#very close to finish and compiling it though

[gomzdrawfr]

I'm curious

[koushirouizumi]

{Aut in J.P.} - "With the Light" {2000~2001} (Series originally ran until Jun. 2k10)

{My Notes + Commentary below}

[moonlight-prose]

mr. perfectly fine

a/n: i've had this in my drafts since i saw the trailer of we live in time. and honestly it was basically done, so i don't know why i didn't just drop it. so this is me digging it back up and putting some finishing touches on this quick drabble of angst. it's small, but writing it really made me want to re-watch the movies. so we'll see if anything comes from that. for now though, enjoy!

summary: there's a lot you would change in your relationship with peter. how late he'd show up to dates, the massive amount of missed calls and texts, and his forgetfulness. only there's a defining factor that might shift the entire trajectory of your lives together. peter parker was spider-man...and you didn't know.

word count: 2.3k+

pairing: peter parker x reader

warnings: not explicit, angsty as fuck though, peter gets dumped (sorta) but it doesn't last long, lots of tears, secrets exposed, fluff, forgiveness.

New York always seemed to reflect your emotions with ease. Like a mirror you couldn't break, or even avoid. Maybe it happened because you were looking for it without realizing; searching for answers to the never-ending questions that nagged at you. Different ways to work out the equations that held no solutions. A new way of figuring it out.

Yet no matter how many trials you ran, how many times you inputted the numbers, you seemed to always find yourself staring at the one thing that made sense. ERROR.

You counted the times he stood you up, tracked the calls he missed and the texts he only read but never answered. You compiled them like research, as if you were stuck in your lab and he was the experiment. He became the hypothesis you had to back up with well crafted proof. Only science never helped in situations of love. And you found that counting the days, watching the minutes and seconds go by, only made things worse.

The dinner went cold an hour ago, the candles snuffed, and the soft love songs were traded out for something sadder. Like other nights, you half expected you'd see him in the early hours of dawn. The glow of sunrise illuminating him like your very own hero, your favorite person to exist.

Every other time you chose to forget, to move on with your time together and find something happy to focus on. But tonight's calendar had been marked. A red heart written around your initials.

One that he wrote.

Six months passed in the blink of an eye.

Where you used to be awkward—barely able to speak to each other—now you found comfort in the silence. But when the quiet gave way to loneliness, you felt yourself begin to slowly chip away. You always thought he'd be here to put you back together, to save you in moments of brief darkness that left you wandering this shared path alone.

Yet when the clock finally struck midnight, and you were three glasses of wine in, you felt the final thread of hope snap.

You sighed, the burn of tears spilling over as you swallowed the last of your drink. "Happy Anniversary Peter," you muttered, getting up from the table.

The rain outside pounded against the asphalt. Wet streets glimmered with street lights and smelled of discarded cigarette butts. You wrapped the buckle around your waist tight enough to close up what parts of the coat gaped on your body. The dark charcoal wool fabric didn't belong to you. It lingered with Peter's scent, but you couldn't find yours as you rushed out the door.

You didn't want to stay in that apartment longer than necessary.

Perhaps you should have left some message behind—let him know that eventually you'd be back for your things. Somewhere in the back of your mind you understood what tonight was. A defining moment in your relationship. A chance for him to finally pull his act together and be with you.

Yet like everything else...you'd be simply another thing he'd have to let go of.

He wouldn't have a choice.

The salt of your tears mixed with the drops of rain that streamed down your face. You welcomed it as you walked. There wasn't a defining spot you were going—no grand plan once this came to pass. But somehow you wound up in a park, staring at a bench, and picturing a past version of yourself. Nose buried in a science book and lunch propped on your knees. You could see how Peter rushed by, how he nearly broke his neck turning to look at you.

You watched the moment happen all over again right before you. And for the first time in two months, you wanted to stop him.

The door opened with the usual creak. He winced at the noise with the memory of saying he'd fix it eventually. The DW-40 sat under the sink where he picked it up, never getting around to actually completing the job. Simply another let down that he'd never live down.

You said it was alright; claimed that the squeak gave the front door character. And that might have been true.

It still didn't stop Peter from beating himself up over it.

"Babe! I grabbed some food on the way home. Got your favorite." He stuffed his mask in his backpack, discarding it in the hallway as he went. The suit still clung to his already soaked body, but he hoped you wouldn't pick up on the peek of red beneath his clothes.

The plan to tell you was coming together nicely. A romantic dinner on the top of the Empire State after hours surely would give you a chance to think things over. He just had to work out the logistics of setting up everything with the security guard he befriended.

"Also I remembered to ask May about dinner in two weeks-"

He froze at the sight of the dark living room, of the table decorated with candles and plates filled with food. Very little scared the ever living shit out of him now. A familiar territory of adrenaline he’d come to welcome. But the sight of the calendar placed on his chair—the red heart blaring like a signal in the night sky—had his heart dropping to his stomach.

"No..." The food was forgotten about, dropped on the counter as he picked up the offending piece of paper. The clear mark around the date drawn by him two weeks earlier. A reminder to let him know that of all days...he couldn't forget this one.

He couldn't let you down again.

The clock in the corner read ten thirty and his heart lurched at the sudden realization that you finally did it. You gave up on his antics. All the moments he couldn't fix himself. You chose yourself over the madness of loving him. He wasn't sure which was wore. You not being here to give him a chance of groveling on his knees, or the silence in the apartment at knowing that your laughter and love would never fill it again.

He didn't have time to rationalize his decisions. Barely even noticed that he was walking out the door—the loud bang echoing in the hallway—as he went. Somewhere in the city you were mourning a relationship he was determined to fix. Yet he couldn't figure out where the hell to start looking.

This wasn't the first fight you'd had. The first time you left the apartment he found you in a hole in the wall cafe. A place he'd never even heard of before. And after three cups of coffee, a long night of talking, you both agreed to work on the communication. To heal what small wound had been opened.

Only this time was different.

This time the wound festered, grew to the point of being fatal.

This time he wasn't sure he could heal what he already broke.

His web clung to the building as he swung, landing five feet away from the already darkened cafe. Much to his own detriment you didn't bother to try getting out of the rain.

A crackle of lightning echoed in the night sky, thunder rolling in a few seconds later. It covered the sound of him nearly collapsing to the ground as a car swerved by—the horn blaring in his ears. The calendar was tucked in his jacket pocket, the ink bleeding through the soggy paper. But he refused to let it go. He couldn't. That was his final piece of you—the last moniker of a relationship that was worth it.

He only hoped you felt the same.

"Where are you baby?" he muttered under his breath.

After checking your favorite diner, bar, and bookshop. He was starting to run out of options. Almost as if you simply up and vanished from the city entirely.

You didn't want to be found. Yet Peter knew he wouldn't be able to live without you. How could he? When the chance of getting a peek at your smile was worth waking up early in the morning to see you off for work. Little moments of joy kept him going. And nearly all of his were spent with you. Each laugh, kiss, and look, were his to keep.

His to protect.

And he'd fucked all of that up.

Time passed quicker than he would have liked. The rain beat down on his body and he could no longer discern between his tears and the water. Still he searched. He checked every nook and cranny of spots you shared together.

Until the park came into his view atop a random apartment building. His heart leapt in his chest, body thrumming with nervous energy, as he swung down to the mushy grass that squelched beneath his sneakers. The cold shouldn't have made his hands tremble. Although perhaps the weather had nothing to do with what made his stomach twist, body overwhelmed with a fear he might never understand.

He knew why he shook like a leaf. He could feel the nerves beat alongside his heart, echoing his earlier sentiment throughout his entire body.

Letting you down this time wasn't a chance he was willing to take.

"Baby!" he called, running past low lit sidewalks and darkened tree lines. He ran until he felt the cold sting of rain on his face—until his clothes dripped water and the soles of his shoes were puddles.

Only to pause at the sight of a hunched over figure on a bench, their hands gripping the edge of the wood, and shoulders shaking with each stunted breath. Peter's heart tore into pieces. Fluttering to the ground as he stepped closer. Simply a flimsy piece of that ruined calendar. He could hear your sobs, smell the salt of your tears, and that broke him beyond repair.

He did this.

He took the most important person in his life and ripped them a part.

"I'm sorry," he said over the rain, catching the way you jumped—your eyes wide and lips swollen from where you bit down on them.

"Peter-"

Before you could get out the words to dismiss him. He dropped to his knees in front of you, his hands pressing into either side of the bench. Caging you in. This wasn't a chance for him to grovel, to give excuse after excuse. He’d passed that point months before. This was him finally letting you into the final piece of his life—the truth he wanted to shout from the rooftops if it meant getting a chance to see you smile again.

Fuck he'd give anything to see you smile.

"There's no good excuse okay? I don't have one. I'm just sorry." You sighed, moving to unlatch his grip. Only to find you couldn't get him to budge. "I don't want to keep hurting you. So if after this, you wanna go then you can go. I won't stop you, or call you, or even ask you back."

"Don't-"

He shifted closer, surprising you as his speed. "Just know I love you. I'll love you forever baby."

"Peter what are you doing?"

With a sharp gulp of air, he stripped off his jacket and t-shirt. They fell to the ground with a went plop as silence wrapped around the both of you. For a moment, he wondered if you'd take him seriously. Maybe you'd laugh. Maybe you'd leave him faster than before. But you simply stared at him—mouth parted and eyes wide as you took in the spider emblem sewn in his chest.

He coughed, shoving his wet hair out of his face. "This isn't how I wanted to tell you. The dinner with May was actually gonna be me telling you on top of the Empire State Building-"

"That's why you always forget the milk," you murmured, glancing to the side—a dazed expression now donning your face.

"What?"

"Every time I ask you to pick something up from the store at night. You never remember."

Heat spread rapidly across his cheeks. A red flush he knew was bright against the light on the sidewalk. "I don't always forget."

Rainfall filled the void of silence as you dragged your eyes along each web, the itch of your fingers too much to take—finally pressing them along the ridged fabric you’d only seen in blurry newspaper images. A mark that all of New York came to see as hope. The promise that for once in their lives they would be safe on streets known for violence and horrors.

You tried to wrap your head around the truth, pressing a thumb into the spider carved directly above a heart you knew was too good to be true. One that beat in time with yours, a familiar thudding echo you fell asleep to each night pressed tight to one ear. Peter was that man, the savior of a home you couldn’t see yourself leaving, the hero you’d only heard stories about.

“I guess this complicates things,” you finally mumbled, hand finding his chin soaked by the rain.

His sigh bled into the air, filling your lungs with the air you struggled to find. “Does that mean…you’re staying?”

“I’m just glad you weren’t cheating on me.”

Peter laughed, surging up with a speed you’d never witnessed before. “Never.”

His lips were cold against yours, gloved hands rough against the skin of your cheek, but the taste of him was the same. The man who asked for a chance in this park, promising to make your life interesting despite the chaos he dragged atop shoulders stronger than others. He carried the world with ease. Now it was your turn to do the same for him.

“So what’s it like dating Spider-Man?” you mumbled against his lips.

He grinned, pulling you up with an arm around your waist. “Free transportation.”

“Anytime I want?”

Thumbing the top of your cheek he pushed what tears remained aside. “For the rest of your life. If you want it.”

Oh how you loved him.

“I want it.”

[hanamukes]

Uika and her inner monster, Doloris

Admittedly when I first watched It's MyGO and Ave Mujica 0th, I didn't really think much of Uika. She and Doloris are presented as such vastly different entities that my brain kind of glossed over her, because I don't tend to go crazy for characters who are presented to us as always being bright and warm. Even when the last episode aired and I saw her undergo the transformation from Uika into Doloris, it still hadn't fully set in for me (though perhaps this is simply because I was busy losing my mind in excitement about seeing Ave Mujica at all as well as the sequel announcement).

But reading the interviews that came out after the anime finished airing completely changed that. Uika is Tomori's opposite in every regard? She has a secret so intense it made her voice actress stand out of her chair and yell when she heard it? I need to know more! What on earth could this seemingly kind character be hiding?

I've been keeping a close eye on her content ever since, and it's slowly making me feel insane. So, in anticipation for the anime, as well as their 4th concert which will happen in December and thus give us even more Doloris lore, I wanted to compile a post on the both of them in which I will present my various thoughts and theories.

Doloris

Uika is, in the most literal sense, Doloris' actress. This could perhaps lend to many believing that Uika is not Doloris, or rather that Doloris is not Uika. At the same time, I want to pose a very simple question.

Who came first: Doloris or Uika?

Timeline-wise, Doloris came first. Can Uika even exist without Doloris? Can she be who she is without us immediately recognizing her as being Doloris? What came first was not "Doloris is a puppet persona Uika plays as on stage," but rather it was "Uika is Doloris from Ave Mujica." This was their intent; to introduce Doloris to us, and then to introduce this girl who has an identical design to her in the anime, who is seemingly her exact opposite. What weight could Uika's scenes hold, if not to tell us that she will later turn into the monster known as Doloris? On her own, without Doloris, what does Uika represent?

Doloris herself talks about wanting to be seen for her true self. Is Uika Doloris' true self, or is Doloris Uika's true self? Which is it that they want us to believe? Which one does "Uika" want us to believe? Which one is Sakiko, or perhaps Oblivionis, trying to convince us to believe? Who is "Uika"?

Our introduction to this character was not a Sumimi scene, or her consoling someone, or a frame of her smiling, or of her expressing her love for music. It was this.

This creepy, disturbing montage of Doloris, covered in blood, inviting someone into her cult. Inviting you into her cult. Inviting you to dig deeper.

Though if you want to go even further back, I would argue our first, true genuine introduction was Black Birthday itself.

You see, I don't believe there's any true and correct way to interpret Ave Mujica's songs. The songs are whatever you make of them. That's part of the insanity of Ave Mujica; of never having a proper answer, of always wanting to dig deeper. So I won't say this is that correct reading, but rather one of the infinite possibilities. That said, after watching the intermissions from their concerts as we currently know them, I can't help but feel their first 6 songs perfectly tell the story of Doloris. It goes something like this:

Black Birthday: Doloris' rebirth into her true self. The dyeing of one's purity into corruption. Finally being able to see what was once unseeable (perhaps the light in the pitch black darkness, which she discusses a lot in their stage plays). It's a disturbing birthday party welcoming the new her.

The Two Moons ~Deep Into the Forest~: Now reborn, she finds herself lost in a forest. The play sequence in the last episode of It's MyGO feels reminiscent to this song; Doloris straying into a forest (Loft Moon), while Oblivionis ridicules her, and yet she's so beautiful she cannot take her eyes off her despite the pain of having her heart torn asunder. The song even has imagery describing candles lit on a table, which we can see in the anime rendition of this scene.

Choir 'S' Choir: She's slowly giving in to the insanity of Ave Mujica. This song reminds me a lot of Perdere Omnia; when she finally stops her denial and begins to understand why the others wish to destroy the world. She's letting herself become an esquire, a fallen angel if you will. She hears voices screaming at her, and she knows she's being hunted down, but she keeps dancing anyway. She's testing out her new abilities.

God, You're a Fool: This song represents her inner doubts. What exactly are they fighting for? For whose sake? Why do they have to be in this situation to begin with? If God wasn't a fool, surely everything would be fine... right?

Mas?uerade Rhapsody Re?uest: She's decided she no longer cares about anything. No longer cares how corrupted she becomes, no longer cares to hide her dark feelings. She's just going to fully embrace it all, she's going to let herself be taken by the shadowy jesters. The mask is a part of her now.

Ave Mujica: With her mask as her skin, it's her turn to lure others in. She's going to corrupt you. She reassures you that those with masks will fulfill your any wish, and that even though this is a place of no return, don't worry, there's nothing to be scared of.

It's interesting, because while the songs can apply to anyone (the other dolls for one, and perhaps even the listeners themselves), I can't ignore the parallels between the story these songs are telling, and the story of Doloris as we've seen in the concert intermissions. (Regarding the Utopia single and the ELEMENTS series, those songs were written more to fit a specific narrative, and I don't think they apply to the dolls themselves as directly. That's just my own personal take on them though and is why I won't be analyzing them here)

As for the intermissions themselves, there's a lot going on in them and much of Doloris' dialogue isn't about herself, but I want to go over some general observations:

Doloris uses 僕 (boku). This is significant because she's the only one who has a personal pronoun that differs from her actress; Uika uses 私(watashi). Ave Mujica songs use 私 (watashi) as well, though I don't think this means much in the context of Uika or Doloris because it's just for formality (if anything, it's interesting because it's an inverse of Uika's narrative opposite, Tomori; who uses 私 (watashi) in her daily speech but 僕 (boku) in her songs). That said, in Quaerere Lumina, there's a segment where "Doloris" switches to 私 (watashi), which many found haunting because it almost felt as if those words came from Uika herself, and that she switched back to Doloris after speaking vulnerable words from her heart.

