#her hair looked really good in that scene; sue me

[charles-leclerizz]

TRAILER : THE BEGINING

🏁 Content warnings : Swearing.

🏁 Spoiler alert : Please read the masterlist, Character sketch and Team sketch to understand.

🏁 Genre : Drama, Action, Sports

🏁 Reading time : 15 minutes, 6 seconds

🏁 Word count : 3.0.k (3021 words)

🏁 Chapter summary : It all begins now.

🏁 Author's note : So, this is it, welcome to the beginning of this wild ride. Just wanted to explain a few things [so skip this right now if you're not really interested, no hard feelings !] Now, this format is probably confusing, basically the first part of this is the trailer, how it would look on Netflix, the actual video/film. And the writing after the banner, Behind the Scenes, is literally behind the scenes, what isn't shown on camera. Second, this whole series is meant to be very dramatic, it's entertainment made by "Netflix" [not really, please don't sue me] for God sake. With all that said, Enjoy!

Masterlist · 🪷 Aisha · 🪷 Porsche F1 Team · 🪷

[Please play this song whilst reading the trailer & feel free to stop once we get behind the scenes with the drivers !]

The screen fades from black to show a Porsche F1 car skidding down the track, the sound of screeching rubber against the tarmac harmonises with the energetic music that pumps behind the video.

Circular shots of a driver climbing out of the car from different angles flash across, and just before they tug off their helmet the scene changes to the paddock, pit crew, mechanics and drivers rush past in a blur, their differently coloured uniforms merge together like lights in a city scape. Suddenly, everything stops and the music fades away momentarily.

“In the fast-paced world of formula 1,”

Scenes of driving legends hoisting up their trophies with happy grins and champagne soaked racing gear flash past. Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen.

“Where every second counts and emotions run high.”

The grating sounds of cars speeding past bursts into the frame, Max Verstappen shaking his fists ambitiously as he wins, yet another grand prix, Charles Leclerc as he wins in Spa and Monza, Carlos sainz and Lando Norris partnering up in the Singapore 2023- “Yeah, it’s on purpose.” The Spaniard grits out just as the narrator begins to speak again.

“Our team is about to redefine the game,”

The narrator is revealed, a woman, tall and proud as she sits in front of a grey backdrop. Her blonde hair is cut to a sharp bob and her glasses, astute and black sit high on her nose as she laughs jauntily and arches a well-managed, bleached brow at one of the three camera’s recording her, “Is that good?” she huffs out, thick Manchester accent shining through her cheerful words.

Black takes over once again, and the Indian flag, flapping in the wind from a tall pole that reaches high into the sky is shown, the bright, proud colours shining against the pale, blue sky. The camera pans down to the bottom of the ground, where the same driver,who was emerging from the car in the begging is looking up, at their flag.

But instead of their helmet securely fastened around their face, it’s held between the crook of their elbow and waist. The white base is glossy as multiple sponsor logos are littered around the entire frame, along with the black, bold letters “PATEL” being showed off at the back, currently visible to the camera along with the behind of the driver’s racing suit.

The shot pans up, revealing long flowing hair, black thick strands a contrast to her off white racing suit. The same flag peeks out from between the chunks of her fluttering locks, large and proud on the expanse of her back. The driver begins to turn and just as her red painted lips come into view the scene changes and a different narrator begins to speak again.

“From the makers of 'Drive to Survive' comes a new Netflix Original Series that takes you behind the scenes of the most exhilarating sport on the planet.”

Scenes of the woman running across the paddock and into her garage, her teammate not far behind overlay the announcement.

Another moment is revealed, this time of her ducking into her car, glove covered hands braced on the halo as her face turns upwards towards a racing engineer who speaks to her. She nods before turning to look directly into the camera and lowering herself into the cockpit.

The woman begins to speak again, "Aisha is our trailblazer in Formula 1.”

The iconic lights of Formula one begins to count down as the mechanical ticking echo throughout the grand-stands and the camera goes to shoot the anticipatory lull in the air as spectators hold their breath whilst the engines start up and the last light dims.

“She’s smashing stereotypes and racing towards victory.” The team principal shakes her head, a soft, proud smile playing on her light pink lips.

The team car revs menacingly as the gaggle of drivers manoeuvre their way through turn one of Bahrain.

The Porsche chassis glows between the unmanageable scuffle of the other 18 cars on the track, as both team racers attempt to come out on top in the dangerous pile of engines, the expectant victor of the throng doesn’t appear, the deep blue red bull is yet to emerge. The crowd gasps and cheers as the true victor begins to approach the next turn, speeding down the straight.

The camera catches the proud logo on the side of the car, “Porsche” and on the back, as the DRS begins to activate, the opened flap reveals, “Patel”.

“I just hope people are ready to see her in action. Because she isn’t stopping anytime soon" She stares into the camera as her name appears on screen, a small box enveloping the words, “Katherine Anderson, Porsche team principal.”

Finally, the rumoured driver comes into the scene, walking up to the stool as the camera drags up her slack clad legs, the cream material swishes by her ankles along with the golden payaal that jingles with each step of her stiletto heels against the floor. Her torso is revealed slowly, a tight top hugs her bust whilst the printed Porsche logo morphs against the curves of her chest. The varied tennis barcelets and charmed jewellery around her wrist titillate together as she takes a seat on the chair, and her face is revealed.

She squints her eyes and brings a manicured hand up to push away the straightened hair from her lips, her mouth purses as the unintelligible voice of the producer talks to her, whilst her eyelashes flutter and she hums in agreement.

“So, I just talk?” She asks, pointing a finger at the camera that faces her before blotting the lipstick on her lips. She nods once as the cameraman confirms.

“My name,” She tilts her head as she smiles, perfect, white teeth shining underneath the light, “Is Aisha Patel, and I drive for Porsche F1 Team.”

The camera cuts again, showcasing Aisha on the podium, pushing a large trophy up into the air as her teammate, Pierre cheers and sprays champagne on her stomach from his place on the “2nd” platform. She shakes her head and laughs as her entire head becomes soaked with the bubbly, sweet drink. Multiple identical shots are placed one after the other, of her standing proud and sweaty on the 1st place podium.

“I’ve worked my ass off,” Aisha’s voice over-runs the music, “And I’ll be damned if anything stands in my way.”

She squares her shoulders as she unzips her racing suits and bunches it up at her waist as she stomps over to Max Verstappen, the Dutch man looking equally malicious as his blue eyes roll with annoyance and already red face puffs out intimidatingly.

She pokes a finger into his fire-proof covered chest as she begins to shout, ignoring the worried stares of the crew around her in the Red-Bull garage. Max spits out the long, twirling straw from between his lips and begins to argue back.

Her mouth moves angrily as she goes to snatch the can of branded drink from his tense hands, throwing the sugary drink in his face, thoroughly dousing the shouting man and reducing him to a spluttering mess as she stomps away, flipping off one of the camera’s that eagerly follows her.

The narrator returns, his deep timbre rumbling through the video, “But the road to victory is never easy, as Aisha navigates through rivalries, scandals, and the pressure to perform.”

The scene switches to Aisha rushing out of a hotel in England, the night before Silverstone and the odd, overwhelming flashes of hounding reporters seem to be tuned out of her gaze as Lando runs behind her, grabbing helplessly at her hand whilst tears stream down her flushed face.

Her hair is mused and makeup runs haphazardly across her tan skin, she wretches her wrist out of the man’s grip, shaking her head as her lip wobbles. She covers her eyes before dodging and weaving through the paparazzi, barely able to mumble polite, “excuse me’s” from between erratic sobs, as she unlocks her expensive car and slips into the driver’s seat.

The second shot is of her and Carlos, hand in hand as her shoulders begin to shiver in his hold whilst she adjusts the heavy cardigan that hangs limp from her shoulders. The Spaniard’s face is tough and rocky as his hands comes to embrace her upper arm, cradling her against his side whilst the rest of the drivers begin to flee the racetrack, already tired from the latest qualifying session.

Yet, the papparizzi continue to hound the pair mercilessly, Aisha hides her face as the man beside her stops his firm footsteps and turns to a reporter from a less respectable news channel, the sleezy jounarlist gulps but stands his ground as he pushes his microphone forward. Carlos glances down at the tech with disgust, and just before he opens his mouth, the scene ends, and we’re taken back to Aisha who sits contently in the interview.

“In this world, you must fight for every inch. And I'm ready to fight, no matter the cost.”  She smirks at another camera, her side profile showing off noticeable details over the expanse of her face like the sharp cut of her nose and the splattering of freckles across her cheekbones along with the odd beauty marks spotted above her lip and a few inches from her nose.

The final shot is off Aisha climbing out of the Porsche car, removing her helmet, allowing her hair to flow over her shoulder and down her back as she tilts her head at the camera and leans back against the pale white halo of her car.

She then crooks her finger at the viewers, gesturing for the cameraman to follow her hand as she holds up a singular finger, and points upwards towards the sky.

The shot is then of the of the expansive indiago above, and through the magic of editing, the Porsche logo takes up the screen.

“Get ready to experience the thrill, the passion, and the drama of Formula 1 like never before.” The narrator ends his sentence powerfully as the crescendo of the song reaches its peak.

“This is 'Formula for Love'.” Aisha ends the trailer, waving at the camera before the video is overtaken with black once again.

The title card appears, “Formula for love – A netflix original series”.

As the words disappear, a shot of Aisha’s car speeding off into the distance after which a mechanical, “Streaming soon, only on Netflix.” ends the trailer.

Aisha sighed, tapping her thighs as the filming concluded and many on-set employees rushed to her side, patting at her face along with offering her a can of thumbs up, the condensation runs down the metallic container and onto her fingers.

“Thank you, guys so much,” Aisha sipped at the straw protruding from the can in her hand before smiling at the people who merely stared at her, already putting away their various tools. A compact snapped shut, a damp towel thrown over a shoulder and a camera cover flipped closed.

Aisha sucked in a breath, flicking her eyes over the workers before looking over at Kate, who was signing a paper handed to her on a writing board.

She chuckled at Aisha’s worried expression and the silence that hung in the air, “It’s okay,” she assured the driver, who looked relieved as the people recovered and retreated away from the filming set, going back to their stations.

“They aren’t very used to people thanking them.” Kate shrugged, “They reacted like that to me as well,”

“Oh, thank God,” She patted her chest as she waved at the director, who smiled back and showed her a happy thumbs up, “This is all so new to me.” Aisha tugged at her hair as Kate pulled up her phone and scrolled through her calendar.

“Don’t worry too much about its Aisha, you’ll get there.” She rubbed the nervous driver’s arm and hissed when her phone vibrated, “I have to go, so much to get done before our first season,” Kate shook her head, wishing Aisha goodbye as she walked out of the trailer and out towards their still concealed garage.

Aisha hummed distractedly, before realising she had no idea what to do once Kate had walked away, “Wait!” But the team principal had already left, “Damn it,” She bit her nail once, handing off her empty can and plucking out her phone from her pocket.

“Oh, there you are.” A media manager bounded up to Aisha, surprising the woman as she jumped and whipped her head around to the approaching worker, “The driver’s briefing is about to begin,”

The man waved a hand at his face before pinching his Porsche x Adidas apparel between his fingers and forcing air between the material and his chest. He was likely middle aged, and sported dark brown hair with peppery roots and salted strands that peeked out from between the chocolatey curls.

He showed her his F1 team ID and stopped fanning himself to usher her with his hand.

“Shit- okay,” Aisha stuffed her phone away, following him out of Netflix filming trailer, out to the dark murky sky above the paddock, towards another building.

The office was tall and white, covered with floor to ceiling windows that were shielded with a layer of reflective film, “Oh God.” Aisha murmured beneath her breath as she took a few calming breaths, already forgetting to trail behind the man who was staring at her impatiently whilst holding the door open, watching as she stared at the building by straining her neck upwards.

She prepared herself, flapping her hands around slightly and jolting when the manager cleared his throat.

“Please hurry Miss. Patel. It won’t look good if you’re late.”

“I know, I know.” Aisha repeated, assuring the increasingly nervous man who walked up to her.

“It will be okay,” He laid a hesitant hand on her shoulder, taking an exemplary deep breath for her to copy. He continued when she did, “I’m Harry, sorry for not introducing myself, and I will be in charge of all media at Porsche.”

“Okay?” Aisha shook her head a few times to clear her mind, “Meaning?”

Harry chuckled and hung his head, “Meaning. That I’ll be with you in there. You won’t be alone.” He pointed a finger at himself, “See, you already have a familiar face to look for,” His slightly aged face wrinkled happily when Aisha smiled at him and relaxed visibly beneath his comforting hold.

“Thank you, Harry,” She huffed and stood straighter, “Let’s do this.”

Her heels clicked beneath her confident steps as she thanked the man who held the door open for her and Harry, who walked contently behind her.

