dance, for instance. But it also means that they're not on firm romantic footing, even if feelings are creeping in (which they definitely were).

How might this play out? Check out my fanfic outline:

On 5.17, we have gg getting jealous of the camera man. He feels some exclusive claim to dd given their FWB relationship and given dd is clearly nursing a crush on him, and he doesn't like having competition for dd's attention.

On 5.22, they have that fight. I wonder if gg took dd by surprise by pushing the bounds of their relationship to that point. GG, like dd, is feeling more invested in their relationship than a simple FWB requires, and he's getting annoyed when dd doesn't act the same (by going off to lunch without telling him where he's going). DD looks stressed bc while he does want something more with gg, he didn't realize they were at that point, and he's worried he screwed things up before they could develop.

After that point, romance might have started to play more of a role in their interactions as both of them pick up on the fact that the other might want something more as well. On 6.1, gg pulls out the heavy flirting with a kabedon and whispering in dd's ear. DD is clearly into it.

On 6.7, we get the clip where dd seems to ask for a kiss from gg. If they've been having sex since May, this isn't a huge surprise. Their relationship must also be common knowledge on set (they had that 5.22 argument in front of a bunch of crew and XL, all of whom didn't even seem to be paying attention).

On 6.14, they have the frankly obscene Cold Spring Adventures with each other.

Then on 6.18, they go on a date (with director and producer for plausible deniability). Maybe it's the first actual date they have and marks when they officially move from FWB to explicit romance.

On 6.30, there's the scene where jgy monologues while gg wants dd to romantically give up his life for gg (and dd's like, "nah, I'll just use my sword").

Moving a FWB to a romance can be weird and can take some work. Old habits creep in a lot and the fact that things started as FWB can lead to some early relationship insecurity.

On 7.17, dd's a little insensitive when he calls gg stupid after gg injures his foot in the water. GG honestly doesn't seem to notice (he's focused on getting to the shore and looking at his foot), but dd is clearly beating himself up throughout the clip and apologizes multiple times.

On 7.18, we have dd doing his "I'm not talking about wwx, I'm talking about xz" line. Maybe he's going hard, trying to make up for his misstep from yesterday? Given gg's reaction, this is clearly the type of romance he's looking for, so dd pretty much nailed it.

On 7.23 we have the English jealousy conversation. As they started as FWBs, they were probably aware that the other had similar arrangements in the past. That was probably a source of insecurity for both of them at the beginning as they moved onto a romance. This may be what's behind this particular conversation.

On 8.4, the night before dd's birthday, we get some big romance with rooftop stargazing and a birthday countdown. Then on 8.5, the cake and prezzies. On the morning of 8.6, dd posts his Weibo message about continuing things he started at 21 when he's 81.

DD's Weibo post always read as a response to something specific. Maybe gg was starting to have reservations about where their relationship would go after filming. The end was in sight, and gg may have been wanting to pull away, citing dd's age as a concern.

At the same time, they haven't put the kibosh on things yet. Maybe they're just trying not to think about it. They're busy enough, after all, they can put it out of their minds. That's how we get gg singing sam smith to dd on 8.18.

But then something happens. Maybe gg gets some big reminder that filming is wrapping up soon. Whatever it is, he deletes dd as a contact on WeChat. This leads to the 8.20 fight where dd asks gg to add him back and gg says they'll go their separate ways.

Maybe gg does add him back that day after the fight. Maybe he decides to wait until the very end to disconnect rather than hash it out while they still have filming to do. Maybe there are crucial events happening that were never caught on camera (Okay, this is definitely the case).

Whatever it is, they return to some form of normal for the next couple days. Then on the day they wrap, maybe that's the day gg breaks it off again. This is why dd was late to the photoshoot and why they fought on the steps after.

Whew. Okay, so I think that kinda accounts for all the ups and downs of the timeline.

Again, I'm not committed to this take. I'm just spitballing something that might make sense of some of these dates on the timeline. I'd love to see what other folks come up with!

We're all probably wrong anyway, and there's no way we'll ever know! 🤡🤡🤡🐢🐢🐢🐢

[mh073099]

“I’ll Find You” - Captain Rex x Reader Fic Part 3

TRIGGER WARNINGS - Sexual Harassment- a bit. Themes of Torture, Terrorism, Murder, our girl is a separatist spy okay she's not the good guy yet. Age Gap- 18/19 to a 24/25. Don't Worry not for long, I am a fan of age gaps.

Author Note- SOOOOOoooo It has been a really Long time since I posted anything for this and almost abandoned it but I reread it earlier and got some inspiration again, to anyone that cares reading this. Also, pay attention to the time stamps.. they will be important in the future.

Gif rights to creator

Part 3

Paris, France 05/21/2067 01:45

As we sat down in the café, I suddenly felt awkward. Here I was, sitting down with the first person in ages that really noticed me, regardless of if it was real or not. I felt naked. Laid bare under his gaze. 

“Relax, princess. I’m not going to bite.” He smiles at me. Never in my life has someone smiled at me this much. 

“Not even if I ask nicely?” I snark back, leaning forward onto the table with my hands. Rex just looks at me, smirk on his face, not taking the bate. 

“You know what’s scary?” I ask him. I’m unable to help myself.

“What?”

“Knowing that you could destroy everything I’ve ever known, and yet I think I’d let you.” What the fuck am I saying? And that thought must be showing on my face because he starts to speak again.

He regards me carefully. “Maybe that’s what you need,” comes out slow and soft.

“I don’t need saving.” I look him square in the eyes.

“I’m not taking about saving you. I’m taking about freeing you.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I feel we are dancing around the obvious.

“Hmmm. Tell me something about yourself. Something honest, real.” He asks while sipping his hot chocolate. He looks so normal, so calm and at peace. While we sit here and dance around elephants in the room. 

“Oh, well I don’t know. Um… I speak 6 languages.” I offer up. Kinda at a loss to answer, for Am I really that much of a person? I do what I’m told. I am the makeup of ash and ember that has been molded by pain, over and over again. My whole life is a lie. A secret. Something I cannot share, for the so called greater good. Honest? Something Real? Am I even real? These thoughts aren’t ones I should be having. Conversations like this lead down a dark road.

“Wow, that is impressive.” He really does look impressed by that fact. “What Languages? Even though that’s not what I meant by my question, obviously. But I have to ask.”

“Maybe I am Deflecting.”

“You are most definitely deflecting.” Then he looks at me expectantly.

“Well, English obviously,” earns me the low chuckle that I am growing to adore. “As well as French, Spanish, Geonosian, Huttese, and Kittat.”

His head snaps up from where he was drinking his coffee. “Kittat? That’s a dead language, used by- “

“Yes, The Old Empire. My mother is a historian. Translated a few things for the republic. Taught me as she was teaching herself.” The lie falls easy and quick from my mouth. The dead language isn’t as dead as everyone thinks. It’s what the separatists use to pass information along. An Illegal language has its benefits.

Which of course he brings up. “Mhhmm. And Isn’t it an illegal language?” He cocks his head; his eyes harden the slightest bit.

"Technically yes but Historians like my mother have permits and clearances for such things. Teaching me? Now that wasn’t necessarily legal but what kind of government prohibits a whole language? Its just words.”

“Dangerous words” he counters carefully.

“As if words in any other language can’t be dangerous?” I lean back. “It was William Douglas said ‘The most important aspect of freedom of speech is freedom to learn. All education is a continuous dialogue- questions and answers that pursue every problem on the horizon.’ Without the freedom to criticize, question and challenge the dominant narrative, societies cannot make progress.” I finish with a huff.

Rex leans back, with a smile on is lips, and something bright gleaming in his eyes. “You’re very passionate about this.”

“There is only passion.”

Rex pauses, licks his lips and smiles. “Of course, you’re 100% right about freedom of speech. But progress is slow. We must learn from the past. Not repeat it.”

“And isn’t that what’s happening?”

“I don’t think so. I work for a great senator, Her efforts and even the quiet efforts of her husband have shown that they actually care for their people. And truly want to make the world a better place. The right way.”

“What’s your job title exactly?” I bait him.

“What’s yours?” 

I sigh. He had me there. “Hmm.” The right way. Is there really such a thing as right and wrong? Or did it come down to Just you and them? Two sides of the same coin? I look down at my hands, unable to look him in the eye anymore. “Still feel like you’re following me.”

“Maybe it’s not you I am following.” His response makes me freeze, and then surprisingly relax. That is a loaded response…but maybe. Just maybe.

He reaches his hand down across the table, pinky touching mine and interrupting my thoughts.

I loop my pinky with his. Looking down at our entwined fingers. His pinky finger is calloused but warm. I hope he couldn’t tell how sweaty my hand was while being hooked on my pinky.

“Where do you see yourself five years from now?” I asked, still staring at our pinkies.

His inhale makes me look up, and I can’t make the expression on his face. “You don’t ask easy questions.”

“You’re one to talk.” I fire back.

We both dissolve into giggles. I just feel giddy, and his smile in intoxicating. For the first time, I feel clean. Like I don’t have to hide. 

“In five years? A promotion, with better pay and better hours. My schedule now is nowhere near stable, but a set work schedule would be nice. And hopefully, a relationship. I’m a little young to think about starting a family, but I want that someday, and in 5 years, I hope to have that person by my side.” He answers, taking hold of my whole hand as he finishes.

“Hmm. That sounds nice.” I say absent mindedly, imaging what a family would even feel like.

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Where do you see yourself in five years?” He squeezes my hand in reassurance.

Dead. For a cause that I am not even sure I believe in.

“Honestly? I don’t know. Right now, my work keeps me busy, as well as in the moment. Success is seen in immediate results. Long term is not something I am looking at yet” I try to keep it vague.

“You haven’t thought about it?” He pushes.

But pushing starts to irritate me, and I snap back with, “I’m young, what’s there to worry about? Who cares for future.” I say in a huff. A dark look overtakes my face and I pull my hand away. Hands in my lap, looking at him in all his handsome goodness. Curse life for dangling him in my face. His eyes are filled with sympathy as if he could possibly understand what it was like to not know what happens tomorrow. To have your fate completely out of your own hands.

