#the last line is to imply that both parties are thinking the second to last line. not just the speaker (a wasp)

[irisintheafterglow]

like we’re made of starlight (timeskip!iwa x you)

summary: on the night of your birthday, you accompany hajime to the olympic team's new year's celebration, meeting the players and receiving a small surprise.

wc: 1.78k

cw/tags: swearing, alcohol and drinking, established relationship, crack and fluff and atsumu being dumb, one (1) down bad iwaizumi hajime, implied fem!reader but they/them pronouns used

note: this is dedicated to the #1 iwa lover @shotorus <3 i hope you have a spectacular birthday and enjoy this little thing for you and your man :))

likes, reblogs, and replies are appreciated !

“You know, if I’d known they planned this whole shabang on your birthday, I would have asked them to reschedule.” He squints skeptically at the colorful strobe lights shining outside of the club, one of the most prestigious in the city and the venue for the Olympic team’s belated New Year celebration. You could only imagine how loud the inside of the club would be, especially since it already seemed overwhelming outside and you weren’t even in the building yet. “I promise I’ll make it up to you this weekend, something a little…quieter.” 

“It’s okay, really,” you reassure him, setting a comforting hand on his thigh as he continues to bounce his leg in the driver’s seat. You run your thumb over the expensive fabric of his dress pants and he visibly relaxes, releasing a deep exhale and giving you an apologetic smile. The line for the valet was long and your boyfriend had politely declined your suggestion for him to hop out while you get the car situated. “I’m here for you and to meet the guys.” 

“That’s also something I’m a little anxious about,” he admits.

“How so?”

“They can get a little wild at these kinds of celebrations.”

“Well, we can bail whenever we want, right?” He nods, still a little unsure. “So, if the vibe is off or people start getting a little too wild, we leave and eat soup on the couch with a movie on.” The last comment about lounging around finally makes him smile and you lean over to press a light kiss on the side of his face, taking note of the way his ears become a little pinker even in the darkness of his car. A few minutes later, Hajime helps you step out of the car, tug on your coat and leads you to the entrance of the club, bypassing the extensive line with a tilt of his head to the bouncer. 

“This place was 100% Bokuto’s idea,” he mutters when you both step inside. “It’s like we’re at a frat party again.” A club employee escorts you up the stairs to a private, second floor balcony that overlooks the dance floor. “All the lights and music and drunk people is very reminiscent of that one during–”

“During junior year, second semester. The one I dragged you out of your dorm for because my roommates flaked out and I didn’t know anyone else to go with,” you grin, looking down at him over your shoulder as you climb the stairs. He’s quick to close any remaining space between you two once you reach the landing, snaking a protective arm around your shoulders while the employee gestures for you to join the rest of Hajime’s coworkers. “Except this time, everyone’s of age to drink.”

“In theory,” he murmurs. “I still think Hinata’s younger than he says he is.” You stifle a snort into your fist and catch him smirking before you’re bombarded by several suit-clad athletes with varying levels of alcohol intoxication. “Watch out for Atsumu. He spit-talks when he’s drunk.”

“Our beloved trainer has arrived!” On cue, the more chaotic Miya twin appears in front of you with one arm slung around his Jackal teammate, a buzzed-looking Bokuto, and followed closely by Hinata and Sakusa. “What took you so long?”

“I couldn’t find my good cufflinks,” he shrugs, revealing the silver volleyballs hiding on the inside of his wrists, the ones you got him on his first anniversary of working as a trainer. “Thought they were appropriate for the occasion.” You smile, watching your boyfriend act as cool and casual as ever, even in the face of his very enthusiastic colleagues. “I, uh, have someone for you all to meet,” he says, glancing at you with a questioning glint in his eye. Are you ready? You nod, taking a deep breath as he introduces you as his partner. 

“Like, in business?” Atsumu asks with such a genuine expression that makes you giggle. Behind him, you can see Sakusa slap an exasperated palm against his forehead. “You have a secret side hustle?” You bite your lip to keep from laughing too hard and look up to find your boyfriend with a similar expression. 

“No, dude,” Bokuto says slowly. “He means like, romantically. Like, a life partner.” Atsumu’s eyes widened to the size of car tires. “A partner for life, you know?” 

“Holy shit, you’re married?” You catch Sakusa mouth oh my god under his breath before he walks away from his dumbfounded teammate. Hinata is quick to steer both of his friends to a table before they fall over and rejoins the conversation as Hajime introduces you to the more collected players of the group. 

You shake hands with the stoic skyscraper that is Ushijima as well as receive a warm hug from Komori. Both note how great it was to finally meet you in person after your boyfriend seemed to never stop talking about you, before the man in question hurriedly introduces you to another player. Suna and Sakusa are quietly polite but open up more once you ask them about how training is going for the next Olympic games. While you chat with them, Hajime pulls over Aran and Yaku, introducing you as his partner with poorly hidden pride. Once they’ve assimilated into your conversation, he disappears into the herds of players and staff again to no doubt drag out another coworker.

“Forgive him for coming and going so much,” Yaku says apologetically. “I think he’s been waiting to show you off for a long time, even if he won’t admit it.”

“He’s really excited for people to meet me, huh?”

“I’ve never seen him this hyper and I’ve been drunk at a karaoke bar with him,” a new voice says who introduces himself as Kuroo, a tall guy with spiky hair that you remember Hajime arguing with over the phone several times. “Our offices are right next to each other and I like to play pranks every so often,” he explains when you ask him about why your boyfriend yells at him so much.

“Technically, it’s his fault for being out of the office so often,” Suna reasons. “And I only say that because I’m one of the accomplices to the office pranks. We all are.”

“I bought the wrapping paper for the one on his car,” Aran adds. “Yaku pitched in for the Post It notes on April Fools day, but we don’t let Atsumu in on the pranks anymore ‘cause he talks too much.” Your mouth gapes in disbelief, unable to imagine the organized, well put-together machine that is your boyfriend getting pranked so easily. 

“It’s only because we love him as a trainer, though.” Yaku is backed up by nods of agreement from the rest of his team. “He really loves his job; I think the only thing he loves more than volleyball is–”

“You, obviously.” Hajime returns from fishing out people to introduce to you, easily finding his place by your side. “They tell you about how much they fuck up my office?” The perpetrators’ voices overlap each other in protest, arguing that he’s the one who keeps leaving his door unlocked. “Yeah, yeah. Just you wait until I get this one in on pranks against you guys.” He tilts his head towards you and is met with friendly taunts of competition, saying that you’re too nice to prank them or that they’d never fall for any of his pranks. His head dips to whisper in your ear while the team is preoccupied with debating what song to request from the DJ to create one big Olympic flashmob. “Mind if I steal you away, real quick?”

“Of course. But be fast; you need to be back in time for the big dance number,” you tease and he rolls his eyes with an amused smile, lacing his fingers in yours and pulling you down a back hallway of the club. The black walls reflect the moody shades of pink, orange, and blue shining from the lights above and you find that the music isn’t as loud in the little corner he finds for you two. When you’re ready, he pulls out a small box tied with a ribbon from his pocket.

“Wanted to give you this on your actual birthday but didn’t want Atsumu’s big mouth to ruin it out there,” he says and you chuckle, carefully taking the box from his fingers and unwrapping the bow. You pull off the lid and find a delicately silver chain threaded through a pendant indented to resemble a volleyball; flipping it over and admiring it in the light, you discover a stamped “H” on the back that only appears when the light hits it just right. 

“Hajime, this is beautiful,” you breathe. 

“You like it?”

“I love it.” You remove the necklace from the box, but before you can fasten it around your neck, he stops you. 

“May I?”

“You are a hopeless romantic,” you grin. 

“Only for you.” His fingers brushing your neck send goosebumps over your skin and he carefully secures the chain at the back. 

“How do I look?” You turn to face him and see his pupils blown wide open, licking his lips and blinking to maintain his restraint. 

“Like you’re mine,” he rasps and he closes the remaining distance between your bodies, letting your back hit the wall and tilting your chin up with two fingers to kiss you. Your fingers comb through his hair and he groans into your mouth when you tug on it experimentally. His hands firmly grip your waist while he kisses you infuriatingly slowly, like he was savoring this private moment without the prying eyes of his teammates. He pulls away to breathe but doesn’t go far, nudging his nose against yours. “The guys didn’t say anything dumb to you, did they?”

“No, but they did let me know how much you talk about me,” you whisper and he rolls his eyes again, your eyelashes brushing his face when he leans in close again. “And how much your dumbass gets pranked.” 

“In my defense–” You cut him off with an uncontrollable fit of laughter, one that he joins into with a tired shake of his head. “You know what? I don’t have a defense. Happy birthday, my love.” He presses a sweet kiss to the top of your forehead. “Every day I think about what I did to deserve someone like you.”

“You existed and I found you,” you say simply. “That’s just how it works and now you’re stuck with me and all my future birthdays.”

“You say that like I’m not ready to grow old with you in any lifetime.”

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[undead-moth]

The last scene we get of Sydney this season is her having her panic attack. The scene isn't very long, but the Camera is extremely close to her face the whole time, and all we can see is her face and her hands. In that scene, we see her go from hyperventilating to beginning to breathe more slowly.

I noticed all this when I watched it the first time, and I also noticed that there's no music overlaying the scene. We can hear Syd's breathing, her crying, and the party happening in the background.

All of this stood out to me when I compared it to Carmy's panic attack scene. I compared them to begin with because so many other parallel scenes already exist between Syd and Carmy. Right away, I saw Syd's panic attack as another parallel. Just like in Carmy's scene, we see her alone. Just like in his, the camera is up very close, only showing us her face and hands. And most importantly, just like in Carmy's, she calms down. It wasn't strictly necessary to show us her calm down, and in fact, cutting away from her while she's still panicking would have been more emotionally intense for us. This more than anything else makes it feel like it's meant to be yet another parallel.

However, when comparing them, they're not properly mirroring each other in other ways.

In Carmy's panic attack scene, there's music overlay, initially skipping and then smoothing out, and we get flashes of his thoughts, which include clipped flashbacks from prior scenes. Because of this, when watching Carmy's panic attack, we know exactly what thoughts were causing him to panic, and what thought calmed him down. Thoughts of his family and Claire above all are causing him to panic, and thoughts of Sydney calm him down. The music stops skipping at the same moment he begins thinking about Syd.

But with Sydney, we don't get music, and we don't get flashes of her thoughts. Even if we can surmise what's causing her to panic, we don't get to see it, and we have no way of knowing what calms her down. We don't even have music offering insight, unless we include the music being played at the party - which, I listened to and looked at the lyrics for.

The song is "Laid" by James, and I think the music could be meant to imply Syd's thoughts on Carmy. It's a song about someone whose been told by his therapist that he needs to leave the woman he's seeing because she's behaving unhealthily and isn't good for him, and he knows it's true, but the song nonetheless ends with him asking, "When are you coming home?"

We know Syd is debating whether or not to leave The Bear, and we also know that the reason is because Carmy's behavior this season was unhealthy and affecting his relationship with her. I think the song could easily be alluding to Syd's desire to stay even though she thinks she shouldn't.

That could be all there is to this scene, and I certainly could be looking too deeply into it.

But season 4 could also return to this scene, and it could change. Since the music in this scene is background music, they could come back to it again in season 4 and overlay it with a different song that more indisputably is meant to offer insight into Syd's state of mind.

And given that we didn't get to see any visual representation of her thoughts, the second time around they could show us that.

Both the choice not to have music overlay and not to show us Syd's thoughts was intentional, and though the scene isn't long, it's a long time to spend zoomed in a character's face while she has a panic attack in silence. It felt conspicuous to me that there wasn't music or flashbacks indicating her thoughts.

And sure, I know we primarily see that happen with Carmy. He's the protagonist. His thoughts are shown to us more than anyone else's. But we do see other characters thoughts sometimes. For example, when they want to pass their fire safety exam, and they're waiting to see if the balloon fills, we get a snippet from all of the characters lined up to watch.

And given there are so many other very purposeful parallel scenes between Carmy and Syd, and this would appear to be another one, I feel like there has to be a reason this one so conspicuously deviated in style from its counterpart.

Basically, what I'm saying is, what I'm theorizing is, I think they purposefully didn't show us the whole story with Syd's flashback this season. I don't think the choice not to have music overlay and not to show us her thoughts was simply because they determined this was the most effective way to convey her panic attack to us. I don't think it was for the emotional effect silence or an extended up-close look at her distress would have on us, or at least, not just for that.

I think (I hope) season 4 will return to this scene, and when it does, it will more closely mirror Carmy's panic attack. I think (I hope) there will be music overlay, and we'll see flashes of Syd's thoughts. Just like in Carmy's, I think (I hope) we will get to see the transition from thoughts about what's panicking her, which we already know -

To thoughts about whatever calms her down.