Aisha craned her head around the bend, following the acrylic signs that read, “Driver briefing – Conference room 1.” She adjusted her shirt, feeling, for the first time in forever, conscience of her clothing and slipped a thumb beneath the waistband of her slacks to adjust them slightly.

“Let’s do this,” She pushed at the milky white door, steeling her face with a bored, neutral expression just as her name was called out, most likely for rollcall.

But, Aisha stopped in her tracks, the door barely nudged open when a flurry of deep chuckles and whispers erupted at the sound of her name.

“Seriously? Is this what fans are doing now?” The speaker rolled his “r’s” whilst shaking his head.

“How much do you think that cost them?” An oddly familiar British voice mumbled whilst crossing his arms and nudging the man next to him.

And one of them groaned and slapped his thigh once, complaining about “-needing better media stunts.”

Aisha scoffed quietly, so these were some of her heroes? Assuming that a woman could never possibly be selected to race, instead she was an obsessive fan who had shrines for each of the men stashed in her closet?

She pushed open the door, causing a few drivers to rustle and shift in their seats and turn minutely towards the sound of the door hinges, opening and closing.

Aisha walked forward and planted a hand on her hip, leaning onto one leg as each of the men looked towards her with annoyed expressions.

“I’m sorry, fans aren’t allowed here.” A French man, dressed in glaring red began to stand up, nodding discreetly at the security men flanked at either side of the doors- who glanced at each other hesitantly and barely moved at his guidance, obviously recognising her, “How did you even get in?”

“Ridiculous what they’ll do for an autograph,” Another one stood, and stared at her thunderously, his Dutch accent causing him to lisp his angry words, “All right, time to go.” He was the first to directly address the security, “Guys, get her out.”

Aisha held up her hand, between her fingers a prestigious card stood proud, the F1 logo bedazzled in gold foil, shimmered beneath the yellow lights, she glanced over her shoulder at the burly, guards who relaxed at her identification.

“Aisha Patel?” She looked to the FIA officer who stared at her, amused with her entrance before ticking off her name, “Porsche F1 driver.” She announced her title, smirking with slight arrogance at the gob-smacked expression on both the French and Dutch men, both of whom flushed an embarrassed red and muttered apologies whilst returning to their seats, next to both of their teammates.

“I’m here for the briefing?” Aisha prompted the officer, before smiling at the rest of her fellow drivers, most of them attempting to suppress their cackles at the other two’s mistake.

“Yes, of course Miss Patel,” The man greeted her, gesturing to an empty seat next to Pierre who smirked at Aisha.

She began to walk down the walkway between the sets of chairs filled by F1 team personnel and racers, waving at a few of the managers from other teams who knew of her position and staring darkly at some drivers who looked her up and down with curiosity.

“Sorry for being late, I was busy paying of my debt. Do you know how much it costs to get your name on the register?” She leaned forward on her crossed knees, looking down the row with a sarcastic expression. The ones who did dare to meet her eyes mumbled in agreement and slumped against their seats.

“Fuck-“The driver who made the comment doubled over, hiding his freckle covered face in his hands, causing his bright orange athleisure jacket to stretch prompting his teammate to chuckle whilst patting his back.

honourary tags [for special pookies] : @disneyprincemuke, @weekendlusting, @woozarts, @mellowarcadefun, @paintedbypoetry, @33-81, @kazuha-pista-badam

A/N : And that's that, the first ever episode [trailer really] of this series is done and dusted. As always please show some love to this tinker-bell minded writer and remember to comment and reblog <33

#f1 #f1 fanfiction #Max Verstappen #charles leclerc #Carlos Sainz #Lando Norris #Max Verstappen imagine #Max Verstappen fanfic #Max Verstappen fluff #charles leclerc fic #charles leclerc fanfic #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc imagine #Carlos Sainz imagine #Carlos Sainz fanfic #Carlos Sainz fluff #Lando Norris imagine #Lando Norris fanfic #Lando Norris fluff #f1 fanfic #f1 imagine #f1 blurb #f1 fic #f1 drabble #f1 fandom #f1 x female reader #f1 fluff #f1 smut #f1blr #[darlingwrites]

[rinandsketches]

Still on the train of thought about Blue Eye Samurai. I been seeing people really diss Taigen so...Let's talk about him.

I'm going into a dive into his character cause people only see a bully that might have a toxic relationship to Mizu. I'm going to dive in from start to finish and give my theories and takes on this fisher man's son to where he is know.

Beginning in episode 1-

So..I'm pretty sure everyone's first reaction was like mine. We wanted this guy to be knocked down a peg. Meeting him as that one kid bully who was going to take things to far with a rock. In the adult years he has worked hard and managed to get not only high honors but the love of a princess.

I kinda ship Mizu and Taigen (sue me) but this one episode is where people draw their conclusions to judge off Taigen as mostly irredeemable. He's proud, cocky, a brat, and he openly cheats on Akemi with some girls while celebrating his engagement, he was arrogant, proud of it and had every right to be, this is proof by the size of top not. its bigger then the rest of the students, literally showing his importance as the top samurai in the dojo. Placing my cards on the table here, if Mizu had not shown up, Taigen would have just become like Akemi's father. Its a small hint by the father stating that he also started small and worked hard like Taigen, seeing himself in Taigen.

What saved him was Mizu.

The duel happened and his chonmage was cut off by Mizu. She stripped everything from Taigen. Yet he is a prideful guy, he goes out to try and get back what his. I think the spot where his hair was cut is a way to show he is now ,not only a member of the outcast as a disgraced warrior, but he was ready to regrow again.

during his adventure with Mizu, fighting with her (alongside and against her), his wants begins to change. I don't know how many people noticed this but Taigen's hair does grow back by the last two episodes which is in the span of a few days or Possible a week. It could signal the new change in Taigen, he's softer to Mizu, less arrogant, and despite his feelings towards the fact Akemi is married he still saves her husband. Now he did get mad at Mizu and its kind of understandable, they have been at the forge for a week and she didn't say anything about Akemi and Fowler's plan until much later. Depsite that he fights with her against fowler.

This leads to the final scene with Taigen,

After everything single God damn thing he been through, he's reached this point. As Mizu said, he's not good but he can be great. She was not referring to his combat skills, she was talking about his character. Taigen also comes to figure this out, he doesn't need to be good with a blade to be great nor does he want to. If this had been episode 1 Taigen, I believe he would have thrown a fit if Akemi told him she wanted not be with him instead he must have took her back to her husband before leaving.

To sum up: yes, Taigen was a jackass, and an arrogant one to boot. I believe he was looking for a way to be happy with the options he had. Clearly it wasn't easy for him growing up, as Mizu probably thinks. Speaking of Mizu, the two need to have a conversation. Taigen definitely has regrets about not making her life easy, but Mizu also needs to begin a forgiving process. Its safe to say Mizu has a hard time letting things go..so it might take a while before the two can let their past go and continue to grow as people, and possible companions.

#blue eye samurai #mizu x taigen #taigen

[nctstar]

the day that i met you i started dreaming.

You watched in satisfaction as the imprint of your lips stained a faded red colour, two semi-circles adorned by fine lines. The smell of strawberry wafted gently, so subtle you could have missed it. Yet, his voice rang in your ears. “You taste so sweet, baby. You always do.”

pairing: jungwoo x fem!reader

other members: johnny, mark (+his brother), haechan (only mentioned)

word count: 3k

genre: fluff, romance

warnings: lots of kissing, one small smutty scene, not very graphic (penetration and kissing only), profanity (one use of the f word, shit)

disclaimer: this is a fanfiction purely from my imagination. I don't know the nct members (including their family members!) and don't claim that they act like this in real life. I also do not condone any of the activity by any of the characters in this fic. Also, even though I was inspired by mark's real life doesn't mean this is accurate at all, please keep that in mind nobody sue me please.

a/n: this is for my bestie @neocty because I love her and there aren't enough jungwoo fics out there and she is struggling, so I did what any good friend would do <3 so everyone else please look away (and by that I mean like and reblog and send me requests)

You watched in satisfaction as the imprint of your lips stained a faded red colour, two semi-circles adorned by fine lines. The smell of strawberry wafted gently, so subtle you could have missed it. Yet, his voice rang in your ears. “You taste so sweet, baby. You always do.”

∞

You had first met Jungwoo in your first year of university. Surrounded by girls, one of them having their entire torso turned towards him like she was ready to mount at any moment. Giggles floated past you as you walked by, books slipping in your arms from the sweat on your skin. The edges dug uncomfortably into your side as you tried hoisting them from side to side, trying to find that sweet spot that wouldn’t make you want to throw all of them only the floor, give up and go home.

“Hey.” You hadn’t heard it at first, too busy untangling your arms. But it suddenly felt silent, too silent now, the giggles now gone. You looked up, and the first thing you noticed was also the first thing you said.

“We have the same headphones.” Your voice was monotone, your breath heating up your cheeks underneath your mask.

He frowned, and the second thing you noticed was-

“I like whatever you’re wearing on your l-lips.” He stammered towards the end, probably now understanding how strange that sounded. But if he was embarrassed, he didn’t let on. His face erupted in a confident, self-assured smile, one hand effortlessly running through his dusty brown hair. His face was cute, like a puppy, or a fluffy cat. Soft features, smile lines and shallow dimples on one side of his face. “I’m not hitting on you. My sister runs a small business and sells makeup. I’m trying to get girls to buy her stuff. She’s saving up for a car because she hates public transport. I, personally, don’t mind it. Anyway. Um, you want a flyer?” Paper shuffled in his hands as you realised that he was handing out flyers, not what you had originally thought when you saw all those girls around him.

You fought the urge to say aww as you took a flyer tentatively. You didn’t wear makeup other than yes, your lipgloss, the same one you had brought from your home country since you didn’t really have time to shop in Korea in the few days you had been here already. Your eyes started scanning up and down the flyer while your mind pondered, who still uses flyers to advertise nowadays?

You shuffled from foot to foot, aware that he was still standing in front of you for some reason. “Your sister seems really talented.”

“She is. She also, looks a lot like me.” Jungwoo proceeded to shove the remaining flyers under his armpit, other hand flipping out his phone. In your peripheral vision, you watched one girl side eye you, hard, very possibly the one who had wanted to mount him a minute ago. “Oh, that’s okay, um- oh wow!” Your eyes widened. “You guys look so alike!”

“Right?” Strangers standing musing for more than a minute was odd enough, but what he did next was even weirder.

“The flyer I gave you has my number on it, by the way.”

You looked at his face, soft brown eyes full of hope that made your heart twinge slightly with delight. He was so adorable.

“What happened to ‘I’m not hitting on you’?”

“I’m really not? It’s because my sister lost her phone, and,” he grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, “I want to help her earn money as soon as possible. Because if I don’t-“

He grabbed both your arms, making you flinch a little in surprise, but not pull away, eyebrows perked at his words.

“-she’s going to make me drive her to uni every day! Do you want that for me?” He whisper-shouted this last bit, and you shrugged his arms off.

“I don’t even know your name, so…”

“Kim Jungwoo. Jungwoo. Are you from America?”

“How could you tell?” You smiled, the English rolling off your tongue with ease. “I’m actually technically from Canada. Born and raised. Lived in New York for a while, so…close enough, I guess.”

“Oh! So is my roommate! His brother is auditioning for SM tomorrow, and he needs me to drive them both there-“

You laughed, this time your head naturally rocking back. “Are you the campus free uber or something, Kim Jungwoo?”

“No, he’s dating my sister. Mark’s brother, not him. Hey!” He pointed one finger out, almost comically, like a cartoon character. “You should date Mark.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re both from Canada. It just makes sense. He gets lonely sometimes. I think it’ll be good. Will you come with me?” He talked with the speed of someone on drugs, but with none of the fatigue or lack of lust for life. In fact, he was what you would expect if you asked anyone in the world to picture someone bright and cheery.

You told yourself that was the only reason you said yes that day. Never could you have known how far your relationship would end up growing. Like the first seeds someone carelessly tosses to the dirt in the cold season, another person notices and starts to water here and then, it was only a matter of time before something bloomed come summer.

∞

“We’re going to be late.”

“Oh, relax.” Jungwoo scoffed, but you eyed his nervous hands, shaking and fumbling with everything, from the gear stick to the AC controls. Behind you, Mark’s voice called out. “Did you want me to-“

“No, Mark. It’s fine.” You shared a knowing glance with the Canadian boy in the back seat, and Jungwoo noticed. He coughed, smiling like he knew something everyone else didn’t. “Shut up.” You hissed. He giggled louder, now catching the attention of Mark’s brother behind the driver’s seat, his eyes warily leaving his phone for only a second or two. “What’s so funny?”

Jungwoo finally pulls back the gear shift, that engine now grumbling to life. “I just think _ is too nice and pretty to not have a date for Christmas.” Puppy dog eyes now on you, shirt hanging loosely on his body, he turned and tapped you on the chin playfully. You rolled your eyes, groaning. “Oh my god. Tell me why I even started talking to you that day?”