“Princess, you asked the question.” He pauses then leans a little more forward. He looks so open. “I don’t know what you’re caught up in. But I have friends. People that could help-“

“Woah let me stop you right there. I do not need saving. I am perfectly fine thank you very much. I don’t know what you think you know, But I can tell you, You are wrong. I have a well paying job that provides for me, I get to travel, I-“ I loose track of where I was going with this. How do you try and stand up for living a life you don’t want? “Rex,” I sigh. “I’m fine. You will just come to find that I tend to be pessimistic at times.” I offer up.

He just looks at me, taking in the sight of me. I wonder what he sees?

Then he reads my mind and goes, “When I look at you, I see a strong, beautiful ruthless young woman with her whole life ahead of her. But you have this look in your eye. You’re not happy. Not even close.”

“How do you know?” I shake my head.

“I recognize that look because I used to stare at it in the mirror every day. Until I found a way to stop living like that.” He offers. Rex cocks his head at me, looking concerned and sympathetic. I hate it. I can’t understand why he cares.

“Sounds easy.”

“Hardly.”

The silence seems comforting. I don’t feel as alone as I normally do.

“I’d gladly let you ruin me if you asked.” Left my mouth unbidden.

First, I see surprise flash across his face. Determination settles in its place.

He pulls out a card, and slides it across the table. I don’t look at it, just slip it in my pocket.

Rex goes to say something, But at that moment, the door to the 24-7 café we’re in opens.

When I connect with his eyes, all I feel is dread. The anger is rolling off him in waves. The card heavy in my pocket.

Rex must notice the color drain from my face because he turns slightly and catches sight of Maul.

“I’m so sorry.” I whisper to Rex, as Maul approaches with long strides. He arrives at our little table in just a few steps.

“Let’s go.” Is not question. “I’ve been requested to make sure you arrive home safe. Your mother was worried.” His deep voice oozes with thinly veiled venom and misplaced passiveness.

“Is everything all right?” I hear, Rex’s tone firm, calm and dangerous. I look over at him, and the look he is shooting at Maul rocks me off balance. He looks positively murderous. Never could I image his face set in stone like this.

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Maul sneers, slowly moving his gaze to Rex. The heat in their stare was almost Nuclear. As if at any moment, they would collide and explode on each other, leaving devastation in their wake.

"Everything is fine John,” I quickly say making sure not to give his real name out, hand reaching out to his and I go to stand up.

His gaze shifts to me and his eyes soften. “It was nice talking to you princess. Stay Safe out there.”

I softly smile and look to Maul. His eyes burn me, promising trouble that he will enjoy, and that I certainly will not. “Well? Let’s go then.” I bark out bitterly.

We turn and leave.

It took everything in me not to look back.

 Paris, France 05/21/2067 02:15

The whole drive was silent on the way back to the manor, but the smugness was rolling off Maul in waves. I didn’t know what lied ahead of me. But I did know one thing. Rex knew I was trouble. This could go one of two ways. I could give rex up, milk him for what he knows and dispose of him. The thought twisted painfully in my chest, and it became hard to breath. Or I could toss Rex a bone. Slowly bring down the cause. I’d be betraying everything I had known. But what was a cause that killed and stole for their own gains? An Ideal that the Republic is the oppressor while simultaneously oppressing not only those they deem an enemy to the cause, but to their very supporters as well. That idea made the weight on my heart ease a bit.

Oh God, what have I gotten myself into?

When we arrived at the manor, I was hesitant. The place held a blanket of doom that did little to keep the cold out. Maul stalked forwards while I meekly followed behind. I was scared. Maul was excited.

We entered the haunted manor and made our way to the main parlor. In the room stood the Count, my Mother, and Him. The Chancellor of the separatist movement. Everything about him was absolutely Sidious. My mother’s face was blank. Just an empty shell with her face. The Count looked bored. Maul looked like a dog, drooling for a bone.

“Hello, my darling girl.” His voice was like poison. It took everything in me not to flinch. “I have a job for you.”

Here. We. Go.

  Paris, France 05/21/2067 04:00

I lied there, in my own blood and vomit. Left alone to pick myself up.

The Humiliation of this night will forever be burned into my spine. All for what?

To test my strength, He said. To assure everyone but more importantly to assure myself, that I have the will to continue this path. To kill doubt that lingers within myself and within our circle about my abilities. After all, I was just a young girl. They needed proof of my loyalty. My undying loyalty. To remind myself that Peace is a lie. To become what I pretend to be, he said. To prove I am enough for this job, that I will see it through. No matter the pain, the costs.

“Tell me, do you have anything to say for yourself? To prove yourself worthy?” In all his Sidious might, he stood over me. Brand still glowing, the smell of burning flesh overtaken my senses. I looked over at my mother. She looked at me as if I was nothing. I didn’t recognize her anymore. 

Turn back to him, Looking him in the eye. “There is no peace, only passion.”

 His smile is wicked, and he continues.

  Paris, France 05/24/2067 13:47

I lay in bed, just staring at the wall. Ace by my side. I have to keep him from trying to lick my wounds.

I need to get up. I need a plan out of this. This…this isn’t me, right?

“Peace is a lie, there is only passion.”

I sit up, pushing myself through the pain.

“Through Passion, I gain Strength.”

Standing up was hard. My legs gave out, and I had to learn heavily on the bed until I could get my feet underneath me.

“Through Strength, I gain Power.”

I slowly make my way over the mirror.

“Through Power, I gain Victory”

The Woman looking back at me is unrecognizable.

“Through Victory, My chains are broken.”

A lie. All I see are chains.

“Through Victory, My chains are broken.” I repeat.

Tears cloud my vision, and I am filled with rage.

“Through Victory, My chains are broken.”  I whisper, before I slam My fist into the full-length mirror.

My knees hit the floor, digging into glass. I relish the pain.

“I am set Free.”

I reach for the Card.

Paris, France 05/24/2067 13:59

He picks up after the first ring. “Hello?” His voice deep, and rumbles through me. I take a deep breath.

“Did you know?” I ask, voice hoarse and sore, but full of force. No room for argument. 

“Princess, is that you?” I ignore the butterflies in my stomach at the nickname.

“Rex. Did you know when we first met? Back in D.C.?” I ask again. There’s no way he didn’t know now. Not with the way our late-night conversation went.

He sighs. “No. I didn’t know back then.” 

“You Promise?”

“I promise.”

“When did you find out?” My voice breaks.

His voice is soft when he replies, “I didn’t find out until after seeing you that afternoon at the cafe. I went back to the embassy after that and... well.”

I took a deep breath. He was honest with no hesitation. I don’t know how I knew that, but I did. I believed it deep in my bones. 

“You let me walk away.” My vision starts to get blurry.

“I knew you’d make the right choice in the end. I believe in you.”

“That doesn’t make any fucking sense,” I whisper.

“Princess, are you ok? The other night you-

I choke out a laugh. “Yeah. I’m fine. Tell you’re bosses I’ll help. That’s what their expecting right?” 

I let out a sniffle. God, I’m really doing this.

“Look, Let’s talk about th-”

“No. No talking. One condition. You’re the person I talk to. No one else.”

A sigh. “I wish you would stop interrupting me.” His voice holds 1000s emotions, and I can’t place any of them. 

“Get used to it. Good-bye Rex. I’ll keep in touch.”

I hung up the phone. 

[callsignmercy]

I'm sorry - Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin.

Prompt: Rivals to friends to enemies to friends to lovers in 8.5k words. That’s it. That’s the entire fic.

Words: ~8.5k

Warning: near-death experience, Jake being a dick. Rooster being the best friend we deserve. Phoenix being extra supportive and ready to kick Jake’s ass any moment. Language. Happy ending. Lots of hate before that. Idk anymore.

Note: found a tweet that said « enemies to lovers isn’t enough. I need rivals to friends to enemies to friends again to lovers. » So here’s the whole experience in a Hangman fic for you. I’m currently writing three (3) other fics about Rooster, Iceman and Bob but decided to write an entirely different and super long one about hangman because HANGMAN. but anyway here it is people. This is highly unedited. please don’t copy, repost or translate my work. English is not my first language so apologies for the easy vocabulary and bad grammar. Enjoy!

Y/C/S: Your callsign.

————————————————————————

To say Jake Seresin was getting on your nerves was a euphemism. He was infuriating. Always had to be the best at anything and everything. Being the best in the air wasn’t sufficient for him. Oh no, on the contrary. He had to be the best in class, in the air, even at darts and pool and even had to be the one that drank the most without being actually drunk. What the hell is wrong with him?

You were rivals at Top Gun. Being in the same class as him had its ups and downs. You could actually thank him for being so stubborn and competitive as it gave you will to be better at what you do. And yet he was always better than you. But you didn’t abandon the fight. You didn’t really mind in the end. Being at Top Gun already was an achievement. Even if it meant coming up second in the end.

The thirteen weeks of the program were almost coming to an end and you doubted you could top Hangman before the end but it wasn’t really a big deal for you. Even though it was for him.

“Guess I’ll be winning this after all Y/C/S! Don’t get mad though you did well honey.” He said with a smirk. “Why thanks darling, I’ll be sure to kiss your ass on the way out.” You replied sarcastically. He smiled brightly and you rolled your eyes at him.

--

You all headed to The Hard Deck at the end of the day to get some fun time together.

You were nursing your beer at the bar, talking with Penny, as you usually did. “So, almost done with Top Gun then?” She asked. “Yup, only one week left and I’m out. I don’t know if I’ll get a new assignment at the end of this though. I kinda want to go back to the warriors, I really liked it back there. Had friends and everything.” “You didn’t make any friends those past twelve weeks?” “Why do you think I’m here every Friday night sitting at the bar and talking to you?” “Ouch.” She replied. “That’s not what I meant, you know it.” You smiled. “I know but come on, none of them are your friends now?” “They’re rivals mostly. Hangman still gives me a run for my money every time we’re in the air.” “You should stop considering them rivals and become a little more friendly, some of them might become more than that?” “If you’re talking about getting in a relationship that’s a hard pass. I’m not jeopardising my future and my potential second place for any of those men. What I am saying, men, they’re still boys. Immature ones on top of that.” “Yeah well Jake’s looking at you.” She smirked.