She uses 君 (kimi; "you") in an interesting way. In Perdere Omnia, this referred to Oblivionis. In Veritas, however, she uses this repeatedly in the context of "someone" who she wants to be reborn with. It's someone who extended a hand to her, and who took her mask off her. It's someone she wants to be with for the rest of her life, just the two of them. And at the end, she uses it in reference to you, the audience, who will surely attend their next concert. Who is it that removed her mask? Oblivionis, or us? (Like many things in Ave Mujica, my own interpretation on this is that it's probably Oblivionis, because at its core, this is a yuri band, and Oblivionis is in fact someone who we've seen accept Doloris for who she is)

Each doll has a specific thing they focus on: Oblivionis stands her ground despite everything but also talks about finding things pitiful, Timoris is logical and an observer who wants to be acknowledged, Amoris talks about her lost love and boredom, Mortis talks about peace and quiet as well as the beauty in death. For Doloris, the thing she highlights that the others don't is us watching her slowly spiral into insanity, and particularly as of Veritas, her sense of her own body (as well as this attachment to someone else, as mentioned above). She sees herself as an empty shell, which is true for the others as well, but on top of this she has a fixation on her mask and the relationship it has with her body. It's her skin, and simultaneously, if you remove it, below that you'll find her true, perhaps ugly self. It means a lot to her that someone could love the her that exists without the mask. (Is this intended to be foreshadowing for the relationship between Doloris and Uika, and which of the two of them is her truest self?)

Doloris is an embodiment of insecurity, and simultaneously, she's a ferocious monster when she performs. Rico Sasaki herself claims that she feels like Doloris possesses her when they hold concerts. Her voice is cold, bitter and pained; it's a far cry from Uika's speaking voice, which is so warm and comforting. She is plagued with sorrow, of which she would rather die and be reborn than have to deal with. Her ideal world is simply one of being together with the one who accepts her in all of her ugliness.

Uika

There's a sort of trend to Uika's scenes: when she's around someone else, she waits for them to talk or express emotion before she matches their energy, and when she's alone, she drops the happy idol facade. The very first time we ever see her, she's doing just this.

This is also apparent in two other (coincidentally Sumimi) scenes, where the same thing happens in each: Uika is matching the energy of who she's talking to, but the second she's separated from them by a door, she has an almost empty expression on her face.

(The fact this has happened for both Sumimi scenes, when Uika has so little screentime so every second we see of her is supposed to be precious, has me really wondering just how much she likes her "dream job." Also, I wonder if this is a coincidence: immediately after both of these shots, she looks at her phone and sees Sakiko on her screen which cheers her up (the first is an old text, the second is a phone call))

It's something that on its own feels a bit deliberate, but when you take a certain intermission from their concerts into consideration, it really does become something you can't ignore.

This is the one part of the concert intermissions in which Doloris uses 私 (watashi). This is what many interpret to be Uika's words.

To put this simply, she feels as if she's an empty shell who has to match the energy of the people around her. When nobody is there to give her something to react to, she reverts to that husk. This is exactly the vibe I get from a lot of her scenes in the anime.

(I talked in depth about these two scenes in my Taki&Uika writeup so please do check that out for my thoughts on them, but to recap for this context: it's interesting to me how she looks so "empty" until she reads Sakiko's message (and feels seen by her, thus breaking her out of that state; I also want to mention she never messaged Sakiko first despite having her phone number, which to me is such an explicit example of her feeling like she doesn't exist unless someone else contacts her first that you may as well have a bright red arrow pointing at it), and on the right we can see her matching Sakiko's energy)

And actually, she almost implies as much to Mana directly.

"It's easy for me to sing when I'm with you, Mana-chan." On the surface, this just seems like something she's saying to make her excitable partner happy, to show agreement even though she's exhausted and not nearly as excited as she is. Mana reacts, calling it a compliment. But is it really? Her wording here is deliberate: she can only sing well because she's with her. Because she's being seen by someone else. Watching all of their scenes, I can't shake the feeling that Uika would not "shine" as an idol without Mana by her side. Immediately before this, Mana's happily waving and thanking the filming crew while Uika gives them a more heartless nod. Uika's appeal as an idol is that she's "cool" (this is written on her character bio), so it's not that I would expect her to match Mana's energy in that sense (who's appeal is her energy)... but I do wonder what she would be like in this context without Mana, given she already seems rather tense even with her. (Here's an easily missable clip of her sighing the second she's alone)

What about her comforting Tomori? Surely that was the one scene where she was acting of her own emotions? And what about when she talked to her in the final episode? It's not as if she was matching Tomori's energy 1:1! She reached out to her on her own!

And maybe that's true. However, consider this: that happened after she got Sakiko back in her life. Is an empty husk still just a shell if the one who's there to look at her―and bring her to life―is by her side now?

Let's take a closer look at these scenes though, shall we?

The planetarium. Uika was there to look at the stars, which are reflective of her childhood memories with Sakiko. Then, she finds Tomori, who she recognizes as being from Crychic (because she attended their concert a year ago). I could believe it if she sat next to her because Tomori looked upset; Tomori has subtle facial expressions yes, but it's pretty obvious when she's hurt. She decides to sit next to her, but her seat won't recline (I've seen people point out that she's been there before, so she surely would have known how to put the seat down; I think this is very funny and could be true, though I do want to point out Tomori said "this seat works like this" and Uika was sitting in a different seat than we saw in episode 8 anyway). Tomori helps her and they make indescribable eye contact briefly before they go back to watching the stars.

Then she kept an eye on her when they left and caught her on the stairs. Pretty standard stuff. From the get-go though, she was matching Tomori's energy. This is really subtle and more obvious in motion, but when she's asking if Tomori's okay, Tomori's head dips down twice, and each time Tomori's head dips, Uika's dips down a second or two later to match her.

If it was just once, I wouldn't think anything of it, but twice? Why is she studying her reaction this closely to the point of replicating it?

Then this happens, and I'll just leave my commentary from a year ago because it still applies:

Uika stares at Tomori and the Crychic photo that she saw on their social media comes to mind. She focuses in on Sakiko and Tomori... but moreso Sakiko. This kind of goes under the radar as it comes across as her bringing up stars because she knows it's something Tomori clearly likes and thus could be a bridge of conversation between them, so to speak, but I can't shake the fact that thinking about Sakiko was what prompted her to start talking about the stars she can see in Tokyo. Sakiko, who she was separated from for so long and who she was only able to reunite with in Tokyo.

(As a side note before I continue, this conversation makes me wonder how familiar she is with Tokyo. I'm not well-versed in Japan's geography nor do we really know anything about Uika's personal life, but I do know she lived on an island as a kid because she says Sakiko visited her island. It's also her chat icon)

Another easily missable detail, but when she picks up Tomori's notes, she waits a second for Tomori to give "consent" (via eye contact) before she continues talking. I'll also just mention here that I do think Uika meant what she said about singing being something that conveys someone's heart, and I feel like this was the most honest she was in the entire show.

Moving on to the episode 13 confrontation. I'll be honest, this whole interaction is very weird and as I'm typing up this post I'm still not sure what to make of a lot of it.

Once again, Uika is in the planetarium, this time in the same seat she was in for episode 8 before she met up with Sakiko (starting to see a theme here). Then she spots Tomori and grabs her shoulder, calling her Tomori-chan. Tomori seems confused so she checks that it really is "Tomori" and says they met there before. She does the same thing she did in episode 10 where when Tomori shifts her head, she shifts hers too while she's talking to her.

I like this shot because it feels like she instantly goes into "handsome" mode when she realizes this girl is a fan of "Sumimi's Uika."

This is where this interaction gets weird, because Tomori says she doesn't know who Uika is, and Uika responds with... "I'm glad she doesn't." Huh? Even Anon herself says "Huh?" out loud here. I could not possibly give you an explanation for why Uika would be "glad" that Tomori doesn't know who she is. Why is she trying to get close with her if she doesn't care that Tomori doesn't know her?

Then she asks if Tomori's song worked and Tomori says yes. It still feels like she's trying to gauge her feelings (but for what?). Then she claims she doesn't know Tomori, they just "met at the planetarium before." Anon seems pretty weirded out still. Then she changes the subject and asks if the two of them are in a band. When Anon shows her her phone, which has all the band members listed, she stares at it for a second before asking if she can follow.

(Anon's face being cut off here is interesting to me given this is from Uika's point of view, and really what could be so interesting in that photo?)

The length in which she stares at it makes me think this is likely how she learned MyGO exists, though I can't really piece together what she gets out of this aside from knowing what band Tomori is in. Then she asks if she can follow them and leaves. The whole interaction feels so pointless yet so deliberate: we didn't get closure on Taki's character arc in this episode, but we got this scene of Uika following MyGO's social media account? I'll be interested in seeing how this is relevant later on.

Oh, and the most important part of this scene: Tomori never told Uika her name. Anon is visibly weirded out by this. Of course, this scene is also followed by another shot of Uika not having to match anyone's energy, looking stern as she seems to whenever she's by herself. (She's looking at Crychic's social media page and commenting on how Tomori is from Sakiko's old band, by the way; how did she pull that up so fast? She just sat down?)

Uika and Tomori are narrative opposites. The director for the anime stated that Uika is her polar opposite in every regard. Ricochi also pointed out that while Tomori's songs turn her human, Uika's turn her into a monster. Their episode 10 confrontation was intended to be them meeting before the Ave Mujica ball gets rolling, so to speak, in order to allow them to contrast greater when the sequel comes out.

In general, what I make of Uika's cheerfulness is it's reflective of something Ricochi said in regards to Ave Mujica as a whole: like the moon, she can't shine on her own, but when others look at her, a light glistens from her. It almost makes me wonder if she wanted to become an idol in order to, like she said in her introduction clip with Mana, "make others feel better too" with her songs, at an attempt to mask the fact she can't shine when she's alone herself.

Those are the biggest points I wanted to articulate, so below I'll drop some other observations.

Regarding the flashback scene of Uika and Sakiko as kids... Uika is blushing here when Sakiko is not.

Normally I wouldn't think anything of this, because that's just how the models are (for instance, Sakiko's casual clothes model seems to always have the blush regardless of her mood, while Oblivionis of course doesn't; Uika's model also doesn't have a constant blush), but this scene was hand drawn. It's more deliberate. I don't want to insinuate that this implies Uika cares more about Sakiko than Sakiko cares about Uika because I don't think that's what they meant here at all, just that these specific memories may hold different meaning to Uika than they do for Sakiko. Perhaps more importantly though (and even less obvious) is that Uika's hair looks longer in the shot of them looking at the stars than it was for their meeting and the bug catching. It makes you wonder how much time may have passed between those two memories. (I do recognize this may have just been a continuity error of sorts, but she is wearing a different outfit too)

In Sakiko's conversation to Nyamu, she hints that she got Uika for her band because of Sumimi's popularity. This is interesting to me because in episode 7, she absolutely... glares? at the Sumimi music video.

...Which makes you wonder how she really felt looking at it. In any case, I don't think it was just for the fame because you don't exactly call somebody and tell them to help you forget everything if it's just for the money. That's a pretty intimate thing to ask somebody, and especially for Sakiko who up until then had been actively avoiding speaking anything from her heart. We also know that Uika does the lyrics for Ave Mujica, so we can truly only make guesses as to what transpired between their talk and the final episode...

Oh, also, when Sakiko calls Uika, she blushes. Which feels pretty notable to me when seconds beforehand she was in "cool, kind of broody idol" mode.

As for the last episode...

When Nyamu asks if she can go to Uika's place, she says yes! It makes you wonder how close she is with everyone by this point, and also what her home life looks like.

This one is sold on the voice work, but she sounds super happy to get to see Sakiko.

This also happens at the end of the episode, when she asks if she can ride the train home with Sakiko despite the fact she got there in a cab. I wrote my thoughts about this here, but it is interesting to me how it implies she might not know about Sakiko's home life at this point.

For this line, it's not lost on me how similar this dialogue is in reflection to what Doloris says in their stage play immediately after; with Oblivionis talking about them being dolls, and Doloris questioning her every word. It's as if she'd turned into Doloris the second she put her mask on...

Tying it all together

What's striking to me is that in all the trailers for the Ave Mujica anime―which by all means will be where we learn more about Uika―we've only seen one shot of her.

The rest have been Doloris. From this we can presume that the doll lore from their concerts will be relevant to the actresses, we just don't know to what extent.

It's scary really, because... seriously, even if Uika does feel like an empty shell, there's more to it than just that. And despite all of my analysis up until this point, I have not a single clue what her actual deal could be. Even after I post this, I'll continue to watch her scenes over and over, trying to piece things together with what little we have right now.

I'll be very interested to see both Doloris and Uika in the upcoming anime, and in what ways the lines between them are blurred.

[idcallmyselfhuman]

XiaoAether Masterlist 👹⛅

Edit: version 2.0 here

Or, every XiaoAether moment that I can remember (and an attempt to organize them)

Starting this off with the one scene that made us all go "wait a fucking minute" at the very start of the game,

Battle of Osial

Aether's feet were already steadied. Xiao could've let go, or let him fall as gracefully as Mountain Shaper did to that guard (I would've hated him forever) but considering that he insists that being near mortals is such a biiiig no-no, he could have, but he didn't. No, even more, he fucking tightened his hold.

-

Teyvat Food Notes (Sweet Dream, Adeptus' Temptation and Satisfying Salad)

Next! The promotionals during Xiao's release as a playable character. Specifically, Teyvat Food Notes. To celebrate his release, they made an Almond Tofu + Sweet Dream Food blog.

Note: Both google translate and Papago seem to use Mandrill instead of Xiao, so... just know that's who it's talking about.

This is where we learn that Xiao didn't even make "Sweet Dream"; this dish was Aether's thank you gift to him. Xiao's specialty dish is a gift from Aether. I'm- agh. ANYWAY.

We actually also see Sweet Dream in Childe's birthday art. And I'm really sorry to Tartaglia but seeing it stole all his thunder. I could not get over it.

I like to think Aether was so busy making Childe food that he absentmindedly started preparing Almond Tofu in the way he's used to (because of how often Xiao requests it :'> ).

Just when I thought that was it for the Teyvat Food Notes and I could've moved on, I found this in the Adeptus' Temptation food note; the one they made for the first Lantern Rite.

Note: "Fairy/Buddha Jump over the Wall" is apparently an actual Chinese delicacy that the Adeptus' Temptation is based on!

I found this part really cute, especially right now because of the poetry event. Since the beginning, Aether's always known that Xiao was capable of being poetic, it just took them being close and his encouragement for Xiao to actually make a poem.

Lastly, Aether's Satisfying Salad. This isn't connected to the food blog this time (since that one's for Mona), but rather, this and Almond Tofu are the first dishes Aether has ever given Xiao in the game. I included this despite it being pretty minor because in Moonlight Merriment, Smiley Yanxiao actually brings this up again.

Smiley Yanxiao: The boss told me to take care of him, but this guy, let me tell you - he is one tough nut to crack. He usually turns his nose up at everything that isn't Almond Tofu.

Xiao willingly ate something that wasn't Almond Tofu because... because what, it was given to him by a cute blonde traveler? The jury's still out on that one.

-

Lantern Rite 1.3, Baizhu Story Quest

I'm sure we're already familiar with this scene, right?

The very first time Xiao promised Aether that no matter what, as long as he calls his name, he'll be there. Right after that was Moonlight Merriment, where the game literally specifies that Xiao made that promise just for Aether. Way to make your commitment subtle.

Ah, Xiao, you're so easy... Of course, this wouldn't be the last time that Aether calls for him and Xiao arrives immediately. This also happened during Baizhu's story quest to, yet again, the astonishment of everyone around excluding these two. (Xiao's dedication is one of a kind)

Xiao worries over Aether often, despite knowing that they're both formidable in their own right. I also think it's sweet how every time they meet, Xiao's departing words are always a reminder to call for him whenever needed, to the point where there are times that Aether just goes "Yeah, we know." before he can even finish the sentence.

Unfortunately, though, there is one time where Xiao failed to reach Aether when he called him, but only because he physically wasn't able to.

-

Perilous Trail (Interlude)

The only thing that prevented this man from getting to Aether like always was being in a different plane of existence. Romeo and Juliet wish they were this romantic istfg

Aether: Come find us.

Xiao: No.

Yanfei: But Aether's in trouble!

Xiao: How do we meet?

