#that tweet really pissed me off? like you really think you’re so special?

[misterxsamsa]

Part One

Will write more if you want!

Okay so this is what I’m thinking: JV has used Johnny as a way to vent/tell his truths and gaslit everyone into thinking it wasn’t about him.

There are many things similar between the two: the way they look/dress (90’s mall goth), the haircut, being a cinephile, his viewpoints on humanity, his personality, etc. What I’ve gathered from posts on the internet about people who’ve met him in the 90’s, he was considered to be toxic. Which considering he was still in his teenage years/early adulthood it’s understandable. He literally looks like Johnny!

On the Johnny Twitter account, there are SO many tweets that are just JV venting or talking about things he likes. Short haired girls, talking about women all being insane (which he’s done on livestreams), his views on people, even down to just random bullshit like eating snacks and avoiding sleeping. All of those tweets are just JV. Johnny is a puppet for him to speak and vent through. And you might be going, “well, he HAS to come up with things for Johnny to say”…so why make him completely similar to himself? Surely a creative mind could come up with more.

Think about it, many panels are totally just artwork based on real life with a modification here and there. For example, Johnny laughing at a sitcom/not killing himself because he has something to watch to distract him. If that isn’t JV I don’t know what is. And if you’ve ever been there when he had literal breakdowns on stream, you’d know 1.) he used media as a distraction, clearly and 2.) he’s suicidal. Even though everyone brushes it off as a joke.

There are so many interviews and things JV has said himself that would indicate he: has a sleep disorder/is afraid of sleep, he doesn’t understand people (which Johnny doesn’t either) arrogance and hypocrisy, among other things that also indicate paranoid ideation. Which…I can’t even blame him because some of his fans are…interesting. Seriously, he fathered that whole “zomg I’m so random xD” school of thought. Disorganized thinking but make it funny and marketable I guess.

There are even interviews and I think one of them is on YouTube where an interviewer called it a joke and he looked SO pissed. If JTHM TRULY wasn’t about him, or a joke…why would he selling get angry if an interviewer said it was?

Even observing him in his livestreams, you can totally pinpoint things that make you go “Johnny would totally say that”, and “this is a symptom of [insert mental illness here], and the breakdowns everyone has already witnessed. Now, people brush it off as “everything he does is a joke”, but do you REALLY think that’s the case?

The thing about JV is that he’s the ultimate hipster: he clearly doesn’t care about being understood and wants to be seen as completely original and “too good” for things everyone else likes. He has amazing tastes sure, but *many* people do whether they like the same things or not. Hence why he also has stated he can’t stand being copied before. (Forgot where I saw that on the internet, sorry.) This is why he also hates when anyone relates to his work…because it no longer becomes personal or special. Not even because people read JTHM wrong/think it’s edgy humor/is a phase to them. And think about it…why would you care if people only use your work to LARP if you’re getting paid and it’s just a joke to you anyway? Why would you WANT them to actually get it…if it isn’t something that’s clearly important to you?

Mostly, JTHM is FULL of intrusive thoughts. Most people have them, but to an artist that gives them ideas for their artwork.

This is just SOME stuff I have written but let me know if you want more.

Anon, I will be thinking about this forever.

For my own Jhonen-esque reasons I'm allergic to getting too personal on my blogs typically, but I'm making an exception here because of the work put into this...

I've been JTHM since my formative years, and it's always been a big inspiration towards my art, writing, and interests. You can tie a good 75% of my interests back to JTHM, or the things referenced within it somehow. I've also struggled with a fuckload of mental illness since forever. So, for the longest time, I've accidentally looked towards Jhonen Vasquez as this weird litmus test standard for normalcy? He made my struggles look artistic and interesting, instead of just lame and debilitating. All while being a SEEMINGLY normal-passing dude, despite clearly having some issues. It's been hard, you know, kinda grappling with the fact that I'll probably never be able to maintain that level of presentation and seeming stability. See, I'm not a livestream kinda guy, so my exposure to him is all panels and interviews. So! Imagine my reaction upon you telling me that this guy, at fifty something, is apparently a complete dork who has suicidal breakdowns on livestream! I'm finally free!

Everybody I look up to is just as lame as I am, and I never have to worry about this ever again! ANYWAYS, ONTO THE ACTUAL ASK! I'm pulling a Jhonen and officially declaring everything I just said as an elaborate exercise in brilliant irony!

Yeah, you're right about all of this and you should say it. I've always seen Johnny as being Jhonen's borderline self-insert slash power fantasy. It's done so obviously, that his continous attempts to deny it just make it seem more obvious. Though, I'll say that before reading this I thought Johnny was perhaps a more exagerrated depiction of his personality, but maybe not as much so as I originally thought? In regards to him being perceived as rude in the 90s, I've never been able to pinpoint if he was as callous as everybody said, or just unaccustomed to interacting with people who looked up to him so much. When MCR was on its last leg as a band, I know people used to really tear into Gerard Way on forums for not having his usual energy, when he was just depressed, lol. It's probably a mix of both.

I'd love to see more of what you've written. Please never be shy about sending large essays! I love them, and that's why I write them, and subject everyone on Tumblr to my longwinded opinions.

[kohakhearts]

ok i was sleep deprived tweeting about this but i got at least 6 hours of sleep last night so im ready to approach this with a degree of normalness. anyway remember when i said i was going to start shipping bloombolt ironically. well lets just say ive been thinking about things they have in common LMFAO but you’re likely unsurprised this is actually my way of saying Here’s How ShigeGou Can Still Win-

ANYWAY THE POINT BEING. goh? terrible friend. god he sucks. actually, chloe doesn’t even consider him a friend, at least not to his face (probably because he thinks friends are a hinderance to his goals and he’s got a lot of problems that make him think he doesn’t need friends he just needs to be the Bestest Coolest Guy Ever Who Knows Everything About Pokemon). in their debut episode they are 6 years old and she introduces him as someone who “hangs around my dad’s lab a lot” (possibly could be “comes to play at my dad’s lab a lot,” which isn’t REALLY much better - still holds the implication that he comes to play with her dad’s pokemon or his cool pokemon-related technology rather than her). she says to professor oak she invited him to pokemon camp simply because he’s always at her dad’s lab and she knew he’d like it.

ok now hear me out here. aside from the fact that she doesn’t EVER call herself goh’s friend, there is zero indication that chloe dislikes goh. actually, she tries pretty hard for him! she clearly likes him, or at least feels bad for him because she can tell he’s lonely (i theorize this is because he’s just like her. that her father’s status as what professor oak himself in this same scene calls A GENIUS has resulted in her feeling somewhat isolated. it’s probably in that “adults always want to talk about how great my dad is and the other kids pick up on it and think i’m Weird And Annoying because all our teachers and their parents seem to think i’m Special” way). it seems that her refusal to acknowledge that they Are friends stems more from the fact that she is aware - perhaps from experience - that attempting to establish that they Are friends will only make him push back, and maybe push her away. she is playing a game with rules that he decided on because his Complex is so ingrained in him even at 6 years old that he tells her to her face I Don’t Need Friends >:(

if this is sounding at all familiar, perhaps you’ve heard my pallet childhood friends spiel. if not, not to worry, for i wrote all about it here. the tl;dr here however is that whether or not ash and gary being childhood friends who go like see movies together or whatever is a late-series addition, there’s actually no good reason to think they DON’T have some kind of established relationship prior to the season one pilot. actually, it seems more as though gary has made the decision for the both of them that it’s time to stop being kids and start being serious - on the day they get their first pokemon, he declares ash his rival and begins calling him satoshi-kun in order to establish that we are not friends, you don’t take this seriously and so i won’t take you seriously until you show me you’re worth being my rival.

you could argue ash isn’t as understanding as chloe, so rather than you know, bringing him his homework and whatnot, he just gets pissed off. HOWEVER, they actually both do the same thing: reach out, constantly, and get rejected over and over. in jn002 goh stands chloe up and then when he finally responds to her messages all he says is essentially “i’m doing something more important than that, sorry” and her reaction is “he always does this.” likewise, ash takes gary’s rival declaration seriously! every time he sees the guy, he wants to battle, to prove himself to him (that he’s worthy, that he’s better than gary thinks, etc etc). for a good 200 or so episodes, every time gary shows up, all he does is walk away from ash. barring that, making fun of him for being no good at battling, yet never actually engaging him in a battle to prove it. the first time gary actually tries to battle him is after they’ve both received eight (uh. or ten) gym badges. the first time they actually battle is way after that. and then he wins and continues to just walk away again, until pretty close to the end of the johto arc (though there’s a little more respect there).

anyway the parallel is pretty obvious. at least to me. there's something deeply wrong with them both <3 which is why then in the project mew arc, who is the one telling goh that he has to be good at teamwork? that he has to learn to cooperate with people in order to achieve his goals? obviously ash is the one who taught goh about The Meaning Of FriendshipTM, but gary occupies a unique position of actually understanding why this is a skill he needs to work on, because it's something he had to learn the hard way too.

on the other hand! ash and chloe have their own fun solidarity: world's shittiest, most emotionally repressed childhood best friend who is allergic to the word friend to begin with

[folklorefairy]

i can’t stand swifties

[krreader]

diamond maknae | too suspicious.

pairing: jeon jeongguk x maknae!reader ; bts x reader (platonic) fandom: bts warnings: eighth member of bts!reader ; mentions of sex genre: fluff ; smut word count: 1.1k+ other: for more diamond maknae content, please check out my dm masterlist

a/n: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REQUESTING THIS, I had a blast writing it

Oh, how much you loved concerts in countries other than South Korea.

Korea was and would always be your home and doing concerts for your fans there would always feel special, but in other parts of the world, you could just be more.. free in what you were doing on stage. Nobody batted a single eyelash if you exposed a bit too much boobs, in fact, they all screamed even louder if you did so.

One thing that you incorporated into this world tour was that you had special performances in every single country. Just you.

For every country, you were performing a different song, had a different choreography... just to spice things up for people. You knew that tour details would always get leaked, so this part would be the surprise that fans were able to look forward to each and every time.

And well, today had more than one surprise in store for them.

Because while you were usually performing on your own – this was supposed to be your solo performance, after all – one of your members joined you this time.

“I like it,” Jeongguk had said as he had watched you practice for this performance back home in Korea, walking around you in a circle, his hands buried in his sweatpants. The next part, he whispered into your ear as he stood behind you, though, “But it could use a bit more spice, you know?”

You let out a snort, still breathing heavily and watched him through the practice mirror, “And what exactly did you have in mind here.”

It was as if he had been waiting for an opportunity like this. Jeongguk didn't waste a single second , grabbed your wrist and pulled you towards his body, his other hand sneaking around your waist and his fingers gracing your butt, “Me.”

“That's not a good idea,” you giggled, trying to escape his hold, but he just pulled you closer towards him, “How would we even explain that. Me performing like this with you as my partner... that's too much.”

“You said you wanted them to be surprised. They will be.”

“This isn't surprise anymore, Jeongguk. Doing this will make the rumors blow up.”

One of his hands came up to your chin and he made you look up at him, a confident grin on his face, “Fine by me. Let the entire arena know that I'm the one you're riding.”

“Jeongguk,” you pushed him back, but laughed wholeheartedly.

“Come on, let's just try this. I bet it would look amazing.”

That's how this entire thing had started and it didn't take very long for you to realize that he was right. What had been missing from your performance had been a partner. That was the last piece of the puzzle. The moment he joined in, it was perfect.

But it was also... very sexy.

So... you didn't tell anyone about it. Not even your members knew.

You wished you could have seen their faces when Jeongguk suddenly ran on stage, just in time for the last part of your performance.

The fans screams roared through the arena when they spotted him and they became even louder when he grabbed your wrist and pulled you towards him. Just like in the studio, he turned you around and wrapped one arm around your middle. You continued singing, him smirking at you while his eyes were clearly saying: “I want you so badly right now.”

And while you had been completely aware of your surroundings before, the moment he was here with you, everything else faded away. You still performed well, even better than that, if you were to give your own humble opinion, but there were absolutely zero boundaries anymore. Despite you having set them with him beforehand.

“No funny business,” your words. Out the window the moment that he looked at you like that.

You turned around in his arms and the two of you began dancing to the song like you had practiced, but the looks, the “inappropriate” touches – according to Bang later – and the fact that you two made it so obvious that you were fucking might have been a bit... too much.

You only realized that after the concert was over and Namjoon was yelling at the two of you. To be fair, you only listened with one ear, as you were simultaneously reading the thousands of tweets in regards to the performance.

“Hey! I'm talking to you!” Namjoon yelled, not believing his eyes that you'd be this disrespectful.

But you just chuckled and read out loud: “I never thought I'd want to be sandwiched between (Y/N) and Jungkook, but here I am, gay and straight at the same time.”

Jeongguk pretended to give more of a shit than you, so he only smirked a little.

“Do you think this is a joke?” Jin asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “This is going to get us in so much trouble.”

“What, exactly?” you looked up at them, “Because the alternative would have been one of our backup dancers that are all 3+ years older than me. Did you want me to dance with them like this? Did you want them to touch me like that?”

That made them shut up relatively quickly, but Namjoon, as the leader, was understandably still upset, “This was inappropriate to say the least. You're like our sister.”

That made Jeongguk snort and get up, ruffling through his wet hair, “But she's not, hyung.”

That pissed Namjoon off even more and he ran after Jeongguk when he walked out of the room, probably to give him yet another earful. The rest of the group spread out, some grabbed a bite to eat, others just rested... and then there was Taehyung, narrowing his eyes at you as you were still scrolling through Twitter.

He hadn't seen any of these tweets himself, but he pulled out his phone a moment later and went through the respective hashtag, just to see what people were tweeting about.

And it was only the first tweet that he saw that nearly made him throw up, “They're definitely fucking,” he read out loud.

You instantly looked up at him, your eyes a little wider than before. Taehyung had looked at you normally, but when he saw your looks, his eyes widened too, his mouth opening and then closing again, especially when you looked back down to your phone without denying it.

The tweets ranged from sweet “I really hope they're happy if this is true” messages to 18+ “Idk what I'm more jealous of. That Jeongguk gets ridden by this queen or that (Y/N) gets fucked mercilessly by this king” tweets.

And let's just say that Taehyung fell into a deep deep dark hole of imagining it all... and hating every second of it.

[frienderbender]

Gointothevvater here! For the character meme thing, I send Melmord and Murderface! 🖤

Send Me a Character

two characters i love dearly!

the man himself. melmord.

First impression: brian posehn what are you doing here. funny dude, fun character design, oh i think i saw some fancomics about him let’s see what that’s all about……..and now i’m drunk and crying over him and the therapist cool cool. i realized pretty quickly that jt and melm reminded me almost exactly of my old favorite pair from my old fandom so they gave this weird sense of nostalgia.

Impression now: love this guy and it’s entirely because of my best pal m. the time and love he’s put into making melmord into a fully developed character with so much lore and nuance is just. god i can’t overstate it enough. beautiful.

Favorite moment: the entire sewer scene plays out like a drug PSA and i quote it all the fucking time. doesn’t help that i think i can do a pretty good impression of him😭

Idea for a story: so many! currently i’ve been tossing around an idea that’s some guys AU-centric about him and jt taking a trip together (not before bothering their besties rikki and nikki ofc). and like all things on here this all started because of a tweet m made

Unpopular opinion: i have to say i’ve never seen a character with such a dedicated hatedom as melmord. for some reason the people who really hate him REALLY hate him. it’s like if you’re a charles fan, i can get it. but there’s some folks i’ve seen who just like. have it out for melm and i’m like man he got hit by a train i think we’re good😭😭 idk to each their own i guess. not my problem.

