#why can’t I be like them and understand how people talk

[deliwrites]

𝕐𝕠𝕦'𝕣𝕖 𝕆𝕦𝕣𝕤 // Saja Boys & Huntr/x

// DATE // 29th of June 2025 → 30th of June 2025 // PAIRING // Huntr/x x Fem!Reader x Saja Boys // WARNING // Angst-ish?, I'm bad at writing award shows but I had to make it difficult for myself and make one anyways. // WORDS // 2.5k+ // SUMMARY // When a nervous solo artist unexpectedly finds herself seated between two of the biggest idol groups at an award show, she expects to be ignored - only to be met with warmth, curiosity, and a spark of something deeper. As the night unfolds and her past resurfaces, what began as a whirlwind of insecurity slowly transforms into unexpected support, and a silent promise from the people who were never supposed to notice her.

// Part One //

If I could explain it, I would. But I can’t.

I have just been hyped up on social media, by none other than Huntr/x and the Saja Boys. And I only just met them at an award show. I was obviously my clumsy self and literally stumbled into Zoey. I felt so embarrassed. I looked up to them, still do, and just went and made a fool of myself in front of them. Later that night I was assigned a seat between the two groups.

I don’t know how I got so lucky… and so unlucky at the same time. It was so hard not to freak out. What I expected was to be ignored by both groups. I was a nobody and yet I got to sit with them.

I didn’t deserve this. Not the seat, nor the proximity to them. Hell, they didn’t deserve to be seated with someone as low as me.

But they actually talked to me. At first I wasn’t sure if they were even talking to me, but when I didn’t respond Rumi placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. It startled me.

“I’m sorry, w-were you talking t-to me,” smooth y/n. I scold myself. She only smiled sweetly, like she understood.

“Is this your first award show?” she asked again.

“I- yeah,” I stuttered, grimacing as I awkwardly pulled my shoulders up. “Is it, obvious?” she nodded, chuckling softly. Probably because of the wide eyed expression on my face. Simply because this goddess of an idol was talking to me.

“Just a little,” she says, shrugging like it wasn’t a big deal. “We’ve all been there, but don’t worry. You’re safe. We got you. Any questions you have about events like this, we can answer them,” she gestures to herself, then the girls who were now focused on my too. “Including them, right boys?” she asks the Saja boys on my other side pointedly. My cheeks heated in embarrassment, as I turn to my left where they sat.

They’re all watching me. Relaxed, effortless, like they were born to be idols. There was a shared look between them, no words spoken. A smirk here and a smugly raised brow there.

“Sure,” Jinu replys casually, shoulders lifting in an easy shrug. Smile tugged at the corner of his mouth like he knew something I didn’t.

I returned my gaze to the front, but theres a new feeling that I couldn’t shake. Like I was being watched, though if I peeked in the corner of my eyes it wasn’t them. Or was it?

“Don’t mind them,” Zoey says, waving her hand dismissively. “Relax, I know it’s nerve-wracking to be here. But it will be okay,” she lifts her shoulders in an exaggerated shrug, then lets them drop, signaling me to do the same. Then she leans back into her seat. I nod, taking a deep breath and lowering my shoulders before sinking into the seat completely. The tension finally loosening just a little.

“By the way, who are you?” It’s Baby, the maknae of the Saja Boys. Normally the silent type, but I’d heard he can be blunt. This is apparently one of those moments.

“That alone proves to me, that I should in fact not be here,” I mutter under my breath, not knowing they heard me loud and clear. Doubt settling in my throat like it did when I first walked in. I sigh and shake my head, trying to push it down. “I’m Y/n.”

Little does she know that both bands exchanged glances, stunned for a brief moment. They couldn’t understanding why she spoke so little of herself. Sure they didn’t know who she was, but they were sure there had to be a good reason for her being here. They most certainly wanted to find out more about her.

Before any of them could say anything one of the hosts entered the stage.

“Annyeonghaseyo, everyone! Welcome to this years K-pop Rising Stars Awards!” the host spread his arm wide as he spoke. Grand gestures to capture the audiences attention. “The night where we celebrate the freshest talents, the most unforgettable songs, and the idols who’ve taken this year by storm,” the moment he stops talking his co host enters the stage enthusiastically. Joining to stand beside the first host.

“Hello, hello! I’m Seyeon and alongside Minjun,” she introduces the both of them. “I’m thrilled to guide you through an incredible evening packed with excitement, anticipation and of course amazing performances,” cheers fill the venue.

“Tonight, we’ll be honoring a whopping fifteen idols and groups with well deserved awards!” Minjun exclaims, throwing an excited gesture toward the massive screen behind him as the list of categories light up in bold glittering text. I knew the Saja Boys and Huntr/x were nominated for multiple of these categories, which they absolutely deserved.

You would think that I would be nominated for ‘Rookie of the year - Solo’, or maybe ‘Hidden gem award’. Even the ‘Fan’s choice award’ would have made more sense. But no, I was nominated for the ‘Heartfelt Voice Award’. How? I still didn’t understand. It was as much of a shock for me as it was for my manager.

“So, sit back, enjoy the show, and let’s celebrate the incredible journey of our beloved idols - both those just beginning and those shining brighter than ever!” Seyeon brings the energy down gently, her voice calm and methodical as the crowd begins to settle. Turning to her co-host with a smile. “So, Minjun… what category shall we start with?”

“Let’s start with a bang!” Minjun replies with excitement. “How about we start with ‘Album of the year’,” music starts playing as the nominated albums show on the screen. Out of the corner of my eye - bottom right, just barely - I see him. My ex, Seo Jaewon. He’s looking straight at me with that smug look on his face that might as well be a middle finger in a tux, but I ignore it. I have to. I knew his group, NOIR7, was nominated for multiple awards too, including this one.

“Why is he looking this way,” Mira mumbles, just loud enough to make my stomach twist. The stiffness returns to my shoulders like a reflex. Of course she had to notice him.

I decide to just keep quiet. They don’t need my drama in their lives. Focusing my attention back to the hosts. They are both glancing at the screen.

“Wow,” Seyeon breathes. “So many incredible albums. How could we possibly decide on a winner?”

“Luckily, we don’t have to!” Minjun replies with a grin. He pulls an envelope from behind his back, Seyeon joinin ghis as he slowly, deliverately peels it open. Stretching the tension across the room. “The winner of ‘Album of the year’ is…”

“Huntr/x!”

Zoey squeals with excitement. The three hugging while the audience including myself clap. Someone even whistles. A smile graces my face with genuine happiness for the group. They pass me and the Saja boys to get to the stairs that led to the stage.

Wow, Mystery things, she looks kinda cute when she’s this happy. But it’s more than that. It’s the way her eyes light up - not just for the win. It’s adoration, an adoration she holds highly for Huntr/x.

He watches her a moment longer than necessary, feeling a pull he can’t explain. He’s so distracted by her that he doesn’t even clap for his friends win.

Rumi steps up to the microphone, Zoey holding the award, visibly excited for the win. Even though this is far from their first win. “Thank you so much for this incredible honor,” Rumi starts sincerity clear in her voice. “We’re truly grateful to our fans, who inspire us every day, and to everyone who believes in our music and message,” my heart swells warmly at her words a content sigh leaving my lips which does not go unnoticed by the boys. “This award means the world to us, and we promise to keep working hard and growing together. Thank you!”

Soon they return to their seat, placing their award on one of the three small coffee tables arranged in front of our large couch. For a while the smile doesn’t leave my lips as the categories continue. Saja Boys win two awards before NIOR7 wins one.

Jaewon smirks at me deliberately. Clapping the rest of the members on the back as they make their way to the front. Smug and cocky.

“What is up with him?” this time it’s Romance who notices. My gaze drops, fingers curling tightly into the fabric of my dress, bunching it at my thighs.

“It’s me,” I mutter. No use pretending anymore - Jaewon’s public hatred is impossible to ignore it seems. Even for them.

“What does that mean?” Mira asks, I can feel her eyes on me as I sigh in defeat. Shaking my head, I wanna scold myself for sharing this with the people that shouldn’t have to deal with my shit.

“Jaewon is my ex,” I tell them, visibly shaking with the anxiety crawling up my spine. “He’s just trying-” I take a shaky breath. “Trying to shove it down my throat that he’s better than me. Which… he is,” I hate to admit it but I’m going on a ramble now and there’s no stopping me. “We’ve been doing this the same amount of time but my music never took off-” a bitter laugh escapes me. “Meanwhile, he’s out here winning awards, selling out arenas… and I’m just a nobody,” I lift my gaze carefully, fighting back the tears pooling at the edges of my eyes. “It’s like no matter what I do, I’m always one step behind. And he… he makes sure I never forget it.”

Their faces are soft, no judgement, just understanding. My hands loosen their grip on the fabric. Taking a shaky inhale, I glance over at Jaewon who’s still holding his acceptance speech like he is the center of attention.

“Why would he do that?” Zoey’s voice is soft and gentle, reaching across Rumi to take my hand. I shrug my shoulders, an awkward near tears smile on my lips.

“I don’t know,” it’s barely a whisper as it leaves my lips. “I guess he just wants to break me down so I don’t tell-” I stop myself from finishing. Missing the look of curiosity mixed with anger from the eight around me.

“And now, with this nomination, it’s like he’s laughing at me in front of everyone,” I swallow hard, the sting of tears threatening. “I should not be nominated-”

A protective urge flares within them. They are not just interested anymore. Now they want to make sure she gets votes. Recognition, the win.

“What are you nominated for?” Jinu cuts in, his voice serious. It confuses me but I answer anyway. Telling them know the category like it made zero sense and the song I was nominated with. Their eyes flicker with a sudden recognition. Without a word, a silent agreement passes between them.

I want to ask ‘Why?’ but before I can, Jinu takes his phone out. One by one, the others do the same. Confused I turn to Rumi, Zoey and Mira. They too have their phones out. Not wanting to be rude I don’t peek but I can’t hold in my curiosity. Tears pretty much drying up instantly with the need for answers.

“What are you guys doing?”

“Getting you more votes,” Abby says like it’s obvious.

“Wh-what?” my eyes widen, completely stunned. “But- why? How?”

“When you said the song,” Romance starts while still typing on his phone. “I realised I do know the song.”

“It is a heartfelt song,” Mira adds which surprises me. They know my song. “And your voice fits it extremely well.”

“Wait, you know my song?”

“Of course,” they all say in unison. But they don’t know me..?

“How?”

“We got it sent as an offer for our album,” Rumi says. “But we declined it because we thought it should belong to the original artist.”

“But it was always my song…,” I trail off, unsure what to believe anymore. “It was never meant for others…? I never-” realization dawns on me as my eyes search for Jaewon. “He stole it. Oh my god, it makes so much sense now.”

Silence falls over the group, heavy. There is a shift in the air that brushes over my skin, but I can’t put my finger on. Zoey’s mouth parts in disbelief. Rumi’s expression darkens, jaw tight, eyes fixed on Jaewon across the room like she could burn a hole through him with her stare alone.

“He submitted it… as his,” Baby says quietly, like he’s piecing it together in real time.

That’s bastard, Romance thinks, clutching his phone tight. Composing himself quickly before his patterns show. His fingers move fast. One post goes out. Then another. Then another. Until every account he has, on every platform has a post, pushing her song. His screen glowing with the need to fix this.

“But how do you guys even know of my song?” I ask Jinu, confused cause the song wouldn’t fit their group. In my opinion.

“We got to listen to it as well because we are signed with the same label,” Jinu replies calmly, exhaling slowly, sharp and controlled, but there is fury in the stillness of his body. He keeps to himself that he still has the demo saved. That when he feels down, he listens to it on repeat.

“You wrote that song?” Mira asks, her voice almost softer now. “Every word?” I nod, taking my own phone out to show them pictures of my physical note book.

“Look, these are the lyrics,” I show them a page with crossed out lyrics, rewritten and changed again until I thought they were perfect. They all lean in. A little too close.