Now where else did someone pull this tactic recently-

...Again, XIAO YOU ARE SO EASY. But anyway, back to the Chasm bc I wasn't quite done with that-

As soon as Yanfei tells Aether that Xiao is awake, Ae comes running. Just full on "stop saying you're fine i'll be the judge of that"

And he looks so angry when Xiao brings up writing a will. augguh they are sooooo- (i would put a reaction pic here if i didn't have an IMAGE LIMIT fuck tumblr bro)

To finish off the Chasm Interlude on a more serious note, this entire conversation was really touching, and I love seeing the progress these two have made over the years. Xiao letting himself open up with Aether's help year by year is one of my favorite things about this game.

-

Teapot and Character Voice Lines + Birthday Letters

For the first and second Lantern Rite, Xiao was still adamant on not even stepping foot in Liyue Harbor, declining every invitation to go there because of how much he disliked being near mortals.

Yet in his teapot voicelines, once you reach a high enough friendship with him, Xiao actually takes the initiative to invite Aether to go to the city, if only to understand him better. Xiao explicitly says that his willingness to go to the harbor was for him.

More About Xiao I: I'm willing to protect you.But don't think about getting close, and stay out of my way, or all that awaits you is regret.

More About Xiao V: It's too late. The connection between us is too strong. Even if you wanted to, it's too late to sever it. Hm? You've never thought to sever it?

About Shenhe: It seems Shenhe places a great deal of trust in you. Well, how could she not. There are few people in the world as kind and good-natured as you.

Shenhe, About Xiao: My first impression of him was that he's not one to smile. After meeting him again more recently, however, he's still as reserved as ever, but… he seems a lot more relaxed now. Maybe he… met someone special.

That line by Shenhe made me happy. Aether's effect on Xiao benefitted not only him, but the people surrounding Xiao as well. We even see that in his birthday letters, where at the most recent one, he follows Ae's advice and goes to spend time with old friends.

They're also all just insanely romantic, I feel like that goes without saying. Every year, I wonder how Genshin would possibly top the one before it that isn't just an explicit confession of undying love.

-

Lantern Rite '23

I'm here to remind you all of a beautiful scene that should never be forgotten for years to come.

Regardless of Genshin trying to be mysterious and making us guess who saved Aether, the fact that they both came rushing over is incredible on its own. They know that Aether isn't a damsel in distress, and Paimon's acting was so on the nose, but they still couldn't allow even the slightest possibility of harm to come to him.

Xiao looking away and talking in circles just to say he really was worried is the funniest fucking thing.

For the Lantern Rite event itself, if you've read this far in, you're probably already familiar. I really wish there wasn't an image limit because I have so many screenshots I want to put in here. If you want a refresher, watch this and start around the 2-hour mark

I wanted to put my own video in the post but you can only put one :/// I'm fist fighting whoever put these limits. 1 video file and 30 images? who are you

BACK TO THE TOPIC

There really isn't much I could say that I haven't already said before. For XiaoAether shippers, this was hoyo spoonfeeding content on a silver spoon. It's Aether and Xiao at their most comfortable with each other, talking and spending time with the people they care about. It's Aether fulfilling his end of the bargain of bailing Xiao out of uncomfortable social situations, because if you haven't noticed throughout all of these examples (or even outside of that), Aether is so perceptive when it comes to the comfort of the people around him.

This was also the event where we find out that for Xiao, the most distinguished guest in his eyes was Aether (Even though Ae thought he was going to say Zhongli..)

I have a lot of love for this event. But since this isn't just a lantern rite post, I'll move on.

-

Waterborne Poetry

The catalyst for this post. The reminder of how lovely this ship is, and how far these two have come.

As we have all learned from Xiangling, Yanfei, Venti and Hu Tao, you only need to mention Aether's name to convince Xiao of whatever it is you're planning. The part where Aether and Team Chongyun were trying to convince him to come with them and touch some fucking grass was really cute.

This event and the previous Lantern Rite also had Aether and Xiao talking privately, only to get interrupted by Paimon/Xiangling (as well as calling them out lmao)

And, of course, the scene that everyone freaked out over,

This. I don't think I'll ever get over this.

The fact that they had Zach voice this- A short, but sweet moment where Aether looks at Xiao from afar and immediately gets inspired, performing a poem where the real meaning is shared only between the two of them...

And Xiao's smile.

An expression that Aether had done so well to bring out.

2023 was the year of XiaoAether. Thank you, Hoyo.

-

Done! I HAVE SO MANY SCREENSHOTS AND I COULDN'T EVEN USE MOST OF THEM ToT. I actually had clips that I edited but Tumblr said no. Good thing there's YouTube.

Another reason as to why I made this was because some shippers said that XiaoAe didn't make sense because it lacked depth and I was so affronted by it that I did all this out of spite (and love for these characters. mostly love.)

[xoxosimp]

Not For Your Eyes

Tags: Rich Best Friend!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: unbeta’d, bucky is a little unhinged, ew what is this, like ew literally what is this, inspired by that one time capsule episode of Zoey 101 and a tik tok, modern au

---

Your arms ached from attempting to wrap a hair tie around your hair. It was a fucking arm workout, which is why you always underestimated how long it took to do your hair.

A sharp knock pierced the air. You place the hair tie down in defeat and make your way to the door. You unlocked and opened it, meeting your best friend’s frown.

“ Didn’t I tell you to always check the peephole?” 

You rolled your eyes and walked away. “ It’s always you, Jamie.”

“ What if it wasn’t?” he refuted, closing the door behind him. 

“But it was!”

You return to the bathroom to finish tying your hair. Bucky took note of the three journals stacked on your kitchen counter. The purple journal on top had a polaroid of you taped on it. The covers littered with various stickers and paper sticking out pages

Bucky had never seen your journals this close before. Not that he would ever invade your privacy , but you threw an (empty) water bottle at him when he came within a foot of your journals before.

“ No peeking, Barnes,” you warned him, coming out of the bathroom 

“ You know I wouldn't, gorgeous,” he said matter of factly. “ These are your journals from the past years?”

“Year.” You corrected Bucky. “ I’m selling them.” you smiled at him.

Damn, he loved that fucking smile.

“Selling your journal is kinda personal, Gorgeous.”

“Well it’s not like my diaries. I would never sell those,” you chuckled. “ These are just… compilations..?” you trailed off, looking at Bucky to see if he understood what you were trying to say. He raised an eyebrow, signaling you to finish your thought. “ … Of all the things I’ve seen, places I’ve been, and the people I’ve met.”

People?

People as in persons. Person. Bucky could very well be on one of these pages of your flamboyant journals. 

You picked up your jacket from the couch and shrugged it on. “ Is there a page about me?” he asked carefully while your back was turned.

“ More than one,” you answered honestly. 

You turned to your best friend and laughed. He wants to ask you, you know he does.  “ Don’t look at me like that,” you said in response to his glare . “ Jamie, you’re one of the most important people in life.”

Fuck. He replayed the words in his head.

You’re one of the most important people in my life. 

He wanted to taste the words from your lips.Bucky  wanted your  words etched in his skin like a tattoo. You sounded like a dream he never wanted to wake up from. You sounded like a song he never wanted to stop replaying. 

“ Can I read it?”

“No!” you answered quickly. 

Bucky’s eyebrows pulled together as he questioned “ You let other people read it but not me?”

“It isn’t just other people, Jamie, “ you retorted, “ it’s whoever buys it.” 

“Where are you selling it?” 

“Well there-” you stopped yourself. You saw the look in his eyes. His eyes danced with mischief, one brow cocked in a silent dare, though the softness around them hinted at genuine curiosity. “Nice try. I know you. If I tell you, you’ll just go and buy them all.”

“ Can you blame me, gorgeous? You tell a guy you’ve been writing about him, and he’s gonna wanna know what you've written.”

“ The whole point of selling the journals is so that in the future, other people can see how awesome my life was.” you explained. “You’re already in my life so why would I let you read it?”

“I’ll give you ten grand for each of them,” he proposed bluntly, crossing his arms. 

His offer took you by surprise. You knew damn well if you’d accepted he’d write you a check you’d be able to cash tomorrow. But paying $10,000 for one of your journals?

You shook your head and laughed, “ How about in twenty years,  I’ll tell you where I sold them,  then you can buy all of them” 

His shoulders slumped in defeat. “ Why do you tease me like this?” 

“I’m not teasing! You’re just impatient, Jamie. Now can we please go to lunch?” 

—

“ The store owner agreed to keep the journal aside,” Bucky’s personal assistant reported over the phone.

“ Great.” Bucky grinned ear to ear. “ Thank you,” he hung up the phone.

He prided himself on knowing everything about you. Your fears, your dreams, what made you tick. He knows what makes you sad and what makes you happy. One day, he’ll be forward with all the love he has for you. 

Call him obsessed. He couldn’t give a shit. But Bucky needed to know what exactly you wrote about him. He’ll be damned if anyone bought your journals before he did. 

He had his assistant scour the whole New York City area for your journals. Once his assistant found where you sold them, he made a deal with the shop owners that for every month they don’t sell the journals, they get $10,000 under the table. 

Now he just has to wait 20 years until he can buy them.

---

I have not written anything since July... yea sorry.i might delete this later

[georgewashingtonsnudes]

~ Tainted Love ~ Dio Brando ~ PT. II ~

Pt 1 - Pt 2 - Pt 3 (I may post the full version on AO3, but we’ll see)

a/n: Thank you to everyone who showed support on PT. 1, hopefully pt 2 is received well, still finishing part 3. I chose a different version of the same song bc I think the Marilyn version fucks. I’m thinking of compiling all three parts and posting on AO3, so lmk if you’d be interested in that. Again, I’m still new to this so don’t hesitate to tell me what I’m doing wrong, Anyways— enjoy this super drawn out bullshit, you vampire sluts.

Likes, comments, shares, and reblogs are welcome and much appreciated. Please let me know how I can improve from here. <3

DO NOT COPY MY WORK ANYWHERE

WC: 3,777

Summary: DIO saves reader from captivity and is now training them to use their Stand to endure torture/pain; but such a power can have many creative applications. They’re rewarded in the end for being a fast learner.

(If you care to read into the specs of the intended stand or you want a quick reference for better understanding while reading it’s at the very end of each part. If not…sorry? Idk dude.)

CW: 18+ NSFW minors/ageless accounts DNI, THIS IS A DARK FIC PLEASE ADVISE THE TAGS IN RED, GN reader (they/them/their pronouns), use of AFAB/AMAB leaning descriptions (Just to cover my bases), reader is a stand user, inappropriate use of stands, prior to stardust crusaders, begging, degrading, praise, sub reader/dom DIO, hair pulling, teasing, edging, no direct smut in pts. 1/2 but very heavy nsfw (they hold hands), dry humping/grinding, use of pet names (dear one, dearest, pet, my lord, master, lord god, maybe others), blood play [LOTS OF BLOOD], breath play, choking, punishment, biting, scratching, clothes ripping, pain/endurance play, maybe a little bit of Stockholm syndrome/yandre (idk if it qualifies but just to be safe)

Please don’t do these things in real life unless you are a consenting adult with another consenting adult. Please be wise and safe <3

Heart pounding erratically, they leaned further into his chest, his arms still holding them wantonly. Darkness bled into their vision, limbs alive in a blissful tingling, like stardust swirling just beneath their skin. Their consciousness a blur, seemingly floating above themself in a heavenly cloud of delight, bone-chilling fingertips seared against their burning skin—bringing them back to reality. His face began to traverse their bloodied bust, cleaning his mess with a hurried tongue as springs of carmine leaked like a Venetian fountain.

Exploring further, his hands danced across their exposed stomach in a deliberate, almost hypnotic way, leaving a trail of burgundy in their wake. The pigment, thick and foreboding, latched onto them like a second layer of skin, delicately shimmering under the candlelight. With a gentle, practiced hand, he glided his fingers across the hem of their ruined intimates, soaked with a deep layer of blood, priming for his next move.

Hands falling limply to their sides, DIO continued to enrapture their body, leaving no space—no air—between the two of them. Expecting rash defiance, thrashing, writhing, and agonized begging, he waits, golden eyes finding their heaving chest. Messily adorned with ruby, their listless body reclined like a forgotten dream, half-formed and drifting in that space between sleep and restlessness, the world around them gently flowing in the stillness of his embrace. As though DIO’s figure beneath them was a part of their very being, their body melted into his, languid and serene, filling his chest with pride.

“Tell me,” he whispered devilishly close to their ear, his dark voice breaking the heavy silence between them.

“Is it that you have a proclivity for masochism,” cold fingertips teasing at the latex strip, “or are you simply too naive to comprehend what a compromising position you’re in?” Dipping ever so slightly past the hem, he hooked the border of fabric around the tip of his finger. They remained silent, basking in his divinity.

Gently dragging a finger along their waistline, his knuckle pulled another line of vermeil along to mirror the band. “Any person with their sanity intact would tremble in fear in such a vulnerable state, testing death, but you...” casting his gaze along their body, like a hunter analyzing his prey, “You’re so pliant, so still, trying to remain silent,” his hand stopping adjacent to their navel, “you’re waiting for more—aren’t you?”

Bringing movement forth again, he pierces the surface of their flesh with a single nail, their eyes snapping open, meeting his own brilliant shade of amber. “What does that say about you?” Trailing the nail alongside a parallel gash, carving an equal line of much more permanence. But instead of a pained cry falling from their plump lips, a long moan was pulled from deep in their chest, wrenching their head forward with a gasp of relief. As if he had released an excruciating build up of pressure within them.

“What a curious thing—my dear one.” Retracting a finger immersed in a deep cherry, he returned it to sit at obeying lips, opening and closing gently around it.

“Listen now and closely,” pushing his index further against their tongue, “I will not allot for insolence, so if you believe in nothing, believe this: you will always be shown the consequences of crossing me.” Using the leverage of his hand in their mouth, he brought their head back against his substantial shoulder, his other hand still firmly in place on their neck.

“I wonder how long this game will last. How far can you be taken before you break?” Burning spread across their neck as the tips of his fingers moved along the ridges of their broken tissue. “Will you beg for my mercy, or will you try to defy me? Either way, my victory has been predetermined.”

Seemingly thinking aloud, his train of thought danced around the possibilities of how he could break through them, never alluding to his true vision. Drawing back his finger from their pouted lips, his thoughts spun, flitting through every possible scene in his mind, finding the right path.

“We both know you’re playing a game you’ll never win." As their doe-like look locked with his sharp gaze, his direction became clear to him; a plan had formed. “But by all means, go ahead. Persist in trying to impress me; it may just work if you can prove your devotion.”

A now clean hand traveled back down to the last of their clothing, gripping the cincture tightly at the hip. “But here is the truth your naivety has blinded you to—“ In one fluid movement, he shifted his hand forward to rip whatever remained to preserve their decency.

“Your resistance is futile.”

Completely exposed to him, they dropped their full weight into his arms, entirely submitting to his will. “Keep testing your limits; be my guest, but it is only a matter of time before you realize this game was never for you to win.” The ice-cold hand on their neck began to wistfully snake through their hair. “It was simply for me to play with you, my darling toy.” Their stomach fluttered at the notion as his fingers interlaced roughly with their tresses. “And what a quaint little doll you are.”

Feeling their soul nudging at their walls of security, they pushed back at the Stand that tried to bring itself forth. The floor beneath them began to quake, shaking both of their bodies tightly entangled with one another. Fighting every human instinct that would tell them to fight, to flee, to beg for their life, they submitted to whatever he could deal.

Pain. Ecstasy. Torture. Euphoria. Death. Heaven.

Willing their stand’s compliance, they tried to force their spirit behind lock and key. Instead, sending the vibration elsewhere.

“Your impotence is simply charming, admirable even—and that is precisely why I can’t wait to watch you crumble.”

Redirecting the feeling inwards, their body began to shiver from the inside out, muscles twitching uncontrollably. Auburn-flamed candles seemed to beam brighter than before. Smelling warm frankincense married with the coppery red that covered them both, their senses exploded. A pin drop could be heard, with the only accompanying sound being their ragged breathing, shuddering from the quake under their skin.

Diligent fingers danced across their scalp, leaving a numbing tingle in their trail. His free hand teased along their bare skin, fingertips exploring their exposed body, sending a shiver through their veins. Holding their neck as their shaking began to steady, DIO’s patience wore thin, punctuating his eagerness with a sharp nail into their collar and gripping their hair tightly. Overwhelmed, their cry shattered the air, unable to withstand the myriad of sensations running along their nerves.