Favorite relationship: jt/melm owns my heart forever, but of course i can’t NOT mention rikki/melm i invented it! and rikki/nikki/melm. and i really love the tension between melm and charles; not necessarily romantic i just like how they play off each other (see: NMH AU)

Favorite headcanon: rikki kixx fan melmord is my fave. i know he wanted to manage him so bad but unfortunately rikki was all in to the sober rebranding by the time melmord might’ve had a chance😔

and of course murderface my best friend murderface

First impression: the guy meant to be the gross out character. ok. lucky for the creators my sense of humor didn’t change from when i was like 12 so he’s fucking hilarious

Impression now: one of my faves! he and skwis are tied for my fave members of the band. he’s the funnest to draw, i think he deserved better in terms of his writing oh my GOD, and again. he steals the show with his lines.

Favorite moment: the christmas special makes me lose my fucking mind every time. like there’s so many good deliveries and expressions during that whole ordeal, and i always love him and knubbler working together.

Idea for a story: the entirety of the last guys AU; i’m always wanting more murdertooth stuff and i want to see him and toki struggle in the post-apocalypse. just because. and the A-plot of 70s AU. let toki and will go on their soul-searching journeys or whatever.

Unpopular opinion: he’s in the same boat as toki where i think he really got the short end of the stick in terms of character writing. i’m hoping the new movie will solve this because he really deserved to have a slightly more serious look at his character. i think that’s a common difficulty for writers when it comes to the comic relief characters is that they don’t know how to give them their more grounded moments. but again, hopefully the new movie will remedy this, at least a little.

Favorite relationship: murdertooth‼️ they’re everything. planet piss you will always be famous.

Favorite headcanon: he’s from louisiana and nothing will change my mind. he was born there and raised there until his parents’ deaths, then he and his grandparents moved around several states in the south for years before eventually settling in florida. also one year pickles got crowned king of bacchus and will was PISSED

[justasparkwritings]

Troll In Love: Part 1

Pairing: Park Jimin x Reader

Genre: Enemies to Lovers / Exes to Lovers, Non-Idol AU

Rating: PG-17

Word Count: 4.6k

Warnings: Swearing

Summary: What happens when your work nemesis and your ultimate troll team up to flip your world upside down? 

Note: This piece is for the #thebtswritersclub fic exchange! Look out for Part 2 later this week. 

This fic is dedicated to, written for the incomparable @xjoonchildx​, who I have been lucky enough to be paired with. A major fan, this was an intimidating endeavor, and I’m kind of in love with what I’ve created for her. And if she hates it .... it’s trash okay? jk... kind of. 

Banner by me. 

Monday: Pitch Meeting

           “Everyone has an inherent archnemesis,” Claire began her presentation, eyes peering across the conference room, attempting to make thoughtful eye contact with her peers.

          Finally, a staff writer, this pitch marked her first foray into feature writing. It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried, in her three years at the company as a freelance writer, it wasn’t that she didn’t draft proposals, complete preliminary research, no, she absolutely did. But there was always someone in front of her, someone who always came around the corner, nicking first place with seconds to spare. Claire hated you from the moment you arrived, bright eyed and excited, a recent college graduate gunning for a position at the magazine. While it took her years to pitch a cover story feature, years to move from an assistant to full-time staff writer, you had done so in a handful of years.

          Today, Claire decided, that would change.  She had prepped and planned for weeks, laid in wait for Marissa to give her the go ahead to pitch her idea to the team. Adjusting her Dior, she shifted from heel to heel before speaking again.

          “We all have that one person who no matter what we post, they find a way to demean it, turn it negative, make it about something completely unrelated. Whether that’s politics, or religion, or sex, there is that one troll we can’t help but root against. My proposal is to use a few members of staff to find their internet trolls, to engage with them over a period of time, and if they’re willing, interview them, both separately and together. I want to discover what it is that makes them keep commenting, why they always seem to gravitate towards certain posts, who their audience is and how it relates to our greater understandings of our enemies.” Claire sighed, the heavy lifting of her presentation just beginning.

           “I like it, who do you want to use?” Marissa asked.

           “Someone from each of our most high-profile teams, or the people in our office that have the largest social media followings. For a few that overlaps,”

           “Who are those people?”

           “Y/N, Jaxson, Hoseok, Emma and Bridgette,” Claire explained. “They have an average Instagram following of ten thousand, and on Twitter it’s twelve thousand.”

           “What do you post that gets you so many followers?” Gillian questioned.

           “My ass,” Jaxson laughed. “But really, it’s Drag Race content,”

           “Good, you have a list. I need written permission from each of you to interview you and your top internet harassers.”

           “I’d like to request that my name be off the list,” You asked, hand still raised.

           Hoseok asked, knowing the answer deep in his bones. “Why?”

           “I just, I don’t think it’d be a –

           “Nonsense, you have a large following, I’m sure there’s someone who pisses you off regularly,” Marissa interrupted.

           “Yes, there is! What’s his name? Jimin?” Claire pretended to scan her page, her cursory glance perfunctory instead of practical.

           You heard the gasp leave Hoseok’s mouth before you registered what was happening.

“Fuck you!” You snapped. “I’m sorry, that was inappropriate, but the sentiment remains.”

           “It was, but it also sealed your fate.” Marissa stood. “Start assembling your team and listen to Claire, I’m sure she has a list of things she needs from you.”

           “I do!” Claire chimed.

           “Great, get me the contracts from legal and get it to each of the people you’ve listed before 5PM today, I want signed consent before you leave this building.”

           “What if I don’t want to?” You asked, your final plea.

           “You owe her for the debacle with your last interview,” Marissa reminded you.

           “It’s not my fault they were drunk both times! I got the article done and out. It was one of our biggest issues in the last year and was followed up by two other feature pieces by me that beat that record,” You countered, your success an unnecessary brag in a room full of people who feared and admired your work.

           “I don’t care, Y/N, handle it,” Marissa sauntered out, her assistants following close behind.

           Slouching in your chair, your eyes landed on Claire, glaring daggers into her perfectly straight midnight bob. She was everything you hated, a brown noser, a narcissist, a career driven monster who had been biting at your heels since you arrived. She was jealous, blinded by some lofty goal that she’d be an editor or editor in chief before 28, a feat rare in fashion, unless you were Elaine Welterwroth or Margaret Zhang, of course. They had become editors and editors in chief by ages 29 and 27 respectively. Though Zhang had begun her career blogging at 16, a fact that only infuriated Claire who was too busy popping pimples and trying to lose her virginity to her junior varsity boyfriend.

          Claire could spend days listing everything she hated about you. She hated your easy interactions with coworkers, the ability to have the entire room stop and listen when you spoke, the craft of your written work and relationships maintained with subjects years after interviewing them. She hated how you left work with Hoseok on your arm or went to drinks with the assistants and interns. How you achieved so many bylines, becoming an editor in your own right without so much as breaking a sweat, while she was scraping the barrel to be noticed. You seemingly had everything Claire wanted, and Claire was sick of it.

Monday: Your Office

           “Thank you, for your participation,” Claire said, sitting across from you in your office.

           “You aren’t welcome, I’m actually rather unimpressed with your ability to ambush not only me but the other people you’ve trapped into doing your article,” You crossed your legs, adjusting the waist band of your trousers and continued to scowl at her. Claire had only heard of your less than cheerful personality, though it remained largely rumored, she had never had it confirmed or dared to see it in person.

           “How, charming,” She rolled her eyes.

           “Look, you don’t want to be talking to me, I don’t want to be talking to you. Just tell me what you want so I can send you on your way.”

           Claire watched as you reached across your desk to grab your black and white planner, flipping open to the weeks page and holding your pen at the ready. The inside, covered in stickers and hand lettered phrases, fit the persona Claire so desperately wanted to mimic.

           “I need you to read and sign this,” Claire slid the agreement across your glass desk. “Then, I need you to identify the username of your troll, and I need to borrow an intern from your team.”  

           “You can’t have one,”

           “Marissa said I could have whatever I needed, and I need an intern to comb through your tweets.”

           “I can save you the trouble, I rarely tweet, when I do, it’s addressing the same ass hat,” You explained.

           “Well, I need their handle,”

           “Fine,”

           “And the intern,” Claire was firm.

           You rolled your eyes, before pressing the intercom. “Hey Alexis, can you send Erin to me?”

           “Sure thing,” Alexis replied.

           “Thank you,”

           Claire rolled her eyes.

           “Jealous?” You questioned.

           “Read the contract, sign it and send it back to me along with answering the Form that’s in your inbox,” Claire directed.

           “Great,”

           “I’ll be back on Friday to go over your tweets and exchanges before we decide on a tactic to reach out to them and ask them to come in for an interview,” Claire explained. It didn’t annoy you that she was prepared, but it did piss you off a little to know how much she had thought this through. Maybe you should give her a chance, professionally, not socially, Claire would remain a bottom feeder.

           “Who says they’re in the city?” You questioned.

           “If not, we’ll Zoom with them, okay?”

           “Excuse me, you wanted to see me?” Erin peered through the door; wavy bangs parted slightly to expose her forehead and freckled cheeks.

           “Yes, your projects are on hold. Claire here needs your help with her feature article, and as my intern, you are to report to her for the remainder of the project,” You explained.

           Erin’s eyes widened, never had she been reassigned to a special project, let alone with Claire who was notorious for running interns and assistants into the ground. “Who will take over my work?”

           “Can you make a list of where you’re at and send it to me? I will meet with the team tomorrow to talk about where we need to fill in the gaps,”

           “Okay,”

           “Claire, this is Erin, if you are a bitch to her, I will ensure you don’t ever write a feature piece or move past copy editor here or anywhere,”

           “I don’t know where you get off thinking you can speak to me like –

           “I am your superior, and you will respect my intern or face the consequences,”

           “Fine,” Claire turned and left, leaving Erin wondering what on earth she had been roped into.

Tuesday: Happy Hour

           “You gave the real handle?” Hoseok asked over drinks after work, a little happy hour to celebrate leaving the office before 7PM.

           “What was I going to do? She could easily look at my Twitter and Instagram and find out, why lie?”

           “What happened to preservation?” Hoseok mocked.

           “Either I give in and get Claire off my back, or I get called to Marissa’s and have consequences, like I’m a fucking child.”

           Hoseok eyed you suspiciously. “Did you give her his name?”

           “You saw in that meeting, she already knows. I blame you,”

           “Me?”

           “Yes you, always talking about dance classes with Jimin, the good old days of photographing him and styling him in college. He abandoned me to go to school with you, and you’ve taken it all in stride.” You explained. It wasn’t a new story, a new plea, a new exploration of your tempestuous non-relationship with Jimin. It was sad, really, listening to you express the hurt you’ve never let go of.

           “He didn’t abandon you to come to school with me,” Hoseok laughed.

           “Potato, Tomato,”

           “You should talk-

           “Nope, you made your once monthly ‘you should talk to Jimin’ comment a week ago over margheritas, you don’t get another for ten more days,” You scolded.

           “Fine, fine.”

           “I don’t even know where he is,” You muttered, pink liquid of your Paloma slipping down your throat.

           “That’s a lie,”

           “Can you stop calling me out and let me hate him?” You hadn’t meant to snap, but the constant chatter revolving around Jimin was too much to handle, it was too much in two days, too much in the years since you last saw him. Park Jimin was, and has remained, too much.  

           “Fine,” Hoseok resigned. “Have you looked at your tweets lately?”

           “No, I refuse to go back and read whatever horrors I wrote in 2019,”

           “You should,” He suggested.

           “I guarantee Claire will force me to read them. Probably aloud at some last-minute staff meeting she puts together on Friday to fucking fillet me,” You rolled your eyes again, the last dregs of grapefruit clumping together as they slid down the side of your glass.

           “Maybe if you weren’t so,” He starts.

           “Bitchy?”

           “Your words, then she would like you,”

           “She’s hated me since I got there, I’ve tried being nice. I’ve tried being cordial. Claire and I will never mix,” You explained.

           “He’s gone blonde you know,” Hoseok’s eyes have flittered past you, glancing down the street at the setting sun, glad he brought his latest Gucci jacket to keep him warm in the early spring evening.

           “Didn’t you hit your moratorium on how long you can talk about Jimin in a conversation?”

           “You said his name!” Hoseok argued.

           “He isn’t Trump, Hoseok. I can say his name, sometimes.”  

           Hoseok let the moment simmer, cooling gently before turning it up to a raucous boil. “I’m having a kick back next Wednesday, will you come?”

           “If he’s not there,” You answered.

           “I can’t promise that,”

           “Then I can’t promise either,” Chewing the ice from your glass, you let your mind wander to the possibilities of what might happen should you show up to Hoseok’s party and are greeted by Jimin. Blonde Jimin. Jimin with the sparkling eyes and winning smile. Jimin who harasses you on the internet weekly, Jimin who you haven’t spoken to since you were 22, Jimin whom you hated with every fiber of your being.

           Worst case scenario, you couldn’t avoid him and would be forced to speak words to him. Best case, you time it perfectly and he’s either just left or hasn’t arrived and you can doll out pleasantries before Irish-goodbying and never having to confront him.

           “Y/N, please, you haven’t seen my new place yet and it’s finally furnished,” Hoseok pleaded.

           “I’ll think about it,” You resigned.

           “Great!”

           “I fucking hate you and our friendship,” You scoffed, signaling the waiter to bring you the check. You should’ve ordered food, being buzzed and talking about Jimin was never a good idea.

           “I know you do.” Hoseok winked before picking up the tab for you both.

           “At least tell me you haven’t invited Seokjin,” You asked, slipping your coat over your shoulders.

           “Well-

           “You’re fucking with me, right?” You questioned. “You fucking invited both of my exes to a, I’m sorry, kick back? Hoseok, no.”

           “I love you, and I’m sorry, Seokjin helped me find some great pieces for the place, and you know he’s friends with Namjoon and Jungkook,” He tried to explain.

           “That doesn’t mean I want to stare at them over my tenth flute of champagne and my plate which will be piled high with cheese and crackers and pieces of salami.”

           “You and Seokjin are fine though, you ended-

           “Don’t say amicably,” You cut him off.

           “Well, close to it. Please,” He begged. Begging never looked good on Hoseok.

           Staring into his dark irises, a shade mimicking your own, you couldn’t hold the anger brewing. Being around Seokjin was always a better alternative than Jimin. Though the pity he often felt towards you, at your angered state which has never really subsided, was embarrassing. “I’ll think about it.”

           “I love you,” Hoseok pulled you into a hug.

           “Yeah, yeah, then why do you keep doing this to me?”

           “Because I love you,”

           “Tell Taehyung to call me,” You said, waving to him before stepping into the waiting Lyft you’d called at the bar.

           “I will, can’t make any promises,” Hoseok winked before turning towards the subway, where he’d pull out his head phones and scan through the photos he’d taken throughout the day, waiting to get home to Taehyung to analyze, edit and critique them.

Thursday: Claire’s Makeshift Office

           “Are you ready?” Claire asked, sifting through the papers on her desk.

           “You had me come to your office, after you scheduled a meeting to ask if I’m ready? Yes Claire, I’m fucking ready,” You snapped.

           “Erin,” Claire gestured towards your intern who tried to hold her eye roll.

           “So, I combed through your tweets, sifting through your interactions with Mochimin, which is a very creative username,” Erin began.

           “Yeah, his name and nickname combined,” You rolled your eyes.

           “And we read through them all, well mostly me… and I have to ask, are you sure these are your tweets?” Erin questioned.

           “Yes, and what should be his responses,” You answered reaching forward to grab the printed copies waiting for you. You scanned over the interactions, the subtweets, the blatant tags, the retweets and comments not just by Jimin, but a few of your friends too.

           “Why have you been telling us he’s the troll?” Erin asked.

           Her question caught you off guard, eyes wide, shock echoing in your bones.

           “What the fuck? What do you mean? Look at how he fucking responded!”