I think that thought could either be of leaving The Bear, which would then solidify her decision to leave -

Or it could be of Carmy, which would then solidify her decision to stay.

I genuinely think that if this is the route they go, if I'm somehow incredulously spot-on, either one could work sufficiently with the narrative. I do think there's a strong chance Syd will leave The Bear -

However, the only way to truly make this scene mirror Carmy's scene, and to thereby make it consistent with all the parallels that have come before - and not incidentally or purposelessly either - it would have to be thoughts of Carmy calming her down.

I'm crossing my fingers.

[notedchampagne]

Bro the 6th familial relationships fuck me up so much like the weird Juno and Pal more of a mentor than a mother vibes? And it seems like from Dr Sex that her and Pal's dad are either divorced or just straight up had nothing to do with each other until the genomics department decided they should have a child together?? Like imagine you're a ruthless academic career-woman and one day you get an email from the government like 'congrats! You're a mother!' And they hand you a fresh vat baby that is half you and half your co-worker that you talked to one time at the Christmas party like??? I don't think I would have the most healthy relationship with that child either tbh

And Cam! Earlier in Nona when Pal and Pyrrha are talking about going to the park it is only Kiki that he mentions she might want to save, no mention that apparently both her parents are there too? Her entire family is on the line here. Then she doesn't want her dads to see the Paul transformation because they "wouldn't understand"? You just know there's some long running disagreement there with how far she's yoking herself in with Pal. Do you think they secretly resent him? Did this cause a rift in their family? And what did the conversation look like before or after the transformation? Did Cam tell them she was about to die? Or did they turn away for five seconds and she finally killed herself for her obsessions behind their back? Who broke the news to them? (Who is going to break the news to Pal's dad?) The whole thing just makes me insane!!!!

Also apparently there is some incredible nepotism going on in the 6th oversight body here (or maybe everything is nepotism on the 6th lol)

YOU GET ME i love the 6th house so so much the way the house functions both as a united family w their genetics & a university with the academic quibbling is so fun to me- the sixths weakness was described as "A sprawling organization of erratic loners, the Sixth are chaotic by nature and terrible at collective action." which is 1) hilarious. palamedes is the peoples marxist princess 2) just generally fascinating as a whole. if we take that at face value and consider the 6th house as populated by genius loner nerds, it actually makes sense that they prioritize sending out attractive people to diversify the gene pool - with reference to your statement: dr sex provided a nice handful of evidence that while palamedes and juno have a formal dynamic, theyre affectionate enough that they seem close (at most, to the extent of some gay kid and their favorite english teacher) but seeing juno like a distant mentor is most likely right

taking on more quotes from dr sex, i think its most likely that the Sixth house encourages child bearing / raising through subsidies and an extended work leave of sorts:

Palamedes said, “Enjoying parenting. Enjoying the parenting buyout, I should say. He’s only doing dissertation supervision—and half a year of Immediate History, of course—but he’s got his own projects on the go.”

alexandrites and nireids might be required to go offworld to flirt and have children (i think i came across another post floating somewhere noticing kiki and cam were half-sisters, implying their parent was one of the mentioned) but for residents staying in the sixth house, they probably have about 3-7 other people they could possibly produce children with outside of consanguinity. although forcing them to have children by way of vat birth etc etc is entirely possible in Hell Empire a lot of them probably gave in just for a few years of parental & academic benefits.

one last point - sixth house children canonically live in a dormitory! so if you consider a professor going on paid leave to raise children while doing their own projects for about 7-9 years, then going back to work while their children are sent to a dorm to do nothing but study and train with other peers their age, it falls together so perfectly bro. it makes so much sense. of course pal and cam are nice to their parents but rarely ever close - they were most likely raised and taught communally! god i love worldbuilding

[bite-the-bloody-hand]

Setting aside the knee-jerk 'eeeeew you're in love with your cousin' reaction to Daeran's illusion in Areelu's Lab, I need to talk a second about what a profoundly telling character moment that is for both Daeran and Galfrey.

Daeran refers to Galfrey as the 'Queen of his dreams' and mentions it being twisted by demon logic when questioned. It makes sense that demons would immediately latch on to a psychosexual implication, but it's not about having a crush on her.

The desire to have Galfrey 'out of her armor' is the desire to reconnect with the last member of his family.

He mentions when you ask about his Mother that she was a 'real' mother as opposed to a 'Countess' mother, implying that she was less interested in raising him to be a Proper Noble and more interested in just being present as his only parent. This is indicated in the glimpses we see of his younger self at the party, and in his often-stated resentment towards the necessities of 'proper comportment.'

Galfrey also mentions how close she was to Silaena, referring to her as a 'real' family member, the only person she was truly close to. From the way both of them speak about her, Silaena Arendae was a central, stabilizing part of both of their lives. Galfrey also mentions what a sweet boy Daeran was as a small child, implying a much closer relationship than the current mutual polite revulsion. @thedosianexplorer surmised to me that it's likely Galfrey was once a beloved, comforting figure in young Daeran's life, and I agree. How could she be anything else to the son of someone she so loved? And how awful must it have been to both of them to have that taken away?

Losing the rest of their noble family was certainly a blow, but neither of them even mention their names. The moment Silaena died, however, that was when they were both orphaned. What makes it all the more tragic is the grief that could have brought them closer only served to completely sever their familial connection.

Galfrey has no clue about the true reason Daeran clings so desperately to enjoying life; all she knows is that he may have physically survived but the child she loved was very much dead with the rest of them - in its place an irresponsible, flippant, spoiled brat unwilling to fill the space Silaena left behind. Daeran has no way of communicating the truth to Galfrey, and acts resentfully towards who or whatever else she puts her attention towards, while flaunting his lifestyle at every opportunity.

His lifestyle, as such, is an Emperor's Wardrobe of red flags, but it's hard to see those flags through tunnel vision stained with demon blood. Neither of them are allowed to mourn, but at least Daeran can try to be happy. But as for Galfrey, thedosianexplorer put it best in this hypothetical line:

'How dare you let yourself be happy, I haven't let myself be happy since your mother died.'

The tragedy is that Daeran's need for secrecy and Galfrey's state- and self- imposed martyrdom has created an impenetrable armor between them, and I think is at the heart of the loneliness they both feel. The cruelty of that moment, where the dream of connection is twisted into a mean joke, still sits with me.

[chaifootsteps]

Just me or does 'I don't want you here, go home please!' get more annoying every time I see/hear it? If Stolas had just said 'I don't want to talk to you right now, give me space' that would be one thing but something about his lines rub me the wrong way.

Possible overthinking here, but the first bit implies he's putting some special emphasis on what 'here' is - it's not 'I don't want you around (in general)' or 'I don't want to see you (right now)' it's 'I don't want you here (this specific place)'. It kind of makes it sound like Stolas thinks Blitz being at the party is ruining it for him - before he could just get drunk and call Blitz a motherfucker in peace but now Blitz is physically there he has to be sad again and worse, actually deal with Blitz as a person and not just some abstract who hurt him by being a big meanie.

The second part is worse because he's telling Blitz to go home from somewhere that isn't even his house. Stolas has no right to tell Blitz to leave, especially not from a party dedicated to hating him. Once again for someone who totally doesn't look down on Blitz he sure loves to try and dismiss him when he doesn't want to deal with him. At least last time they were talking in his house, what's his excuse this time?

I think in general the line just feels very childish. Like I get that he's drunk but it just gets more impressive by the episode that we're supposed to still think of Stolas as a prince considering his ability to not take out his emotions on other people is as good as a seven year old's. Same with the 'let me not feel so sad' line - he delivers it like someone who's never experienced heartbreak before and just can't stand feeling bad for more than a second despite being a thirty year old man who has raised a child.

It's like a sordid a cross between a child who doesn't know how to manage his emotions and a grown adult rich man who physically abuses his servants, and Stolas is both.

It's basically saying "I don't want you here, you're not fun to play with anymore, you're dismissed."

[jokeringcutio]

"Almost Kidnapped" - BLACK PHONE & FNAF CROSSOVER - READER INSERT (GRABBER X READER (and implied your boss William Afton having an eye on you) [ 2/?]

AN: Enjoy your Sunday 🥳 As I am known to do, I might just start a few drabbles in this setting because I love it. Might follow up on this [ This is a nice job ].

Summary: You have a narrow escape. ( 'You're working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza Place for William Afton and Mr. Henry, and Albert Shaw (aka the infamous kidnapper known as The Grabber) regularly performs as a magician at parties').

Fandoms: Five Nights at Freddy's, The Black Phone | Rating: Mature?  Warnings: Talk about arousal (but quite politely), Reader almost gets kidnapped. Older man/younger woman, Only implied William Afton x Reader & Grabber(Albert Shaw) x Reader, Flirting with murderers? Not betaread. [ Support x ]

"Five minutes, no more," Erica's voice cut through the cacophony of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza Place. “I’ll cover for you.”

Gratefully, you nodded, muscles uncoiling as you slipped out the back door, hoping your boss wouldn’t notice your short absence. But it had been such a hectic day. The pizza place was stuffy and crowded, with multiple parties held at once. And Freddy’s was short of staff, leaving you with Justin and Erica. Lucy was ill, Jax was abroad, and Mike and El were at a wedding. Thank goodness you had Erica by your side or you wouldn’t survive the day at all.

Especially with the way your boss, Mr. Afton, kept looking in your direction with that stern gaze. As if he saw something that disturbed him. You had checked your uniform several times, made sure there was nothing stuck between your teeth, and all of that. Whatever made him look at you that way, it was unnerving you and you needed a breather.

The second you stepped outside and the hot summer air brushed past your cheeks, you realized you were not alone. A black van was parked in the parking lot in front of you. Its owner was busy loading the van. A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips. Today’s performer hadn’t left the premises yet, it seemed.

Not many people came around the back; only staff or suppliers. Well, both staff and supplier then, you thought amused.

You curiously watched as Albert Shaw tried to stack cardboard boxes inside the van. He was still dressed in his magician’s clothes. Black flared pants clung to his legs, a top hat perched atop a head with a face painted ghostly white. Red peeked from beneath his black shirt, a silent scream against the somber attire.

He looked pretty hot… for an old man.

Okay, you had to shake that thought away. You knew you and Mr. Shaw had some kind of flirty thing going on – although granted, it could just be mostly in your head. Something along the lines of wishful thinking and so on… But having such thoughts about him would only make things awkward. You needed to clear your mind before you approached him. Will those dirty thoughts away.

Which was pretty hard as you watched him bent forward and caught a good glimpse of the tight fabric stretching around his thighs and... You quickly glanced away and swallowed. Hard.

This was ridiculous. You were already incredibly itching down below, but who could blame you? You’d been focusing on little details like this the entire afternoon. You’d last seen him only half an hour ago or so, when he was giving his last show. He’d been performing all afternoon. The way he captivated the room and made children smile had something magical. Perhaps it was only fitting that he performed as a magician. But still… There was something about this man.

You just couldn’t keep your eyes off of him. Your gaze traveled to see how he lifted one of the boxes. His unclad forearms tensed, his muscles and veins showed, and you bit your lip. Yep, definitely appealing. The man looked like he was a lot stronger than anyone would give him credit for. You wondered if he worked out.

But what was he stacking in there? You knew he had been the entertainer this afternoon, but Mr. Afton and Mr. Henry bought a lot of their party supplies from him too. Was he taking empty boxes back with him? They shouldn’t be heavy. So what was he doing?

You curiously peeked around the average-sized man, catching a glimpse of stacked boxes and brown paper bags now that the backdoors were open and the interior of the van was exposed. Then he shifted until he blocked your view.

Albert Shaw bent forward a little, clearly putting some of his magical equipment inside the van before he straightened his spine and turned around. When he saw you, he flashed you a smile.

“If I had known I had an audience I would have put on a better show,” he greeted you in that low and gravelly voice of his. Did he smoke, you wondered? You’d never seen him do it. But how else could he sound this animalistic, this raw?

The white makeup cracked as his smile broadened. Sunglasses hid his grey eyes, leaving you to guess the expression that lay within them. Your pulse quickened.

“I’m just here to catch some fresh air,” you truthfully replied. And did you just stammer? You didn’t, right?

“Getting a little heated, sweetheart?” he murmured, and by the gods… that did things to you. It was almost as if he knew how he affected you.

“Trying to escape the chaos for a moment,” you confessed, your voice barely above a whisper. You tilted your head, eyes tracing the contours of his frame, the sinewy strength of his arms. "Your performance earlier today was... mesmerizing."

He chuckled, a sound that rumbled from deep within his chest. "I try to please my… audience," the way he said that last word sounded sinful, as if he implied something erotic.