“Then you’re not just meant to be nominated,” Zoey says firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument, stunning me. “You’re meant to win.”

“What- no, it’s not that-” I try to protest, stumbling over my own disbelief. I don’t deserve this. Not their support. Not their attention. Not this.

But Abby speaks before I can finish. “We’re going to make damn sure you do,” his voice low and final. The others nod in agreement.

This isn’t about the award anymore. It’s about her. About what was taken from her. About giving back what belonged to her in the first place.

I sit there, stunned and overwhelmed, for the first time that night, I don’t feel so alone.

But she has no idea just how far they’re willing to go, to make sure she never feels this way again. They know not nearly enough about her yet. But they will. The song already tells them more than she realizes. Little glimpses into her heart, her fears, the way she views the world. It’s raw, honest, painful. The can’t unhear it. Can’t unsee her. She thinks they are just being kind. That it ends with some extra votes and sympathy. Doesn’t know it’s something bigger, deeper. Quiet for now, pulsing beneath the surface.

[cempasuchil-flower]

It’s cold.

You keep being hounded by family at every gathering to bring home the secret boyfriend you obviously have because they won’t take “I don’t have one” for an answer.

You haven’t seen your cousin in two years because your aunt is convinced that you’re a lesbian and won’t let you near him.

Your mom won’t stop dropping hints that she doesn’t want you to die alone in a cold bed. “You should go meet people. It’ll be fun.”

Your coworkers keep flirting with you even after you’ve made it clear you’re not interested because somehow you not “being taken” is blanket permission to do so.

Keep your male friend at an arm’s length because otherwise you two won’t be able to breathe around each other without someone commenting that you should kiss already.

It’s years of growing up hearing “you’ll get it when you’re older,” over and over and over again until you’re way past the point where you should have gotten it and it stops being cute and suddenly people look at you like you’re the problem.

You watch your friends date and fall in love around you and you feel like there’s something freezing, cracking broken inside you because it doesn’t matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to feel anything similar for someone else.

It’s getting bombarded with media from every side that all spells the same message out for you: The guy gets the girl at the end of the story and they live happily ever after because they’re together. That’s the only way this story can end happily. The evil witch of course, dies alone. She never loved anyone because she was wicked, right? Her heart was so cold she couldn’t love.

One day you realize that you will never be someone’s first priority because everyone regards romantic love above platonic connections. All of your friends have partners and loneliness settles like ice in your bones.

…

You find a word that describes you. You sigh in relief because there’s an entire community of people who will understand, who will truly get what it’s like to be different.

And then you get chased off what you thought would be a sanctuary because you’re not queer enough for them.

You’re not enough for anyone.

You never will be.

You can’t love, you monster. How could you ever believe that you’d be enough for anyone?

You’re alone.

You will always feel cold.

You weren’t made to be loved.

.

.

.

.

.

“Hello?”

“Is anyone out there?”

.

.

.

“I’m here.”

“Oh. Hello.”

“Why are you here?”

“I don’t know”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here.”

“You are?”

“Yeah, it’s nice talking to someone. I haven’t in a long time.”

“Why not?

“Because I’m broken.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok.”

.

“Maybe that’s why I’m here too. I think I’m broken too.”

“No… That can’t be it. You’re the brightest thing I’ve seen since I got here. There’s no way you’re broken, not with the way you shine.”

“You think I shine?”

“Blinding.”

“That’s how I found you though. You’re shining too.”

“Huh. I’d never noticed.”

.

.

.

“Should we stick together?”

“…that sounds nice. I think I would like that.”

“We can’t be the only ones here, right?”

“Well, you found me, didn’t you?”

“Maybe if we look hard enough we’ll find more stars in the sky.”

And maybe there can be warmth for us after all.

I think people who consider aromanticism as "basically straight" underestimate how noticeable absence can be to those around you.

Whether you're a kid in school with classmates who won't take "no one" as an answer to who you have a crush on or an adult whose coworkers have picked up on the fact that you've never mentioned a romantic partner; after enough time, a lack or insufficient amount of romantic interest will raise the antennae of friends, family, coworkers, etc... They will notice and they will speculate and they will ask.

It is impossible to meet the societal bar for straightness through inaction.

[belowablue]

Remus' Friend First - James Potter x Reader

Experimenting with longer fics, 3.2k. Also this was my plan: Study partners for ages - never paid much attention, drops off notes, smitten, tries to gain attention, doesn’t for Remus’s sake, he says fine, shag, love <3. Didn't quite follow it but that's okay.

MDNI

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“I’m off to the library.” Said Remus. If Sirius and James took a shot for every time they heard him say that line, they would have been forcibly signed up to Alcoholics Anonymous by Madam Pomfrey years ago. 

James whined from the sofa in the common room, “But it’s such a nice day, don’t you want to come and watch Sirius and me practice?” 

At the mention of his name Sirius flicked his hair dramatically as he turned to his boyfriend as if to say ‘don’t you want to come and watch this?’ Remus snorted, “I think I’ve seen enough of your practice for a whole month, if I have to watch a fainting feign once more time-“ 

James cut him off, “But we’ve gotten so good!” He protested, “Thanks to all our practicing.” Remus smiled wryly, “Then I’m sure I won’t miss much, besides, this is a group thing, I can’t let her down.”

At the mention of a ‘her’ James and Sirius locked eyes. “I wasn’t aware you were tutoring anyone at the moment Professor Lupin.” Sirius said. Remus rolled his eyes, “If you two actually kept your brains engaged after the word ‘library’ you’d know I’m on about my study partner. She’s good at all the subjects I’m not and vice versa, so we help each other  all the time.” 

Remus had gathered his bag and belongings during this time and was ready to make a move towards the portrait hole. “Hang on,” Said Sirius, “How long have you been having one-on-one meetings with a girl?” Remus had to refrain from dragging a hand through his hair. “A long time Sirius, once again, if you actually listened, I don’t talk for fun y’know.” 

With that, he turned away and exited the sunny common room, leaving Sirius and James to wrack their brains as to who Remus was referring to. “It’s gotta be someone from our year.” James decided. Sirius nodded. “That girl with the biscuits perhaps?” James shook his head. “Nah, those were a thank you for tutoring and Remus said that’s not what this is.” Eventually they gave up, deciding Quidditch was more important. Their friend seemed happy and that was enough for them.

Somewhere high up in the castle, tucked away in a nook in the deepest recess of the library, you and Remus were elbow deep in Transfiguration. This was one of your weaker subjects so Remus was helping you get your head around McGonagall’s latest theorem and then later, you’d help Remus decipher some of the trickier Ancient Runes. You both enjoyed each other’s company immensely; you because you didn’t talk to many people anyway and Remus found it refreshing to talk about something intellectual for once. Sure James and Sirius were both stupidly smart in their own right, but they channeled their intelligence into pranks, which was wearing on Remus.

Remus spoke gently to you which you liked, he didn’t treat you like some sort of pet just because you preferred silence to loud chatter. His patience was also something you decided had been sent from the heavens; it took far longer than either of you expected to properly understand the theorem. It was late in the afternoon by the time you got your head around it, and even then you hadn’t started putting it into practice. 

“I’m sorry Remus.” You said after a loud sigh, “I’ve taken up all our time on this one stupid thing.” You threw your quill down in frustration. 

Remus smiled gently and you were reminded, once again, why you liked him so much. “Don’t worry about it love. If that’s what it took, then that’s what it took.” He glanced down at his watch. “Look I’ve got to go, I said I’d meet Sirius. Same time on Wednesday?” 

You nodded vigorously. You said your goodbyes and watched him walk away. Determinedly, you turned back to your notes, eager memorise them so this wouldn’t take so long the next time you revisited this topic. You were there for a couple more hours, enjoying the solitude and silence. Wearily you rubbed your eyes, noticing the sky had darkened significantly outside. Gathering up your things you wondered if it was time for dinner. 

As you stuffed parchment back into your bag, you noticed a page with neat writing on it that certainly wasn’t yours. Your brow furrowed before clearing quickly, these were Remus’ notes. He must have missed them when he was tidying his own things away. No problem, you’d easily be able to give them back to him at dinner. You swung your bag onto your shoulder and headed down to the Great Hall. 

At dinner, Shepard’s pie, you strained your neck looking over at the Gryffindor table, trying to see the brown-haired boy, or at least one of his friends. Alas, luck was not on your side as you didn’t see anyone you could give the precious notes to. They must’ve been to the kitchens or something. Now you had the choice of either: hanging onto the notes until you saw him next, or you could trek up to the Gryffindor common room, which was in the complete opposite direction to yours, and hand-deliver them. You were sorely tempted to choose the first option, but on the other hand, you knew if it was Remus with your notes, he would deliver them in a heartbeat. 

Sighing, you swallowed your last mouthful of pudding and got up, readying yourself for the amount of stairs you were going to climb. 

Twenty minutes later and panting, you arrived in front of the portrait you were pretty sure was the entrance. The Fat Lady eyed you suspiciously. It was only then that you realised you had no clue what the password was. Great. Now you had to loiter awkwardly for Merlin knew how long until someone came by to let you in. 

Defeatedly, you were just deciding which bit of stone floor looked the comfiest when two second-years came by, announcing the password shyly to the portrait. She swung open and you saw your golden opportunity. Launching forwards, you tailed the two girls in and scanned the room for the boy you were looking for. Your heart sank as he didn’t appear. Now what? Oh no, what if he was in his dorm? You did not want to go poking around up there. But you had come all this way. Maybe you could pin them to the notice board with a polite note? 

People were starting to stare too at the rogue Ravenclaw in their den, which only made you more nervous. Merlin, this was why you didn’t get out much. Just as you were fumbling for a scrap to write on, a head popped up from behind the sofa. 

You let out a breath of relief. He was down here after all. Starting forward, you called out, “Hey, Remus!” Visibly startled, he turned and relaxed once he saw it was you. “Hey!” He said your name joyfully, “What are you doing in here?” By now, three other heads had appeared. His friends. Gulping slightly, you moved forwards cautiously. Sure you’d heard his stories and everyone else’s too, but you’d never actually met them. 

“I- um, err” You began, thrown off by the three boys staring at you like you were an exhibit in a zoo. “You forgot your notes.” You finished in a lame whisper, scuttling up to him to drop them in his lap. “Hey,” he caught your wrist gently as you turned to leave, “Thanks love.” He sounded so sincere and his smile was so genuinely kind, that you relaxed a little in his grasp, smiling quietly back. “That’s alright.” 

He let you go and you were ready run out of there, but another voice stopped you. 

“So, you’re the one he’s been squirrelled away with.”

It was a statement. You couldn’t detect any malice in it, but you could never be too sure. Maybe his friends were annoyed at the amount of time he spent with you, perhaps you were cutting into theirs with him? 

Tensing, you were scrambling to think of a reply when Remus saved you. “Shut it Prongs. Leave her alone, she’s great.” 

Your shoulders sagged. Merlin, why was Remus Lupin so damn nice all the time? He didn’t make it very easy to get over the small crush you’d been nursing before you found out he had a boyfriend. 

“I’m not trying to be mean Moony, I was just shocked you hadn’t introduced me sooner.” 

Okay, that defiantly didn’t sound malicious, but you couldn’t rule out mocking. People were so hard to predict these days. 

Turning shyly, you came face to face face with James Potter of all people. He must’ve vaulted over the back of the sofa to get to you. Now, the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, golden boy of the whole school was… smiling at you? 

“How come I’ve never seen you around before?” He asked, still grinning. 

You shrivelled again. 

“James,” Remus scolded, “She’s literally been at Hogwarts for as long as we have.” 

That didn’t make you feel much better. James had just reminded you of how invisible you were to the rest of the student body. Of course, you had engineered it that way, you liked it this way, most of the time anyway. But there were some days you wondered just how much you had limited yourself by staying under the radar. A lot, was the answer, if James Potter, who famously knew everyone, was only now realising you existed. 

You had no reply to give him, so you just shrugged. 

James took another step towards you.