“You said you reminded me of a puppy.” He pouted, making a tiny, perhaps insignificant part of you beam with something warmer, deeper that just friendship. For the past month, Jungwoo and you had been on a casual texting basis. If by casual, you meant every day, multiple times a day. Turns out you both just had a lot to talk about, or were drawn to each other, or…well, you didn’t want to think about it too much. All you knew is that for the first time since you had arrived here, or honestly, in your entire life, you felt like yourself. And that was enough for you. More than enough.

Now here you guys were, talking about dates for Christmas.

“Can we go, guys? Seriously.” You nodded aggressively and swatted at Jungwoo to start the car, while Mark leaned over, tapping you on the shoulder. Your body swayed as Jungwoo started driving as if he hadn’t driven in ten years. “Jungwoo told me your lips are pretty.”

“Uhm, excuse me!” Jungwoo braked hard at the lights, making the two men in the backseat yelp, Mark now flown back with a resounding dull thump. “Oh my god. Forget making it on time. I’m not sure we’ll make it there alive.” Concerned murmurs filled the car, but Jungwoo kept his foot on the accelerator, pushing through. “Oh relax, guys. And also, you agreed with me, Mark!”

“Well,” You pressed your head against the seat, hoping to avoid a future concussion. “I am wearing Min-ah’s lipgloss, so, it’s all thanks to her.” You shared a smile with Jungwoo, him glancing at you for far too long for someone on a busy road. Mark’s brother raised his arm in frustration. “Jungwoo! Please. I want to be an idol, I want to live!” A loud honk kick-started the car again, narrowly missing the lights changing from yellow to red at the busy intersection.

“Oh, Jin-hyung! That means you could probably advertise the glosses, right?” He slunk back into his seat, muttering something like they’re both mad. “Well, like, after you pass, of course.”

“I’m not sure I will.” Everyone in the car started overlapping with words of affirmations and enthusiastic praises, even yourself. “You’re so great! And you’ve practiced, what, like ten times? And that’s just in front of us.”

“Yeah, Hyung.” Mark’s hands patted Jin-hyung’s knee. “You’re the best singer I know.”

Jin-hyung turned to face Mark swiftly. “Can you come in with me?”

“Um, wait-“

“Please? I’m gonna shit myself if I go in alone. Please?”

Jungwoo leant in towards you, and you immediately placed one hand on his shoulder, steadying him. “Easy, tiger. You know you have to stay in your seat to drive, right?”

His eyes not leaving the road, he asked, “What are they talking about?”

“Jin-hyung’s asking Mark if he can come in with him. I’m not sure if that’s allowed…” You trailed off, watching the building tower over you, drizzles of rain prickling the wide front window. “Wow. Is this it?”

Jungwoo nodded, his attention now on the brothers in the back seat as he tried to park the car. The atmosphere was noticeably intense now, and you also weren’t sure how to react. He coughed. “We’re here. You guys alright?”

“No. Shit, I can’t do it. I can’t.” Jin-hyung’s face was one of pure terror, face pale and clammy, pit stains now forming on his shirt despite the cold blasts of air from the AC. You and Jungwoo shared a glance, the first one that wasn’t silly, rolling your eyes or smirking. “Well, a-are you sure?”

He was quiet, and you noticed light reflecting off the rearview mirror, Mark looking down and biting his lip, face marked with intense concentration. The tension in the car was suddenly thick, like the way a bread knife runs through a block of cold butter, and you swallowed. Finally, Mark spoke. “Okay, Hyung. I’ll come in with you.”

You watched as Jin-young’s chest retreated as he breathed a sigh of relief, cheeks still flushed and red. He tried not to let this relief show, but his voice cracked as he spoke softly. “Thanks, Min-hyung.”

After the two left the car, it was just you and Jungwoo. And, for the first time since you guys had met, it was quiet, maybe even a little awkward. Your hands flew towards the controls of the car, trying to fill the time, only to be met with Jungwoo’s skin on the back of his hand. Wow, he felt so soft. “Oh, sorry. Do you listen to music? I mean, should we?” Retreating your hand slowly, you let your eyes travel to his face.

“Kiss me.”

“What?” You didn’t even register, even as you replied. He looked equally as shocked, staring back at you blankly as if someone else had said what he had said. He let one arm slump over the back of his seat, and your heart starting pounding, your throat clammy. “Jungwoo…”

“I don’t know why I said that, sorry.”

“Wait, do you…But you wanted…me and Mark…”

“I know!” He brought both his palms to his face, rubbing his eyes so hard until it felt like you were seeing stars. “I know. That was so stupid. I can’t believe that just happened.”

You were silent, your emotions rattling inside you noisily, threatening to blow your cover. Your mouth opened and closed a few times, until you stared at his doe eyes, his cheeks now flushed pink with embarrassment. You leaned over, closing your eyes at one point before your lips met, soft, plush, a mix of his morning Americano and the strawberry lipbalm from Min-ah. Pulling away, you were met with the tiny intricacies of his face, his scent, the feeling of his shirt under your palm. The cologne he was wearing tickled your sinuses. Normally you hated that smell, but today…

“Was that okay?” His breath caressed the thin skin on your face, and you nodded almost involuntarily. “Your cologne is a bit strong for me, though.”

“My what?”

“Sorry.” You had no idea why you were so unfiltered with him, thoughts running free from the confines of your brain and into the air. “It’s just…men’s cologne makes me sneeze.”

“Oh baby, you are so cute.” His voice deepened and it felt like someone just released a dozen hungry butterflies loose in your stomach, beautiful and urgent. He chuckled, pressing a kiss now to the sides of your lips. “You’re cute when you blush. So cute.”

The sound of the car door opening made you both jump, both pulling away in the process, backs now snug against your own seats. “How did it-“ you started.

“Min-hyung is going to be an idol!” Jin-hyung’s face was sweaty and warm, his eyes puffy and red possibly from crying, but he wore an unapologetic smile on his face, like this was what he wanted all along, and the relief was simply euphoric.

∞

You pulled your hand away from inside his, trying to rid the clammy feeling off your palms. “What’s wrong?”

“Just nervous.” Jungwoo towered over you, wearing one of those denim fleece jackets you loved so much over a white t-shirt you had gifted him 2 weeks ago. “You look so yummy in white, Woo.” You wanted to cringe at that your own voice reverberating through your skull, but you felt warm and nice instead, like you had just sipped hot chocolate in this freezing weather. He knocked his ankle against yours, playfully pushing you to the side, only to drag you back with his arm looped around yours. “I’m right here. It’s okay.”

“Okay.” You nodded, but anxiety still stirred inside you, making you sick. “Plus, we can always leave if you want.”

“_! Jungwoo-hyung!” Mark looked small in his oversized puffer jacket, waving one arm over his head enthusiastically. Beside him was Johnny Suh, a trainee friend of Mark’s from Chicago, master of sarcasm and dad jokes. Walking up towards the two men, Jungwoo’s arms slipped away from yours, and you playfully patted Johnny on the arm. “Hey, you.”

“Hey, gorgeous. Wait, are you and Jungwoo a thing now?” You half-smiled, shivering against the blast of cold air that pierced through your stockings. You felt warmth spreading on the small of your back, and Jungwoo’s voice behind you. “Yeah, man.”

“I got him that.” You pointed at Jungwoo’s shirt, and he pulled you closer to your side, squeezing your hip firmly. “Yeah. So you can stop flirting with her now.”

“Damn, so you went out with her only to stop me from flirting? Red flag.” He raised his eyebrows comically, and you laughed, but Jungwoo didn’t seem very amused, not to you. He smiled and nodded, but you immediately knew he was uncomfortable. His lips were pale but plump, and you fought the urge to kiss him, biting your own bottom lip in reflex.

When you went inside, you wriggled your shoulders, shaking off your coat. “Hey, baby, you okay? You’re not jealous, are you?” Your tone was teasing, but you watched him carefully, at the way he avoided eye contact with you as he searched for an empty space on the coat rack. “I’m fine.” He muttered, and you pressed your lips together, fighting a giggle. Probably your toxic trait but he was so cute when he was sulky and pouty that you didn’t know how anyone took him seriously. “Woo, please. Don’t lie.”

“Okay!” He still wasn’t looking at you, smiling and nodding at passersby’s as he spoke. “I don’t care that he flirts with you, I really don’t, I really really…”

“Yes, you do.” You rested your weight on one hip, crossing your arms across your chest to look up at him.

“No, I don’t! I trust you.” The warm flame you had burning inside you erupted, replacing that tiny flame of anxiety, filling you with a sense of security, of love. I trust you.

“But you said I’m the funniest man you met, yet you keep laughing at his jokes.”

It was your turn laugh noisily in response, so much so that Mark noticed and joined in from afar, probably already a little tipsy and sharing random anecdotes from his life that no one asked for. You brushed snow off your boyfriend’s shoulders, watching as his nose and cheeks flushed red from the cold. “Cute. You’re so cute.”

“Well, I know that, but am I funny? I don’t care if your exes were hot or whatever, but funny?”

“First of all, you know you’re my first serious relationship. And secondly, Johnny’s humour is different. It’s more flirty, on the spot. You, well, you’re awkward and cute funny, you know? Plus,” you leaned in, intentionally letting the lipgloss on your lips smudge on his sensitive skin behind his ear, “you’re the only one I wanna kiss so bad right now.”

“WOAH! Get a room, you too!” You pulled away, noticing that the red on his cheeks were deeper, spreading all over his face. His eyes stared back at you almost blankly, and you pecked his cheek. “After this, okay? You can have all of me.”

∞

Chest heaving, you shut your eyes, wanting to savour every moment that had passed. Your bare skin shone with a thin layer of sweat, legs tangled in his. You felt him brush up against your neck, his voice vibrating in your ears. “Was that okay?” He asked as if he already knew the answer, pressing his bare body closer to you. You answered by bringing your face closer to his, and he sighed. “You taste like watermelon today. Lemon yesterday, and then strawberry on Tuesday.”

“Jungwoo, this isn’t what I wanted you to say after we had sex for the first time.”

“Sorry.” His eyes were flickering shut. “But you taste really good. Like, everywhere.”

“That’s so cute and kind of nasty too.” You scrunched your nose, and he chuckled. You hiked one leg above his thigh, needing him again. “Can I?”

He kissed you, sucking your lips, making you moan audibly and the tension in your body release as you sunk down on his length. “O-oh.” You whimpered as he began to thrust slowly into you, pressing your hips tight against his. “Fuck, yes.”

Your boobs against his bare chest, arms wrapped around his broad shoulders, you kissed him deeply, not wanting to lose contact. He groaned, thrusts getting sloppier as you felt yourself reach your own high for the second time.

∞

Your butt was getting sore from sitting on the hard surface of the stairs for hours, but you didn’t care. You watched him hang out with his friends, making them laugh so hard you could hear them from metres away. You held the envelope tight in your shaky hands, suddenly nervous. What if he didn’t like it?

“Hey, _.” The stairs creaked as you looked up, watching Johnny’s figure shrouded by the faded light of dusk. You shuffled over as he sat next to you, resting his arms over his knees. He looked tired, only hints of his sarcastic self shining through here and there. “You here to see the missus?”

“Johnny.” You rolled your eyes, but your stomach churned as you realised his eyes were on the envelope in his hands. You snatched it away to hide under your jacket, but it was obviously too late. “What’s that? Is that for him?”

“Yeah.” You had no idea where this self-consciousness suddenly was coming from. You were so proud of it, even this morning as you were driving here. Johnny was silent, matching you as you both sat, letting the distant sounds of the boys yelling fill the space between you for a few moments. Finally, he spoke.

“He loves you.” You swallowed, suddenly feeling tears well up in your eyes. When was the last time anyone had loved you like that? “So don’t worry. He’ll like it.” He patted your shoulder, and with a few thundering steps, he was gone.

As you stood in front of Jungwoo again, the same nervousness brewing in your stomach, you tried to remember those words.

“What? Who loves me? What guy?” Jungwoo looked confused, genuinely frowning and holding your hands in his. You furrowed your eyebrows, slowly coming out of your thoughts. “What?”

“You just said, ‘he loves you’.”

“Oh, oh…I said that out loud?” You removed one hand to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. “Look, I, had this entire monologue prepared, but, um, I’m just a bit nervous.”

“Why?” He caressed your face, and you heard some ooos  and cheers come from the right of you. Jungwoo rolled his eyes. “Lee Donghyuck, if you don’t-“

You watched Haechan give you both over-enthusiastic thumbs up with his hands, and Jungwoo gently guided you off the stage, his hand flush on the small of your back. “Just relax, baby. It’s just me. You’re making me nervous. Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing like that.” You shook your head just as you whipped out the envelope and thrust it sideways. Your heart felt like it was bursting out of your chest, under all the layers you were wearing. You blurted out. “I kissed the pages. I kissed them after putting on the lip balms and glosses and lipsticks I wore when I kissed you and you told me I tasted good. I know! That’s the kind of thing that sounds cute in theory, but absolutely psychotic in real life. And I just-“

Jungwoo shut you up with a kiss, the envelope grazing your side as he held you tight with his other arm. Goosebumps ran up your limbs, despite all your layers. Pulling away, he rubbed his nose against yours, making you break out in a smile, despite how corny it was. “You’re probably thinking about how corny this all is. But I love it. I love this. And I love you.”

