#could be because it plays during one of my favorite moments in the whole series. its also just a very beautiful song <3 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

unicorncornflakes · 1 year

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Dark Desire - Modern AU! | Prologue

Next Chapter

Paring: Aemond Targaryen x Niece!Reader

Summary: Aemond doesn't know how he feels every time he sees you. Neither do you when you look at him. Your father Aegon has always been absent from your upbringing ever since he divorced your mother. That role has been filled by Aemond until last summer, when everything changed.

Tags: Alternate Universe – Modern/ Setting Emotional Hurt/ Comfort/ Drama & Romance/ Eventual Smut.

Warnings: This fic includes manipulation, violence, death, and inc3st, at some points. Reader has purple eyes and her mother is from Dayne House, the rest is complete free :D

Tag-List (If you wanna be tagged in thi series or all of my work, let me know): @thedamewithabook

Author´s note: Pls, enjoy! Feedback, shares and comments are always welcome!

Word Count: 1.2K

Aegon was never ready to be a father. When he held you in his arms for the first time, he realized it. You were beautiful. You looked like your mother, but you had his eyes. You couldn't be the most perfect combination. At that moment, he felt that he could conquer the world just because of you. He remembered your mother laughing as he said how beautiful you were, and how all men would bow down to you, entire nations if need be. You were a Targaryen. Possibly, your parents had not thought of having you, but that was not why you were less loved. To Aegon, then you were the most beautiful baby in the world. He believed that he could be a better man because of you, and your mother.

The following year, you were already walking and almost, almost talking. You spent the whole days behind your parents, and if they didn't listen to you, you went with Aemond. Everyone realized at that moment that he would be a good father, or at least a good uncle. You always ended up asleep in his arms, you asked him to carry you on his shoulders and you had his cat, Vhagar, terrified. But those had been good old days for Aegon. Your mother, you and he had been a family. It had been until he screwed up at that party. He got too drunk, and as always, he ended up in another woman's bed. Your mother didn't forgive him. He preferred it that way. He didn't either forgive himself. He had been deeply in love with your mother, but even that hadn't kept him from his erratic lifestyle. All his family life disappeared thanks to him. Daeron had just finished law school and introduced himself as his lawyer. What a premiere for his little brother! Aegon had asked for impossible conditions for your custody, which he had lowered over time. He didn't want to keep hurting your mother, let alone you. You would be better off with her. That´s was what he told himself, and he got out of the way when your mother decided to return to her family, taking you to Starfall with her. You cried at the airport, seeing how you were pulled away from him, you screamed when your mother tore you from Aemond's arms, who had carried you all the way there. You said you wanted to see Vhagar, you asked where Sunfyre was, your father's dog, to tug at his ears. You cried because you had been taken away from your whole little world, and Aegon stood still. He had screwed up. And he only cried when he found himself alone and without an audience. He did not dare to look at your face again. He had destroyed your life.

At the age of five, it began that visiting regime by which you spent the summers with your father. With Aegon more and more steeped in alcohol than before, and for the sole purpose of forgetting, Aemond was the one who took care of you during those summers. If you wanted to go to the pool, he would take you to the pool. If you wanted to play dragons, he'd put you on his shoulders and you'd keep playing until you couldn't take it anymore. At the age of six you had asked him for an eye patch like his, like all children you absorbed things quickly and you just wanted to be like your favorite uncle. He had left you an old eye patch until your grandmother took it from you because you fell off the couch in a mistimed jump. Your mother laughed at the anecdote over the phone, but you found out years later that she was quite upset that you got away with everything during the time you were there. The truth is that at fourteen you had insisted on getting a piercing in the ear and Aemond had been the one who had impersonated your father. No one had questioned it while they pierced your ear with that 'Paternal' consent. His gaze fixed on you. That violet eye fixed carefully on you. Aemond had pierced his ear at the same age, and although he no longer wore the earring as a matter of formality within the company, it was clear to him then that you could be a Targaryen, that you were a Targaryen. Your father didn't say anything, and you hardly saw him around. The reality, despite the closeness you had with Aemond, is that you felt terribly alone in those summers. Your mother blew up when she found out about the ear piercing, perhaps because she had flatly refused you to do it until you were older. Your grandmother Alicent from then on became even more involved in your upbringing during the summer months. Perhaps Aemond, always cold and strict with others, was not the best person to take care of you. But he didn't care, you continued by his side... until the night everything changed.

You were sixteen years old. It was your last night in King's Landing before going back to your mother's house. As in all the end of summer, it was beginning to cool down. The stifling heat gave way to a breeze that sometimes made your skin stand on end, making you laugh. It wasn't annoying, but Aemond took off his jacket while you came back from dinner just the two of you, as usual. He put her over your shoulders and her violet eyes locked on yours for a moment. At that moment, you blushed and he sighed. Something was changing between the two of you. You felt your skin burn where his fingers had brushed as he pulled the jacket over you. You felt a pleasant sensation in your lower stomach. And he took your hand without saying a word, his fingers intertwined with yours... you saw that he had blushed, but he decided to hide it. Later he convinced you to carry your father's family heraldry on your beloved shoulder bag, the same one he had given you two birthdays ago. He told you that you were a Targaryen, just like him... you wanted him to kiss you, you wanted him... you had fallen in love with him... the only one who listened to you... you stared at him just as he put his arm around you. Things had changed. It had all been done and he just caressed your lip, like he really wanted it too. But he did nothing else.

The following summer, too much had changed. He went to pick you up at the airport, like he used to do when Aegon couldn't even remember the day you came back. Aemond remained silent throughout the journey, frowning. You tried to talk to him. You had spent the rest of the year just thinking about him… and all he did was answer your questions in monosyllables… you didn't see him much more that summer and the last straw was when he showed up with Alys at the birthday party that your paternal family celebrated with you... you hated it... everything had changed, and although you both knew why, you both denied it in silence... But, the desire of the Targaryens for their own lineage is too strong to avoid it... next summer would be proof of it...

#aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen x y/n #aemond targaryen x you #aemond x y/n #aemond smut #aemond targaryen imagine #aemond targaryen x fem!reader #aemond targaryen smut #aemond targaryen modern au

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sleepyomi · 1 year

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quality time with the hq!! boys

a/n: hellloooo and welcome back to the love language series! other parts can be found in the series masterlist, physical touch was at 450 words and counting??? like holy shit y’all and then acts of service is like 2 away from 200. I’m literally blown away so here’s quality time!

up next is words of affirmation!

akaashi —

cafe dates, going to a new bookstore together, studying for an upcoming exam at the library. any miscellaneous task he could complete by himself is improved when he has you by his side. if you’re a more extroverted person, he’s happy to go with you to the park, or a game, but loves the tiny moments in between when you’re having dinner together or walking hand in hand after school.

kunimi —

loves to walk with you whether it’s because there is somewhere to be or just to enjoy each others company. to school, from school, after practice, before practice, early morning or late at night, he enjoys your presence. nap dates are a must. he enjoys getting snacks with you after school when he doesn’t have practice and going back to his place together after games even though he’s exhausted. loves getting a meal with you if he can during the weekends, but if not it’s cool! he’s literally just down to do whatever with you.

lev —

your own personal leech. he just always wants to be around you. will understand if you need your space, but if you don’t then expect him there. loves to train with you, and do your homework together even if it’s you tutoring him. he once jokingly only replied to you for a day in Russian after you scolded him for cursing and it became a thing. he started teaching you it as a joke but now loves the way he can speak with you in either language. likes to go to games together whether it be one he’s playing in or another teams. invites you over for family dinners, especially once you’re more fluent and is starry eyed the whole night watching you converse with his loved ones.

semi —

generally just LOVES being around you. likes to sit beside you at lunch even if it cuts down his lunch time to go find your class. always uses studying or homework as an excuse to spend extra time with you. calls even when your both busy or having a rough day and won’t say anything but just be there in silent support. will always FaceTime when he isnt with you and before a game. studying with you is one of his favorite pastimes, and he’s typically more productive during it as he always ends up thinking of what you guys could do together afterwards making him work quickly. like I said, just generally loves hanging out with you, no matter what, when, where, why, or how. he’s down.

hanamaki —

your built in best friend, whether it be teasing oikawa at lunch together, gaming on the weekends, or taking naps together after practice he is all for it. will take any and every excuse to hang out with you. he has to run an errand? suddenly a two person job. you came over to study? well that was exhausting so now you both just have to take a nap and YIKES that took a long time so I guess you need to stay for dinner too. will then walk you back home after. he’s both super low key about it and not, literally loves having you around. makes long days spent together seem like an accident due to bad planning, but it’s actually the opposite which you figure out quickly after the sixth time it’s happened.

do not copy, claim, or repost my works as per @sleepyomi

#haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu x reader #hq!!#haikyuu!!#akaashi keiji #hanamaki takahiro #kunimi akira #lev haiba #semi eita #akaashi x reader #hanamaki x reader #kunimi x reader #lev x reader #semi x reader

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starsandhughes · 7 months

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Guide to Penalty Box: Sissy Lore, Character Relationships, Bits, History

i reread all of penalty box so you don’t have to! this post is mainly for my benefit, but also for anyone new to the series <3

General Masterlist — 22-23 Season — 23-24 Season

Sissy

Basic Things About Her:

She is NOT legally a Hughes! She grew up with them and they took her in when they moved to Michigan for Jack when he went to USNTDP. They call her their sister, she calls them her brothers, and calls Jim and Ellen mom and dad

Her birth parents were neglectful and mentally abusive. She often stayed at the Hughes house even in elementary school. They put a bed in their game room for her before the move where she got her own room

She is an event planner and has her own business!

Very, very obsessed with The Hunger Games series

She will quote it, reference it, and force everyone to watch it any chance she gets

She's a runner when she's drunk!

The whole group has air tags they use for parties because of this, and even then someone is normally physically attached to her

A story of her running away is in Cruel Weather (Part Two)

She '146' tattooed on her wrist. The 1 is for Trevor, the 4 is for Quinn and Luke, and the 6 is for Jack (and later, Jamie)

She'll joke around with Jack if he gets her on her nerves that the 6 is only for Jamie now

She has the date she moved in with the Hughes's on her collar bone in Roman numerals

She's a sleepy girl! Can't get ahold of her? She's most likely sleeping

She has many sons. Most of the UMich team 101 is a fatherless child, but some have fathers!

Fatherless children: Dylan, Mark, Adam, Luca, Seamus, and Rutger (Fathered children are listed under their father)

She's a bitter! Everyone is used to it, but any time it happens for the first time with someone new, someone has to explain that it's her little deranged way of showing love. Ethan will stick his arm out if she bites Luke (or anyone) to demand love

She goes under people's shirts when she's overwhelmed with emotions. When she does it, you know she trusts you

Sissy & Co are big fans of game nights and she is very, very competitive! They have monthly game nights in whatever way can

Every teammate, on all the teams, adore her and she loves them so much

She gives the teams (mainly the Ducks, obviously) good bags after each game! The more she learns at each player, the more personal the bags

She calls Troy and Dani Terry mom and dad, and she also calls Shatty mom

She's a huge Dallas Stars fan! Her favorite is Robo, and she always (with slim exceptions like if Quinn and Trevor etc play each other) flies to see any of her friends play against them.

She will drop everything if anyone, anyone needs her

She's terrified of storms

She's picky about who gets to call her Sissy and will fight over it.

Sissy exceptions: Dylan because he's known her so long, Cole gets a once a month pass, and Spencer Knight can anytime

Gives creative insults and has no filter

She's a Pink Whitney girly

She has weekly face times with Petey and Matty

She's so clumsy. Extremely so. She is frequently bruised because of it

She's really touchy and will cuddle and fall asleep on anyone

She's a Slytherin

She keeps scrapbooks! For literally anything and everything!

She loves poetry, and frequently uses Atticus poems

Random Lore:

She will leave at any given moment and tell no one. And not just to go out, she'll hop on a plane to see any of her boys. She won't even tell the person she's coming to see. She'll just show up. None of this out of spite, she's just forgetful

Once, she missed Quinn and spontaneously got on a plane to go see him while Trevor was gone without telling anyone. Not Trevor, not Quinn, no one. There was a big freak out. (This was not the first time)

She rented a minivan out of spite during the 2023 development camp so that she could take some of the Ducks boys out after it to get them know them better (it did not take long for the under 20s to call her mom)

In high school, she made her own NTDP hoodie with Jack's, Trevor's, Cole's, and Alex's numbers on the back and wore it every game

She'll occasionally give out gold star stickers (she's basically pavloving them) and once Jack annoyed her and she took his back

She gets her boys a trophy for their first goals of the season

There's a yearly tradition where the day before training camp begins for everyone, Sissy and the Hughes boys (and whoever wants to join) get together to work out together. Sissy is forced to participate but she does not do it for long before she taps out

Brock calls her Princess Hughes and she calls him her Blonde Princess

Frequent Gags:

She gives, and receives, penalties of various minutes for random things. It started from the Shoulder Check Showcase where Trevor did not get a tripping penalty (when he def should have)

Putting someone on probation

Telling someone they aren't friends/sons/etc for a random amount of minutes

Teasing between anyone is done if a "big" word is used. College dropout jokes are made

Random hashtags

Sap is said a lot. At any given opportunity. No one can stay serious for long. Also Simp, but less frequently

"Who's Sissy's least favorite Hughes" "Quinn" (this a gag with random commenters)

Various contracts will be mentioned. Mainly the Best Friend Contract and the Princess Treaty. I have no real explanations or full components of said contracts

Trevor protesting not being able to call her Sissy

Any mentions about high school or senior year. It's all a mystery. It is frequently said that she was crazier.