You bit your lip. "Well, you're very good at what you do," you said, stepping closer, the gravel crunching beneath your shoes.

"Need a hand unloading?" The words slipped out before you could stop them, an offer to linger in his presence, to be closer to him. Something about him was attracting you like a magnet.

"Already done," Shaw said, gesturing towards the back of his van. The doors stood open like dark wings, and you peered inside, drawn by curiosity. You saw the boxes he’d placed inside, the brown paper bags. The sight of several black helium balloons bobbing against the roof of the van caught your attention.

"Black ballons?" You asked curiously, a smile playing on your lips. He usually supplied colorful ones to Afton and Henry.

"Part of the act," Shaw replied, a hint of pride in his voice.

You smiled at him before looking inside once more, admiring the balloons when something metallic clattered to the ground from his grasp.

"Oops," he muttered, a clumsy interlude to his usual grace.

Instinctively, you bent to retrieve it, your fingers brushing the cool metal. It was a silver bracelet, engraved with arcane symbols. His bracelet, you recognized with a start. He always seemed to wear it, just like the rings on his fingers – which you hadn’t studied to see if he was married or not… of course not.

You were weighing the bracelet in your hand when something tickled your senses; a prickling warning that made the hairs on your neck stand.

In a swift motion, you turned back to him, thrusting the bracelet at him with both hands and surprising yourself when you noticed this simple gesture seemed to increase the space between you. It made him take a step back. You hadn’t felt him coming.

“Oh, I forgot,” you started, exclaiming it a little too happily to cover your fear.

Albert Shaw stood momentarily frozen, a canister in his grip, aimed at you. You could see the way his jaw twitched, as if you had caught him during something sinister. Your heart thudded against your ribs, each beat screaming for you to flee, to scream. But no. Surely, you must be mistaken. You’d play this the clever way, distract him, puzzle him. Surely you were misinterpreting things. He was just loading his van. The canister must have fallen out or something.

“Your card,” you said, scrambling your brain for words. You searched for his gaze behind the glasses, your breath steady, betraying none of the terror that surged through your veins. He was close enough that you could see the faintest quiver in his hands and smell the sharp tang of chemicals coming from the canister.

"I’m so sorry, Mr. Shaw," you said. You tilted your head, feigning innocence.

Albert Shaw's composure cracked, the corners of his lips started to tremble as he tried to maintain a small smile. The canister disappeared behind him, his arm hooked as he hid the item behind his back as casually as he could muster. But you had seen it, and you had felt the danger. The fact that he hid the item now only raised your suspicion even more. What had he wanted to do with that thing? Drug you?

"I seem to have lost your business card and I was wondering…” you bit your lip, faking shyness. You wanted to take a step back but didn’t dare to move. The air between you was thick with tension, as if one wrong move could mean the end – of what, you didn’t know. Surely you were just paranoid. Surely, the man hired to perform at kids parties wouldn’t try and hurt you.

But still… it felt off.

Putting your hands behind your back, you looked at him through your lashes as you murmured gently if he could perhaps give you another card. Yeah, that’s it. Fake ignorance. Flatter him. Flirt a little. What harm could it do?

It seemed to work as his breath hitched in his throat, his chest rising as his lips parted in a stuttered yet silent sigh. You thought you could see his nostrils flare as he tried to compose himself.

"Of course," he said, a low murmur that sounded bittersweet. He reached into his van, movements deliberate – but you still caught sight of how he placed the canister out of view, in a corner behind the door. Now you could no longer see it and attempt to read the label. You could only guess what it had been filled with.

He fumbled with his bracelet, putting it back on smoothly before he pulled out a card with his name and number on it. Then he offered it to you with a hand that trembled ever so slightly. Calloused fingertips brushed gently past yours as he pressed the card into your hands. A current of electricity snapping between you, dangerous and undeniable.

"Thanks, Mr. Shaw," you said, pocketing the card without looking, your eyes never leaving the abyss of his sunglasses. You deliberately mentioned his name, hoping it would disarm him and put any nefarious thoughts out of his head.

Well, depending on the nature of those nefarious thoughts.

He stood close to you. So close that you could feel the heat of his body, a wall of warmth as he leaned in close to point at the details on the card.

“In case you ever need me to liven up a party,” he murmured, voice dark and deep. His breath skimmed your ear as he murmured instructions on how to reach him, voice low and rough, like dragging stones across velvet. "Call anytime."

"Will do." You pocketed the lie along with the card, stepping back, distance a frail shield.

"I think more than five minutes have passed,” you said, hesitating. You tried to search his eyes through the glasses but they remained hidden from you. All you saw was Shaw’s crooked smile.

"I’m afraid it has,” he agreed, warmth bleeding through his tone, a contrast to the chill that had crawled into your bones when you’d been on your knees to retrieve his bracelet for him. A bracelet that seemed to be clasped quite securely around his forearm, you noticed. How had he lost it anyway?

"Got to head back," you said, stepping away and flashing a small smile to signal you were ending the conversation. Get out of here, your mind screamed. Don’t be silly, another voice inside your head whispered. Why would Mr. Shaw harm you? Everyone knew who he was. He was a well-known face around Freddy’s. “Break's over."

You turned to leave but then froze when you felt a hand upon the small of your back. He touched you. He actually touched you. A gentle but firm touch, and for a moment you thought you would die. That this was it. That he would drag you into his van and slam the door closed, taking you away from your job and the life you had once known.

But nothing like that happened. His touch was heavy but gentle. Not in a harmful way. Not in a way to pull you aside. It was a guiding touch, protective almost, leading you to the safety of the backdoor.

He walked with you. The sound of his footsteps on the gravel first and then on the pavement as you neared the threshold kept you distracted. Up this close, you could smell his heady scent, a mixture of cologne and sweat. You heard his breathing, low and ragged. You felt his touch searing through the fabric of your uniform.

His hand tightened against your spine, fingers pressing deep enough to claim. A silent message carved into your skin.

Your lips parted, astonished, confused.

Then he released you, as if surrendering something precious.

"Until next time.”

The words were a whispered promise, a low grumble heavy with implications and sentiment – but loud enough for you to hear.

“Bye, Mr. Shaw,” you said, hesitating. You didn’t want to give him a promise of meeting him again, although you were certain you would see him more often as he regularly performed here.

But what nonsense were you thinking?

You halted at the door, flashing him a final smile while you watched him take a step back into the sunlight and out of the shadow of the building. The paint on his face was a blinding white and you had to squint your eyes a little when you studied him.

He seemed harmless. Yet, you couldn’t shake the feeling you had when you picked up his bracelet and handed it back to him. The feeling that something really bad was going to happen.

You closed the door.

Had you averted danger? Or had your senses been wrong?

AN: Well? Have you averted danger? Let me know.

[sincerely-sofie]

Chapter 4 of Sofie Plays "Slay the Princess": The Wild (Part 1)

I can hear what sounds to be a crying woman in the background music amidst ethereal vocals and I am not happy about this.

[ Beginning ] - [ Previous Part ] - [ Next Part ]

Okay wait wait wait WAIT. I'm really latching onto that last line but hear me out as I ramble for a bit. The Princess is not human. As far as I know, she can't even die--- though that might just be my bad luck and decision making at play. She describes herself as having no beginning and no end. This game tinkers with the concepts of time being cyclical, and the Hero and the Princess's memories are both untouched by time looping, unlike the memories of the Narrator...

... Is she the reason time is looping? The Princess is without end and beginning. In other words, a circle. Is she the embodiment of a time loop?

Alternate theory is that this game is a surreal allegorical story for man's quest for immortality. The Narrator is somehow a representation of the fear of death, and the Princess's imminent threat of destroying the world isn't as pressing of a threat as the Narrator makes it seem. She's inevitable, but she's not in a rush to end things. She said in the first chapter that she likes the world--- though that might have been a lie, come to think of it. The Hero might be a representation of an individual's struggle with death, and how oftentimes when we fight against it, we only draw closer to it. Maybe the whole "this is a love story" line hints at the Hero accepting the inevitability of death, and therefore falling in love with life?

Y'all I'm just slapping things at the wall and seeing what sticks. I don't think either of these theories will prove to be true, but they sure are fun to speculate over!

Okay yeah no I'm definitely playing an allegory for accepting death aren't I. Mankind trying to fight against death and prolonging lifespans past that which would be natural seems to be the symbolic undercurrent of that line.

Narrator are you even listening? It's the wifey talking. But in a disconcertingly neutral, mystically monotone voice that concerns me.

I wasn't even asking myself that second question before now and now I have MANY CONCERNS.

OH MY WORD the narrator's memories are affected by the loop but he's aware of its existence. That's what this means, right?

... I might have disobeyed the entire premise of the game? Just a little bit?

Okay okay this implies that the Hero, if my "allegory for the inevitability of death" theory is true, doesn't represent mankind. But if he doesn't, then what is he?

YOOOOOO NEW PARTY MEMBER!!!!

I'm picturing an exchange like the following:

Hero: Do you ever want to talk about your emotions, Hunted? Hunted: ... No. Broken: I do. Hero: I know, Broken. Broken: I'm sad. Hero: I know, Broken

I mean, there are probably worse things to be... eaten alive, for one thing.

Reading this and thinking about how "this is a love story" and losing my mind and losing my mind and losing my mind and---

Asked the Princess why she was being nice to me after the whole, y'know, swallowing me whole thing, and she's a bit touchy on the subject. She just as quickly resumed the otherworldly calm front, though. Does she have multiple Princesses like I have multiple Voices?

Ah. Hm. Well then.

If I'm going to be assimilated into the world around me and the being I'm struggling against, I'd like to do so after acknowledging the repressed fear I carry. It is time to ponder the orb--- I mean, terror in my heart.

Hahaha thinking about Twig/Ark's early relationship and not crying whatsoever rn :))))

Got a little worried that maybe I actually was a magic all-encompassing forest and had grossly misinterpreted the situation, but hearing the Broken express reluctance to leave a situation in which he's playing pretend at everything being okay makes me feel much more confident in the decision! Nice.

... Are we the same being, but divided in two? That definitely doesn't sound right, but this line makes me wonder...

OKAY ONCE AGAIN I KNOW THIS IS A SERIOUS SCENE BUT I'M JUST SITTING HERE THINKING ABOUT THAT DOG IN MONSTER HOUSE

Broken sweetie you read uncomfortably literally as someone who's been through a very bad relationship and I think you need therapy even more than the Hunted does.

I'm really tempted to see what would happen if I actually fulfilled the premise of the title... but I'm really curious about where that first dialogue option will lead.

We cut her free.

The Narrator threatening us for letting the Princess go is something very interesting and I don't know what else to say other than I'm worried.

Hey chat why are the borders of the screen turning red?

Hey chat why is everything going dark?

HEY CHAT WHAT'S WITH ALL THE ARMS THAT SWALLOWED THE PRINCESS UP AND DISAPPEARED INTO THIN AIR, LEAVING NOTHING BUT A MIRROR BEHIND?

I barely got a screenshot of the last frame of whatever that was and nearly threw my mouse across my room in the attempt.

I am once again coping with humor:

Hero: I'm sorry I'm such a handful. Princess: I have two hands. Hero: I--- look. If you want to play semantics, fine. I'm sorry for being a hundred handfuls. Princess: Hero: Princess (while sprouting several hundred arms): Try me.

(Ran out of image uploads. See you in the next post!)

[lysreadsbookssometimes]

I watched the finale of young royals and here are some of my rambles, collected while watching. Enjoy.

Spoilers!!!

So i didn't make it a minute, i paused at 00:59 because i could already feel the tears coming up. What the hell.

I honestly didn't expect the reactions to the closing to be that way. A lot of screaming and blaming? Sure. But August breaking down? Very in character, but unexpected.

I was especially surprised by Vincent going for a hug to calm him down. Really surprised me.

Felice is probably my favorite person in this show ngl

And they see each other from across the room, through the partying people, and we have come full circle back to the first episode. Honestly poetic. I love it.

August got redeemed. And although i am still rationally thinking about the consequences, emotionally it works. My emotional side thinks he's earned it. Somehow.

Felice and Sara making up is healing my soul

Nils finally coming out to his friends. No comments, just that.

They are wrapping everything up so beautifully in the first 30 mins. All the smaller things. The rush from the "last" everything, everybody finally getting their shit in order, all of it. Beautiful.

I am also insanely worried about what is going to happen now. I am writing this at timestamp 26:25 and the 30:53 of emotional damage on the other side of the progress bar is still staring at me. We'll see.

And the interaction between August and Sara just killed me. And its not even over. I had to pause so i could handle Augusts puppy eyes after the rejection. Judging from the big sip of cider i just took i was subconsiously rooting for them. I think i just want them to be happy. All of them. Even Sara and August.