Voice jagged, their wail softly melded into a moan as they leaned into the sensation, concentrating a resonance overload within their chest. The sensation was unlike any other; searing pain bled out to different reaches of their middle, consistent and never growing; it spread like a shiver rippling down their spine. An overwhelming elation washed over them as the pain dispersed, the shaking dissipating throughout their body in a soft tremor.

Their focus was broken by a melodic sound flowering in their ears, his placid laugh, insincere but gentle. Coveting the sound, they locked the echo within a chamber of their ears, repeating like a song as raw, searing pain bled down from their neck once again, their concentration altering. Arching his back, he relied on gravity to hold their bodies together as his hands fell from them. As if nailed to a cross, their limp arms spread across to each side of his chest; letting the force that held them have its way, they slid down his body.

In an unnoticeable movement, he slotted both hands in the crooks of their hips, legs wrapping securely around his hips, pressing them firmly to his lap as he moved their bodies forward. Face threatening to meet the unforgiving marble, a golden apparition cushioned their impact before swiftly disappearing as they reached the floor. A stillness washed over the room while he leaned back, assuming his former position.

Willing the world to wait, DIO’s eyes took their time devouring their nakedness, drinking in their motionless body. While one hand splayed itself across one side of their hip, the other, with deft fingers, charted a map of blood across their back.

“I can only imagine how frustrated you must be, dear one,” he said, time running short, his stationary hand clamping down on the pliant flesh. “You’re unable to see your abilities’ full potential.”

One.

Painting a rosy weave along the length of their back, his fingertips slowly began to dig deeper into their skin. Thin lines of blood brought forth from his touch threatened to fall, yet there was no gravity to pull them free. He only stopped when he reached the small of their back, placing his thumbs in the two picturesque dimples adorned there.

Two.

“I could help you—“ Abstaining from using his whole strength, his hand stilled, fingers curling possessively around their curves.

Three.

“But where would be the fun in that?” The hourglass his pawn—he played with them in the space between, pulling the strings of his delicate puppet.

Four.

Time resumed its agonizing crawl, prolonging their suffering and appeasing DIO’s self-indulgence as they choked back a cry. Their face twisted in anguish as scorching pain ran down their spine, DIO’s movements coming to a halt. His gaze couldn’t find a single place to stay, their breathless body becoming his own work of art, drawing the eye to each line on their back. How he wished to paint every inch of his perfect canvas.

Holding back their whines, trying to remain still, the pain throbbed and tingled throughout their back. Pins and needles adorned their aching muscles as they tried to regain their composure; in turn, Soft Cell released a harmonic blast from under them. The foundation of the room absorbed the collapse, sending a shockwave to shake the room beneath the two, face and hands pressed firmly against the trembling floor.

“Do not forget—“ his voice tranquil and tempered, “the longer it takes for you to compose yourself, the more difficult you will make this for the both of us.” Familiar words spoken with far more patience than he had ever exercised before.

“Understand this, dear one,” his nails harrowing their hips to punctuate the name, bringing a surprised yelp from them.

“I will not repeat myself again.”

Releasing them from his grasp, they croaked out a moan, hot breath fogging the glassy marble. Concentrating on the stark white floor, the rumbling from underneath began to diminish, seemingly retracting from the stone into their pounding skull. He remained still, nothing holding them together but shaking legs, threatening to release from around his trimmed waist. The absence of his hands crowded their mind with desire, desperation, and longing—their pain pushed behind a wall of want.

Yearning for the ice in his touch, they slid their hands away from the sides of their head and back to reach towards him. Fully absorbing all surrounding vibrations into their head, their traveling hands acted as a guide for the pulsating to disperse throughout the rest of their body. Radio static blurred itself down their spine, seeping into their arms, hips, and legs—unforgiving persistence matched with unrelenting lust, sustaining it within themself. As their hands were nearly even with their hips, their wrists were caught in his frigid grasp, breath hitching in their throat as he squeezed lightly.

“And precisely what were you planning to do just now?” Hardening his grip, he pulled them backwards, stretching the splitting skin on their back further in all different directions as he leaned to whisper closer to their ear.

“Ahhh, I see,” sighing playfully as if coming to a realization, “how gracious of you to help me use you better, dear one.” Chuckling lightly, he guided shaking hands to grip their ankles, pressing them as far against their rear as possible.

Their chest pressed harshly into the cruel floor, sensitive nipples hardening and bruising against cold tile. Muscles twitching uncontrollably, they squirmed pleasantly on his lap, making it all the harder for them to stop. As they tried to control themself, DIO could not pay their actions any mind, simply admiring his improved view between their legs. A sight for only his eyes, a tool reserved for his use alone, the filthy secret that hides their desire for him.

Frustration riddled their nerves as his hands left them again, pain returning to adorn each line he had laid across their back. Whining behind wired jaws, the even vibration they sustained began to fluctuate as their concentration fractured. Different volumes of resonance emanated through their muscles, dancing along their nerves, shockwaves pulsating inside of their bones. While certain parts of their body went completely numb, other areas were overcome with sensations of pain, sharp pins and needles, or tingling warmth under the skin that would make any man mad.

Refocusing their mind, the sensations in their body began to bubble up, threatening to explode. DIO studied each movement and sound as his hyperaware nerves followed every broken vibration, bringing an egregious heat forth when the reverberations met the space between his thighs. With a satisfied hum he allowed the throbbing to settle into his lap, where they connected, slowly moving towards his growing need.

They try again to gain control of their stand while DIO sits in a satisfied silence, ogling at the way they writhe against him. Instinctively, they pushed into his waist, using his body as an anchor to ground their power. With a malicious laugh, he begins to push them down further onto his lap, hands completely encasing each side of their rear, their most sensitive area brushing against him. Guiding their waist, the vibrations sputter and whirl in their stomach, flowing down to where their bodies joined.

DIO gripped them painfully hard, firmness pressed between their legs; only his tightening pants separated the two. Gravity reaches their heart as Soft Cell’s power vibrates sinfully between their laps, a rouge rushing towards their heated cheeks. Switching the searing pain to pleasurable tingles became second nature in nearly an instant, achieving the vampire's sinister goal.

Control.

“It seems you finally understand, dear one.” He continues to grind into their center unapologetically, not nearly enough to pleasure them fully, but enough to make them hold back ragged moans.

Their knuckles whitened as their grip on their legs began to weaken, along with their will to keep their touch from finding him. They needed to feel his skin, disgracefully painted in their blood, a crimson damask draped against that gelid alabaster. Daring to look behind them, they turned their head despite the floor, remaining silent as their eyes locked, pleading with his. Clicking his tongue, he moved to grab their wrists again, trembling from the strain.

“Shhh,” as if to calm a sniffling child, his thumbs began to move against their skin, a comforting but calculated gesture. “Haven’t you heard that patience is a virtue? And that the greatest rewards in life are granted to those who wait?”

Pleading eyes let up their struggle at his proverbial words, slightly glinting at his prospect of reward. Any gift from their Lord would be well received, but imagining what a hard-earned reward could entail gave them a renewed hold on their ankles. With a satisfied chuckle, he moved to release their bruising grip, exhausted arms and legs hitting the floor. Matching his eyes again, they were met with cold amusement as he pulled them flush against his lap, sending their arms forward to brace themself.

Completely still, fearing him to renege on his words, they pressed their hands uncomfortably into the marble. As they regained their breath, curious fingers continued their leisurely dance across their skin, eyes still locked. Every move subtly becoming deeper and more sensual, each of them curated with deft precision in order to elicit their reactions. Intimidating golden eyes pierced through them, both theirs and his closing as he leaned close.

“You are quite the enigma,” he sighed in their ear, his body only a breath away. “So defiant, yet so responsive, a rare union. Then again, you have proven to be quite rare yourself.”

Gentle, methodical caresses passed along their sides, down their body. The fire under their skin burned as his languid touches became torturously drawn out, making them squirm. “Quite rare. And quite obedient.”

He placed two fingers at the junction of their neck before drawing a soft, slow line down their spine, pain erupting along their muscles.

“You are a most intriguing specimen.” They could only contemplate the odd compliment for a moment before a swift hand brought their attention back to him.

A strong sting breaks out against their rear, settling for a second as he returns to sitting straight up, only for another hard swat to join in the same place. Composure slipping, they yelped slightly at the first and inhaled sharply at the second. As they fought against a choked gasp, his hand rubbed soothingly against the bruising pain, stopping splayed against the fatty flesh.

Unexpectedly, his thumb began to reach towards the valley between their legs, halting to pull the plump skin aside, exposing their entrance to him. So small compared to what he had to give; the thought of it slowly stretching around him, rousing his lips to curve into a smirk. Moving gently, his delicate touch deceivingly dragged all the way down to cover each side of their rear before steadily piercing the skin with his nails as he spread them apart to expose them again.

“I look forward to breaking you.” His dearest pet, so oblivious, yet so shamelessly submissive to every sinful possibility he could consider a reward.

DIO’s mind wandered wildly, his eyes following suit, once more admiring his masterpiece. And taking his time doing it. Short, harsh spanks met their rear every so often, keen chuckles from behind following soon after. If his fervid chortle hadn’t sent a chill down their spine, his cold hands gliding up to find their neck surely would have. Pulling them back towards him sent a harsh puff of air from their lungs, the rushed movement catching them by surprise. Their imbalance would’ve sent them toppling, were it not for his arm securing strongly around their waist, stabilizing them tightly to his chest.

Still on his knees, he turned his face into the crook of their neck, opposite his hand holding onto their throat firmly. The thought of snapping it quickly appeared in his mind as he watched their heated face flush red. Blood pumping a mile a minute, the smell filling him with want. It left as quickly as it had come, their pulse racing under his palm, drawing his attention to their shaking body. Their focus had broken, eyes falling downwards to where their arms hung and laps met.

“Focus.” He commanded, fingers standing against their neck as if to play a piano. “Now.”

The new position brought a closeness that they deeply craved from DIO, their imagination running wild, debauched daydreams thoroughly distracting them. It took longer than either of them would’ve liked to revert from their lapse in concentration, both growing more impatient by the minute. With every second they waited, DIO stabbed his nails further into their neck, searing pain filling them despite this offense being sparing by past comparison. Droplets of blood fell before his eyes, dripping with precision onto his waiting tongue, nearly curing his boredom. Lapping the rest up, he pulled their body against him even further, drinking of them passionately. The thought of crushing them flickered in his mind as their blood danced along his tastebuds.

He could end their life now. End his waiting. Finish his meal. But that’s making the outcome sound much easier than it would be in reality. He’d lose his dearest pawn.

Enshrouding their body in his arms, he released their neck, holding them so fiercely he feared he may envelop them within his skin. His touch, his voice, his smell, his temperature, his growing need parted from them only by ruined pants, the burning pain his nails sent running along their nerves—it was all so much. Attempts to steel themself against their vertigo only pulled them further into the dizzying vortex, sending them into a maelstrom of sensation. As the whirlpool of feeling threatened to consume them, their body made an instinctive switch.

Focus. Now. Focus on him. Only him. Only his touch. His voice. His smell. His aura. His divinity.

Locked in a chamber of sound, his echoed words turned into a sweet hum, soothing their nerves and sending a comforting shiver throughout their limbs. The pain was non-existent, all feeling concentrated on the heated throbbing from where they needed him most. His tongue licked a slow, cold strip against their wounded neck—icy-hot pain muddled into needle pricks of pleasure as the feeling sunk deep into their bones.

DIO moved his hands about them, lingering where blood seeped out, adoring his work. He worked his hand around to their chin, pulling it to face him as his other arm went to secure them firmly to his lap. Their eyes locked, a passionate, frenzied gaze exchanged between the two as DIO began to flagrantly grind himself into them. Awestruck by his sudden indulgence, they tried to suppress a breathless moan, to little success.

A devilish smirk decorated his ornate face; eyes never ceasing their lecherous study of his prey. “Tell me, dear one,” his tone a gentle whisper laced with dark promise, “do you wish for more? Or are you content to merely endure?”

Pulse racing, they begged their exterior to disguise the desperate instinct they had to scream out for him. To beg. Beg for every inch of him. But they knew they walked a fine line—any game of his was a dangerous one; rewards were only granted to those whom he deemed worthy. Not just anyone who would grovel at his feet. Regardless of restraint, the need for DIO’s intoxicating touch became compulsory.

A sorrowful whine nearly bled into the shaky breath they let out at their eyes meeting, voice hardly above a whisper. “More,” their tone dripping with desperation, but eyes filled with trepidation. “Please, my Lord.”

Gazing down, he noticed a fierce desire, hidden yet sparkling, deeply within their hesitant eyes. “I beg you more, my Lord God.” Raising their voice slightly at the last three words.

Oh, how three syllables can sway God so quickly.

DIO’s smile only deepened, a hint of mischievous fulfillment embellishing his face. “Very well,” he purred, voice collected and still. “But remember, this is a reward, not a surrender. You will earn every touch, every sensation, every rapture.”

“Do you understand, Pet?”

Thank you for reading this far, you dirty thing, you. Please like, share, and reblog <3

Specs Summary

(TLDR: anything important to the plot or for quick reference is highlighted in pink.)

Stand name: Soft Cell

Power: B | Speed: C | Range: B | Durability: C | Precision: B | Potential: A | Overall: A

Appearance:

A multicolored, unsettling humanoid figure with a metallic body featuring glowing cracks and circular ripple patterns. It has only a jagged glowing scar across its face and semi-liquid chains around its wrists and ankles that fade into a dark mist.

Stand Ability: "Pulse of Dissonance"

Soft Cell manipulates vibrations and frequencies, influencing physical and emotional states.

Primary Effects:

1. Emotional Manipulation:

Opponent: Uses low-frequency vibrations to alter emotions, turning happiness into mania, fear into panic, and anger into rage.

Self-inflicted: Can affect the users mental state by inducing euphoria, anxiety, or rage.

2. Physical Manipulation:

Opponent: Vibrates objects or opponents to cause structural damage or disorientation. (Ie. shattering materials or inducing vertigo)

Self-inflicted: Can cause internal shuddering, disorienting vertigo, or chronic pain by focusing vibrations on specific body parts.

3. Harmonic Collapse:

Opponent: Creates destructive resonance waves, damaging anything within a 5-meter radius of the Stand.

Self-inflicted: Can result in self-destructive resonance or explosive disruptions within the user's body.

4. Combat Applications:

- Ripple Propagation: Attacks enemies by sending vibrations through solid surfaces.

- Tuning Shift: Affects specific targets while avoiding allies/vulnerable areas.

- Chamber Lock: Traps targets in a feedback loop of sound or vibration, immobilizing them.

Self-inflicted application:

- Enhances speed and strength through vibrations but risks self-imprisonment or internal strain.

Pleasure Applications:

1. Amplified Euphoria: Intensifies pleasure during intimate moments.

2. Sensory Misdirection: Shifts sensations to different body parts, enhancing excitement.

3. Pain Channeling: Transforms pain into pleasure, adding thrill to experiences.

4. Harmonic Resonance: Builds waves of pleasure leading to intense climaxes.

5. Nerve Distortion: Alters perception of pleasure, creating unique sensory experiences.

6. Ripple Propagation: Channels pleasure through surfaces, enhancing intimacy.

7. Emotional Manipulation: Deepens emotional connection during romantic moments.

8. Self-Induced Vertigo: Adds excitement through mild disorientation.

9. Pain Suppression: Ensures enjoyment by suppressing discomfort.

10. Feedback Loop: Intensifies and prolongs sensations of pleasure.

Weaknesses:

Opponent: Less effective against chaotic opponents, reduced impact in open spaces, and strong-willed individuals can resist emotional effects.

Self-inflicted: Requires precise control to avoid self-harm, less effective in open areas, and emotional resistance demands mental discipline. User must use careful precision as to not hurt allies alongside enemies during combat operations.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and its characters belong to Hirohiko Araki, I do not claim to own them in any capacity.

[sadgirl69420]

Everything I've Learned About Querying from Talking to Agents (And Traditionally Published Authors)

Disclaimer: I'm UK based, as was everyone I spoke to. I didn't include any country specific advice, just what I think is applicable regardless of where you live, put it might be useful to know this is from a UK lens.

As part of my course I was able to go to a lot of talks with literary agents (a mixture of literary, genre and nonfiction) and I picked up a lot of useful information - a lot of it not quite so bleak as I feared! - and thought it might be helpful to compile it for anyone looking to query agents in the future, so, here goes, under the readmore:

Querying

Remember that agents want to find and publish new authors. They're not at odds with/out to get aspiring authors. They want to work with us. This is someone you're working with, so don't pick an agent you won't get along with.