Most common insult is human dildo

She'll occasionally create the comment section herself and tell the boys to say nice things or specific things

What Jerseys She Wears:

Ducks: She rotates between Trevor's and Jamie's

Ducks vs Canucks: Trevor, Quinn, and Jamie have to play air hockey to decide. If there's no time before, they play iMessage games

Ducks/Canucks vs Habs/Kings: Trevor's or Quinn's

Devils vs Canucks/Ducks: Quinn's or Trevor's

Devils vs. Habs/Kings: Jack and Luke play rock, paper, scissors

Habs vs Kings: Alex and Cole play iMessage games

Panthers vs Anyone: Matty and Spencer play rock, paper, scissors when Spencer is playing. Otherwise, she wears Matty's (except for Canucks and Ducks)

Anyone vs Stars: Jason Robertson's (Robo)

Trevor

Nicknames: Z-Baby, Sweet Boy

He had a crush on Sissy since the moment her saw her

First Date: March 16, 2018 (Junior Year)

They also say their first real kiss was that day, since the other two were practically forced by their friends

Officially Dating: March 22, 2018

First time they said I love you: July 18, 2018

Engagement Date: April 14, 2023

They'll cuddle in any way possible (post on gen. masterlist)

Sissy will "train" with him. And by train I mean she's more like his personal cheerleader, but she'll do some things with him on a lower level

Big PDA couple

They'll sleep anywhere when they're drunk. Counters, tables, closets, horizontally on the bed, anywhere. It phases no one anymore

Sissy will take any and all of his clothes, so all of their clothes are mixed together in their closet. She'll steal clothes from anybody, so sometimes he's accidentally put on someone else's hoodie with their perspective team on it

There's a tradition on his birthday where everyone (that can be there) has a sleepover in the living room. They make a giant fort and watch movies and it's pure chaos

They have matching tattoos of otters on their hands so that when they hold hands, it looks like the otters are

They call each other sweet girl and sweet boy

He kisses her to wake her up. She calls it "Disney Princess style"

Leo is their first and only adopted son

More headcanons are listed on the general masterlist!

Quinn

Nicknames: Quinny Baby, Quinny, Huggy, Quinnjamin

He's not only her big brother, but he's also Sissy's best friend in the entire world

They have a Best Friend Contract

There is a rule that everyone knows that they do not let go of each other until they're both ready. No one else is allowed to touch her, and no one can take her away from him. Not even Trevor

Her going under shirts started with him (blurb: here)

Her and Quinn's son is Cole McWard! (blurb: here)

Trevor asked him for permission before he asked Sissy out. He's officiating their wedding, so it's like it has come full circle. (Fic: here)

She cries every time he leaves, especially after games when she barely gets to see him

He is a professional "Sissy catcher" because she will stand on surfaces that are not meant for standing on

He's the one that bought her Robo jersey

She gave him a "Best Big Brother In The Universe" trophy when they were kids and he still has it

He has a list of random things Sissy says when she's lovey clingy drunk

They officially became best friends when she was in 4th grade

Before Trevor, she had a boyfriend in freshman year. The breakup was hard for her because it was her first one, so Quinn drove down from UMich to be with her for a couple of days

She’ll call him anything under the sun, but she often uses Quintin when she’s upset or in pain (sometimes randomly). She used it a lot in middle school

Jack

Nicknames: Jacky Boy, Soulmate, Howdy Rowdy, Twin

She met everyone through him. They were in kindergarten together and were thrilled to live near each other

They have the same birthday (hence twins)

Jack often jokes he's older than her because he was born 4 hours and 36 minutes before her

They tend to make bets. Everyone had an "intervention" to stop them and limit to Ducks vs Canucks games, but they do not listen

They spontaneously went to Vegas in the peak of the bets starting. Only Trevor knew.

They have a special connection. They know what the other is saying with just a look. They call it "Hugheslepathy"

Sons: Luke and Ethan (He's her first officially adopted son)

Luke is a son because he accidentally called Sissy mom during the one month her and Jack dated (they decided it was too weird and broke up) (it was before the move)

She gives him a painted puck every year on their birthday, and he gives her a charm for her charm bracelet. When he knows it's full, he gets her a new one. (Full imagine: Sweet Sixteen)

She's changing her middle name to Rowden after her and Trevor get married to match him

They will wrestle each other, but he's always careful to make sure she doesn't hit her head on anything with how clumsy she is

They are THE unhinged duo

Sissy cried and slept in Jack's bed for weeks after Quinn left for USNTDP

Luke

Nicknames: Lukey Moosey, Moose, her son

He was the one that first called her Sissy

She's very protective of him and always feels the need to stay strong around him. When they were younger, she'd hold it together if she was upset or hurt in front of him. She also did it in the hospital after the car crash.

Just like with Quinn, if he needs her physical touch, she doesn't let go until he's ready. It's just a rarity.

Cute childhood Luke story in his Debut post!

Luke walked in on Sissy and Trevor making out during the spring break they first got together. He had a talk with Trevor alone warning him not to hurt his sister, despite him being so young at the time

Jamie

Nicknames: Jamie Baby, Ex Husband

Him and Sissy are very close and very supportive of each other

When he got hurt, she left the stands to be with him. She stayed home from games while with him to take care of him when it was the roughest

They used to be "husband and wife" and she calls him her favorite ex-husband

They had silicone rings and everything

They used to joke that Trevor was their kid (he hated it) until they got engaged

It took him a while to fully warm up to her because he's so quiet, but they easily became as close as she is to the other guys when he did

When Sissy and Trevor fall asleep on the couch, he'll carry her up to bed and then wake up Trevor so he can go to bed himself

When he learned why she goes under people's shirts, she made sure to tell her that it was okay for her to do it to him

He sat on the floor and held her hand while she did an online interview to work an important event because she was anxious about it

It was her idea for Jamie to move in with her and Trevor

Cole

Nicknames: Coley Woley

Known as Best Friend Number Two (fic: here)

She'll call him Best Friend Number One to mess with Quinn sometimes

Sissy's man of honor for the wedding

Has a once a month pass to call her Sissy

They've kissed, but it was more of as a joke. Full story on the Engagement post

Sissy, Cole, and Alex have a yearly "Best Friend's Weekend" with no boyfriends/girlfriends or brothers. It started in high school

In high school, Sissy would often go to Cole and Alex's room to smoke, vent, etc

Him and Alex 100% knew Sissy liked Trevor before she really knew herself

Sissy is the nicest to him at all times. He hardly gets the aggressive but loving teasing and belittling (also out of love)

Just she like was there for Jamie, she flew out to see Cole and help out after his surgery in the 22-23 season

Alex

Nicknames: Turc, Turcs, Lexi

Her main smoking partner after high school (especially since he lives so close)

He stole her bong and will not give it back

Sissy, Alex, and Cole have weekly movie nights where they facetime and use watch parties

Once when she fell asleep on him, Quinn threatened him to not move even though he had to pee until Alex was "about to pee on her"

He calls her Girly Hughes

Matthew Tkachuk

Nicknames: My Rat, Matty Ratty, Matty, Rathew (rare)

Sissy had the biggest crush on him in middle and high school and talked about him all of the time

She'll often joke to Trevor that she'll him for Matty when he's on her nerves (lovingly)

She begged Quinn to invite him to her sixteenth birthday party and she got so excited she fell over the couch (fic: here)

He calls her Little Mouse (occasionally sissy)

They have adopted Mackie as their son! It happened when the team went to Universal Studios (Oct. 4, 2023) when Sissy flew out to them without telling anyone (again)

She facetimed him angry when she found out through twitter he played with a broken sternum (and also cried. she's a crier)

She flew out there after and yelled at Brady in person

Spencer Knight

Note: he has not been in the series until the summer before and preseason of 23-24

Nickname: Spency

He had a big part in the egging on for Trevor and Sissy to have their first kiss at a party (full story: Knight in Shining Armor)

He has Sissy pass, and it's not limited. There's not really an explanation for it, but he wasn't as close in the group like the others, so she let him as a way for them to be closer

She was THRILLED when he got drafted to the Panthers, and called him when Matty got traded saying that he was going to love "Her Rat"

She flew to Boston without telling anyone for his first game during Trevor’s rookie year. That’s what started her thing of randomly going to see someone without telling anybody

Hughes Childhood/HS Things

When Quinn first went to USNTDP, they all would have facetime sleepovers. Quinn built his own fort in his dorm, and Jack, Luke, and Sissy built their own. This is still done today, but anyone can be involved

Forts are a big thing for them. They built a fort at any given opportunity (and still do)

They have a yearly "Brothers Weekend" with Sissy where it's just them four

Quinn walked her to class in elementary school. He always made sure her hair was how she wanted before he left to his own class

He gave her hoodie when he left while she was in middle school so he was still "walking her to class"

There's a yearly twister game at the Lake House every summer and has been since they first started spending summers together

"Hugheslepathy" isn't just for Jack and Sissy, theirs is just the strongest. They can all practically read each other's minds

Quinn officiated a wedding between Sissy and a poster of Finnick Odair. Everyone was forced to attend. Luke was the flower boy.

---

more will be added as the series develops!

#penalty box series #trevor zegras #quinn hughes #penalty box series: asks #penalty box series: blurbs

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comicaurora · 1 year

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Hey I'm getting into DnD, do you have any podcast or series of a DnD campaign to recommend? I know there is critical role, but wich one of those should i start with? Is there a better beginning than critical role? I am lost here, please help

This is gonna very much depend on your personal preferences and attention span! I recommend sampling a range of DnD podcasts to find your personal tolerances and what parts appeal to you. I'm not the most widely-read person in this space because frankly most DnD podcasts are on too slow a boil for my attention span, but I've got a few you could check out-

Critical Role is the biggest and most well-known one for sure, but pacing wise I personally can't get through it. I love it in concept, but it's slow enough and huge enough that my brain zones out in the downtime and I lose track of important details when things speed up again. I think my first successful exposure to it was a brisk two-hour video that's just a Best Moments Of Grog compilation. That's also why I've been really liking The Legend Of Vox Machina, which keeps all the biggest and best moments but paces them like an actual story instead of a game. It's not representative of the experience of playing a TTRPG, but it is a lot of fun.

I personally enjoy limited-run miniseries a lot more, because they work better for my limited attention span, and on the critical role front that means I recommend EXU Calamity, a Doomed Heroes far-distant prequel to the modern setting of CR. Only four four-hour episodes and it's on a bit of a slow boil for the first three, but because everybody involved knows how the story's going to end, there's an endless drip of dramatic tension along the way. The DM, Brennan Lee Mulligan, is going to show up a lot more on this list.

On the subject of short miniseries DM'd by Brennan Lee Mulligan, Escape From The Bloodkeep is my personal favorite and the one I revisit the most. Six two-hour episodes, deeply unhinged and intrinsically comedic as it's a full-series parody of Lord of the Rings. I recommend it for a lot of reasons, not least of which being that Matt Mercer, who is an excellent DM, gets to play, and his playstyle is a great example of how to roll with the punches and the dice, since his extremely menacing nazghul captain is afflicted by a string of hilarious failures and he kind of just owns it, to the point where his character arc becomes accepting his worth as an individual with the power of friendship. It's a great example of not taking yourself or your character too seriously, which is a vital skill for players to learn in order to handle the whims of the dice sometimes (or often) not cooperating with your narrative wishes. If CR isn't working for you but you're interested in what you can pick up from this extremely talented DM, this is a good way to get that!

Dimension 20 (Collegehumor's DnD branch) has several series I really like, most of them DM'd by Brennan Lee Mulligan again. His DMing style really works for me, and he takes an approach to pacing that I quite like, so they're generally a safe bet for me. One I categorically recommend is The Unsleeping City, an urban fantasy DnD game set in New York City. This one is 19 two-hour episodes, so longer than the other miniseries but still much shorter than CR, and it can give you a bit of a sampler for (a) the genrebending you can do with DnD and (b) a longer-form story with a less rigidly determined finale than the previous examples. Brennan's DM style is very cool, and he puts an unusual amount of focus on characters getting solo vignettes, which is sometimes considered a bit gauche in DM circles because it means the other players don't have a whole lot to do during those solo conversations, but it works for him and his players and the effect is very cinematic!

But if you want to see a different DM's style in the same space, A Court Of Fey And Flowers is run by Aabria Iyengar, one of the EXU Calamity players, and she has a very different but also cinematic DMing style! The game is also a hybridization of DnD and a different system for facilitating Jane Austen romances, which is dope. Only the first episode is up on Youtube, but that should probably be enough to let you determine if you want to check out more.

I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention the two DnD Actual-Plays I'm in, Rolling With Difficulty and Heart of Elynthi. Rolling with Difficulty is subdivided into three seasons of 8-10 four-hour episodes each, with each season having one overarching plot or threat but mostly being composed of episodic adventures - it's a Planescape series, meaning most episodes take us to a completely new plane of existence to deal with its unique geometry, fun denizens and wacky threats. It's also a lot more edited than some actual-play podcasts, with an effort to avoid the slow parts and the dice-rolling, mental math, "what am I gonna do this round," etc. Heart of Elynthi is an ongoing series that's only about five or six episodes in, with an overarching mystery in the background and a "collect the things to save the world" plotline in the foreground. It also streams new episodes on Twitch on (some) Wednesday afternoons, so if you'd benefit from a live chat to hang out and talk with during games, that might be worth checking out to see if you like it! Elynthi also has had some pretty cool behind-the-curtain stuff about how the players can handle in-character disagreements without them turning into IRL fights, which is something I don't think I've ever seen another DnD actual-play explicitly unpack but is also extremely important for players to consider, so that's fun.

#asks #not aurora #media recs

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ecosystem-administrator · 22 days

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the road to Horizon

I was watching a video recapping someone's journey through FFXIV and it made me think back on the start of my own, so I have some thoughts to ramble here, on my departure from Azeroth and arrival into Eorzea. From the perspective of a WoW refugee who arrived before the big waves of exodus, who left before all the bad news broke at Blizzard.