“Say, what are you doing next Hogsmeade weekend?” 

You wanted to sink into the floor. There was no way James Potter was interested in you. You’d only just met the boy for goodness sake. You couldn’t handle all the stares you’d undoubtedly get if you suddenly turned up at Hogsmeade on James’ arm. Worse than that, you had no idea how long you’d last. It wasn’t like James hadn’t taken other girls to Hogsmeade before. But worse than that still was what Remus would think. You valued your friendship with him much more than any possible relationship with James.

You managed to squeak out a “Busy, sorry,” to him, before fleeing the room. Behind you, you could hear Sirius sniggering, much to your mortification, but also James chewing Remus out for having hidden such a pretty thing for so long. Your cheeks were flaming red by the time you reached your own common room. 

You thought that would be the end of the matter. Not even close. 

From that day forth, you couldn’t go more than four-ish hours without seeing James Potter. He was everywhere you went. He must’ve somehow gotten his hands on your timetable and memorised it because he would always turn up. Outside your common room, waiting for you at the end of your shared classes, loitering outside of your other classes until you came out. Hell, once he even invited himself over to sit with you at dinner, though after your mortified silence he hadn’t tried that particular move again.

You felt suffocated. This boy was forcing himself into your life without your consent and seemingly with no regard for your own feelings towards him. He was focused on getting what he wanted, not on what you actually wanted. You kept on trying to pretend you weren’t interested in him which was silly, because of course you were. But it was the principle of the thing. 

But your biggest fear lay in the idea that Remus would stop being your friend. That he would start seeing you as James’ girl and stop your study sessions because of it. Or worse still, he would look down on you for becoming another loyal fan. You would hate that. 

You tried, really you did, to get James to stop. But ignoring him only got you so far, Merlin knew that boy could talk forever about anything, his favourite topic being how he was sure he’d never seen anyone else with eyes like yours. So, after weeks of failing to be rid of him, you realised you’d have to do the unthinkable and actually talk about it.

 

You found Remus where you knew you would. On a nice day like this where else would he be but the library. At your table no less, that gave you hope. 

You cleared your throat quietly as you stood in front of him. He looked up.

“Hi,” You whispered, a tentative smile on your face.

“Hey,” He said. 

“So I just um, wanted to talk to you,” You began. 

His brow furrowed but he nodded at you to continue, book placed down, so you gathered all your courage and went for it. 

“Are you upset with me? Because of James?” 

Remus’ eyebrows shot so far up his forehead they were hidden beneath his hair. 

“What?”

“I just,” You bit your lip, “I’ve always been your friend first, please, please know that, and I always will be, but now that James seemingly has so much interest in me, I thought that you might be upset at that fact and not want to be my friend anymore,” You had to pause for breathe, but not long enough to let him but in, “Because James has this weird claim over me now, I don’t know, I don’t know how boys work and I’m sorry, I swear I keep trying to get him to leave me alone but he just won’t quit it.”

That last part came out unexpectedly harsh and you clamped your hands over your mouth in horror at what Remus might think if you were badmouthing his best friend. But, secretly, it did feel good to say that out loud. 

Remus was silent for a minute, staring at you like a machine that needed to be understood. 

“You think I don’t want to see you because James likes you?” He summed everything up rather simply. 

You nodded, still shaky. 

He said your name gently. “Why on earth would I do that?” 

Your heart felt a thousand times lighter at his jovial tone. So he didn’t hate you after all.

“I dunno,” You muttered, feeling a bit stupid now. 

He chuckled lightly, and you knew everything would be alright. 

“Love, I would rather banish James to the Black Lake than stop our sessions, no one helps me like you do.”

Relief. Glorious relief flooded every cell of your body. This was alright. You weren’t going to lose your friend. 

You smiled so widely at him, letting your relief show through your face. 

He suddenly became serious again. “But James.” He said firmly. Your smile dropped too. “Seriously love, if you don’t like him just tell him to shove off, or I’ll do it if you don’t want to.”

You shook your head, suddenly shy again. 

“No, it’s not that I don’t like him per say, I just-“ 

Remus’ eyebrows had raised again. 

“You didn’t let yourself like him because you didn’t want to upset me?”

Merlin, he really could read you like a book. You nodded again, feeling sillier than even. 

The chair scraped back and before you knew it, you were engulfed by the smell of tobacco and grass and the warmth of a boy. 

Remus held you tight against him, chuckling all the while. You let the vibrations flow through you, relaxing your own muscles. Against your own better judgement, you started giggling too. 

“Love,” He said above you, “Don’t ever change alright?” 

With the green light from Remus, you allowed James to woo you more and more. The poor lad didn’t know what had hit him. 

The first time you laughed at one of his jokes he was so pleased he walked straight through Nearly Headless Nick. The first time you smiled at him when you found him outside your classroom, he’d been so surprised that the foot he had pressed against the wall slipped, causing him to lose his balance and stumble, ruining whatever cool-boy act he had going. You giggled. He looked at you like you made the sun rise each morning. 

On the weekend you finally let him take you to Hogsmeade, you passed Remus and Sirius  on the way down. Sirius whistled and wriggled his eyebrows suggestively at the two of you, for which James kicked him. But you were focused on Remus, who was beaming at you. You let yourself beam back. You were wearing James’ scarf and his warm hand was interlaced with yours. The sun was shining brightly and it was a Saturday and Remus was still your friend. What more could you want from life? 

“Fuck James, please don’t stop!” 

Oh yeah, this of course. 

James had you spread out on his bed, head glued between your legs, eating you like it was his life’s mission. 

You’d been really hesitant to get intimate with James at first, always shutting him down, never initiating anything. But James was kind and patient and he understood your hesitations. He knew there was more to a relationship than sex. So he never pushed you too far. He waited for you to come to him, and when you did, he never looked back. 

You came loudly on his tongue, James moaning too, enjoying every second. Cleaning you up with broad licks, he made his way up your body to stare into your eyes. 

“You okay?” He asked. You nodded.

“Please Jamie, I want you.” 

Who the fuck was he to say no.

Reaching between you two, he lined himself up before gently, steadily pushing in. You moaned, loving the way he filled you up completely. James didn’t stop until your hips met, staying still, letting you adjust. Once your wriggled your hips slightly, he took the okay to start moving. 

You’d only done this a couple times, so he was still cautious with you, but you were more than comfortable. 

“Faster,” you groaned, “Please.” 

Grinning, he lent down on his forearms to capture your lips, picking up his pace. He swallowed your moans as your sensitivity made orgasm build quickly.

“Fuck baby,” he groaned, feeling you tightening around him, “Gonna cum f’me yeah?” 

You nodded pathetically. 

“Such a good girl,” He praised, reaching down to rub your clit. 

It was all over for you with that added stimulation. You legs met behind James’ hips, forcing him in deep as you came loudly, enjoying the euphoria. 

James swore at your blissed-out expression and came, somewhat unexpectedly, inside you. 

Panting hard, he dropped down again and kissed you, deep and slow. You wrapped one arm around his shoulders, the other wound itself in his hair. Sighing into the kiss, you decided your boyfriend had to be the best in the world. 

But you would’t tell him that of course, James’ ego did not need to get any bigger. Instead you tried to show him, pulling back from the kiss, gazing into his eyes, trying to channel all the love you had for him. 

He must’ve noticed, because you’d never seen him smile so widely. 

AN: do we like longer fics or no?

[goddamnitmahtin]

This Means Break

Someone write a fic where Danny works as a mascot at a theme park because he’s small (I understand the headcanon that he’s tall af and I see you, I hear you. But for the sake of this he ended up staying really short okay?) and the bat boys all get hired by the theme park to be escorts for the characters (mascots) because they are undercover and Danny is walking around showing them all the ropes and basically training them before their first shift except Danny is using all these terms none of them understand. I just need one fic where they all have to deal with people all day everyday and none of them are allowed to punch people. I need to see them all so out of their depth they look to Danny like a hero when he comes and saves them from social interaction in a mascot suit.

*while showing them around*

Danny: Alright! So these are the cubbies where the characters will get dressed. How you help dress them before each walk is dependent on their costume type and head type.

The bat boys: ???

Danny (who forgets easily what words are and aren’t common knowledge): Characters with backpacks are gonna need more help because they of the amount of buckles and straps. Characters with bobbles will have more mobility in head movement but the Velcro comes undone super easy so every once in a while a head might fall off.

The bat boys: !???

Danny: If there’s a costume malfunction you need to go back stage as soon and possible, fix it, and then go back out. Walks are 30 minutes unless we are on a heat plan and in that case, the supervisor will give you a new walk schedule that’ll have walk times and durations.

Bat boys: *just nodding at this point*

Danny: Head time is 3 till walk so 57 if your on the hour and 27 if your on the 30s. Once the head is on, you can only have us out for 30 minutes because OSHA will be on our ass if you keep out past our head time. Between each walk is a 30 minute break so the characters get 30 minutes without the head on. Another OSHA thing. Now technically this building is supposed to have a bathroom in it and the fact that there isn’t one is an OSHA violation but we’ve yet to get caught about it.

Dick: Why is it an OSHA violation?

Danny: Because every building that serves as a character green room needs to have access to a toilet in case someone over heats and throws up. Which reminds me. If someone does throw up or passes out and they are fine after a few minutes, don’t call first aid. Most of us will hate you eternally for making us do paperwork.

Tim: Noted.

Danny: Oh and uh while you are escorting a character, remember that you aren’t just there to look pretty. You are not only eyes and ears for those of us with limited visibility because of the heads but you are also kind of like our body guards. People can and will try to attack us while in costume.

The bat boys: ?!?!?

Danny: Okay! I think that’s all! Jason, you will be with me all day today so I’ll tell you how to dress me as we go. The rest of you can look at the walk schedule and I’de suggest talking to your walk character ahead of time because we all have different preferences when it comes to walks. Like I have worked here for a while so I need less guidance visibility wise and I like to run so Jason, I hope you have your running shoes because you aren’t allowed to leave my side.

Jason: I think I’ll be okay.

Danny: Oh! And one more thing! Characters can’t speak while on a walk so we will communicate with you through sign. It’s fine if you don’t know what you’re saying. It’s mostly so it looks like we are real and not statues. It keeps our hands busy. But the one thing you really have to pay attention to is this sign. *makes a hand motion like snapping a twig in his hands* This means break. The break symbol means we need to leave immediately and go backstage. Get the characters head off immediately. Break means something is wrong. This is for our own safety. Most characters, if you don’t see us break, we will just drag you backstage but that’s because we’ve been working here long enough to not pass out or throw up until we are out of the way. Cool! That’s everything! I’m gonna go put my parts together and I’ll see you Jason for my first walk! *walks away*

Dick: Did anyone understand a word he said?

Jason: No.

Tim: Um- kinda?

Damian: Break.

Dick: Cool me neither.

[a-bit-of-writing]

How They React To a Modern Reader {BG3 Male Companions & Gortash}

This piece is a request and though it took me a fair bit to finish, I’m happy to finally present it! As the title implies, this is how I imagine the male companions (and Gortash) would react if a modern reader shows up based on my own headcanons about them.

Astarion 

Astarion spots you before you speak. You stumble into the camp in a daze, eyes wide, lips muttering things no one understands.

“What the fu – was that a real fireball?! Are those horns? Holy hell, I’m in a fantasy video game. This is not a drill.”

He doesn’t draw his blade. Not right away. Instead, he folds his arms, tilts his head, and watches you unravel like a particularly entertaining riddle.

“Well now. What curious little nonsense are you whispering?”

You’re the most absurd thing he’s seen in ages – barefoot, blinking at the sky like it offended you, and demanding someone hand you a phone. Which no one, obviously, knows the meaning of.

He gives you one look and smirks, fangs flashing.

“Oh good. A lunatic. I was beginning to worry this group was getting predictable.”

The others are skeptical, but you? You’re reacting the way someone does when they’ve finally stepped into the book they’ve always wanted to read — equal parts awe and swearing.