Manuscripts should be queried when they are as close to finished you are able to manage. There are a few agents that are open to incomplete manuscripts, yes, but many more that flat-out refuse unfinished work. Manuscripts generally go through about ~15 rounds of edits before landing an agent.

Send query letters in batches - around five or six at a time. There is no limit to how many agents you can contact, but you can't contact more than one agent from the same agency, so make sure you've selected the most suitable one from each.

In most cases you can't submit the same manuscript to the same agent twice - so having it be as finished as possible is all the more vital.

Some of them will take a long time to respond. Some never respond at all. If it's been three months of nothing, it's safe to assume that's a rejection.

One agent said she took on about two new authors a year, which likely isn't true for them all but is probably a reasonable average. For all of them, the amount of queries they get can be in the three digits a week. I can't emphasis enough just how many they get. I take a lot of authors to mean that means it's a 0.001% chance and despair, but that assumes each manuscript has an equal chance, and they don't. Correct spelling and grammar, writing in a genre that appeals to the agent, quality sample chapters and respecting the submission guidelines (more on this later) improve the odds by a significiant amount.

One agent said he rejected about half of his submissions from the first page due to spelling and grammar mistakes and cliches, for perspective.

You'll need to pitch your book. If your book cannot be pitched in three sentences, that's a sign it has too much going on and you'll need to do some pruning.

Please don't panic if you cannot come up with an accurate pitch for your book on the fly - you're not supposed to be able to do that. A pitch takes many edits and drafts just like a manuscript.

Send your first three chapters and a synopsis (this should be a page, or two pages double spaced. It should not include every single plot point though, again, if major things end up not there at all, question if they're necessary for the manuscript).

Three chapters is the standard - as in, if the agent web page doesn't specify how many, that's what to opt for. If they say anything else, for the love of God listen. If there was a single piece of advice that the agents emphasised above all else, it was to just follow each submission requirement to a T.

There needs to be a strong hook in these chapters. If your manuscript is a bit of a slow burn, that's fine, but you can cheat a bit with a 'prologue' that's actually a very hook-y scene from later on.

Read the agent's bio page throughly and make a note of what they like, who they represent, and what they're looking for, and highlight this in the query letter.

Your query letter has to say a little about you. It doesn't have to be really personal information (but say if you're under 40, because that's rare for authors and they like that), and keep it professional but not stiff, they say. If you have any writing credentials, such as awards won or creative writing degrees, include them, as with any real life experiences that pertains to the content of your book. But no one will be rejected on the basis of not having had an interesting enough life.

Apparently one of the biggest mistakes for debut authors tend to be too many filler scenes.

In terms of looking for comparative titles, think about where you want your book to 'sit'. Often literally - go into bookstores and visualise where on the displays you could see it. It's really helpful if you can identify a specific marketing niche. Though you want to choose comparisons that sell well, but going for really obvious choices looks lazy. A TV or film comparison is fine - as long as it genuinely can be compared.

Do not call yourself the next Donna Tartt. Or JK Rowling. They are sick of this.

Don't trust agents who request exclusive submission.

Or any with a fee. Agents take a percentage of your advance/royalties - you never pay them directly.

In terms of trends (crowd booing), there's been a boom in uplifting, optimistic fiction, but more recently dark fiction has been rising in popularity and looks to have its moment. Fantasy and Gothic are both huge right now. Publishers also love what's called upmarket/book club fiction - books that toe the line between genre and literary.

But publishers aren't clairvoyant and writing to trends is a futile effort, so don't let them shape what you want to write. Some writing advice I got that I loved was to not even THINK about marketability until draft three or four.

If any agent requests your full manuscript - this is crucial - email every other agent you're waiting to hear back from and let them know. This will take your manuscript from the slush pile to the top, and you are more likely to get more offers of representation.

The agent that flatters you the most isn't necessarily the best. Be sure to ask them what their plan for the book is, and what publishers they're planning to send it to - you want them to have a precise vision. It might be that their vision misses the mark on what kind of book you wanted to write, and if so, they aren't the right agent for you.

Research like hell! A good place to start is finding out who represents authors you love (the acknowledgements pages are really helpful here). if you can, getting access to The Writer's and Artist's Yearbook is very helpful, as is The Bookseller, the lattr for checking up on specific agents. (I was warned the website search engine is awful, so google "[name] the Bookseller" to see what they've sold. That said, only the huge deals get reported, so it's not indicative of everyone they take on.

I also want to add Juliet Mushen's article on what makes a good query. I owe a lot to it, and I feel like it's a useful template!

Once Agented

Agents send a manuscript to about 18-25 publishers, typically. Most books will end up having more than one publisher interested.

It can be hard to move genres after publishing a debut novel, especially for book two, not only because it means it takes longer for you to establish yourself, but the agent that may be perfect for dealing with manuscripts for book one might not have the skills for book two.

Ask the agency/publisher about their translation rights, their rights to the US market, and film and TV rights. Ask also what time of year the book is going to come out, if being published.

It's less the book agents are interested in than it is you as an author. You will be asked what you're going to write next, so have an answer. Just an answer - you don't need another manuscript ready to go. One author said she flat-out made up a book idea on the spot, and she got away with it - just have an answer. (This is also useful to put on the query letter.)

Caveat that this is, of course, not a foolproof guide to getting a book deal, nor is it in any way unconditional endorsement of how the industry works - I just thought it would be useful to know.

[bylrlve]

Warning! Potential Spoilers for Stranger Things 5!

A compilation of recent tweets made by Alex and others about the mileven ‘making out in a field’ leak. Alex is insisting that this scene is separate from the sequence involving them talking on the rooftop, the scene which was leaked as a video back in January. According to 011scenes this scene happens ‘at the beginning’ aka in episode one.

The issue? Alex’s sources are people who speak to paps (which she lied about in answering a cc question; either that or she’s clueless), and who deliberately feed her inconsequential things production dgaf abiut because it distracts from the juicy shit e.g., what Mike and Will are doing. She was told ‘Robin and Will have a scene’ and that morphed into ‘Will is in his unrequited mopey Steve era, Jonathan and Robin don’t share scenes’, etc. The source said nothing about Byler being finished or about passionate makeouts.

I’m suspicious of the second anon’s claim about Finn, as Noah is straight-up went on TikTok live right before filming commenced in January to read out byler endgame and Byler kiss comments lmao. The bit about the love triangle being kept under wraps seems accurate enough - they’re openly passing out scraps of mileven to leakers to pass onto Alex, and it’s pretty clear they didn’t care about that mileven video hitting national news website in the Uk (daily mail). Byler? On lockdown. The only thing we know is the hospital stuff and that’s due to specific leakers, and even then it’s not that much. It is clearly a big question going into s5 for the GA, so it being kept tightly guarded is unsurprising.

The context of the kiss will be interesting, regardless of if it’s pro-mileven or somehow anti-. Alex indicates that it’s only them present in the field - BUT she’s also said that she outright leaves Will out of ‘leaks’ and gave the example of Max, Lucas, and Will having a scene but her only reporting Lumax having a scene, so… S4 mileven was a concerted effort to show that the characters had matured from s3, and that their fight was more serious. They only kissed once, and that briefly, and were… unaffectionate at the end of the season, to say the very least. The reversion to kissing in broad daylight, in an apocalyptic setting when El will be mostly hiding with Hopper from the military, feels a little out of character - and will certainly be jarring tonally and thematically.

Alex received this dm ^ back in February (discussed in my first leak post), which stated that hopper is annoyed by mike’s continuing presence around el. I and many others (including Alex iirc) dismissed it, as Hopper and Mike are on good terms at the end of s4. If Mike and El are still doing reckless things in s4, and if the old pattern of isolating El from others just to kiss re-emerges, though… The veracity of this is very shaky: the time skip occurs gradually over episode one, not in between episodes 1 and 2.

It’s important to note that many leaks are undoubtedly missing context. Just today, Alex brought up how she was right about Mike ignoring Will at the airport, about their fight, and about the airport kiss. Yes, she was, but she lacked the tonal subtext of the scene itself, which portrayed Mike’s behaviour as inexplicably phony - and of course, she lacked the lynchpin of this plot, which is that Will is in romantic love with Mike. She completely missed that, and it meant she missed every important aspect of this plotline.

Byrhop, a highly reliable st acc who’s closely following filming, was able to ascertain that Vickie is at the farm.

Lastly, I want to go over everything I know to try and map a trajectory. The Byers are living in the radio station before it’s overrun by military and they flee to the Turnbow farm - I personally am not sure of when exactly this occurs. There is a leaked hospital file showing that Karen Wheeler is attacked by a demogorgan. The file is dated as 1/1987 but it could be a prop error, as I’ve seen claims that she’s attacked when Holly is taken..

As we know, according to the leaked episode 2 title, Holly Wheeler goes missing. This likely occurs at the end of episode one, but the chronology is unclear. Karen being attacked could happen here, and I’ve seen claims that it happens in episode 2. Mike and El kiss in episode one, and as I’ve said this has been overblown greatly by Alex. The chronology of this is also unclear. At some point in episode one, Mike and Dustin are at the high school and interact with the jocks. Mike is wearing the same outfit he wears on the rooftop - dark trousers, blue and black shirt with a yellow collar, etc. As this is what he wore in the official pic released by Ross of him in his room, I am speculating that this is the first outfit he wears in the story proper, after the last time jump to November 1987, and that he may wear it throughout episode 2 as well

In episode 2, Mike, Nancy, and Karen have a plotline at the hospital. From official BTS pics, we know Robin and Vickie are there as well. The above anon does not mention Mike being injured, and its description of Karen’s mindset does not tally either with her having being attacked by a demogorgan prior or with Holly being abducted. It’s likely that they have partially but not totally accurate information; or else it’s a point in favour of Holly being taken and Karen being attacked after this happens, at the end of episode 2. I have confirmation that Mike is injured in episode 2, as are several other people - I discussed this in a post a few days ago - please discount the forehead kiss anon section of that post. This was confirmed by an extra who played a nurse on the scheme and by a different source later. The second source confirms that Will shows up last, and is crying and blaming himself for what happened. - I also have confirmation that El doesn’t show up to the hospital at all. The nurse extra also confirmed that Mike and Will ‘share scenes’ although he was not present for those so can’t speak as to what happened in them - I don’t have an image of that text so didn’t include it yesterday.

The forehead kiss anon is definitely not real (check @will80sbyers) but the rest seems to be.

Lastly, Atlanta-filming insinuates that the m*leven rooftop scene occurs after the hospital subplot. It’s unknown how they came to this conclusion.

To summarise: m*leven kiss in episode one, potentially during one of the staggered time jumps (my speculation) and the short rooftop conversation between them likely in either episode one or two immediately before something involving Hopper and Joyce occurs down in the field that alarms El. I’ve seen conflicting into on when Holly is abducted - either episode one or episode two. In episode 2 Mike, Karen, and Nancy go to the hospital for plot reasons. If this occurs after Holly goes missing, it is likely to be related to that. I am speculating that Holly vanishing, whenever it happens, accelerates the byler plotline, as Mike will more-than-likely seek out Will for advice, reassurance, information. In episode 2, Mike gets injured somehow at the hospital, along with several other people in a small-scale mass-casualty event, and ends up being admitted to the hospital. As I’ve said, it seems to be rock-solid that Will arrives and is crying and blaming himself for what happened, and Will stays with him but El is nowhere to be found in this plotline. We know from BTS pics that Robin and vickie are also there, and I’ve seen claims that Jonathan shows up to be with Nancy, but have no proof or knowledge of the providence of such claims, so… take that for what it is. It is pretty certain, as far as I know, that El is not there.

One possibility is that Will is possessed at least temporarily in 501-2. Perhaps there’s another superspy, ‘it’s a trap’ situation? Will Byers would never be reckless with the safety of Mike Wheeler or his family… but I bet Vecna and the mindflayer are just itching to attack the one salvation standing between them and Will. Something to muse on.

The timing of the rooftop scene is very important. El not showing up at the hospital is unlikely to happen after it. The scene is very clearly about affirming their relationship- whether as lovers or as friends. It’s likely that she’s distracted by Max, who is her main plot, but this is a narrative. El not being present for Mike, while Will is there and crying and staying by his side? That is telling of a potential rift that opens up in their relationship between episode one and two. There is a pattern of problems arising in their relationship in episode twos. In s2 El reached out to Mike during his call but he walked away while an ominous stinger played. In s3 they broke up at the end of episode 2. In s4 they had their disastrous roller rink date.

A few days ago, I gif’d the rooftop scene, and speculated that they’re discussing being friends, and that El apologises for not being there and Mike says ‘No. You should have been.’ before basically saying that he’s okay because Will was and “you’re all friends to me.” The ending of s4, to me, potentially marks a shift in Mike’s attitude to El, as much as it does for hers to him. In the hospital she seeks him out by resting a head on his shoulder, and she did speak briefly with him prior about Brenner, but he offers her no comfort beyond a stiff arm around her. When they arrive at the cabin, he walks in with the other boys instead of staying with her - as shes’s clearly very nervous and emotional about reentering the cabin. Finally, as we have all observed, she directs an almost angry look at Will and Mike before stomping into her room and slamming the door - a parallel to s3 after the phone call with Mike where she knew he was lying. When it pans back to Mike, and Will asks if they’ve talked? He rolls his eyes. Unlike in 403, he does not seek her out and push through her self-isolation. He leaves her be. This, coming from Mike the Paladin, suggests that he’s kind of done with trying.

El’s attitude has been convincingly dismissed by M*levens as simple grief over Max causing her to retreat as she always does. It is bizarre, however, that the monologue did nothing at all to make her feel she could rely on Mike, and much more so that he’s very apathetic.

I posit that they might, maybe, fall into old habits of passivity and inertia and string the relationship along over the time jump. Perhaps the kiss is from one of the interim jumps between March 1986 and November 1987? I could see El having too much on her plate to really address it, and feeling that she doesn’t want to push him away - after all, he did give the big damn speech. The kiss could be a parallel to Boyce and Stancy. If that Hopper leak is accurate (doubtful), perhaps they fall back into habits of clinginess and immaturity while still being deeply unhappy. Nurse extra stated that Mike is no longer trying to be normal, and that he’s discovering himself, being himself again, and being the support he once was - the wording rather implies that it means being the support to Will.

Of course, I could be wrong, and it could be that they’re doing very well, and that the kiss is indeed as happy and loving as Alex paints it out to be… but I am skeptical bc of the hospital, and because of El the brave protector not rushing to her boyfriend’s side. It’s simply too early to say. If my musing on whether Will was possessed and effectively set Mike up (against his will ofc) is correct, and if my lip-reading is correct, Mike speaking affectionately of Will here could be due to the fact that he’s intimately witnessed Will being possessed, and he knows Will would never do something like that on purpose.

Finally, definitely worth noting that there have been no signs of any NPC love interests. Will’s storylines are being protected well from leakers, so people could be missing something, but there has been no indication of it. What we are getting, though, is a focus on Will’s love of Mike, and his selfless devotion.

All of this is incredibly shaky, and I’m interested to hear your guys’ opinions on alternate sequences of events. Whatever the truth, clearly m*leven is inconsequential to the production, as it’s being deliberately leaked to distract from the real juicy stuff.

Oh, and I just want to wrap up by mentioning this bit of idiocy. Someone in Alex’s inbox sincerely thought that the production actually kills fields they want to look dead-looking, rather than editing it. And Alex agreed.

[notablogtwiy]

Angela And Spencer

Hello, everyone. I'm new here, not just to Smosh, but a little bit to Tumblr as well. And I'm jumping right into the deep end, I guess.

Okay, the thing is I absolutely love the Angela and Spencer dynamic. As a friendship and an amazing duo. It's just important to remember that they are not fictional, they're real people, so I don't let shit get weird. Is the idea of them together appealing? Sure, it is. I just believe it's okay as long as no one is being weird, creepy, or obsessive about it, then having casual fun with it is cool. Just be respectful. That's one of the reasons why I was hesitant to make this post because it might come across as something more than what it is. Which is just me enjoying my favorite duo, having fun, and sharing that with others.

Okay, now that's out of the way…

Spangela. As I've mentioned, I love them very much and I feel like not a lot of people talk about them. Now, more and more people are seeing the light, though. I still feel like they're closer than any of us realize. I only found two awesome compilations of them on YouTube, which was very surprising to me as a new fan of Smosh, I thought for sure there would be more. The compilations are created by @fvckwluv and they are an amazing editor, go check them out if you haven't already.

And because I get very anxious and I don't know many creators here and I don't want anyone to feel weird about my request. I'm making this post with some of my favorite moments, hoping that someone will kindly volunteer and make a compilation and add just a few of these moments to it. @fvckwluv I'm looking at you. Kidding, kidding. No pressure, lol. But I'd still appreciate it if one or two of them happen to make it in your next video because your editing is awesome and you can make all the moments work together well.