#kpop #nct #nct fanfiction #kpop fanfiction #nct scenarios #nct fanfic #nct imagine #kpop imagine #nct dream #jungwoo #kim jungwoo #jungwoo smut #jungwoo fluff #nct fluff #nct smut #nct x reader #nct imagines #nct 127 smut #kpop fluff #kpop smut

[finelinevogue]

the angst series…

part 1

follows on after this blurb

Gwen and Aria’s POV:

“I hope today goes well for Harry and Y/N.” Gwen sighs, sitting down with an iced lemonade to match the vibes of Love Island.

“It’s hard to know what will happen.” Aria frowned her lips.

Harry and Y/N mutually deciding to give each other space was something nobody expected. Twitter had gone mad, ranting about how they want to be let in to the villa in order to give them couples therapy.

“Let’s see then.” As the credits started rolling.

Y/N was filmed waking up in bed alone, Davide still sleeping with Harry out of respect for them both. Y/N yawned and immediately got out of bed to use the toilet.

Normally they would wait for Harry to come say good morning first and they’d spend some time cuddling, but due to last night on the stairs Y/N thought it best to skip that part of the day.

“Y’okay?” Paige asked Y/N as they walked by.

“Yeah, ‘course. Just need the loo.” Y/N pointed and headed out.

“Is it just me or was that weird?” Paige asked Tasha as soon as Y/N left the room. All gossip was bad gossip, yet it was the only thing left to do in the villa.

“Why is it weird?” Antigoni asked from her bed.

“Normally Y/N doesn’t even wake up without Harry coming to kiss her good morning. Now, she’s up and out without Harry even coming into the room yet.” Paige explained and Antigoni furrowed her eyebrows, understanding why it would be weird.

“I’ll talk to them in a bit.” Antigoni suggested, being your best friend so she knew how best to get you to talk.

“I can already feel the distance between Y/N and Harry.” Gwen said sadly.

“This will be brutal.”

Y/N INTERVIEW:

“Just… after last night’s talk, I just don’t want to push him away more than I already seem to have done. So, I’ll keep my distance and hope that it only makes us stronger.”

“Why do they automatically think it’s something they’ve done?” Aria pouted sadly, watching Y/N criticise herself for something Harry was suggesting.

“Maybe the ex she goes on about fucked her up that way?”

“Well, then, Harry should know to be better towards them because of it.” Aria shook her head and Gwen agreed.

Harry was filmed walking in to the main bedroom and going straight over to your bed. He didn’t have a visible reaction to where you were, not wanting to make a bigger scene than necessary, but inside he was anxious as to where you were.

“Sleep okay man?” Andrew asked Harry.

“Not really, no.” Harry replied and that was the extent of Harry’s morning bedroom chat.

Harry waited around Y/N’s bed, expecting her to come back at some point, but Y/N had gone straight to the dressing room to get ready for the day. The other girls filtered in soon after and joined her getting ready.

Y/N wore a beautiful crochet rainbow bikini ( * ), that might be terrible for swimming in but it looked beautiful against their body. Y/N messed with their hair until it looked the way she wanted it to, before adding a little bit of makeup the way they always did.

“Y/N/N, babes, let’s go talk.” Antigoni motioned to the outside terrace. Antigoni was ready like Y/N, both of them taking pride in not needing very long to get ready.

Y/N nodded and moved along outside with her.

“So, what’s up?” Y/N asked, sitting down in the corner spot she liked so much.

“You know what’s up, so just talk to me.” Antigoni said, not caring to tread on any toes. This was her best friend and she clearly needed someone right now.

“Harry spoke to me last night.”

“Okay?”

“Said we need space.” Y/N put it simply.

“My heart still hurts from watching that.” Aria said.

“I will sue Harry for the emotional trauma he’s caused me.” Gwen added.

“Space? What’s his deal?” Antigoni scrunched her face up with confusion. You were both the strongest couple in here so where this idea of space was coming from was at a loss to her.

“He’s just worried we’re moving too fast.” Y/N explained, not wanting to completely talk shit about her boyfriend no matter how much he had hurt her last night.

“Do you think that?”

“No.”

“And did you tell him that?”

“No.” Y/N shook their head disappointedly.

“Babes, you have every right to tell him. It’s not just about what a man wants in a relationship, you matter too. No matter what Kieran used to say to you. Put yourself first.”

Y/N nodded, thinking things through in her head.

“I might just give myself some time and space, so that I can process and take it all in.”

“That sounds like a good idea. You two will figure it out, you always will.” Antigoni smiled at Y/N.

“What does that mean?”

“You’ll figure it out soon enough.”

ANTIGONI INTERVIEW:

“Y/N and Harry are endgame, let’s be honest. I just think they need to figure that out themselves first.”

•••••••

The boys were filmed chatting on the sofas over breakfast, before their workouts.

“So, Harry how was bed last night?” Dami asked.

“Davide hums in his sleep.” Harry laughed and so did Davide. The two got along well, so it only felt like harmless teasing.

The rest of the boys laughed.

“Y’can tell he had a shit night sleep. His dark circles are bad.” Aria said.

“Like me?” Gwen asked.

“Yes, Gwen, like you.”

“Saw you come get Y/N for a chat last night? At like 1 AM.” Luca said.

“Yeah, mate. Just needed to speak to her about some stuff.” Harry stretched his arms over his head, trying to act much cooler about the situation than he really was.

“You both okay? Y/N seems off.” Dami asked, knowing Y/N like a sister and just wanting to make sure they were okay.

“Yeah. We’re good. Honestly, man.”

No one but Harry could detect the lie.

HARRY INTERVIEW:

“I obviously said last night to Y/N that we should take some space, but was that a shit idea? I’m not sure yet?”

“Yes, you fucking idiot, it was.” Aria tutted.

•••••••

People were around the pool.

Y/N was in the pool doing some laps and Harry was in the gym doing his usual reps. Harry was caught glancing at Y/N a few times, but Y/N made sure that they didn’t give themselves away.

There were sudden gasps around the villa. Y/N was filmed looking around for whatever had made everyone jump, only to see a girl walk down the flowered corridor and towards the main outdoor area.

“Hi everyone!” The girl said.

Everyone was gasping and the boys started knocking in to each other, because this girl was hot.

“Holy fuck.” Aria said

[ read introduction blurb ]

“Fuck my life.” Harry sighed, dropping the weights on the floor.

“What, man?” Dami asked, looking at Harry like he was crazy for being upset that this girl had just walked in here.

“That’s my ex.”

“I can’t.” Gwen screamed into a cushion.

“SCREAMING.” Aria spoke out loud before proceeding to scream.

Dami was seen in shock whilst asking Harry whether he was telling the truth. Y/N was filmed getting out of the pool and walking over to grab a towel to wrap around themselves, before walking over to greet the new girl.

When Y/N reached the group the other girls allowed Y/N through and let the two girls meet.

“Hi, I’m Y/N.” Y/N smiled brightly, even if they weren’t feeling their best. Y/N wasn’t the type of person to bring down somebody else just because she was having an off day. Only Harry could tell her fake smiles from the real.

“I’m Tanya, nice to finally meet you.” Tanya gave Y/N a side hug, whereas had given the rest of the girls proper squeezes.

“How old are you?” Ekin-Su asked.

“29, yeah.” Nodding her head when people realised she was now the oldest in the villa.

“10 years between you and me.” Gemma laughed.

“That is so weird.” Aria said and Gwen agreed.

“Still think minimum age requirement should be 21.” And this time Aria agreed with Gwen.

“What do you do?”

“I’m a property developer and then part-time lingerie model.” Tanya pouted, showing off her recently infilled lips.

“Oh wow. You look amazing.” Tasha chipped in.

“It’s so weird actually being in here now.” Tanya laughed, looking around the place and noticing the boys coming over too.

“It’s not too scary once you settle in.” Ekin-Su told her, knowing from experience.

“Oh I’m not scared. And I already know one person, so I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Really? Who do you know?”

“Uh, Harry.” Tanya replied and licked her lips as she watched all the boys make their way over.

“How?”

A lot of the girls looked towards Y/N and Y/N was seen chewing their bottom lip to hide any emotional giveaway. Y/N could already tell where this was going, however. They could tell just by how she looked.

“He’s my ex.” Tanya smirked as if that piece of information was the most outrageous thing ever.

A lot of the girls gasped and Y/N felt Paige’s arm tuck around their waist in comfort.

The look on Y/N’s face was plain still, but it was obvious that she was trying to keep herself together.

“This is shit already.” Aria sighed. Always sighing.

“Y/N deserves better.” Gwen said.

“Y/N deserves a bloody holiday after this.” Aria chuckled.

“Me fucking too.” Gwen added, leaving the both laughing.

Y/N INTERVIEW:

“It’ll be okay.” And proceeded to sniffle, before getting up and walking off.

••••••

“Hey, Y/N/N, let’s go for a chat?” Harry asked Y/N, as he walked past them laying on a sun bed.

“Okay.” Y/N agreed, picking up their water bottle. “Where do you wanna go?”

“Over there.” Harry pointed to the circular sun bed in the corner, under the palm tree in the cooling shade.

“I’m scared for this conversation.” Aria said.

“This is literally the first conversation they’ve had together since last night.” Gwen cringed.

“Oh look, Y/N and Harry are going for a chat.” The camera focused on Ekin-Su and Tanya, who were both sat at the breakfast bar. Dami was making a smoothie for Indiyah in the background.

“They’re together, right?” Tanya asked.

“Officially yes, like they’re boyfriend and girlfriend. But I am currently in a couple with Harry, if that makes sense?” Ekin-Su answered.

“Bitch you think you’re in a couple with him.” Aria rolled her eyes.

“So I take it you like Harry then?” Tanya asked, adjusting the straps on her gold painted bikini.

“He’s fit, of course I’m going to like him. Although I am now wondering why he’s your ex.” Ekin-Su smiled, hoping to grab some dirt to spread around gossip.

New girl drama.

“He actually broke up with me because I was too needy.” Tanya pouted and rolled her eyes, being the over-dramatic character she had come in here to be.

“Oof, okay.” Ekin-Su pulled a face that meant ‘that’s his problem’. “Would you ever get back with him?”

“Please say no, please say no.” Gwen prayed.

“Yeah, for sure.”

The prayers went unanswered.

“Why?” Ekin-Su asked.

“Because I miss him.” Tanya shrugged.

“If I’m being honest with you, and I will be. Their relationship is not stable right now, so you have every chance of sliding in there and becoming a couple with him if you play your cards right.” Ekin-Su told her.

“Oh fuck off.” Aria shouted, getting annoyed now.

Tanya smirked and said, “Better play my cards right then.”

The camera then cut back to Y/N and Harry, who were sitting on the sun bed now. Y/N had tucked her legs up to her chin and was sitting facing Harry, who was laying on his side facing her.

“You gonna tell me what’s up?” Harry asked, playing with a twig that had obviously fallen from the palm tree above.

“Hmm?”

“C’mon Y/N/N.” Harry sighed, trying his best not to drag it out of them. “You didn’t wait for me in bed this morning. I haven’t kissed you all morning. You’ve been avoiding me by staying in the pool. I mean, what’s wrong? Are y’pissed at me for what I said last night?” He asked, clearly frustrated.

“No, I’m just. I’m just processing.” Y/N said quietly.

“Well process with me. You don’t have to do that alone.” Harry said, dropping the twig and resting his hands on Y/Ns knees. His thumb started stroking her skin in ways that had never calmed them before him.

“I’m confused, because last night you said you wanted space and then now you’re angry at me for not being around. I’m just… I don’t understand.” Y/N stressed.

“They do have a point.” Gwen said.

“I don’t even think Harry understands really.” Aria shook her head at him in disappointment.

“Get your act together Harry.” Gwen shouted at him through the pixels of the TV.

“I don’t want us to loose ourselves, lovie, okay? And it worries me that I’m changing you. But, by the same token, I don’t want to loose us either.”

“He’s too good with his words, god dammit.” Gwen said.

“Change is sometimes good though, H.” Y/N sighed, reaching out the palm of their hand to touch his.

“Come. Lay here.” Harry patted the spot beside him.

Y/N shifted their body and laid down parallel to him, facing his beautiful face. In this moment it just felt like them against the world and that was the feeling that Y/N wanted to keep forever. To lock it in a treasure chest and bury it somewhere deep - somewhere safe.

Harry reached out to stroke their cheek carefully and Y/N reached to hold his palm again her cheek.

“What we have between us would be mad to give up on and I would never want to compromise us. I just, I know that your ex made you feel like you weren’t worth it and I want to make sure that you never feel like that again.”