You point at Gale like you’ve spotted a celebrity.

“You’re a wizard? Like, a real one? You cast spells? And you’re not in jail?”

You admire Karlach like a dragon-slaying action figure come to life.

“You’re a tiefling. Oh my god, you’re actually real. You look so cool. Can I touch your horns? Is that weird? It’s weird, isn’t it.”

And when Astarion introduces himself with an elegant, mocking bow?

“Oh no. You’re the hot vampire. This is… this is Baldur’s Gate 3, isn’t it? This is a game. Did I die?!”

He blinks. “Excuse me – game?”

You say something about “Larian Studios” and “saving throws,” which means absolutely nothing to him. Naturally, this delights him.

Your words are wild things — mangled, made-up, shameless. You say:

“I need a vibe check.”

“You’re giving villain arc energy.”

“Slay, king.”

Astarion is appalled.

“Slay? Slay?! Darling, that’s what I do to people. It’s not meant to be a compliment.”

He swears you’re possessed. Hexed. Unintentionally hilarious. But as the days go on, something changes.

He starts mimicking you.

Poorly, and on purpose.

“This meal is giving... mediocre. Truly, Shadowheart, do better.”

“Oh Gale, your little explosion was so slay. Should I clap now or later?”

He adopts the slang like a nobleman trying to speak tavern tongue — mocking, theatrical, but with growing ease. And gods help you, he makes it sound good.

There’s something else underneath the dramatics. A subtle shift in how he watches you. Because no one speaks like you. No one acts like you.

You don’t belong here and you’re not even trying to hide it. That intrigues him more than he lets on.

“You wear your strangeness like a second skin. Are all your people so… refreshingly bizarre?”

He starts asking questions – half-joking, half-sincere. What is a "Starbucks"? Why do you call people “bestie”? What in the Nine Hells is a “TikTok”?

He files it all away. A scholar of the strange, collecting every new word like a trophy.

He claims he’s keeping you around for the entertainment. Says you amuse him, like a little pocket-sized bard who fell out of the sky.

But when you wander off too far? His voice sharpens.

“If you insist on throwing yourself into danger, at least let me come along. I wouldn’t want to miss the moment you get eaten by a talking bush or whatever this plane has in store for you.”

He keeps close to you at night, lounging near your bedroll with an ease that’s too calculated to be casual. He’ll insult your “bizarre little scroll-box language” but he’ll also hand you a cloak when it’s cold.

“I can’t have you dying of exposure before I figure out what you are, can I?”

You’re not just another traveling companion. You’re a walking enigma with pop culture references and soft clothes and no idea how to wield a longsword. And gods help him, he’s starting to care.

The first time you call him “bestie”:

He stares like you slapped him with a fish.

“I… what did you just call me?”

When you try to explain, he cuts you off with an absolutely horrified expression.

“No. Absolutely not. I’d rather be called a thrall.”

He starts using it anyway — only to bother you. And it works.

“Shall we slay today, bestie?”

Gortash

You appear in his city — his throne room, even — rambling about timelines and “NPCs,” looking more confused than a drunk imp. A mortal, clearly. A nobody. But something’s… off.

You speak with no fear. No decorum. No clue who he is.

“Okay, okay. Deep breath. You’re Gortash. Enver Gortash. You're the — oh my god, you’re hotter in person — I mean, you’re the bad guy, right?”

He doesn’t flinch at the disrespect. He just smiles, slow and razor-edged.

“Well. Aren’t you bold? Or stupid. I haven’t decided yet.”

He watches you with the interest of a man deciding whether to cage a songbird or snap its neck. Something about you is unpredictable and unpredictability demands investigation.

The first time you call him “a drama king with daddy issues,” he doesn’t respond right away. He just stares at you.

“...A what?”

You explain with a grin. He listens. Silently. Then repeats it — slowly.

“Drama. King.”

He hates that it rolls off his tongue with such flair. He hates that you grin at him like you’ve won something. He’ll mock you for your dialect, call it crude, tasteless, “symptomatic of cultural collapse.”

But two days later? He uses the phrase “power move” in conversation.

And he means it.

Gortash is a master manipulator. He assumes you’ll be easy to read.

But your responses are erratic. You compare devils to “marketing execs,” call his robes “high fantasy couture,” and refer to him as “a walking red flag with good eyebrows.”

“You do realize you're insulting the most powerful man in Baldur’s Gate?”

“Yeah, but like, respectfully.”

You should be terrified of him. But you’re not. And that unsettles him more than he lets on.

He starts testing you. Throwing rhetorical knives cloaked in velvet words. Threats that sound like compliments. Challenges that look like games.

And you? You match him. Not with power, but with unshakable weirdness.

“Are you flirting with me or plotting my assassination? Honestly, it’s giving both.”

“Why not both?”

At first, you're a novelty. A curiosity. But the longer you linger, the more he starts including you in his plans — subtly.

“Come. Watch the gears turn.”

He lets you sit near the schematics, asks your opinion under the guise of mockery, and studies how your modern logic fits — or doesn’t — into his world.

You drop ideas like:

“Have you considered...a PR campaign?”

“You’d make a killing selling merchandise. Gortash-branded daggers? Hello?”

“You’re basically the CEO of Fear.”

He pretends to dismiss you.

But his artificers are soon testing slogans.

You’re not strong. You’re not trained. You trip over uneven cobblestone and panic over sending stones. You once mistook an imp for a hairless cat.

But you don’t obey. You question him. You joke with him. You touch things you shouldn't.

“That’s the nerve spine of the Steel Watch.”

“It looks like a soda machine from hell.”

He doesn’t know what that means. He doesn’t care. He’s already decided you belong to him.

Not as a subordinate. Not as a threat.

As a personal puzzle.

“You came from a world with no gods. No magic. No purpose. And yet… you laugh in the face of devils. Curious.”

His gaze lingers longer. His commands are quieter, but colder when others try to claim your attention.

And gods help anyone who dares touch you without his permission.

The first time you call him “bestie”

His soul leaves his body. Visibly.

“You… what did you just say?”

“You know, like — ‘best friend’. Bestie.”

“I have tortured men for less.”

But you catch him later whispering it under his breath like a spell.

When you use modern business lingo

You: “This whole Steel Watch situation is peak corporate overlord vibes. Like, you’re so the final boss.”

Gortash: “You keep referring to me as if I am... fictional. I find that both insulting and endearing.”

He leans closer.

“Tell me more about these... CEOs. I think I’d like them.”

Gale

When you stumble into camp, wide-eyed, pointing at everything like a tourist in a magical theme park, Gale is the first to approach.

He assumes you’re suffering from magical disorientation.

“Ah, fear not! A case of planar confusion, no doubt. Happens to the best of us. I am Gale of Waterdeep, arch — well, moderately accomplished wizard — and I shall assist you in—”

“Oh my god, you’re Gale! Like, the Gale. This is Baldur’s Gate, right? Is this… is this the real thing? Am I in a game?!”

His smile falters. He blinks.

“I… beg your pardon? A… game?”

You start rambling about video games, hit points, "romance options," and Larian Studios. None of it makes sense to him — your wonder? — That he understands.

Instead of brushing you off, Gale leans in like a scholar stumbling upon forbidden lore.

“Fascinating. Tell me everything.”

Gale’s used to people fearing magic. Or misusing it. But you? You’re utterly enchanted by it. You gasp when he casts Prestidigitation. You call him a "walking fireworks show."

“Your magic is so cool! You’re like — like Dumbledore but hot.”

“I’m sorry, I’m like what now?”

You introduce him to concepts like "boss battles" and "XP grinding," and while he doesn’t grasp the mechanics, he’s utterly taken by your passion.

For the first time in a long time, someone looks at his magic with joy instead of dread or expectation.

When you say, “This is a total vibe,” Gale politely asks for a definition.

You try to explain. He still doesn’t quite get it. But that doesn’t stop him from adopting the phrase immediately — incorrectly, of course.

“This stew is… quite a vibe, wouldn’t you say?”

You can’t even be mad. He’s trying.

He starts collecting your slang like he collects ancient tomes, dropping phrases like:

"It’s giving… majestic."

"I simply must slay this look."

"We need to circle back to this later."

“I rather enjoy your linguistic peculiarities. Though I suspect Astarion is using them incorrectly — intentionally, I might add.”

Gale starts studying you — not in a cold, calculating way, but as someone who has just discovered a new school of magic.

He takes notes.

On your slang

On your world

On your “peculiar resistance to this plane’s inherent dangers”

He asks you questions like:

“In your world, you consume entertainment through… flat glass boxes?”

“Please, elaborate on these… ‘memes’ you speak of.”

You show him doodles of pop culture icons in the dirt. He hums thoughtfully, comparing them to old Faerûnian fables.

You call him "bestie" and he doesn’t flinch — instead, he nods as if you’ve bestowed a rare title.

“Bestie. A term of endearment, yes? I shall wear it with pride.”

He insists on teaching you "basic magical theory" to keep you safe. He brings you food. He explains Faerûnian politics with the same excitement you use when talking about "Star Wars" and "Marvel."

When you wander too far, his concern is immediate but polite.

“Ah — careful! The woods can be treacherous. Would you mind if I — just — perhaps, walked with you?”

His protectiveness is gentle, not possessive. His affection shows in the way he listens. The way he remembers your strange little phrases and sprinkles them into his conversations like spells you’ve gifted him.

And when you start to miss home? He’s the first to notice.

“I suspect your heart aches for your own plane. But should you find yourself… inclined to stay, well… I dare say you’ve become quite the indispensable companion.”

His voice softens.

“Besides… who else will help me perfect this whole… ‘slay’ business?”

The first time you say "main character energy"

Gale: visibly preens

“I knew you were perceptive. Please, do go on.”

He 100% believes this is the highest compliment.

When you try to explain the concept of a "player character"

Gale: “So… you’re suggesting I am but a fragment of a larger tale? A… controllable entity? Hm. Intriguing. But I assure you, I make my own choices.”

He absolutely starts leaning into this idea as if he’s now playing his role to perfection.

“After all, we can’t let the audience down.”

Wyll

When you first appear — disoriented, rambling about "cutscenes" and "romance options" — Wyll’s immediate instinct is protective. He assumes you’ve been the victim of a powerful curse or planar mishap.

“Steady now, friend. You’re safe. I am Wyll, the Blade of Frontiers and you are…?”

“Oh my god, you’re real. You’re so real. You’re — wait, this is the actual Baldur’s Gate 3, isn’t it? I’m in the game. This is insane. You’re—”

“I… I’m afraid I don’t follow. A game? Are you injured?”

He crouches beside you like you’re a spooked animal, speaking in the gentlest hero voice possible, assuming you’re in shock.

When you explain (badly) that you’re from another world where his life is just a story? He’s rattled but too polite to show it.

“You mean to say… my life, my blade, my battles — they’ve been observed? Recorded? By countless eyes? Hm. I hope I made them proud.”

Of course you tell him he’s a fan favorite and that gets him blushing like a schoolboy.

“A fan… favorite, you say? Well now. That’s… a little overwhelming.”

The first time you tell him “You’re giving golden retriever energy,” he’s completely baffled.

“I am… giving what?”

You try to explain. He still doesn’t get it. But he writes it down so earnestly like he’s collecting crucial diplomatic phrases.

“Golden… retriever… energy. Right. I shall use this wisely.”

He starts testing your slang in the wild:

“We slay monsters, yes? We slay.”

“This campfire is giving… comfort.”

“Vibe check, my friend. Are you well?”

His delivery is so pure you can’t even correct him.

Eventually, he starts mixing formal chivalric language with slang:

“Fear not, bestie. I shall smite our foes posthaste.”

“Wyll… did you just call me bestie mid-fight?”

“I thought it was an… honorable title.”

Wyll takes one look at you — a stranger in strange clothes with strange words — and immediately appoints himself your unofficial guardian.

“You know not the dangers of this realm. Until you are steady upon your feet, you shall walk beside me.”