Okay, now, I can't do all my favorite moments in one post because that will be even longer than this one. I know. But yes, this post can be even longer. So, I'm only gonna start with sweet and very subtle moments that I feel show they're close friends and know each other well, as well as moments where Spencer is just being sweet to Angela. And if this works out and someone makes a video, then I'll post my other favorite moments. I mean, they roast each other constantly and they quite literally attack each other in Don't Win Mario videos all the time, so that should be its own thing.

So, I'm not including popular stuff of theirs. For now, I'm simply focusing on the underrated, subtle, and sweet friendship moments. Mostly. I will also be adding time stamps as much as I can, so it would be easier for anyone who wants to check them out or if anyone just wants to make a video.

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(The Chosen Moose Master Multiverse):

I mean, that whole video is just incredible. Their interactions are fucking gold. But other than the obvious moments, I like the subtle ones. When they start joking about Spy Kids. At 10:28, Spencer says to her, "And you love traitors." I'm starting with this moment, so you can understand what I mean when I say subtle moments. Because this one shows that he knows her and I like that.

When Angela does her second finishing move. At 20:38, I love how Spencer goes, "Oh, my god, I just got chills."

At 20:38, when she mentions that they forgot a rule during their turn with the I don't want to get a boner joke. I love the way he's smiling at her, saying. "We can take it back." And she smiles, too. "It's okay, I just wanted to get it in there."

Also, the last like 6 minutes of the video where he's so impressed laughing and clapping while she annihilates everyone.

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(Do you pick your nose in public):

They were both hesitant and unsure about smelling good to others. At 19:54, when Angela starts talking, I just like the way he's looking at her, so that's nothing. Just a me thing.

And at 20:26, you can see them in the background nodding at each other reassuringly.

At 25:55, he jokingly asks Angela "So you're telling me if I come to you with a pimple…" I know Chanse answers him, too, but he was very clearly looking at Angela when he was talking, he also laughed at her chatGPT answer.

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Okay, look, I just love seeing how they progressed in their relationship over time. In earlier videos, you can so clearly tell that they're still trying to feel each other out a little bit, it's so sweet.

Two times there was a tie, and Spencer had to be the tiebreaker, and both times, he picked her. Again, it's nothing, but I like these videos. The worst dates ever? Video. Spencer joins at 30:43. And the Our Craziest Business Ideas so Far video, Spencer joins at 35:55, Spencer liked her idea there, as he should, it was great. And it was also really funny when they all leaned in to smell him because he smelled so good, apparently.

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(Don't Win Mario Kart):

This video was amazing, just because Angela won that shit, but also because Spencer was so hyped whenever she won, and at 8:57, he was like, "Oh my fucking god." And, 20:35, he goes, "Angela won again!" In like, an excited voice.

And when Chanse was teasing her and telling her that her hair smelled bad when she was dancing and celebrating, for whatever reason, Spencer says at like, 20:11 "Show us how you washed your hair." Which is just…a great thing to say for me to think about. Thanks, Spencer.

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(Is He Cheating? Reddit Stories):

I mean, the whole video is a favorite moment on its own. But of course, the 13:27 Nerfs are in the gun joke, the look he gives her after is one to dissect, for sure. The first time I watched it, I was like, "What's wrong with him? Why is he looking at her like that? The joke wasn't that bad." And then I thought, maybe it was an inside joke or something because his reaction was so…weird, but also really hot? But the slight smirk was just…yeah, it was something. I was confused, mainly. I love them.

And the exchange goes on for a while, too. After Shayne asks for clarification Angela explains, and Spencer turns back to her and says softly, "That's crazy." And then they both just exhale a little laugh while covering their faces. Yeah, I think about this a lot. But I also feel like it was just a moment with no explanation behind it.

At 14:07, When Shayne announces an update and Angela leans in excitedly with her mouth open, Spencer sees her in the monitor or screen thing. He sees her and smiles and then leans in with her, too, with an agape mouth. I liked that moment. Especially that small smile and chuckle he lets out when he sees her reaction before doing the same thing himself.

At 52:33, when Angela starts humming jokingly at the Reddit story and he joins, I love how long it goes on. She just keeps doing it while he's silently laughing.

At 53:42, when Spencer makes the uggo joke, and Angela laughs and explains it to Shayne, I think you can see him looking at the monitor again, smiling while she speaks. And of course, when they lean in together at the end of the video showing off their matching hats. Like, we get it, you're insanely cute.

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(Overcooked):

The glasses saga starts at 2:02. And from there, it's all hilarious and cute at the same time. But, an underrated part, is at 18:33, after Angela says "They're in my car." the first time. You can hear Spencer ask, "Do you want me to go get them?" And you can see Angela shake her head no. But it's very faint, though, you have to wear your headphones to hear him.

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Okay, now, live streams. Live streams are where they truly thrive and shine.

(Sharing YOUR SWORD AF fan art live):

Just one very small moment here and it's still a good one. People kept sending how sexy Angela is in the chat and how she is the sexiest woman alive, and I mean, they're so valid for that. Anyway, Amanda kept bringing it up to Angela because she wasn't wearing her glasses and couldn't read the comments. And then Spencer was like, "I told them to shut up." It was just so funny and so cute. The whole sexiest woman alive thing starts at 1:24, but the Spencer comment is said after the 2:32 minute mark conversation between Amangela.

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(Don't win Mario Party Charity live stream):

At 11:54, he helps with her controller.

At 15:53, he references the papa thing she did in the cards against humanity video, and then he does it throughout the stream, as they all do, consistently. But he does it a lot.

Side note: Spencer also clearly mentioned once that he was cracking up when Angela was doing that, but I can't remember which video he said it and it's driving me crazy. If anyone can remember, let me know.

At 30:08, Spencer got confused about winning/not winning and Angela kinda chuckled and touched and patted his arm and he turned to her smiling. Again, a small moment, but I live for those.

Like at 30:20, when Angela starts singing the words don't win loudly and Spencer just looks at her and smiles, and Angela just lightly smacks his arm. Yeah, these are my moments. Sigh.

At 33:24, after she tries to sabotage him and Shayne, Spencer's like, "You're not even playing. what if I fully put down the controller and choked you out?" And just joking about not realizing that she wasn't playing.

Another choking comment to Angela by Spencer.

(The other one was in the latest Don't Win Mario Party video when they finally got day at the races. Angela says that she almost googled Day at the Races that morning to see what it looks like. And Spencer just straight up goes, "I would've choked you out." Which is so unhinged. And I love him so much for it. Truly. Thanks, Spencer.)

Back to the stream, at 34:18, Angela almost spoils a video about who wins in it and Spencer goes"Shhhhh. They're not even gonna watch it now", and she's like, "They don't watch for the winners." And he replies, laughing, "I know."

But the cutest part is Angela still very softly whispers and apologizes to him about almost spoiling it at 34:37, and it's just so sweet and melted my heart, Angela is adorable. You have to use a headphone to be able to hear her, though.

(Her apologizing to him happened two more times, I believe. That latest don't win video, when they were both Mario and Luigi and on the same team. When they lost, she said, "I'm sorry, Spencer." And on Reddit Stories, she says I'm sorry after he teases her about the fact that she doesn't give him enough time to get to a joke.)

At 34:47, Angela screams about mini-games incorrectly and he, of course, laughs, and then at 34:56, he asks her if she's singing Taylor Swift and teases her and says, "Dude, you were down bad last night" and then I can't hear what he said after that, something Taylor Swift? Most likely, singing. And then Angela of course says, "Shut up." It was a nothing moment, but again, I live for those.

Since she gave her controller to Courtney, Spencer turns to her at 37:59 and asks, "Hey, do you wanna use my controllers?" Angela got confused about what he was asking and then joked that she was already playing and Tommy joined in, the whole thing was cute, okay? Don't judge me, lol.

45:48, Spencer suggests that they, "de-italian Angela and get her fixed." And they all joke about that for a while. But what I love is that When Angela agrees to actually do it at 47:11 because she's awesome, Spencer says "Okay, thank you." because he knows that what he suggested was a bit insane, and he should be grateful that she's just as unhinged as he is.

At 50:33, Spencer jokes about the cone again, "You know how it is with Angela, man, she keeps getting into the trash." I'm including this joke because Angela laughed so damn hard at it. I love her ability to laugh at herself so much. Nothing but respect for her, honestly.

At 52:25, Spencer makes a weird sex joke, and Angela's like, "Spencer…" And then he goes, "Look, okay, it's a work in progress."

(This could also be paralleled in the latest don't win Mario party video. When Spencer says, "I hope I don't come in my pants." Everyone laughs, and Angela says, "Don't laugh at that." You can see Spencer close his eyes briefly, shaking his head and smiling.)

1:01:56. Somebody in the chat suggests they fix Spencer for a certain amount of money. And Angela's like, "That's not gonna be enough." And he continues her joke, "We're gonna need a bigger boat."

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(Boozy Painting Anthony For His Funeral live stream):

At 35:23, Angela excitedly asks him to paint something on her cast, and his response is equally as excited, open mouth and everything. I love that he tries to give her the same energy she gives other people. As he said on who meme'd it, it's the best part of Angela and you can tell he appreciates it so much and he tries to give her the same reactions to the things she says. I've noticed it a few times now. (For example, it happened in the Lego stream as well when she was talking about submitting options for her school mascot, he was giving her an Angela-type reaction to a very tame and normal story.)

At 39:38, after he messes up her cast, I just love that he wanted to try again and was like, "Let me draw something else." And then proceeded to lean over and just paint for quite some time on her cast until Alex had to be like, "Spencer get your elbow out of Angela's painting."

Also, I like the fact that Angela was the only one who knew Spencer was planning a Chanse and Angela show special because they'd already talked about it with each other before telling anyone else. Well, I assume Alex knew as well. It starts at 1:10:10.

17:06 - 17:23. After Angela posts coffee memes on Courtney's Instagram. Spencer says, "I gotta see these." And then you can hear him and Alex laughing, and then Spencer says, "These are awesome."

48:11, Spencer says, "The way Angela says day at the races is really funny." This bit might be more on the teasing side because he does say she sounds like Bobby Hill or Peter Griffin, but still lighthearted teasing.

59:16: This. This. This moment. This damn second. I have no idea what's going on here, but the way he just came up to her and touched her arm and both smiled and stuff was cute as all hell.

1:32:09, Spencer got so excited when Angela agreed to show her drafts. And then after Shayne reads her Call Me by Your Name draft at 2:12:12, Spencer says after they're all done laughing. "I would've retweeted that shit." It's extra sweet because she's been saying all stream that her co-workers never retweet her.

Also, I love how invested Spencer was in painting her face. Not only did he go over to her to take a picture of her on his phone, but at 1:19:36, he said, "Like, I need to see some red in there." And then Courtney is like, "Stop giving notes, Spencer."

Now this is speculation and not confirmed, but also I feel like it's obvious enough. Angela mentioned that she wanted her drawing of John Pork to be on set or something like that, and now it's on the Smosh Games set next to Spencer's one-ball picture. I can only assume that the director of programming is the one who approved to put it there, so yes, that is now a part of their lore in my mind. It's incredibly sweet and I just love seeing her drawing in the background in videos so much.

Now onto the best moment of the stream, at 1:25:00, Spencer sweetly asks her, "Do you need me to hold your jacket?" Like, I'm sure there are places she could put it away safely, but no, he asked if he could hold it for her. It was just so…I love him.

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(Smosh Does Arts and Crafts live stream):

At 43:57, Angela lights up when she sees him and says "Hey!" so excitedly. And then at 4:42, when she asks him the questions they asked Alex, he answers with "you." At the fancy party question. Though, he did answer with a bit of hesitation, lol. But that could mean anything, you know. The thing is his voice was kind of shy, yet a bit deep when he said it. This is just a Spencer thing, I love his voice.

At 1:08:50, Angela messed up the RumPum name and everyone was correcting her loudly, she was like, "I'm kidding, I got your ass." Spencer then chuckles and says, "You're gonna start doing that any time you get something wrong. Oh, I got you."

And then when Spencer told her at 1:21:46 to "Tell him–tell Shayne about your plan." I'm weird, I know, but again, I like the subtle moments that show that they talk to each other and are actually friends.

(Again, this could be paralleled in the latest Don't Win Mario Party. When Spencer says he wants to do an all-day marathon, Angela goes, "I pitched a meal train like churches do." While Spencer nods. Again, it seemed like she was the only one aware he wanted to do this and he already discussed it with her, along with Alex, probably. I also like that he clearly includes her in the creatives and stuff, and cares about her input.)

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(The Ultimate Staring Contest Live Stream):

When Angela was stone-faced and not laughing, and Spencer was like, at 16:25 "I think you brought that energy to TNTL one time." Like, wow, he remembers that! I don't know why that is so, so, so sweet to me. It was an old TNTL, too. The only hard mode TNTL Angela was in, I think.

And then at 16:37, talking about her dark place, he was like, "So, wait, what, what are you thinking about?" He was just really invested and maybe, just a tiny bit worried, I think. This whole stream felt like he was trying to be so attentive.

At 34:19, Angela talks about how she was on Spencer's computer and he had to go to a meeting, and then she, Shayne, and Amanda pranked him with a fart video. But it was her idea, I believe, and she was the one who gave it to him during the meeting. Amanda mentioned that people were clapping when she left the room. At 34:58. I just love knowing these things about them.

At 1:11:10, when they didn't agree on Angela's pitch, Angela was like, "I'm just pitching, that's all." Spencer went, "No, no, it was…." you can tell he felt bad that he said no. Even Alex felt a little bad and was like, "No, no, you can stand."

1:06:48, when Angela says she feels like she's been getting too much into a dark place, and Spencer goes, "Yeah, I'm legit w–yeah." I believe he was going to say worried. And it's so sweet and also kind of proves that it's not just me, he was being extra sweet that stream. Like, when he defended her against Chanse's joke about her being cross-eyed at 1:13:39. "I've never seen that Angela, don't believe him."

At 1:11:36, Angela pitches another idea again. And Spencer says "Yeah, mirror staring, that would be fun." But then, at 1:11:43 she says, "Everyone hates my ideas." And Spencer goes, "I just suggested your idea." Again, it's nothing, but I think he could tell she was a bit deflated and it was sweet that he was trying to make her feel better.

And finally, at, 1:17:16, he asks, "Was going to your dark place worth this food…meal you're about to have?" The entire stream, it just felt like he didn't like the fact that she went there. But maybe that's just me.

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(The Beopardy Charity Stream):

It's just another parallel of Spencer backing Angela up when she says some wild shit like she did in the family vlogging video. At 39:12, When Angela says they can play two truths and a lie with piss in the guns if they reach 20k, he sweetly pats her on the back, and then when everyone was laughing and Shayne was like, "Fuck. We can never allow Angela to pitch anything ever again." Spencer says, "dude, for 20k…" And Angela goes, "Thank you, Spencer."

Also, when Keith announced that she won the whole thing, Spencer looked so happy and excited as he clapped for her.

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(Reading Reddit Stories From Our Crew Live Stream):

At 50:15 Shayne starts reading a story, and in the story, it mentions the person is only a freelancer at Smosh. And Spencer jokingly says, "Okay, Angela." It wasn't her story, though. But I thought that was funny and cute, the way she just popped into his mind, I guess.

My absolute favorite part is at 1:10:07 when Shayne asks about what they're most excited to see at Anthony's funeral. Spencer says he's most excited about Angela reading the chats as the vessel. Because that was his favorite part during Lisa's funeral. And then he went on applauding Angela on not only reading and figuring out the chats but adding her original takes as well since she's still kind of new to Smosh. The way he talks about her with so much admiration and respect. My heart.

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(The Lego Competition Live Stream):

This Stream is a Spangela stream and you can't convince me otherwise. I mean, they all kind of are, but this one…

At 14:08, they joke about building a hot and beautiful woman, and Angela just reaches over to touch him. I simply really love that moment.

And when he brings up that they were discussing their favorite Angelaisms the other night, he looks at her before he actually speaks. It's subtle, but he does, and why do I like that? I don't know, but I do.

53:54, when they were talking about a possible fake belly button ring for the chosen, I love how Angela starts joking in a British accent and Spencer smiles at her sweetly and joins in, laughing. Felt like an inside joke and I just love that.

26:30, Angela asks, "Do you wanna see mine? John pork. " Spencer goes, "You're getting there. Never give up."