“And to do that you think I need space?” Y/N questioned carefully.

“Well, don’t you?” Harry furrowed his eyebrows.

“No, Harry, no I don’t.” Y/N sat up quickly.

“Oh no…” Aria said.

The tense music in the background was a telling sign that things weren’t going well.

“Well what do you want me to do?” Harry asked, sitting up himself which made Y/N stand up away from him.

“I wanted you to be there for me. I wanted you to not give up on me—”

“I’m not—”

“You are!” Y/N shouted a bit too loudly and it caught some of the other islanders attention. “I get it Harry, I am a lot to handle. I take quite the effort to like, but I try my best H. I do, I try my best and you should appreciate that instead of pushing me away.”

“I literally can’t watch.” Gwen said, pulling a cushion up over her eyes.

“This hurts to see them fight.” Aria put a hand over her heart.

“I never said you were a lot to handle or that you’re an effort to like, did I? That’s why I think we need space, to continue focusing on ourselves. So you can focus on yourself.”

“You’re not listening to me Harry!” Y/N stressed, rubbing their hands over their face.

“No, I am—”

“Sorry excuse me, is this a bad time?” Tanya asked.

“OMG go the fuck away.” Aria screamed.

“I want to cry right now!” Gwen laughed, but actual tears were forming in her eyes from frustration.

“No. No, he’s all yours. Excuse me.” Y/N said quickly, before walking off.

TANYA INTERVIEW:

“This is going to be easier than I thought.”

#harry styles #harry styles x reader #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x y/n #harry styles fanfic #ask finelinevogue #finelinevogue #harry blurb #harry styles concept #harry oneshot #love island harry styles blurbs #loveisland!harry #li universe finelinevogue #finelinevogueloveisland #harry styles blurbs #love island angst #finelinevogue masterlist #finelinevogue fic rec

[coltrainbat]

oh oh i got inspiration request from sr. (rdj dad, netflix documentary) so could you write about chris evans decided to do a Netflix documentary movie from how he became celeb to how he met his girlfriend, reader.

Boston Boy: Chris Evans Doco

A/N: OK I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF THIS SCENARIO FOR SO LONG. I ADORE THE CONCEPT. Me being a very visual person, I was like... how do I execute this? It was gonna be gifs but then I thought no like let's get that audio visual thang going. So I present to you my shitty little video montage that I spent 2 hours on my laptop trying to figure out, scouring the internet for clips (they're not mine... clearly please dont sue). I kind of set it out as the single interviews, and then you guys getting asked questions by interviewers at home and then all those little scenes.

So when you watch my poorly done video, firstly, don't judge, secondly, imagine it as little home video clips of you. I HAD TO DO IT. MY BRAIN WOULDNT LET ME POST THIS UNLESS I DID IT.

Please enjoy xo.

1v1 Chris Interview

Interviewer: What’s one song that describes Y/N?

“Killer Queen. No question.” He smirked, resting his chin on his fingers.

< Video Montage of you starts with the music >

She’s just… yeah… you know you don’t meet someone like that every day and the fact that I get to spend every day with her makes me the luckiest man alive.

<Scene changes to you getting comfy on your couch, pulling up a blanket and holding a cup of tea. The room is dark being light by the various warm lights in your living room. You’re in your pyjamas.>

Interviewer: You guys ready?

Y/N: Oh, this is starting already! God, I haven’t even done my makeup.

CE: You look fine. It’s a documentary babe it’s supposed to be informal.

Chris pulled your feet up over his lap, settling in next to you.

Y/N: I still would have done my hair! I’ve never done an interview for anything besides a job, so this is a little different.

Interviewer: Just think of it as you’re in your living room chatting with friends.

Y/N: Alright shoot!

Interviewer: So, Y/N, I guess it’s funny because you don’t have a profession in the industry you had no aspirations of being famous and you’ve just been thrusted into this spotlight… what’s that like?

Y/N: I mean… it’s definitely different. And I’d be lying if I say I didn’t you know think on it and it’s hard because you have to really question is this guy, I’m seeing worth it? You know? That sacrifice of your privacy or your mundane life. Like yeah, the trips and the nice house and hotels and the events are all great and I can’t complain but you know you give a part of yourself up. That part of you that can go to the grocery store in sweatpants, the one where your whole life doesn’t come up when you google yourself. That was hard but you know I had to kind of follow my heart and I decided yeah you know; I really like this guy and why not? Sometimes you gotta take a risk and follow your heart and I’m glad I did it but I don’t think I’d do this for anyone else.

CE: Would you say I’m worth it now?

Chris smirked at you

Y/N: I’d definitely say you’re worth it.”

Interviewer: And what would you say is the hardest part?

Y/N: Well, you know no one wants to be disliked and that’s always hard to have that rejection but imagine that but from thousands of people who have never met you, don’t know you from a bar of soap who then go online and tell you that. You know that they don’t like you because you’re ugly and fat and you’re a gold digger. Let the record show, I have a really good job that I love so his money was not what did it for me. Especially, since I’m the one who always buys the coffees.

CE: That part killed me…. There’s this girl, you know, my girl that I love and she’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me and people are just going around online spewing all this hate about her, you kind of feel it’s your fault… ya know? She didn’t choose this life, I did but by extension it’s her life now. I just don’t think she deserves it. The gold digger comment on the other hand is hilarious, I think I owe her $1000 in coffees. She gets weird if I buy her a nice present on her birthday, she’s definitely not after my money.

Y/N: I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s your fault though like I knew what I was getting into, and I agreed to it getting into a relationship with you.

CE: It’s still not fair though. I have this need to protect her, ya know, that’s my job to make sure she’s safe and I can’t protect her from everything and that’s hard.

Y/N: I know honey I know.

You patted his thigh hoping the ease the pain in his voice.

Y/N: I’ve kind of grown immune to it now, these people don’t know me or my relationship so I’m able to kind of shut that out. It’s as simple as putting the phone down.

Interviewer: What’s the best part then?

Y/N: Not having to pay rent in Boston.

CE: Ya kidding!

Y/N: It’s a really tough market!

Y/N: No in seriousness, I live a really privileged life with the man I love. I had a great life before, but I think being in love and having a person makes you feel complete.

Interviewer: So, we’ll set the scene, an A-lister movie star comes up to you on a night out and starts talking to you… what’s going through your head? How did you feel? Starstruck?

Y/N: He looks like every other white dude, so I didn’t clock it immediately but when I did I thought I was being punkd or something.”

CE: Oh come on!

Y/N: No seriously and I’ve told you this I was super suspicious about it. Yeah sure, I’ve had guys come up to me in clubs but having someone who you know could have anyone they wanted, and you know I’m not the beauty standard, I don’t fit the mould of bombshell, I’m curvy and loud and I laugh like a drunk witch I just didn’t think that I was someone he’d be interested in.

CE: Speak for yourself I love your laugh.

Interviewer: So, Chris why did you go up to her?

CE: Well firstly, look at her. I mean I first saw her and I think that was kind of the first time in my life I ever got taken back by someone… I’m a big believer in love at first and I think I had that moment of “wow there she is. That’s the girl I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with.” and it’s not just her looks either she had this energy about her that was addictive and I wanted to be a part of. She was laughing and I could see the faces of the people around her they just seemed so entertained and engaged by whatever she was saying. She’s one of those people you kind of just gravitate to because she has that gift of lighting up a room. She reminds me of a quote I read once, she’s like a sunrise, she doesn’t care if you watch her rise or not she will continue to be beautiful even if no one bothers to look.

Y/N: He had this big grin talking to me the whole time and I thought oh maybe that’s an actor thing where you’re not allowed to stop smiling.

Interviewer: But you thought you were getting punkd…

Y/N: If not punkd, that he was kind of just looking for a one-night fling. Admittedly, I judged him. Definitely. I had read the tabloids, I didn’t understand why someone like him was single, it was suspicious.

CE: It’s because I hadn’t met you yet.

Y/N: Well, we know that now but back then I think I put a wall up because I didn’t want to get hurt. Getting your heartbroken by a celebrity isn’t just as simple as you block their number, his face is everywhere, I’d have to boycott certain movies. I’d be embarrassed by the fact that I trusted some playboy movie star and thought that I was special enough he wanted to be with me.

CE: God you were soooo wrong sweetheart

Y/N: I can admit that now! But yeah, it’s definitely weird trying to navigate his intentions. But he made it pretty clear from the start.

CE: She said no like 50 times.

Interviewer: You said NO?

The interviewer put on a faux gasp.

Y/N: I had my walls up I just don’t think I was willing to be fucked around by Captain America. But I think I realised he was being genuine when he was scheduled to leave to go to some other event and his people came over to kind of get him out and he looked them in the eye and said “no, I’m in the middle of something important.” I was like oh god this man is DETERMINED.

CE: You were important, I refused to leave you alone until you at least agreed to one date.

Y/N: We would of been there all night if I was more stubborn.

CE: Thank god you caved to my good looks and charm.

Y/N: Yeah that and you also promised me a pasta dinner… that’s my advice to all the girls watching never turn down a good meal especially if the guy is paying.

CE: I learnt early on good food is the way to your heart.

Y/N: And then every date after that he’d bring me chocolate like boxes of truffles or those big industrial packs of Reece’s.

CE: She loves Reece’s.

Interviewer: So how do you keep this spark alive? Seems like you two are really in love even after facing some challenges that normal couples wouldn’t.

CE: Sex.

Y/N: Chris!

CE: What? I can’t say that? Look I’m a man, who is lucky he gets to go to bed most nights with a beautiful woman I think that’s a really good part of our relationship that I can’t see going away anytime soon.

Y/N: Intimacy is definitely there that’s for sure but I think also even when you are away we are constantly communicating and planning to do things we enjoy together.

CE: Yeah, when I come home from filming or a press tour my first priority is making sure we have that time to reconnect whether it’s a week, a day or even just a few hours doing something with her and no one else makes me feel a little bit more human again.

Interviewer: Would you say your job makes you feel less human?

CE: In a way yeah, I mean, I’m playing another character 24/7 and I love my job don’t get me wrong but you’re on set for hours every day and then you get pushed into interviews and you have to be “on” all the time you know smiling and answering the same questions for hours. I think that’s why a lot of actors do seem unhappy and it’s because they don’t get to come home to someone who wraps you in this hug of quotidian. I’m Chris Evans most of the time but I come home and to her I’m just “Chrissy baby” and she doesn’t expect me to act a certain way, I can just be myself and pretend for a few hours that I’m just this normal guy coming home to his wife after a day of work.

Y/N: Girlfriend. He means girlfriend. We aren’t married.

CE: Not yet but it’s definitely on the cards. Sorry I slip up a bit, it feels like we are married but yeah no secret wedding or anything.

Interviewer: Have you guys talked about marriage and kids, we know Chris is set on a big Boston family..

CE: Oh, every day.

Y/N: It’s definitely in the works, Chris and I have a similar background in the fact we are big family people so it’s a no brainer that in a couple of years you’ll see me popping out babies.

CE: But for now, we are enjoying life just us and Dodger.

Y/N: Yeah, there’s no rush. It’ll happen though.

Interviewer: How many kids is the perfect number?

Y/N: 3

CE: 4

Interviewer: 3 or 4 which is it?

CE: My number is actually coming down from 5 but obviously it’s her body so if after 3 she feels up for one more, I won’t say no but whatever makes her happy.

Y/N: I need to see how I feel but I’m confident that Chris will be one of those hands-on dads, so I won’t be left alone with 4 kids under 4 running around.

CE: Oh, definitely not, stay at home daddy over here.

Interviewer: Seems you two have given lots of thought to it any baby names?

CE: The baby names are safely locked up in Y/N notes app but yeah, we’ve sorted that out.

Y/N: I’m not spoiling them.

You grin at the gorgeous man next to you.

< Chris’s voice over as scenes of you two moving around airports, packing bags and messing around in green rooms plays >

Life is crazy for me right now; you know with ASP and all these upcoming movies and projects. I don’t think that’s something I’d be able to do if I didn’t have her. She is singlehandedly keeping my engine running. Because there are days when it gets too much, and you have so many different opinions coming your way as to what you should do and how you should act. And there she is, right next to me or a phone call away and I can just turn to her. I definitely value her opinion above anyone else’s and that’s because I think she only gives it when I ask or when she thinks I need to hear it. She knows me better than myself so if she says, “Hey slow down.” I listen because she knows. I know its cheesy, but she is my rock, she is the calm I crave amongst chaos and a minute in her arms helps me get up to do another day.

She inspires me every day, the way she gets up and works tirelessly for others, pursues her passion and is unapologetically herself. They say you’re attract to people who have what you lack, and I think her confidence to say, “Hey you may not like it but I’m not going to conform to what you want me to be.” Is something I admire, and I think being around someone like that really gives me that bit of confidence to kind of shush the anxiety. There’s a certain intelligence that comes with knowing it’s not worth it to change yourself to appease others and that’s why when I say she is the smartest person I know, I mean that.