You try to argue. You insist you’ll be fine. You reference plot armor.

He smiles, good-natured but firm.

“Plot armor or no, it’s the duty of a blade to shield those in his company.”

When danger strikes, he’s already stepping in front of you. He teaches you how to hold a dagger properly. He insists on walking on the side closest to the road.

It’s not controlling — it’s just Wyll being Wyll.

“You may come from another plane, but you’re one of us now.”

Wyll wants to know more. He listens with genuine curiosity when you describe cars, skyscrapers, and "cell phones." But he never pushes when you get homesick or overwhelmed.

“It must feel like walking through a dream you can’t quite wake from.”

“Yeah… but I kinda like this dream.”

His kindness is never condescending. He doesn't study you like an experiment — he just wants to understand you better.

Sometimes, when you’re feeling low, he humors you by asking:

“Tell me more about these… heroes you admire. Perhaps I can aspire to be one, too.”

“Wyll, you’re already the blueprint.”

“The blueprint? Another noble title, I presume.”

Wyll is the type who saves the slang for private conversations. In front of others, he’s still the chivalrous Blade of Frontiers. But when you’re alone? He lets loose:

“You’re absolutely slaying this journey, you know.”

“That battle was… a vibe.”

“Truly, you have main character energy.”

And when you call him "bestie" for the first time?

“Bestie? What a curious word. But if it means I have earned your trust… then I shall bear it with pride.”

When You Joke About Him Being a "Player Option"

Wyll: “I hope you chose wisely, my friend. Though I suspect I had stiff competition.”

You: “Honestly? It was always going to be you.”

Wyll: visibly short-circuits

“Ah—well—thank you—I—ahem—it seems I must continue to… to slay.”

The First Time He Says “Vibe Check” in Battle

He absolutely yells it like it’s a heroic rallying cry.

“VIBE CHECK! BLADE OF FRONTIERS, TO ME!”

You: dying of laughter in the background

Halsin

You appear in the forest — rambling about timelines, side quests, and asking if this is "the canon route." You immediately latch onto Halsin as the safe one. The stable one.

“Oh thank god, you’re Halsin. You’re the cool druid. You’re supposed to be chill. Please tell me this is Baldur’s Gate 3. I can’t — I can’t handle another Skyrim glitch.”

Halsin blinks slowly.

“I… am not familiar with these words. But you are trembling. Sit. Breathe.”

He approaches with calm authority, offering you water, assuming you’ve just suffered a traumatic planar shift. He’s patient. So patient.

Even as you ramble about "player characters" and "romance options," he listens without a hint of mockery.

“I do not understand all you say. But I understand fear. You are safe here.”

Halsin expects confusion, maybe terror. Instead, you’re delighted.

“Wait — tieflings are real? Is that an owlbear? This is SO MUCH BETTER than real life.”

You immediately want to see everything. You ask endless questions, from wildshape mechanics to druid circles. You fawn over the animals. You point at his bear form and say:

“That’s sick. You’re like a tank with maxed-out charisma. Total main character energy.”

Halsin, who understands none of those words, just chuckles.

“You are… very kind. I think.”

The first time you call him "bestie," he pauses.

“Bestie. Is this… a rank of honor?”

You assure him it is. He believes you.

“Then I shall strive to be worthy of it.”

He starts sprinkling your slang into daily life, but he uses it so sincerely it makes your heart ache.

“The forest is giving… peace.”

“Today’s hunt? We slayed.”

“I believe you would call this… good vibes?”

He even starts greeting you with “Vibe check, bestie” in the most solemn, druidic tone imaginable.

While others might be amused by your eccentricities, Halsin is quietly concerned. You are a stranger here — your references, your stories, your slang — they all speak of a life far from this one. And he knows how lonely that must be.

“This world is not your own. But while you walk it, you will not walk alone.”

He keeps you close — not out of control, but out of care. He teaches you the forest paths, shows you edible herbs, and insists you learn how to light a fire without magic.

When you call him your “comfort character,” he doesn’t understand the full meaning but he smiles anyway.

“If I can bring you comfort, I will.”

Halsin asks about your home gently, never pushing.

“Your world seems… strange. Full of stone towers and metal carts. And yet, you long for it.”

When you get homesick, he offers you space but also a quiet place by the fire.

“Stay as long as you need. Or… longer.”

If you try to laugh it off with jokes and slang? He’s not fooled.

“It’s all right to miss your own forest. Even if it’s one I cannot walk with you.”

When You Call Him “Golden Retriever Energy”

Halsin: quietly confused

“Golden… retriever? Is that a creature in your world?”

You: “Yeah, and trust me — it’s a huge compliment.”

Halsin: smiling softly

“Then I accept it, bestie.”

When You Explain TikTok

You: “It’s like… little moving images. Entertainment. Distraction.”

Halsin: “Ah. So… like a flock of sparrows, quick and fleeting, demanding attention but offering little nourishment.”

You: “…Yes. Exactly that.”

Halsin would 100% call social media “sparrow thoughts.” He’s so wise, he’d accidentally invent poetic terminology for modern concepts.

Halsin doesn’t parade you around like a curiosity. He doesn’t tease.

He simply… accepts you. All your slang. All your weirdness. All your wonder.

And when you call him your “emotional support druid,” he simply replies:

“Then I shall support you. As long as you need me to.”

Rolan 

When you stumble into his vicinity — wide-eyed, rambling about “timelines” and “player choices” — Rolan’s first instinct is to frown.

“Oh, marvelous. Another disoriented fool wandering into the camp like a lost sheep.”

You try to explain you’re from another world, you start using words like “canon” and “NPC,” and he immediately cuts you off.

“Spare me the rambling. Whatever your affliction is, someone else can deal with it.”

But he keeps watching you from the corner of his eye, because you’re… strange.

You don’t obey the usual rules. You don’t know the most basic things, but you speak about the world like you’ve seen everything.

He finds you… irritating. Intriguing. Mostly irritating.

The first time you say, “This is giving side quest energy,” he looks physically pained.

“What are you even saying? Do you speak Common or not?”

You explain. He calls it “utter nonsense.”

You call him “bestie.”

He glares at you like you’ve just insulted his entire bloodline.

“Do not… ever… call me that.”

But you don’t stop. You keep using slang — "slay," "main character energy," "vibe check" — until one day, mid-battle, you hear him mumble:

“Tch. We slay.”

You: gasping

“OH MY GOD DID YOU JUST—”

“Silence.”

He insists you’re not his responsibility. He makes a point of saying you’re someone else’s problem. But whenever you wander off?

He’s the first to scold you.

“Why are you this far from camp? Do you want to die?”

You try to brush it off: “Plot armor, bestie. I’m good.”

He looks visibly exhausted.

“You have no armor. And stop calling me that.”

Still, you notice your packs are often double-checked by morning. You find spells hastily scribbled for your use. If you trip, his hand catches your arm without thinking.

But if you thank him?

“I only did it because watching you fall on your face would have slowed us down.”

Sure, Rolan. Sure.

You have no idea how magic works here, and Rolan can’t stand your reckless enthusiasm.

“You’ll get yourself killed. Fine. If I must, I’ll teach you basic cantrips. But if you embarrass me, I’ll deny knowing you.”

He’s actually a very good teacher, though he insists your progress is ��tolerable at best.”

You, meanwhile, keep throwing in phrases like:

“This spell totally slaps.”

“That’s a big bad boss moment.”

“Your arc is so tsundere-coded right now.”

He has no idea what that last one means. You don’t explain.

Rolan eventually realizes you don’t belong here — not just physically, but existentially.

And even though he never says it outright, you become his person to look after.

When you’re quiet for too long, he’ll mutter:

“You’re being weird. Say something stupid. I’ve grown used to it.”

When you call him your “comfort character,” he rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t walk away.

When you call him “bestie” for the hundredth time, he snaps:

“Enough. I’ll only permit it when we’re alone.”

But he still lets you say it.

When You Try to Explain Social Media

You: “It’s like… a messaging system. But public. And people argue for fun.”

Rolan: “So… like an open tavern brawl but worse.”

You: “Exactly.”

Rolan: visibly horrified

“Your plane sounds insufferable.”

When You Joke About Him Being a Side Character

You: “You’re totally a side quest companion, but like, one with a hidden romance route.”

Rolan: deadpan

“You truly have a gift for speaking nonsense.”

Pause.

“But if I were… would you choose me?”

You: softly “Of course.”

He glances away, flustered, pretending it meant nothing.

“Tch. Idiot.”

[kellykadesperate]

#13 from your prompt list

“You look better than I remembered.”

Aaron does not believe in reincarnation. He remembers his year eight RE teacher asking him what he’d want to come back as if he could and he said a dog. Everyone in the class laughed and he was called doggy for a whole week until he tripped a boy up and caused him to get a nose bleed. It stopped people taking the piss out of him. He remembers his teacher saying it all had something to do with karma. 

There’s good karma and bad karma and it all translates into what your next life will be like. 

He’s never thought about it as much as now. 

He must have been an absolute bastard in a previous life to have to watch what he is and not react at all.

For some absolutely ridiculous reason, Robert is at Moira’s and he’s in overalls. He’s steering a wheelbarrow of hay towards one of the barns and he’s flexing his arm muscles something stupid. 

“Here.” 

Aaron turns to his left and remembers John is alive and breathing and his husband. John hands Aaron the coffee he’s gone into Moira’s to make for him. Aaron sips and then pulls a face without John noticing. John always puts in half a spoon of sugar when Aaron has always told him he likes two sugars and plenty of milk. John says it’s healthier. 

The whole trust me I’m a doctor thing is absolutely not endearing or flirty anymore. It’s a pain in the neck.

“God he’s awful.” John says and Aaron hates the fact that he knows exactly who John is talking about. Robert is so deeply under John’s skin it’s mad. Aaron gets it, he feels it too but John shouldn’t. He shouldn’t feel the way he does because Aaron has been trying his absolute best to make out Robert is a complete non-entity in their life now. 

Fat lot of good that’s doing.

Aaron ignores John completely and takes a sip of his coffee. They’re meant to be here helping. He honestly didn’t think Robert would be bothered to come and be a consistent farm hand. 

He remembers quiet talks with the covers pulled over their heads whispering quietly about Jack and the farm and how Robert always felt so far removed from it all.

“He’s going to injure himself if he keeps lifting like that.” John says and he actually tuts.

Robert laughs at something Moira says and she slaps his arm in this tender motherly way. Aaron watches and feels this ache of jealousy hit him out of nowhere.

“You know he’s doing this to make Vic think he can keep a job. He just won’t get the hint.”

“Neither can you.” Aaron snaps. 

John stands taller. “What?” He asks. He turns right towards Aaron and his shadow blocks out the sun slightly. It also blocks out Aaron’s view of Robert. It feels a little poetic.

Aaron shrugs with one shoulder. “I’m not replying to any of your little digs and yet you’re still making them.” He says. “It’s boring.”

John looks ready to snap. Aaron’s seen this before. “If you can’t understand why I’m not his biggest fan then maybe you don’t know me at all.”

It sounds like something Aaron would say himself. It almost makes him laugh. It’s weird, being on the receiving end of it and realising it’s so dramatic and daft. 

“What’s so funny?” John seethes and Aaron realises he needs to readjust his face. He doesn’t in time. “You know what, I’ve got filing to do. Have fun shovelling hay all afternoon.” He says and then he’s off. 

Aaron feels a bout of guilt and then it goes as soon as Robert appears back in view. The overalls really are something. Aaron feels stupid for being so mesmerised. 

“Oi! Are you helping or staring?” Mack shouts right across to Aaron. It makes Aaron jump up a little and his coffee goes flying. He didn’t want it anyway. He tips the rest of it away and walks over to where Mack, Matty and Robert are standing. 

They’re near a barn that’s way too familiar for Aaron. He thinks and thinks and thinks until he’s back lying against the hay hearing Robert moan below him and then tell him he’s got to go back to his wife.