At 40:42, when Spencer reads a comment about Angela and Chanse or Angela and Shayne playing fatal frame 4, Angela jokes, "Please, I've been begging, I've been begging." And then starts coughing heavily, he goes, "Do you wanna water?" The bare minimum, I know. Still, it's sweet, okay? He's like, the only one who's asked.

25:30 he says that his favorite shit was when she teased Amanda about saying something to her about the necklace during the criminal minds episode. I also like the fact that he brought that up when Chanse said something about Angela not slaying every day. And Angela was like, "You guys are just gonna sit there and let him do that to me?" I feel like Spencer's thought process was like: okay, let me bring up this moment where you were funny and how it was my favorite thing.

At 43:31, the sudoku thing. I love that he wasn't laughing with everyone else when Angela was kind of being self-deprecating about the sniper chess video and learning how to play chess. And he tried to make it better, you know, didn't fully succeed, but he did say she was great in the video and was a star. And even though he brought up that she whiffed the last two videos, he was talking about them in a positive light and that he loved them. "The werewolf ending and the criminal minds ending were the funniest shit to me."

I very much love the way he tried to imitate her. "Whoever playing the unsub better wake up." It was so cute and funny. And then when Chanse asks you said that? or something like that. Spencer replies, laughing," Something Angela fucking says." Again, in such an endeared tone of voice.

At 46:02 when Angela shows Shayne her garden, Shayne goes "Actually, I resp–I actually like that. " I love that Spencer kind of calls him out on being patronizing towards Angela a little bit and mocks Shayne and goes "Oh, you know what? I'm surprised." But the funniest part was that Spencer used the word "actually" with her when she first showed them the garden. "Oh, that's actually kinda cute." Said the hypocrite, lol.

55:20, the X-Men question. This moment is unreal. Don't even get me started on the fact that he stares at her for like, 20 seconds while smiling and shaking his head. My favorite part is not once does he open his mouth to call her out on her lying, he's just so endeared by her bit and just stays quiet to let it continue. And that look again at 57:55. He's just so…amused? Perplexed and amused? It's a similar smirk to the one he gives her after the Nerfs are in the gun joke. And yes, indeed, he does know Angela. He knows that she's blowing smoke and shit up her butt. Oh, how far they've come.

Okay, I'm done. For now. I had to cut and edit some moments out of this post, so…

I feel like most of these would be great to edit because there are a LOT of parallels. For example:

"Do you need me to hold your jacket?"

"Do you wanna use my controllers?

"Do you wanna a water?

"Do you want me to go get them (her glasses)?"

Just Spencer making sure Angela's got everything she might need. You get the idea.

I would also just love to discuss these moments, were you aware of most of them or is it just me? What are your favorite moments?

[fatuismooches]

Dottore has never truly felt that anything he saw was worthy of the praise "beautiful". No, nothing. Sure, there are things he finds pleasing to the eye, whether it's the pages of perfectly compiled notes and research he's finally finished, or the results of his latest experiment that appear to be successful, but they're not something he'd call "beautiful." Therefore, surprisingly enough, Dottore finds himself a bit interested in the word "beautiful." No, it's not something he thinks about very often really, but when he hears someone mention it offhandedly, he finds himself thinking about it. What makes something "beautiful"? It's another matter of "perspective", he decides. His perspective is different from others, so he cannot see the supposed beauty in the things they do.

It takes a long time for him to find beauty in something. Even when he meets you, it's no different. You're nothing special to him, much less "beautiful." His perspective hasn't changed... not yet at least.

But when Zandik realizes you are beautiful, it hits him like a truck. It takes years of bonding, of closeness, of everything in a friendship. He realizes you're beautiful when you aren't even dressed up, in fact, your Akademiya uniform is dirtied like his from digging around the ruins for so long. Your hair is a bit tousled, eyes a bit tired, but there's a large smile stretched on your lips as you laugh like there's no tomorrow at something he said. Zandik isn't particularly looking for a word to describe how you look, but he idly thinks the word "beautiful." Wait, beautiful? Did he just think the word beautiful, without even thinking about it? His conflict clearly shows on his face, and you worry for him, but he quickly brushes you off and practically ignores you for the rest of the expedition. (Poor you, always having to deal with his mood swings.) He just can't accept this. Out of all the supposed beauties Teyvat has to offer, you're what he finds beautiful? But once the idea has been planted in his mind, he can't get it out. You're beautiful.

Now that he looks back on it, realizing your beauty was probably one of the biggest indicators that he fell in love with you. His old self was just full of denial. Centuries later, even though you may not look the same as you did back then, Dottore can say with his full confidence, that you are truly the most beautiful thing in this world.

[kny-agere]

Omega, Cg! Tomioka & Little! Nezuko

Tbh this isn’t very omegaversey but I still enjoyed it! So I hope you guys do to :)

★彡☆彡★彡

Giyuu felt nervous being left alone with Nezuko. Everyone seemed to have some unfounded faith in him that he could do a good job caring for the girl. Even Tanjiro said he wouldn’t have to worry if Tomioka was there.

It was fair to say that he certainly wouldn’t let Nezuko be harmed, not intentionally, but the man didn’t know much about children. In fact all the knowledge he had was from his own childhood.

Currently the girl seemed content to lie on the floor and stare upwards. She had immediately crawled out or her box upon arrival, spreading out on the tatami soon after.

Giyuu thinks about calling someone for help. Mitsuri or Rengoku or Shinobu would be much more suited for a job like this. Though he already knows what the most common response would be. “Lean into your Omega side and let your instincts guide you!” Which he does try for a moment. Giyuu closes his eyes and attempts to feel some sort of urge tugging at his heart.

It’s a silly thought and if anything he ends up even more confused. Nezuko doesn’t look like she needs anything at all. Tomioka ends up sitting on the couch behind her, standing by in case he is needed.

For a long time she does not. In his stillness the man nearly falls asleep. The couch is comfortable and he’s fallen asleep in worse conditions. Though just as his eyes sink shut there’s a loud ‘clunk’ sounding from below.

Nezuko has sat up too quickly a bumped her head on the table. The bruise forms and immediately fades but the girl still starts to whimper. Tears well in her eyes and she shuffles towards Giyuu.

He is still a little lost and doesn’t move until the girl climbs onto the couch. Hesitantly Giyuu pats the young girls head and smooths back her hair. She seems happy with the touches and nuzzles into the man’s side, eventually climbing into his lap. From there she locates his scent gland and inhales deeply.

Tomioka is not scented often. Since the death of Sabito and departure from Urokodaki it’s only happened once or twice. People often say he has only a faint smell of salt and earthy rain. It’s not the traditional soft scent an omega would have.

Still little noises begin in the back Nezuko’s throat until she’s purring and attempting to burrow into Giyuu. Her whole chest vibrates.

The man’s arms move on their own until he’s clutching her tightly. When she lets out a pleased hum he feels less guilty about the sudden attack. The girl still has the unpresented pup scent of milk and baby powder. It’s untainted by her demon nature.

Cautiously the man undoes the ties of her bamboo muzzle. He doesn’t fear her fangs and the wood is uncomfortable pushed into his neck.

As Giyuu places the mouthpiece to the side Nezuko pulls back to give him a wide smile. Her dagger sharp teeth are cute rather than threatening. She opens her mouth a few times, getting used to the free feeling. Though once her curiosity has been satiated the girl goes back to curling up in Tomioka’s lap. Giyuu relaxes slightly and spends him time combing through her hair. With the length and sheer volume of it some parts have gotten rather tangled.

His hands move without thinking. Tomioka isn’t entirely sure how much time passes while he works. Each knot is carefully undone. A few times Nezuko grunts when his fingers pull too hard but mostly she is happy with the attention.

Once her hair is compiled into a single smooth sheet Giyuu still doesn’t stop. He weaves her hair into delicate braids. His skills are rusty, he hasn’t braided since he was a pup, helping Tsutako get ready in the mornings. While the man moves slowly he’s still able to remember the intricate fashions from his youth. As he finishes the plait Giyuu undoes his own hair. He uses the tie to secure everything. The thin braids hold themselves together, though the large piece they morph into is tied with the band. The twist shortens her hair as well, rather than dipping down past her waist the gathering stops mid-back.

Nezuko sits back up and touches the finished result. Another smile graces her features. While she can’t offer words of approval she claps her hands together. Another loud purr sounds from the girl. The praise makes Giyuu’s chest rumble as well. He isn’t aware of the action until the noises reaches his ears. The subtle feeling draws Nezuko back in to enjoy the soft vibrations.

With the soft feeling of Tomioka’s arms around her it doesn’t take her long to fall asleep.

Giyuu feels frozen at first. He worries any shift or hiccup will wake her. Eventually however lying in the same position drags him into slumber as well.

[niamhthefae]

ESC 2025

my personal opinion-

real winner: 🇦🇹

my winners: 🇱🇹 🇮🇸 🇩🇪

justifications and more thoughts under the cut for anyone interested

[for the record i love JJ and his song and i think he 100% deserved to win! I just love those 3 songs more.]

lithuania: i have somehow become hyperfixated on this random lithuanian band. This is the only band where i have gone out of my way to listen to other songs and find interviews and follow all of the members on every social media i could find them on. I love them, i love their performance. My mum didn’t let me use her phone to vote (i’m under 18) but i would have voted for them if i could. I could probably talk about them forever. A few minutes ago i was literally watching them play uno like it was the highest form of entertainment ever. In every interview and video with anyone outside the band they simultaneously look like it’s their first day on earth and like they have been at this for 47 hours and would like to leave so they can sleep. My autism is autisming so hard over these 4 😭

iceland: this song won’t leave my head. Nor will these two chaotic icelandic boys. They keep appearing on my tiktok for you page and youtube reccomended and i love their energy sm. they’re so silly and (excuse the pun) i love their vibe. Yesterday i spent like an hour watching them play minecraft.

germany: Tynna. She’s so fine. I love her. And Abor too. Why are these two so fit. Help me. (Also, i keep having their song in my head and even though i haven’t interacted with them they also keep appearing on my tiktok)

Sissal,kyle and jj : i love these 3 and i’ve tried to watch every clips compilation and insta live that i could find. They’re so silly. I love them. Sissal is mother and kyle and jj are her weird sons that she has to look after. Though when adonxs appears they have to hold her back and it’s so funny. (However, none of their songs are really the genres i’m into)

tommy cash: aight i know a lot of people love him but he freaks me out idk why i just get the ick from this man and i don’t particularly enjoy the song.

my country (uk): i think that might have been the best song we’ve sent in years??? Which is saying something because it wasn’t actually that good. Idk how our entries get picked but we need to change something. Anyway i think we deserved more than 0 points. I guess we were robbed?? but not very much.

however, if you wanna talk about countries that were robbed…

Switzerland: zoe me i love you. Her song was so beautiful and i truly have no clue why she got 0 points. It doesn’t make sense to me. Which leads me onto my next point.

the voting: so we all agree that was bullshit right? And that the whole thing was rigged as fuck right? There is no way israel would have got anywhere close to winning otherwise. I have to say they were at least a little bit smart about it. If they’d have won it would probably have either been the end of eurovision or the majority of esc fans would skip next year. So by having them get second they still get recognition and feel special while not causing as many problems as they would if they won.In some ideal world we would get an announcement in a few months that israel will no longer be participating, but unfortunately that probably won’t happen. A girl can dream. (Hey, If we aren’t gonna disqualify them for the genocide, could we at least disqualify them for not being in europe?)

also: “non political, strictly neutral” - me when i lie

anyway, i loved this year’s bunch and they deserved for the ebu to be better. I really hope next year they get their shit together for austria. I love all the silly backstage nonesense and the funny social media videos and the wonderful interviews where nobody knows what is happening. I can’t wait for austria next year. This is the first time in a while that i actually took an active interest in esc. Last year i watched it but pretty much forgot about it the minute it finished.

I think this year i might be going a little insane about it haha.

[ratherbefangirling]

Mi casa (3)

Previous | Next

Pairing: ot7 x reader

Genre: omegaverse, Angst, hurt/comfort, fluff

Summary: Revelations are made. Maybe every dark cloud does have a silver lining.

Warnings ⚠️: Reader is mentally unwell.(past abuse) Suicide ideation. Dark thoughts. Discretion advised.

You sat on the counter, your legs dangling. The sun was setting. The house was unusually quiet, it was just you and Jin.

Your alpha.

Being around Namjoon was one of the best feelings he was your soulmate, your other half, your omega.

But being babied by your alpha? It made your heart melt.🥰🥰🥰

You loved being the little alpha. It meant you could both boss around the omegas and hobi (even though you were aware it was just them spoiling you) which you only did when you felt too lazy or too bored and have the alpha's praise you when you decided to be helpful.

It was a sweet deal.

Jin was busy cooking your favourite stew.He stood by the pot using a ladle to taste test, he added salt and some other Spices and gave it a little stir.

He had learnt the exact recipe your mom made. Him and Yoongi had searched and compiled the list of food you ate. They had even gone as far as to ask your family friends and made a recipe book and cooked up a feast for your birthday.

You had sobbed and hugged them. Never did you think anyone would care for you so. It had been lovely you had essentially wrapped around Yoongi and held Jin very close so they were both stuck to you, refusing to separate from them the whole night. Thus Jimin had resorted to carefully spoon-feeding you dinner.

That had been the first time you had fallen asleep in the living room without weighted blankets or complete silence. Under the smell of the feast was a scent of sweet chocolate.

You hug Jin from behind as he stirs the pot.

"Hey little bird." He greets you.

"Alpha." You reply not feeling very vocal.

"Can you chop up salad for me?" He asks softly.

You nod and go to the fridge to get the ingredients. You wash them and start chopping with the chopping machine Hobi had bought (for Namjoon so he didn't hurt himself whenever he decides to enter the kitchen and help). It felt like playing almost. The thump as you put your weight on.

"Good girl." Alpha complements you when he comes to check your progress. "Do you want to snack on the baby carrots?"

You nod as you transfer the salad into the salad bowl and wash the contraption. Jin grabs the baby carrots and hummus dip.

He puts on your favourite cartoon on TV as you both sit on the couch. You nuzzle into him as he feeds you and himself. It's cozy.

Taehyung is the first to return home. He spots the two of you noting the snacks and a cartoon he greets the two of you and hops into the shower, changing into his pyjamas he lies down on Jins lap. You take over the role of feeding him.

Namjoon is the next to return along with Jungkook who he had picked up. Seeing Jungkook, Taehyung decides its time to finish the video game challenge they were both doing.

Namjoon crouches infront of you.

"Hello baby." He greets you

"Hello joonie." You greet him from Jins side. "Welcome home."

He smiles at you.

"I'll take a shower and be right back. " He informs.

You hear Namjoon's singing. You remember the first time you'd heard Namjoon sing in the shower you'd thought the dvd player was malfunctioning until you'd turn it off and still heard the noise. It had dawned on you that the voice you'd been hearing had been Namjoon's all along.

You giggled.

"What are you thinking of princess?" Jin asks.

You tell him. He laughs loud too.

All is well.

(Before)

When Namjoon arrived from camping the house is quiet. It's early morning. As much as Namjoon enjoys meeting up with his friends and camping. The pack is his home. He tries to be careful not to make much noise. He goes to take a shower. Comes out to make himself a bowl of cereal and milk for breakfast.

I wonder what y/n likes to eat.

The thought naturally comes to him and he finds himself smiling as he spots his reflection in the window.

"Having a good morning?"

Namjoon turns to find Jin. He nods in return.

"How was Jackson?" Jin asks as he starts making breakfast.

"Good. It was nice to meet him. Its been a while. He was complaining as usual that I totally don't make time to meet him. But it's just busy. Life that is."

"It is.." Jin has questions on the tip of his toungue but he is not ready to break the peace of this moment. Not yet.

They are both quite for a while. The only sound coming from the clanking of utensils. Till the omelette is ready and plated. Jin takes out some rice and miso soup then takes a seat beside Namjoon who has already taken a bite of the rolled egg omelette.

"I think I want to ask Y/n to join the pack." Namjoon says so softly that Jin would have missed it if they weren't sitting next to each other.

Jin nods.

And they both finish breakfast.

Jungkook doesn't like the the troubled expression all his hyungs are wearing. He wants to beg Namjoon to stop to not go to not leave them. He can't imagine a day without Namjoon. He wants to ask his hyung. What's hurting you so much that you're ready to leave and the words tremble at the precipice of his lips.

When Jin had called the pack meeting his blood had gone cold. It was lucky that Taehyung was the one driving them back from the staycation. Jungkook would have crashed them. When he had looked at Jimin from the rear view mirror Jimin had tried to smile reassuring but he could tell it was a weak attempt. Taehyung had quietened. Gone inside detached himself. The tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife.