Okay homebro is panicking so bad he PROPOSED, he is down BAD

Also the line "You love who you are when you are with me" was killer, oh my god

The last kiss. The wiping away the tears. "It will pass." Wound, Salt, and then they twist the knife.

But it is a fitting ending. It works. It fits their characters, their journeys. They wouldn't have worked out in the long run and they get their ending. Both heartbroken, but on their way to healing.

I love and hate the idea of "one last night together". It implies and ending i am still dreading. But they deserve to forget everything for a night.

I honestly didn't realize it was still sun out and it caught me off guard so bad (or is that a sunrise? I am so confused)

I don't have the scene on hand but i am pretty sure they framed the scene in the bed at the end of s3e5 the same way as them lying on the blanket (?) here. Super interesting visual storytelling.

(Small detail here, i recently had a crash course on tv journalism and a big part of that was scenes and pictures, thats why i pay so much attention to the visual language here)

The entire lake scene is beautifully shot. The way they have mirroring motions (like brushing hair out of Willes face) in different perspectives, the way the water is shot, the entire calmness of all of it. And then they have these emotional conversations under it that build up these emotions, with these big pauses in speech, drawing out this bit of retrieve from everything.

The way they show Simon swimming away, the distance between them, when they speak about exactly that.

And how they go from Wille sitting at the lake, watching Simon swim, being physically not in the same thing as him (the lake), Simon swimming away, and then the cut over to him alone in his bed.

Beautiful, artistic storytelling.

Also fucking heartbreaking, i am nearly crying already and there are 23 minutes and 54 seconds left to completely destroy me.

I am clutching to the hope that twenty minutes are left to figure everything out and that that would be too long for this to be the end. Twenty minutes, 30% of the finale, cannot and will not be the epilogue, i dont think thats likely and i also refuse to believe that.

Okay, Stella and Frederika are finally together, at least some of my sanity is clutching on. I literally yelled "fuck yeah" and punched the air.

Henry and Valter (i hope i spelled that right) together in the fields also makes me happy. I know they were shipped a lot and although I am not a religious shipper of them, i am rooting for them. Go them.

Wille taking down the pictures could also be taking the happiness out of my heart. Whats wrong with the showrunners for making us do this rollercoaster?!?!

Also him taking off Erik and him before Simon and him. Beautiful.

OH MY GOD THE BIRTHDAY GIFT

I am not prepared. Not at all. Oh my god.

Is that like a farewell? Or a "stay with me"?

Not ready. Will press play though and hug my pillow expectantly.

I made it like three seconds. WILLES SONG?!?!?!!?!?

Wille walking through Hillerska. Seeing all those spots. All those memories.

EVERYONE TAKING DOWN PICTURES. THE GOODBYES.

THE SONG. THE SONG.

Don't let them make you hide yourself.

The callback to the football field.

"WE WERE NEVER WHAT WAS WRONG" !!!!!

All the callbacks. "I could be free" was from the "he would give up the crown for you" scene, if i recall correctly. Simon is revisiting every moment in their story.

"'Cause we were a revolution" WHY IS THIS IN PAST TENSE? NO. NO!

It shouldn't be a revolution to love another.

That quote itself. Then showing August and Sara. Back to Wille.

What is slightly concerning to me is that they haven't shown Simon yet. His voice is singing, but they show everyone but him. (Sara was on the picture, i count that, but he is nowhere. Just a ghost of memories.)

"You were my revolution before it fell apart" I'M SORRY JUST TAKE MY HEART, BREAK IT AND STOMP ON IT. SURE, GO AHEAD, DIDN'T NEED IT ANYWAY

(sorry, this shit is getting to me)

(Although, you apparently read this far through my chaos, so honestly your fault)

(Still cool you're still here)

THE SNOW GLOBE. IN THE TRASH. BROKEN. DISCARDED.

Now, are we discarding Erik or are we discarding broken and damaged things? Like this relationship? fucking tell me i am losing it here

Wille looking at August after he officially graduated. I can't read his look. And i am so confused to the situation and emotions here. Because last time they were drunk, now they are sober and both their relationships with the Erikssons are basically over. That is an interesting dynamic.

SIMONS SONG INSTEAD OF THE CLASSIC HILLERSKA HYMN. SIMONS SONG ABOUT LOVING WILLE. THE ENTIRE REVOLUTION.

Wille standing alone. Then seeing his parents, behaving different from the other parents, but at least being there.

His mom trying. The hug.

And i am finally crying. These breaks to write down my thoughts have kept this at bay so far, but a mother trying and asking for forgiveness has finally broken me. (I should bring this up with my therapist)

Wille going after Simon. And his mother smiling at that.

The heartbeat in the background. After "I never gave up on us." Hope.

WHY ARE YOU SAYING GOODBYE

YOU STILL HAVE THIRTEEN MINUTES TO FIGURE IT OUT

And again Wille is telling Simon to enjoy a holiday. It was christmas. Now its the summer holidays.

But no "i love you"s. Just a heartbeat.

Simon leaving. Again.

And Wille is hesitating. I swear the heartbeat is speeding up. He is hesitating.

And i find myself yelling at the tv for him to finally move and go after him. Fight for him. Fight for them.

Fucking move. Get your man.

And this idiot walks physically backwards. Back to society and his parents, away from his love.

Fuck me, he called Simon the love of his life. And maybe he's young and doesn't know better. But i am not much older and am fairly sure someone would not say that if they didnt mean it. SO BETTER FUCKING GO AFTER HIM.

WHY ELSE WOULD THE HEARTBEAT BE THERE? i mean i am not a medical expert but i am pretty sure that was not one heartbeat, that sounded off. I hope it was two, two hearts and their beats, two lives entangled.

Felice and Sara are actively healing my soul. I am pretty sure i have written that sentence earlier but i refuse to check.

Also Wille being uncomfortable in the car. He should have run after Simon, than he wouldnt be, change my mind.

"You will be a fantastic king."

What if i don't want that?

Ladies, Gentlemen and friends of other assorted genders: FUCKING FINALLY

An honest, open, (somewhat) calm conversation. The one thing they have needed for three seasons. We finally have it. Finally.

The visual conflict of emotions in the queen. The motherly pride and concern for her child and the disappointment and fear of the monarch losing their heir. It's brilliant acting.

The realization on Augusts face hitting him when he sees Wilhelm leave.

The shaky camera as Wille is looking around, searching. The camera was steady in the car, a bit shaky around August, and now it is full on wobbling around. It is a panic, with the music, the emotions swelling.

And then he runs. And yells. And the camera gets steadier.

The regret in his face when he can't keep up anymore. And then the hope when he sees the car stop.

The relief in Willes voice when he tells Simon. And the pain in Simons eyes. Slowly morphing into hope.

The distance between them. When Wille was coming clean, they showed the faces, not the distance between them. Just that they were talking face to face. Now, as Wille asks, if Simon is done with him, they show this distance between them.

Simon starting to smile.

And now, paused, my brain moving faster than i can type, i was wondering why he was sitting in the backseat. They must have someone else in the car. And you can see Felice peeking through the rear window.

And the way they kiss. Passionately. Not holding back. Finally free.

All their moments. Their story. Their love. Finally, them saying i love you. To each other. In the open. Free. Declaring themselves. Together.

And Wille coming with them. Their little found family. Them whoooing in the car, like they did on that night at the football game on the motor bikes.

Them being happy.

And then that final look in the camera. Finally happy, finally free.

Cut to black.

Okay, that was absolutely brilliant.

I loved it, every second of it. It was a beautiful way of wrapping everything up, a happy ending at last. For everyone.

August becomes king. Or whatever. We dont care.

Sara and Felice make up. Are friends again. Are free together.

Felice finds herself outside of money and in people. In her friends.

Sara realizes she has people that care for her and see her as she is. She finds happiness in platonic love, not romantic.

Simon and Wille end up together, overcome their differences. Find a way.

Simon has his love and reconsiled with his sister. He can be true to himself and created his song, his music. Music that touches others, Music that others like.

And Wilhelm got out of that system that caused him so much pain. He got closure, threw away the snow globe, quit being royalty. He is free, the one thing he wanted all this time. Be happy, be himself, be free.

Sometimes family is a former crown prince, his musician boyfriend, a neurodivergent horse girl and the worlds best best friend.

[I think this is the point where i thank you for reading all this. I am going to post this without reading it a second time to keep myself surprised and not edit any reactions. But i hope the rambling made some sense. Thank you!]

[phxntomhives]

I'm resurrecting from the dead

Did you get the joke? No? Ok

Small analysis of this pic

But I'd like to remind you I am no expert on the topic, it's just my 2 cent lol

End of S4 spoilers + manga spoilers under the cut

I am quite confident this is dedicated to the midnight tea party of the anime right now. His identity has been revealed so what better way to celebrate than such a wonderful art?

The first thing I personally noted is the pose. Our dear yandere pose (I got Yuno war fleshbacks ngl) The smile, the hands, that eye. He has the full pack. We can all agree he goes a little insane when we talk about the Phantomhive... but yandere? I wouldn't say so (at least not yet, tho he may be on the correct road to become it). I guess he is dancing on the line between sanity and insanity and this is just the result of it.

Someone already said the liquid that is falling is tea. But I am also very much reminded of blood when looking at that color (and knowing his story, it also fits). Thought it may be just me. I would also like to point out how the tea is not just spilling over from the teapots, they are breaking. And Undertaker is just staring at the scene with insanity.

I am also going insane about all the hands: there is a right hand holding the sugar bowl. Then there is another right hand, holding a teacup which is also crumbling down. But that teacup is being "filled" of tea, that is dropping from above. Then there is also a left hand on the top, holding the teapot's handle (that is now detached from the main body). And there is a fourth hand, holding the dessert. So, here is my idea: the three hands that are holding the tea set represent 3 of the prefects: if I were to take a guess from here I would say that the broken teapot could be Herman Greenhill (the most broken one since he likely feels worst about the situation since he technically started everything). Then the sugar bowl could be Lawrence Bluewer: it is just being destroyed and has no power in the situation. The broken teacup is Edgar Redmond: he tried to hold it together but in the end he still lost control over the situation. Let me first go to the dessert now, I'll go to the other hand in a second.

The dessert. Listen, I am no expert in those but I know a strawberry when I see one. And I believe that is very much R!Ciel's favourite snack a strawberry cake. So listen, if we can discuss that the hand holding the teacup could be X or Y, here I am quite confident it is just R!Ciel. Not to mention that Undertaker is technically staring at him with the yandere look so it would make sense: he would be staring a Phantomhive AND an almost perfect Bizzare Doll he has created. I would go yandere too ngl. The dessert is being "watered" by the tea, which if I am correct and it does also symbolize blood, it could represent the idea/the begin of the blood transfution to keep R!Ciel alive. AND the dessert is being held by the last hand. Who were we missing of the P4 again? Violet. And who has casually the same blood type of R!Ciel? Violet. So I think this is him.

One last thing I noticed of the hands is that three of them are "in the dark" (both at the top and left one at the bottom: Lawrence, Greenhill and Redmond), while the one in the bottom right (Violet) is a little more illuminated than the others. Does this confirm/imply that Violet does already know a little more than the others? I'll let you make a decision I feel it may be just the light and I am becoming paranoid.

I absolutely LOVE how the background is the midnight flower glowing. It gives such a nice contrast in the picture. It also helps in making undertaker look even more ominous lolol. It's so bright and maybe it stands for everything pure you can think of. But Undertaker has turned his back to that light and is just enjoying the chaos. I am trying to find more stuff about the flower and its meaning let's see if I find something eheh

That is all thanks for bearing with me lol.

On a side note: did he always had that ring "tattoo" on his pinky? I am blind ✨✨

(I may check later for grammar mistaker I am tired now)

[rafeverse]

lines on you

CW: coke, rafe doing lines off reader's body, implied sex but no depictions ( </3 sorry this was before i started writing smut) hope u still enjoy ^_^

y/n and rafe sat in rafe’s truck outside of the annual midsummers event that had already started 30 minutes ago. y/n was thinking they would sprint out of the truck as soon as she heard rafe put it in park, but she was proved wrong when she saw him pull a small plastic bag out of his coat pocket.

“rafe! seriously? can’t you just do it in the bathroom? we’re already 30 minutes late.” y/n scoffed and rolled her eyes at her boyfriend as he looked around the truck, trying to find the best place to set up his fix. she crossed her arms over her chest and laid back against the seat, staring at him.

rafe hushed her as he bent down slightly, getting ready to pour some of the white powder out onto his middle console. right before he did, though, he gave one last glance to his girlfriend…

‘s tits that seemed to be staring right in his face.

he blinked a few times and lifted his head up, eyeing her up and down. the black dress she was wearing was already low enough and her arms being under her chest, pushing her tits up did nothing but make her cleavage that much more prominent.

when she noticed his staring, she couldn’t help the blush that began creeping over her cheeks.