She’s not just my best friend, she’s, my soulmate.

#chris evans imagines #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans x reader #chris evans fluff #chris evans x plus size reader #chris evans fics #chris evans one shot #chris evans imagine #chris evans x female reader #chris evans x you #chris evans x y/n #chris evans fic #chris evans fandom

[thegeminisage]

ok we watched the tng pilot. let's get into it

data is my best friend on this show and i love him

i liked riker but jonathan frakes looks like a baby without facial hair. he's gotta grow that in. also, at one point he asked someone a question and i got really excited. he should ask more people more questions i think thats what jonathan frakes was born to do. that and sit in chairs with style

also liked geordi even though we only saw him for 3 seconds and worf even though same.

the sections with q draaaaaaagged. ik people like q and whatever he has going on with picard but i'm just not there yet. this "humans are NOT savages anymore" plotline has been played out in tos many times to better effect

actually shocked picard was such a dick. idk why i was expecting him to be more kind maybe i was projecting professor x onto him?? but he kinda sucked lol like what was EVEN going on w his little pissing contest with riker

love and light, there should not be children on a starship. space is fucking dangerous. they're literally boldly going where no one has gone before. these kids could get hurt

the ship??? splits?????????? IS THAT LEGAL????

ok, furthermore, sorry, speaking of kids, not to be a misogynist but out of the 3 ladies (troi, crusher, and yar) i dislike 2 of them. love and light to deanna troi but i really hope she gets something to do besides emote and go OH THE PAIN...her look was slay. i understand completely how she turned women gay. give her something to do. give her a chance. i know she could be good.

i didn't mind dr crusher until she let her kid on the bridge even though you're not supposed to do that and they told him to touch nothing and he proceeded to touch everything and then she got mad when picard got mad. picard spent 70% of this episode being a dick and the one time he was justified she was like :/ wow you're such a dick. lmao. girl come on he literally said don't touch anything he was already being nicer than he had to be. the child was in the wrong children shouldn't even be on this ship

also they talk about wesley like he's their affair baby. idw if its true but nobody tell me. let me believe it. wesley crusher destined to suffer through male pattern baldness

also, i can see now why you're not supposed to date your ship mates. dating them is fine but being exes with them is excruciating and we had TWO PAIRS this pilot

anyway. tasha yar was rad i DID love her.

it's weird though how many of them use first names...in tos sometimes they didn't even use last names, only titles. spock called bones "doctor" almost exclusively. so riker calling geordi geordi after like 5 minutes of knowing him was a little weird

i cried when bones showed up. sue me. his prosthetics were terrible and i already miss him so much.

SPACE JELLYFISH. that part was good

overall both the adventure and the interpersonal stuff was a little ????? which is like. you can flop on one or the other. i DO have faith it will get better but i feel kind of lukewarm on it so far

there's a lot of direct counterpoints to tos, but it's shuffled JUUUST enough so it feels like it isn't copying tos's homework word for word but rewording it to trick the teacher. for example, data is like spock in that he doesn't understand emotions or whatever, but it's actually the inverse because spock understands and pretends not to, while data truly doesn't understand but wants to. then you have deanna troi who's sort of filling in for the other thing spock used to do, which is give us general impressions about unknown alien life, but she SPECIFICALLY does it through emotions so she doesn't resemble spock too much. the captain and first officer have a lot of scenes together but they're tense so it doesn't look too tempting to the slash fans. the doctor is still a bit grumpy but she's a woman this time. they don't use tricorders but geordi's special prosthetic helps them see all that shit anyway. it's tos but shuffled. lmao that it took 2 people to replace spock <3

anyway my favorite part, aside from the part bones was in, was when riker and data talked in the holodeck. and riker was like actually yeah the fact that you're a machine DOES make me uncomfortable. and data is like well i am superior but i'd like to be human actually! and you could see the little gears in riker's head turning and later he called data friend. i liked that and i love data. i love data he's very important even though the pilot wasn't good i think i would keep watching no matter what for data. and i knew it would be like that.

#personal #star trek blogging #tng lb #i'm SURE the women will grow on me. i understand now though why people want wesley crusher dead #sorry to wesley crusher i hope he grows on me too

[mychoombatheroomba]

Things I Love About the Shitty Live Action Resident Evil Movies

So, it was my birthday recently and my roommates asked if I wanted to do anything fun. My response, of course, was to suggest getting drunk and watching the live action Resident Evil movies and like, damn, I love those stupid ass movies so much. So I wanted to make a really dumb (and lengthy) post about the goofy things I like, whether for legit or meme reasons.

Y'all, I know they're bad, that is, in fact, why I love them.

1 - The opening is genuinely kinda freaky, like, the elevator scene? Oof, well done suspense

2 - Michelle Rodriguez. That's it, that's the post.

3- The LASER ROOM - so iconic they used it in the games. The first movie came out in 2002, RE4 then used the laser room in 2005, like, y'all, they took that from the goddamn movie, that's how much of a vibe it was

(And honestly, just the Red Queen in general, what an absolute icon, love that her appearance changes in every movie she's in)

4 - Alice is the most fanfic Mary Sue character I've perhaps ever seen on-screen, and I love that for her. Look at her kicking this zombie dog in the face, it's hilarious

5 - Pretty game-accurate costuming? I can dig it

6 - They're gay, your honor

7 - Bad CGI on the Licker, I would expect nothing less

8 - Alice is at her most powerful when she finds a white bathrobe just lying around somewhere

9 - Raccoon City gets destroyed in the course of, like, a day if I'm understanding the timeline right. Like, first infection to nuking the city seems to be about 24 hours. Incredible.

10 - Leon fucking wishes he was Alice, miss ma'am out here driving motorcycles into buildings and then launching them at a monster just to shoot it and blow it up.

(Special mention for another "they're gay, your honor"

11 - You'd think the kid they have to rescue from Raccoon City is Sherry, wouldn't you? An Umbrella scientist's daughter who the gang have to save? NOPE it's Angela Ashford. Not to be confused with the game's Alexia Ashford. Is it an easter egg? A botched cameo? IDK bro, you think they know the lore?

12 - "GTA MOTHERFUCKER" - LJ, before running over a zombie

13 - THEY GAVE NEMESIS A REDEMPTION ARC??? Incredible (not before making him and Alice fist-fight each other)

14 - Keeping with RE tradition, the helicopter almost always crashes.

15 - They just decided, fuck it, let's give Alice superpowers. Also the stupid Umbrella eyes, literally whenever they come up.

16 - The third movie is just Mad Max and Fallout: New Vegas merged together. Also the way they say the whole earth withered and died but later movies very clearly show flora still alive

17 - Why is Jorah Mormont from Game of Thrones here? WHY IS JOHNNY CAGE FROM MORTAL KOMBAT 1995 HERE???

Also why does Wesker look a little like Eminem to me in the third movie?

18 - The amount of just, like, "hey, this monster/character was in the games, let's just put them in the movie anywhere!"

19 - Carlos gets one of the only satisfying death scenes for a named character from the games. And by that I mean he gets one of the only on-screen death scenes for a named character from the games. Slay, king.

20 - Why does the Tyrant look like that?

21 - The army of Alice clones were blonde originally, but all went out and dyed their hair together between movies and I think that's cute.

22 - The timeline is so fucked up, I don't think they even knew how long was supposed to pass between the movies

23 - The way they shoehorned Chris in so bad that, as a kid, I thought he had no importance and they just wanted to give Claire a character to help her with her amnesia (also, Claire having amnesia). The Redfields do get to shoot the shit out of Wesker at the end though, good for them.

24 - THEY'RE GAY, YOUR HONOR

25 - The Executioner from RE5 just like, is in Los Angeles for some reason?

26 - This shot of Wesker.

27 - Wesker takes Alice's powers away in the beginning of the 4th movie, then at the end of the 5th movie he reinfects her with the T-Virus so she can be a superhuman again and just like, bud, you're wildin'. Also it's mentioned in the 3rd movie that Alice's blood could be the cure, and that she could synthesize it once the Tyrant is dealt with? But she doesn't? She just takes the clones of her in the facility instead of using the equipment to make a cure? I know they cure it in the last movie but like, girlie, you could have tried earlier idk. Fascinating.

28 - The opening credits scene for the 5th movie is actually pretty cool

29 - The rest of the fifth movie . . . whatever those writers were smoking, I want some. I know there's literally an Umbrella base in Antarctica in the game but like, idk, having an underwater base where you have multiple city simulations running for BOW production is so funny to me. They've got clones of Carlos and the whole team from the first movie, a random child Alice adopts, Las Plagas lads on motorcycles, more Executioners, Barry (oh, hi Barry!) and damn I love every terrible minute of it.

30 - "The Leon you ordered from AliExpress"

31 - Li Bingbing as Ada, my beloved

32 - Whatever the hell this fight scene is (I am obsessed with it). The sapphic energy of Jill v Alice. Las Plagas giving you instant superpowers. Michelle Rodriguez beating the shit out of Leon Kennedy (mans draws his knife and immediately gets disarmed, Krauser would be so disappointed). Ada just snoozing in the snow the whole time. Cinema.

The music kinda slaps though.

The second half of this where Michelle gets clocked in the face with a fire extinguisher and just looks offended? Immaculate.

33 - Wesker saying that he, Alice, Jill, Leon and Ada are the last hope for humanity from the roof of the White House. What a team.

34 - AND THEN LEON, ADA AND JILL FUCKING DIE OFF SCREEN BETWEEN MOVIES ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? Peak writing right there.

35 - I have never seen the Final Chapter, but I do know that Claire is the only (known) surviving original RE character. Chris is MIA and everyone else is dead. The lesbians win again.

36 - Also there's a character named K-Mart. No notes.

37 - WESKER GETS KILLED BY A DOOR LMFAO

I cannot say I would recommend these movies without the consumption of alcohol involved. Once that's in the mix? They're a great time.

#Youtube #resident evil #resident evil live action movies #they're like an acid trip

[hp-rarepair-requests]

Oops! I realised that I had to be more specific

- Augurlight (Delphi x Albus)

- Muggle au

- Abusive relationship

-Albus realizing that Delphi was grooming him (Flashbacks would be nice if possible)

All good! I can absolutely do that!

Augurlight Oneshot

TW/CW: Grooming, Child Predation and CSA

Albus sat in his bedroom, curtains closed, headphones blasting, homework unfinished, and food left to go cold. He wasn’t really sure what day it was, or what time it was, but he really didn’t care. He couldn’t explain the depression he had fallen into. Or maybe he could and he just didn’t want to admit it.

~

“Come on, Dad! Please!” Albus begged.

“For the hundredth time Albus, no,” his father refused him yet again. “You need to finish school.”

“Come on! The kids are mean!” Albus whined. “I passed all the necessary exams for finishing school, I have a job, I can start working more hours and even pay board!”

“I don’t care Albus, you need to complete your education,” his father tried to keep a hushed voice as they browsed the shop, looking for a specific CD for Lily’s upcoming birthday. “I’m not letting you drop out just to chase some fantasy.”

“This isn’t about music—“

“Then what is it about?”

“It’s about not having to go back to that shithole of a school!”

“Watch your language!” His father scolded. “I can’t find it. Stay here while I talk to that worker over there.”

Albus groaned and slumped against the shelf of CD’s. He was sick of that high school. Hogwarts was shit, and any wayward misfit with half a brain knew to stay far away from the preppy shitheads that wore the maroon and blue uniform. He was so sick of his classmates constantly bullying him, and he wasn’t even learning anything he could use in the career he wanted. They’d bloody cut the Music Program, the whole reason he’d even been trying to stay well enough behaved to avoid expulsion.

“Hey,” Albus turned to see a worker, with silver and blue hair and thick eyeliner. “Delphi. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with your Dad?”

“Oh, that,” Albus shuffled. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine, happens a lot,” Delphi smiled. “Hogwarts uniform?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t sue you for breathing,” Albus answered. “Not unless you breathe too loudly.”

“I’ll try not to. We get a lot of your classmates in here. Usually they’re upset that their Dad’s aren’t buying something super expensive for them.”

“Nah, I’ve got a different kind of dysfunctional family.”

“I can tell,” Delphi plucked something from Albus’ face and he felt it heat up. “Eyelash. Sorry about your Dad. Sucks when your parents don’t believe in you.”

“Well, I don’t know if he doesn’t believe in me,” Albus cleared his throat. “He just … he’s an adult, he probably knows better.”

“I don’t know,” Delphi knocked Albus’ shoulder. “You didn’t start singing the lyrics to Emo Girl when you saw me. Makes you much more mature than some of the other kids your age. It’s also not that hard to enter the music scene. I would know, my band The Augurey are doing pretty well.”

Delphi walked away as Albus saw his father approaching, Lily’s gift in hand.