           “Y/N, you’re the troll!” Erin laughed. “It’s you, not him,”

           “I am not! This is a fucking joke! It’s not April Fools yet, way to put the cart before the horse!” Your voice radiated throughout the small conference room.

          Claire, not having an office of her own, had requested it to conduct most of her teams work. It was your least favorite of the conference rooms, colder both in décor and temperature than the others, it was situated on the corner leading to the kitchen. Glass on two walls, it was the definition of exposed. Everyone could see your outburst. Everyone could watch you fall to pieces. You guessed Claire had planned it this way, to demonstrate how focused her team was, how dedicated to the project they were, to show everyone her value as a staff writer instead of a freelancer. You also assumed she did this to ensure that whatever break down you were beginning to have, would have at least ten witnesses, ten people to side with her that your behavior was irresponsible and reckless.

           “Oh please, get over yourself,” Claire chuckled. The light in her eyes proved your assumptions, she was enjoying this. “Do you see how you interact with him?”

          “What do you mean how I interact with him? He started this!” You lowered your volume, side glances from colleagues passing by alerting you to the unprofessional decibels you’d began reaching.

          “In almost every interaction, you bait him, hook line and sinker. It’s you, Y/N,” Erin explained.

           “No!”

           “Yes, this poor man, just living his life while you’re purposefully harassing him!” Claire feigned shock, eyes widening, mouth slightly open. It was taking everything in you not to resort to physical violence.  

           “I would never,” You glowered.

           “You have! For years, it’s always you,” Erin said again.

          “I, no, that’s impossible. He started it!”

          “Admitting is the first step,” Claire’s placid smile was demanding to be smacked off.

          “Fuck you! This is ridiculous!”

          “July 10, 2020: Thinking of one man in particular, hoping the bleach in his locks burns in the summer heat.Followed by his comment: thinking of one woman in particular, hoping she knows I wear a hat and use purple shampoo.” Erin read.

          “I, I, no!”

          “October 13: Nothing makes me happier than not being invited to a birthday bash with all my friends. He responded: All you have to do is ask. On your birthday, he tweeted: Happy B-Day to the girl who … oh never mind she hates me. You responded: nobody asked for your half-hearted bullshit, next time I hope you choke on it.”

          “He started it!”

          “Why are you so awful to him?” Erin wanted to know.

          “I am not, he began harassing me first,” You tried to argue.

          “Does Hoseok know?” Claire chided.

          “Know what?”

          “About your vendetta,”

          “It’s not a vendetta!”

          “Then explain why you tweet or subtweet him at least twice a week, and then when he responds, tweet him again! You don’t even tag him, just vaguely mention discernable parts of his personality or appearance,” Erin explained.

          “I do not! How do you know what he looks like?” You tried to counter.

          “His profile picture, and a certain friend of yours doesn’t mind sharing-

          “You asked Jungkook? Or was it Taehyung? Or I’m sorry, both?” Your eyes were wide, breathing labored, anger boiling to inhumane levels.

          “Well, if we asked Hoseok you would’ve kno-

          “You called or texted or DM’ed Jungkook and Taehyung, and asked about Jimin?”

          “Yes,” Erin bowed her head, guilt written into the freckles her blush tried so desperately to hide.

          “I cannot believe you, Erin,” You spat.

          “I’m sorry Claire wanted me to,”

          You turned your gaze to Claire, who had begun to cower in her seat.

          “You did the one thing, the absolute one thing that you knew, you fucking knew, would set me off. You did this on purpose, you fucking bottom feeder, you fucking dillweed you crossed the fucking line, Claire,” You spat. Your volume had lowered into a low growl, far more deadly and intimidating than any yelling you had done.

          “We have the proof, Y/N, you can’t deny it, you attack Jimin regularly,” Claire unskillfully attempted to move the conversation away from Jungkook and Taehyung. Like you would balk at her intrusion.

          “You don’t get to violate my personal life, to violate the lives of the people I care deeply about, to expose sources and put them in danger should this article go south, poking and prodding into the lives of people who are dealing with their own bullshit to push your own fucking agenda, Claire,” You were seething, Te Fiti in Moana, Mrs. Weasley against Bellatrix, Kim Kardashian against the ocean searching for her diamond. Your wrath knows no bounds, and Claire had finally crossed the line into territory she could never come back from.

          “It’s for the job, nothing personal.” Claire shrugged. You could see it in her eyes, she wanted blood and was elated to be getting it.

          “This is entirely personal.”

          “Well, you can ask Jimin about it when we interview him,” She smiled, lips upturning revealing her veneers, red lipstick perfectly matte and shaped against her thin flesh.

          “No, absolutely not,” You shook your head.  

          “Yes, that’s part of the deal you agreed to,”

          “I take it back. I revoke my consent!”

          “It’s non-negotiable,” Marissa said. She had sauntered in during your berating, watching as you tried and failed to continue believing that you weren’t the troll. “You have agreed to this, and you will sit through the interview and cordially answer Claire’s questions.”

          “Marissa, this is crossing a line,” You stated.

          “You have to be held accountable,” Claire said.

          “Fuck you, Claire. Believe it or not, there are somethings that are beyond your understanding and a few that are not appropriate for work,” You continued to scold her.

          “Y/N, why are you being so hostile?” Claire was mocking you, with Marissa by her side, she was invincible.

          “You picked me on purpose. What have you been working with Hoseok? Is this some larger plan to get me to talk to Jimin? I don’t want to talk with Jimin or talk to Jimin, isn’t it bad enough he’s being brought into my work? Oh and let’s not forget you using Erin and Hoseok to gain access to Jungkook and Taehyung, who are beyond off limits.” You listed each of her offenses, careful to leave out indiscretions that occurred before this project of hers began.  

          “You agreed to-

          “No, I was forced to do this by you, Marissa,” You began.

          It wasn’t hard to glower at Marissa, one of the most decorated editors in chief, beloved by Condé Nast, best friend of Anna Wintour… Everyone aspired to be her, but in the last year, through your promotion and growing turbulence within the magazine, her leadership had begun to falter. Her steady hand, guiding each staff writer and editor towards success and elevating everyone’s work, was crumbling at an alarming pace. Yet, no one knew why or if anything was being done to rectify the damage her wake was leaving.

          “I was coerced into this under some pretense that I owe Claire something for a so called fuck up that resulted in the biggest boon in our magazines readership in the last year, which was followed up by not one but two feature bylines and my promotion. I have done more than enough at this company, in this industry, to sit here and be forced to engage with a man who destroyed my world. I will not speak with him, or to him or listen to him. I will not, and if you force me, I will get legal involved. Should this bullshit continue, you can expect my letter of resignation next week.”

          Standing and shoving your chair in, you turned on the heels of your Oxfords and marched straight to your office. Closing your laptop and shoving your planner into your tote, you grabbed your phone.

          “Where are you going?” Hoseok asked. He moved in time with you, following down the many corridors of your office and towards the elevators.

          As you stepped in, you pressed lobby and waited for the doors to be closed before turning to him.

          “Did you tell Erin she could contact Jungkook and Taehyung?” You asked.

          “She did what?” Hoseok yelled, soundwaves bounding off the metal and plastic of the elevator, reverberating in your ears.

          “Did you?”

          “No, I can’t believe she, are you serious?” Hoseok couldn’t lie, a fundamental flaw in his design made it impossible for him to tell the smallest fib.

          “Did you work with Erin and Claire to get me involved in this feature? To get me to talk to Jimin?” You didn’t mince your words or pad your language to make him feel less attacked. You needed the answer, and you needed it now.

          “No, I didn’t know Claire was doing this until she pitched it. You think I would-

          “Hoseok, they called Jungkook and Taehyung. They want Jimin to come in to be interviewed, they won’t stop until I-

          “Until you what?”

          “Marissa has always supported me, championed me. But Claire has her number, she has her locked and loaded, aiming for me and I don’t know why,” You confided.

          “She has been slipping lately,” He agreed. “There’s only one way to stop this,”

          Together you stepped out of the elevator, moving past the turnstiles to the revolving door.

          “Am I crazy?” You asked, the insecurity beginning to overtake your bravery.

          “No, something weird is going on,”

          You clarified, “No, I mean, am I crazy for… for doing this to Jimin?”

          “I don’t know if you’re crazy, but you’ve definitely not been your best self,” Hoseok answered.

          “He makes me so-

“You still love him,” Hoseok interrupted.

          “I-

          “Go talk to him,” Hoseok encouraged. “Call me after, we can get drinks and wallow or pick out an outfit for your hot date.”

          “What if he-

          “Just, talk to him, okay?” Hoseok requested.

          “Okay,”

          “I’ll check in with Jungkookie and Taehyungie,” He assured.

          “Thank you,”

          “I’ll also scope out open positions, we can’t stay here,”

          “I love you, Hobi,” You confided, a statement that flowed so easily past your lips, you didn’t have to think or parse through the emotions that went along with it. You’ve always loved him, always will.

          “I love you too, Y/N,” Hoseok draped his arm around your shoulders before placing a kiss to your forehead, a gentle embrace, a squeeze of confidence, a gesture of love. He moved swiftly from you back into the building, and as you watched him walk away, you took a deep breath.

          Taking your phone out of your pocket, you dialed a number you had tried to forget.

          “To what do I owe this unexpected delight of a call?” He asked. His voice was the same, chipper and cunning in the same breath.

          “I need to speak with you, ASAP,” You told him.

          “Okay, I’m working from home today, come over whenever,” He invited you without hesitation.

          “You still live at the same place?”

          “No, moved up. I’ll send you the address,”

          “You know who this is?” You asked, uncertainty back in your bones.

          “What, Y/N, you thought I deleted your number?” Jimin laughed, one of only a few sounds that shot right to your knees, making any posture unstable in the docile sounds of his joy.

          “I, I don’t know, I guess. Look I’m going to hail a cab, I’ll be there in 20,”

          “I look forward to it, just tell the doorman you’re here for me and he’ll let you up,” Jimin said.

          “Okay, see you soon, I guess,”

          “I can’t wait,” Jimin was smiling, you couldn’t see it, but the lilt in his voice was all the assurance you needed. Bracing yourself for the impact of him, of his voice, of his laugh, of the way he looked at you, you hailed one of the last remaining cabs in the city and prayed for courage.  

Next: Troll in Luv Pt. 2

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

#10: Felix, Part Two: The Episode Itself

Here’s Part 1

So, uh... here's the thing. I was going to divide this post into three parts, but I had to cancel the third part where I analyze the stuff involving Astruc defending the episode on Twitter, specifically a certain scene that really showed off some serious double standards in regards to the way Adrien is being written, because Astruc deleted most of his tweets regarding the episode. I wonder why he did that? I thought he wanted to expose himself publicly and interact in a peaceful way.

So yeah, instead of a big three-parter, this is going to be a two-parter, and I apologize for that. I might be able to do a third part if anyone has any screenshots of some of the tweets Astruc made after “Felix” aired. If you did, I would really appreciate it, but if not, it's fine.

Either way, let's just get this over with, because I have SO MUCH to talk about. My friend, can your heart stand the shocking facts about Season 3, Episode 23 of Miraculous Ladybug, “Felix”?

So we start off with what Gabriel does for half of his scenes when he isn't Hawkmoth, monologuing to his (possibly) dead wife, Emilie about how Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous will soon be his and all that crap. Sure, he's sent God knows how many Akumas after Ladybug and Cat Noir, and they've all failed miserably, but I'm positive he's getting close to his goal.

After he finishes cleaning his and Emilie's silver wedding rings that sadly don't allow them to transform into Ultraman Ace, Gabriel goes to check on Adrien, singing to a statue of Emilie (glad to see the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree), intending to tell him that he is Hawkmoth.

Gabriel: There is something important I have to talk to you about. I think about telling you every day, but I don't know how to find the right words.

Adrien: I think I already know, father.

Gabriel: But, how?

Adrien: I've noticed how close you and Nathalie have become. If she can make you happy again, then... as far as I'm concerned, she's already part of our family.

Yeah, apparently it's obvious that Gabriel and Nathalie are close or something, with how casually Adrien assumes they're planning on starting a relationship. I mean, it's not like Nathalie is close to Gabriel because she's his secretary or something like that.

Gabriel's response isn't any better, as he immediately jumps down Adrien's throat for daring to assume he might try to move on from his wife.

Gabriel: How could you possibly think such a thing?! Nobody could ever replace your mother! As long as she is still in our hearts, she lives on!

Even Adrien's face shows he's a little taken back by his father's brief outburst.

Part of me likes to assume that Plagg is trying to not break out into laughter at how crazy Gabriel sounds, while Nooroo is mentally questioning the sanity of his master.

Plagg: Wow! Your father's like a piece of tomme cheese, where the rind's so thick it's almost impossible to get inside the center.

Adrien: Don't be so hard on him, Plagg. It's been a year today since Mom... went away forever.

Oh my God, just say she DIED already! Why are so many kids' shows afraid to say the D-word? How can I cite an episode of Caillou of all shows as something that that actually talked about death to it's audience in a nuanced way?

It turns out that Adrien's aunt is visiting for the day, as it's the one-year anniversary of Emilie's “going away forever”. We also learn that the gene pool in Adrien's family is so shallow, a toddler could swim in it, because Emilie's sister looks exactly like her.

Even better, her name is Amelie. I bet the parents thought naming their kids Emilie and Amelie was hilarious for like three minutes.

And of course, she also brought her son, the asshole of the hour.

Someone cue the Imperial March.

So Felix is finally here, and of course, he looks just like Adrien. It's almost like the animators didn't want to create any new character models for this episode, so they thought nobody would notice if they just reused a few. Seriously, towards the end of the episode, we see Felix wearing the Cat Miraculous on his hand, and none of the animators noticed it.

So while Adrien is happy to see his cousin, Felix isn't. I'll talk more about it in a minute.

Amelie mentions that the wedding rings are actually heirlooms in her side of the family, so she naturally wants them back. Of course, Gabriel, being Gabriel, responds accordingly.

Gabriel: These rings are obviously very special to me.

Amelie: And they're very dear to me too, Gabriel. Those jewels have always been in the Graham de Vanily family, not the Agreste's.

Gabriel: We'll discuss it later.

“Yeah, yeah, these rings are priceless family heirlooms or whatever, but why can't you think about how important they are to me?”

Meanwhile, Marinette and her friends are planning on recording some messages for Adrien to cheer him up on this day, but Marinette isn't sure what to say before she decides to confess her love to him. I'm sure Adrien will get the message and return Marinette's feelings this episode... and Cliff Hanger will finally escape that cliff he's been hanging from for years.

Speaking of, Adrien and Felix are hanging out in the former's room where we learn that Felix's father passed away recently. We don't know how long, but with the way they talk about, it's clear the funeral wasn't too long ago. Keep this in mind.

So while Adrien leaves the room to get a chess board for the two to play a game of, Felix, for no reason, decides to search through Adrien's things and crush a piece of cheese that Plagg had been aging for two weeks. And here is the interaction that helps this episode go from mediocre to aggravating, just because of what they imply here.

Adrien: Listen, Plagg. Felix lost his dad not so long ago, he's probably not himself.

Plagg: I'm sorry, but there's just no excuse! You never touch my cheese, and yet, you just lost your mother not so long ago, right?

Yes. The show is actually implying that Adrien is better than Felix because Adrien isn't acting out because his mom “went away forever”. Keep in mind, we know that Felix just lost his father, while Adrien has had a year to cope. I'm not saying he can't be sad anymore, as everyone processes grief differently, but you can't set up Felix as a foil to Adrien just because they both lost a parent, as their situations are entirely different.

Oh, and when Plagg's statement upsets Adrien, it isn't because he's angry at Plagg for making the comparison, it's because he mentions Emilie. And this argument is never brought up again.