Your head shoots up meeting the eyes of Hangman, smiling at you.

He puts down his beer and comes over to you.

“Why is he coming here?” You ask Penny, starting to panic. “I don’t know, but you’ll find out.” She smirks.

“Alright Y/C/S, I’m tired of seeing you all alone every Friday night when we come here. Come play darts with me and Coyote.” He says and offers you his hand. “We’re rivals Hangman, why do you care?” You ask, suspicious, narrowing your eyes. “Alright, how about we call a truce. We can be friends from now on and still fight each other up in the air. But you seem like a good person and I wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to be friends with a nice and outgoing person like you.” You seem genuinely surprised by his words and think for a few seconds before taking his hand and smiling. “Alright Hangman, lead the way. Maybe I’ll finally beat you at something.” You smirk. He lets out a loud laugh before replying. “In your dreams.” You roll your eyes and follow him to the dart board where Coyote was waiting for you both.

“Ever played darts?” Jake asks. “Of course I have, who do you take me for?” “Okay then, you start.” He replies.

After a few games that all ended in exactly the same way, meaning Jake came first, you second and Coyote third, you gave up and went to the bar to get yourself and the guys another round of drinks. “Looks like It’s always gonna be this way uh? Me first and you second.” He smirks as he comes up to you at the bar. “Alright Hangman I get it, you’re the best in everything that exists. Happy?” You reply sarcastically. “Very.” He gives you a bright smile in response. You hand him his beer and go back to the back of the bar to give Coyote his. “Okay, how about a game of pool?” He ask. “So you can win and rub it in my face? Pass.” You reply, rolling your eyes.

“What if I let you win?” “It’s not fair, I want to win the normal way, just by being better than you.” “Oh come on, I just want to have friendly activities, I don’t want you moping around on your own like the other friday nights.” He whines. “I was not moping around, I was talking with Penny. She happens to be very interesting and very interested in what I have to say. Thank you very much.” “Alright, I’m sorry, I just want to be your friend. What do you want to do then?” “It’s okay we can play pool if you want, but I don’t want you to let me win.” “Deal.” He replies with a bright smile.

The night ended in yet another second place on your part and a first place on Jake’s but you didn’t really mind. Jake was nice to you and he offered to be your friend which was a nice change in your life. Even though you were still rivals at Top Gun, you were friends on land and that’s all that mattered.

--

The week went by pretty rapidly and you were sad when you woke up that Friday morning. You knew it was your last day being with all of them and you were not ready to let them all go. That last class taught by Warlock, that last dogfight up in the air, those last risky manoeuvres, all of those you’ll deeply miss at the end of that day and could only hope you’ll be back one day.

Before you went up in the air that last afternoon, walking side by side with Jake and Javy, you thought about all the memories you would bring back with you. You stopped by your jets and looked at them. “Well, last flight together boys. Try not to kill me. I’ll see you on the ground.” You smiled. “Try to make this one count guys.” Javy answered. “May the best fighter pilot win.” Jake winked at you and you rolled your eyes as per usual. “You know you should really stop doing that, one day you’ll get stuck with your eyes back there.” Jake grinned. You chuckled and rolled your eyes again before turning back and walking to your jet to check it before take-off.

Dogfighting was thrilling as usual and even though you gave it all, Jake managed to win the fight yet again. Leaving you in second place, not without a smile on your face.

The party that followed the last class was nice and seeing everyone happy made you incredibly emotional. After getting your diplomas and taking the class photos  Jake came up to you and gave you a hug, congratulating you for those thirteen weeks spent being rivals with you.

“You really gave me a run for my money and I really appreciate the fact that you accepted to be friends in the end. I’m really proud of you and I hope we can see more of each other in the future.” He says with a genuine smile. “Thank you for all of this, and for being my friend. Did you get your assignment yet?” “Yeah, I’m going back to Lemoore and the vigilantes. What about you?” “Well looks like we’re going to see each other a lot more than you think.” “You’re coming to Lemoore too?” Yup, same squadron as you pal.” You smile. “Really?” He asks, hopeful, and you nod. “They want me in the vigilantes.” Jake isn’t able to contain his happiness and engulfs you in a tight hug. “Oh God, I’m so happy! You can’t imagine how sad I was to be letting a friend like you go back to Virginia while I was on the other side of the country.” “Easy Cowboy!” You laugh as he still wasn’t letting you get out of his arms.

The party came to an end and you were all headed to The Hard Deck for a last night together before going back to your assigned squadrons. You played a few games of darts and pool with Jake and Javy before eclipsing yourself to go sit on the beach. You looked at the stars and thought about those thirteen weeks and the people you’ll be leaving behind. You were happy to be stationed with Jake and Javy at Lemoore and even more to be on Jake’s squadron. You knew you’d make a great duo together.

“Thought I’d find you here.” You heard the familiar voice of your future wingman coming toward you and you smiled to yourself.

“Why are you here on your own?” He asks. “Just getting some fresh air. Thinking about it all.” You reply with an absent-minded smile on your face. “You know we’re not leaving each other right? You’ll still see my incredibly handsome physique everyday from now on.” You chuckled and nudged his side playfully. “Alright come here.” He said and offered you his chest to rest on. “I got a question.” He asks and you hum in response. “Last week you said that Penny listened to whatever you had to say to her, how come since last week you never said anything to me since? Like nothing really personal that you might have said to Penny.” He asks, concerned. “Because I don’t trust you to keep my secrets.” You smile.

“Oh wow okay, very nice.” He rolls his eyes. “No you don’t understand. We’ve been rivals for thirteen weeks, Penny and I were just casually chatting on Friday nights, I’m not going to see her again before a long time, probably ever. I trust her not to divulge anything I said to her and even if she did, who would know me? You, I still had a week left being your friend slash rival and I didn’t know if I could really trust you with my secrets. Let’s be honest you could have been making fun of me and repeating them to everyone just to ruin my reputation or jeopardise my second place.” You explain.

“Alright, you’re probably right. I shouldn’t force you to say anything to me but know that if you need, I’ll always be there to listen and help if I can.” “Thanks Jake, that’s very nice of you. I appreciate the gesture.” “You’re welcome Y/C/S.”

A few days later you landed in Lemoore with Jake and Javy and a few others of your Top Gun class.

“Well boys. Here we are. Back at it again.” “Well, I’ll see you soon guys. Please don’t die and good luck with whatever comes your way I guess.” Javy bid you goodbye before heading to his own squadron. “You too buddy.” Jake replies.

“Well here we go, Y/C/S. Ready?” “Ready as I’ll ever be Hangman. Show me the way.”

--

A few months passed since the end of Top Gun and you and Hangman were by far the best wingmen in the squadron. Being Top Gun graduates gave you the skills and aptitudes to be the winning team every time.

Most of your jobs consisted in flying and keeping track of enemy aircrafts and carriers. Yet after many months flying side by side together you were called on an important mission.

The mission wasn’t difficult as much as it was important. You were to collect data on enemy carriers who were seemingly too close from the Californian coast.

You went up in the air with Jake and headed toward the sea in a few minutes only.

“Do you see it Hangman?” “Yes I do. What do you think it’s doing here?” “No idea. Wait I got two aircrafts on my radar. Control, are they with us?” “Negative Y/C/S, no other F-18 are flying near your position.” “You think they’re enemy aircrafts? What would they be doing here? Do they want to cause a war or something?” You say to Jake. “No idea Y/C/S. Stay alert.”

Suddenly the enemy aircrafts came flying your way and passed very close to your own jets. “Jesus fuck. What the hell? Control, what do we do?” “They are not with us, I repeat they are not Americans. You can counter if anything happens.” “Copy control.” You reply. “Hangman you with me?” “Affirmative Y/C/S.” “Alright let’s see what they want. I’m going to try and get close to one of them.” “Be careful Y/C/S.”

You approached one of their jets and started signing to ask them who they were and why they were here but they ignored you. Jake was right behind you as the other aircraft dropped behind Jake. “Y/C/S, they’re getting into fight positions.” “yeah I saw that, break left on three. One, two, three.” You and Jake break left and the enemy aircrafts follow your paths.

The dogfight starts as you try to get them off you but they don’t seem to budge. “Control, we’re probably going to need some help here.” “We’re sending you backups, they should be here in a few minutes, hold tight.” You started panicking when you saw the two aircrafts behind you seemingly trying to shoot you down and asked Jake for help. “Hangman, they’re on my tail, get them off me.” You tried several manoeuvres, trying to get the jets off you but you received no answer from your wingman.

“Hangman, where are you?” Still no response. With an agile manoeuvre you managed to get behind one of them and shoot him down but the other didn’t seem to be as easy to get off you. “Hangman!” You screamed as you heard the tone and froze from the realisation that your time had probably come but you managed to pull the ejection handle and shot through the sky.

The panic attack started as you were actively trying to search for another aircraft in the sky, Jake’s jet, but could only see one, the one that just shot you down. “Control to Y/C/S are you okay? I repeat, are you okay?” “Yes control, I’m alright. Can you come pick me up?” “They’re already on their way, hold tight Y/C/S.”

It wasn’t long before you hit the ground and you barely had enough time to pack up your parachute before the medical team came to get you back to base. But what you could only think about was where the hell was your wingman. Had he been shot down? Was he dead?

You landed on base and walked up the take-off and landing runway up to the hospital to get checked out. Suddenly you stopped dead in your tracks as you read the name of Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin on his aircraft. The jet was here, and in perfect condition. So he wasn’t dead. He left you on your own up there. He left you there to die.

You went to get checked out and got out after a couple hours and headed to your admiral’s office to give him a report on what you saw and what happened.

“Lieutenant Y/L/N, come in.” You entered and saluted the admiral. “I’m here to give you my report on the mission and its outcome Admiral.” “Go on.” “At 10:00 Lieutenant Seresin and I went up to get information on the position of the enemy carrier near our coast and noticed two enemy aircrafts on our territory. I contacted the tower to get information on those jets and after getting confirmation that they were not American I tried to get in contact with them but was left with no response on their part. We noticed with Lieutenant Seresin that they were getting into fighting position and after getting cleared by control we tried to fight them back. At that point I lost communication with Lieutenant Seresin. I managed to shoot down one of them but was left alone and the other jet caught me and shot me down. I had to eject and called control for immediate assistance to which they replied and came to get me back to base. I got cleared by the medical staff and came straight to you sir.”