I don't talk about it much. At first it was because I was still grieving what I'd left, adjusting to the new normal I'd found for myself and trying not to be that person who compares everything to their only other experience in the genre; then, it was because the news had broken about all the things broken in Blizzard behind the scenes, and suddenly it no longer felt cool to have ever enjoyed what they were doing. But I started playing WoW during Wrath of the Lich King, and I continued to play until somewhere in the patch cycles of Battle For Azeroth. 2009-2019, a full decade of investment in the lore, of anticipation and disappointment, of theorycrafting my way around plotholes so I could keep enjoying the things that were enjoyable.

At some point, there was a news announcement coming, and I found myself anxious, dreading the possibility that the plot would focus on some of the characters I'd come to like, and in doing so wreck the stories I'd been building in my head. I had to stop and replay that moment for myself: I was dreading my favorite characters getting spotlight time, because I was afraid of what the writers would do to them. This is, I had to finally admit to myself, no way to live. I had reached my limit. My trust was broken, years of disappointment having finally dismantled my hope. I had to walk away. I wouldn't uninstall, not yet - but I would instead try out that beautiful Final Fantasy game my fiancee and some of her friends had started playing. I had watched over her shoulder one time a good while back as a tiny pink cupcake of a girl drank a goblet of poisoned wine, and at the time I had envied the power of the scene on display. Perhaps starting fresh with a new story would help ease the grief of finally stepping away from a decade of giving my heart to a game that was simply no longer giving back.

It takes time to adjust to a new game, of course. New controls, new abilities, what do you mean crafters are classes just like combat classes, wait what's the difference between a class and a job, how do I know whether I'm where I'm supposed to be, what do you mean dungeons aren't optional content, etc. I stumbled my way through the start of ARR, increasingly enthused to be learning a whole new set of lore but still anxious about how new I was. In FFXIV, we call new players 'sprouts' and tend to them; but I hadn't yet learned that mindset. I had to be told not to remove the sprout icon that flagged me as new and learning, because to me it looked like a 'kick me' sign on my back, a bright waving flag that said "Fresh Meat". That's what it would have been, where I had come from. I didn't know any better yet.

I made my way out of Gridania, around the capitals, through the baby dungeons, back to Ul'dah to get my invitation to the Scions, doing my best to absorb new lore, new controls, and new attitudes simultaneously. So it wasn't until I was leaving Ul'dah and headed out into Western Thanalan toward the Scions, on foot because I hadn't unlocked mounts yet, because I hadn't yet gotten the Horizon aetheryte, that I suddenly had a series of revelations.

I couldn't see player levels just by looking at them. I would have to click on a player and examine them in order to identify what level they were. Conversely, no one could see my level unless they went to that effort. They couldn't tell at a glance if I was overleveled or underleveled, if I was out of place in a zone or where I was meant to be.

The plot I had been through so far had gradually converged on this point in a way that suggested the story was melding with the starting storylines from the other two cities. In WoW, there are overarching plotlines for zones sometimes, but the presence of a Main Plot is a very recent development. Players rarely take the same path from starting zone to max level; but here, we were all walking the same road.

There were no factions. We were all walking the same road, and this was what struck me the hardest. From level 1 to level 70 (at the time I started lmao), every single player around me was somewhere on the same plotline. No one was a threat. There was no world PvP. I would never be ganked, griefed, have to wait for critical NPCs to respawn after max-level players from the other faction had come in and killed them.

Me, to me, at level 15 as the light began to dawn:

This is really how it felt, after all those years of WoW. The road to Horizon was the place where I finally realized I wasn't a soldier anymore, an erstwhile mercenary trying to dodge getting drafted back into a forever war. Of course there were still enemies, but all of the enemies were NPCs. I didn't have to worry about enemy PCs coming in raids, about staying out of their way or deciding to stand and fight. There were no such thing as enemy PCs. The war was, finally, over.

And so I trod onward lighter, still on foot until someone saw fit to give me a chocobo, my faction tabard abandoned in the dust of Thanalan, only an adventurer at last.

#ffxiv #thorn rambles #arr spoilers #there isn't really a point to this #except gratitude I guess #and personal journaling as I track the journey of my life #somewhat melodramatically

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cerealboxlore · 4 months

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WIP #4: Captain Marvel The Animated Series (written)

Episode One: Welcome To Fawcett I

Freddy sat down in the booth across from Billy Batson, surprised by the softness of the seats as he practically sank into them. He took in the decoration of the diner with awe, recognizing the old interior design from pages of history books and old television shows. Looking around, a lot of the photos on the walls were in color, but most of them were in the classic black-and-white style that hadn't aged a day, along with the people in them. The radio on the counter of the kitchen window was playing an old tune, one that Freddy recognized as his grandfather's favorite! He was so enchanted by the vintage nature of the place that he hadn't noticed Billy ordering milkshakes for the both of them. If Freddy hadn't snapped back to reality when their drinks were brought to the table, he was sure he would have been there for hours.

"Wow! You know, I heard that Fawcett was frozen in time for like, decades, but it doesn't really hit you until you get here. The architecture, the people, the whole vibes of everything you all have around here just scream old-timey. No wonder my grandpa wanted to move here, haha-oh, wait! I didn't mean that as an insult, trust me! Fawcett has a good thing going for them. I just need some getting used to it, that's all." Freddy's nervous laughter eased down, as he wiped away the sweat rolling down his face. He was naturally popular in school and around the other kids, as Billy saw firsthand, but actually making friendships and connections with people took more effort than just being a pretty face. Freddy knew that. He just hoped he wouldn't bite his tongue or say the wrong thing as the new kid in town. A kid from the modern day around kids from the past? Yeah, that was for sure going to go great. "I just need to get used to being in this town...it's all new to me." His voice waivered above a whisper at the end, an unsure look in his eyes telling Billy that there was more going on than on the surface.

Billy took in the nervous expression and behavior Freddy was showing, trying to think of a way to calm him down. During school, he could tell that Freddy needed some fresh air and time to think about his move to Fawcett without being bombarded by all the other kids who kept asking him questions. Billy also knew that Freddy moved to Fawcett because of rather...unfortunate reasons, after hearing the rumors that spread around the school, like wildfire, during lunch. He didn't want Freddy to associate Fawcett with negative emotions, thus, the reason for inviting him to Philip's Diner.

"No, it's alright, you don't have to worry about anything, Freddy. Fawcett folk here understand the odd looks we get from the rest of the world." Billy chuckled, taking another sip of his milkshake with a smile. He didn't get the chance to drink these very often, so the moment he saw the chance to have one again with his new friend, Freddy Freeman, Billy seized the opportunity. Honestly, he never treated himself to anything nice unless someone else was tagging along or if the main reason was in consideration of another. Always the money saver, that kid. "You know, being the new kid in town, being the new town in the world, it's not so different once you think about it. The Fawcett Freeze may have set us back, but we're more than eager to catch up with the rest of the world and stand tall! I promise you, you'll do just fine around here, you just need some time to adjust and breathe the air, and you're free to take all the time you need, we've got plenty of that here. So, even if you stumble or fumble some steps, I've got your back!" Billy shined a bright smile on Freddy, who seemed at a loss for a brief moment.

Before Billy could be concerned about the silence, however, Freddy reached a hand out to the boy. Freddy had his doubts and worries about Fawcett, and his place in this town, but after hearing Billy speak so easily to him without any problem, he felt a little stronger.

Freddy felt...calmer.

"Well, if you say so, Billy," Freddy sighed out, grinning. "I'll take your word that Fawcett rocks and I'll take a chance on being here. I can tell already that you're gonna be a great friend!" The two kids shook hands, feeling a strong bond forming between them. Maybe they'd be good friends for a long time. "But, I doubt I'm ever going to stumble or fumble like you said. I've got the best pair of running legs a baseball field has ever seen!"

"Let's put that to the test then, Freeman! Finish your shake in a quick second and I'll take you over to the local baseball field here. The one over by Sherman Street is great for games!"

"Don't gotta tell me twice, Batson!" Freddy shouted excitedly in response. The change in mood seemed to do him some good.

The two boys then chugged their milkshakes like a couple of starving raccoons, sprinting out the door as soon as Billy paid their bill.

Had the boys left a few seconds later, they would have heard the breaking news alert on the radio, alerting the public to Dr. Sivana's recent escape.

@wolfsbanesparks (Merry Christmas! Hope you like this WIP!)

#WIP 4 #Billy Batson #dc captain marvel #shazam #freddy freeman #fanfic wip #writing #This is one of my top 3 favorite WIPs at the moment #I'm so sorry it took so long for me to post #merry christmas to those that celebrate!#happy holidays #Captain Marvel never got an animated show and I'm still upset about that #Technically there was one but I want the one I'm imagining in my head

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wanderlust-in-my-soul · 6 months

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Currently Watching - November

aka The Masterlist

Because I love a good little list - in alphabetical order! 😊

Regularly updated during the month, latest update 30.11.2023

A little link to my favorite bl-tropes-collection 💙

Here you can find all of my gifs.

And if you want to show me something you think I might like, just let me know with #josistag

At the end you can have a look at what we can expect in November with MDL links and a link for the trailer (if avaible). There are 18 coming up series this november... Sleep I love you, but we are going seperate ways this month!

This is guaranteed to contain spoilers!

1. 7 Days before Valentine (1/12 WeTV)

Hm... This was not what I expected. The acting was a little bit over the top. I don't know if I can stand Sunshine. The feeling this first episode gave me was kinda off. I don't know. Right now I don't know if I want to keep watching it.

2. Bake me please (2/6 on Gaga)

This series is so good! I really like Ohm and Guide together. Guide is such a sunshine and I like his character! This series deals with a lot of baking and childhood trauma and a sunshine and grumpy main couple and I love it!

3. Boys Like Boys (8/10 on Gaga)

Okay, I am officially invested! The story of eight taiwanese men who are on the search for love. It is messy and funny and of course I have my favorites! I wish I had waited for the show to finish, because then I could have watched the final and know if I can keep my hopes up or not... And there are twists and turns and some butterflies and I can't wait for the next episode.

4. Cooking Crush (1/12 on Youtube)

I have to admit beside Not Me, I am not the biggest fan of OffGun. Their slapstick humour is just not mine. I can't get the right feeling for this series right now. I will wait and see how it turns out with more episodes...

5. Last Twilight (3/12 on Youtube)

I got fucking emotional when Mhok read from The Little Prince and they had this whole big conversation through the book and I am in tears just thinking about it. The Little Prince is very special for me.

6. Pit Babe (2/13 on Youtube)

Ladies and Gentlemen! We have an Omegaverse! I am still in shock! I usually don't dive into the omegaverse, but I did read some webtoons. I am curious how they'll play it out. The first episode... I don't understand shit! I have no clue, what is going on. There are intrigues going on and I don't trust Charlie at the moment. But I couldn't care less because: Pavel! He could just sit there or walk in his driver's uniform and I would be happy!

7. Playboyy (3/14 on Gaga)

I am intrigued! I needed to call my best friend and tell her about what I have seen. Not just the amount of sex and masturbation and wet dreams, but the way it is filmed. I am intruígued! It looks like a romantic dream combined with porn. And I am looking forward to next week and the weeks to come, because it is so interesting!

8. The Sign (1/12 on Youtube)

I am already in love with this series! Mystical elements, a good chemistry between the actors, some fighting, naked men... What else could I wish for... Oh yeah, and an accidental kiss 😂 But I still enjoyed it so much! And I can't wait fot next week!

9. Twins (4/12 on Gaga)

I don't know what it is. The story is... nothing special. The acting is okayish. Sprite's/Zee's facial expression need some time to get used to. And yet, I like this show! It is one of my most anticipated watches of the week. I like First and I LOVE enemies to lovers 😅 It is one of my weak spots!

Finished in November

Series

1. I feel you linger in the air (12/12 on Gaga)

This is one of my favorite series from this year, if not the best one! It is such a good and well written story about love and building a home, trusting in love and people again, fight against the rules and love the people who deserve your love. I am not as heartbroken than I thought, but I miss them already, like five minutes after it ended. Jom and Yai's love is a love that can overcome all kinds of barriers like time and I love that so much! I love this series so so much! And they confirmed a second season? Now I am afraid and excited? A true 10 out of 10!

2. Dangerous Romance (12/12 on Youtube)

I like Perth and Chimon together, even though their characters can be a little bit cheesy or bromancy. Over all I liked the series, even though I was searching for the danger in the romance. It lost a litle bit of the tension in its second half. Not a bad series, but also nothing special. A solid 7 out of 10.

3. Kimi to Nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo / If it's with you (5/5 on Gaga)

It is sweet and has the typical japanese vibe, you know? The crickets and circades are very much present in the the background and it feels kind of cosy. My japanese vibe. The story itself is sweet. I like the fact that the Amane is open and sure about his sexuality, even though he has experienced homophobia and tries to hide behind a smiling mask. This is a really wholesome watch for the coming darker days. I gave it a 9 out of 10.

4. Kiseki: Dear to me (12/13 on Viki and Gaga)

Okay, this series started strong for me and got really messy and lame in the second half... Well, way before this to be honest. The only reason I was watching in the end were Ai Di and Chen Yi. Their relationship was such a great add up to this mess. Yes, it was messy and I wish they would have communicated earlier, but I love their tenderness and their love in the end. The main couple... I really couldn't care less in the end. And the story was... not that interesting and a little bit confusing at times. Overall an 7,5 out of 10 and that's because of Ai Di and Cen Yi.