I still can't believe this episode is basically saying that even if you lose a loved one, that's no excuse to get emotional. This isn't just a horrible lesson to teach children, but it pisses me off on a more personal level. Why?

My grandfather died last year after a long battle with lung cancer.

He had been in and out of the hospital for a few years at this point, and part of me was relieved that he was finally free of the pain. I tried not to let it bother me, as I had already mentally prepared myself for the day he would die whenever he was readmitted to the hospital. But it was still painful to go through because he was so important to me. Instead of simply telling someone how I was feeling, I threw myself into my schoolwork in an effort to distract myself from actually confronting my emotions. After seeing A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a movie where the main character made peace with his father on his deathbed with some encouragement from Mr. Rogers, it made me think about how unhealthy it was to bottle up my emotions, so I started to open up more about how I was feeling. When I told my mom (who was his daughter) about why I was so conflicted regarding his death, she said it was completely understandable, as she had been an emotional wreck as well. I also talked with my therapist about how this was affecting me mentally.

What does this have to do with the episode? I don't think Felix had access to this kind of emotional support when his dad died, or that he tried coping the same way I did initially.

And the worst part is that this could have been used to teach people a lesson on how to cope with losing a loved one. Maybe Adrien could have helped Felix find a healthier coping mechanism, or simply help him open up emotionally, teaching him that it's okay to be upset when someone close to you dies, but that you just need to be honest about your feelings.

But no, rather than portray Felix's actions as a troubled youth lashing out because he's angry at the cards the world dealt him, Felix does several awful things this episode for no other reason than because he's evil, even though he has a good reason to hate Adrien and Gabriel.

So the very next scene, we see Felix has stolen Adrien's phone and is going through the messages that Adrien's friends sent him, but not before insulting his crush on Ladybug. I'm not sure if that's supposed to reflect the fandom's criticism of Adrien's crush on Ladybug, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

Nino's Message: Hey, my dude! I'm not quite sure what to tell you, except that, you're my man, dude! And bros are always there for their guys!

Felix: (Mockingly) “Bros are always there--” blah, blah, blah! Moron.

Rose's Message: Unicorns have a saying: even when there's nothing but gray skies and rain, all it takes is one little sunbeam for a rainbow to appear!

Felix: Loser.

Max's Message: It's one hundred percent proven, you should feel fifty-two percent happier with a healthy dose of laughter. So Markov has uploaded a few jokes for you! Starting with--

Felix: Freak.

Chloe's Message: When my mother left for New York, I felt so sad. It felt like she was... (sighs) She came back, and I know how lucky I am. So, you can count on me, my Adrikins.

Felix: Chloe. Just as annoying as usual.

And that line right there is the only time Astruc actually liked writing Felix, as it gave him the chance to satisfy his need to insult Chloe.

And then when he sees Marinette's message, he deletes it because... hell if I know

Again, this scene could have worked if it was interpreted as Felix saying stuff that he wasn't dependent on others for support and that he could easily power through life on his own, but nope! Instead, he hates Adrien's friends and only deletes Marinette's message instead of all of them simply because he's evil, heart blacker than Don Cheadle.

Felix continues to show how awful he is by dressing up in Adrien's clothes and—Oh, son of a bitch, SERIOUSLY? This is the SEVENTH evil doppelganger plotline we've had in THREE SEASONS! You're telling me this isn't doing the same thing over and over again, Astruc?

Yeah, so Felix records some messages to send to his friends that, once again, could have worked if this episode was actually teaching a lesson about dealing with grief.

“Adrien's” Message:  First of all, thanks so much for all your messages, guys, really. Sending me messages on today of all days... (angrily) to remind me how sad I'm supposed to be feeling? Why, that's great! Really, Thanks a lot!

But because nobody ever considers how Felix is feeling, it's never acknowledged, because that would actually involve writing him with complexity.

Gabriel gets a message from Lila, who recently became one of his confidants to spy on Adrien, tells him about the fake message, and decides to use the negative emotions felt as an excuse to get rid of his in-laws. No, seriously.

Gabriel: All this disappointment might just help us get rid of our unwanted guests.

To be fair, I'd probably do the same thing just so I wouldn't have to talk to some of the people I hate at my job.

And so, Hawkmoth akumatizes Alya, Juleka, and Rose into the Punisher's Trio, who are basically just their previously akumatized forms Lady Wifi, Reflekta, and Princess Fragrance. Because why would you expect anyone to use an original character model for this episode?

All joking aside, this development raises several questions. First, why wasn't Nino one of the Punisher's akumatized? He's Adrien's best friend, so shouldn't be just as upset as everyone else? Hell, the whole reason he was akumatized into the Bubbler in Season 1 was just so he could throw Adrien a birthday party after Gabriel said no. Then there's the fact that Chloe could have also been akumatized because she's just as close as Adrien, which is another wasted opportunity here.

Second, why bring back Reflekta and Princess Fragrance of all villains? It doesn't even make sense when you consider their motifs are based off of the circumstances that led to them getting akumatized in their respective episodes. Juleka became Reflekta because of her anxiety over easily blending in, so she got the power to turn everyone into an exact copy of herself so they could understand the feeling. Rose became Princess Fragrance when Chloe destroyed her letter and perfume bottle dedicated to the prince of a foreign nation, so the perfume bottle was the basis of her powers. At least Lady Wifi makes sense as the akumatized object this episode is a tablet used to record the messages to Adrien, but Reflekta and Princess Fragrance have nothing to do with the plot of this episode, and just feel tacked on. If it was just Lady Wifi or the Bubbler, I'd get it, but this just doesn't work.

Third, what exactly is this show's obsession with Reflekta? We saw in Reflekta's first episode that her powers had a huge drawback as if either of the heroes is zapped by her, she can't get their Miraculous, like what we saw happened to Cat Noir. Yet, this is the second time this season that Hawkmoth had the bright idea to bring back Reflekta (even giving her a giant robot to amplify her powers). At least Lady Wifi and Princess Fragrance's powers worked together well (Lady Wifi could freeze someone in place, while Princess Fragrance can brainwash them with her perfume), but Reflekta just feels like the odd one out here.

Fourth, and most importantly, why did we only get to hear the line “At your service, Princess Fragrance!” A single time this episode?

So the Punishers head to Adrien's house to take their revenge, but see Felix, still dressed in Adrien's clothes, and are naturally confused. Adrien pretends to be Felix by running away while laughing evilly (so not too far off from how Astruc sees Felix), while the real Felix and Nathalie put up a good fight against the Punishers.

And then... here is the moment that shows just how skewed Astruc's view of Adrien really is.

Felix pretends to confess his love to Ladybug as Adrien, trying to force a kiss on him, making Ladybug punch him in the face by claiming that the real Adrien “would never be so pushy”.

BULL. SHIT.

Yes, Ladybug doesn't know that Adrien is actually Cat Noir, but it's clear that this scene is meant to solidify just how Felix is far worse than Adrien because according to Astruc, he would never do that.

But maybe I'm being too hard on him.

It's not like Adrien has ever forced himself onto Ladybug, right?

I mean, imagine if the show just ignored something like that.

All while trying to teach kids the importance of saying no when someone harasses them.

Can you imagine if someone was that oblivious to their own hypocrisy?

I'm not saying that the lesson is a bad one, but you can't call someone out for doing something bad, and then ignore one of your main characters doing the exact same thing!

Even in the context of the episode, the comparison doesn't work. We know that Felix is only doing this to make Adrien look bad, and has no romantic feelings towards Ladybug like Adrien does. Felix knows what he is doing is wrong, while Adrien doesn't. Whenever Cat Noir tries to kiss Ladybug, he is never aware that what he is doing is wrong, and while he is almost always stopped from kissing Ladybug for one reason or another.

Like when the episode tried to compare two different characters reacting to losing loved ones when there are different circumstances regarding them, the comparison DOESN'T WORK.

And to add insult to injury, Cat Noir shows up just to insult Felix by implying he doesn't have a lot of friends because of the way he acts, because why would he? After all, he's a complete loser that nobody would want to be friends with, and if you like him, you're an idiot for thinking so! At least, that's probably what Astruc was going for.

Ladybug summons her Lucky Charm, leading to a brief Mexican standoff, until Felix steals the tablet containing the Akuma, making a deal with Hawkmoth that he'll help out the Punishers as long as he gets the wedding rings. Do you hate Felix yet? Come on, do you hate him? WHY WON'T YOU HATE HIM, GODDAMN IT!?

This whole bit is completely pointless as Ladybug immediately finds a way to stop all four of them and de-evilize the Akuma.

And when it looks like Felix is actually apologizing for his actions this episode, it's naturally a ruse he put on to steal one of the wedding rings from Gabriel to give to his mom. Because why would Astruc even think of portraying him sympathetically, or at least have him learn a lesson?

So Felix stares out the window with an evil look in his eye (possibly foreshadowing another appearance), as Gabriel takes Emilie's wedding ring to wear for himself, and the episode mercifully ends.

It also means that I never have to watch this episode ever again.

Do you understand why it took so long for me to fully analyze this episode? Hell, it would have taken longer if Astruc didn't delete his tweets defending the kiss scene and how Cat Noir is totally a gentlemen unlike Satan, I mean Felix.

What else do I have to say about this episode that hasn’t already been said? Well, I do have one thing.

I’m not that big a fan of Felix.

I think he’s an okay character in fanfics, but I’m more indifferent to him and fanfics that ship him and Marinette together. I don’t know, maybe that’s because there are so many Felinette fanfics that are heavily seasoned with salt, or it could just be because I’m complete Love Square and Lukanette trash.

But just think about the fact that the scathing criticism of this episode was delivered by someone who isn’t that into Felix. That is how bad this episode is.

In addition to being an obvious mouthpiece for Astruc to yell at fans why they’re idiots for actually liking Felix, it does so by touching on delicate subject and trying to act like it’s easy to tell how Felix is worse than Adrien when the circumstances are nothing alike.

But the fact that Astruc takes a popular character just to portray him as a complete menace just to antagonize his fans is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.

[postspnfinalearchive]

MC: When I got on Supernatural and I first started started doing interviews for TV Guide and stuff, I actually hired a consultant for interviews—how to cultivate an interview personality, and I started doing these—and I thought “I’ll start doing what Marilyn Monroe did” not maybe necessarily making myself like the starlets of the day but you know… but the idea of like cultivating ya know—the quintessential American masculine ideal somehow. Which I think there are actors out there like I thought [unintelligible] but you know really presenting an authentic self but the version… [unintelligible] that is most appealing to the public. It probably took me six weeks of this before I realized “You know what, fuck this. I’m just gonna be myself, and if that doesn’t work, well this just wasn’t meant to be” and it was so liberating and the more as time has gone by, the more I’ve leaned into that, the better I’ve felt about the experience… but then that’s also a double-edged sword because the more you’re yourself and the more you’re accessible and sort of pose yourself in a vulnerable and personal way to an anonymous public, you know your quote-unquote fans, the more unbalanced and unhinged people start to think that they really know you, and then you can have these fraught relationships with fans who don’t understand boundaries. So there’s this weird double-edged sword. Like, I’ve started to dial back on exposing… you know, taking photos of my kids or sharing them with the public audience because there have been too many people who have started to like, get weird or scary or whatever in the fandom so it’s still a little bit of a balancing act but you have to maintain your private identity to an extent… but if you’re too protective or—for me anyway—if I was too protective of that, it made it impossible to connect with an audience. 

AH: I can see that I think we’ve talked about this a lot too, like there’s something that’s sacred about your privacy and it’s not because it’s a secret it’s because it’s sacred, and I think that it’s something you have to balance. I did this a few months ago, it was like, in the middle of the night, I had this anxiety that I share too much, and I deleted all my instagram pictures. I just thought it was too vulnerable. And sometimes you just do like, “Gosh this is such a violation of my own little special bubble.”

MY: […] So you mentioned crazy, weird experiences with fans. What’s the weirdest, craziest thing that’s happened with a fan?

MC: Um… there have just been… there have been a handful of fans that have um, that are clearly unhinged, that have started to ya know, think that when I tweet something, I’m actually communicating with them personally, and you know… um… yeah. 

AH: [unintelligible] There’s this interesting rivalry thing with the fandom particularly with Supernatural. A lot of times they fight each other to protect Jared, Jensen, and Misha. It’s a very bizarre… actually, I got into something last year when you guys did that charity thing at Rockwood and Misha had left earlier than Jared had gotten there. Misha sent out a tweet saying thank you to all of us who were there who participated… but he didn’t include Jared and Gen because they hadn’t been there yet. And it was like this big long thing, and it was this huge fight on Twitter that Misha secretly hates Jared and never supports him and doesn’t do anything to… [laughs] it was just like, it couldn’t be further from the truth! But they’re convinced that this is what’s happening! It’s bizarre. 

MY: Do you remember that?

MC: It’s… yeah. I forgot about that. 

MY: So you started telling us what your experience was, but we missed all of it. 

MC: Okay. When I joined the show, you know, it was a show about these two brothers and there were a lot of fans who were just really invested in that relationship and my character’s introduction somehow you know, it siphoned off some of that exclusive attention between these two brothers, and it pissed off a cadre of the fandom to no end. Like, I was public enemy number one for this subset of super fans, and they did things like, organize an attack on my Facebook somehow where they like reported me for I don’t know what but you know they made something up but Facebook bought it and deleted my Facebook account which, when you’re an actor and you’re trying to build up a following, to have your Facebook account deleted… and the message from Facebook when I tried to log on was like, “The account is deactivated and you can’t reactivate it” or something like that. Ultimately I did end up getting it reactivated but it was like, “Oh my God!” And then… and other things you know, like, I’ve been accused of siphoning money off from my non-profit, Random Acts and other things, which are like categorically not true, but it’s literally like a part of this character assassination effort that some super fans… it’s interesting that some people get… I can’t even imagine getting wrapped up in that kind of drama of like, “Misha and Jared hate each other!” How—how that even… yeah. Anyway, it’s truly astonishing. 

AH: But also considering also the amount of philanthropic work you do, like, for me personally, you’ve inspired me tremendously and I know how much work you’ve done so to be able to inspire so many people and yet have that as like, an adversary to that I think is really fascinating. 

MY: [unintelligible] It’s not gonna come easy if you’re doing the right thing. It’s gonna be fraught with people trying to pull you down. 

MC: Yeah and I think it’s also kind of interesting to observe like even if you’re not a politician per se—where obviously you’re gonna have people who hate you any time anyone’s in the public eye at all you’re exposing yourself to the publics ability of having these kinds of dynamics, and it’s certainly not the most salient aspect I mean, of my career, having these—that kind of hatred or… uh… sabotage… but it’s a factor. I mean, most people in the Supernatural fandom are like so adoring and so lovely and so supportive and supportive of one another across… you know, whether they’re a Jared fan or a Misha fan or… it’s mostly mutually supportive but there’s this… I think we’re all a victim of negativity bias. Like, when you see the bad stuff come at you, you can’t help but have it stand out and it gets undue weight sometimes um, but yeah no, I mean there are some fans who have done some pretty awful stuff to all of us. Like, you know, filing false police reports and things like that. 

MY: Really? 

MC: Yeah! Yeah… And you know, we’ve—me and Jared and Jensen have had to hire like, you know, like security consultants to help deal with people who are making weird threats against our families and stuff like that so… um, just part of the…

MY: That’s not…. [unintelligible] I’ve been in this game a long time and I’ve had some weird experiences but… not that. I mean… I’ve… heard that before. I mean, police reports typically… Women, right? I know female actors that have had like, stalkery people sneak into their homes but that’s uh… 

- Misha Collins interview with Malik Yoba and Alaina Huffman for their podcast, Craft Service. “The Unpredictabilty of Life ft. Misha Collins” December, 2020

[nonstop-haikyuu]

Social Media Apologies

This is my first fic with the Haikyuu Headquarters server! And it's my first Daishou fic, as much as I love that snake bastard!! This month's SFW prompt was "meet ugly" so this is about Daishou serving a ball into reader's face which leads to him groveling on social media. Honestly, I hope you guys like this!! Here's the link to the masterlist!