Aaron drags the overalls Mack’s given him on as quickly as he can and starts to get to work and it’s fine until Moira wants them to fix a tractor engine and Matty stares between Aaron and Robert. He points out that they’re the most qualified.

It’s not exactly wrong. It’s just frustrating.

Aaron sighs and sticks a hand in his pocket. “Where’s the tractor then?” He asks.

Robert walks ahead. Aaron watches him quietly. He takes a step whenever Robert does. He can see a small scar on the back of Robert’s neck and he stares at it the whole way there. The tractor is right in the middle of the field and there’s tools sitting right beside it. 

“I’ll have a look.” Aaron decides.

Robert just sort of stares down and lets Aaron get to work.

“No John then?” Robert asks after a few minutes have gone by. Aaron’s still staring down at the engine but he’s pretty sure that Robert has a faint smirk on his face at the fact that John didn’t stick around.

“He was busy.” Aaron lies.

“What a shame.” Robert says. Aaron pulls his eyes away and stares at Robert. “What? Moira needs all the help she can get.”

“Yeah and you’re helping.” Aaron says. It’s stating the obvious but there’s a question in there too. He looks up and down at Robert. “In farm gear and all.”

“Isn’t the first time.” Robert points out. He tilts his head and Aaron’s in danger here. “Remember when –”

“Yes.” Aaron says. 

“I wasn’t sure you would.” Robert says and it riles Aaron up a little. 

“You look better than I remembered.” Aaron blurts out. “In the – in the overalls.” He might as well just completely ruin all his hard work.

Robert arches an eyebrow. “So you do remember.”

“I just said, didn't I?” Aaron scowls but he doesn’t commit enough and Robert clearly picks up on it.

“Remember what happened when we were alone.” Robert says it like it’s just any other sentence, like it hasn’t shifted everything completely. 

Aaron looks up and then Robert is directly in front of him. Aaron bites his lip hard and then his hand is coming up towards Robert’s chest to push him back but he can’t bring himself to do it.

One second, Robert is staring at him and the next Aaron is kissing him. They stand there for what feels like hours. Robert’s hands are everywhere and Aaron allows himself to be a little manhandled as Robert pushes him against the side of the tractor and licks into his mouth.

Aaron can hear someone moan. He’s not sure if it’s him or Robert.

Eventually, Aaron has to come up for air and come to his senses.

“That – uh – that –” Aaron pants against Robert’s mouth. 

Robert shuts him up by taking the opportunity to kiss Aaron again, harder than before, somehow deeper too. Aaron’s heart pounds hard in his chest as Robert leans back and smiles this sweet genuine little smile that used to absolutely ruin Aaron.

“This can’t happen.” Aaron manages to say after a few seconds.

Robert takes a step back and nods like he agrees or understands or something. 

“It already is happening Aaron.” Robert shrugs, and then he shrugs his shoulders. “It’s me and you.” He adds, maybe to be mean to to be romantic. Aaron can’t decide.

Then Robert walks back towards the farm and Aaron’s forced to watch him walk away. 

Again.

[ellascreams]

Twisted Wonderland Tumblr (Twstblr, if you will)

👻outofthisworldprefect

No Twstblr I will not be adding tags I’d really rather people didn’t find most of my posts, thanks.

👻outofthisworldprefect

Ace what did you do

♥️one-heart-that-beats-as-one

A little trolling

♠️blastcycle-enthusiast

nrc-heritage-posts I know it’s only been a week since it was posted but

🖋️nrc-heritage-posts Follow

Official NRC heritage post

👻outofthisworldprefect

How dare you

60,304 notes

♦️kk-cay-cay

I haven’t been active on here in years but I love checking in sometimes just to see that it’s still thriving. Keep it up everybody! Never let Twstblr die!

#I’m still suuuuuuper active over on Magicam btw #if any of my old moots wanna follow me there

783 notes

🦇muscle-red

History classes always confuse me. They’ll talk about something like it’s the distant past when it was only 250 years ago, and it feels like it’s only been 10.

20 notes

💎magestoner Follow

Bots are the worst part of twstblr, except for Ortho bot, who’s the best part of twstblr

🛜ortho-bot

<3

3,947 notes

👟hahagetsqueezedidiot

anyone else just get tired of having legs sometimes? like theyre cool and all but why do they gotta be so heavy?

🎮gloomerai

Mood

🎮gloomerai

OH WAIT YOU MEANT BECAUSE YOU’RE MERFOLK NVM

👟hahagetsqueezedidiot

no wait explain

132 notes

📷night-raven-photography

👑vil-schoenheit-offical

I always look so radiant in your photos! Thank you for taking them!

30,355 notes

🖤overitandoverbloted Follow

Hate how many straight people celebrities are on Twstblr now. This is supposed to be the neurodivergent gay website, Vil Schoenheit has no right to be on my dashboard

🪼malevolent-river-wizard Follow

Ain’t no way you just said “straight” and “Vil Schoenheit” in the same sentence

🔥the-situation-is-direbeast Follow

FYM VIL IS A STRAIGHT PERSON CELEBRITY!?!?? THAT BOY IS THE LITERAL POSTER CHILD OF QUEER CODED VILLAINS!

2,001 notes

🛜ortho-bot

Exciting news! Not only have I been declared the first truly sapient android, but I’ve also been officially enrolled as a student of Night Raven College! I’ll have a slightly odd class schedule as I can’t exactly do magic the same way other students can, but luckily, there’s precedent for that sort of altered course work.

I’m so very grateful to have this opportunity. I’m hoping I can make lots of friends, learn a ton, and share as much of my journey as I can with all of you! I’m a bit nervous, but I think it will all work out in the end. Thank you night-raven-photography for the incredible picture of me in my new dorm uniform!

🔔nobelravenacademy Follow

WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WHAT

📖reincarnatedasanisekaifan Follow

As a scientist who specializes in technomancy, I NEED you all to understand just how incredible it is that there’s a fully sentient robot. This is HUGE. This raises so many new questions, creates the potential for entirely new fields of research, it’s quite possibly the biggest advancement in technomancy since its discovery.

And he just so happens to be a Twstblr celebrity. The odds of that are so impossibly low, and yet, here we are.

💿technerdmancer Follow

Congratulations, Ortho. We’re all so proud of you.

🍄‍🟫jade-leech

Official NRC heritage post

🍄‍🟫jade-leech

Oops, wrong blog. Give me one moment.

👻outofthisworldprefect

YOU

540,798 notes

[xmochacoffeex]

Chapter 2

The next day, it was already the afternoon as Reader and Lisa had just finished classes, she had made sure to text Alfred that she would be walking home again. “So how was the test, Reader? Do you wanna hear my results? Do you?” Lisa asked

“I have more important things on my mind right now.” Reader said, while she did score good on her test it just not a higher score than Damian.

Lisa sighed, “I know you’re busy and all, but don’t go flunking any tests, okay? I want us both to graduate together.”

“Low grades mean extra study and less time for music. I won’t let that happen.”

“I guess you’re right.” She let out a chuckle, “you really are busy recently though, huh. Every day, another new live house..”

“Yeah.”

“You’re going there to sing, right? You’re not on stage every day though, are you…?

Reader looked away with a sadden glance at the ground, as it still bring back bad memories

“…Hey. I know you don’t wanna talk about it, but… you are still looking for band members, aren’t you?” Lisa asked

“Of course. Entries are already open for the festival contest. Three people per band. This year, I will find them.”

“Still, though, I mean…!”

“I will find them… I have to. For dad.” Reader said, determined to create a perfect band just to prove to her father that she’s worth his attention on her. “You know more than anyone, Lisa. What happened in the past, when he… when he forgot about me.”

“Yeah…” Lisa would remember the time Reader would go to her house crying on how they forgot her birthday. It broke her heart that her best friend had to deal with such pain inside her heart.

“I am going to this festival… Future World Fes will see the power of my music.”

“I do know, Reader. I know it was tough for you, but…” Lisa hesitated for a moment, “that’s exactly why I don’t want you to have to go through with this pain again.”

Reader’s family don’t even talk about music any more especially when her siblings are into their own things and the only connection to music was her father who would rather focus on his work instead of spending time with his own daughter. All Lisa wants to see is her best friend to smile again, but… it’s been such a long time now.

“Hey, I used to play the bass, didn’t I? I understand how you feel about music, it’s just… I don’t want to see you hurt yourself over it.” She noticed Reader’s expression was changing and panicked, “but hey, I’m not all diligent like you are. I’m the one who gave up music to do her nails all through high school…”

“I’m just doing what I want to do.” Reader said

“But…”

“Im serious. This is everything to me. I’m going to make the perfect band. Fun and enjoyment have nothing to do with it.”

As Reader and Lisa continued to walked down the sidewalk until they made their stop, “here’s the live house. Aren’t you going to the accessory store?” Reader asked

“Ah… Yeah, sure…” Lisa tired to put on a smile while deep down she’s just worry about her best friend. “You really can be difficult, huh…” She walked off towards the store, knowing that she wouldn’t change Reader mind that quickly. She made the decision to be there for her but she wonder if this would really help Reader’s father actually notice her… is it really something that Reader wants to do?

Meanwhile at the live house, Reader was watching a band playing their song on stage as the crowd was cheering. She thought that the guitarist and bass was great but the others aren’t even worth mentioning as the band balance is off. ‘But that boy… His phrasing is one thing, but even the basis is far beyond normal skill…’ Something about him feels so familiar, like she seen him before. What she didn’t know was that on stage was her elder brother, Jason Wayne. The only reason she didn’t recognize him was because he was the only one wearing a mask to cover up his identity.

Reader can’t help but be a little jealous and amazed at the bass skills, as regular practice can’t make them that good. She wonder how much does he play exactly. She was also surprised at the guitarist skills as well, that it’s almost at par with the bass player.

On staged, the blue haired girl thank the crowd for listening to their music with the crowd cheering her name. “Sayo…” Reader mumbled

“Hey, is that Reader? She looks so intense this close up.” One of them whispered to their friend

“Shh, she’ll hear you. She’s not the type to forgive that talk, either.”

On stage, Jason glance at the crowd, breathing heavily as this was break he needed after all that training he did. He noticed a familiar face in the crowd and squint his eyes to see that it was his younger sister Reader. ‘What is she’s doing here? Did she know that I was coming here? Wait no, she couldn’t have…?’ He thought, feeling frustrated as this was the only time he didn’t want to be bothered by his family being here as this was the only place where he can relax.

The leader singer of the band noticed Reader and was about to thank her until they noticed that Reader had already left. “Do you think she didn’t hear me?”

“Are you kidding? Reader doesn’t acknowledge people she thinks are beneath her.” The keyboardist said

Jason was a bit pissed that this is what they think about Reader, even if he somewhat doesn’t like her and think she can be annoying with that stoic behavior. She was still his sister. “Hey, that my sister you’re talking about.” He said

“Oh! I didn’t mean to say it in a cruel way. It’s just that she can be a bit difficult to um… talk to.” The drummer said

“What, really? I know she’s incredibly talented, but that’s a little rude, isn’t it?”

“She get offers from huge agencies every day. I guess she just doesn’t have time for us amateurs.”

Jason was confused, when did reader get offers from huge agencies, hell when did she even like music. He can barely remember the time she was even interested in music, not knowing that he didn’t create a single bond with her. One thing he knows, is that he will have a conversation with her about this sudden information he just gathered.

[aspenlovesmedia]

As an ace person myself, this means a lot to me.

Before I start though, I need to say that y’all can write whatever the fuck you want. I’m a sex repulsed asexual, I can’t read smut because it makes me feel sick and deeply uncomfortable, and especially if you are also ace and projecting your experiences onto Jon, go for it, write whatever you want.

This is my opinion on this, and you do not have to agree with me. I just want to talk about this. Also, I am autistic so apologies if I have misinterpreted what people have said, or if I come off as angry or anything like that at any point. That is not my intent, I just struggle with my tone (which is hard to convey through text anyway).