“Thank you Lieutenant. You may go.” “Sir, can I ask, where is Lieutenant Seresin?” “He came back before you were shot down, he might be somewhere on base.” “Thank you Sir.” You replied with a salute before leaving his office.

You went down to the changing room to get a quick shower and get changed before getting into a fresh flight suit as yours was drenched in sweat from your rocky beginning of the day.

A few minutes later, you went to the mess to get some lunch. It wasn’t before you got back to the tarmac that you saw Jake, doing the last checks before getting back on his jet. You approach him with a death glare.

“Were you going to come check on me?” You ask bitterly. He didn’t reply. His expression seemed to be a mix of sadness and terror. “I only have one question Jake. Why?” He tried to speak, he tried to say sorry but no sound came out of his mouth as tears pooled in his eyes. “You left me on purpose up there? If I didn’t ask you before, now I know why your callsign is Hangman. Leaving people out to dry. At the mercy of heartless people up there. I knew I couldn’t trust you with my secrets. Now I know I can’t trust you with my life. From now on I never want to see you again.”

Tears made their way up to your eyes but you turned around before Jake could see them. You went back to the Admiral’s office and knocked on his door.

“Come in.” You entered and saluted. “What can I do for you Lieutenant Y/L/N?” “If it’s not too much trouble I would like to get my old post back at the Golden Warriors in Virginia, Sir.” “What guided your decision?”

“I came to the realisation that California might not be made for me after all.” “Are you sure?” “I am Sir.” “Alright. I’ll make some calls and get you back to Virginia. We’ll miss you here Lieutenant, you were a great asset to this squadron.” “Thank you Sir, for everything.” You saluted and left the admiral’s office.

You went back to your quarters to pack your belongings. After an hour, the Admiral called you back into his office. “Lieutenant, I hope your bag is ready, you’re leaving with a fret in ten minutes.” “I’m ready Sir. Thank you for everything.”

You were boarding the fret plane that was about to get you to Virginia when you saw him. Jake, a few metres away from your plane, looking at you with sadness. You looked at him and shook your head before climbing up on the plane, never to see him again.

Being back to the warriors was a joy. You met up with your old friends and comrade whom you left when leaving for Top Gun. They were so happy to see you again and so happy to find out that you came second in your Top Gun class. They knew you were posted with the vigilantes for a few months, you didn’t, however, tell them about the reason you came back to them.

“So does this mean I’m getting my best wingwoman back?” You turn to meet the voice that said this with a bright smile on your face. “Oh my God, Hi Rooster! I’m so happy to see you again!” “You too Y/C/S, it’s been too long. You’re finally back with us? Did they mistreat you or something?” He asks, furrowing his eyebrows. “It’s complicated. You give him a small smile with your answer. “Alright, we’ll talk about it later.”

As it was friday evening when you came back, you comrades and you were headed to the bar as usual. “Hi Y/N, it’s been so long! Where have you been?” Lila, the bartender asks you. “Hi Lila, I was stationed in California but I’m back for good now.” You smile at her. “Good to know, the usual for you guys?” Everybody agrees and Lila gets to work as you head toward the pool table with the rest of the guys.

“So tell me all about what happened. There has to be an excellent reason for you to be back otherwise you would have stayed back in Lemoore.” Rooster asks you as he takes the pool sticks and hands one to you. “Alright, alright, I almost died.” You reply, sighing. “What?” Rooster says, shocked.

“Yeah, my wingman left me with two enemy aircrafts and I had to eject after getting toned. I almost died this morning.” “This morning?” “Yeah it happened at 10 o’clock I got back and asked Hangman for explanations which he couldn’t give me so I went to see the Admiral and asked to come back to my old squadron and he accepted.”

“Wait, Hangman left you up there?” “Yeah you know him?” “Who do you think gave him the callsign? I was with him at the navy academy.” “Yeah well, I thought he was my friend, turns out I was wrong. I told him I never wanted to see him again.” “You did good, and I’m so glad you’re here Y/C/S, I missed you.” He gives you a genuine smile and you start your game as the beers arrive at your tables.

Going back to the Golden Warriors was the best decision you took in a while. You truly felt at home there. You knew you could count on your comrades and they could count on you.

--

The year after, Rooster went to Top Gun too and decided to be assigned back to the warriors which felt like a relief to you as he was your closest friend there. Following Bradley’s return, you and Rooster were stationed abroad for a few years as wingmen.

“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Y/C/S! Happy birthday to you.” Your whole squadron sang in unison in honour of your thirtieth birthday and you smiled brightly at them.

“So how is it being thirty?” Rooster asks you. “Well not a great change if you ask me. I’m still surrounded by the best people there are. Even six years later I’m still not tired of hanging out with you guys. As Rooster was about to reply both of your phones rang.

“Hello?” “Lieutenant Y/L/N, this is Vice Admiral Simpson. You’ve been called back to Top Gun for a top secret mission. You are to be on base at 0900 in two days.” “Copy Sir.”

You hung up the phone at the same time as Rooster and turned to face him. “I’ve been called back to Top Gun, I have to leave tomorrow.” He says. “Do you really think you’re going alone?” You smirk and he gives you a bright smile in response.

The next day you pack your bags and go to the airport to get on a plane for Miramar. “Hey you!” You exclaim when you see Bradley coming up to you. “How you doing Y/N?” “I’m good, I can’t wait to go back there, it’s been so long.” “What do you think we’re gonna do there?” “I don’t know but I intend to find out and I’m not going back to Virginia  before we succeed on this top secret mission.”

“Make it two.” “Who do you think will join us there? This can’t possibly be just the two of us.” “Well I think there’s a girl that I was at Top Gun with that’ll join us, her name’s Phoenix. And well, maybe you know who else.” “Yeah don’t tell me about it.” You reply, losing your smile.

“It’s been six years Y/C/S, maybe he’s changed.” “Or maybe he’s still the exact same Roo.” He gives you a sad smile when the voice calls for your flight to board.

“There’s no comparison, I really prefer to be the one flying, this thing was way too long.” You exclaim arching your back to try and relieve the pain that developed during the hours you sat on the uncomfortable plane seat. “I agree, Y/C/S.” “Why couldn’t we take a fret to fightertown uh?” “Because it’s a top secret mission Y/C/S, people can’t know where we’re going, remember?” “Ah yeah, right. Well how about we go to The Hard Deck  to end the day before tomorrow uh?” “Let’s go!” Rooster replies.

“Bradshaw! Is that you?” A woman’s voice exclaimed. “Ah that should be Phoenix, the girl I told you about.” “This is how I find out you’re stateside?” “Yeah I just thought I’d surprise you.” “Uhm.” Phoenix uhmed as she took her shot at pool and struck Bradley in the stomach with her pool stick. “I guess I surprised you back.” “It’s good to see you.” “Good to see you too.”

“Y/C/S this is Phoenix, Phe this is Y/C/S. We’re together at the warriors.” “Nice to meet you Phoenix.” You smile, giving her your hand to shake. She shook your hand with a smile. “You too.” “I hope Rooster’s not giving you too much trouble back there.” “He’s alright, I have to shake him up from time to time, you know.” “Oh believe me I know. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have won Top Gun right, Bradshaw?” She grinned and you chuckled.

“Bradshaw. As I live and breathe.” Oh you knew that voice alright. The smug voice of your once best-friend, Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin. You rolled your eyes and kept on discussing with Phoenix, hidden behind her figure. Jake hadn’t seen you yet, too focused on messing with your wingman. “Hangman.” Rooster deadpanned. “You look… good.” “Well I am good Rooster. I am very good. In fact I am too good to be true.” He said with a smirk and everybody shook their heads and rolled their eyes in response. 

“So…” Payback intervened to ease up the tension. “Anybody know what this uh- special detachment is all about?” “Well, mission's a mission.” Jake answered. “They don’t confront me. What I wanna know… who’s gonna be team leader. And which one of y’all has what it takes to follow me.” “Hangman, the only place you’ll lead anyone is an early grave.” Rooster replied, not missing a beat. Your heart dropped, hearing the word come out of Rooster’s mouth, making you relive the moment once again. At that point Phoenix had moved and you were in full view of Jake but when he saw you, his expression didn’t change one bit. Some of them knew what he had done which made the moment uncomfortable for everyone but nobody said anything.

Fanboy, who wasn’t aware of your past with Jake oohed in the background, making everybody stop on their track but Jake’s smirk remained on his face nonetheless. “Well anyone who follows you is just gonna run out of fuel. But that’s just you ain’t it Rooster? You’re snug on that perch waiting for just the right moment… that never comes.” Jake replied, not to appear weak after Rooster’s comment. Rooster knew better but to reply to Jake after that and held his tongue. “I love this song.” Jake said and moved from the table.

You and Phoenix approach Rooster, still looking at Jake. “Well he hasn’t changed.” Phoenix says. “Nope. Sure hasn’t.” Rooster replies, looking back at you, making sure you were alright after their exchange.

After that, Rooster headed toward the jukebox to unplug it and piss off Jake for not listening to his favourite song and sat down at the piano. “I hope you’re okay. Rooster told me what happened to you with Jake when we were at Top Gun together.” Phoenix says to you. “I’m alright. But trust me, I won’t let him be team leader if that’s the last thing I ever do.” “I’ll help you, we can’t follow someone like that.”

“Hi Y/C/S.” Coyote came up to greet you with a small smile on his lips. “Hi Javy, how are you doing?” “Well, I’m alright, I’m glad to see you again after so long, I’m sad you didn’t come say goodbye when you left.” “Yeah well, you know, life happened.” His expression saddened but you gave him a soft smile and a hug. “I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye, Javy, I took a quick decision and didn’t look back before I left.” “It’s alright, I understand.” He replied.

Rooster began to play the keys to Great Balls of Fire and Phoenix beckoned you all to go join Rooster.