5. You are mine (10/10 on Viki and Gaga)

The lovestory between a very demanding chef, who terrorise his employees and his easygoing new male secretary who can give good massages. And the lack of communication is really bothering me at this point. Instead of just going after your secretary, perhaps try and talk to him about your feelings? Argh... Okay, the last episode was just a display of affection and fluff and it was really cute. But it couldn't help a bad series to become a good one. They can kiss, yes, but overall it was not that good. So just a 5,5 out of 10 for me.

6. A Breeze Of Love (8/8 on iQiyi)

I love this one! It is short and cute and for once I understand the problem. The execution was a little whacky, but hey, I really don't care because it was just that cute! The two mains have very good chemistry and are believable. And I am totally in love with them. It has sport and kind of enemies to lovers so checks for me and it is korean. Yeah, that is definitely worth a watch and I guess I will rewatch it from time to time, whenever I need something wholesome and cute. A 10 out of 10 for me.

7. One Room Angel (6/6 on Gaga)

It started out as a very depressing series. It kept this feeling through the whole show, but it never said, that it has to be like that forever. There were always hints, that life can get better. That you are enough and that you are worth it, worth of living, worth of loving and worth of being loved. I mean it ended with this line: I received and was able to give. Even someone like me had something I can do. So probably, life isn't so bad." And that was the point where I lost it completely. A solid 8 out of 10 for me.

Movie

1. Aki wa Haru to Gohan wo Tabetai

This one is a sweet and quiet movie. Well the character Aki is not that quiet, but in this movie there is not that much drama or angst. It is stacked with food and I got so hungry watching it! The food really looks delicious! It is not a bromance. You definitely can see that these two love each other and there are so many hints, that they want to spend the rest of their lives together. And as far as I know there should be a second movie. Fingers crossed! For me a solid 7,5 out of 10

Short Film

Dropped/On-Hold in November

Looking forward to in November

Twins - MDL - Trailer (Nov 3rd on GagaOOLala)

Boy Drenched in Water - MDL (Nov 8th on GagaOOLala)

A Breeze Of Love - MDL - Trailer (Nov 10th on iQiyi)

Last Twilight - MDL - Trailer (Nov 10th on Youtube)

Middleman's Love - MDL - Trailer (Nov 10th on iQiyi)

Beyond the Star - MDL - Pilot (Nov 11th on iQiyi)

Aki wa Haru to Gohan wo Tabetai - MDL (Nov 15th on GagaOOLala)

Playboyy - MDL - Trailer (uncensored) - Trailer (censored) (Nov 16th on GagaOOLala)

Wheels and Axle - MDL (Nov 17th on TBA)

Pit Babe - MDL - Trailer (Nov 17th on iQiyi)

Bake Me Please - MDL - Teaser (Nov 19th on iQiyi / Gaga)

7 Days Before Valentine - MDL - Trailer (Nov 22nd on Youtube)

VIP Only - MDL - Teaser (Nov 24th on Viki & Gaga)

The Sign - MDL - Trailer (Nov 25th on Youtube)

Cooking Crush - MDL - Trailer (Nov 26th on Youtube)

The Whisperer - MDL - Trailer (Nov 26th TBA)

For Him - MDL - Pilot (Nov 30th on iQiyi)

Wuju Bakery - MDL - Trailer (TBA)

Night Dream - MDL (TBA)

Boyy Of God - MDL - Teaser (TBA)

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volturiwolf · 6 months

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Ker si en delček vzela s seboj - Bojan x fem!musician!reader - part 1

A/N: Sentences/words written in italics are in their native languages, or to emphasize a few things.

A/N 2: AI was mostly used to write the lyrics, I changed a few things.

A/N 3: Not everything is accurate/according to what actually happened. Many things are made up, like this story.

A/N 4: This story and the way the characters play out have nothing to do with the real people. This is an imaginary story, in an imaginary world, with imaginary situations.

This series contains explicit/mature/adult content (use of drugs and alcohol, explicit material, swearing, etc).

“But I got my power in my hand / You hold no power over me

And I’ll take my flowers while I can / So let the love shower over me”

Dilja’s song had to be one of my favorite but most underrated songs of this year’s competition. She was not even 21,5 and her voice was pure power. She was performing right after us, so I got to watch her from the side, as soon as we got off stage because I didn’t want to miss a thing.

“Hey, (Y/N). Come on, everyone went back in the box.” Alex nudged me a bit to get my attention.

The ‘box’ wasn’t a box per se; it was a designated area for all the Eurovision acts to hang out during the Barcelona pre-party, surrounded by fans, other contestants, and past contestants. It had soft sofas, and tables full of snacks and drinks. Thank God, because I was already feeling my feet hurting from all the sightseeing we did yesterday.

“Give me a sec. She’s almost done.” I was moving around on my own, trying to be as respectful as I could during Dilja’s performance.

Once she finished, I clapped along with the audience and waited for her as she walked off stage to give her a congratulatory hug. We walked towards the box to meet the others as ‘Wild Youth’ was ready to take the stage.

It was only the first of the ESC Pre-Parties but we were all lucky to stay in the same hotel, so I got to meet the others in the hotel lobby two days ago. Our band, ‘Kitty Revival’, which was representing Greece, arrived a few days before the others, so we had some time to explore the city on our own.

I hadn’t been here in almost 9 years (tomorrow, it would be 9 years actually) and I was excited to see all the places I didn’t get to see when I was here on my last-year school trip.

Dilja and I got along from the beginning and got to do some sightseeing together. My sister also came along as she was the only one who spoke Spanish and I had once promised her to take her to Barcelona sometime in the future. She was only a year older than Dilja so they had a few things in common - more than Dilja and I actually.

Until now, I had met all of the acts at the pre-party, and I had made some friends - mostly Dilja, Mae, Iru, and Joker Out. Most of them were younger than me, but we still had a lot to talk about, like living the whole Eurovision experience - or at least, part of it.

Greece hadn't been participating in the pre-parties, but I really wanted to take the chance. It didn’t only mean song promotion, but also PR and getting to know the other participants. We practically had to beg the Greek delegation to let us participate in the pre-parties because they actually thought we shouldn’t.

As Dilja went to sit next to Mae, I went to sit next to my bandmate, Alkmini “Mini”, but Jan from JO quickly took over the seat. I raised my brow at him, but he just shrugged and pointed towards his old seat, next to Bojan, his bandmate.

I turned towards Mini. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

She simply nodded and I went to sit next to Bojan. The Slovenians had already performed first out of everyone else, so he was now stretching comfortably, but the moment he saw me, he moved a bit to make some space for me. “Thanks”, I murmured, hoping he’d hear it.

“You were amazing out there!”, Bojan tried to speak over Ireland’s song but he ended up screaming a tad too loud, trying to sneak his arm around me. Thankfully, I was used to the loudness and didn’t mind, but his arm made my heart race involuntarily.

I turned towards him to watch him smiling brightly, looking dazed and mesmerized, making me wonder how many drinks he had already. I could already see that Kris - who usually looked very mature for being the youngest one - was on the verge of being wasted already, screaming and dancing around. And we weren't even at the actual party that was gonna be just us.

Bojan was a natural flirt and could mesmerize anyone - I got that from the very first moment we met, and I wasn’t going to deny that he was so good-looking, and how he was slowly but surely making me let my guard down.

I leaned towards his ear. “How many drinks did you have already? We still have a long way to go until the end of the night. We still have an actual party to go to later"

“I had a few. Don’t worry. I can handle my alcohol.” His breath was tickling my ear, and I felt goosebumps as he laughed with himself. I couldn't help but smile at him.

He went on to talk about all the places they visited with his bandmates, the 'Wild Youth' and the ‘Sudden Lights’ guys today; some of which I had already visited. He kept telling me that he was 'too excited' to see all these amazing places and practice his Spanish with the locals.

"Though I wish you could come with us, as well. I mean you…your bandmates and you. Not you, you, as in you, (Y/N). You know what I mean?" Bojan was laughing awkwardly, trying to deal with his sudden embarrassment.

"I know. I wish we could come with you guys, but my bandmates insisted that we had some extra rehearsals for today. It's the first time we play outside of our usual area range, and everybody's kind of nervous about the whole thing. We mostly had people who speak Greek listening to our music and coming to our gigs, so this is totally different."

Bojan let out a giggle that made my heart thrill. "I totally get what you mean. Don't worry about anything. Your guitar skills are magija, magic, and your song is really good. I love hearing it. I love hearing you sing. Even if it's only in the back." Bojan moved a little closer at this point.

I didn't know how to feel about him at that moment. I wanted to lean closer to him, but it felt a bit out-of-character for me, and not entirely appropriate, given the time and place. I gave him an awkward thumbs-up and excused myself before I acted out of instinct that should not come to the surface.

I walked in front of Mini and gave her a signal to follow me. We walked to the bathroom, where it was significantly quieter than the box or the pit. I could think better here where I wasn’t overwhelmed with sounds, feelings, touches, and smells.

“Your cheeks are a tad red. You're flustered. What happened?” Mini had a talent for knowing how I felt without me saying a word, so there was no point in hiding the truth from her. We have been playing in the same band for over a decade now, so it made sense that she learned to “read” me well, even when I wasn’t trying to show any emotion.

“I think Bojan is flirting with me? Or not? I cannot really get him. He seems flirty with everyone - without actually flirting, you know? - but he’s more…expressive to me? He has confused me.” Maybe I was exasperating but the Slovene made me feel…things already, and I didn’t want to be just me, imagining things that weren’t there.

“Well, I do think he’s acting 'flirty' with you. And many others. But he hasn’t been like that with me, or Alex, or Dimi, or Stef. Just you from the band.”

“So? What do you think?”

“I honestly don’t know. Was he like that on the first day? When we went sightseeing?”

I tried to think of yesterday when we got into the mini-tour bus the party organizers booked for us and went around the town with Joker Out, Wild Youth, Sudden Lights, Tvorchi, Iru, Dilja, and Mae. We started early in the morning so we'd have enough time to see everything.

I was supposed to sit with the girls in the last row, but it was already taken by Jure, Jan, Conor, Andrii, and Jimoh. So, now we all had to split.

Iru and Mae sat together, and Dilja sat with my sister; Ed decided to sit next to our tour guide, with Callum and David close by.

I wasn’t annoyed by that; I was going to sit with Mini either way, but, at the last minute, she chose to sit with Dimi, leaving Alex and Stef to sit together. Okay, I would sit on my own - no issue with that.

Okay, I was annoyed; it reminded me of my school years, being the last one to get selected for anything. I couldn’t wait for the bus to start, so I wouldn’t have to think about being alone, not being chosen, and such, even if it wasn't supposed to be for long.

Against my initial thoughts, I felt someone sit next to me. I pretended I didn’t notice, but then they tapped my shoulder and I had to turn to look at them. To my surprise, it was Bojan who sat next to me.

I raised my glasses to look at him better. “What happened? Did your band abandon you, too?”

He looked around the bus, pointing at Kris and Nace who sat diagonal from us, in the front. “You could say that. They sat in pairs and I was left out. I hope you don't mind me sitting with you. I had nowhere else to sit."

So, he didn't choose to sit with me. It was just a convenience. "Yeah, no problem. Don't mind me." I turned around to look outside of the window; I really wished I had my headphones with me at that moment, but I left them in my hotel room.

Part of me was trying to focus on watching the city as we drove through it, but the other part of me was trying to decipher what Bojan was doing right beside me, without actually having to turn around and look at him.

“Hey, um…(Y/N), right?” Bojan spoke up and I had to turn around again.

“Yeah. And you’re Bojan. Bojan Cvjetićanin, right?” I raised an eyebrow at him. I thought he heard my name yesterday when we introduced ourselves to each other.

“Yeah.” He smiled widely. “I didn’t expect you or anyone to remember my last name actually.” He chuckled awkwardly.

“I remember everyone’s full name. Part of having an acoustic encoding and a photographic memory.”

“Oh, nice. So, (Y/N), speaking of photographic memory, do you know where we are going? I didn’t have time to look at our program.”

The program was given to us, specifically to know when and what we would do each day!

"Well, they'll drive us up to Montjuïc Hill first, so we can see the city from above. We'll visit the castle and then they'll drive us to the Botanical Gardens, then to Anella Olímpica, which is actually near the venue where the party with the fans will take place. Then, we'll visit the Spanish Village, then Parc Güell, and then, back to the city center. They'll leave us at Barri Gòtic, the gothic neighborhood and we have free time to visit whatever we want. I'll go to the Picasso Museum, Casa Battló, Casa Amatller, Casa Malagrida, and I'll have to find a way to go to Sagrada Familia, otherwise, I see myself unable to walk in the near future. Lunch is at 5 o'clock. The meeting point is Plaça de Catalunya, which is actually close to where we're having tomorrow's private party."

"Do they say what kind of lunch are we having?"

"They mention 'traditional Spanish cuisine', so I assume tapas, paella, gazpacho, and such."

"Oh, okay. I hope they got the memo about Nace on time."

I thought about it for a moment. "He shouldn’t eat gluten, right?”

“Yeah..? How do you know about that?”

“Because I cannot eat dairy and sugar, so I had to email them beforehand to let them know. So they sent me the menu to choose feasible options and let me know that there would also be gluten-free options for ‘another contestant’ with intolerance, just in case I had any other dietary restrictions. And I actually shouldn’t eat gluten because of my thyroid, but there aren’t enough gluten-free options in Greece, so...”

I just realized I started talking too much again and I stopped before I embarrassed myself more than I had already, but Bojan was looking at me…fascinated. His eyes were on me and he was perked up, waiting for me to continue my narration, but I thought that he hadn’t talked at all yet.

“So, have you ever been to Barcelona before?”

“As a band, no. Only Jure has never been here before. I was actually born here but we moved back to Slovenia when I was little, although I think I know a few Spanish but only now do I get the chance to speak with someone who actually speaks the language, you know? What about you? Have you?”