-

For years, I had a string of bad luck that seemed to follow me around no matter where I went or how I acted. My parents cited bad karma or a curse placed upon me when I was a child. I simply called it life being an asshole. When I gained the job as the Sendai Frogs trainer, I knew the dangers of what I was getting into. Volleyballs were constantly flying across the gym and it wasn’t uncommon for someone to catch a spiked ball to the face.

For the most part, I had managed to avoid any strays that came my way, whether it be me blocking the hit or the players that I worked with saving my ass.

That changed the day that we played Yotsuya Motor Spirits. Admittedly, I wasn’t expecting the day to be anything special, especially since Kyotani, Koganegawa, and Kei had finally started working as a team, with their fellow players supporting their talents both as a trio and separately.

“Hey, don’t let them in your head, okay, Kyo? And Tsukki, please don’t rile them up too much. I really don’t want to deal with their coach coming to rip our heads off cause you want to be a dick.” I encouraged, crossing my arms over my chest. The two rolled their eyes at my usual pep talk then mumbled their agreement, turning towards their opponents. Kanji bounced eagerly in front of me and asked, “What about me?”

“Just take it slow, okay? Don’t rush your sets,I know you can do this.” I replied, patting him on the shoulder. He grinned at my words of wisdom and they soon walked away to line up, prepared to take their stances on the court. The first set passed without anything too out of the ordinary, with snide comments and smug grins exchanged between the net.

It was the second set that seemed to make the match all the more interesting.

Daishou Suguru, an outside hitter from the Spirits, was the man responsible for the shift of the atmosphere. I was returning from the trainer’s room with a bag of supplies, knowing that at the next timeout, Tsukishima and Kanji would need tape for their fingers. Along with that, our libero would likely want his knee braced better, due to an old injury.

I was walking on the corner of the court when the whistle blew and Daishou took his stance for his serve. I glanced up for a brief second to see who would take on the receive, only to realize that the ball was hurtling towards my face at a pace much too fast for me to hide from. Shouts and gasps filled the stadium as I slammed to the floor. Blurry faces crowded around me and I faintly acknowledged the fact that my three friends were looming over me, waving their hands in front of my face.

“Hey, hey, easy. Just lay back, okay?” Kei encouraged, pressing a gentle hand against my shoulder. I groaned at the pain in my head and nose then mumbled, “Hurts. It hurts. What the hell happened?” Kyotani masked his snarl and bit out, “Bastard snake nailed you in the face with a serve. Might wanna hold still, Coach thinks you have a concussion and a broken nose.”

“You realize that I can hear you, right? It’s not like I meant to hit them. I was shooting for a service ace, give me a break.” Daishou replied, rolling his eyes.

“Shit, this hurts.” I grumbled as Tsukki pressed a wad of tissues under my nose. Daishou knelt beside me and murmured, “Hey, I’m really sorry about hitting you in the face. I didn’t see you there.”

“I’m kinda pissed that you serve bad enough to hit someone on the sidelines.” I snapped, pushing myself up. Kogane’s eyes widened at my bitter tone and harsh words, then Daishou spat, “You were walking in front of the barrier. You should have enough brains to know to walk behind it.”

I jerked my head towards the wing spiker, groaning at the sharp jab of pain and bit out, “Maybe you should learn how to serve properly then. If your serves are that high, then you’re not doing something right.” Kyotani helped me to my feet then I heard the snake hiss, “Bitch just needs to learn where to stand during a game.”

An argument between Tsukishima and Daishou began to rise with Kogane attempting to coax his teammate out of the fight. Kyotani braced against me then grumbled, “You never know when to stop talking, do you?” I let out a bitter laugh and mumbled, “He’s the one who will have to deal with the backlash. And I’m the one with a broken nose!”

He patted me on the shoulder and replied, “I’ve learned that you usually get screwed by what you say in the end.” He was right but shit, I was really hoping that I would escape any trouble that followed.

-

I, in fact, did not escape the results of Wednesday’s game. Kyotani, Kogane, and Kei came to visit me in the trainer’s room on Saturday, my first day back from my concussion, and they showed me the results of my broken nose and bitter words towards Daishou.

“Sendai Frogs’ Trainer and Motor Spirits’ Wing Spiker in the midst of a social media battle? Daishou Suguru has gone to social media to publicly apologize to the Sendai Frogs’ trainer after a stray serve broke the trainer’s nose and left them with a concussion. As of right now, the Sendai Frogs have not addressed the situation. The wing spiker seems to be desperate for a response and his fans seem irritated with the lack of acceptance from the trainer. ” Kei read off, raising an eyebrow in my direction. I scoffed at the ridiculous headline then snapped the first aid kit shut as I bit out, “Give me a break. He’s the one who won’t stop tagging me in his stupid apology. I mean, why should I accept his apology twice?”

“Because it’s good publicity and if you don’t accept on social media without a single ounce of sarcasm in it, I think you’ll be finding a new job.” our PR manager answered, entering the room. We twisted at the statement and I snapped, “What are you talking about? I could be fired over this?”

“Not my idea but the Motor Spirits’ manager is pissed that you’re not replying to him publicly so the fans of his team say that you’re being a stuck up bitch.” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. I groaned and flung myself on the trainer’s bed, whining, “This isn’t fair! I’m the one with the broken nose and he’s the one gaining the sympathy? Ugh! Fine, I’ll tweet him now.”

Yanking out my phone, I opened the Twitter app and constructed a tweet, “Daishou-san, I accept your apology. I’m sorry for taking so long to accept publicly.” I clicked send on the public message and grumbled to myself as Kei chirped, “You think the public will leave your little feud at that?” A simple chime followed his question and I glanced down, surprised to see that Daishou had privately messaged me.

“How about dinner on me? I’d really like to make it up to you.” Kei blinked in surprise at the statement then laughed, “Are you going to accept? It’s been a while since you’ve been on a date. I mean, people already think you guys are a thing.”

“Seriously?! Who asked you anyway? Hmm. I mean, I guess I could go out with him?” I asked, tapping my chin. My best friends continued to laugh as I thought over Daishou’s offer then mumbled, “I guess it can’t get worse than it already is.” Typing a quick response, I hovered over the send message then Kyotani huffed, pushing the button himself. We loom over the phone screen, waiting for his response, then a new chat appears with an address linked and a simple, “Tonight, 9 pm. I’ll see you there.” I tilted my head back then asked, “What am I thinking?”

“You need a boyfriend, that’s what you’re thinking.” Kei supplied, patting me on the back. I came to a stand then stated, “I guess I should go get ready for this date, then.”

“You’re gonna have a great time!” Kanji called out, laughter following me out.

9 pm came surprisingly slow, likely due to my repeated glances at my watch. The ramen shop was actually a ten minute drive from my apartment and I often frequented it during the weekends. I was thankful for the familiarity and lowkey manner of the shop. It would provide some comfort to me.

Bowing briefly at the shop owner, I glanced around and spotted Daishou in the corner. He smiled at my appearance then pulled out the stool across from him. I settled down on the seat and he admitted, “I’m not going to lie, I kind of thought you weren’t going to show up.” I laughed at his statement then replied, “I wasn’t sure if you were going to come. Tsukki definitely wasn’t confident in you showing up.”

“Well, Four Eyes is best buds with Kuroo and that cat hasn’t liked me since middle school. You look beautiful by the way. I really am sorry about breaking your nose and giving you a concussion.” he remarked, scratching the back of his neck. I pressed a gentle finger to the bridge of my nose then stated, “Don’t worry about it. Neither of us could really do anything about this. You’re a persistent asshole, though. Why did you ask me out for dinner?”

He paused at the question and answered, “I thought you were pretty. And I like that you didn’t let me be an asshole. At least, not without a fight.” I laughed, shaking his head, and chirped, “You thought I was hot while I was being a bitch? Are you a masochist or something?”

“More of a sadist, if I’m being honest.” he blurted out, playing with my fingers. My eyes widened at his bluntness then he leaned forward with a remark, “But that can wait until after dinner. What would you like?”

We glanced over the menu and I found myself studying Daishou. His hair was relatively short, barely hanging on his forehead and it looked soft until the ramen shop’s lights. Green eyes flickered back and forth over the options and my gaze continued down to petal pink lips. His tongue flicked out and I’m surprised to see that he has a tongue ring, with fangs in place of normal canines.

“Snake bastard… I thought Kyotani was being a dick, not being serious.” I mumbled, reaching to cup his face. He startled at the sudden touch and his eyebrows furrowed together, asking, “Can I help you with something?”

“Fangs… you have fangs.” I breathed, focused on his mouth. He laughed at the awe in my voice then replied, “I was born with them. I got my tongue pierced right after college on a bet.” He wiggled his tongue afterwards and returned his attention to the menu as the server approached our table.

“Hello! What can I get for you?” I turned with a smile as I gave my order then dropped my hand away from Daishou’s face so he could answer. Once she wrote down our selected meals, she gave a small bow and informed us that our food would soon be out.

“I’m sorry. You must think that I’m a crazy person for grabbing your face like that.” I apologized, burying my face in my hands. He laughed at my embarrassment and tugged my hands down before he chimed, “It’s okay, I thought it was cute. Honestly, a lot of people are turned off by the fangs. Something about how it’ll hurt if I kiss them. So it’s nice to have someone fascinated by them.”

“I really like it actually. It looks really good.” I murmured, a shy smile stretching across my face. He smiled in return then asked, “So how did you end up as the trainer for the Frogs?” I let out a laugh and answered, “I used to go to Aoba Johnson with Kentarou and went to college with Tsuki. When they joined the Frogs, I heard they were hiring an athletic trainer so I put in an app. Now I’m here and stuck with three blond idiots.”

“Hey I’m not an idiot!” a growl interrupted, jerking our attention to the table behind us. Three men sat there with awful disguises and I could feel my fury beginning to bubble.

“What the hell are you three doing here?” I spat, jerking out of my seat. Daishou started at Kyotani, Kanji, and Kei, the two glaring at Kentarou for blowing their cover.

“Idiot! They haven’t even had dinner yet and now they know we’re here!” Kei hissed, slapping his teammate on the shoulder. I slammed my hands on their table then demanded, “Why are you here?! Which one of you morons thought of this bright idea?”

“Group effort?” Kogane supplied, ducking his head to avoid my glare. Our server returned with our food, with concern across her face then Daishou stated, “Could we get our food to go? Please? We had something come up and can’t stay to eat.” Kei turned with a bitter expression then asked, “Do you think that I would let you go on a date with him by yourself?”

“Yes! I’m a grown adult and I figured you would at least trust me enough to watch over myself! Daishou-san, I am so sorry for this! I didn’t think these three would be this dumb. My apartment isn’t too far from here if you’re still wanting to go on this date?” I asked, turning my attention back to the wing spiker.

He gave a grin and answered, “I would love to. I’ve already paid so I’m ready to go when you are.” The trio began to protest as we walked out of the shop and I shot a glare over my shoulder, hissing, “You follow us and I will end you.” They settled back in their chairs and sighed, shaking their heads.

I turned back to Daishou and he wrapped an arm around my waist, murmuring, “I think we make a pretty amazing couple, what do you think?” I leaned into his side and said, “I think you’re right.”

[machine-gun-casie]

not ur friend

colson doubts whether a post-break up friendship with you is a good idea, and you make the decision for him.

a/n: i wrote this at the end of march and i thought no way would i post it after colson’s birthday! but here we are lol. warning: hella angst

wc: 1.5k

You hit record on your phone and leaned back, taking in a breath.

“Let’s do this.”

You were going to sing a cover of ‘not your friend’ by Jeremy Zucker and post it on your Instagram. It was the best idea for a comeback you could think of.

Last night, your ex boyfriend, Machine Gun Kelly to the world and Colson to you, posted a very long thread of tweets all about your recent break up. You knew he was either high or drunk, but he at least didn’t directly include your name in his twitter rant. 

But it wasn’t like that helped very much as your relationship was very public. And the things he said about you were not the kindest, to say the least.

Colson’s last tweet was him pondering if being friends with you post-break up would be good for him. So you decided to answer his question. Luck was simply on your side because it was the 21st of April.

You strummed the blue guitar in your lap, a present from Colson to drive the point home even further. “Yeah, tomorrow is your birthday. I thought it was last Thursday, boy. We know you love a party, go celebrate and I'll be on my way to distant shores if you weren't so insecure. You'd learn to close each open door for me. Oh, babe.”

You looked up and made eye contact with the camera, feeling like you were looking Colson in the eye. “Hang up, if you ever think of calling me up. Not afraid to say it, darling. Sorry, I'm not sorry if it hurts. I don't mean to make it worse. I've decided that I'm not your fucking friend. Right now, there's not much that we agree on. Sit down if you need someone to lean on. Honest, if I'm coming to your place, it's to say it to your face. I've decided that I'm not your fucking friend.”

You smiled to yourself and let your fingers play the guitar riff after the chorus. “I’ve decided that I’m not your fucking friend.” You stopped and let the guitar notes fade out and looked at the camera.

You flipped the camera off with both hands and stopped the recording.

Colson let out a frustrated sigh when the video started again on Slim’s Instagram page, indicating it ended.

“Fuck’s sake.” He muttered, taking Slim’s phone into his own hands. 

You had blocked him on every social media platform after what he did last night. There were no words to describe how guilty and stupid he felt for the now deleted tweets, but it was too late. Not only had everyone seen them and knew who they were about, him feeling guilty would fix nothing. 

The fact that you even offered to stay friends after what he did to you was a blessing and he went and fucked that up too.

Colson read through the comments that you left on instead of disabling them. If it wasn’t clear who you were talking about, the comments were full of his name and his Instagram tag. And he did not blame you. He would do the same thing to himself if he were you. 

You had mentioned before how you hated being known as ‘Machine Gun Kelly’s Longest Hook Up’. Every drama channel and celebrity news outlet was obsessed with your relationship, creating false break up rumors every week. He couldn’t imagine how bad it was for you now that it was really over after all this time.

He knew how badly he messed up and so did everyone around him.

“Do ‘Waste Love’.” Rook spoke up, breaking the silence. 

“What?”

“Do ‘Waste Love’ on your page. As your response. It fits, you fucked up.”

“It’s not like she’s gonna see it. She blocked me on everything.”

“No, that means she’s gonna see it even more. You fucked up and you need to apologize. What you did was so fucking-”

“Alright alright! I get it. Don’t need to join the fucking choir, Rook.” Even though it pissed him off that he was right, Colson did what Rook told him to do. 

His friends were right. So he sat on his balcony and recorded an acoustic version of ‘Waste Love’. His voice cracked so many times that he got tired of starting again and just left it in. He almost cried, but he didn’t. He knew if you saw it though, you would be able to tell.

Even though he wasn’t sure you would see it, he got the confirmation that you did minutes after he posted the video to all his platforms.

-

Colson’s leg jumped up and down like crazy as he waited for you to pick. You blocked his number, sure. But he knew you would never block Pete’s number. 

You and Pete became inseparable after you got together with Colson, a bond like brother and sister. He knew that after your break up, you spent the night at Pete’s place. Pete gave him the usual ‘not mad, just disappointed’ speech when Colson begged him to come over. Pete thought nothing of it, but Colson had a plan.

As soon as Pete left the room for something, Colson grabbed his friend’s phone and locked the door. He ignored Pete’s banging on the door as he waited for you to pick up.

“Hello?” You answered, voice thick with tears. Colson’s plan didn’t really go past this, he never thought he would actually get away with any of it let alone have the balls to do it. “Pete? Are you alright? What’s going on? If you don’t talk, I’m calling an ambulance.”