--

The next morning at 9am you were all on base as asked by the vice admiral. Jake hadn’t talked to you at The Hard Deck last night and hasn’t laid eyes on you ever since you all arrived this morning. You didn’t know how to feel. You were torn between sadness of seeing your old friend not wanting to talk nor apologise to you but you were also relieved that he didn’t because you wouldn’t know how to react and you were scared to fall down in tears in front of him.

But in the end all you wanted was to know why you weren’t important enough for him to let alone to die.

—

“I’m dead, dickhead!” Phoenix said. You had to admit, seeing Hangman leave Phoenix and Bob on their own during dogfighting had a bitter taste and reminded you of your near death experience. You still couldn’t figure out why he would leave people out to dry like that all the time, why he had this need to escape danger and then save the day in the end just to appear like the hero of the day when all he did was flee.

You were about to go up for dogfighting with Payback and Fanboy when you heard Phoenix shout after Hangman. “You gonna do that everytime? Risk everyone’s life like that just to protect yourself? We’re a team up there Bagman. I know you almost killed Y/C/S six years ago and I won’t let you pull that stuff again with another one of us.I’m going to protect them by not letting you be team leader, believe me on that.” She pointed a finger at him during her speech and he didn’t say a word in return. She walked away as soon as she ended her rant and headed back to the rec room to meet the others.

You went up and waited for Maverick to show up with the guys. “Guys, you see him?” “Negative Y/C/S.” Suddenly you see Maverick drop down right in front of you, your jet facing his, coming at you. You wanted to take a shot but you also wanted to avoid getting toned so you dropped down to escape.

“Guys I need you on my right for this, I’ve got an idea.” You say to your wingmen. After turning around and getting chased by Maverick for a few minutes you managed to slow down and invert your plane so that you could get behind him and take your shot while Payback and Fanboy shot up in front of his jet to surprise him.

“That’s a kill Mav!” You exclaim out of breath. You heard Payback and Fanboy screaming of joy in their jet and couldn’t help but laugh. You were ordered to go back to base and turn your jet around, back to the tarmac. You saw Phoenix and Rooster running up to you to congratulate you as you were the first to shoot Maverick down all day. Even Jake couldn’t manage it.

--

After a few days, Jake still hadn’t said a word to you nor looked at you and you started to feel sad that he lied to you about being important to him. You thought that if you were that important he would have explained why he left you on your own that day. But he still hadn’t dared approach you.

“You alright Y/C/S?” Rooster asked you at the end of the first week, as you were all headed to The Hard Deck for a few drinks. “Not sure.” “Is this about Hangman?” You nodded and he pursed his lips. “You know, in my opinion you should either forget about it all and move on or face the problem head on and go talk to Hangman to get answers because it seems like he won’t be the one willing to give them to you.”

“I think I just need closure. I need him to explain why he did it, that's it. After that I’ll leave him alone if that’s what he wants but I just need to know.” “Then you should go see him and get your answers because otherwise you’ll never get ‘em.” “Yeah you’re probably right.” You sighed.

“Hi Penny, how you doing?” “I’m great, I’m so glad you’re all back here. Has your week been okay?” “It has, thanks.” “What can I get you?” “I’ll take 6 beers please.” “Comin’ up.” While Penny was getting your order you took a look around the bar to see if you recognized any familiar faces in the lot, only to be met by Jake’s eyes, staring at you with sadness while holding a conversation with Coyote.

You turned back to Penny and she put down the six beers you ordered in front of you. “Open a tab for me please.” You say as you handed her your card. You headed back to the table where you sat with Rooster, Phoenix, Payback, Fanboy and Bob and gave them their beers not looking back at Jake once.

As the night went on you forced yourself not to think about him but you could feel his eyes on your back and it made you uncomfortable. You excused yourself to go to the bathroom and walked out of the bar to get fresh air. “It’s alright.” You thought to yourself. “It’s alright.I’m alright.” You breathed. You walked up to the beach and sat down on the sand.

You felt someone come up to you and sit down in the sand next to you. You didn’t need to turn your head to see who it was, you could smell the cologne a mile away.

“I’m sorry.” He said in a whisper. “What for?” You asked not nearly louder. “Almost killing you.” “Why did you do it?” “I don’t know.” “Well you must know something.” “I saw my life flashing before my eyes up there, I thought I was going to die and I left you when they were chasing you because it was my only chance to escape. I’m sorry.”

“I thought I was your friend.” Tears made their way up to your eyes. “I thought you were my wingman and I thought I was important enough for you to not let me die. I was right, I can’t trust you up there.” “I’m sorry.” He repeated. “It’s gonna take a whole lot more than that, trust me.” You stated as you got up and went back inside.

--

“Y/C/S, I’m appointing you team leader.” Maverick said the next wednesday. “Thank you sir.” You replied, not feeling entirely ready for the task, but proud that he believed in you nonetheless. You finished training a week early as the mission had been updated and left that morning to get on the carrier that would bring you close enough to enemy coastlines.

“Y/C/S, your two fox-trot teams?” Cyclone asked. “Payback and Fanboy, Phoenix and Bob.” They looked at you with an expression of surprise mixed with anxiousness and fear. “And your wingman?” You looked at them all. “Rooster.” He knew you would pick him as you made a great team back with the warriors.

You all got ready to get in your jets. “Don’t leave me alone up there alright?” You asked Rooster. “I promise you I won’t.” “Alright, let’s go light up some things.”

--

“Dagger one is hit! I repeat dagger one is hit!” You heard Phoenix shout through your com as you ejected from your superhornet after almost getting hit by enemy fire. You landed on the ground and quickly tried to pack up your parachute when another enemy aircraft noticed you and tried to kill you.

You ran away as fast as you could but knew your life was almost to an end when you heard a loud explosion behind you. You turned your head around, still running when you saw the enemy crashing down and saw Rooster flying away mere seconds before getting shot down. You froze on the spot, not believing what you saw and hoped Rooster wasn’t dead when you saw his seat eject from his jet and his parachute open.

You let out a sigh of relief before running up to where Rooster was going to land. You ran up to him and tackled him to the ground in a tight hug. Rooster let out a loud oof before returning the hug. “Thank you for coming to save me.” “I would never let you die Y/C/S.”

--

“You’ve got to be shitting me.” Rooster whispers as you were looking at the last enemy aircraft left intact. “Yeah well, that’s the only solution we’ve got isn’t it? Nobody can come get us and if we get caught we die. So…” You walked quickly to the F-14 in the makeshift hanger and looked at the panel next to it. “Alright let me remember this.” You say, closing your eyes.

“You know how to pilot this?” “Yeah well, I got bored reading my F-18 NATOPS, so I got back to the old ones.” You shrugged. “Jesus Christ.” “Okay.” You started lighting up buttons and opened the canopy. “Once I give you the signal for the air, you’re gonna flip this switch until the needle gets to 120. When the engine starts you’re gonna pull out the pins and disconnect everything. You understand?” You ask seriously. “Yeah.” He replies.

You flip the switch and air starts running through the pipes. “Yes!” You exclaim. “Once I’m up, store the ladder.” You say as you put your helmet back on and climb into the two-seater.

“Okay.” You say to yourself. “I hope I remember this correctly.” You add, flipping some switches and giving Bradley the signal. He does as asked and removes the pins before climbing up into the plane. “Oh my God, this thing’s so old!” He exclaims. “Alright.” You push down the stick and the plane starts moving. You get in place on the cratered runway and hope to God this will work.

“Runway’s cratered. How are we gonna get this museum piece in the air?” “I got an idea.” You reply and deploy the wings. “Why are the wings coming out Y/C/S?” You ignore him and keep pulling buttons. “Y/C/S this is a taxiway, not a runway. This is a very short taxiway Y/C/S.” You keep ignoring him and push down the stick. “You just hang on.” You say and let go of the pedal and the jet starts moving quickly. “Holy shit!” “Come on, come on, come on.” You pray to no one in particular and the plane starts going up.

As you made your way back to the carrier Bradley turned on his geolocation for the carrier to track him. “Y/C/S tally two, five o’clock low.” Bradley says to you. “What do we do?” “Okay look, be cool. If they knew who we were we’d be dead already.” You both put on your masks and tried to act normal as the enemy aircrafts got closer to you.

--

You kept fighting the two aircrafts and managed to shoot one down and make the other crash into a mountain below. “You alright Y/C/S?” Rooster asks. “I’m out of breath, this shit’s so hard to pilot. I’ll be glad to get an F-18 back when all this is over.” “I bet you do! Not sure they’ll be happy we crashed two multi-million dollar planes though.” He says and you chuckle in response.

You were finally flying above the ocean, only miles away from the carrier and you gave a sigh of relief to know this will finally be over. Only to be met with a ringing sound in the plane, warning you that an enemy plane was near you again. “Oh my God.” You whispered and looked everywhere. “Where the hell is this guy?” “He’s on our nose.” You deadpan.

You try to shoot him but nothing comes out. “Dammit! We’re out of ammo.” You say as you see a missile coming out of the enemy plane and coming straight at you. “Smoke in the air! Rooster flares!” You shout and break left. Rooster pushes the button that would eject the last flares of the plane and confuse the missile. “We’re out of flares Y/C/S!” He shouts. “Shit he’s already on us!”

You get attacked by the enemy as he tries to shoot you down with his guns. “Aaah this is not good!” Bradley screams. You do whatever is in your power to avoid enemy fire but you’re exhausted. “We took another hit!” “No no no no!” You exclaim. “We can’t take much more of this!” Rooster says after you get hit again. “We can’t outrun this guy, we gotta eject!” “What?” “We need altitude. Pull the ejection handles the second I tell you.” “Y/C/S wait !”

“Rooster, there's no other way!” You shout as you pull the stick as hard as you can and your plane shoots up almost vertically. “Eject! Eject! Eject!” Rooster tries to pull the handles but nothing happens. “Rooster pull the handle! Eject!” “It’s not working!” “Y/C/S!” He shouts.

“I’m sorry.” You kept going, slowly coming to the realisation that you were going to die. You didn’t want to eject either because you didn’t want to be responsible for Rooster’s death.