“what?” she asked him, trying not to let a smile break her poker face.

“let me do this line off your tits, baby.” rafe smirked. his eyes traveled to her chest and then back to her eyes as he spoke.

“what?!” y/n screeched, not sure if she heard him correctly.

“come on, it’ll be fun. climb in the back.” rafe climbed out of the drivers side door, pulled the driver’s seat all the way up, and then made his way to the back.

y/n shook her head, smiling as she did the same.

when she got in, she laid down across the seats. rafe crouched down behind the driver’s seat in the floor beside her.

he looked at her and smiled, which made her giggle. this, in turn, made him laugh.

“okay, okay, enough! you ready?” rafe grabbed the small plastic bag in one hand and cupped y/n’s face in the other. when she nodded at him, he began pouring the white substance on her chest.

“oh, wait! wait! can i take pictures? please?” rafe’s jaw clenched slightly, as he was itching to get his fix, but he stopped pouring and grabbed her phone from the front seat. she grinned as she grabbed it from him. giving him the ‘okay’ to continue , y/n flipped her phone around and took pictures of the two of them.

“god, you’re so hot-“

“what are you guys do-oh”

rafe and y/n both looked as they heard the door opened by none other than y/n’s best friend, parker.

“oh, hey p.” y/n smiled at her best friend who was still standing there with the door wide open, causing rafe to grow angrier with every second. “we’ll be right out! can you take our picture before you go, though?” she handed her phone to her friend who just laughed and began taking pictures of the couple. after the look rafe gave her, parker took as many pictures as she could before handing y/n her phone and slamming the door, running back to the country club.

rafe shook his head and took a deep breath, just like y/n taught him. “she’s so fucking stupid. leaving the door wide open for everyone to see. and then why the fuck did she think she could just slam my goddamn door like that, huh? did you tell her she could do that stupid shit?” rafe grabbed her chin in his hands, picking her head up slightly and bringing his face closer to hers.

“no, baby. she didn’t even mean to slam it. now, come on. let’s go so we can finish our photoshoot and get in this party. i need a drink after dealing with you.” y/n pressed a quick kiss to his lips and he let her go, both of them returning to their previous positions.

y/n snapped one million pictures while rafe snorted the long white line off of her cleavage. when he finished, he picked up any excess with his index finger.

“open your mouth.” rafe instructed.

her eyes widened as he swiped his finger along her gums, rubbing the excess cocaine off onto them.

he helped her sit up and climbed out of the truck while she fixed her hair. once she was completely ready, he held his hand out for her to hold as she made her way down.

“come on, beautiful. you need to be on the dance floor.”

-

later that night, y/n and rafe (both a bit wine drunk and horny) giggled as they made their way into the house, not being able to keep their hands or lips off of each other for even a second.

as things began to heat up, they made their way to the bedroom. rafe walked y/n backwards towards the bed. she laid down and giggled, biting her lip as he began unbuttoning his dress shirt.

he finished undressing himself and then began helping her, kissing her up and down her body.

before he went down on her, though, he stopped.

“baby, can i please do a line off your tits again? that was fucking hot.” rafe hopped off the bed and made his way towards his nightstand, where his stash was.

y/n nodded and grabbed her phone, using the camera to check her hair and makeup while rafe was getting back on the bed. he smirked and tutted when he realized what she was doing.

“oh, you bad girl. i thought it was hot when you were taking pictures of me doing this while we had our clothes on, but you doing this while we’re naked? when you know i’m about to fuck the shit outta you and mess up that perfect makeup and hair you just checked and fixed? goddamn baby.”

rafe smiled, planting a kiss to her lips. after a minute, he pulled away, pressing his forehead against hers. “you really are my perfect girl. you were made just for me, you know that?”

he brushed a piece of hair behind her ear and smiled, noticing how his words were bringing a blush to her already pink cheeks.

she nodded, kissing him again and snapping pictures the whole time.

-

the next morning, rafe and y/n sat cuddled in bed as they looked through their pictures from the night before. he would watch as she would add the best ones to her favorites folder and then go through and edit them all to her liking. he didn’t understand why she felt the need to fix the contrast or the saturation or add a filter, but he watched anyways.

“do you like it?” she asked him once she finished one.

“mhm” he mumbled against her hair. “send me these. all of them. i need a new lockscreen.”

and so, y/n sent him all of the pictures she took and instructed him on which pictures he could (and could never) use as his lockscreen.

[myaaist]

So about Terence and Dion

tldr; these two are really, really similar to Patroclus and Achilles

So a couple weeks after the game was released I tweeted this.

Of course two months later while doing some research for a WIP teredio fic I develop a brainrot so strong about this very comparison

disclaimer: this is all purely speculation made out of 7 hours of brainrot. I am not in any way an expert in greek mythology and i cannot even afford a PS5. This is purely a fun write-up I made in hopes of my hyperfixation reaching other people who also adore this pairing. This is also VERY long and windy.

Right, firstly, I don't think it is a reach to make this comparison at all; if anything, I am more surprised by how few people have actually posted anything in the interwebs about this (I found like, one other tumblr post, but I am also not a part of the ship Discord server for this pairing so I might just be late to the party 🤷‍♀️).

FF16 is FULL of references to greek mythology and culture. Cid's last name Telamon is the name of one of the Argonauts, Charon is the name of the ferryman to the underworld who requires payment for passage to the underworld, Ambrosia is the food of the gods, and those are just the simple ones that I think most people can tell from modern pop culture references. Comparing Terence and Dion to Patroclus and Achilles, one of the most famous greek relationships between two adult men, is really not that far of a reach.

Actually, the thing that got me to tweet that teredio reminds me of patrochilles is the whole hero-and-squire relationship they got going on since the very beginning. Terence is technically Dion's second-in-command, but with that opening scene of Terence holding onto Dion's spear and then followed by the cutscene of him tending to Dion's arm in the camp which is also followed by thee kiss scene? Doesn't take a meta analysis to draw the line from one ship to another

(Also the hero with blonde hair and his lover with dark brown hair 👀 but this is more of a common trope rather than something specific to patrochilles)

And that is where I left my teredio-is-like-patrochilles thoughts for a good while. I spent the next two months RTing all the gorgeous teredio fanarts on twitter, read a few teredio fanfics, then onto other FF16 ships like a normal person.

(my personal favourite for the longest time is Cid x Clive; the longfics for this pairing are insanely good..)

Then I decided to write a oneshot for teredio about their servant-and-master relationship (at least, that's how they worded it in the game).

I wanted to find a better way to describe their relationship in my fic; still sticking to the term master and servant as it is canon in the english script, but not neccessarily implying an irreconcilable difference in social standing or power imbalance. My searches somehow led me to biblical fanfiction, in which I find some very interesting takes on David and Jonathan, which then leads me to a wikipedia page about David and Jonathan --

and then back to where I began, Patroclus and Achilles.

except when I first made that comparison, it was just a tweet off the top of my head. I read Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller in 2016, and I do not remember everything that happens in that book. All I remember is roughly the overall feel of the relationship and that these two greek characters died tragically and that their ashes are buried together.

So imagine my surprise when I see this image on the wikipedia page for Patroclus and Achilles.

The caption says: Achilles bandaging the arm of Patroclus.

I do not have 4k screencaps the exact scene so have this image i copied off GamesRadar off a lousy google search

Great, so they both share an arm-bandaging scene. Doesn't make them any more similar, you'd say. Also, didn't I just draw similarities from Achilles to Dion and Patroclus to Terence in the beginning? This one is completely swapped!

Well give me a moment to recover from the shock of seeing what looks very similar to a ship i like on a real-life greek pottery painting, and let's get to actually comparing details.

Quick note, I will be using in-game canon, the information from the newly released FF16 ultimania, descriptions from homeric traditions, and also the book Song of Achilles (SoA). You can argue that using Song of Achilles as a reference is a stretch because it is a romance book that treats patrochilles as a canon homosexual relationship, but honestly Madeline Miller took 10 years to write that book and I don't think I can compete with her amount of research in 7 hours.

What's similar:

Terence is the son of a minor noble family in Sanbreque (from the Ultimania), and Patroclus is the son of Menoetius, one of the Argonauts. They are both from 'lesser' lineages in comparison to their partners, but is still technically born into nobility.

Terence and Dion grew up together after meeting each other in school at age 7 (from the Ultimania), and Patroclus and Achilles grew up together in Phthia after Patroclus was exiled. Both are childhood friends who grew into adulthood together.

Terence is instated as Dion's squire at age 12 (from the Ultimania), and Patroclus is given to Achilles by Achilles' father Peleus as his henchman (from the Illiad, though translations differ) or his trusted brother-in-arms (from SoA). Both are bound by duty to their partners from a young age.

Terence is Dion's second-in-command during the events of the game, and Patroclus is Achilles' right-hand-man during the events of the Trojan War (from the Illiad and SoA). Both are confidants to their partners during war times.

Dion is the dominant of Bahamut and the prince of Sanbreque, Achilles is the son of the Nereid Thetis and a mortal king Peleus. Both are born into nobility and are famous for their inhuman battle prowess.

Dion's main weapon of choice is a lance, and Achilles was given the legendary Pelian Spear by Chiron the Centaur before he participated in the Trojan War (from the Illiad). Both notably use spears/lances/pokey sticks.

I think those are the main similarities that I can in good faith say are pretty obvious. Next are the things that I personally think might be slightly delusional depending on the angle you approach the premise from.

What can be a bit of a reach:

The arm bandaging scenes. Assuming it is to relief the pain from the Crystal's Curse, Dion is not the only dominant to start petrifying from his arm. Cid also has similar marks on his arms and Clive's hand eventually petrifies. However, it is also the first scene where we explicitly see the extent of Dion and Terence's relationship.

There is no mention about Terence's relationship with his family, while Patroclus is notably exiled from his father's lands -- that's how he gets to Phthia and meets Achilles. Instead, we know that Dion's family did not love him (from the Ultimania)

Dion is the son born of a courtesan, and his father had her killed after buying him from her (from the Ultimania). Achilles is born of Peleus basically binding and coercing Thetis after she is gifted to Peleus by Zeus and Poseidon. Both tales frame the image of both men's fathers being not exactly good people, and their marriages and the births of their sons would be important to mark the start of upcoming events (the Judgement of Paris took place at the wedding of Thetis and Peleus, Dion's birth and awakening backs Sylvestre's claim to the throne). I call this sort of a reach because this doesn't exactly play into the relationships' dynamics per se, just a reminder that their fathers are horrible people 🤷‍♀️

There is an element of fate in Achilles' death, where the god Apollo is said to have guided the arrow Paris shot to Achilles' heel. The dominants in the game have on multiple occasions been mentioned to be slaves to their own fates, and the main theme of the game has much to do with defying fate decided by gods, even if it means die trying. Dion 'dies' defying the fate Ultima has decided for humanity, so I guess there is a similarity?

This is the biggest reach of all lol. So remember that I mentioned Telamon, Cid's last name, is also the name of one of the Argonauts? Telamon is also the older brother of Peleus, Achilles' father. Now, I do not think that this is the only explanation as to why the writers chose the name Telamon out of all the other greek names. The writers managed to shove in 3 different thunder gods into Cid's character, and I refuse to believe that they chose the name just because Telamon is somewhat related to Achilles. Telamon is also the father to Ajax the Great who is a notable hero, but Ajax is like, second to Achilles in fame and I don't really see a FF16 character that can be somewhat related to Ajax..

Okay, so what does this all mean?

Honestly I don't know lol

Terence x Dion, unlike many other ships I've liked, is an actually canon ship at some point in the game's story. Even without the comparison, the ship still stands as confirmed to be canon. Drawing lines from two greek mythology characters to them does not make the ship any more canon than it already is.

But the game's story also doesn't shed much light on the ship itself, not in the base game at least. Fair enough, it is Clive's story and not Dion's story, so Terence, who doesn't play a part in Clive's story, doesn't get to be in the spotlight for long. Dion's conflict with his own father is also given more weight to Dion's character development. We're given so little information about Terence that when the Ultimania came out I was just happy I get more crumbs of lore to work with.

I don't think the devs took direct inspiration from the tale of Achilles and Patroclus either. We've learned that FF16 is just a melting pot of all the storytelling and worldbuilding elements we loved from FFXIV, FF12, GoT, greek mythology, classic FF and media tropes, and so much more. The most I can think of is that the writers wanted to write a canon gay love story that people will love, and in doing so they picked out the romance tropes and stories that have been widely accepted and loved for a long time. Childhood friends to lovers, unrequited first loves that eventually became mutual in the threat of separation, the second-in-command who is loyal in both duty and matters of the heart.