Colson knew that when you were emotional, your brain always went to the worst scenarios. “He’s- He’s alright.” Colson said quietly.

You went silent when you heard his voice. “Fuck’s sake.” You sighed. “I thought I told you not to fucking call me.”

“I couldn’t, y/n. I needed to hear your voice.” 

“You don’t have the right to say that anymore.” You mumbled, tears welling up in your eyes. “You lost it when you-”

“Please.” Colson choked out. “Please don’t say it. You know I never meant to. It wasn’t me. When he comes out, I lose myself.”

“Yeah, okay.” Colson could hear the eye roll in your words. “Colson, don’t call me. You’re making this worse than it needs to be.”

“I didn’t mean the twitter thing.” He blurted out, anything to keep you on the line. “I was drunk and I tried to call you. But you blocked my number, and I got so mad.”

“So you told everyone about my personal shit? Low fucking blow, Colson. I trusted you with my insecurities, and you went and aired them out to the world.” You felt yourself start, voice rising in volume and every word coming out sharper than the next. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m not doing this again. Just… Just unlock the door and give the phone to Pete.”

“But-” He didn’t even question the fact that you knew the exact situation on the other side of the phone. You know him better than he knows himself. Even after what he did to you.

“Colson, please. I can’t do this with you anymore. I just can’t. You have to deal with the consequences of your actions. Give the fucking phone to Pete.”

Colson pulled the phone away from his ear and looked down at it in complete disbelief. 

It really was over.

He slowly walked to the door and unlocked it, finding Pete sitting on the floor with the most furious look on his face. He didn’t say anything, he just stood up and took the phone out of Colson’s hand.

“Hey, I’m sorry. He locked me out and…” Pete’s words to you sounded like they were coming from above the surface to Colson’s drowning ears. He numbly slid to the floor and just looked down at his feet.

He didn’t know when Pete hung up the phone with you. Or when Pete sat down next to him, until he slid his arm around his shoulders.

“I thought she was the one.” Colson mumbled, eyes still staring at nothing in particular.

Pete just sat in silence, waiting for him to keep going.

“I knew she was. Is. Is the one. Can’t imagine my life without her.” Colson continued. “Had it all planned out.”

“Colson, man.” Pete sighed. “You’ll get over it. You just need time.”

“I was gonna marry her.”

Pete couldn’t say anything even if he wanted to. Marry her? Was this the same Colson he knew?

Colson’s hand went to his pocket and he pulled out a ring. “I bought it a couple months ago. Was waiting for that special moment. Or I didn’t have the balls. I’m not sure. But I missed my shot.”

“Fucking shit.” Pete whispered, everything hitting him now. The gravity of the situation. He knew how bad you were taking it. But he didn’t know Colson was in love in love. “You fucked up real bad.”

“I fucked up real bad.” Colson chuckled dryly and nodded, twisting the ring between his fingers. “Happy fucking birthday to me.”

[himbeaux-on-ice]

Can I just say that Habs “fans” who act like Carey Price’s contract is somehow patient zero of all this team’s problems drive me absolutely fucking insane? Seriously. Buckle up. This is about to be a rant.

Now. First things first. Is it ideal that the $10 million goalie is currently uh, not doing very good? Fucking NO! I am disappointed as shit with that and I don’t like seeing him struggle. I know he can be better. He has to be better. Obviously.

However. That being said.

Do I think it’s an incredibly stupid look to spend several tweets complaining about all the issues Habs defence have been having, and then also griping that they haven’t started Jake Allen enough for how he’s performing, only to then for some inexplicable reason state that the FIRST THING, the first thing that needs to be dealt with after the new coaching staff have had ONE GAME (and zero practices) to work on things, is somehow “well, the ten million dollar man in net is weighing them down, that contract has gotta go!”?

Yes! That’s stupid!!

I think that’s a very ice cold small-brain take, and not just because Price is my favourite of favourites for as long as I’ve been a hockey fan! I have reasons, dammit!! I put THOUGHT into this!!

Here, dear ppl of Habs twitter who will never read this, are some reasons why this narrative you’re concocting is dumb, and why management/coaching are unlikely to think of trying to ditch Price mid-season to fix the current problems:

1: Time. It has been one (1) game under Ducharme. He has been able to run zero (0) full practices on off days with the team. We just changed up a major piece on the Habs chess board — why don’t you give it a minute to see what fresh eyes and minds can do with this roster before you decide we are fucked? This season is fast-moving, sure, but there is time for us to ride out some little bumps here and still make a playoff spot in this Canadian division. Have patience. Do you remember what patience is? Dom is a new head coach, not a wish-granting fairy godmother. Chill. Do you remember chill?

(rest of this under a cut because I actually LIKE Habs Tumblr, and I want to be nice to you all by not making you scroll past all of it if you don’t want to)

2: Jake Allen exists. There are a couple of things I like for what this means for the Habs. Firstly, for basically the first time in his NHL career, we are not in a situation where if Carey Price is in a slump, we have to go “Ah, shit, so now our options are let his stats tank while he tries to get the groove back in net, OR throw whoever the poor backup is out there to get murdered while we plummet through the standings.... 😬” We don’t have that problem right now, because the backup is... actually good? Oh my god, the backup is actually good! Thank fuck! We’re not doomed. If I’m Ducharme, I put Allen in net for a few consecutive starts to put a solid backstop behind all my fun experiments I’m probably planning with the skating roster (to catch their slip-ups, while also giving Carey lots of time and rest with which to work hard on sorting out whatever his issue is along with the goalie coaches).

2b: Jake Allen exists and is competition. Hell, if I’m Ducharme, maybe I even play a little hardball and say “Look, Carey, I don’t want you to be an expensive benchwarmer, but if things don’t pick up soon I am going to start whoever is doing best and you will have to compete for that net.” Related to my last point, when was the last time Carey Price had to push himself to compete for net time against anything other than his own injuries, and wasn’t simply always the default starter? Has that EVER been a thing? Honestly as much as I love the idea of him being The Goalie for the Habs, I also kinda like this idea a lot because I think it could really push him to a higher standard of performance. Maybe that kind of high-pressure situation (given how much he thrives in the pressure-cooker of the playoffs) could be what he NEEDS in order to Be Carey Price again. Worst comes to worst, he doesn’t respond to that challenge, and I am very sad but the Habs have a good goalie in net anyway, because Hallelujah, Jake Allen exists! God, isn’t it nice to have Jake Allen? Bless him.

3: Money. Guys, this league is so broke right now. Seriously. Seriously. Nobody has any fucking money. The Habs probably have more money than most teams, and that does not help when it comes to offloading large contracts. Trades are a NIGHTMARE both because of the flat cap but also because travel is complicated (especially cross-border) but also nobody wants to trade within their division if possible because all your games are against them. Who in the name of fuck do you think is jumping at the idea of taking the $10 million per through 20-lots-and-lots-of-years-from-now contract of a goalie who is currently struggling, impressive past record aside? What kind of astral plane of fantasy hockey are you on to think there’s a trade out there for that within this season. Shut up. And no, don’t bring up the expansion draft, this post is a rebuttal SPECIFICALLY to the people who think that Price and his contract are the biggest problem that needs to be dealt with RIGHT NOW and first on the list of ways to immediately remedy the team’s struggles.

4: Spite. Specifically to piss you off, bud. You personally.

5: Knowing how to troubleshoot properly. Fellas, if my computer is running slowly and freezing up a lot, do I immediately decide the first step to fixing it is to crack open the chassis, remove the hard drive, and try to sell that hard drive to someone to see if I can enough money back to somehow get a better hard drive for less? No, dipshit. That’s not how troubleshooting a complex system works works. It’s the same with hockey teams. Ah, my star goalie is not performing great. This situation is deeply less than ideal. If you’re actually good at troubleshooting, the first thing you do is not “WELL. I GUESS WE’LL HAVE TO THROW THE WHOLE GOALIE OUT. HE’S TOAST.” The first thing you do, if you’re a smart coach, is you say “Okay, what are my defence doing in front of him? What are they doing to reduce the amount and quality of our opponents’ scoring chances? Oh. Oh, they’re taking a lot of penalties, and... oh, uh, some of this is very not great. Yikes.” And then you start your work by trying to make the defence actually work instead of running the same Pairs That Everyone Is Very Much Over And Tired Of, because your goalie is actually supposed to be your Last Line of Defence. And maybe during that time you give more starts to Goalie Who Is Absolutely Slaying It, so that when you start trying new D-pairs and they inevitably have some mistakes, it doesn’t immediately turn into an Oh God Holy Fuck moment every time, because that last line of defence backstopping them is solid. The reason you need to deal with defense first is because a) You know you have a reliable goalie (Allen) in your pocket right now if you need him. What you don’t have is a whole-ass proven and tested and practiced Backup D-Core you can swap into the roster in front of your goalies to make their lives easier. Fix your defense and it WILL improve your goalies, even marginally. Defrag the hard drive before you ask why it’s not working. and b) If you need to go looking for any new D-men to solve the issues, those are WAY easier and cheaper to find than top-tier goalies, and you always want to start any troubleshooting process with trying the simplest solutions first to hopefully save time and money. The better that D-core is, the less it fucks your team over if the goalie isn’t feeling themselves, because the D is going to stop more of those pucks before they ever even become the goalie’s problem. FIX. DEFENCE. FIRST. Then try to train your goalie back into top form. THEN explore your other options.

6: The vicious cycle. Guys. We literally do this once every year or second year. EVERY time Carey Price has a slump, this fanbase gets into a tizzy like the Bell Centre is burning down and he was the one with the matches. And what ALWAYS happens literally within the year, every single time? He gets his mojo back like he did last summer in the bubble and goes on a heater and everybody goes “JESUS PRICE!!!! 🙌” and is ready to name their firstborn kid after him. Until eventually that performance becomes unsustainable, and he becomes mortal again, and suddenly he’s The Real Problem With This Franchise once again. I know he’s the guy they chose to build the team around instead of a superstar forward, but oh my god folks. You’d think he was the only player on the team. Guys, I feel like fucking Sisyphus pushing a blue blanc et rouge boulder up Mont Royal once a year with this shit. This man’s entire career has been a constant seesaw narrative between “Carey Price is our saviour!” and “Carey Price should be exiled to Nome!!!!” from parts of this fanbase, I swear. Look, slumps suck, but for once we are actually lucky enough to be in a position where this team, for the first time in YEARS, does not solelylive or die by the inscrutable magical cycles of Carey Price’s goalie powers — because when he has to step back and work to get back into his groove, there is FINALLY a SECOND GUY who is GREAT. Honestly, given that the state of this team for so long has been “they will go as far as Carey Price can take them” and he has put in a pretty fucking decent job of it despite all of the team’s other struggles, I feel like it is owed it to the guy to be like “Okay, well, we have somebody else solid to fill the net right now, and a chance to really figure out our defence and special teams with this new coach. Why don’t you take a step back and work your ass off at trying to get back into the form I know you can still perform at, and we’ll go from there?”

Anyway. Some parts of this fanbase have been waiting for a fresh excuse to claim Price is overrated, washed-up, and to blame for all of this team’s flaws and ills ever since he signed that contract, if not since the start of his NHL career. Just unreal how nasty some of this fanbase is willing to be about a player who is ON. YOUR. TEAM.

Am I saying he is beyond critique of his play and can do no wrong and his contract is perfect? No! I want this team to have the best goaltending it can get, and I want them to kick ass and take names. The difference is, I still believe Carey Price is a part of that winning formula, and I also think Twitter is overflowing with idiots who just repeat what everybody else says. He’s still a better goalie than your ass would be if I stuck you out there to stop shots from Mark Schieffle, for crap’s sake.

“The first thing that has to go is Carey Price’s contract 🤪”. Shut the fuck up. You are actively making other people stupider by talking. Go eat sand. Good day.

[omgjasminesimone]

Sex Tape

Raleigh x MC

Word Count: 910

Cadence isn’t at her apartment, so there’s only one other place Raleigh can think to look.

He slams the limo door shut, stopping the incessant flashing from the paparazzi cameras that mobbed him on his way out of Cadence’s building. The paps are truly vultures, and Raleigh is definitely easy prey at the moment.

“Trey, take me to Overknight Records.” Raleigh orders his driver, slumping back in his seat as Trey peels off the curb and enters midday Manhattan bumper to bumper traffic.

Raleigh tries to call Cadence, again, but his call goes straight to voicemail for the 15th time today. He sighs, running a frustrated hand through his hair. She must be pissed. After all, that attention seeking Gia Marie is telling all the media outlets their sex tape is from two weeks ago, when it’s really from about two years ago, long before Raleigh even met Cadence.

Normally, Raleigh wouldn’t have even remembered a girl like Gia Marie. Sure, she’s pretty enough. But she’s like every other girl he used to casually hook up with in New York. She’s nothing special, a dime a dozen.

But he does remember her. Because she stole his phone when she snuck out in the morning. And later called all his famous contacts and tried to sing her demo to them before they hung up. At the time, Raleigh couldn’t help but almost respect her moxie.

But since that didn’t work out, now she’s clearly working the notoriety angle in a desperate bid for fame. And Raleigh really doesn’t appreciate Gia jeopardizing what he’s building with Cadence just to get a few interviews as ‘Raleigh’s other woman.’

Raleigh’s phone rings, and he’s momentarily hopeful it’s Cadence finally returning his call. But he’s disappointed to see Fiona’s contact info on the screen. He sighs, reluctantly answering. “Yeah?”

“I’m gonna skin you alive.” Fiona threatens, tone eerily calm.

“It’s not true.” Raleigh immediately defends himself.

“Please don’t tell me you’re going to try to convince me that’s not you in the video.” Fiona retorts dryly.

Raleigh rolls his eyes, a move he’d only ever do to Fiona when she’s not around to see it. “It is me, but it’s old. She’s lying. You know I would never cheat on Cadence.”

“I have no idea what you would or wouldn’t do.” Fiona fires back. “Have you talked to Cadence? She’s not answering my calls.”

Raleigh sighs miserably. “Mine either.”

“You better fix this Carrera.”

“Believe me, I’m trying.” The only response he gets is the dial tone once Fiona has hung up.

Minutes later, they pull up to the Overknight Records building. Raleigh hops out of the car, maneuvering quickly through the throngs of paparazzi outside the building as he makes his way to the door.

He’s still moving quickly when he flashes a stolen visitor badge to security and makes his way to the elevator that will bring him to the 15th floor where the recording studios are.

He spots her through the window of the second to last recording room after he practically jogs down the hall. He opens the door, and Cadence turns to look at him, eyes wide.

“What are you doing here?” A synthesized beat continues to play in the background.

“I had to talk to you, and you weren’t answering your phone.” Raleigh answers a little warily. She seems.....calmer than expected.

“Because I’m working.” Cadence explains patiently, as if she’s talking to a toddler.

“...have you been on the Internet today?”

“Of course I have. Like thirty different people DMed me the link to your sex tape.”

“It’s from two years ago Cadence. You have to believe me. I would never do that to you. I swear it’s old, and I’m gonna figure out a way to prove it so the world knows I didn’t cheat on you, I promise.”

“You didn’t have to come all the way over here to tell me that. I know it’s old.” Cadence replies, turning back to the soundboard to get back to work.

“...you believe me just like that?” Raleigh thought it would take more groveling.

“I wouldn’t be in a relationship with you if I didn’t feel I could trust you Raleigh. Plus, it’s not like I have to take your word for it anyway.” Cadence reveals.

“...and why’s that?” He probably sounds dumb, but he’s having a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that she’s not mad at him.

“The stupid smiley face tattoo on your right ass cheek? You don’t have it yet in the video.” Cadence explains.