So you stayed like that. Awaiting your fate. You closed your eyes and prayed silently.

You awaited the missile that would finally kill you, saying sorry to Rooster. When you suddenly heard a loud explosion behind you. You turned your head along with Rooster to check out what just happened.

“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen! This is your saviour speaking. Please fasten your seatbelts, return your tray tables to their locked and upright positions and prepare for landing.” You heard the smug voice of Jake Seresin through your intercom and tears made their way up in your eyes. You didn’t dare look at him because you wouldn’t know what to do.

“Hey Hangman! You look good!” “I am good, Rooster! I’m very good. I’ll see you back on deck.” He says before heading back to the carrier as you followed.

When you crash-landed on the carrier you finally let yourself cry a little before getting out of your plane.

“Was this the kind of sorry you’re willing to accept from me?” Jake shouts through the noise as he approaches you after getting out of his plane. “Thank you.” You tell him with tears in your eyes. He hesitates but finally engulfs you in a tight hug which you reciprocate. “I’ve missed you those last six years. I’m so sorry for what I did. You can’t imagine how sorry I am and how terrified I was that you almost died.” You could feel his tears crashing on your flight suit as you hug him tighter. “I want my friend back.” He says in a whisper but you heard him nonetheless. “You got her Jake.”

You spend the two days it took you to go back stateside reminiscing with Jake about your lost six years.

That afternoon when you landed, you all headed to The Hard Deck to get a few drink to celebrate.

“Who are you looking at like that?” Phoenix asks you that evening. “Uhm?” You turn your head to her. “You look lovesick. Who are you looking at?” She grins. “No one.” You state. “Is it Hangman?” She smirks. “No.” Your eyes go wide at her words. “Oh my God, you have a crush on Jake!” She exclaims, excited.

“Shhh! Don’t tell anyone okay? I thought we were just friends but turns out I might have harboured a tiny crush on him since Top Gun…” “Why didn’t you tell him?” “Because I’m obviously just his friend and I spent the last six years being mad at him?” “Well I think you should tell him.”

“We’ll be leaving each other tomorrow anyway. What change does it make?” “Well you obviously could be happier with him than you are right now and who knows, maybe he’ll stop trying to kill you when you’re in danger.” “I’ll be going back abroad with Bradley anyway, I won’t see him for another ten years probably, so no, I’m not going to tell him how I feel.”

“Tell who how you feel?” Rooster interrupted. “Nothi-” “Y/C/S has a crush on Hangman but won’t tell him because she says it’s pointless and she won’t be seeing him for years after tomorrow.” Phoenix replied, cutting your answer short. You sighed and looked down, nursing your beer. “Well Hangman just happened to tell me the exact same thing! How crazy?” Rooster grins.

Your head shoots up to meet Rooster’s face, looking for a lie in his eyes but nothing. “What are you talking about?”

“Jake’s been in love with you since Top Gun apparently. He wanted to tell you but he didn’t, don’t ask me why, and that day up in the sky he got so scared of possibly seeing you die that he just left. And he’s held himself accountable for that for six years and now he’s just too scared to tell you so he said he’d rather be friends with you if it just kept you near him.” “God you’re both so stubborn.” Phoenix slaps her forehead.

“There’s no point, Rooster and I are leaving tomorrow, we’ll be going back to Italy or probably be posted in Guam or Hawaii or something. I won’t be seeing him for years probably. I won’t make myself sad by him rejecting me or even worse, by him saying he loves me back and me leaving him like that.” You shake your head.

“Well I hate to break it to you Y/C/S but you’ve been asked to go back to the vigilantes. It’s up to you whether you want to go back with me or you want to have a future with Hangman.” Rooster shrugs. “I- what?” You furrow your brows. “Yeah, Cyclone told me when we landed. He’s going to call you tomorrow to get your answer. You should really think about it.” Rooster grins.

“I-uh I don’t know, guys. The decision was easy before. What do I do now?” You start panicking. “Well you go get yourself another drink and tell Jake you’re in love with him. Simple as that.” Phoenix nudges you towards the bar and inevitably, toward Jake.

You take small steps toward the bar and order yourself another beer. “Go tell her!” You hear Coyote whisper to Jake behind you. “No dude I can’t, she’s leaving tomorrow I won’t see her again, what’s the point?” “I’m telling you she looks at you like you hung the moon, go tell her you feel the same or I swear I’ll do it for you.” Javy urges.

Penny hands you your beer and you turn around, facing Jake, whom Javy had pushed toward you in a desperate attempt to make him talk to you.

“Oh sorry!” You say, almost hitting Jake when you turned around. “It’s alright, can-uh can we go talk outside?” “Uh yeah, let’s go.” You start panicking.

“Y/N I-uh. I need to tell you something. I believe it’s pointless because you’ll be going back to Virginia or wherever tomorrow and I’ll go back to Lemoore but Javy believes I should tell you so…” He starts playing with his fingers, not sure what to say now. “I-uh. I like you.” He says looking up at you.

“I like you a lot. I’ve like you since Top Gun and I never told you and I regretted it for the last six years but here I am, being the better man and telling you how I feel.” Your heart is racing and tears make their way to your eyes. You don’t know what to say, you didn’t know you would ever hear him say those words to you. “Please say something.” He begs.

“I like you too Jake. I’ve liked you since Top Gun, even though I spent the last six years hating you I feel like I’ve never stopped loving you. And I also believed it was pointless to tell you but now I’m not so sure anymore.” “We’re gonna figure out a way to see each other, don't worry. I’m not letting you go again, I promise.” “It’s alright Jake, I already have a solution.” You give him a watery grin.

“You do?” “I’ve been asked to go back to the vigilantes.” “Oh God I could kiss you right now.” He smiles widely. “Yeah I wonder why you still haven’t actually.” You shrug. He looks at you with nothing but love and cups your cheeks before putting his lips on yours.

Inside, Javy, Natasha and Bradley are high-fiving and cheering seeing you two finally admitting your love to each other.

“Please, don’t ever leave me up there on my own again.” “I won’t baby, I promise.” You grin before kissing him again.

[itwoodbeprefect]

fic writer 20 questions

i was tagged by @luredin! thank you! <3

i feel like i've done this one (or one very like it) at some point before, but i couldn't find it when i went searching, so maybe i just read through it and composed answers in my head? or my very confused tagging system is understandably failing me.

How many works do you have on AO3?

right now, 242!

What's your total AO3 word count?

587,542.

What fandoms do you write for?

several! these days mainly starsky & hutch, but h50 is still very present too, and i think both stargate atlantis and 911 may also be worth mentioning. beyond that there's a lot of other things for which i'm working on a single fic, or there's a document with multiple of them but i only open it once in a blue moon.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

well. four out of five of these are for a fandom i wouldn't write for anymore today for obvious reasons, and the other one (Tell me I'm perfect) is a Shadowhunters fic:

It's the truth

Tell me I'm perfect (but tell me the truth)

I dare you to dare me

Finders Keepers

That escalated quickly

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i wish i did! i keep trying to get into a healthier habit on that front, because i love comments and i'd like to say thank you and engage with people more, but it's a complicated thing - not in real life, but in my head, unfortunately.

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

not an easy question, and it's not because there's too many to pick from! i'll indulge in a little melancholy at times, and maybe even a somewhat things-aren't-perfect ending, but generally there's at the very least a solid spark of hope even if the rest of the fic was sad. i think maybe Sobering (a mash hawk/trap fic) could qualify for actual angst, but even that one i seem to have tagged as "angst? i think?" when i posted it.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

now this, this is where we get tangled up in weighing a hundred fluffy fics against each other to decide happiness rankings! maybe something like Flowers for no reason but you missed me (starsky/hutch) or And I love every inch of you (And then some, and then some) (h50 steve/danny) because both of those are just pure giddy happiness start to finish, which means the happiness has been building for the longest by the time the ending rolls around.

Do you get hate on fics?

thankfully, not really! most of my stuff is deeply inoffensive. there's been a sporadic comment here or there over the years of someone randomly telling me they didn't agree with something i wrote (by which i don't mean people pointing out genuine mistakes - that's very different, and very helpful), but even then i wouldn't necessarily classify that as "hate", just as a very awkward way to respond to reading something that annoys you for whatever reason. what springs to mind is one that started with "i have not seen the episode" and then proceeded to interpret an in context line from a character as my personal beliefs on whether children are capable of evil, so. that kind of thing.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

not officially! but unofficially i've been told that it's fun and really really sweet, so no surprises there.

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

not usually, which means that the craziest (and only) one on ao3 is probably the h50/s&h crossover (Said the apple to the orange), which is truly very uncrazy.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i wonder about that sometimes (i feel like after many many years and with the recent bot stuff on top, the answer should maybe be "probably"), but not that i know of!

there was an instance once of someone copying a story title, but they did so in a way that didn't even work. i was writing in dutch at the time, but english titles were Very Cool, so my story was called "ladies, bugs and ladybugs", and the other person took that, translated it to dutch, and used that for their story, which. those words don't match up the same way in the slightest, so it's just a random sequence of things by that point.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes! actually, i was probably the first person to translate any of my fic - all of the very, very early stuff posted to ao3 was just an english copy of originally dutch stories - but these days there are also a lot of russian translations (russians seem to be very active in h50 fandom!), some mandarin, some french. one italian, i think. it's very cool!

also, shout out to people who do podfics, too. <3

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

a few attempts were made over the years, but most of that never went very far for one reason or another. none of it is on ao3.

What's your all-time favorite ship?

as of right now, probably starsky/hutch!

What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

oh, i'm afraid i could fill, well, lists. one that immediately comes to mind that's technically a little past this category because i know i'll never finish it is a very long h50 project in which i took up about a hundred different little threads from the series and tried to weave them together into a giant fix-it-ish getting together coming out case fic sort of thing, and i still think the plotting work for that one was sound, but i'm just never going to actually get 100k down for a fic like that at this point in my life. (note that this is not a fic that's already up on ao3 in part - i'll finish those, one way or another.)

and oh my, for maybe a better answer: the starsky-watches-cowboy-movies starsky/hutch fic. i want to write that one, i do! and i am, and i do have real hope that i may one day finish it, but it's a fairly ambitious project in multiple ways, so there are some serious obstacles i will need to find some way around.