If the tale of Achilles and Patroclus happens to fall under that category, needless to say I am very happy with the writers' decision. If not, well consider this just a very very long headcanon post

If you've never read anything related to patrochilles and is interested, I highly recommend reading the Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller! Prepare about half the amount of tissue you've used for FF16 and you're all set for a heartbreaking love story 🥰

Also I hope these two don't die as tragically as Achilles and Patroclus.

[dbgmode]

a close read of the lyrics/video of "Cheerleader" by Porter Robinson

... the irony of immediately, spontaneously spending several hours doing is extremely not lost on me (and crossposting only deepens)....

(a self-xpost from /r/porterrobinson: from cohost! Deluxe edition! ( peppered with a few additional links for the chosting tumbling crowd)

The song/music video in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzJbz9qSsd0

Based mostly on lyrics

[before I then close-watched the video]

Placed in the context of what we have seen so far in other promotional media,

after a couple listens, it seems to me that this is also, in essence, a work commenting on parasocial relationships and fame in the [early] social internet age:

the potential unhealthy character of idealization of someone you don't know,

the ways in which that idealization drags the sense of self and esteem out of an internal locus for the "object of affection".

I'd go so far as to say "the objectification of affection"

and somewhat in particular the ways both parties in this relationship experience some of both aspects of this.

To that last end, there is some tension in my understanding of who the speaker is and who the cheerleader / "she" is . The most surface level read is to assign those to: speaker = (more or less) Porter, the cheerleader(s) = us, the fans; or like "fame" itself

{The cheerleader archetype also steps specifically onto both American high school "teen movie" archetypes, and (given the use of mask etc.) probably the interpolation of that in anime I am less personally familiar with. [a big reach, but I would contend there is some possibility that there is an invocation here also of like ... homestarrunner absurdist prior art: teen girl squad, trogdor?]. (cohost and tumblr exclusive addendum!: also like ... the idea of the cheerleader as specifically the victim of masked killer in a slasher-film, here (probs not for the first time) directly-inverted.)}

That holds especially for:

The per-chorus " Cheerleader / Thought she needed me, but I need her "

The bridge, which is more or less the extended version of the pre-chorus ("Somehow, I don't ... ")

And it probably can read all the way through the verses and chorus too, but I think its also admits some inversion:

"I can tell you're acting your heart out" applying in some ways more cleanly to a performer per se than a fan, though certainly in the context of like ... fan-sites, stan-accounts, etc. that line breaks down and that's part of the point

"I don't even know what she does now" feeling to me harder to read as any version of porter wondering what his fan base is like (though it does read better when taken as like "what even is fame now?") - vs an enthusiast fanatic feeling spurned by a modern "celebrity" exercising more privacy and/or "going dark"

Video "text" (scene by scene, interpretation-biased description):

Cast (in order of appearance):

frame-story fangirl (FSF) (or possibly femmeboy?) - sits alone in bedroom. implied a high school student.

we have what I'm not-not gonna call 2021 MGK Porter. Idk at this point if this is to be understood as being identically the "Porter weston Robinson" of the broader album cycle or is more constrained to this video. I also used the phrase "cringecore porter" elsewhere, and while I think that applies metatextually, not as much in text.

this is NOT nurture porter. nurture porter had long blond hair and wore loose-fitting clothes. nurture porter was into upright pianos, acoustic guitars, and wide-open spaces.

this porter is un-blonde, plays analog synths and electric guitar. he is on the floor of his bedroom or studio, and while outside is there in the window, he does not go there.

of not no consideration is whom I'd call "nurture Together porter" (also "happy fiance Porter" => the man is allowed to be a person outside of aesthetic choices, but I'm not gonna ignore it either). That man (who first appeared at Second Sky 2022) wore a lot of cardigans and cable knit sweaters, and had brown hair that he kept pretty short and neat. Who we see here is both not that guy (see all the "my chemical robinson comments" and yet is closer probably too that guy than he is to either early nurture era guy, late-worlds anime sadboi, or fuckboi [though ... ])

clothes:

His pants look kinda like his shirt in Get Your Wish, as well as somewhat like beetlejuice (... the musical?) and other ~harlequin figures.

The sweater is somewhere between the styles preferred by nurture-Together porter and late-worlds porter.

Shoes are ... kinda fancy? (cf. bare-feet in Get Your Wish).

His colors are red, white, AND BLACK. the cheerleaders for the most part are just red and white. (by contrast the porter from "scene 8" on is pointedly black and grey)

doll cheerleader. possibly specifically the sort of doll used for practicing pose drawing? or doing doll fashion?

other psudedo-human cheerleaders (whom we can probably assume include frame-story fangirl)

additional porters, introduced in scenes 5 - 8, no spoilers.

Scene 0 :

FSF sits alone in her room, doing her best to embody the cheerleader persona, but needing to remove the mask at least a bit to eat. it is unclear whether their hair under the mask is not visible or if it is also styled like the wig

[P.S. posted as reddit self-comment "I also missed the scene 0 important detail, that the candy is literally a chibi-porter-u head (gummy? gusher)"]

Scene 0.5:

hyperspace/cyberspace tunnel - "going down the wire", bubblegum pop logo

Scene 1:

Meet this porter. he jams alone in fairly-large room (synths, some guitar, room is inside but painted like sky. It is lit as fluorescent drop ceiling. Doll cheerleader vibes. You can see (cartoon) outside (invocative of some specific past work, maybe flicker, maybe easy; probs others), and you can also see [same size, eyes on him] ... bubblegum cat (FSF also has a cat).

zoom out through pixels of screen

Scene 2:

Karaoke amongst the cheerleaders. "Perfect!" and other text on screen invokes rhythm games as much as socializing karaoke. Everyone pretty much is signing. One has maracas. There isn't any food or booze.

Porter walks out of (behind) screen and seizes stage mic, at least initially the cheerleaders stop singing to fangirl instead.

Scene 3:

Someone (we can presume FSF) plays with a character creator, and creates (in miniature) dragon Porter. Next she builds a chibi doll of him. (Is this her OC/custom? or did it already get merchandised by e.g. Funko). It briefly stop-motions before exploding into

Scene 4:

Porter is very pop punk now. He has grown the dragon wings and tail. Both the makeup and the pink/silver confetti do remind me of _specifically_ "Tickets to my Downfall" MGK (and perhaps "congratulations" Post Malone?). Though with the blue of the walls (which sometimes have cliffs that are very "Language" video), also is evocative of a common color palette of nurture tour.

Scene 4.5 [intercut]:

FSF is literally playing out this scene in doll-house form, dropping the confetti on her figure. We see the city models preceding the next scene; she is taping this with a gorilla-podded point-and-shoot ; she is not in frame. Next to the porter-room is another much more "normal" doll-house, it doesn't match this room but ... it might have at some point? (it actually is the room from scene 8, but ... I didn't realize that when I wrote this, and neither can the first time viewer)

she picks up and moves figure to the city

Scene 5:

Dragon porter become Kaiju/Rampage porter. Doll cheerleader is here and hyped, and immediately gets stomped.

Scene 5.5:

Reality break. Kaiju porter has breached containment and is outside of FSF's window. She is initially ambiguously scared or excited but approaches the window

Scene 6:

Kaiju porter eats FSF (who is an even smaller less detailed doll/figure to him), this immediately makes him sick, probably dead. Intercut is cartoon chibi porteru (where? in the mouth/GI of kaiju porter? in the brain?)

Scene 7:

meet hot air balloon chibi porter. Note that there is someone in the basket. In wide, she does not appear to be a cheerleader, but also use of binoculars makes it unclear. In close up, she absolutely is.

The body of pom-pomed cheerleaders (who we did meet briefly earlier intercut in scene 4-4.5) form a landing target(?) with the pom-poms, briefly striped, but then chibi face.

Scene 7.5:

Once we have entered the mountains (of Sad Machine?), Porter of Scene 1 is running from but likely spotted by hot air balloon porter and his basket's occupant. The size scale is implied flipped now from scene 5-6. He seeks refuge in a doll-house-ish safe house

Basket radios to ground and her landing target is gone in pursuit/seige of porter

Scene 8 [bridge]:

FSF returns (un-eaten) to her bedroom and sits down on bed out of frame; zoom into new doll-house which is also interior of safe house. Mid-zoom, FSF removes their mask/wig, but we do not see them without it

Here porter sits also on bed, in largely undercoated (but for much smaller version of pink cat in frame), vaguely sky-blue (but no clouds, no cliffs) bedroom.

Arrangement of synths and guitars lightly suggests that _if_ this is understood from Porter's perspective rather than FSF's that he is maybe been sitting alone in dark-ish on bed the whole time.

Outfit is different from every earlier scene as well; fairly generic, but also (to me) kind of evocative of Virtual Self concert dress specifically

In wide shot, there is no one at window. In close up they press against it.

Scene 9 [chorus]:

cheerleader headbutts in and they precede to fuck up his bedroom, synths, one piece of art, before one of them tackles through the drywall

Scene 9.5:

One cheerleader is briefly alone in the scene 1 room, cat art becomes cartoon and jumps from frame, gives chase (to whom? the only one we saw enter this room was a cheerleader);

brief passage flanked by cheerleaders. shit gets trippier

Scene 10:

tracking shot down a sky space tunnel (scene 0.5) in which Porter of Scene 8 jams while a cheerleader (FSF?) and Scene 1 Porter both get spun around. Cat falls down center of that tunnel until camera is obscured.

Scene 11:

chibi porter (dressed like scene 8 porter but with the legs of dragon-doll-porter) is pursued by now giant doll cheerleader, while cheered on by roughly-same-scale dolls and video walls of selves. Also seemingly some holographic-projection cheerleaders who are holding a synth in way that almost suggests they might be playing it (keytar style) but its backwards so ... probably smashing.

Giant doll cheerleader catches and eats chibi porter. Whereas we saw the vore of scene 6 in silhouette, so we don't know how FSF felt about it. Here we dolly zoom on chibi porter who honestly: fuckin thrilled. (in start contrast to terrified expressions in the rest of scene 11)

Scene 11.5:

We (the camera) follow him down, but he is gone from view quickly. the gullet of doll-cheerleader is the cyberspace tunnel of scene 0.5 except that by strobe it is also explicitly the wall of FSF's bedroom. Not for nothing, but the effect is also Windows 95/98 maze screensaver at those times.

Scene 12:

Scene 8 porter crowdsurfs on the cheerleaders hands. Intercut flash jump-scare-ish (but no, cause context) face closeups including:

the pigeon from the window in scene 2

scene 8/12 porter's face

scene 8/12 porter wearing a cheerleader mask

low poly cgi cheerleader

real fast blinks on what probably is just porter's face in even closer-closeup, but might also include un-masked FSF? (I'm kinda loathe to do the frame-by-frame look that would tell me that or no)

Scene 12.5:

oops, crowd surfing porter became a chibi porter pinata, which is ripped apart by the hands of the cheerleaders, splling out hard candy and rock candy, like FSF had in scene 0.

Scene 13:

a single very quick, extreme closeup of FSF's candy bowl

So yeah... I don't want to over-explain (my over-description), but ... relative scales, who appears to control whom: you probably get it.

---

Video paratext:

The description on youtube here is extensive liner notes style credits. Contrast that to the overwhelmingly self-promotional and (few) lyrics description of last music video release ( do-re-me-fa-so-la-ti-do)

or the major credits and lyrics of most early nurture stuff.

I'll grant that this is a more involved production, probably, but also - I think taken with the late-nurture move to a live band show & what we think this album is about, it is both an artistic and a practical decision that this says

I DIDN'T MAKE THIS REMOTELY BY MYSELF

---

release context:

It's a Porter Robinson album first single. It is tone-setting intentionally. He (et al) picked "Sea of Voices" largely cause it was the furthest thing from (for example) 100% in the Bitch / the State - and indeed a big (if smaller, to me) contrast from Language, Easy, Say My Name.

Ditto "Get Your Wish" is not Sad Machine or Lionhearted. And pointedly it is less that aesthetic than even Something Comforting is (Look at the Sky ... idk)

So here, we are doing distortion, we are doing fairly simple analog synth patches, we are doing singing in largely-unprocessed voice. But hey, also, in the bridge, we are doing acoustic guitar - nurture porter isn't actually gone. [Also, while the arrangement works well, I think, there is an amped up section contrast that - in the context of the promotion so far to me - reads as "I know only one part of this is good for tiktok"]

This song is ... about the same things as Get Your Wish. It has a very different outlook on it. but its that, again.

So ... take that as you will.

🌈📣

---

metatextual P.P.S

posted as self-comment:

Not to suggest this is any more than happy/unhappy accident (or possibly emergent from user behaviors?), but YouTube does want to auto-play the most meta-textually appropriate thing next:

And the existence of that piece of ~fanon single art did at least passingly occur to me as relevant to Scene 0 / the frame-setting of this video.