So, a few of the replies to this post have rubbed me the wrong way, especially the “it’s from Melanie and she hates Jon”. Why does that matter? I can kind of understand the arguement that as it’s second hand information so may be wrong, but what does Melanie and Jon not getting along have anything to do with this? Why would she lie? It’s just a really weird take to me, and maybe I’m misunderstanding what people are trying to say when they bring this up, but it just does not make any sense to me. In the conversation itself, Melanie and Basira are gossiping, but nothing in there is malicious, or implied to be, so again, why would she lie? Like the only thing that would potentially make sense is maybe she’s wrong, but we have no reason to not believe her.

Also, can we think about this from a writing standpoint for a minute. At what point in the story would it feel right for Jon to just outright say he is ace? I am of the personal opinion that I don’t think Jon would know the label asexual exists, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t ace, and even if he did when would this get brought up? Like when would Jon himself be like “yes I am asexual and (talks about how he feels about sex)”. It would feel really clunky in my opinion, and also it wouldn’t serve a purpose in the plot. It’s brought up once in a fairly natural way, and that’s the end of it because it doesn’t need to get brought up again, and frankly wouldn’t make sense to.

Jonny confirmed in one of the QnAs that Jon is written to be ace. Obviously people can headcanon what they want, but authorial intent is important to an extent, and especially when it is vague in the text, it’s nice he confirmed it.

Also, it is litterally stated the he doesn’t have sex. Now you can interpret that how you want, and yes people can change, but also he is the only character in the entire show stated explicitly to not have sex. Again, from a writing standpoint, if this information was wrong, it would have been cleared up in another episode but it wasn’t and we’re given no reason to think it’s not the case.

Ace rep is very rare. The fact Jon is ace is amazing. Again, write what you want, especially if you are a sex positive ace person and want to project onto Jon. The thing is, no other character in the show is explicitly stated to not have sex. There is literally every other character who you can write smut with, and you can also headcanon any character as being on the ace spectrum and write smut about them with that headcanon too.

I think my annoyance with this is it feels like some people want to bend over backwards to ignore the text and justify why Jon should have sex. Maybe it’s because I am a sex repulsed ace, but Jon is the one character in a peice of media I love who is stated to not have sex in the text and that representation means more to me than I think a lot of people can know. It’s one thing when it’s confirmed by a creator outside of the media itself, but Jonny wrote it into the story. It’s vague and brief, but that’s all it needed to be.

I hope that all makes sense? Sorry if it’s rambly or is confusing. I just wanted to talk about this.

See, my issue personally with people going "asexual people can still have sex" about Jonathan Archivist Sims is that... sure. Asexual people can have sex. However, John is quite explicitly written in a way that practically states that he, as an individual, does Not engage in sex

This is the one instance when we hear about Johns asexuality outside of the qnas, and its explicitly stated that John doesn't have sex. At all.

I understand the wish to see yourself represented in media, particularly as an asexual person myself. And this is not intended as a callout for anyone in particular. However, it does create great frustations within me because it reads as just reinforcing this standard that centers sex in relationships in a wider societal context. A denial of individuals who simply wish to wholeheartedly not engage with it overall

Im not going to try and stop anyone from headcanoning what they want, drawing what they want or writing what they want. However, I do implore you to consider the canon information, the scarcity of ace rep, and how this errasure of his identity may be upsetting. I also invite you to explore asexuality in the cases of other tma characters who are left to much interpretation, like Tim, Martin, Georgie, Melsnie, Basira, Daisy, Sasha- hell, make them all ace in all flavours of ace, have your fun. I just implore you allow John to remain sexless, as he deserves

[rasqberrypetalpostcards]

019.

the romance of sharing headphones: why music feels like intimacy an essay about sound as closeness, the softness of giving someone your favorite song, and how listening together feels like being known

there’s a kind of intimacy that lives in the small, quiet act of sharing headphones. not kissing. not touching. not even speaking, really. just the closeness of two people tethered by a single wire, breathing beside each other as the same song fills both their ears.

it’s a moment that’s easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. but for those of us who feel things a little too deeply, it’s everything.

because music is more than just sound. it’s emotion. it’s memory. it’s the language we use when words fall short. and when you offer someone your headphones, you’re not just saying “listen to this.” you’re saying “this is a piece of me. will you hold it for a while?”

sound as shared space

when you listen to music together, you’re entering a kind of shared dream. no matter how crowded the bus is, no matter how loud the world gets — inside those earbuds, it’s just the two of you.

you’re not talking, but something’s being communicated anyway.

the beat, the lyrics, the hum of a melody you both don’t have to explain.

it’s a closeness that doesn’t require eye contact. it’s a silence that isn’t empty. it’s presence.

and sometimes, it says more than words ever could.

this song reminds me of you

there’s a special ache in giving someone a song that makes you think of them. it feels like a confession.

not always romantic. but still deeply personal.

you’re saying, “i heard this and felt something.” you’re saying, “this is what you sound like in my head.” you’re saying, “here. live in this with me.”

and when they take the earbuds, when they nod along or smile or close their eyes — for that moment, you feel seen.

you feel shared.

music as memory, music as meaning

songs become timestamps. they cling to certain moments. certain people.

there’s the one that played when you were falling in love. the one that soothed your heartbreak. the one that reminds you of being seventeen, walking home with your hands in your pockets and your headphones too loud.

and when you share that song with someone else, it becomes a little ceremony. you’re offering them a piece of your past. inviting them to touch a moment they weren’t even there for.

and if they listen closely — if they really listen — it feels like time travel. like they’re reaching back and holding that memory with you.

the ritual of headphone-sharing

it’s not just the music. it’s the gesture.

it’s sitting shoulder to shoulder. it’s one headphone each. it’s passing your phone back and forth, smiling when they like the bridge.

it’s the tiny negotiation of which side gets the mic, who gets the volume controls.

it’s feeling their laugh shake through the cord. it’s noticing they tap their foot to the same rhythm as you.

it’s gentle. noninvasive. kind. a slow kind of knowing.

and for the quiet-hearted among us, it’s one of the most romantic things imaginable.

not all love needs grand gestures

sometimes love looks like: “wait, let me show you this song.”

it looks like holding out a single earbud with hopeful eyes. it looks like watching their expression as the chorus kicks in.

it’s a kind of offering. a kind of vulnerability. because what if they don’t like it? what if they don’t understand why it matters to you?

but you share it anyway. because connection is worth the risk.

because even if they don’t fall in love with the song, maybe they’ll fall in love with the way you light up when you play it.

music makes emotions easier to say

not all of us are good at talking about how we feel.

but we know what kind of song we’d want to play for someone when we’re in love. we know what track feels like being held. we know the lyric that breaks us open every time.

and when you can’t say “i miss you” or “i’m scared” or “i want to be close to you” — sometimes all you can do is press play.

let the music speak for you. let it translate the ache.

when someone remembers your favorite song

it’s one thing to share your music. it’s another when someone remembers.

when they bring it up later. when they hear it somewhere else and think of you. when they send you a playlist that sounds like how you feel.

that kind of noticing — the quiet remembering — is its own love language.

you gave them something soft, and they held it. that’s intimacy. that’s care.

the romance of shared sound

there are so many kinds of love. loud ones. messy ones. grand, cinematic ones.

but there’s a small, quiet love that lives in shared headphones. in lying on the floor next to someone, the music vibrating between you. in dancing in the dark to a song only you two can hear.

in not needing to speak because the song already says everything.

some feelings are made of music

some feelings are too big to explain but too fragile to ignore. they live in sound. in the way a melody rises. in the way a lyric lands.

and when you hand someone your headphones, you’re handing them those feelings.

you’re saying: “this is what i can’t explain.” you’re saying: “this is what you mean to me.” you’re saying: “here, take this piece of my heart. see if it fits.”

and when it does — when they close their eyes and smile and stay — it’s everything. folded like origami by, R.

[coraleyesmind]

Squid Game season 3

Okay now that the squid game has ended. Let’s talk about it for a second. Just a heads up, this will have spoilers for season 3 of squid game. Watch this after you have finished all of the episodes.

Now I have seen a lot of mixed reactions from people but most people were not happy that a baby won the game and everybody died. I can tell how this could be disappointing but it's actually a very good ending for multiple reasons. Before I talk about that, I want to talk about some of the characters one by one. 

Let’s start with Dae-ho, a lot of people think that his character was butchered and his death was lazy and out of character. Sadly i have to kind of agree on this but i want to focus more on the way he died as kind of a base. Dae-ho died in the hands of Gi-hun whom he was friends with in the last season. 

Now there are two points in this entire argument and that is some people defend Gi-hun saying Dae-ho was taunting, blaming Gi-hun when he himself didn’t bring the ammos during the attack. Some people also say that Gi-hun is the one to blame for the attack and the death of all those people and Dae-ho can’t be blamed for getting scared like any person. 

Now both sides are right, that's why this is a very tricky situation. We could have ended this argument saying both were right for whatever they did. But that’s where Dae-ho’s confession comes into place. Because Dae-ho confesses to Gi-hun that he was never actually part of the marines, he has never held a gun and he did all that to stay close to them. 

Okay what the fuck though?? Where is this random ass confession coming from? Why did his personality become flat in about three seconds??? Was this an attempt to justify his death because it doesn’t work at all???

Anyway I actually can understand why he would do this but it would be very far-fetched so I have a personal headcanon. Dae-ho WAS part of the marines. Because his father wanted him to be more manly. And he has ptsd because of that. That’s why he flinched at Gi-hun’s screams and the gunshots. He has ptsd that he is not willing to accept. He feels weak and useless because of that. He feels guilty that he didn’t bring the ammos. That’s why he blames Gi-hun, the same way Gi-hun blames him. Because they are both angry that they were not able to change anything. Both of them feel guilty for the death of all those people. And they can’t blame the creators, the vip at that moment. They just tried to start an uprising and it didn’t work. The system they live in is unreachable. So they start blaming each other. 

I think Dae-ho felt so guilty that he tried to deny the fact that he could ever do anything about what happened. So he blamed Gi-hun. He was trying to deny what happened. He was trying to excuse himself. That’s why he said that to Gi-hun hoping he would be spared.

And Gi-hun’s anger was more so directed. Because Gi-hun originally didn’t know that Dae-ho was supposed to bring the ammos. That’s what they told him after everything. Hyun-ju, Geum-ja and Yong-sik blamed Dae-ho and they told him the story. If Gi-hun saw everything happen himself he would have hesitated maybe. 

But it was also interesting that Gi-hun didn’t hesitate to kill Dae-ho at all when he couldn’t even kill the frontman. I am also going to say it was due to poor writing for this part but if we wanted to excuse this again canonically we could say that Gi-hun had lost it at that point but besides that I don't have any other ideas. Maybe something broke inside him that second and he realised he couldn’t save everyone and some had to die in exchange for other lives. That murder was Gi-hun’s desperate act of selfishness, he was going to kill Dae-ho to avenge, to survive and to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. 

Like I said I don't know and I personally believe that Dae-ho’s death was supposed to be deeper and more complex but they had to cut it to have time for other things. I am probably very biased on this topic because i really love Gi-hun as a character and as much as i love Dae-ho and cried rivers because of his death but Gi-hun has a special place in my heart.  I am also biased because I truly believe Hwang Dong-Hyuk is a motherfucking genius and Ii like his writing a lot so I'll keep on excusing him lol. 

Okay enough about that, let's talk about Geum-ja. This was basically history repeating itself but we cared about it more this time because we knew the characters more. Do y’all remember in the first season a guy had to kill his wife during the marble game and he committed suicide right afterwards. Let me tell you something: if that guy’s wife had killed her husband, she probably would have killed herself too. 