“Actually yeah, I have been to Barcelona before, but like almost nine years ago. Last-year school trip. We call it ‘triti lykeiou’, the third of high school. So it’s been some time, and even then, we didn’t get to see everything, or at least things that I wished we could see, like the inside of Sagrada Familia or the Picasso Museum.”

We continued talking for most of the time, from the moment we sat together on the bus till the moment we went back to the hotel, as Bojan became one of my ‘fellow travelers’ for the day, along with the rest of Joker Out, my band, and my sister. Bojan turned out to be a very pleasant person to talk to; it felt like I was talking to an old friend - effortless, familiar, meaningful. He was the most sociable and chatty out of all JO members, though, at times, I appreciated Jan’s more quiet company.

“I don’t know. Really. He was talkative, friendly. He may have seemed flirty and all that, but maybe it’s his way of communicating with others. Every time I try to speak with someone, they think I come out as flirting with them when I don’t. Maybe that’s just Bojan.” I shrugged, not caring to talk about it further.

“Okay. So, do you actually want to pee or…? We have been here for some time. The boys will be worried.”

“You can go back if you want. I’ll pee and I’ll be back shortly.”

I was quickly done, but stayed in the bathroom for a few more minutes, going through the photos I took yesterday. Bojan was in at least 90% of the group photos. He was obviously very photogenic, and he looked so smiley and happy. I took photos of every single one of our tour group, but Bojan would constantly find a way to get in, photobombing everyone’s photos.

I caught myself smiling, and I couldn’t deny that he was the reason I was currently smiling and silently laughing on my own. Going to his Instagram, I immediately saw he had uploaded on his stories and I was too curious not to click.

He had mainly reposted some videos from the Joker Out's official Instagram account with today's meet and greet, fans' photos, them getting ready for the pre-party, and a few short videos of them 'partying' before the audience pre-party.

And then, there was a video of my band playing on stage, but going through the video, it was mostly focused on me playing my guitar. It was…different, seeing myself through Bojan's eyes; the way his camera was moving from my guitar to my face, watching my 'concentrated' look.

I felt myself getting hot and my cheeks burning again. I felt a pain in my stomach - not sharp per se, but it was enough to make me notice it, accompanied by a light headache. I was pretty sure that it wasn't because of the few drinks I had; I could only attribute it to the tiredness of the past couple of days. I hadn't eaten well because I was embarrassed to eat in front of the others, and yesterday was slightly too hot outside.

I leaned against the wall, trying to take a breath, but I knew I just needed to sit down and everything would be okay. I exited the bathroom as calmly as I could and went back to the box to find a place to sit.

My seat next to Bojan was now taken by Mae, who was laughing loudly and enjoying herself, sliding her hand over Bojan's toned arm. I felt a bite of jealousy and sadness in my heart. Of course, there would be others interested in Bojan.

Bojan himself was smiling back at her while drinking from his champagne glass. He was having fun, and he seemed as interested in her as she was in him. The pain in my stomach became sharper now, but I didn't want to let others know how I felt, so I quietly took a seat on Alex's lap, as I usually did.

Alex wrapped his arms around my waist out of instinct - that's what we always did; that's how we all acted with each other in the band. We were all very open with each other, to the point we would even walk around naked when we were staying in the same hotel room or tour bus or each other's house if we felt like it. It wasn't forced; we were just comfortable with being close and intimate with each other.

They were all currently discussing possible places to tour in the summer if we got good feedback from the competition and the audience.

"What do you say, (Y/N/N)? Where would you like to go this summer?" Alex spoke calmly.

"Ideally, on vacation." Everyone snorted laughingly. "But if I had to choose, I'd say ask the people where they want us and we can go on from there. See if there's a way to arrange something."

"I guess that would be the most fair thing to do. Since we don't know where we stand with the people's view in this competition."

They all nodded, agreeing, before going back to talking about food. I sighed, trying to forget that I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday night, and snuggled my head in the crook of Alex's neck.

"Tough day?" Alex whispered as the others continued talking to each other.

"Tough day, you don't say anything." I was close with all the guys in the band, but Alex was more understanding and easier to talk to.

Alex glanced at me rubbing my tummy. "You're not on your period, right? That was last week?"

"No, it's not that. It's…" I looked towards Bojan and Mae, not so discreetly may I say, so Alex caught up quickly.

"Ha." He paused for a few seconds. "You're jealous. Who is it this time? Bojan or Mae?" I was open to my friends about my sexuality, but I never talked about it to others because I never had to or wanted to explain myself.

"Bojan. I don't know, Alex. I don't want to be just another participant thirsting over another one. Or be one of the people thirsting over him. I don't want to risk approaching him, only to be rejected. I'm tired of that."

Alex kissed me on my cheek and rubbed his nose against it. "I don't want to tell you what to do and what not to do, (Y/N). But I will tell you that we all take risks in our lives. We took a risk by being here, exposing ourselves to millions. If it's a risk worth taking, you should take the chance." He paused for a second. "And for what is worth, I think he may also be jealous now."

"How do you know that?"

"I've been glancing at him this whole time, and he hasn't stopped looking toward us. If looks could kill, I'd be chopped right now."

I turned my head to look at Bojan's side, and I saw he was already looking at us, mouth agape, and eyes wide open. We kept looking at each other for just a few seconds until he stood up and went away, probably towards the bathroom or somewhere else.

Could it be that he thought Alex and I were dating and he got jealous? No, no way. Bojan had a much too interesting life if I were to say so, looking through his social, to even care if I was with someone or not. Every participant was charmed by the Slovenian golden retriever. Everyone loved him. He had too many options to care about me and my life.

And he may have seemed interested yesterday, but today he was talking, drinking, and flirting with everyone like he was in his natural environment. I just had to forget all the things he made me feel, even for a day or two, and continue being civil with him because we had over 1 and a half months ahead of us until all this was over and we went back to our usual lives.

Though it was easier said than done, as, no matter how much I tried to avoid him over the next week during the Polish pre-party - unless it was a group activity or obligation, he always managed to be there somehow.

Was it a last-minute meet and greet with local fans before the pre-party? He somehow was close by, with the rest of his bandmates, probably having 'decided' to make a sudden meet-up of their own in the same area we did.

I tried not to notice how flirty and handsy he was with everyone, especially Noa when she showed up at the Israeli pre-party. She wasn't sent to perform, but as Israel hosted the pre-party, she must have been assigned as our co-hostess and presenter for the night.

I didn't know Noa was Bojan's soft spot, his weakness, until I saw a random post on Twitter, dated 2 months ago. It was uploaded by the official Joker Out account on Twitter, featuring Bojan. Noa was his weakness - his ‘weak point’, to be exact.

Now it made perfect sense why he seemed so infatuated with her and was pretty much following her around the whole night, except for when he had to go on stage and perform. And even then, he personally thanked Noa for her hospitality and how amazing and organized the party was.

I was really trying not to think of all that, not to think that the man I liked was flirting, touching, and partying with everyone else but me. I tried not to think that he could be going to bed with someone else, especially not me.

And then came Jere, going by the alias 'Käärijä'. And he was cute and kind and funny. And they immediately clicked with Bojan and they started spending as much time as they could together. And I would hang out with my bandmates, Iru, and Mae, and now also Alessandra, Alika, Teya, Salena, the 'Vesna' girls, and Elen, who went by the stage name 'Brunette'.

But it wasn't the same as it was that one day with Bojan, and though I was happy for him seemingly having found someone who actually made him happy, I couldn't help myself from wishing I was that someone.

Nevertheless, I tried to have as much fun as I could, without thinking of him or anyone else. And I did have fun, partying, singing, playing guitar, and going out with the other contestants, even Joker Out.

I was acting like nothing bothered me, and I was getting pretty good at it. In public. Because every time we got back to our hotel rooms, I fell into the abyss of my loneliness.

When we had a free day before the Amsterdam pre-party, everyone else went out, getting to know the city by night, but I decided to stay in my room, feeling too tired - emotionally - to have fun.

Lying in my bed, in my short, pink and wine-red nightgown, strumming my acoustic guitar, and humming, occasionally gulping some of the wine Mini bought a day ago, trying to find a new music or line for how I felt at the moment.

It wasn't usually hard to write a paragraph or two because it was usually a collective job, but I wasn't as emotionally charged before as I was now. Though, when I started strumming the chords, the lyrics started writing themselves.

You get on with life as that shy boy,

You're an adorable kinda person.

You like singing and playing hooky.

You like to contemplate life.

But when you start to daydream,

Your mind turns straight to him.

Sometimes I look at you and I look into your eyes,

I notice the way you think about him with a smile,

Curved lips you just can't disguise.

But you think it's singing making your life worthwhile.

Why is it so hard for you to decide which you love more?

Singing or living?

You like to use words about life.

But when you stop talking,

Your mind turns straight to him.

You like to hang out with me.

But when left alone,

Your mind turns straight back to him.

You hate crying and confrontation.

But you just think back to him,

And you're happy once again.

Oh, God. It was as soppy as it could get. But I bet Alex and Stef could probably make something good out of it. I wasn't good at the final editing and corrections, but I was good at laying all my emotions on the table and coming up with a rough layout of a possible song.

A rough knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I checked the time on my phone. 01:36. Oh, no. I must have been too loud and someone got mad and came to complain.

I quickly and quietly tiptoed towards the door, waiting to be screamed at, for playing guitar at that time. I should have remembered that not everyone staying here was a Eurovision participant, and we were randomly put in our rooms. And it was probably late for some people.

Opening the door, I came face to face with a rather distressed Bojan. My heart fell at the sight of him. His hair was ruffled and stuck out all over the place. The dark circles under his eyes were more prominent than before, and his whole face was sunk.

"Hey, Bojan." I spoke quietly, aware now of how late it actually was. "What are you doing here? I thought you guys went out?"

He pointed into the room, and I took it as if he wanted to come in, so I took a step back to let him in. He walked heavily towards the small couch near the window, and let himself plop heavily into it.

We didn't speak for a few minutes, and the room felt heavy with awkwardness. I didn't know if I should speak or let him speak and explain why he was here at that time. I decided to break the tension.

"Hey, Bojan? Do you want me to bring you something to drink? Or eat? I have water, orange juice, cranberry juice, maybe some Greek koulourakia?"

He raised his eyes to look at me. His eyes were literally lost as if he was drinking heavily and managed to drive off somewhere he didn't know how he got there.

I took it as a signal to go through Mini and I's shared suitcase, and pick up a few things: a small pack of tsourekakia, a pack of oregano chips, an almond chocolate, and a can of Greek mountain tea from the fridge.

I placed them in Bojan's lap but he kept looking at me with those empty, lost eyes. "Eat up. You look like shit."

He let out a snort, smirking, as he awkwardly started opening the chips first. He snacked for a few minutes, occasionally closing his eyes, either out of pleasure or tiredness, I didn't know which one.

I looked at him closely, taking in his every perfect, little expression. He looked so small and fragile as he chugged down the oregano chips, like a little kid enjoying his afternoon snack. He saw me looking at him and offered me some of the chips.

"Thank you, but I can't eat them. They have milk powder in them." He shook his head and continued snacking.

He finished up and took the pack of tsourekakia in his hands, carefully examining the pack to understand what those were.

"They're like a small version of tsoureki, a Greek sweet-like bread which we eat as a snack, or sweet, or dessert. These have hazelnut praline in."

He shook his head again, as he opened the bag and grabbed one, throwing one in his mouth. The second he bit into it, his eyes rolled over his head, and I laughed at how much he enjoyed it.

I grabbed the can of tea and opened it before offering it back to him. "To balance the sweetness."

Our fingers brushed each other's, and it felt like it was forever ago when I last touched Bojan. I couldn't help my need to stare at him forever. His chocolatey eyes sparked even more now than they usually did, probably because of the alcohol in the man's system.

Out of a sudden, he grabbed my free hand and pulled me into his lap. I was so shocked and taken aback, that I could only look at him with wide eyes. Thankfully, he didn't spill any tea on us or the couch, because it would have been awkward to explain how the sofa and the rug underneath were stained with cold tea.

I noticed my nightgown had risen a bit, so I quickly pulled it down before my underwear was shown. Bojan wrapped one arm around me, while the other started moving up my thigh and below my nightgown, where I tried to cover myself up. My heart literally skipped a beat under his touch and our close contact.

We could only stare at each other. I was scared of doing anything that he may misunderstand and he was a bit too cautious to do or say anything. Or so I thought because he leaned forward, towards me. I didn't move, partially because I was frozen and partially because I'd been wanting to be in this position with Bojan since Barcelona.

His lips brushed against mine, nibbling my lower lip enough to make my heartbeat skyrocket. I wanted to give in but I quickly realized that Bojan wasn't actually in his right mind and it wasn't okay to take advantage of his loose state. So, I pulled away and pushed myself out of his embrace. He tried to resist but he was weaker in his drunk state.

"Bojan, I think you should go to your room now. You're drunk, you're not thinking straight, and you may start doing things you will most likely regret in the morning."

"I would never regret kissing you. Not in a million years. Not when that's the one thing I wanted to do from the moment I met you." He spoke for the first time tonight, his voice coarse and intoxicating.

I couldn't deny that I thought he was a bit obnoxious at first; he seemed too happy, and excited, and bouncy to be real. But when I actually got to meet and talk to him, he seemed down-to-earth, and lovely, and loveable.

"I'll be honest with you. I wanted to kiss you since that day in Barcelona when we spoke for the whole day. But I know it, and you know it too, that you have to come to your senses, and if you still feel the same, we'll talk about it sometime in the future, okay? Now you'll have to go to your room before our friends come back."

Bojan tried to stand up with wobbly legs but fell back on the couch. I facepalmed myself, knowing that getting him to stand up and go to his room, two floors above me, would be extremely difficult, even with using the elevator.