~

Albus rubbed his eyes and took his earphones out. There had been a light tapping at his door, and when he pulled it open he saw his younger sister. Lily was in her soccer uniform, with dirt on her shins. She’d just got back from practice, it was afternoon.

“Just figured I’d let you know we won,” Lily grumbled. “Not that you even cared to show up.”

“Won what?” Albus asked.

“The game. The Liverpool Griffins are moving onto the semifinals.”

“You had an actual game today?”

“Yes, and you promised you’d come to this one!” Lily crossed her arms. “You’ve become a real jerk these holidays.”

“Oh my God. Lily I am so sorry. I completely forgot.”

“Yeah, I know! Couldn’t even get out of bed to say goodbye this morning.”

Lily turned and began to storm off.

“Lily wait!” Albus followed her. “I don’t even know what day it was.”

“Save it, Albus,” Lily shook her head. “I would invite you to the next one but I doubt you’d show up. Dad’s making soup for dinner, maybe you can show up for that?”

Lily slammed her bedroom door shut and Albus felt lost. How could he forget something as important as Lily’s game? It was the first one where he wouldn’t be too busy working at The Three Broomsticks to go! He’d promised to go! He hadn’t been able to go to any of her other games that year and she missed his support in the stands. And he missed cheering her on from the crowds. How could he forget something as important as that?

~

“Well, well, well, we meet again,” Albus looked up in shock to see none other than Delphi. “Studying for a test?”

“Algebra,” Albus informed her.

“God, what year?”

“Year ten.”

“Yikes,” Delphi hissed in sympathy. “So your doing all that expand and simplify bullshit with the brackets.”

“Yep,” Albus sighed. “Although, it looks more like hieroglyphics to me.”

Delphi giggled. “You’re funny. What was your name?”

“Albus,” he answered, blushing at the compliment. “I work at The Three Broomsticks just down there.”

“Oh sick, my band is performing a gig there this Friday night.”

“I’m working this Friday night.”

“Oh, so you’re getting paid to see The Augurey live. Now that’s an honour.”

Albus laughed. “What instrument do you play?”

“I’m all vocals,” Delphi clarified. “What about you?”

“Oh um, I used to do the music program at my school before they cut it,” Albus fiddled with his pencil, feeling suddenly shy under Delphi’s piercing brown eyes. “Guitar, bass, drums, piano, little bit of vocals.”

“Oh, so you are literally just a one man band?”

Albus laughed to the point of smiling very brightly. “I guess you could call me that. If you can call a fourteen year old with no released songs a one man band.”

“You’ll be a one man band eventually,” Delphi ruffled his hair. “I have faith in you.”

~

Albus closed his bedroom door and pulled out his phone. A notification popped up and he bit his lip. The Augurey’s social media. They’d posted something new.

Albus opened the app and saw the pictures. Delphi smiling with the rest of her bandmates. Pictures from whatever event they were at now. Pictures he couldn’t help but stare at. Especially the last one. The picture was technically of Rascal and Vermyn, the bassist and guitarist, but Albus was focused on the background. Delphi with some guys tongue shoved down her throat.

Albus hadn’t learnt this guys name. He appeared in many pictures. Sometimes he was even in the foreground. But Albus hadn’t learnt his name. Didn’t want to. He just wanted to know why Delphi would lead him on the way she did.

~

Albus was left to close up close up the restaurant while his manager, Rosmerta, went over the employee schedules for the next week. He found he quite enjoyed The Augurey’s live performance that night. He’d hoped to speak to Delphi at some point, but he was stuck as the dishwasher for most of the night, but the few times he had been out cleaning tables he could of sworn she’d been looking at him. He was pretty certain she’d even winked at him at some point.

“Hey Albus!” He jumped when Delphi came up behind him. “Did you enjoy the show?”

“Yeah, you guys are really good. You have a very good voice.”

“Thank you,” Delphi smiled brightly and touched Albus’ cheek. “You lose a lot of eyelashes. So, are your parents here to pick you up?”

“No, I was going to catch the bus home.”

“You’re kidding?” Delphi’s jaw dropped even further when Albus shook his head. “You can’t catch the bus home at this time of night! There are creeps and weirdos out there.”

“Aside from the creepy weirdo I’m talking to now?” Albus asked, wiping the last corner of the bench down. “It’s fine, I do it all the time.”

“It’s not fine!” Delphi sighed. “How about I drive you home?”

“What?”

“Come on! I won’t be able to sleep tonight if I don’t mKe sure you get home safe.”

Albus felt his face heat up at that. He supposed a car ride with Delphi wouldn’t be the worst thing to ever happen. “Alright, I can give you the directions.”

“Great! Let’s go.”

Albus let out a nervous breath as he followed her to her car, locking the shop door behind himself. She drove a second hand car, small and inexpensive, but the inside was decorated with plenty of gothic delights. He got into the passenger seat and told her where to go.

“So, you hate Hogwarts I take it?”

“Uh, yeah,” Albus shook his head. “Bit of an understatement really. I get bullied. Really badly. And the teachers don’t do shit about it.”

“I feel that,” Delphi sighed. “Wish there was something I could do to help.”

“It’s alright,” Albus chewed on his lip. “My house is that one.”

Delphi pulled into the driveway. “Damn, you’re families loaded.”

“Yeah, we are.”

Albus went to get out of the car but Delphi grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

“What are you—“

“My phone number,” she wrote the digits onto his palm. “Message me next time you have work late. I don’t like the thought of you catching the bus this late at night.”

“Oh,” Albus swallowed. He had her number, that was fun. And really nice of her to be so worried for his well-being.

Delphi caressed his cheek and rested her hand on his face. “Eyelash. I’ll see you later.”

“See you later.”

~

Albus threw his phone to the floor and curled up in his blanket. He really shouldn’t have been surprised. She was pretty, she was semi-famous, she was older. And they weren’t exactly on good terms at the moment either. Of course something like this would have happened.

He wanted to curl into such a small little ball it was like he didn’t exist. No one could hurt him or lead him on that way. People wouldn’t even be able to look at him, let alone talk to him.

“Albus,” he groaned when he heard his fathers voice just outside his door. “Dinners ready.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Come on, you haven’t had dinner with us in a week,” his father answered. “I’m starting to get a little worried.”

“I’m fine.”

“Well, if you’re fine you come down to dinner. Come on, get up.”

Albus groaned, and crawled out of bed again. Why him? Why that day?

~

Albus walked out of admin with his letter, supposedly his aunt Hermione was there to pick him up for an appointment he hadn’t even known about. God, his time management skills could really use some work.

As Albus left the school gates he noticed a familiar beat up car. It didn’t belong to his aunt, her car was certainly not beat up, but it did belong to someone else he knew. Someone he was much more excited to see.

“Oh my God, you did not just get me out of school.”

“Hey,” Delphi shrugged. “I told you I wanted to do something to help. Come on, we’re going to the beach.”

“The beach? Are there even any good beaches nearby?”

“Of course there are! You just need to know where to look!”

Albus smiled brightly and got into the car with her. He hadn’t properly skipped school like this in a long time, it was exhilarating.

“Alright Eyelashes, let’s go.”

Albus came down the stairs to see the rest of his family had already started eating their soup. He approached the counter and filled up his bowl. Pumpkin soup. He plonked down at the table, feeling much like the rain that poured outside the window.

“Hoods off at the table, Albus.”

Albus groaned at his mothers words, and yanked the hood from his head before continuing to eat.

“So as I was saying, it’s a very delicate and difficult case,” his father complained about work. “Grooming is a very difficult crime to prove. Our evidence is circumstantial at best.”

Albus ripped a piece of bread and dipped it into his loaf.

“I mean, how am I even supposed to prove he did this? It’s not like he ever actually hurt her, just made it so he could.”

“What?” That confused Albus.

“What’s confusing you?”

“How could he have groomed her if he never hurt her?”

“Grooming is the process of creating an environment which enables abuse,” his father clarified. “A very common misconception people have is that you have to actually h physically hurt someone.”

“Oh.”

~

Albus flopped down onto his towel, and let the rare sunshine beat down on him, giving him a much needed tan. Delphi soon after joined him, and he tried not to look at her too much. He really should have realised that the beach entailed a certain amount of vulnerability.

“That was fun, but I think I might have to take you back to school soon.”

Albus groaned very loudly. “Please don’t.”

“What do you want me to do?” Delphi sat up. “Hold you captive here forever?”

Albus jumped when Delphi pounced on him and they began to wrestle in the sand. His leg was only slightly tangled in his towel by the time she managed to get on top of him. Oh goodness, this was a very compromising position. He only hoped she didn’t do anything to uh … provoke him, we’ll say.

“You’ve got another eyelash,” Delphi’s fingers danced across Albus face as she wiped the stray hair away.

“I swear I didn’t used to lose eyelashes this regularly,” Albus sighed, hoping to get her off from on top of him. This was not something he felt ready to deal with.

“Sure,” Delphi’s face seemed to move impossibly closer, and her breath grazed over Albus’ lips. All he’d have to do is move slightly and they’d practically be snogging.

“We should go,” Delphi got up and put her shirt back on over the top of her bikini. “Your parents will surely be mad if you aren’t home in time.”

~

Albus finished his soup and climbed the stairs before anyone could stop him. He needed some space. Desperately.

Albus opened his laptop and stared at the search engine for a moment. He began to chew on his nails, feeling his stomach roil with the unasked question still lingering in his head. What was he even supposed to do in this type of situation? What was he even supposed to look up?

He swallowed and quickly typed up his question before staring at it. The fact that he even felt the need to ask felt a bit like a confirmation, but he couldn’t be certain. He pressed enter.

How do you know if you’ve been groomed?

~

“What’s this?” Albus asked.

“It’s a birthday present,” Delphi answered.

“My birthday is in October.”

“Just open it.”

Albus smiled before tearing into the gift Delphi had gotten for him. He pulled open the box and inside there was nothing more than a business card. Riddle Studios?

“I may have pulled some strings with my manager,” Delphi clarified. “They’re going to let you record one song, and if they like it and it performs well they might take you on.”

“You’re joking.”

“No joke.”

“Oh my God! Delphi!” Albus got up. “Thank you so much! God, I could kiss you!”

“What?”

“What? Um … not actually kiss you. Just — you know it’s an expression.”

“Right,” Delphi nodded. “Well, I’ll pick you up on Saturday and drive you there.”

“Yeah,” Albus nodded excitedly.

“See you,” Delphi left a peck on Albus’ cheek before walking away.

~

Grooming is the action of attempting to form a relationship with a child or young person, which would enable you to sexually assault them or persuade them to commit some type of crime, such as drug dealing or joining a terrorist organisation.

Albus wasn’t sure that exactly applied to him. He’d been a child, he was a child, but … he didn’t — he didn’t know.

A groomed child may think they are: in a special relationship with the person hurting them, experience self-blame over the the abuse they are experiencing, be confused by the nature of the relationship, and have a fear of harmed or abandoned if they speak out or defy their groomer.

~

Albus had initiated it, but he immediately regretted it. It was stupid really. To think someone as amazing as Delphi might return his feelings. As soon as he’d kissed her he felt like he’d made some horrible mistake and that he needed to run as far away as humanly possible. Something about it just felt innately wrong. Like he’d done something he really shouldn’t have.

“I am so sorry,” Albus stepped back. “I should go. That was — sorry!”

“Albus! It’s fine,” Delphi stopped him from running away. “Nothing to be sorry for.”

Delphi pulled Albus in and this time their kiss was much more of a mutual experience. And it was nice. He’d never really kissed anyone before, so he hoped he was doing it right. Delphi was definitely much more experienced in that regard. And it showed. Delphi was very good at kissing, Albus found.

~

Well, that just didn’t apply to Albus. Right? There was no abuse to feel any guilt or self-blame over. There couldn’t be. Could there? He tried to think. Had Delphi at any point actually abused him? Sure, technically she didn’t need to abuse him for it to be grooming, but there wasn’t anything to blame himself for. Was there?

He’d admit, he had felt special, he had been a little confused by their relationship, he had done things just because he was worried she’d leave if he didn’t, but he didn’t blame himself for … okay he did. Just a little bit. But it was fine because it was technically his fault. The self-blame thing surely only applied when he hadn’t actually done anything wrong right? Because he had! He’d let her get close to him, he’d initiated their … situationship? Relationship? Their whatever! He’d been the one to start it and make it confusing. He made the choice to not defy her. It was his fault.

So, therefore, it couldn’t have actually even been grooming right? What even was the definition of sexual abuse?

~

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going on tour?” Albus asked. “I mean, I figure that’s something you tell your … friend?”

“I was going to,” Delphi got up from her seat on the couch. “But it’s not even like it’s a major tour. We’re just going around England. Nowhere too far away.”

“Right, just the other side of the country,” Albus shrugged. “Would have been nice to know.”

“What? You aren’t proud of us? After all I’ve done for you, you can’t accept that I’m also making progress?”

“That’s not it—“

“Then what is it?”