[Additional context: this song, "A Sound for Lonely People" was a demo leaked following either the hacking of Porter's dropbox or the loss/theft of a laptop containing it. No finished version of the song was ever released (and its not clear that that was for lack of "done", lack of desire, or it being a mostly-for-self / private work of art)

His discouragement at this (and other?) leaks is a thing brought up both in both:

the "anachronistic video essay from 2028" about his disappearance on March 1st 2024, which he posted on February 29th. (but then instead dropped an album announcement. Whether there is any intention to go through with any back-scrub is tbd, but there has not been within the first 3 weeks. I might have over-reacted and yt-dlped 69gigs of stuff about it)

the tweet / 𝕏 post feigning(?) such discouragement yesterday

following the "early" release of the song to streaming services in only japan (and not other countries in the same time-zone) for a few hours( or less?)

a thing that could certainly have been genuine data entry confusion, etc. but also is speculated in the context of other album promotion to have potentially been intentional

The most popular youtube uploads of this use imagery of a person or people sitting alone in bedrooms, much like Cheerleader (twice) does]

[aikoiya]

LoZ: TotK - Discussing Zelda Hate

I'mma level with ya'll. I've seen some really dumb takes regarding Zelda hate.

People be complaining & getting so vitriolic about how the house that Link bought last game is now being called "Zelda's house" by the Hateno residents in TotK & dude...

First off, Zelda herself never says that it's "her house," that's all the Hateno residents except in a journal in the English version. And even then, in the original Japanese, she says "the house." (And I'm convinced that the English writers only did that to prevent shipping.) So, why aim all that hate at Zelda? Besides, where do these jerks expect her to live with the castle in such a state of disrepair?

Second of all, Link & Zelda are living together. At least, that's what's implied.

For one, the fact that Zelda needed a secret room means that someone else was living in the house with her or, at the very least, was there frequently enough that she felt she needed her own space. Even in the English version, she comments that Link is "always at her side..." There's also the fact that when Symin sees Link again, his reaction is "you're back." As though Link lived there & had returned home. This plus the fact that Link seemingly gets to vote in Hateno's mayoral election implies that he's a resident of the town.

I also read somewhere that Nintendo was going to put a double bed in the Hateno House, but changed it when parents got all up in arms over it. (Though, this one is just a rumor.)

Even Zelda's va says they're in a relationship. Which, I know, that's just 1 va & thus doesn't confirm anything. But it does lend credence to the idea.

I get it, this is all just implications. But the thing is, Nintendo can really only imply relationships with the main character to begin with.

It's why Mareach still isn't a thing, but Ludaisy is somewhat canon, at least in the Mario Party games based off their team-up names. Because Luigi & Daisy aren't the focus characters & thus have more freedom.

The same can be said for Zelink.

What I don't understand is why people are so against the idea of Zelink being possibly canon. Like, Zelink being canon wouldn't stop you from being able to headcanon & ship something else!

And I can't help but think that Link has to stay single in the games so that manic shippers don't get butthurt. Which sucks!

And, honestly, even if they weren't together, you really think that Zelda would be the sort of person to just move into the man's house, take it over, & kick him out?? She's likely been raised on etiquette & manners & taking a man's house is very much not princess behavior. And, no, you shouldn't just hate her completely based on how she acted towards Link at the beginning of BotW's flashbacks. Things change. Very specifically, her views on Link changed. She's not a bitch to him anymore, so please, stop pretending that she's the same as she was then.

It's more likely that Link gave the house to her. Which, I still don't believe, but it's the more likely option when compared to Zelda just outright being a house theif.

Edit: I was recently told that Zelda refers to the house in Hateno as "her house," but then learned that this was only in the English version. In Japanese, she calls it "the house" & not "my house." And her very last line at the end of the game in both versions are along the lines of "Link, I'm home."

So, while not a confirmation, it certainly doesn't debunk it.

---

The big thing is, if they didn't want there to be any shippy implications then it would've been pathetically easy to just give her a different house & be done with it.

Instead, they chose to very specifically make it known that Zelda specifically lives in the exact same house that Link canonically buys in the last game & helps build up with his own rupees & resources.

Then, they specifically, make it canon that Link got Hudson & Rhondson together & helped build Terry Town, which is specifically something you cannot do unless you purchase the Hateno House!

They also specify that Link is "always by Zelda's side." That the house has 2 place settings but only 1 bed.

Then, at Terry Town, Link is able to purchase a Dreamhouse, which is specifically advertised to be for families. And the dining table specifically has 4 place settings. Which suggests some things.

And whenever someone asks if Link has someone he loves, his reaction is one of bashfulness! Or to confirm!

They knew what they were doing. They chose to make it look this way. It was intentional.

Let's face it, they're common law married, ya'll.

Link's lowkey King of Hyrule & nobody knows it, which is hilarious!

LoZ Wild Masterlist

[rowan-guerrins]

sorry for popping in your inbox. but i figured it's easier for people to ignore rather than me @ them. please if you are willing, can you explain to me/i would love to hear your thoughts and comparisons of the warrior specs of lore vs gameplay. pls and ty.

hell yeah i can!!! i LOVE to yap

GAMEPLAY:

Champions are my favorite because:

FANTASTIC passives. The bonus to armor and guard (which, unless i am fundamentally misunderstanding something, can stack with armor and guard bonuses you can get from other skill trees) from Bulwark and Adamant are real tasty. They’re great for tanking— or even if you’re not necessarily tanking (which to me implies actively making sure you’re the one most/all enemies are going after), being able to sponge up all that damage is [chef’s kiss]. PLUS you get Resilience and Unyeilding… tasty tasty. The latter keeping you from dying is great in any circumstances, and the former’s ability to stagger enemies that hit you is— well it’s great in general, but especially if you’re tanking.

Line in the Sand’s crowd control fucking rules— being able to block choke points, or even just block some enemies & leave little room to get around you is great, especially if you’re the only melee class in the group (though it’s also great if you’re not). Both upgrade options are good— And No Further’s increased range is great (you’re even BETTER at keeping enemies from getting through), and Everlasting Barricade taking away cost and cooldown PLUS increasing its duration until you choose to cancel it allows for fantastic flexibility. It’s one of the (relatively) rare instances in which i like both possible upgrades relatively equally lmaooo.

To the Death is good in proper applications— I don’t tend to favor it (especially compared to other taunt options), but applied well it fucking rules, especially with the En Garde upgrade.

Walking Fortress my BELOVED. You, quite literally, can’t touch this with Walking Fortress activated. It’s great to cut through enemies or even to buy you time to knock back a health potion! Plus, with Seige Breaker, it’s kind of a two-for-one in that you can also build up some guard!

Counterstrike is admittedly one of my least favorite focus abilities lmao. It’s fine, don’t get me wrong! Immediately getting to full guard rules, though I find that with the right build it’s not hard to get there on my own. It’s a good ability (especially in that it blocks all melee attacks when active), I just generally like it less than every other ability in the skill tree lmfaooo

Templars

What it lacks in tanking, it makes up for in The Last Sacrifice, which heals up your party members and gets them hitting harder.

The bonus to damage against demons (from both passives and active abilities, such as Blessed Blases) is great because, well, you’re typically fighting demons a lot in game!

The ability to dispel rifts as a warrior… [chef’s kiss]. Everyone say thaaaank youuuu Spell Purge.

Templar’s passives are generally good tbh! ESPECIALLY There Is No Darkness, which gives you AND your party resistance to elemental and spirit damage (which stacks great with the resistances you get from Solasan, and which also is great if you can’t be fucked to go through Solasan lmfao).

The Breath of Light upgrade to Wrath of Heaven is pretty tasty.

Rally is a great focus ability— it ups EVERYONE’s guard and stamina/mana regen as well as gives some resistance to incoming attacks. Tasty.

Reavers

It’s less “I like Reaver’s abilities less” and more “Reavers go down FAST, and playing as or with one means I have to helicopter parent them to make sure they don’t die within five seconds against powerful enemies”. Mostly, tbh, this is felt in Jaws of Hakkon and the Descent (…especially Jaws of Hakkon). I don’t mind this too much for Bull, but it’s just not my personal favorite for a Warrior Quizzie.

It should be noted that while it’s my least favorite, I DO really like it and I think it’s a great option.

Blood Frenzy is a good balance to the fact Reavers (in my experience) take damage fast. I can up them when they go down, especially because the increased damage output as they’re going down is fucking great.

Ring of Pain giving you the ability to deal spirit damage is great— and Painbringer allowing it to move with you is even better.

The passives I haven’t named are solid, and again balance the fact you can’t really tank (at least as easily) as a Reaver.

I like Devour :) both bc well it’s nice to be able to self-heal some without downing potion or healing grenade, and also bc. well. fun to bite people :)

Dragon Rage is a gamble, but a fun one!

Rampage my beloved 🫶 aren’t you tired of being nice? don’t you want to go apeshit? lmao jokes aside, i think it’s a good focus ability— you hit hard AND heal some. fantastic.

LORE/VIBES:

disclaimer: this is a lot more subjective than the gameplay stuff lmao. based more off my and/or a given Inquisitor’s personal reaction to the specializations and lore than, like, evaluating said lore.

Reavers:

…

… admittedly this is less because of any grand, sweeping, Actual Lore reason and more because i just really enjoy the idea of chugging dragon blood and making it your enemies’ problems. like the Actual Lore is cool! but mostly i’m like haha Blood Time :) especially because we don’t have blood magic in inquisition :(

I think its focus on you hitting harder the more you are hurt is really fun to think about outside of a mechanical sense (although it’s also real fun in a mechanical sense)— like, it can give some fun flavor to a Reaver Inquisitor. their rage is quite literally fueling them and i think that rules! yes i like barbarians in D&D why do you ask

I first played DAI as a warrior and Reaver sounded the coolest of them all. I read absolutely nothing on the abilities. Breaker Thram sold me with the description alone, which i think counts for something

Champion:

Lost some points for being based on Chevalier stuff and i fucking Hate Chevaliers

That said! Wins back most if not all of these points because you’re Not a Chevalier. You’re stealing their shit. and it’s always ethical to steal from a Chevalier!

I like being able to look Gaspard in his bitchass eyes and be like “I have honor and all the abilities you do and i didn’t have to be racist to get all that. you suck”

A lil’ classist which I don’t Love. very “ooooh nobility”. [blows raspberry]

That said. the codex/description… my MY that’s tasty! it being an honor AND a responsibility… the fickle nature of fame… well it’s neat in general and also i think it’s really thematic for the Inquisitor.

still doesn’t win tho bc rahhhh dragons (if i didn’t have that initial reaction to reavers at the age of like fifteen champions would be #1 over reavers)

Templar:

well simply put I don’t much care for Templars*.

Most of my Inquisitors are not very Andrastian & allied with the Mages so it just doesn’t make sense for them to then go “well forget literally everything i’ve said about mages, templars, and the chantry, i’m going to be a Templar”

Even ignoring that (because the abilities are tasty, and an Inquisitor might validly choose this specialization for that reason alone)…

Risking (is it risking if it’s a near certainty?) a lyrium addiction is just… not a price most my Inquisitors would pay. especially after seeing what it does to cullen (though you might not get to that cutscene until after you’ve already committed to the specialization).

but yeah again. just don’t like Templars. vibes are bad all around.

* some (rare) exceptions apply.

FINAL RANKING (because why not!):

Champion

Reaver

Templar (because I don’t care how good your abilities are, my pro-mage ass WILL be throwing tomatoes at templars!)

[ujimoo]

For Tonight, For The Weekend, Forever. | KSM [TEASER]

synopsis: going home for your childhood friend's wedding was the easy part, however, facing him was something else entirely.

pairings: seungmin x fem!reader, jisung x OC, chan x OC.

includes: past love, first love, angst, best friend!Jisung, weekend romance, heartbreak, second-chance romance. (maybe some I've missed)

WARNINGS (for the whole piece): mention of mature themes, suggestive - implied sex, but no actual smut. mature jokes (one death joke, sex jokes), drinking, mentions of eating and multiple restaurant 'eating scenes'. maybe more that I've missed.

word count (of teaser): 707

estimated word count of official fic: 25k (ish)

a.n. AAA this is the teaser for the longest fic I have ever written for tumblr. This original idea comes from the song Tis The Damn Season by Taylor Swift, however, as you'll be able to tell, it's changed a lot since the original idea. I have a larger more meaningful author's note for the actual fic, but to keep this short for now, I just want to say a big thank you to Galaxy from @plutominho. They've been a massive help through this fic and this wouldn't be finished or even half-written if it weren't for their help.

a.a.n. let me know if you want to be added to a tag list for when the official fic gets published!