"What if…", he mumbled, "...I stay here for tonight? Please?" He gave me his best, doe-like, pleading eyes, knowing exactly where to aim to convince me.

I sighed, not wanting or being in the mood to argue with him. I looked at the oversized bed and tried to make some calculations for how we were gonna fit properly.

"Okay, but I won't be giving up the whole bed. I'm older and sensitive. We'll both sleep as far as possible from each other, capisci?"

"Si, signora." Bojan smiled brightly, and my heart beat faster. I swore that man would be the death of me. Was I too old at 26 to die over a younger man?

Bojan extended his arms towards me, expecting me to help him get to bed. I took a deep breath to calm my rising temper and walked over to him. I grabbed him from the waist, slowly pulling him up, and he put as much weight as he could on me.

Lucky for me, the bed wasn't too far away. Because Bojan, though considered short for a man, was about 10 centimeters taller than me, and he was both muscular and curvy, just my type. Pulling him up would be a bit easier if I wasn't feeling under the weather, because of my upcoming period.

I managed to get him to bed safely, lifting his legs to lie down, and pushing him a bit towards the middle, scared that he was gonna fall off at some point. I noticed he had his eyes closed already, and he was breathing heavily, so I assumed he had fallen asleep already.

I went back to the shared suitcase and got some painkillers, then grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and placed them in the nightstand beside him. I personally never had a hangover because I always knew I couldn't handle alcohol at all, so I only drank in moderation. But I knew how awful a terrible headache can make you feel for the whole day forward.

I covered him with a blanket, as it was a bit chilly, even in the seemingly warm hotel. Bojan looked so peaceful, like a little angel, slightly smiling in his sleep. I took a picture in my mind and a picture in my phone, to forever remember that moment.

It was only then that I noticed I had a text message from Mini. I left my phone on silent mode so I never heard the text sound. "We're coming in 20. Do you want us to bring you something?" Sent 12 minutes ago.

It was a bit too late to text them. They would probably not see it on time. I walked carefully and quietly to the bathroom and called Mini from there.

"Ei, (Y/N)! Did you get my message? Do you still want us to pick up something for you?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's all good." I tried to whisper but also make myself audible. "Mini, can you do me a favor? Can you stay with Alex tonight?"

"Why? Did something happen?"

"Ehm, I...have a visitor tonight…"

"Omg, (Y/N)! Did you finally get laid?!"

"Wait! (Y/N) got laid?!" I heard my bandmates' voices in the background, whistling and making too much noise.

"No! No, it's not that. He just came to see me, and he was too drunk to get back to his room."

"Okay, tell me everything or I'll come over to see. Who is it? Is he cute? What does he look like?"

"Mini, I can't tell you who it is. That's…private." Nothing was private with these four, but I couldn't just out Bojan like that.

"Is it Bojan?" Alex spoke clearly on the phone.

I sighed before speaking. "Yeah, it's him. Please don't make it way bigger than it already is."

"That's what she said! But seriously, I'm just messing with you. And don't worry about Mini; she'll stay with me. Maybe one of us will get lucky tonight."

There were a few milliseconds of silence before Alex growled an "Aouts!", probably Mini's response to his comment. I snorted. Alex wasn’t that type of a guy; he just liked to mess up with his friends, and he knew that Mini wasn’t one to enjoy his pranks, so he did it more to her.

“(Y/N)? Where are you?” I heard Bojan whining from the room.

“Guys, I have to go now, okay? I’ll text you if I need anything.”

I got off my phone before anyone could respond, and I walked out of the bathroom. Bojan was lying on his left side, eyes half closed, looking towards the bathroom door. I moved closer to the bed, and he shot me a sweet, yet bright smile upon seeing me.

“Hey, are you okay? Do you need anything?” I wasn’t sure how to approach him or his state; I didn’t want to seem like I was hitting hard on him or that I was looking for any reason to get close to him.

“Can you please come over?” His voice was coarse and it gave me goosebumps.

I slowly crawled onto the bed, moving slowly to keep myself covered. Bojan’s eyes never left mine, as he watched me moving around and getting closer and closer to him.

“Closer. Please.”

I crawled again until I reached him and laid down beside him, facing him. His eyes still held an untold tiredness, but he still kept them open, as if I’d walk away the second he closed them once again. He moved his arms around me, slipping one underneath me and pulling me into his embrace.

His body felt warm and inviting, and I could now smell the scent of his clothes and his body: baby powder, musk, vanilla, and sandalwood, all mixed together in a scent that took over my mind.

His hands were moving up and down my back and arms in a comforting way, and he was breathing a bit more heavily now. I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment, though I knew I shouldn’t be getting that close with someone I had no future with - short-term or long-term.

Either way, we were from two different countries, living in two different worlds, and busying ourselves with different tasks. The only thing we had in common was that we were in a band, each of us representing their own country in Eurovision.

Just the thought of losing Bojan like that, expectedly and naturally, made me tear up, but I quickly forced myself to gulp my sadness and tears down. I didn’t want to upset him. This was a beautiful and emotional moment between us and I would ruin it if he noticed my wet, sunken eyes.

I calmed myself down and tried steadying my breath, though that led to me getting more and more sleepy in Bojan’s arms. And though I didn’t want to disturb his peace by staying there, I couldn’t bring myself to leave his soft touch, especially when Bojan laid his head on mine and started humming a - I assumed Slovenian - lullaby.

His voice, even when he was singing that low, was heavenly. I didn’t know what it meant, but I let myself enjoy Bojan’s rich, deep voice. He was singing and caressing my head, sliding his fingers through my hair and making my being go numb.

It only took a couple of minutes of Bojan singing lullabies for me to fall asleep in his arms.

#bojan cvjetićanin #bojan cvjeticanin x reader #bojan cvjeticanin fanfiction #fanfiction #joker out #jure maček #jure macek #nace jordan #jan peteh #kris gustin #kris guštin

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what-gs-watching · 4 months

Text

“There is only room for one God in this lab and it's not yours."

Welp, my city has decided that it forgot how weather works, and we’re snowed in and there’s a frozen pipe in my goddamn basement and I finished an interview loop for a company last week so I’m just sitting here trapped in my house and waiting desperately for any news on if they might hire me and it’s not going amazing SO,

It’s time for a FRINGE BINGE.

I saw a post a week or two ago that Fringe might be leaving Max at the end of the month, and I couldn’t let it go without a rewatch. It’s one of the reasons I started playing “What G’s Watching” with my husband - he’d seen it when it first came out and I thought maybe he’d remember some of it and could understand my rambling, because you need some kind of background to truly grasp what the eff is happening in Fringe. He didn’t. But that didn’t stop me from becoming completely obsessed.

Even when I’m not rewatching, sometimes I’ll yell “PREVIOUSLY ON FRINGE” when the show I’m actually enjoying does a recap. I don’t know why it’s stuck in my brain, but it doesn’t matter, I love it.

Here’s the thing about Fringe: it’s absolutely ridiculous. It’s like X-Files on acid (or Walter’s Brown Bettty?). The science is ridiculous and honestly it’s difficult to follow the lore sometimes, especially the first time through it. But it’s weirdly captivating and it tugs at your heart strings, which doesn’t make any sense.

Basically, FBI agent Olivia Dunham gets sucked into a special division that investigates weird occurrences that seem to have to do with ‘fringe science’, and she ends up enlisting Peter Bishop and his genius scientist father, Walter Bishop (who’d spent almost twenty years in a mental institution) to help her get to the bottom of what the eff is going on.

AND THEN THINGS GET CRAZY.

They pump so much backstory into this show. There’s monsters of the week, sure, but every single character has a whole damn room full of skeletons and it was so much fun trying to puzzle all of that shit out the first time. In my rewatch so far, I’m picking up a ton of little random clues and I’m loving it. It’s clear that J. J. Abrams had some IDEAS.

Also, I’ve never watched Lost, (and I never will, I put my foot down on that) but I can confidently say this is the better J. J. Abrams show. The ending doesn’t make you ridiculously angry you watched the whole thing. So there’s that.

Honestly, there’s too much I love about this show. The whole alternate universe plotline for one, which creates some of my favorite moments. But it’s mainly about Peter and Walter. At its core, this stupid show is about their father son relationship, and how far people are willing to go to protect their family. Which is weird, but also perfect.

Before the mental institution, Walter was a little bit of a sociopath, pursuing scientific enhancements, consequences be damned. He was a shit person. He ran tests on children, he fucked with the fabric of the universe. No fucks given, that man. But the Walter we get for most of the show is just…oddly charming. Quirky in his brilliance, instead of calculating. And it’s FUNNY and endearing.

Olivia brings in another agent to help corral Walter in his resurrected lab beneath Harvard, Astrid, and he spends most of the series calling her anything but. “Astro”, “Astrix”, etc. It’s not malicious, he just can’t hold the information, as much as he appreciates the work she does with him. Like, how does that turn out to just be kind of cute?

Some of my favorite made-up words are from Walter. “Vagenda”, for one. Which is ‘vagina agenda’ obviously. As in, “Peter fell for her vagenda”, which had me rolling. Even if it came about during a storyline that made me absolutely FURIOUS, but in the best of ways. (There was a lot of time wherein I was yelling at my husband about how much I hated “Fauxlivia” and her vagenda, but honestly I don’t want to spoil it because the twists and turns this show takes are so wonderful, they should be experienced with absolutely no background.)

The whole thing with Walter is that he’s atoning for the sins of his past, even if he doesn’t really realize it at first, and it’s just, really comforting. His entire arc is compelling and satisfying, even if it leaves you a crying mess.

Also, Peter Bishop is forever my perfect New England boyfriend. At first I’m not sure who they wanted him to be exactly, but eventually he smoothed out into just an earnest, genius, gorgeous man trying to do the right thing and get past all of the hurt Walter caused him. They put him in devastatingly handsome peacoats and he saves the day and he’s sweet to Olivia and I just spend most of the time swooning. That smile, gang.

Is it because I fell in love with Pacey Witter as a young girl during Dawson’s Creek’s heyday? 98% yes. I will always love Joshua Jackson and Pacey was done dirty for a while. And come to think of it, Peter was too. It’s his thing, apparently.

I do realize Olivia is supposed to be the main character probably, but she gets me to my two favorite guys so I guess she’s fine. Anna Torv is wonderful, she plays Dunham really well (which I imagine was grueling given some of the storylines) but the Bishops are the stars of the show. I just want to squeeze both of them.

The crazy thing is there are some episodes that will destroy you emotionally. The white tulip? Jesus. That one just came up in my rewatch, and it was still a punch in the face the second time. There’s one where Walter gets lost in Chinatown, I had to literally mute it because it’s gut wrenching. Even with the silliness and the science that makes you roll your eyes, they make you look at things you don’t want to, and it can hurt. I love/hate that so much.

And look, I understand that the moral of the show is that science and technology can be dangerous and we shouldn’t let it get away from us because it could eventually cause the downfall of everything, but that’s not what I’m here for. I’m always here for the relationships. And the ridiculous ways we can get people to die. And the outlandish scifi. If you wanna remind me of things that I don’t want to think about in between that, I guess it’s okay, because it makes no sense, but when I think of Fringe, it just makes me feel warm and fuzzy. It’s not a warm and fuzzy show, but it is for me.

I started watching it because it was a complete series that had a purposeful ending and I needed something, but it turned into a lot more than that. I’m jealous of people who can see it for the first time. It’s just so…special. In weird and wonderful ways. There will never be another character quite like Walter Bishop. Or a truly realized tv universe as outlandish. They swung for the fences, and it really landed; vagenda, the observers, Walternate, and all.

Let Walter charm the shit out of you, you won’t be disappointed.

#what g's watching #fringe #peter bishop #walter bishop #joshua jackson #olivia dunham

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ivalice-tifalucis · 7 months

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Blue World

Guys, since TT3 is coming back and we're packing up our hype for the next album, I think let's make another post about Barlliams/Creamcakes aka my favorite ship in Take That crumbs.

I don't know why any of you haven't talked about this yet. Maybe you have but I didn't see it or know but haven't talked about this yet or maybe I've seen you talked about it but I forget for some reason.

In 2018, in one of his now deleted youtube live streaming which I actually watched when it was live (which is rare because I can count on one hand how many times I watch any live stream that he did), he showed this unreleased Take That song likely from Progress era based on the tune that sounds like Eight Letters, the beat that is Progress-like, and even "in requiem" words which become a whole song by Gary in his solo album. If you listen closely, this is clearly a duet between Rob and Gaz.

Edit: Can I just say I was internally screaming in 2018 when I first hear Blue World. We are so parched of CC crumbs that this got me gasping like OMG THAT'S GARY'S VOICE!!!!! (starts from 1:56)

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Another time where he played this song again in Coronaoke series on instagram live back in 2020 during early pandemic. In this year, he said the title to this song is "Blue World" and played the song from start to finish. Trying to make this blog entry make me realize he actually played a different version of the song in 2018 and in 2020. I think they are reworking this song, hmmm interesting isn't it?

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I tried to write the lyrics based on what I heard and try to tell which part is Robbie and which is Gary. It is hard and I might be wrong because Robbie's higher register and Gary's higher/middle register actually sounds similar which is something that I realized when Gary fill in Robbie's part in Everything Changes (Odyssey Version) in the last part of the song "thinking thinking about you". It took me like couple of listening to finally realize wait a minute, that's Gary's voice not young Robbie's. The only difference is that Gary has that soft edges on his voice while Robbie doesn't have that.

Plus, Robbie was karaoke-ing over this song and being Robbie he doesn't even know the right words of his own songs and sing the wrong words and sometimes just mumbles so I have to pay close attention to the song in the background. There are small parts that I still can't catch what the lyric is. I hope they released this song at some point. Have been waiting since 2018 and still wait patiently.