What are your writing strengths?

i love the patter of writing dialogue! people tell me characters sound believable and like themselves, so that's nice. also, balancing ridiculously fluffy things in such a way that it doesn't tip over into saccharine, and i also think i manage good jokes sometimes. i've been working on descriptions and atmosphere, and that's been fun.

What are your writing weaknesses?

i've completely unlearned how to write long stories! and ironically, i do write a lot of overlong sentences. also, i'll turn to google for absolutely anything, but deep down i'm a pretty impatient writer when research is needed and it doesn't happen to be a subject i'm already interested in, which oftentimes means i'd rather handwave things or scrap the idea entirely, even though i think really well-researched fic is amazing. and on that note, no matter how much american media and internet content i consume, i'm not american and have never been to america, which can be a challenge when writing for almost exclusively american fandoms. (i think i understand beds now, but i'll have to google sinks one of these days.)

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

ha! this was a thing that was very, very common for a while in my dutch fic writing community, because more or less all of the fictional properties and/or real life celebrities people were writing about were british or american (maybe with tokio hotel as the one notable exception), so there was A Lot of fic written in dutch with stilted high school english dialogue thrown in. i was never very into that, but hey, if it makes you happy, definitely go for it, and that goes double if it's just a few sentences for flavor! compared to what i used to see, ao3 culture is extremely conservative with these sorts of things.

all of which i say while also still, in the back of my head, considering the possibility of writing a really obnoxious ted lasso fic with 90% dutch dialogue, so. i too might become guilty at some point in the future.

First fandom you wrote for?

twilight! it was nessie/jacob, with i think a love triangle with a vampire thrown in. we all have to start somewhere.

Favorite fic you've ever written?

i recently reread How To Build A Triangle (or accidentally fall headlong into one, or whatever the fuck) and i still think it's really good and fun, plus it's a minor miracle that i got it finished so easily! there's a decent chance i'd name a different fic if you asked me again tomorrow, though.

Tagging

I have no idea who has already done this or been tagged for it, so I'm just going to throw a few names out there (@redgoldblue @actingcamplibrarian @stephmcx @spurious @goneahead), and then give the usual disclaimer that obviously i'm tagging you all with no pressure, and that if anyone sees this and it seems like a fun list of questions, i'm tagging you too! ✨

[morrigan-reads]

Some Freely Available Arthurian Content

in my ongoing endeavour to dive down the rabbit hole that is arthuriana, i've been in pursuit of as much free and easy to access stuff as i can find. (shoutout to @fuckyeaharthuriana's big list, which has made this way easier!)

i haven't necessarily seen links to everything i have managed to put hands on, so i'm going to link a few things here in case they're helpful to anyone else. (plus then i can come back to this post in a few weeks when i've forgotten which things i've already tracked down, i have gone to download jaufry three times in the past month, before realising i already grabbed it. this should help, but probably not.)

Free to Download:

Geraint filius Erbin: [x] no idea the pedigree of this translation, but i think this is the one.

Tristan (Gottfried von Strassburg): Part 1: [x] Part 2: [x] an older prose rendering, but check below for a more modern one.

Jaufre: [x] this has sweet gustave dore art (hence my trying to download it so often.)

Vulgate Cycle: [x] an abridged version of the lancelot, grail, and morte. an unabridged translation of the grail quest is here: [x] unabridged morte below.

La Pulzella Gaia: Part 1: [x] Part 2: [x] a fan translation. very readable tho.

Cantare di Astore e Morgana: [x] another fan translation.

Eachtra an mhadra mhaoi/Eachtra Mhacaoimh-an-iolair: [x] some irish stories!

Layamon's Brut: Part 1: [x] Part 2: [x] Part 3: [x] an older translation, but most of the widely available translations though more modern are only the arthurian portion.

Open Library:

so, these aren't free to download, but if you make a free archive.org account you can check them out digitally for an hour. just be sure not to read this thread on reddit, because it'll tell you how to break the DRM and download them permanently.

there's a tonne more stuff on there, and you can check it out for free! just like a library. i'm a fan. here are just a few bits and pieces.

Erec/Iwein (Hartmann von Aue): [x]

Tristan (Gottfried von Strassburg): [x] includes fragments of the tristan of thomas of england.

Lanzelet: [x]

Vulgate Morte: [x]

Lancelot do Lac: [x] an abridged translation of the non-cyclic lancelot.

Prose Tristan: [x] an abridged translation.

Diu Crône: [x] my fave, not gonna lie.

The Knightly Tales of Sir Gawain: [x] this is a collection of gawain stories (my beloved ladies' knight.) contains the carl of carlisle, the adventures at tarn wadling, golagros and gawain, the avowing of arthur, and dame ragnell - plus some more!

Bonus: Le Morte d'Arthur: Norton Critical: [x] Armstrong: [x] Lumiansky: [x] i know everyone knows how and where to read some version of malory. but these three are my personal faves. the norton critical is, by my understanding, the standard edition of the text. the armstrong and lumiansky are modern english versions, but translations unlike the retellings of most people. i have the lumiansky in print (because it was, like, ten dollars second-hand) and i quite enjoy it, and the dorsey armstrong is also very good (i haven't actually read it cover to cover yet, but i have enjoyed all i have read of it!)

i will come back and add anything new and interesting i find links to! currently trying to find a clearnet link to some dissertations that i have institutional access to through my uni that contain translations, and i'm actually working on some translations of my own that i plan on releasing for free somewhere eventually.

[bangtaninborderland]

JHS: Twisted Feelings

Summary: After working at an award show for 2 years everything had become normal, idols were no longer exciting to see, performances became dull and every day blended together, that was until an unexpected man asked for your help.

Genre: idolljihope x fem!reader, angst, fluff, strangers to lovers, ongoing series

Warning: none for this chapter!

A/N: I i in no way own bts and this is purely a story of fiction! I wanted to specify that this story takes place around the timeline of what would have been the mots 7 era if Corona didn’t happen, I didn’t want to confuse people as I go. I am trying to update as much as possible I find so much joy in this story. This is short but I am planning to update more I just wanted to get through this kind of boring but necessary chapter.

Ch.03 <. Series Masterlist > Ch.05

Thankfully the negotiations didn’t take as long as you had initially thought, a few different company lawyers had come in to review and make any changes necessary to the standard contract Sejin had given you but overall it wasn’t unpleasant.

You had decided that you would translate, whilst providing the members with private lessons if they decided they wanted them. It would be full time and you had agreed to be “on call” 4 days a week. The pay rate was almost triple compared to what you had been receiving at the awards company but then again that was expected. It was more than you had anticipated but it was understandable once you found out their previous translator had made a choice to reduce her hours to focus on her family.

Something you admired.

Sejin had informed you that the boys had been called into a meeting room, one of which you would have to join as it was about you, he instructed you to the room and asked that you wait there whilst he gets you an employee card made.

The members were definitely loud, you could hear them before you had even opened the door to the meeting room, their voices rebounding off one another in what appeared to be a debate over which song was harder to perform. You felt awkward at first, like you was intruding, that was until Hoseok looked towards you a hand beckoning you to sit at the table.

“I’m guessing you took the job if you’re here.” He was talking directly to you but the other members had quietened down - all focused on your conversation.

You have a slight nod. “It appears to be so, I mean it wasn’t a hard decision to make.”

“Well we are happy to have you, we will try and make it as easy as possible. Jungkook and Yoongi would both like to take lessons, we spoke during rehearsal.”

You look towards the mentioned men, you was surprised Yoongi had wanted to accept the lessons, him being more reserved than the others.

“I always want to help in the English interviews more and it frustrates me not being able to understand army when they comment.” Jungkook gave an explanation, one that wasn’t necessary but one that you took thankfully.

You smiled at him, converting wordlessly that you had taken in his comment. It was nice they felt somewhat comfortable with you but in all honesty you was unsure how to respond.

“Maybe we should introduce ourselves a little more?” And just like that you were saved from an awkward silence by none other than Kim Seokjin.

“I’ll go first?” You suggest, taking it as a yes when no one interjects.. “I told Hoseok-ssi previously that I was unsure how good of a teacher I would be. I’m not the most qualified person for this job but I don’t want to look at it in that way, I don’t want to look at this as I am someone who teaches you and works for you, I think when you approach something with that much of a definition it can become stressful and overwhelming. I will do my best to support you through any interviews or meetings where it is necessary and I will always try to be available if any of you have questions or need help with something. I worked translating for years before this and I studied English for a very long time so I hope I can at least use that to help you all.” You finish your personal monologue with a little clap, one that makes you cringe at yourself.

“Does it bother you working with idols? Do you have any experience?” Taehyung was the one to question you, it wasn’t a question that was surprising but the scepticism his voice held was.

“I have worked around idols not directly with them, I’d prefer it If you didn’t refer to people as if they are nothing more than their job titles. I don’t see you as idols I see you as human beings doing your job the same way I will be. I know that in this industry there is a lot of worry about having your privacy breached or information leaked but that isn’t something I would ever do or accept being done. Not because of a contract clause but because everyone deserves a right to privacy and anyone who disregards that is the lowest kind of being.” Your face falls flat, you know it was probably time to shut up but something inside of you secretly wanted this to work.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything.” Taehyung slumps into his seat a little further, no doubt he too was wishing the floor would open up and eat him.

“Are you worried about your security and privacy? A lot of our staff have left because it became too much?” Jimins voice was lighter, he seemed soft.

You shrug your shoulders before shaking your head. “No, I mean in all honesty they could leak my information if they wanted too. I’m pretty sure no one would be interested in my personal activities I’m not the most exciting person.”

“You’re much braver than me.” Hosoek smiles at you, the tension in the room growing thinner as the conversation continues.

Sejin had joined shortly after, informing everyone of your role and the rules of their interactions with you. It was mostly just about the times you’d be working, he had made note that Jungkook and Yoongi wanted to take private lessons alongside Hoseok.

After that Jungkook had excused himself to get refreshments and snacks. Sejin had insisted that you spend time together in the building to get to know one another as it was only a few weeks until their schedules would pick up and you’d be thrust together 24/7, they all seemed happy to have the rest of the day off apart from this mandatory bonding session.