She squeals in surprise when Raleigh hugs her from behind, spinning her in a circle. “You’re a genius hermosa.” He tweeted a picture of the smiley face tattoo when he got it last year, so now he has his proof that he’s not a cheating scumbag. Not that anyone else’s opinion of him really matters, but he doesn’t want anyone to even think he’d disrespect Cadence like that.

“I don’t know why you’re so happy. Even without the cheating, that sex tape is super embarrassing Raleigh. You lasted like, 3 minutes.”

“I was drunk!”

“I can see why she’d do this to you. Leaving a woman so....unsatisfied is basically a crime.” Cadence continues to tease.

Raleigh rolls his eyes as Cadence grins at his annoyance. “Are you done?”

“.....That’s what she said. Hahahaha, okay, now I can be done.” She soothes his minorly bruised ego with a sweet kiss.

[karihighman]

Two is Better Than One: another Upstead one-shot

Hailey thought she had hospitals handled. Besides, it was her that held Jay’s hand the first time he finally got the flu shot.

That was eventful, she thought to herself, thinking back to the morning almost two years ago. Jay was a wreck, complaining the whole way there and back as Voight made it a new requirement for their yearly physical. Hailey knew it was usually required period, so she didn’t know how Jay avoided getting it for so long — especially since his brother, Will, is a doctor at Chicago Med, of all places.

Close and easy. But no, not for Jay. Jay preferred to do things the hard way, which made things interesting for Hailey, though she was used to it by then.

About 6 months after that, Hailey had too much to drink at Molly’s and Jay drove her home. She thanked him for taking such good care of her. “You’re the best partner ever, I love you,” She had said before slowly closing her eyes.

Jay didn’t know what the hell to do with himself, but he knew he wasn’t gonna leave her alone. So, as she passed out in her bed, he camped out on her couch until morning. He even woke her up with the smell of fresh coffee.

“What? No breakfast too?” She quipped, coming out to her kitchen in an oversized shirt and pajama shorts. She must’ve changed, he thought to himself.

Her hair fell in very messy waves around her face, and even with the smudges of mascara underneath her eyelashes, Jay couldn’t help but think she was the most beautiful woman.

And that’s when he realized he loved her too.

It took him a week of semi-awkward surveillance nights and early morning coffee runs before he worked up the courage to invite her to his place. She figured it was just for one of their famous “things that worked,” as their caseload had been ridiculous.

It was. But it also set the stage for Jay’s confession, err, confessions, as he fessed up to Hailey that he never stopped thinking about her slurred words from the week prior.

A very much sober Hailey told him for real that she meant every word, and a very sober Jay repeated those 3 little words back to her. Their whiskey and tequila laid untouched that whole night on his countertop.

They were safe every single night they’d been together. Well, Hailey remembered, except for at Adam and Kim’s wedding.

Oops. In her defense though, they were in Aspen, it was gorgeous, and where else were you supposed to have crazy, over-the-top sex?

That was 2 months ago, and they’d been so busy with work that they barely had time for date nights, let alone time in the bedroom.

They maybe spent 2 nights together since the wedding, one of which they actually just fell asleep on his couch after talking, and the other they both passed out after a night of karaoke with Kevin and Vanessa.

She sighed, as Natalie Manning’s voice brought her back to the present moment, aka: the reason why she was standing in Gaffney Medical Center in the first place. She’d been chasing a suspect when he clocked her on the head with a crowbar.

She had told Jay to go, that she’d be fine as she found her way back to her feet. But, when she faltered a second later, he insisted she go to Med.

She was just thankful Voight forced him to do his statement and finish his paperwork on the incident right then, so he had to duck out of the hospital early.

Will had assured him she’d be fine, if anything she had a concussion. But, upon further inspection, she did have a laceration on her forehead. He gave her a tetanus shot, and pulled her medical chart just to make sure she was up to date on everything else.

When he noticed her oxygen level was low, he consulted Natalie. He wasn’t sure why, since she was perfectly healthy. She countered that maybe he read it wrong, that it was her iron levels. Either way, she ordered a blood draw.

And what she discovered made her stand in front of Hailey as opposed to Will. Natalie white lied and said it was a female issue she needed to discuss with Hailey, she just didn’t tell Will what kind of feminine issue.

“Hailey?” She asked the blonde that sat in front of her.

“Yeah?”

“Have you been feeling lightheaded, nauseous, or anything like that lately?”

“You mean aside from today thanks to my pounding headache?” She tried to joke, but stopped after she saw Natalie’s face didn’t change.

“Yeah, I mean aside from that.”

“Yeah, a few times. But we’ve been working crazy hours trying to catch that burglary crew, which is why I was so pissed off I let the one guy get the jump on me—“

“Hailey,” Natalie said firmly, making the detective go silent.

“You’re pregnant.”

Hailey was shocked. She always, in the very back of her mind, wondered, but she just figured it wouldn’t happen to her. Not like that, anyway.

“Does Jay know?”

“Does Jay know?!” She scoffed, running a hand through her damp hair as Will had to clean her scalp free of any debris from the pipe. “I didn’t even know until five seconds ago! I mean, I suppose I did know...I had this gut feeling, but I brushed it off.”

Natalie sighed, looking down for a moment. “So, you haven’t told him, have you? Or talked to him at all about the possibility?”

Hailey stayed silent, too embarrassed to have been so stupid. She was a cop, for god sake. She should’ve known better, been better.

Natalie looked back up at Hailey, a twinge of solemness in her eyes. “Do you even know if he wants kids?”

Hailey nodded. “He does, I mean, we haven’t talked about it in a formal manner, but I remember he told me at Kim and Adam’s wedding that he wanted this, the whole nine yards. And he grabbed my hand and looked at me like I was the most special thing in the world and was like, ‘and you’re the one I want that with.’ It was the sweetest thing,” she said, getting emotional over it now with the new meaning it held.

Natalie smiled. “See, he just wants the best for you. And I’m sure he wants what’s best for you too. Which means you can’t be so reckless anymore. You could have lost the baby.”

Hailey nodded, realizing she wasn’t just caring for her own life anymore. “I know.”

Natalie added, “And Jay deserves to know, too, Hailey.”

She nodded again, giving Natalie a small, slightly sad smile. She had no idea how on earth she was going to tell her boyfriend that their world was going to change. But, they’d made it through so much together, she knew she had to try.

So, that night when Jay picked her up from the hospital — Will, still clueless as ever to whatever female issue Natalie had talked to Hailey about, told Jay that they were just “finishing up their girl talk.” Natalie had nodded and said Hailey was good to go — she knew she wanted to tell him.

He was walking her up to her door and had helped her inside to her sofa when she asked him if he could sit with her.

“Of course,” he had said, asking her if she wanted anything to eat or drink first.

She shook her head no, but told him she did have something she needed to say.

He got serious, an adorable crease in his forehead taking shape as his brows furrowed in concern.

“What is it, Hails?”

“I—“ she sucked in some much needed air, willing herself to push through.

“Jay,” she tried again. “I’m pregnant.”

He was speechless. And Hailey opened her mouth to tell him anything, like she didn’t mean for it to happen (she really didn’t), or that she didn’t mean to spring this on him (she really hadn’t)...when she realized Jay’s eyes were teary.

“Jay?” She whispered, feeling tears well up in her eyes too.

He just took her hands in his, and looked deeply into her eyes. “Hailey, I love you. So so much. And I’m gonna love our baby just the same. I just— wow, I know it’s not something we planned, but after everything we’ve been through, it just seems like the perfect little miracle, doesn’t it?”

She sniffled, laughing lightly. “Yeah, it sure does.”

She leaned forward and kissed him, Jay kissing her back with just as much softness. He released one of her hands, and he put his on her stomach. Hailey laughed, knowing she definitely wasn’t showing right now.

“What’re you doing?”

“I’m just trying to suss out whether it’s gonna be a boy or a girl” he said excitedly.

“Jay, we can’t tell the sex for months! Plus, I already know you want a boy.”

He looked at her, his forehead creasing once again.

So, she continued. “Don’t you? That way Owen would have a playmate, you could teach him all the sports trivia or to love that damn truck as much as you do, or—“

She paused mid sentence when he vehemently shook his head, disagreeing with her sentiment.

She was shocked. “Wait. You’re actually okay with a girl?”

He smiled, pulling her intertwined hand in his down to her stomach. “Yeah, I am. Because she’ll be just like her mom. Brilliant, brave, and beautiful.”

Hailey knew a few tears slipped down her cheeks that time. “Really?”

“Yes really.” Jay said, smiling earnestly. He brushed her tears away with his thumb. “Plus, I can scare all her future boyfriends away by putting them in the cage or showing up with a shotgun.” He broke into one of those boyish grins that made Hailey roll her eyes.

“You’re impossible, you know that?” She said, trying to stay a tiny bit annoyed.

“Yeah, I know. But I also know that you love me anyway. And I love you—“ he paused, leaning down to talk to her belly. “And whatever this little one turns out to be, a whole hell of a lot.”

“Heck, Jay, language!”

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. “Whatever you say, Hailey Anne.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “You love me anyway.”

Yeah, that he did. And she just the same.

____

*original prompt by @upsteadlover on Twitter; request made by @onechicagofam_ on Twitter; photos of Natalie & Hailey w/in prompt tweet by @onechicagoedits on Twitter; gif by @xofeno (: // words by me, of course*

[damiien-haas]

Poly!Shaymien x Vlogger!Reader Headcanons

A/N: I had been kicking around this idea for months. I finally decided to sit down and write these out. Also quick warning: a chunk of this is definitely angsty, so yeah. Some fluff, but I am probably going to do a part two because I had way too many ideas floating through my head and I really want to expand on this completely. But yeah, enjoy!

Pairing: Poly!Shaymien x Vlogger!Reader

You’d only been vlogging for a little over two years when you were invited to go attend VidCon.

To be honest, it was like super exciting to be surrounded by so many creators.

You had decided to take your camera out to start vlogging when someone bumped into you.

This caused your camera to slip out of your hand.

Luckily you caught it by the strap and saved it from smashing onto the ground.

And the bump kind of hurt.

When you turn to face the person who bumped into you, you realize that two guys stood in front of you.

Both wearing a look of shock on their faces.

As you took in their appearances, you began to realize why the bump hurt.

You were smaller than they were.

One looked to be almost six feet tall and the other, while shorter, looked super built.

You were about to start apologizing to them.

When they immediately apologize to you.

“We are so sorry. We should’ve been watching where we were going,” said the shorter one. “I’m Shayne.”

“I’m Damien. Are you okay?”

Once you’d confirmed that you were alright, they offered to buy you a coffee.

An offer you accept.

And then the rest is pretty much history.

You three become really good friends.

But both Damien and Shayne feel themselves start to slowly fall in love with you.

And they know how the other feels about you.

And they feel guilty for their feelings.

And you were oblivious.

So one day, while you are asleep on your couch, you hear a knock on your door, as well as voices bickering quietly.

When you open the door, they ask if they can come in.

Once your front door is shut, they both begin to explain the way they feel about you.

It honestly floored you.

Because you had begun to realize you had developed feelings for both of them like two months after meeting them.

This led to all three of you talking and trying to figure out what to do.

Surprisingly, it was Shayne that suggested that you all should be in a polyamorous relationship.

You all agree to at least try.

You guys kind of take it day-by-day.

And a day turned into a week.

A week turned into a month.

And all of a sudden you guys are celebrating being together for six months.

Fights were rare, but when they happened, it was not pleasant.

A lot of the time it sounded like incoherent shouting to anyone passing by.

You’d managed to avoid one particular topic for about six months, but at some point, you all had to face the music.

Damien wanted to go public, but both you and Shayne were extremely cautious as to how that would affect your relationship..

A relationship you were still trying to figure out.

And that basically ended in you all coming to an agreement that you’d keep everything regarding your relationship private until you all felt comfortable enough.

This made your vlogs just a little bit more difficult to film.

You had to careful when and where you film.

But you guys spent a lot of time together.

And you guys filmed together whenever possible.

But you had to limit their appearances in your vlogs once fans started to notice your guys’ chemistry.

This would have led to a shipping war, had it not been for a wrong click on a phone screen.

Damien and you were at Shayne’s place when you guys passed out on the couch while cuddling.

Shayne had left to go film and a bit on the later side.

When he walked it, he smiled softly.

He decided to take a picture to send to Courtney, who’d been bugging him throughout the entire shoot about how disgustingly cute you guys were, just to mess with her.

The picture was disgustingly cute, especially the words that read “My loves.”

Shayne placed his phone on the coffee table so he could wake you guys up.

You guys could move to the bed and so you could be less uncomfortable.

And you guys fall back asleep almost immediately.

You guys are rudely awoken to your phone going off constantly.

Shayne had left his phone out all night and so had Damien, so only your phone was constantly chiming.

You elect to ignore it, but then realize that it might be an emergency.

You begin scrolling through your notifications, growing more and more anxious the more you read.

A lot of the responses were positive, but not all of it was.

You shut your phone off after a couple of nasty tweets and messages aimed specifically at you.

Shayne was lucky you were standing between him and Damien.

Because to say Damien was pissed off would be putting it lightly.

But the war of words had already begun, with Damien delivering most of the blows.

“‘Hey, let’s keep the relationship private just until we figure this thing out a bit more or until I get the chance to out us for no fucking reason’.”

Unfortunately, that was the tamest of the bunch.

Eventually it calmed down to less intense yelling.

“What did you think would happen? We agreed to wait until we were ALL ready for a reason.”

This is when both of them took one look at you and realized that you were crying.

Their hardened faces immediately became soft at the sight, and they pulled you into an embrace.

Once you’d all cooled off enough, you all decided to film an explanation video for your channel in order to get ahead of this.

You sat down and filmed it with no idea what to say; you were flying by the seat of your pants.

You don’t edit the video.

There’s no special thumbnail.

It’s just the three of you sitting on Shayne’s couch.

When you it is finally up, everyone goes nuts.

You guys get enormous amounts of support from friends and fans alike.

You and Damien never really let Shayne live that down completely.

“Hey, you remember the time you outed our relationship and almost caused us to break up? Yeah, give me the last slice of pizza.”

But I digress.

You guys become a power couple.

They already appeared in your vlogs constantly.

But once you guys went public? You brought them in for any bit you could get them to agree to.

And they drag you into Smosh shoots just as often.

Since I’ve veered off course just a smidge, I’m just gonna mention the dynamic.

Damien is the chaos engine in your relationship.

You and Shayne are definitely up there in your chaotic levels, with Shayne surpassing you easily.

Which leaves you to be the voice of reason most of the time.

You guys are just chaotic balls of energy that feed off of each others’ energy.

But sometimes you guys need some time away from each other, which is why you still live apart from each other.

But you guys are also, as Courtney dubs you, “adorably disgusting.”

You guys were already super affectionate towards each other when you were friends.

Now that you guys are together? Pfft.

You guys make sure to keep PDA to a minimum when in public.

Holding hands is a necessity.

Shayne’s arm around you while you’re holding Damien’s hand.

Or literally any combination of that.

Movie nights that mainly consist of you guys cuddling.

And depending on the genre (HORROR), you’ll stay like that until the morning comes.

Honestly, it’s a relationship filled with ups and downs, but you always find a way to make it through.

[kuroopaisen]

@kacchand (i couldn't tag your main but i wanted to make sure you saw this fdlkjfdlkj) 

hello dear! i’m sorry it took me so long to respond to this dflskjfdlkfdj i decided to answer your ask in a text post so i can link my thoughts to yours more easily! also, i know i'm going to Ramble, so i wanted to be able to keep it under a cut sdlkfjd

Hi rowan!! I've just finished the final chapter of aot and I just wanted to ask your opinion on it!