Edit 2: thanks @beautyofred for the notice. It is “You know how young we were” 😭, "You might be living but we're holding hands", "Can't stand the frequency here". After this, it makes even more sense this song is about them. So in the 2018 version, Blue World is basically like this:

(Gary) Blue world, your fate is calling Blue world, at last control A new world of final curtain calls Look how we've come together Just when we've reached the end In requiem

(Robbie) You know how young we were And feel how much it hurts We might be loving but we're holding hands We might be leaving but we're making plans Below our bleeding sky watching our mother's die It seems forever wasn't long enough Why must we always lose the ones we love?

(Gary) Will moment share it musters? But this fragile blue world With the cruel sunlight burning in our eyes ... And in 2020 it is like this:

(Robbie) Blue world, your fate is calling Blue world, at last control A new world of final curtain calls (Gary) Look how we've come together Just when we've reached the end In requiem

(Both) You know how young you were And feel how much it hurts You might be leaving but we're holding hands We might be dying but we're making plans Below our bleeding sky watching our mother's cry It seems forever wasn't long enough Why must we always lose the ones we love? (Robbie) Will moment share it musters? But this fragile blue world With the cruel sunlight burning in our eyes (Gary) You said, I don't know if I could love you for the rest of your life But I’ll love you for the rest of mine That we're led around your silent heart (Robbie) A blue balloon on a barbwire The weather on the ground is catching fire now And when you hear that sound (Both) You know how young we were And feel how much it hurts You might be leaving but we're holding hands We might be dying but we're making plans Below our bleeding sky watching our mother's die It seems forever wasn't long enough Why must we always lose the ones we love? (I'm sure this part changes at this 3rd reff but I can't catch what it is)

(Both) Because can't stand the frequency here Call my name and I'll appear I'm traveling at the speed of light When nothing matters but the life that seep your eyes (Gary) Hold us together Hold us together Hold us together Hold us together I know a secret about you

(Both) You know how young we were And feel how much it hurts You might be leaving but we're holding hands We might be dying but we're making plans Below our bleeding sky watching our mother's cry You know forever wasn't long enough Why must we always lose the ones we love?

You know how young we were (Hold us together) And feel how much it hurts (Hold us together) You might be leaving but we're holding hands (Hold us together) ....

#gary barlow #robbie williams #barlliams #creamcakes #take that #future take that album??#or future barlliams album that we have robbed from since 2012?????#i wasn't there in 2012 tho so maybe i'm not the one who got robbed lol #my ramblings #Youtube

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moreofthatdrowse · 8 months

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JO Survey: What's a favorite JO moment of yours? Could be very small or something big

There were too many good answers in the questions with open answers in my Joker Out Survey, so below the cut are the answers to Question no. 14: What's a favorite JO moment of yours? Could be very small or something big

When bojan exists but also when they sung the boys are back from HSM in an interview in all the languages

Nace & Bojan completing my heart hands thing at a concert :) (& Nace showing the heart on his bass in my direction )

sparklative, the turtle interview, every interaction between jan and nace (it's hard to pick a favourite)

It's so hard to choose! Aside from repeating what I said before, I'll say I love them doing stuff with pride flags during concerts, and them hanging out together during Novi Val. Also them just wearing each others clothes. And the whole thing with Because of You during Eurovision. And Bojan singing Cha Cha Cha. And Tavastia. And Kris during the Katrina video whirling around his jacket. Ok I can't choose and I can go on forever.

When Nace started talking about his turtles

kris being a hater 🫶

how dare you make me pick one smh i guess the performance of novi val in Glasgow with the pride flag i dotn get emotional about artists raising pride flags in general even tho im queer but that specific moment in a CHURCH with THAT song made me sob

I can't choose so I've got 3: 1. WHY THIS HAS BEEN SO HAS BIVEN SPARKLY?! SPARKLING?! SPARKLATIVE?!?!?! 2. the interview where they talk about Nace's turtles ("shiiiit, they don't like to be pet!") 3. every time Bojan and Kris banter with each other 😭 and I saw this irl too when I was at their concert in London and Kris wouldn't stop playing his guitar whilst Bojan was trying to tune his

I've really enjoyed watching the behind the scenes video series' from Eurovision and the tour.

It's a tie between (i) pretty much any interview they've ever done and (ii) the Cvetličarna concert (didn't attend but have watched the footage)

Them comforting Käärijä together after his loss

Bojan's thighs lol

I really like drunk Kris at Barcelona preparty screaming "OH, SSF!" and dancing like the tall tree he is 🤣❤️‍🔥

Their joy in eurovision

"Sparklative"

The moment that Jan signed my jacket

Jan and Nace interacting on stage

Idk i love all the behind the scenes videos?

Them all singing together (see carpe diem series ep 7 amsterdam :D)

The backstage series

The Electric Ballroom gig in London & their reaction when Slovenia entered the grand final at ESC

Jan and Nace playing kazoos in the UK tour ep 2

You expect me to chose?? /j

Every Novi val performance.

anything Jan and Nace get up to tbh

Every moment in that "joker out being bros for 5 min straight" video or wtv or was called. Need friendships like that fr

don't know if it's my favorite moment per se but i do love how they all immeadiately fell in love with jere (käärijä), especially bojan ofc <3

Why has been so sparkling? ✨

Bojan draped in a pride flag in an old church while singing novi val. Top 3 moments to cry about at 3am tbh

The performance of Novi Val in Križanke. Also, this is not a JO moment as such, but a clip where Bojan imitates a german kid telling his mom he wants to jump on the trampoline(?) I'm sorry, but man's funny as fuck, I think about that clip often.

I haven't seen them live yet, so all the best moments are yet to come :)

All of them cuddles

I don’t knoww Maček in a box

kris tilting his head back, eurovision in my city, SEEING THEIR TOUR BUS IN LIVERPOOL WJEN ME AND MY FRIEND WERE OUT IN THE CITY CENTER THE DAY AFTER WE SAW THEM @ MANCHESTER

I don't know yet - there's so many moments! So many smiles and like laying their heads on each others shoulders during concerts and looking out for each other. <3

I liked how promptly they got rid of gregor on a serious level and also on a happy level when they qualified to the Eurovision final

cvetličarna

Bojan and Kaarija’s bromance

I don't know to many options

Love how often TURTOL is brought up. Nace would be proud <3

QUESTIONS 1-11 I QUESTION 12 I QUESTION 13 I QUESTION 14

#joker out #bojan cvjetićanin #kris guštin #jure maček #nace jordan #jan peteh #martin jurkovič #matic kovačič

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reidsaurora · 1 year

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Finale: "Not A Day That I Won't Try" ~ S. Reid

Summary: One last little story about Spencer, Imogen, and the new life they've created.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Imogen Sterren (bipolar!OC)

Word Count: 2,744

Content Warning: takes place in a hospital, mentions of Imogen's previous episodes, mentions of Spencer's abuse during childhood, mentions of Spencer'a drug addiction lmk if I missed anything!

Genre: extremely Fluffy, i love these people sm, i guess a lil hurt/comfort too

Extra Notes: i'm sorry, i hate the summary too

Based On the Song: Soon You'll Get Better by Taylor Swift

Originally Written: 02/09/2023 (re-edited on 03/05/2023 amd 5/14/2023)

Criminal Minds masterlist can be found here!

"Soon You'll Get Better" series masterlist can be found here!

"𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲." - 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐊𝐨𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐮𝐤

Penelope's heels clicked back and forth against the white tile flooring, her mind a fuzzy mess of anxiety, happiness, and anticipation all at once.

She stuck out like a sore thumb against the whites and grays of the decor—her favorite neon pink dress bouncing with every step she took, her aforementioned heels that suddenly felt about five inches too high, her now sloppy fishtail braids swinging about behind her, and her flower crown that had previously been placed perfectly atop her head, now sitting crooked from the mile she'd paced around the room.

"Penelope," a soft voice spoke across from her.

The sound of Astrid's voice was just barely enough to break Penelope from her book's worth of thoughts. "I'm sorry," she apologized, a cringed expression spreading across her face. "It's just that when I get worried, I pace. And when I pace, my mind paces along with my perfectly proportioned legs. And then when my mind paces-"

"Penelope."

"-I start to think of all the what ifs. And I know I shouldn't, considering that I was the one who made up a whole speech to Spencer not once but twice about how you should never worry about the what ifs but-"

"Miss Garcia."

"I just can't stop thinking about what if something bad happened? And what if Imogen-"

"Penelope!" Astrid shouted lightheartedly.

Penelope bit down on the thumbnail of her right hand before sitting down to Astrid's right. "I get anxious when I'm excited. Does that make sense?"

Astrid placed a soft hand on Penelope's shoulder, giving her a kind smile. "It's OK. I just needed you to sit down for a moment because the clacking of your shoes was making me nervous."

The sliding of the glass door behind them was enough to distract them from their conversation. The two turned out of both curiosity and sheer instinct, being met with the sight of JJ and Hotch, while Henry, Jack, and August followed quickly behind the adults. The three boys raced for an open sofa, gathering around the device Jack held in his hands. Penelope had the urge to ask Jack what game it was, wondering if he still found it fun to play video games with his cool aunt, but she bit her tongue and turned her attention back to the two colleagues that had sat down beside her and Astrid.

"Any word yet?" JJ asked, her mostly even tone covering up the slight joy and frenzy that sat on the tip of her tongue. She plopped down into the seat beside Penelope's, setting a gentle, motherly hand on her friend's knee.

She shook her head, her braids twisting in tow behind her. "Nothing. And it's been, like, at least an hour since the last time they came out here with an update."

Penelope paused for a moment, tapping a finger against her chin as she thought. Her eyes nearly glowed as she said, "Hey, you think you could show 'em your badge and get some information out of them?"

JJ let out a small chuckle, pulling Penelope in for a short hug. She wanted to bask in the smell of Penelope—one of strawberries, and vanilla, and familiarity—craving distraction from the horrible, overwhelmingly clean smell places like that tend to always have. "It's gonna be alright, Pen. I'm sure they're fine. Things like this take time."

As if on cue, the wooden door at the end of the hall burst open, and the group immediately popped up from their seats. To Penelope, it felt a bit like the whole thing was moving in slow motion as Spencer walked toward the group, each stride of his long legs seeming to take longer than the last.

Rossi had seen the look on Spencer's face only one other time—when his best friend, Jason Gideon, was in the same position about thirty years prior.

Spencer's eyes filled with tears as his chest heaved quite possibly the hardest it ever had. It seemed as though the world had stopped turning, and like a romance movie, a camera singled in on the tears Spencer was shedding in slow motion.

An ear-to-ear grin took over his face, pure excitement filling him from head to toe as he finally confirmed, "It's a girl!"

Penelope's mouth fell open as she sprinted down to Spencer, wrapping him up in what was quite possibly the tightest hug she'd ever given him.

Derek followed soon after, clapping the brunette on the shoulder. "Congratulations, kid."

Rossi was next, pulling him in for a fatherly peck on the forehead. "Congratulazioni, amico!"

JJ, Emily, Alex, Astrid, and Hotch all stood to the side, waiting for their own respective turns to congratulate the man on his newest achievement.

Spencer blushed at all the affection he was receiving, but he supposed it was earned. He found himself unable to stop smiling, and their kind words and sweet embraces only had his smile spreading that much further.

"Who wants to meet her first?" he asked, like he didn't already know the answer.

Penelope's hand shot up like a fourth grader ready to answer the question they'd been waiting all week to answer in science class. "Me! I do! Pick me!"

Spencer held out his hands in front of him, ushering toward the wooden door he'd emerged from just moments earlier. "It's a bit of a walk," he warned her as they stepped through the doorway. "They put us at the very end of the hall."

Penelope managed to answer, "That's OK. I'd walk twenty miles in these horrid heels if it meant I got to meet Baby Genius."

He chuckled, leading her down a hallway of doors upon doors. Finally, after what felt like years (but was really only about forty-five seconds), they arrived at a door decorated with the most wonderful sign Penelope could've ever imagined—a sleeping, angel baby with pink and blue letters that read, "Mama Reid and Co."

She practically burst through the door, waltzing straight over to the sink to rid her fingers of any hospital germs. She was going to cuddle with Baby Reid for the rest of the night if it was the last thing she did.

With a grin almost as wide as the one on Spencer's lips, she turned and quietly stepped toward Imogen—who was rubbing light circles against the baby's back—and the baby, who was thus far the most beautiful baby girl Penelope had ever laid her four eyes on.

"Can I?" she asked, though in her mind, she definitely meant it as a command.

Imogen gave her a soft nod before lifting the baby into Penelope's outstretched arms. Penelope felt like she was in the perfect utopia, holding her new favorite person and standing beside two of her other closely ranked favorite people.

"Look at you," the blonde smiled, taking in every detail of the child in her arms. From the short curls that sat atop her soft head to the green-ish blue tint in her perfectly shaped eyes, it was clear to see this baby was nothing short of the perfect mixture of her parents. "Look at those curls. You gotta teach me your routine sometime, sugar."

Penelope's commentary elicited a quiet giggle from both of the adults beside her, Spencer's hand landing on her shoulder as he watched the baby in her arms.

"Oh, I'm so glad she didn't get my eyes," Spencer chuckled. "Poor thing did get my nose though."

"And those Sterren lips," Imogen giggled. "No one in this family can get away from them."

Spencer pouted, leaning down and placing a soft peck on Imogen's lips. "I'll have you know that that's nonsense. They're the most beautiful, wonderful, amazing lips I have ever seen and I can't believe I still get to kiss yours every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to bed."

Imogen exhaled a soft, lighthearted scoff before reaching up to run a hand through those curls she'd fallen in love with all those years ago.