“So how old are you?” Jin asks, reaching to take a packet of honey twists from the snack pile that had been formed upon the table.

“I’m 24 in international age, I’m sorry I don’t know your ages?” You looked around waiting for someone to answer.

“You’re the same age as me and Tae. Jin Hyung is 27 so is Yoongi Hyung, Namjoonie Hyung is 25 and Hoseokie Hyung is 26 , me and Tae are 24 and jungkookie is 22.” It was at this moment you was thankful that you had good memory retention, you’d have to make sure to get a list of their birthdays. Even if you were only a staff member you didn’t want to forget something so important.

“Can I call you Noona?” Jungkook perked up causing a giggle amongst the men, you felt almost sorry for Jungkook until he smiled at you.

“Sure you can.”

“Thanks Noona.” He pops a chip into his mouth before turning the pack around to read the nutritional information.

“You can talk casually with me, I wouldn’t want it to be weird.” Taehyung mumbles, you slightly regret your rant at him earlier. You’d applied to him privately especially when he was trying to make you feel comfortable. “Me too.” Jimin agrees handing you a bottle of water after retrieving one for himself.

“You didn’t think we would want any?” Jin asks, rolling his eyes. “You’re supposed to take care of your Hyungs.” If you hadn’t already experienced his playfulness you’d be worried but you could see the way both he and Jimin were laughing about the situation.

“Anyone else have any honourific requests before we move on?” You ask uncapping your water bottle.

Yoongi, Jin and Namjoon all shook their heads no. Each of them slowly breaking off into their own groups on the couch in the corner.

You turned your attention to hosoek who had softly called your name. “You can talk to me casually if you’d feel comfortable like that, I wouldn’t want you calling me Hosoek-ssi all day every day.”

“I wouldn’t want to disrespect you.” If it’s one thing your parents had taught you it’s to respect your elders. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” He smiles giving your shoulder a squeeze before looking towards the members. “Wanna join them on the couch?”

You contemplated it for a second, it would be nice to spend more time with them, it was clear from Sejins instructions in just a few weeks you’d be preparing to fly with them for their tour and that would be easier if you knew each other better but their dynamic felt so entwined and it would be a lie to say it didn’t make you feel like an outsiders “I think I should go I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome.”

“You’re not overstaying anything.” Hoseok was quick to reassure you, his smile warm. “We can always ask the others if you’d feel better knowing their preferences?”

You weighed out the possible embarrassment to any other outcome and decided in this moment it was most likely best to ask so you whispered a quick but hesitant “yes”.

You felt a weight lifting as he stood up calling everyone’s attention. “Hey guys does anyone mind spending more time together?”

An array of “nos” came from everyone, making you feel more welcome.

“See? I knew they would like you.” The comment is smug, proud.

“Oh please them not kicking me out doesn’t constitute to them liking me.” You laugh, his mathematics of the situation not adding up.

He doesn’t seem to mind the joke, it felt nice to have someone other than Na-Rae to joke with.

You talked with him for a few more minuets, he was explaining some part of the choreography to you when Jungkook asked you over to help him read a letter someone had left for him on Weverse. Hosoek wasn’t happy with the interruption but work came first, even in friendlier situations like this.

The rest of the afternoon went smoothly, each member divulging things about themselves as the day went on, mostly about their work life, their pets and their families, nothing too personal. You could tell they all had apprehensions sharing anything like that when you had let slip that you wasn’t dating anyone after jin had asked how you’ll manage your time. You was quick to reassure them that you never wanted them to be uncomfortable and that you didn’t need to know anything more than what they felt okay to share.

Before you had left they had all exchanged numbers with you. It was the easiest way to contact one another and it would allow them to come to you directly instead of waiting for the daytime if they needed help.

When you got home it was far too late to cook anything so you decided on ordering takeout, which arrived much later than you had hoped, it didn’t take you long to finish eating the food hadn’t been the greatest and you found yourself full after a few bites so you boxed it up and put it into the refrigerator. You had just about finished when your phone rang.

“Rae?” You mumbled as you answered the call, happy to hear your friend on the other end.

“I hadn’t heard from you so I thought I’d check in, things are hectic without you here.” She sighs but you can hear her clicking a pen against her desk, something she only does out of boredom.

“So hectic that you have time to call?” You ask, settling down on your coach.

She whines dissatisfied. “You just had to go and get a new job didn’t you.”

“How did you know?” You sat forward, had it been leaked already? You knew that news travelled fast it was impossible not to but that was almost too fast.

“Oh stop worrying!” She chastised. “Your mother called me and asked me to get you a cake for celebration. I’m guessing you took the job? What are they like?”

You shake your head, throwing the tv control back on the seat beside you. “They are nice but that’s all I can say.”

“Stop.” You laugh at her irritation. “Seriously?”

“I know it’s exciting Rae but I don’t want to take away the little privacy they have, they are nice, they made me feel welcome.” You knew you could trust her but even so it still felt wrong, especially after how Taehyung had seemed so on edge about you.

You heard her throw the pen at her desk, as much as you loved your best friend she could be very dramatic. “You’re no fun.”

“You’re not respectful.” You shot back, a little harsher than intended.

You had almost thought you’d upset her until she asked her next question.

“Are they really hot in person?”

“You don’t get bored of yourself, do you?” It was true, she never got bored.

“Nope I couldn’t, too amazing for that. When do you have a day off?”

That was something you wasn’t entirely sure about. You hadn’t actually organised the days you would be in the building and the days you’d be on call for the group. “I’ll have to ask the management team.”

“You started a job without knowing the days you’ll have off? Yeah they must be hot.”

“I’m going now.” You rolled your eyes, not that she could see you.

“Lunch on your day off?”

“Only If you don’t ask me how hot they are.”

With that you hung up, not entirely sure what to do with yourself. You’d never usually had a day off during this time of year, you knew the best thing would be to write but all you could think about was your private lessons tomorrow with Hoseok, Yoongi and Jungkook.

The rest of the night passed painfully slow, you found yourself alternating between putting together documents for your classes, planning and sending unnecessary messages to your parents in an attempt to procrastinate.

In the morning you were informed a car would pick you up, both the members and Sejin had decided it would be best that you be discreet, no one needed ridiculous dating rumours and although you were okay with people asking it wasn’t exactly a positive experience to have your information leaked.

The ride to the company building wasn’t as fun as it had been when Hoseok had picked you up, secretly you were thankful it had been him but that didn’t mean anything, he was just fun.

They had all explained their limitations and desires with you, the things they wanted to be able to do in English, Yoongi wanted to learn to write music in English which admittedly would take a greater level of understanding, Hoseok wanted to know enough to help Namjoon through the interviews something Yoongi had also intended to do and Jungkook wanted to know everything possible and was adamant that he would be better at it than anyone else. After the Grammys they all decided that they should learn something additional, especially for occasions like that.

You entered in the same place as yesterday, they really were serious about security. After having your ID scanned and a quick bag check done you were allowed into the company, Sejin had set up a room close to the practice room, it was kind of like your own office, there was everything you would need to help the members, books, a computer, a table against a small black couch in the corner. The room smelled like fresh paint although that wasn’t surprising, Seokjin had explained how the company only recently changed buildings.

Before you could even settle into the space there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.” You shouted, you continued looking through the folder left on your desk, it included various documents about the members schedules, where you’d be needed, when you wouldn’t be, any relative information, you knew you’d have to look through it all properly later.

At least you wouldn’t be bored tonight.

“Hey, I see you come in I just wanted to make sure you settled okay?” You turned to see Namjoon, his blonde hair messy and eyes dark.

He definitely did not look okay. “I’m fine Thankyou, are you?”

“I’m okay, I thought it would be a good idea for us to talk. Can we sit?” He gestures to the table and you agree, taking a seat at the chair beside it as he sits himself on the couch.

You waited for a moment for him to speak, you could see he was unsure of what he was going to say which only made you hesitant to hear it.

“I care about my members a lot, I try to navigate the English side of things as best as I can but I too make mistakes. We rarely are ever provided with English translators in interviews and our previous translator wasn’t always able to translate in our interviews. I don’t like to see them stressing and worrying over things like this but they do, each of them grow more anxious around the time we have foreign interviews.” He pauses and you’re unsure wether to speak or give him more time, you didn’t want to assume where this was going and say the wrong thing. After a brief look at you he continues. “I want to think you’ll be good for us.”

With that he leans back and you find the words to respond, despite how gentle he was there was also a underlying threat between the lines stating do not fuck this up. “Namjoon-ssi, I am happy that you felt comfortable enough to talk to me about this. I can’t speak for the people who worked with you in the past but I have my own morals and expectations of the level of professionalism I want to have here. I will try to help as much as possible with everything related to that and I obviously wouldn’t like to see any of you stressed or anxious being an idol already seems exhausting.” You gesture to him and he laughs, dimples forming either side of his face.

“That’s true. Do I look that bad?” He asks, running a hand over his face.

Your shake your head earnestly. “Not at all, you’re human. It’s okay to be tired.”

He seems relieved to hear that and for the first time today you feel like you’ve started this job on the right foot.

“You’re very kind. I should go, Hobi will probably be here soon.” He stands up, his hand lingers over the door handle before he turns back to you. “You don’t have to answer this I’m just curious but why did you take the job so easily?”

“I want to write more, I always loved writing and somehow I lost the time and passion to at my last job. I know it’s going to be hectic here but I feel like it’s a chance for me to find who I am and what I want. I like new experiences and new places, I also would like to be able to give back to those around me and I couldn’t do that where I was.” You sometimes hated your honesty but it was better to be open then have them all thinking you had an ulterior motive for the job.

“Maybe one day I’ll get to read what you write.” His response is short but for some reason it only brings you motivation.

“I’m sure you will.” You smile at him once more and then he is gone.

The door closing only to reopen, this time with a different face.

“Hoseok-ssi, Goodmorning.”

His hair fell across his face, his smile bright. Although you had been expecting him you felt excited to start the day now that he was here, he always had a way to brighten the situation.

“Please call me hobi.”