Release Date: 25th December (hopefully)

permanent tag list: @soobin-chois @curlytxe @treetops68 @minniee-bear

FULL FIC NOW RELEASED

You weren’t sure how you ended up aimlessly wandering around at some house party. Gwen had dragged both you and Jisung there as a way to 'celebrate' the that it was the beginning of the final year, but she promptly went off somewhere leaving you and Jisung alone. That was until jisung saw something or someone and disappeared without you even knowing. 

Sure parties were fun, and you liked a good party now and then, but as you stood idly, on the front porch, hoping to catch a glimpse of either of your best friends, the party had lost its spark. 

The air was still cold and your knitted jumper did just a good enough job of shielding you from it, but even with your sweater paws, every now and then a shiver would run down your spine. You wondered if it would be a good time to walk home. Sure you knew, that it was dark and it was a dumb and dangerous idea to walk by yourself, especially without informing your two best friends, but even after an hour at least, you still hadn't found them. 

It was boring, you were bored. You just wanted to go home and find something to watch and prayed that you kept yourself warm enough so you didn't catch a cold. 

"You alright?" You jump at the sudden voice next to you and turn around to see Seungmin with a concerned look on his face. 

You knew Seungmin– well knew him a bit, you had had classes together all throughout high school, but something in you changed within the last year that made you look at him differently. You weren't sure what it was exactly, but something about him made your heart flutter. 

"I'm okay," you smile. "I lost my friends, I thinking of heading home." You laugh at your words. 

"On your own?" He asks and you nod in response. "But it's dangerous, what if something happens?" 

"Eh," you push your lips into a thin line. "What's the worst that could happen?" 

"A lot of things?" He responds to your rhetorical question.

Turning your body to face him, you smile. "I'll be fine, plus if you're worried so much you could always walk me back?" 

Seungmin blinks and the sides of his mouth lift into a smile, one that makes your own even wider. You shocked yourself at your own confidence, but what surprised you more was the fact he agreed. 

"Okay," he hums. "I'll walk with you." 

"You sure?" You ask, pointing casually at the front door. "Not worried about leaving the party so soon?" 

He shakes his head and motions for you to lead the way. "Nah, the party doesn't seem to compare now." 

The walk back with him was an experience like no other and Seungmin is almost charming, showering you with compliments. Saying how the walk back with you is more fun than he's had in the past hour and a half he had been back at the party. 

So when you slow down and stop outside of your house, it's sad. You didn't want to part ways with him just yet, this was the most you had spoken to him in one go, and you didn't want it to end so early. 

Turning to him once again, you smile. "Thank you for walking back with me." 

"Thank you for your company," he smiles. 

Looking up at him, your smile doesn't leave your face and his own seemed to mimic yours. 

You couldn't tell how long you had both been standing there, looking at each other, but just like the walk, you didn't want it to end. He steps forward, leaning his face closer ever so slightly and whispers. "Can I say goodnight?" 

Butterflies erupt in your chest as you question, "In what way?." 

“A special way, with your consent of course,” he responds.

He doesn’t wait for you to finish nodding.

Your first kiss with Seungmin is short and sweet and you can taste a hint of cola on his lips. 

It didn’t matter that you had nothing to compare it to, but something in your heart knew that you'd never want to kiss anyone else if it wasn't Seungmin's lips on yours.

[elliewithcellie]

Niceties

summary: After a monster attack, your friend Steve wants to make sure you're ok (Steve x reader)

wc: 1.8k

warnings/tags: TV accurate bloody Steve, mostly fluff, nightmares, one bed trope, implied that reader may be a girl, friends or more is a bit unclear, hurt/comfort for my boy

*******

You and Steve drove back in his car. No words were shared for the entirety of the trip. You were tired. That was the truth. But you were much more fit to drive than Steve, his eye bruised shut. Blood still caked his face, and arms, and legs. You winced merely at the sight. You weren’t much better, but at least you could see.

You pulled into his driveway and parked the car. Steve didn’t move, as if dazed by the day’s events. You cleared your throat, hoping to throw him. He shook his head and looked at you.

“We’re here,” you feigned a tone of optimism.

The two of you exited the car. You proceeded to throw the car keys at Steve and hesitated, insisting that you knew better. You walked over to Steve and placed the keys in his hands.

“I’m glad you made it, Steve.” You patted his shoulder and walked back up the driveway. A few seconds later, you had made it to the mailbox when you hear Steve call out.

“Hey, wait, wait!”

You turned around.

“Where are you going?” He started to jog after you, his body tensed, and his eyebrows knit together.

“Home,” you replied. The night sky was already littered with light, and the moon sent fragments of rays just past the treescape. The wind felt good in the late summer heat, but you had a long walk ahead of you.

“Well, let me take you.”

“No, no. I don’t want you driving with your eye like that.”

Steve stayed silent. His eyebrows were still pinched, as though he were solving a puzzle. “Well, well, well,” he stuttered. “You shouldn’t be walking home this late.” He paused again. “If you want you could stay here.”

Your cheeks flushed red. This would be a big step even for you two. Of course, the last two years the two of you had gotten close. You trauma bonded with him just like the rest of the group. Hang outs and sleepovers with mixed company weren’t uncommon; you had never come close to crossing the arbitrary line. But you were tired. You were so tired.

“That sounds nice,” you said.

Steve’s eye brightened. “Good, good. Let’s get cleaned up, what do you think?”

You nodded and the two of you walked inside.

You had been inside Steve’s house countless times, but never had you experienced it so silent and stale. With his parents never home, it used to be a dream scenario: parties, get-togethers, rated R movie nights. But the truth amplified through the echoes off the walls. The door hinges that creaked, the shoes that scuffed at the wooden floors, the hands scraping against the railing up the stairs. Not one word said, but you tensed up all the same. This was Steve’s reality, day in and day out. His parents weren’t home to know he was in trouble. They didn’t call to check in. It was Steve to fend for himself. And you somehow related to him even more.

The two of you found yourselves in a large bathroom. Steve opened a cabinet and pulled out a folded towel.

“There’s shampoo and conditioner in there for you, and I’ll leave some clothes by the door for you.”

“Oh, you don’t have to.”

“What, and just let you get all grimy again? Disgusting.” You both chuckled.

“Thank you,” you said.

“Of course.” Steve smiled. “If you need anything, I’m three doors down. Just knock.” He smiled at you before leaving you in the bathroom alone.

The scorching heat of the water all but numbed your body from the residual pain you felt earlier. Glimpses of terror jarred your memory. Brown and red water circled the drain, a continued reminder of the horrors you experienced. Your body flinched, beginning to believe the lie that evil lurked across the shower curtain. Your heart jumped into your throat, blocking your airways. You tore the curtain open. It revealed the vanity and nothing else. Your lungs expanded, and you began to breathe deeply again. The splashing suds that soaked your body settled you back into reality, and soon the water ran clear.

You stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around your body. You peaked out of the bathroom door. At your feet sat a T-shirt, sweatpants and long white socks. You smiled to yourself. You towel dried your hair, and once you got dressed, you walked to the third door down. You knocked.

“Just a minute,” you heard. You fiddled with the dead skin on your fingers, as if your hands were suddenly more interesting than what’s on the other side of that door.

Then the door opened. Steve met you with equally damp hair, a matching T-shirt, and boxers. The swelling of his eye seemed to level out, and with the blood cleaned off his face, you could really see the blues and greens developing under his skin. Still, he smiled.

“How do you feel?” you asked.

“Don’t worry about me. Are you hungry? I’m thirsty. Let’s get some water.”

He took your hand by the wrist and led you back downstairs. He didn’t give you time to think, but you weren’t sure that you wanted him to. You sat at the counter while he poured the drinks. He sat beside you and drank his water down while you watched.

“Why are you doing this?” you asked.

“Doing what?” he breathed out.

“I—I don’t know. I guess, being so nice to me?”

“Aren’t we friends? Shouldn’t a friend be nice to you?”

“No, yeah, of course.” You paused. You felt tears well up, but you pushed them down. You weren’t sure where the emotions were coming from, so now was not the time to make a scene. “Yeah, you’re right. I just, how about you?”

“What about me?”

“What can I do for you? To be nice to you, I guess.”

“Honestly,” Steve said, “I’m just glad you’re here. Everyone in the group has kinda got someone to turn to, and I don’t know about you, but it’s rough returning from all that alone.”

His honesty surprised you. “I wish you would have told me. I’d’ a been here in a heartbeat.” You placed your hand on his knee and looked in his eyes. His brown eyes looked warm and inviting, chocolates and caramels cascading in his irises. You wanted to inch closer, already benefitting from the heat radiating off him. Realizing your mistake, you adjusted yourself in your seat and removed you hand, reaching for your water instead.

“I just always assumed you had someone, King Steve,” you mocked.

Steve rolled his eyes. “Oh, god, please. As if you weren’t the most popular transfer in the school.”

“Shut up. I was not.”

“You’re telling me you didn’t notice every guy staring at you senior year? You were a hot commodity if I remember correctly.”

“Right. You mean every guy who viewed me as a number to add to their list. Meanwhile you could have any and every girl you wanted!”

“Not every girl,” Steve said.

You hesitated. “Sorry, you’re right. That was insensitive of me.” You lowered your voice. “You don’t still have feelings for Nance, do you? I didn’t mean to—”

“Oh, what? No, no. You’re good. That’s not what I—”

“I guess, I’m just saying that we’re not the same. You were an idol in high school. I was an object. And I get it, we’re older now. It shouldn’t matter, but…”

“No, no. I hear you,” Steve said. You looked back up at him, a soft smile forming on his lips, his arm outstretched across the counter, as if to reach out for you. “I guess we both should start from scratch with each other, huh.”

“We just never get this time, you know, to really get to know each other,” you agreed, leaning into his arm. “I don’t hate this,” you joked.

“Me neither,” he hummed.

The silence hung like a weight under your eyes, a yawn reminding you of the aches in your bones.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” you began.

“Way ahead of ya,” Steve said.

The two of you returned upstairs where Steve brought you to his guest bedroom.

“Should have everything you need in here. I’ll be right next door just in case.”

“Thank you. Goodnight,” you said.

“Goodnight.” He smiled and shut the door.

You adjusted the pillows to your comfort and fell asleep within minutes. But you did not rest. Your day played out in the form of a nightmare, corralling the kids and running for your lives. You tried to save Steve, but you couldn’t grab him in time. You screamed, but something was suffocating you. You couldn’t breathe. You begged yourself to wake up, shaking, crying, and—

“Y/N!”

You woke up to Steve above you shaking your shoulders. Your forehead was sweating, and your hair stuck dampened against the back of your neck. Your breathing already relaxed, matching the rhythm of Steve’s.

“You died. I thought I lost you. I thought—” Steve pulled you into a hug. You cried into his shoulder, the wall you built up finally breaking.

“I’m here. You’re ok. I’ve got you.”

He sat there holding you and stroking your hair. You sniffled. “Today was scary, Steve.”

“I know,” he whispered. You looked back up at him. Your eyes were puffy and wet, streaks staining your cheeks. Steve wiped away your tears.

“I’m sorry,” you said, realization washing over you. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Don’t apologize. I’m just glad you’re ok.”

Steve stood up from the bed and headed for the door. He paced in and out of the door frame, something on his mind.

“What is it?” you asked.

He froze, his body tense. “Oh, it’s nothing. I’ll go.”

“What is it?” you asked again.

Steve sighed. “Well, you know we talked about friends doing nice things?”

“Uh-huh,”

“I guess what I’m saying is I couldn’t sleep. I was up all night with thoughts in my head and then I heard you scream, and I thought something happened and so, uh…” he trailed off.

You didn’t interrupt. You didn’t guess what his next words were. You just looked at him from your bed.

Steve took a deep breath. “Would you mind sleeping with me? In my bed with me there, I mean. I just want to know you’re alive and breathing.”

Relief washed over your body. You didn’t want him to go. You wanted him to hug you forever, physical evidence that you both made it out. You forced out a giggle and nodded. “yeah, ok,” was all you said.

You followed him into his room and again into his bed. Steve held out his arms for you, and you gladly accepted them. You nestled your way into his chest, curling up under his chin. His arms found your back and feathered patterns along your spine. With your heartbeats harmonizing and your breaths deepening, the two of you found solace within your minds. The comfort of the other allowed you to drift to sleep.

The two of you didn’t have the capacity to comprehend the breeching of lines or the catching of feelings. What you needed now was instinctual, innate, deep within the human psyche; you needed security. And you and Steve provided that for each other. Tomorrow, there’d be time for self-conscious embarrassment. Tomorrow allowed for awkwardness and introspection. Tonight was devoted to safety.

************

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