(SPOILERS THAT DEPICT MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE STORY'S MEANING AHEAD. READ ONLY IF YOU'VE FINISHED THE CHAPTER)

(FR )

(THERE'S STILL TIME TO BACK OUT)

(DO IT NOW. SPOILER ALERT)

I'd also like to ask a follow up question about it, because it seems that I've come to a different concl. from many of my friends and I'm feeling dumb abt how i feel w it.

first of all (and i say this as sincerely as possible, and if i'm coming off as condesending please let me know hh), please don't feel dumb because you've come to a different conclusion :(

we all read media at different levels (i’ve been told it’s ‘not that deep’ before fdljkfsdlkj) and identify different aspects in it, so the fact that you've had a different experience to some of your friends is absolutely not a reflection on your intelligence. and if anyone's making you feel that way, drop their @. i just want to talk :) furthermore, you’re not wrong for responding to something emotionally, especially if it really... makes you uncomfortable, you know? 

i'm from the PH & I've put off determining whether i'm comfy w the manga til the last chap,,,, but is it wrong that I can't shake the feeling that it's a justification of japanese expansionism and genocide? ik this manga has always been in the grey area, and that's what I love abt it! It often shows that no choice they make is absolutely good or bad, and does such a good job at showing you how each complex character came to that understanding (role of environment, etc...) but this last chapter felt too positive abt the rumbling? Like it was justified because paradis was able to advance and there wasn't much choice? idk.

that's totally valid! some of the best think pieces on the show i read mentioned that the concern with the narrative is less "is isayama a nazi sympathiser?" (he most likely isn't), but if he's a imperial japan apologist. and...

well, let's just say that my father is british, and when i was trying to say that colonisation was bad, using british india as an example, he said "well, we gave them railroads." it's... it's uncomfortable and gross and i think it encapsulates how countries with imperial pasts tend to talk about them; even if they don't officially endorse it, there's often a lot of talk about how "well colonialism was good for this country, actually--"

and if the manga felt like it was justifying japanese expansionism, then chances are it had elements that very much did point towards that. i've had a lot of trouble grappling with reiner, annie and bertolt, because they've existed in this grey area of 'victim of oppression' and 'war criminal'; and their existence raises the question of "do people who commit war crimes simply do what needs to be done?" and by victimising them it... it plays into the whole nuremberg defense of "i was just following orders". it's making you feel bad for the people committing said war crimes (and similarly with eren, and all the awful things he's done). but i'll get more into this point later dsfkjfd

i haven't read the last chapter yet (and don't worry about spoilers! i've been approaching aot from a very... specific perspective anyway, so i actually don't mind spoilers -- i read a bunch of analyses of the series before i'd even watched it hh), but... i think if it came off as too positive about, you know... an awful thing that happened, then it absolutely makes sense that you'd feel uncomfortable?

the modernisation narrative in general is one that always skeeves me out. it's one japanese imperialists use to justify the invasion of korea (and even those infamous tweets from the one account purported to be isayama talk about how the population of korea boomed under japanese imperial occupation, which... stop.)

it's also commonly invoked in cases of development. certain members of society (usually the poor), just 'had' to die for the good of the future. who gives a damn if they consent to that? they have to.

similarly, the 'we had no choice' narrative. that's... a concerning one that crops up time and again with history apologists, the argument that "oh if x country hadn't done y, then someone else would've!" or that acts of aggression were done as pre-emptive self-defence, which is so... ugh. i just. i just hate it.

It also feels really weird w the ymir and the whole loving fritz thing. i wish we got to see more of her thought process and what conclusion she came to that led her to destroying the power of the titans.

i... hate this so much. i get that abuse is complicated and victims often have multifaceted feelings towards their abusers, but... most people would focus on that in their story? the story would be about that? but instead, it's just... a thing in the history of the world and that's... icky.

also having the genesis of the titans come from a slave girl in love with her captor... there's many levels of ick to it and i highly doubt it was handled with the appropriate level of grace and sensitivity.

honestly, this might be one of the things that pissed me off the most because of how... contradictory her backstory was with That One Chapter (you know, instead of ymir crying because she wants to be free or because she’s been trapped she........ wants to see mikasa kiss eren’s decapitated head? i guess? what the fuck?) 

idk...I just think that context is sometimes everything. and i understand that media can portray incorrect things,,,, and that isayama likely didn't intend for it to become a global sensation, but i guess i'm just uncomfortable w the right wing nazis getting a comfort book ahaha.

i totally get that! even if attack on titan is meant to be anti-fascists, the fact of the matter is... a lot of fascists love it. and relate to it. which is... alarming. especially given just how popular aot is worldwide.

it’s hard because before the ending, attack on titan did feel like it was more grey; i remember saying that i wouldn’t know how to feel about it until the ending because the story was either saying “the military is corrupt and war is hell”, or it was saying “the military is corrupt and war is hell, but it is necessary.” 

still sorting out my thoughts, but yeah. I think i'm having a hard time understanding what they really accomplished with the rumbling and how they gave eren a sudden lelouch role and a lot of how they made it out to be a happy thing? perhaps I'm too biased to see it fully but to me it gives a "woah. eren was a hero. he saved us from destruction. those people needed to die for us to achieve this temporary peace and new start". i suppose the rumbling gave them a levelled playing ground?

OH MY GOOOOOD okay. i haven't finished code geass. but i really don't like lelouch. i mean... i think i just don't like characters that sacrifice other people for a purported 'greater good' (i could write an Essay about how much i hate erwin smith looking at him is enough to send me into an unhinged rage), but where i'm up to in the anime, i don't like the direction they're going with eren? i mean, i've never liked eren, but... that whole "martyr for the eldians" is just. ew. especially when you see several eldian characters disagree and resist him. 

why does this one guy get to make choices for everyone else? because he’s sPeCiAL? fuck off 

sorry for not being coherent. maybe i'm basing this too much on feelings ahaha. trust aot to finish it's scandalous run with a scandalous end.

no omg you're being perfectly coherent :( also, if anyone's making you feel bad or stupid for how you experience media, they’re... definitely not as smart as they think they are fdslskjfdlk. 

i'm of that mind that, while media consumption is in part an intellectual exercise, it is inherently very emotional; narrative media tries to make us feel as much as it makes us think. that’s what stories are for, you know? intellectual analysis is well and good but what’s the point of a story if it doesn’t make you feel anything?

that's to say, i don't believe there's such thing as basing your opinion too much on feelings :') especially since it's your personal experience with a piece of media; you don't owe anyone 'objectivity' (which is always a farce when it comes to this sort of thing) or 'logical analysis', because nobody's got any right to criticise you for engaging with media the 'wrong way'.

tl;dr I feel like the mood was too celebratory abt the rumbling, and didn't entail enough on the tragedy so much that it felt like a justification for genocide and expansionism. how do you feel abt it's ending and the message it leaves? is isayama responsible to give a morally correct answer to the cycle of hatred? you're not obligated to answer! and sorry for the rambling.

hhh yeah i guess that’s the thing at the end of the day... is isayama responsible for giving a “morally correct” answer? no, but the way the ending plays out is very telling. 

like armin thanking eren? mikasa’s e n t i r e character boiling down to being in love with a mass murderer no matter how poorly he’s treated her? and one could argue that kind of ending is supposed to be unsettling, supposed to hint that the cycle will just continue, but...

framing is everything. and it’s framed like a Good, Emotional Thing, Aren’t We So Grateful Eren Did All Those Awful Things 

YI think I would've been fine if we got to see more of Eren's or Yif you have a different perspective on how eren is being portrayed please do share! I just felt really yucky watching armin say "thanks for murdering all those people for us" with love,,, I suppose he was trying to make eren feel better. ach maybe I'm just overreacting. idk. im dumb ahaha . i'll send this in anyway cuz I'd love to hear your take!

HHHHHHH i just hate eren and i never got him. i felt bad for him in the beginning, but he's always been too... violent for me. there was a very short period of time in season 2 where i felt bad for him, but otherwise it’s just been... ugh. the main three have always been the weakest part of the series imo, so it’s really not surprising they’re part of the reason the ending was so. bad. 

and... well, that one infamous quote pretty much sums up my issue with armin. he's supposed to be the 'intelligent' one, but he's hopelessly devoted to a homicidal maniac with whom he has a very artificial, unbelievable bond with.

at the end of the day, the "thank you for becoming our monster" thing just makes it seem like attack on titan's core message is "war is horrible, but it is necessary." it feels like it's justifying massacre. and while fiction is fiction, and sometimes it's as simple as that, i think something as politically loaded as attack on titan needs to be looked at with a critical lens when discussing what it’s trying to say or what it means. 

do i think it makes someone a Bad Person for liking aot or being attached to it in some way? no, because that’s dumb, and what media someone likes =/= their Moral Goodness TM. ofc trends are a thing and certain pieces of media appeal to certain types of people, but it’s a false equivalency that misses the point. 

but by that same breath, nobody is wrong or stupid or has Less Valid Opinions just because what they took away from it makes them uncomfortable. 

i’m sorry this is So Long i have so many thoughts about this dskljfslkj 

but at the end of the day, 

levi sexy

[tbr-agency]

special.

“Really? For real?”

⤷ Mark thought that he would spend his birthday alone with Milo but it turns out it was the opposite.

timeline ⟶ September 2020

characters : Jung Ahrin (The Bloody Roses), Mark Tuan, Bambam, Kim Yugyeom (Got7)

warnings ⟶ fluff.

Ahrin smiled as soon as she saw 2 familiar figures standing at an area that they promised to meet her. 

Parking her car right in front of them, the passenger’s seat window scrolled down to see Ahrin waving towards the 2 maknaes of Got7.

“Hop in, kids!” Ahrin waved them as Bambam and Yugyeom immediately climbed onto the back of the seats since the passenger seat was occupied with a visible bag that was packed with food.

“Noona, did you buy the cake?” Yugyeom questioned as Ahrin was about to turn the wheel.

“Yes. I rushed my way as soon as I ended work,” 

“Wow, we love a dedicated girlfriend,” Bambam joked and Ahrin roll her eyes.

Ahrin had called all of Got7 members personally and the only ones who were available for the night was Bambam and Yugyeom - the other members sadly had other planned schedules and they could only wish the birthday boy a happy birthday.

She wanted to do a mini birthday surprise for Mark.

“Wah noona.. I love your determination although you have a packed schedule today.” Yugyeom commented as he tilted his head.

“It’s not that packed.. The other girls’ had tougher schedules. It’s normal for us,” voiced Ahrin as she gazed towards the rear-view mirror to see the 2 younger ones nodding.

“I hope the two of you aren’t on a diet. I brought some of your favorite foods,” 

“Oh my god, really?!? Thank god, I am really hungry. I was at the dance studio the whole day,” Yugyeom exclaimed as he was smiling widely.

“I don’t mind, I’m hitting the gym again in the morning - anyways, thank you noona,” added Bambam with a smile.

“But seriously, Mark hyung will really appreciate your gesture, noona - since it comes from his significant other. Hyung really loves you,” commented Yugyeom as Ahrin could only smile shyly.

Ahrin couldn’t wait to see how Mark would react.

Mark’s lips slowly curved upwards as he can’t help but to stare at the text that was being sent by his girlfriend.

It’s been more than a week that they didn’t see each other, due to Ahrin having busy schedules and Mark having his own twitch schedules. 

Mark is really grateful of Ahrin as she is really considerate - maybe because both of them can relate to each other.

But he couldn’t help but feel slightly lonely - though he has been spending his day playing video games and scrolling onto his phones, reading fans tweets. He even video called his family members. 

They were sad that Ahrin couldn’t be in the video call since the girl is stuck in the office.

Maybe she’s really busy.

There were times that Mark would feel really lonely but he tends to keep it to himself - he didn’t want to come out as a clingy boyfriend until one day, he received a call from Ahrin in the middle of the night.

It turns out that she missed him and Mark was shocked to hear how direct she is.

“You don’t miss me?”

“Ahrin, it’s not that… Well.. I do miss you, a lot actually. But I don’t want to be that clingy boyfriend..”

“What? Why? You think I’m going to be pissed or mad at you for being clingy? I think I’ll love it if you are being clingy. Actually it doesn’t matter if you are clingy or not, I’ll still love you as always.”

Mark is really head over heels for her - she is a romanticist when it comes to him and everyone could see it. 

It was nearly going to be 1 in the morning and Mark decided to call it a day as he went towards the bathroom to get ready himself for bed.

“Are you sure we can do this? Won’t he be pissed?” 

“What? Noona! Don't be ridiculous! We always barge into his house!” whine Bambam as Ahrin could only give the 2 maknaes side glances. 

The 3 of them were standing in front of Mark’s apartment, while Yugyeom was pressing the passcode to enter the 2 older member’s apartments.

“This feels wrong,” 

“It is for you, since you are working with the cops, noona.” 

“Exactly,” 

A green light and the sound automatically made a sound indicating that they could enter. 

As soon as Yugyeom opened the door, he met with his little friend as he was barking towards Yugyeom with its tail wagging. 

“Shh Milo! It’s me and Bambam hyung - oh and Ahrin noona!” Yugyeom whispered-yelled as he quickly asked Bambam and Ahrin to go quickly.

Milo quickly stopped barking as he went towards Ahrin, jumping onto her feet - it was as if that little one was happy to see her.

“Milo, what’s—

The 3 of them looked towards the voice to see Mark holding onto his toothbrush while the other hand with his phone- his lips were covered with foam, it was obvious that he was brushing his teeth.

His eyes fell towards the only girl in the apartment who stood frozen, knowing their surprised plan was ruined.

“Surprise?”

“Sorry noona,”

“I feel so bad,”

“Guys, relax! Calm down. I know it’s gonna fail so I’m not surprised.” commented Ahrin as she raised an eyebrow towards Bambam and Yugyeom who were in the living room - their heads focusing on the 2 older ones in the kitchen.

A chuckle was being heard from Mark as he was helping Ahrin with all the foods that she brought.

“Did you plan all of this?” Mark questioned, his eyes glancing towards Ahrin.

“Yeah, I called the other Got7 members but they couldn’t make it - only Bambam and Yugyeom were the ones who were available,” answered Ahrin as she turned towards Mark who was flustered as soon as he met her eye contact.

It’s been a while that the couple have seen each other due to the pandemic and their busy schedule.

“I miss you,” confessed Mark, still making eye contact with her.

Ahrin’s lips curved up as she planted a quick peck on his lips. 

“I miss you too, baby. My working schedule is crazy, I really want to spend time with you,” voiced Ahrin genuinely as her face shows that she was troubled.

Admiring his girlfriend, Mark’s hand landed onto the side of Ahrin’s cheek - pushing her hair back behind her ear.

“I know. I’m proud of you for volunteering regarding Covid-19 situations,” Mark smiled as he really meant what he said. 

2 weeks ago, Ahrin and the other 6 girls were suddenly being put to different public facilities that turned into isolation wards temporarily. It turns out that Ahrin was the one who volunteered followed by the other girls since it was the leader’s idea.

Mark was happy at the same time he is proud to have a girlfriend like her. At the same time, he missed her dearly. 

“Since today is your birthday, I decided to take a few days off - to spend time with you,” announced Ahrin and she could immediately see Mark’s eyes widening a little - his arms immediately landed on her hips, as he pushed her towards him.

“Really? For real?”

“Urm, yeah.. Haejin and Eunhee took over for me so.. There will be no distraction, it’s just you and me, baby.”

Mark’s lips slowly curved up, feeling like he was on cloud nine.

“Well—

“Noona! Do you need help?!” Yugyeom’s loud voice cuts Mark’s words as the older one turns towards the voice with a glare.

“We’re actually quite hungry! Are you and hyung making out or making the preparation!?” Bambam added and Mark groaned in annoyance.

“If you’re hungry, come and get it yourself, you punks!”

masterlist : Got7 Bodyguard Au