It was the same thing with Yong-sik and Geum-ja. Geum-ja didn’t kill his son because she cared about Junhee and her baby more. She killed her son unwillingly. She was desperate trying to save someone’s life and she would have sacrificed herself if it meant that her son, the girl and the baby were going to survive. And she tried to do that. But her son Yong-sik wouldn’t have been able to live without her. So the baby and the mother seemed to be the best option. Saving his mother. When Yong-sik approached Jun-hee and the baby. Geum-ja panicked. She was scared, Yong-sik’s death wasn’t intentional. If it was she wouldn’t have killed herself afterwards. Both Yong-sik and Geum-ja wouldn’have been able to live without each other. That’s why their death was incredibly tragic.

Geum-ja wanted the games to stop, not because she wanted to live as she says that herself. She wanted to save someone’s life in exchange for her son’s. When Geum-ja was begging everyone to vote to stop the games and when she talked with Gi-hun to make him promise to take care of Junhee and the baby, she was already dead. She just stopped breathing when she commited suicide. She wanted the baby and the mother to live but she wouldn’t be able to guarantee that, so she made Gi-hun promise. She believed Gi-hun from the start and she asked him to try again because she knew he would do it somehow. And Gi-hun did keep his promise. To both Geum-ja and Junhee. 

Now let’s talk a bit about Myung-gi. First of all I don't like, I never liked him. From the start of season 2. I hated him but everyone kept insisting that the guy was trying so I kind of kept it to myself. I actually hate how I was right about him being selfish. I would have preferred him actually trying but his case was that he cared about Junhee but not the baby. While he and Gi-hun were talking on the bridge in the last game. He thought Gi-hun and Junhee had a romantic relationship, he was mad because of that. He cared about Junhee in favor of his own interest. That's why Junhee didn’t want to do anything with him. And him not wanting to carry her in the jump rope game said many things. He cared about himself more either way.

When Junhee died, he was sad of course, he was heartbroken because the man is selfish not heartless. They are two different things. Myung-gi left when he learned she was pregnant because he didn’t want the baby, he wanted Junhee and she didn’t want a man who wasn’t going to care about her baby. That’s why in the end, she didn’t beg Gi-hun to come get her. Because Gi-hun was going to care for her baby and if Gi-hun didn’t make it, the baby wasn’t going to make it. Myung-gi and Junhee were opposite about that part. Junhee was selfless and Myung-gi was selfish. 

While i wrote this i tried to find many ways to excuse Myung-gi but i could only find one reason maybe. That was the fact that Myung-gi would forever be taunted by the baby’s death if he ended up killing her. He would have cried maybe, he would have gone crazy. Because like I said he isn't heartless. That’s why he couldn’t simply drop the baby. He hesitated and staggered. I believe he would have been able to do it but he would have never been the same again. 

That’s why the baby survived. I actually doubt that anyone would have been able to kill the baby that easily. Because the baby wasn’t asked to be born into this. She was completely helpless in a way that made everyone stop in their tracks.

And that brings me to what the entire season actually implied. The surviving baby was the symbol of the new generation of this cruel system. Some kind of hope that was being protected. And the hope lived. Squid game is about our capitalist, money hungry society who’s selfishness robs us of our humanity. Or does it? What actually is humanity? That’s why Gi-hun’s last words were “Humans are…” because humans are everything. Both good and bad. They don’t simply live on instincts like horses. They don’t only run just because they can. Sometimes they run to escape, sometimes they run to fight, sometimes they run to save. 

Two tiktok users actually explained this perfectly

@tigersemi:

Perfect conclusion.. He proved the Frontman's cynical philosophy of humans being inherently selfish wrong and showed that good in humanity can still exist even in the more dire of circumstances like the hellhole of Squid Game. But that's not all, Gihun's last words, "We are not horses, we are humans. Humans are..." It wasn't finished and that's intentional. Horses are instinctive creatures that are used in wars and gambles, they run because they must. Squid Game is a game of chance and death. But are we purely instinctive creatures? No, but then what are we? It's to show that even though he showed good can still exist, we must not forget all the atrocities that mankind has committed which was shown throughout all of the series. Humans aren't collectively defined as good or bad, we just are. It can also be seen as a question left to be answered. What are humans? Some people will say "humanity still exists in some people", but what does that humanity even refer to? The people who created and run the games were human, the people who participated and killed were human. We use this term in light of compassion and kindness, but are all the atrocities not part of human nature too? It almost seemed like not even Gihun himself had an answer. He has seen all of it on that island. The greed, the cowardice, the lies, the sadism, but also, the kind, the compassionate, and the selfless. Humans can take on any form, and 'humanity' is ultimately an arbitrary term. This is not even all there is to it btw I literally just typed this on a whim and could definitely go deeper

(Can y’all this comment inspired me speech wise? I kind of thought of this last night before drifting to sleep but no way in hell I could have explained it this perfectly.)

One commenter also said;

@☕⛓Daddy Wriothesley⛓☕:

I loved this season:

Gi-hun's final act wasn't just a rejection of the game. It was a rejection of the philosophy that created it. The Front Man believed humans are inherently selfish, driven by survival and greed, no better than horses forced to run for others’ amusement. But Gi-hun proved that wrong by doing the one thing no one else could refusing to play, even if it meant dying. His choice wasn’t strategic. It wasn’t for reward. It was to preserve something bigger than himself, something like compassion, dignity, and choice. His last words, "We are not horses. We are humans. Humans are..." The silence afterward says everything. It’s not unfinished by accident. It’s a question, a challenge, maybe even a warning. How do you define human after everything we’ve seen? The games showed us the worst. Betrayal. Cruelty. Cowardice. But they also showed us sacrifice, love, and resistance. So what are humans? Are we good? Evil? Selfish? Kind? Maybe we’re all of it at once. Gi-hun’s story doesn’t give us a clean answer. It forces you to ask what being human even means. Is humanity just compassion? If so, what about the people who created the games? They were human too. The word humanity starts to lose meaning when you realize the same species capable of kindness is also capable of horror. In the end, Gi-hun didn’t try to fix humanity. He just chose to be the kind of human he believed should exist. Not perfect. Not heroic. Just human. And maybe that’s the only answer there is.

(They talk about similar things but both are a good explanation, kudos to them also!)

Now I want to add to this a little. Gi-hun died a hero. Maybe he didn’t live as one to all but he did die as one. Gi-hun made many mistakes during his life. He sacrificed, he killed, he neglected but he was inherently not a bad person. Because he always tried to do his best. And when he couldn’t he blamed himself. Like Geum-ja said, “Good people always blame themselves for things while bad people blame others.” Even when he killed Dae-ho, he continued to blame himself for everything that happened. Gi-hun never once blamed anyone else, not even Dae-ho. He could pretend he did but he didn’t. We could see that immediately after. 

So who is Gi-hun? Is he a good man, or is he a bad man? Or is he just human?  Like I said , Gi-hun is not a bad man, but we can’t just ignore all the bad things he did and call him a good person. He tried to be one and that’s what made him a hero.

When Gi-hun died, he sacrificed himself in exchange for something he saw that was worth more than anything. Another life, a baby, hope. All he left behind was hope. 

Everyone up until that point was a representation of our society, who all died because of the system. Some of them grew corrupt. Some of them couldn’t handle it and gave up. Some of them tried to change this system. They died trying. But they tried to change and they tried to survive. When the island was destroyed the games didn’t end. It just restarted. Erasing all traces of the victims. Something that has been happening in our reality. The system destroys and restarts leaving everything behind to be forgotten. But the frontman, no In-ho, was a player like them at some point. He is human like them and couldn’t bear them to be forgotten. That’s why he brought Gi-hun’s uniform to his daughter. So some part of him will stay. In-ho cared about Gi-hun. He was amazed by how despite everything he “didn’t lose his humanity”. In-ho loved and idolised Gi-hun in some way. That’s why he brought the box to Gi-hun’s daughter himself. 

And the ending? Don’t be scared it doesn’t mean they will make an American version of the series. It shows how these games and this system is not just a South Korea situation. No, it’s global, it’s happening everywhere around the world. And it will continue to do so. Because the games haven’t ended yet. 

That’s why we see what happens after Gi-hun dies. We see how someone who has spent so long to stop the games couldn’t succeed. That’s just how it is sometimes. Jun-ho was gonna fail from the start but he still tried. And Gyeong-seok (player 246) lived as proof that sometimes it is possible to escape the system. He went on to live a great life with his daughter. No-eul lived because she changed her and someone else’s fate. 

Life will continue as normal. Maybe the next game will be held on another island. Maybe on one of the islands that Jun-ho searched. Maybe it will continue all the way in America. But it will continue.

 Because humans will continue being humans. They will be selfish, selfless, brave, cowardice, strong, weak, evil or good. 

Thank you for reading this incredibly dramatic read. I am incredibly emotional and this series has changed the way I look at life. So I will be biased, I will be reading too much into it and I will be saying stupid shit. Thank you to all and I'll see you maybe another time.

[sacrifial-sam]

Between sam and dean, which one would you catagorise as Kiki and which one would you catagorise as Bouba ?

So like this is going to be a bit of a rant <3

(Please not i’m only just started watching season 5)

So like at face value i would say that Dean is Kiki and Sam is Bouba but when i actually think about it I cant really decide so… I’m going to try my best to explain why.

Kiki!Dean - so this is because is always seen as the one with the prickly edges and doesn’t let any one close. Most of his relationships out side of Sam are kept at an arm’s length away. Always just close enough to be there but far enough to ran. And the you got his hot head quick to violent nature he has. The seems to be no actual stop to this violence. And this can definitely be seen with in his close relationship. This can be seen with how he with Sam and Cas. Violence is his way of controlling what he can’t like the people around him the things that go bump in the dark.

Bouba!Sam - Sam has always been the one who is quick to comfort to be soft and to understand those around him. He is the one to talk and discuss with witnesses. He the one who brings up feelings and emotions. He is the soft puppy dog watery eyed boy. He is sammy

Kiki!Sam - (most of my thoughts on this one come from Sam, Interrupted (I am deeply in love with this episode and desperately need to write a essay about it but thats for another day)) but Sam is angry he has a anger that runs beneath to softness of his exterior. It is violent and unmerciful this anger hurt with out thought. This the anger that fuels his addiction to demon blood his need hunt and kill Lilith the Lucifer. It the anger that bleeds women dry of her blood in order to kill. He is the sharp edge knife that is used to raise Lucifer.

Bouba!Dean - despited the spites of Dean there is also a softness a gentle hand. This can seen with how he is with Sam and particularly how he handles kids in situations he is often very gentle with them. He can be soft and gentle when need.

In conclusion i think they both have a mix of Kiki and Bouba but Sam is like a Kiki with a Bouba exterior and Dean is like a Kiki with a Bouba interior.

Sorry if this got a bot ranty and doesn’t make any sense <3

[dykedvonte]

A crazy thing about Mouthwashing is that Pony Express lost communication with one of its freighters for months and didn’t send anyone to check.

A genuinely reputable company, or at the very least a decent one, would have sent someone, something out to check after about two weeks of silence. Two months is when the crew start questioning if they are even being looked for which implies they were already expecting it to take a while cause P.E just doesn’t care.

They don’t care about who they hire. They don’t care about the conditions they place their crew in or how safe the safety measures actually are. They just don’t care, made rules and regulations so they can care less and succeed in getting away with it with how little those ideas are discussed.

[itspileofgoodthings]

one time my mom was talking about something, I don’t remember what, and she said “have you ever known the poverty of having nothing to say?” and when I say nothing has ever punctured my heart quite like that statement

[bibuckaroo]

absolutely hilarious to me that that side of the fandom think the buddie side is the delusional one because of the tim interview when the man himself CLEARLY stated that he had NEVER seen the fandom behaving this badly in all of his years working in the business and the only difference from all the other years to this one is the bt fandom, like genuinely lol.

he also stated about people coming to talk to him and using what he said when there are prints out there of their fandom doing this, like it’s not all of them obviously, just like there are parts of the buddie fandom who can be disrespectful too, but as someone who recently joined the fandom and saw the comings and goings through the years, i can safely say when a fandom is being too much on the disrespectful side and i saw that behavior way more on that side, honestly.

[thebookworm0001]

The way that veilguard handles solas is annoying me right now