"There's something you should all know. Please listen carefully. Namjoon has something to tell you."

Before Namjoon could say anything a sob sounded.

"I'm sorry hyung." Jungkook apologised trying to wipe his tears.

"What's wrong Jungkookie?" Namjoon asked hugging his fellow omega and trying to comfort him.

Jin too was concerned. Hobi brought tissues and Jimin began to wipe Jungkooks tears. Meanwhile Taehyung had successfully trapped Yoongi in a hug. Yoongi didn't have the heart to tell Taehyung to move. Taehyung had seemed to be feeling down earlier.

"Please don't go. Please don't leave us 😭"

"I'm not going anywhere what made you think so"

"I heard" sniffles "You talking to J-jackson hyung" lip wobbling" you said you'd leave the pack" Jungkook says and proceeds to blow his nose.

"You said what?!" Anger is evident in Jin's voice.

"Calm down, hyung " Hobi says rubbing the back of Jin's neck soothingly.

"I have no plans of leaving the pack."Namjoon sighs. "Its just. I have a mate. I found my mate. "

"A mate? Who when where?" Jimin asks.

"She's the alpha at Yoongi's workplace."

"How do you know she's your mate and not scamming you?"

"Jimin." Namjoon almost growls in warning.

"Jimin don't." Hoseok stops.

"No hyung. What if she's scamming him. He's ready to leave the pack for a person he barely knows."

"Do you think I'm that dense that I won't know my own mate?'

"I'm just saying it could be a scam. You're a catch. Some people are real pieces of work. They are greedy and ready to do anything.. mates are not all that great. You can live without them if you don't bond with them. You can't be too sure. She could try to mooch off of you."

"That's enough Jimin." Jin warns. Jimin huffs but quietens.

"Let me make one thing very clear. I will not tolerate any disrespect against my mate. From anyone." Namjoon's voice is cold.

"Is it y/n?" Jungkook asks.

Namjoon softens and nods.

Jimin feels a little guilty about accusing you. He's done it before. Maybe he needs to reflect on himself. It's just he knows how painful mates can be his bestfriend in highschool was abused by her own mate. While it was pretty rare it wasn't unheard of. He'd have ended up hating Alpha's if it weren't for Taehyung. Warm hearted and soft Taehyung and Jin hyung. Kind caring nurturing. Not the textbook definition of alpha but alpha's all the same. He himself didn't see himself as much of an alpha but he tried his best to be a good one.

"So it's decided we'll welcome one more person into our family." Jin exclaims trying to be a bit more positive.

"We'll need a bigger house hyung." Taehyung points out.

"Yes. Yes we will. Its about time everyone get their own room."

"I'll talk to realtors." Yoongi says.

"It's settled then." Jin says happy the conversation is over with minimal damage.

It was a peaceful evening. You had been feeling better. You knew your time was almost up. You had been informed the shelter only had resources to help out for 3 months. Two of which you'd already spent in silence other than occasional prodding. You had a week or so left. You were told though you'd found your soulmate. He already belonged to a pack. You'd understood the subtext. You were truly abandoned. Now that you were better you had the chance to look at your file. You read how everything was classified so simply. Ptsd, generalised anxiety severe depression. You'd been given a referral document by the shelter psychiatrist. Who informed you you could come for checkups till you found a new doctor.

"Miss Y/n, the warden is asking for you." One of the workers informed you. You nod.

You go to the office knocking.

"Come on in Y/n. Have a seat."

You take a seat.

"How are you doing these days?" Kang Inha the warden asks.

"I'm better." You answer.

"That's good. As you know we have to limit stays for three months. And I hate to break it to you that I'll have to ask you to leave by the weekend but I'm glad you're doing better."

"I know." You reply your voice is hoarse and weak pathetic to even your own ears.

"That being said it's not why I called you. I have something important to inform you."

You look up at him. It couldn't get worse could it?

"Your uncle has died."

You laugh. You don't know why you laugh. You try to stop but your whole life feels like a joke.

I wish he rots in hell.

You think to yourself. The fury that was buried resurfaces but it has no place any longer.

Inha looks a little disturbed but doesn't say anything till you stop.

"His lawyer called. He'll come to meet you tomorrow. I dont know the details but you're most likely the sole inheritor from what I understand."

You nod.

"Is that all?" You ask

"Yes."

You leave you wonder what will happen to the inheritance if you died. Maybe you could put your soulmate into the will. Maybe they would agree to spend a day with you in return. Its fine if its pity even. Just a day you can pretend you too are alive. It would be nice.

Author's Note: I have no clue how shelters work I'm so sorry if I did anything wrong .

And yeah it's pretty dark. I'm sorry if it was off putting. Please let me know your thoughts. Very much appreciated.

Permanent taglist : @exfolitae ; @cryingpages ; @outrobtsnd

Taglist : @kaceypdf ; @ghostlyworld ; @thelilbutifulthings ; @hijabae2019

[verfound]

FIC: "A Story for the Kids" (MLB; Lukanette; LBSC Lukanette Month 2024)

@lovebugs-and-snakecharmers is doing a Lukanette Month for September 2024, and we all just kinda tossed some prompts in the disco to compile a list?  We ended up with 71 prompts, so I decided I’d roll some dice to pick a prompt, do a twenty minute (ish, bc we all know sometimes they run away from me) sprint, and try to get some short fics out this month?

Read on Ao3

Prompt 42: “I can’t believe our first date ended in the emergency room.”

“…I can’t believe our first date ended in the emergency room,” he groaned, sinking forward in the chair to drop his head in his hands.  His elbows dug almost painfully into his knees, and just because that didn’t feel like enough pain he twisted his fingers in his bangs and tugged.  She had the nerve to laugh at him, though her chuckle sounded kind of groggy.

That was probably the pain killers.

They…had dosed her pretty well.

“I can,” she said.  He heard a tapping, and he looked up to see the pulsox on her finger tapping against the railing of the bed she was curled up on.  She looked…she looked…

God.  She looked like shit.

Why hadn’t he forced her to stay home?  They could have rescheduled.  They could have done this another night, any other night, and she could have rested, and…and…

…she would have been alone when she’d collapsed.  And it would have been worse, and he’d probably be beating himself up for an entirely different reason.

Still.

He should have insisted they stay in.  Rescheduled.  It was just a date.  Just…

You wanted this as much as she did and you both know it, a tiny voice in his head reminded him, because had suggested it.  Rescheduling.  And she had fought him, nearly bringing herself to tears because she had thought he had meant cancel.  He swallowed and reached for her hand, worry and guilt creasing his brow.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“You didn’t tell my appendix to rupture,” she said.  He squeezed her hand, swallowing.

“It didn’t rupture,” he said, because that was very important.  The nurse had been adamant about how important that was – how good it was he had gotten her here as quickly as he had.  Because it hadn’t ruptured…yet.  “That’s why you’re going into surgery as soon as your parents get here, remember?  Because it did not rupture.”

…their date would have been so much worse if it had.

“We never even made it to dinner,” she sighed, her eyes closing.  “I owe you so much for this.”

“Stop that,” he said, scooting his chair closer to her bed.  “You didn’t do this on purpose.  And this…this is a fluke, Mari.  This means nothing.  As soon as you’re better, we’re rescheduling.”

“Feels like déjà vu,” she sighed.  Her eyes closed as she sank back into the bed.  “Couldn’t finish a date last time, either.”

“It’s not the same,” he said, his voice hard.  “It’s not.  Marinette, please don’t think…this is just bad timing.”

“We always have bad timing,” she groaned.  A little whimper escaped her, and she curled in around herself as another wave of pain hit her.  “We’re jinxed.  Doomed.  Cursed.”

“We are not,” he insisted.  “Marinette.  You…you still want to go out with me, right?  You want to reschedule, right?”

It had been a long time since…he had just started to accept that they’d never be more than what they were – really good friends – when she had stormed into his berth, nearly in tears, and declared she couldn’t do this anymore.  She loved him – still, always, forever – and hated that he didn’t know it.  That she wasn’t allowed to act on it.  And sure, he’d probably moved on and wasn’t interested anymore, but she had to tell him that – and that had been about as far as he’d let her get before he’d kissed her, because holy shit that was everything he’d ever wanted to hear.

There had been…a lot that they’d needed to talk about, but at the end of the day none of it really seemed to matter anymore.  He already knew her secrets, and thanks to his time on the road with Jay (and a certain monk that he still wanted to kick more times than not) he felt better prepared to protect them.  To protect her.  And she had still been nervous – she’d been guarding those secrets for so long now, and the idea that she didn’t have to do it alone anymore…

They hadn’t broken up because they’d wanted to, before.  A lack of love and commitment had never been their problem.  Balance and timing, maybe, but they were older now.  They had both grown.  Balance was…easier.  Usually.

Though it seemed timing was still out to get them…

“I want Luka,” she whimpered, pain flashing across her face again.  “He’s gon’ be ssso…” her voice was slurring, then cut off completely with another whimper.  “Worried…”

…yeah, he was.

But she was going to be fine.

As soon as Tom and Sabine got there, the doctors would take Marinette into surgery and she’d be fine.  If she could just wait…

She had collapsed on their way to the restaurant.  That he’d actually made reservations at, because it wasn’t technically their first date, but it still kind of was, and he’d wanted it to be special.  Memorable.  He’d wanted to show her he was serious, that the bullshit didn’t matter and he wasn’t running away this time.

…she was definitely going to remember it, that was for sure.

“I’m right here, beautiful,” he said, kissing the back of her hand.  He wondered if she felt it, through the tape holding her IV down.  “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Hurts…” she whimpered.

“I know,” he said.

He hoped her parents got there soon.  The staff had had trouble reaching them – something about a car accident near the bakery and a downed line making cell service spotty, and it was late enough that he wasn’t sure if the landline at the bakery would be switched off for the night.  They had reached them, though.  Because he’d been able to reach Juleka, and she had rushed over to tell them, and they’d be there as soon as they could.

They would be.

And if Marinette took a turn before then…the doctors would make sure she was fine.  He knew they would.  But she was still just young enough that her parents had to give the ok first, and unless she was critical the doctors were going to honor that.

…he understood.  He did.  He still thought it was bullshit.

She groaned again, her bleary eyes blinking open.  It took her a moment to focus on him, and he wondered if it was the pain or the drugs and how many of him she was actually seeing.  He kissed the back of her hand again – a little higher this time, so he could know she would feel it – and a tired smile curled her lips.

“Look…at it this way,” she said, her voice still groggy but sounding easier than a moment before.  He hummed, brushing his thumb over her fingers, and she sighed as she settled back into the bed.  “Gonna be a hell of a story for the kids someday.”

…kids.

Kids?

…kids.

A choked laugh was startled out of him, but it had nothing on the booming laugh that barked out behind them.  He jumped, squeezing her fingers as he turned to see Tom, Sabine, and Juleka standing behind them.  Tom was still laughing, looking like Christmas had come early (and maybe it had), and while it was more reserved there was still a smile on Sabine’s face, too.  Juleka…Juleka looked like she had just gotten her blackmail for the next few years, though he wasn’t sure if she was planning on lording it over him, Marinette, or both of them.

“That’s right, mon choux!” Tom laughed, walking over to the head of the bed and clapping a hand on Luka’s shoulder.  He bent down to press a kiss to her forehead, and she smiled at the touch.  “The kids will love this story!”  He looked up at Sabine, his grin growing, and whispered: “Did you hear that, Sabine?  Kids – plural!”

“She’s always wanted plural, dear,” Sabine said, her voice entirely too calm for the way it made heat crawl up Luka’s neck.

“So gross,” Juleka muttered, shaking her head – but Luka noticed she was smiling, too.

…he had to smile, too.  Just a bit.  Despite the worry still swirling in his gut.  Despite everything.

He supposed that meant she definitely wanted to reschedule.  If this was going to be a story for their kids.

[skzpixie]

Pixie and her relationships with the guys

I.E, what makes her relationships with the men memorable

Taglist: @mynameisnotlaura, @palindrome969

Chanxie (Chan x Kai) - Mother and Father duo 

Popularity: 9/10 

Labeled as the mother and father of the group, the two are extremely close. When the two of them are paired up together, they take on caretaking roles. She makes sure Chan is eating and drinking properly, going as far as to hiding his laptop when he gets too workaholic. This led to many fights in their early years, but now when he starts overworking himself, all she needs to do is give him a look and he then takes a break. 

He introduced her to production pre-debut days. She is the only one in the group to be one of the producers that is not a part of 3racha 

He helped her discover her love of cooking, particularly Australian foods. 

When he starts getting homesick, she overnight ships ingredients to make homemade pizza or sashimi 

He makes sure she’s in bed at a reasonable time 

She is a shoulder to cry on for him and vice versa 

Minai (Minho x Kai) - Mother and daughter 

Popularity: 8/10 

When Chan is the father, kind to Kai, Minho is the tough love. Sure, he makes sure she’s okay first if she gets hurt, but when he knows she’s okay, he roasts the hell out of her. The two have an... interesting relationship. The two could be having skin ship one second, and then wrestling the next.  

Ex. “Have you eaten yet? Did you get hurt?” “Yes, Min. No, Min.” “You’re going to be” proceeds to chase her around the kitchen, going for her sides to tickle her. 

Teases her about her height (How’s the breeze down there?) 

She was the first one to eat lunch with him at the company 

She comforted him when he got eliminated. (“So what if you got eliminated? You have a friend in me now. I refuse to leave you behind; you are my family now”) 

Gets genuinely upset when he self-deprecates. He had to stop in front of her when she started crying 

Cooking duo 

Binxie (Changbin x Kai) - The lovebirds 

Popularity: 9.5/10 

The loudest two in the group become the quietest when the two are paired together. I mean it. Changbin can go from yelling in one second but when Kai is touching him? Sedated. They are each other's rocks, and they are never not touching each other when together. And they are always together. 

Started calling her princess during the survival show 

Always gropes his ass or tits (It's not in a sexual way, it genuinely gives her comfort) 

Each other’s biggest cheerleaders 

They always give each other praise and compliments 

Whenever she starts crying on camera (Because let's face it, she’s very emotional), he cups her face and wipes the tears away himself. There is a five-minute compilation of him doing this on YouTube of just 2023 alone 

Gym duo (They always go together. It's scary to see how much she gained muscle when she went with him) 

Jinx (Hyunjin x Kai) - Sibling duo 

Popularity: 6/10 

The two are extremely close due to their dramatic flair. It seems like she is more dramatic than Hyunjin in some instances. She is like his big sister even though he’s older. They physically fight (Playfully, it’s all-in good fun), and she says he in her sleep paralysis demon at times. 

Was the first person she came out to 

She is helping him learn Mandarin 

Gave each other black eyes once. The makeup artists had a field day with that one 

Once, she hurt her ankle on stage by twisting it early in the performance. Hyunjin put her on his back and proceeded to finish the concert with her on his back. 

Hanai (Jisung x Kai) - The loud introverts 

Popularity: 6/10 

What happens when you put Kai and Han in the same room? Opposite to Changbin and Kai. Loudest mfs EVER. They were forced to sit in different cars because they would scream like mfing seagulls. I mean it. 

Helps Han with his anxiety 

He helps her practice her rap 

She fuels his americano addiction 

Yonxie (Felix x Kai) - Baking duo 

Popularity: 4/10 

Kai and Felix together can only bring chaos. The two have been in a prank war for roughly five years. She always compliments him, to follow up with a slew of dance battles. She and him do so many tik tok challenges together, that her public tik tok is filled with dances from the two. 

Tease each other on each other's accents 

Cuddles everywhere 

He is teaching her self-defense 

She helped him come up with his brownie recipe 

He is the testing dummy for all new baking creations. 

Seungmai (Seungmin x Kai) - Puppy duo 

Popularity: 7/10 

Savages. They roast the hell out of each other. She tries to compliment him, and you know what he does? Call her a pervert. She proceeds to manhandle him, due to her being very strong, despite her small stature.  

Laughs at him at every chance she gets 

While Seungmin is the more hyperactive puppy, she is the sleepy kind 

Has a collection of images on his phone of her asleep in places she isn’t supposed to be in 

Jeongai (Jeongin x Kai) - Platonic soulmates 

Popularity: 8/10 

Since the two are the Maknaes of the group, they are extremely close. They are attached to the hip. If Kai isn’t with Changbin, she’s with I.N. He is the person to realize her love for singing more than dance.  

The two always are seen asleep together. Where I.N goes, she goes 

Was the first person to know of her mental problems 

Extremely protective over her, more so than the other members 

The only person he allows excessive amounts of skin ship from 

They both go drinking together