Penelope's eyes shot up from the baby, the word anticipation practically scribbled across her forehead. "OK, I love sweet moments like this but I really need to know her name and who you chose to be her godmother."

"Penelope-"

Just as she'd done to Astrid in the waiting area, she just kept on talking over Spencer. "Not that I'll complain if you choose Emily or JJ, but-"

"Pen," he stopped her again, and this time she finally bit her tongue for the first time that whole night.

"Yeah?" she asked before forcing her lips shut again.

Imogen and Spencer shared a knowing glance, but the expression only fueled Penelope's curiosity fire. "What? What? What do you two know that I don't?"

"Well," Spencer turned to face Imogen, the two sharing a knowing look, "I think it's only fair that her namesake also gets to be her godmother. Wouldn't you agree, Mrs. Reid?"

Imogen nodded, the knowing look they shared growing ever so wide. "I could not have said it better myself, my dear curly-haired husband."

Penelope's mouth fell open like she'd seen a ghost. "Namesake? Like you mean she's named after me?"

Spencer nodded, reaching a hand up to the baby's head and running a soft thumb over her hair. "Pen, meet Dorothea Penelope. Thea, meet your fairy godmother, Penelope."

The blonde's eyes welled up with tears of joy as she smiled down at the beautiful baby girl who cooed quietly in her arms. "Oh, it's the perfect name for you." Her head shot up to look at the couple across from her, a closed-lip smile appearing on her face. "I like the use of 'fairy godmother' as well. It's my favorite nickname in the whole wide world," she said, her nose scrunching in delight.

Spencer sat lightly on the end of Imogen's bed, giving her an affectionate pat on the leg. "Gosh, I see now why Will and Hotch both told me to brace myself. I didn't know my heart could hold this much love for someone that's seven pounds."

Penelope beamed, looking over Dorothea once more. "Oh, my goodness. What a little chunk! Not that there's anything wrong with that. I support all bodies. Every body is a good body."

After a few minutes had passed, Spencer had asked Penelope to invite the next person in, leaving the three to be in their own little, private world once again.

Imogen held Dorothea close to her chest, leaving small kisses on the soft curls that cascaded down her tiny forehead. "I can't believe we made this."

"I can," Spencer said, his thumb rubbing soft lines along her shoulder. "I know obviously there's science involved in the process, but if you told me this baby was made solely out of the love we have for each other, I'd be inclined to believe you."

A small frown appeared on Imogen's lips, and Spencer immediately noticed. "Hey, why are you sad, Immy?"

She looked away, knowing she couldn't bear to see the look on Spencer's face when she said her thoughts aloud. "Do you regret it?"

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Regret what?"

"We were so happy as three. Three's our number. Three's good. Three's just how it's always been."

His heart panged like he'd just received death by a thousand cuts. "Where is this coming from?"

"I just…" she paused, tears sliding down her cheeks, "It's not that I regret Dorothea in the slightest. She's one of the best things that's happened to me. But what if I get bad again because of postpartum depression? What if I get so bad that I can't handle her? I know I mostly made it through whenever August was a baby but I had Astrid to help me."

"Guess what?" he said, leaning over to peck her on the forehead. "This time you'll have me. I'm not going anywhere. Ever again."

"Spence, what if I mess everything up? I mean, I almost let August eat a battery once because I couldn't get a rein on myself."

His hand moved to her cheek, rubbing softly against the lines that had formed near her eyes. "The fact that you think you, the most perfect woman to have ever walked on this earth, is going to be the one to screw this up."

"Spencer-"

A couple tears slipped from Spencer's tired eyes. "Imogen, I didn't have a father until I turned twenty and met Jason Gideon. What memories I do have with William…" his voice trailed as a swell of horrid memories flooded his mind, "Those are memories no child should ever have of their dad. Ever since you showed me those two, little pink lines, I have been so worried that I'll screw this up. That I'm gonna turn out to be the very person I've tried my whole life not to even think about."

"Oh, Spence," Imogen said through quivering lips. "You could never be him. No matter how hard you try. You're you, and that's the thing I love most about you."

The man sniffled, tears still welling in his eyes. "You say that I could never be him, and for a while I thought it was true. Until I got addicted to the very drug that kickstarted his abuse."

Imogen's heart was beating so fast, she was surprised it hadn't erupted yet. She used her free hand to swipe away some stray tears, deciding once and for all that Spencer crying was her least favorite sight. "You aren't him."

"You know that. And I think part of me wants to believe it," he told her. "We just both have all these what if's we've been focusing our energy on when we could be putting all that attention on the beautiful baby girl in your arms."

Her cheeks turned pink as she looked down at the bundle in her arms. One of her fingers traced circles across Thea's rosy cheek, and the sigh made Spencer realize there was nowhere else he'd rather be. He wanted to be here, this moment stuck on an infinite loop, the scent of a newborn baby lingering in the air, as odd as it sounded.

"Immy," Spencer said, pulling her face to look at his. "As a wise fairy godmother once told me, you shouldn't waste your time by thinking about all the what ifs. I know you're worried about it getting bad, but so what if you spiral again? Guess what? Now that I have an MD, I can get you on a drug trial if it gets to that point. But until then, I am going to do everything in my power to make sure you and I are the best parents we can be for Thea. There is not a day that I won't try to be the best father I can be. And yes, you might have an incurable disorder, but I know that there hasn't been one second in the last three years that you've had August back in your custody that you haven't tried to be the best mother for him, and I know you won't cease to do the same for Thea."

Imogen teared up again, this time with tears of joy, comfort, and an overall sense of love. She leaned up, placing her lips on his for the most passionate, adoring, and devoted kiss the two had ever shared. "Thank you. Always."

He met her with another kiss, and as he pulled away, he simply said, "Always."

Spencer had no clue seven years ago that he'd find himself here, holding what once felt like a beautiful stranger in his embrace, looking down at the perfect mixture of their flesh and blood, and feeling nothing but pure, unadulterated bliss. If you'd told him seven years ago that he'd find himself madly in love with someone who—to the naked eye—was less than ideal, and that he'd be the father of two beautiful children, he would've thought you were crazy. Would've said, "That kind of stuff only happens in fairy tales. Not to Spencer Reid."

But the second he walked into the Bennington Sanitarium and laid eyes on that beautiful, kind, amazing woman he still wholeheartedly, easily, naturally loved all those years later, he knew something had changed. A switch flipped in his heart and suddenly, it was as though nothing else mattered. Nothing else would ever matter. At least, not as much as Imogen.

"𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧, 𝐈 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝." - 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧

So this is goodbye 🥲

I can't believe I'm finally saying goodbye to this series. Words cannot express how many tears I have shed, how many times I've laughed, how many emotions I've felt while writing this. I cannot believe it's been almost a year since I posted the original version of this and I can't believe we're finally at the end.

I hope you guys have enjoyed Imogen and August and Astrid as much as I have. They are some of my favorite characters I've ever created and I'm so sad I have to say goodbye to them.

However, I do have another seri(e)s coming soon that I think you guys wi(ll) lov(e)! I can't wait for this next baby to be (r)el(e)ased (i)nto the worl(d) and I think you guys are gonna love it too.

Goodbye, Imogen. You will forever have a piece of my heart. I love you, star girl ⭐️💛

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phykios · 4 months

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Review: I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom

Yes, yes, the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the meetcute of the century, it’s very exciting, but I have to ask–why is it framed like a horror movie?

To be clear, I’m not saying I don’t like it. I can easily believe that it’s a character choice, that Leah decided Annabeth had been practicing that line over and over again to sound as cool and aloof as possible, and then not realize it makes her look super weird. That is the kind of intense, “formative years in magical summer camp” awkwardness that I always associate Annabeth with. But combined with the storm, the blurring of the curtains, and the sinister musical underscoring, it’s just a very odd choice.

For me, personally, peak delivery of “You drool when you sleep” will always belong to Kristin Stokes, mostly because the comedic value of her cutting off Percy in the middle as he musically waxes poetic about how beautiful she is is very, very high. But, because it’s literally Leah’s first (technically second) line in the whole series, and because I think it does make sense with her character as the episode unfolds, I won’t say it’s the wrong choice. I won’t even say that I don’t get it. Just that, when combined with the rest of the framing, it’s an odd one. (Remind me to return to this point once the season is over, and we’ll see if my feelings have changed at all!)

I’m going to do my best to be normal about Luke, and I promise you, I will fail. Luckily for all of us, Luke is not yet babygirl; he is still only baby. As several others have pointed out, the fact that Luke’s first interaction with Percy is one of immediate sympathy, and that he more explicitly takes Percy under his wing, taking book!Annabeth’s position of being the lore explainer and confidante, is going to be so heinous in retrospect when the betrayal comes. As a side note, I loved the way that the other cabin members were side-eyeing Percy as the camera slowly picked its way through the room. Also, the fact that Luke’s words were repeated by the shadowy figure (presumably Kronos) in Percy’s nightmare? When Percy calls Luke his friend, still in the middle of his emotional separation from Grover? Amazing. It’s going to hurt so bad.

You can tell Luke has a lot of sway in his cabin, from the little entourage–including Chris!–that follows him around camp, but I wish we had seen more of his status in the greater camp social circle, beyond him getting Clarisse to successfully back off. Even something as simple as people just calling out to him in greeting would help fill the gaps in. (Think “Hi, Barbie!”) This could easily bog down the pacing, though, so I get why it’s not here. You can also tell that Luke and Chris have their little grooming (ideological, not the other kind) routine down pat. “They like the smell of burnt mac and cheese?” “They like the smell of begging.” Might be my favorite exchange of the whole episode.

Speaking of favorites, favorite performance this episode goes to Dior Goodjohn during capture the flag. However, Clarisse’s characterization here feels almost like the inverted version of Gabe from the previous episode–he’s been dialed down, but she’s been dialed up. In the books, she starts out as a bully, yes, but more of an ineffectual one, since she gets hit with a faceful of toilet water in her first appearance. Dior plays her much, much scarier than she ever was in text… but at the same time, could she be scarier just because the act of seeing someone in a fight can be scarier than reading about it? And again, the reverse for Gabe: was his character dialed down because seeing acts of domestic abuse at that level was a worse experience than reading about them? For Clarisse, this change works, but for Gabe, the jury's still out.

Now, onto the claiming scene. Was it everything I hoped it would be and more?

Not really. It was fine. (I thought the fight choreography was great, though–quick but still visceral, much more grounded than the standard Marvel featherlight beam fights.) For one thing, a glowing sea-green trident just doesn’t have the same visual oomph against a daylit background. For another, the drama of a hellhound coming out of nowhere and almost mauling Percy to death immediately raises the stakes, necessitating this equally dramatic resolution. But for a third, the claiming scene in the books is a hard subversion of what should be this triumphant, cathartic moment, where Percy is recognized by his father, but is instead immediately ostracized by his newfound community because of it. It’s a brilliant piece of writing, and it makes me go feral at the drop of a hat, and when the show decides to almost gloss over it, cutting from Percy in the water to Chiron’s exposition dump, it doesn’t feel like it has the time to settle, to impact the audience the way it should–or at least, the way that I want it to, the way it knocked me on my ass at age 12 and age 26 and age [redacted].

A lot of these last two episodes feel that way, in my opinion. I fear that, as someone who is clinically deep in the lore, my background knowledge fills in the gaps of the story that would otherwise be a detriment to a blind watcher. I recognize that there is a lot of book to get through in a relatively short amount of time, but we are skating along the plot at breakneck speed, and I worry that we are missing some key, grounding tentpoles in the meantime.

So, with all that in mind, let’s talk about character arcs.

Annabeth in the books clocks Percy as powerful from the moment she meets him–I think Annabeth in the show takes that to another level, using that fact to force Chiron’s hand in order to get her out of camp and on a quest. She is determined that Percy is “the one,” and if he isn’t, then she is going to make him so. It’s kind of hilarious to see a twelve year old as a kingmaker, but as Luke says, she’s always six steps ahead of everyone else. Based on this, I see why they’ve swapped some of Luke’s and Annabeth’s book personalities, because I predict that their show counterparts will switch roles as the season comes to an end. Annabeth will take Luke’s place as Percy’s friend, lore reservoir, and confidante, and Luke will become the cold, calculating one. Similarly, I bet that Grover and Percy’s arc will probably be about overcoming Percy’s feelings of betrayal towards Grover for getting him kicked out of Yancy. Percy’s new forged bonds with Grover and Annabeth will come in handy once Luke tries to stab him in the back.

Stray thoughts:

Jason Mantzoukas, my beloved!! I’m glad he can dial down the insanity when necessary. As Dionysus, he has a really interesting dynamic switch between Percy (merciless trolling) and Grover (semi-stern authority). I wonder if it’s because technically Grover as a satyr kind of falls under his purview? Or am I overthinking it?

At some point, if I can get good enough screencaps, I want to go through the set design and use my newfound ancient architectural knowledge to see where they pulled inspiration from

I wish Luke’s scar were bigger. And a little grosser.

When Luke said the word “kleos,” I actually stood up and started pacing around the room. That, plus Chris name dropping an obscure god, makes me extremely happy.

It is so nice seeing Riordan’s continued commitment to expanding his world so that all kinds of kids can see themselves in his work!

It’s pronounced like “They-lia” with a soft th and I will die on this hill. But also, “forbidden kid” is kind of great and I kind of love it?

One teeny nitpick: it looks most of the campers all have five bead necklaces, and I wish they had ones with different numbers: four beads, three beads, two beads, hell, throw in a 7 bead, just for fun

#pjo tv #pjo spoilers #pjo tv spoilers #sasha review #oops i just realized i said i'd talk about walker's performance and then i didn't w/e i don't want to go back and add it #tl;dr his undropped voice activates insane maternal instincts in me

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