“You’re leaving…,” Albus sighed. “I just — I thought we were close enough that you’d let me know first.”

“We are that close,” Delphi came over to him and rested her hands on his shoulders. “Come with us.”

“What?”

Albus was dumbfounded. There was no way she was actually inviting him to go on tour with her.

“Come with us!” Delphi’s smile widened. “Come on, you hate school, you hate your family, leave it behind and come with us.”

Albus took a step back. “Okay, first of all, I don’t hate my family. I just don’t always get along with them. And second of all, I can’t just go with you. I have a job, other friends, and my parents are worried enough that I keep disappearing from school and the house. I can’t just runaway.”

“Sure you can!” Delphi held his face now. “Please? For me?”

Albus didn’t know what to say. Delphi kissed him to see if maybe that would be convincing. It wasn’t.

“It’ll be fun.”

“No, I’m putting my foot down,” Albus shook his head and started leaving. “I can’t go with you.”

~

Sexual assault refers to the act of intentionally touching someone in a sexual manner without consent, through either force or coercion. It’s a form of sexual violence that includes child sexual abuse, groping, rape and sexual torture.

Albus scrolled down, trying to find further explanation on what child sexual abuse might entail. He didn’t think he was abused; it was just good to make sure. He seriously doubted he encountered anything severe enough to be considered abuse. And he’d been the one to initiate their relationship in the first place. So it was probably fine.

~

Albus got up from the couch and walked over to the door. Lily was at football practice and their Dad had been the one to drive her. Their Mum was stuck at work so Albus and his older brother, James, were the only ones left at home. He had to assume James took advantage of this absence of people and invited over a couple friends.

He pulled the door open and was surprised to see Delphi of all people standing outside.

“Can we talk?”

“Uh, sure,” Albus stepped aside and let her in. “We better go up to my room, so James doesn’t see you.”

Albus brought Delphi to his bedroom, and gently closed the door behind her. He was sort of glad they were getting the opportunity to talk before she had to leave. They could sort out the argument they’d had and calm down.

“I guess we should—“

Albus was startled by Delphi just grabbing his face and beginning to snog him. They’d snogged maybe a couple times, but never like this. Albus raised his hands to her head as his back hit the wall. His head hurt a little bit, and he winced, trying to separate for at least a moment to rub where his head had hit. But he hadn’t been able to. At least, he hadn’t been the one to separate.

Delphi pulled away only momentarily before attacking his neck. Which, wasn’t really something they’d ever done. It felt a little weird, but kind of nice.

“Um, you said you wanted to talk?” Albus was a little confused now. Not upset, but definitely confused.

Delphi sighed and pulled away. Did he do something wrong?

“Just … wanted to see if maybe you’d changed your mind?”

“Well, I haven’t,” Albus slouched. “You know why I said I couldn’t go.”

“Oh, come on!” She complained. “After everything I’ve done for you, you kind of owe me!”

“Travelling around the country isn’t something I can just do, Delphi,” Albus groaned. “I already told you, my parents are worried enough about me as is. If I left with you they’d probably send a whole search party looking for me.”

“Then leave a note,” Delphi stepped closer. “Please? Can’t you just be the least bit supportive?”

Albus swallowed. He could theoretically go with her, and there was probably a scenario in which everything turned out fine. But Albus didn’t think this was that scenario. He was in enough trouble as it was for constantly sneaking out and skipping school to go see her, although his parents didn’t know about Delphi’s involvement. He didn’t want to make things worse. And Lily kept asking him to go to one of her games. He’d promised to go to one as soon as he could, he couldn’t do that if he was on tour with The Augurey.

“I am supportive, and I’m sorry but I can’t just—“

Albus gasped when Delphi’s palm hit his cheek, and stilled as the sting spread across his face. She’d slapped him. She had just slapped him. And it hurt. Really bad.

“Fine, I don’t need you there anyway,” Delphi stormed out while Albus stood frozen in disbelief.

~

Child sexual abuse (CSA) occurs when an adult or older adolescent abuses a child for sexual gratification. This can include pressuring a child into a sexual activity, indecent exposure of genitals to a child, displaying pornography to a child, sexual contact with a child, physical contact to the child’s genitals, viewing of the child’s genitals, and producing pornography of a child.

Albus wiped a tear from his eye. Did kissing count as sexual contact? Did it even matter? A month ago, if Delphi had asked, Albus probably would have done everything on that list for her. If grooming was only the process of enabling abuse, had Delphi groomed him?

“Hey Albus,” he jumped when his mother walked in without knocking, and turned to face her, “what’s—?”

Albus slammed his laptop shut before she could finish asking her questions.

“Why were you looking at the definition of sexual assault?” She asked.

“I wasn’t,” Albus answered, scratching his neck.

“What were you looking at then?”

“Nothing.”

His mother gave him a look before walking towards him. “Did something happen that I should know about?”

“No,” Albus tried to smile. “Mum, I’m fine. What did you want?”

She let out a breath through her nose. “Lily and James have both had their showers. I wanted to check if you had had yours?”

“No, I’ll go do that.”

“Albus—“

“Thanks for letting me know,” Albus grabbed his clothes and hurried towards the bathroom. He didn’t think he was in the mental state to explain everything about Delphi to his mother.

#somehow this also became a band au? #I guess musicians are a bit prolific for that though #augurlight #delphbus #delphi x albus #albus severus x delphi #dark ship #tw grooming #tw child predation #tw csa #hp next gen #ccsquad #hp fandom #albus severus potter #delphi riddle #abusive delphi riddle #hpatcc #hpcc #harry potter next generation #oneshot #hp fanfic #hp rare pair #muggle au

[dballzposting]

HI i had a horrible dragon ball thought and thought i should send it to you because i haven't done that in a long time :(

love stumbling across screenshots that remind me that akira toriyama doesn't give a shit about canonical heights EVER and just says numbers when asked and doesn't follow said numbers.

Like i was taking a peep at the manga because i want to learn how to replicate the art style (my most serious art has already been damaged by the dragon balls i draw and i say it like... damaged. but i don't mean that i think thats a good thing because thats what i want) and i find these bits from the 23rd tenkaichi budokai where Yamcha (6'0") and Tien (6'2") are both like a head taller than Goku (5'9") which... no they aren't lol. but it's fun to think that they are so I'll incorporate that into my belief system regardless.

And i also found this one picture from the end of the anime (equally inaccurate about numbers which i find delightful. i am incredibly amused by this.) where Goten (??) is like also a head shorter than Trunks (5'7"? probably, that's how tall future him was at that age idk man who fucking knows. not me.) which would probably put Goten at like... Vegeta height in terms of dragon ball inaccuracies because 17 year old Future Trunks was depicted as being considerably taller than his father in canon.

And that's generally insane because as far as i'm aware Goten is usually depicted to be vaguely taller than Trunks when they grow up to what should be their full heights in fan works? which is fair because Trunks is REALLY doing his best with what he has (Vegeta dna)

Also about Trunk's height- future Trunks (malnourished by saiyan standards... and probably earthling standards too) is really only 5 cm shorter than Goku?? which is not even much actually, Future Trunks is about as tall as LIONEL MESSI which, sure I'm Argentinian and that's my like referent for short men sue me... but that's hilarious because Goku is only 5 cm taller than that like what. and adult Gohan is only 6 cm taller than that! because he's only a single fucking centimeter taller than Goku! why is he only a fucking centimeter taller than his father. who even cares about that. him? probably not.

Also to expand onto the Vegeta Height Goten thing, that'd be so funny personally because i feel like the second neurotic ass SON OF VEGETA Trunks notices this he would tear his own hair out, i think he would resent that fact with everything he had. i don't even quite know why he would hate it yet, but i do know that he wouldn't be a fan of it.

But of course none of this fucking matters. because akira toriyama is a bitchass motherfucker and if i had a wife he would piss on her.

-Yui7 after getting back from talking about Dragon ball and how much he misses Goku for like a half a day.

Hi I forgot about this ask and it has sat in my inbox for 9 slutty slutty days.

IT'S TRUE!!!!!! THE HEIGHTS ARE A MESS!!!!!!

To be fair it must be hard to give a shit when you're depicting multiple characters in complex scenes and poses and angles all of the time.

BUT THEN WHY TRY TO DISCLOSE NUMBERS AT ALL !??!?!??!

I get the impression that he just draws characters as they feel. Even though Goku went through a growth spurt before the 23rd tenkaichi budokai, he's still younger than the others and he's still always been an aspiring young shoot, so Tenshinhan and Yamucha still need to be taller (and therefore more mature) than him.

That's why Vegeta steadily got taller as he gained wisdom and muscle mass.... he had to look more important.

Goten is kept shorter than Trunks consistently, except in GT I feel like they're allowed to be on-par. But they're both definitely taller than Vegeta I mean come on.

If the real meaning comes from visual impressions then I'll be on record as saying that watching Future Trunks on-screen you definitely see one TALL STACK of fresh organic non-GMO free-range Super Saiyan BEEF. Perhaps he should be shorter like his father. But when have animes cared about genetics

Trunks is always a tall bitch and Goku is always so tall and Gohan is always so tall and Goten even is so tall. They're all so tall. And then they keep making Vegeta taller too.

Krillin just has no chance

#WHO GIVE A SHIT !!!!!!!!!!!!! #dballz posting #dballz asks #yu7i

[bylersecretsanta2023]

from @marshmallo824, to @dont-open-dead-inside-25

what are you doing new year's eve?

“Uh, no, Max, that’s actually not your best move. My pawn isn’t even close to your home base!”

There are only a couple more hours until 1989, and it looks like Mike Wheeler will be ringing in the New Year with copious amounts of vexation. It’s been a rough night for him, competitively speaking: he was first to go bankrupt in Monopoly, failed to break 200 in Yahtzee, and ended up with approximately half the deck by the end of Uno. 

Now, he’s red in the face and fuming over a particularly tense game of Sorry! – Max (the strategist of the operation, getting Lucas to actually move her pieces) has just knocked Mike’s last pawn back to Start. Dustin has a clear lead, though Max-and-Lucas are starting to catch up.

Will was supposed to be teaming with El, but he’s barely paying attention. Mike looks far too good tonight in a soft maroon sweater and black jeans, even if his facial expression is slightly…constipated. Sue him if he’s distracted, honestly. The Mike Wheeler Obsession™ that has sort of characterized all of Will’s teenage years certainly is following him into 1989. 

It also doesn’t help that the taller boy finally gave in to his mother’s complaints and got a haircut last week. The nostalgia had hit Will like a semi-truck when he’d first seen it – with shorter hair, he looks shockingly like he did when they were in eighth grade and Mike had been the only tolerable part of that fall’s flayed-and-fucked-up fever dream. 

“Do you like it?” Mike had asked quietly, maybe a little nervously.

Will frantically nodded, because the only words his mouth was capable of replying with were I love you I love you I love you Will you stay with me forever? and he was pretty sure that wouldn’t be the response Mike was hoping for.

In holding his tongue, Will was thoroughly rewarded with a bashful but earnest smile from Mike. “I guess I was kinda worried it would look a little stupid.”

“Not possible. You look great,” he blurted out, completely negating his success from mere seconds earlier. “I mean, it suits you.” It wasn’t the world’s best amendment, but it seemed to be enough.

“Hey, thanks, man. I mean it.” Will watched Mike tuck a strand of hair behind his ear, maybe out of habit, but it simply drifted back towards his face due to its new length. 

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year, Wheeler.” Max is grinning, which only seems to irritate Mike further. “Where’s the joy in your heart?”

“I’d be a lot more joyous if you’d play the fuckin’ game right, Mayfield. Dustin is gonna kick all our asses but for some reason you’d rather go after the guy with one pawn on the board? You’re insane, you know that? What a shitty strategy.”

Things escalate further from there, and rather quickly. Max is laughing as Lucas defends her, entering a vicious back-and-forth with Mike, while Dustin’s gaze darts excitedly between them like he’s at goddamn Wimbledon. El is explaining the scene to Max, and that only makes both girls laugh harder. Upon seeing this, Mike gets ramped up even more. As soon as he opens his mouth, Will can tell the other boy’s about to say something he’s really going to regret, so he puts a gentle hand on Mike’s shoulder, hoping it’ll slow his roll for even a second.

It works with almost disturbing efficacy. Mike’s teeth clack together audibly as he shuts his mouth, and he swivels to Will, suddenly and almost completely disengaged from the previous argument (if not for the exasperated furrow of his eyebrows and the exaggerated heaving of his chest). 

“Hey, you wanna take a break for a bit?” he finds himself saying, not letting go of Mike’s shoulder just yet. Mike, to his credit, nods sheepishly and stands. In the typical fashion of the Party, their other friends have already moved on, fully engaged in the remaining part of the game. El quirks her head at Will, eyeing Mike inconspicuously. 

You’ll take care of him?

I always do. I hope you win for us.

El grins at him, eyes glinting mischievously. I always do.

“I’m still not convinced you guys didn’t actually share a womb,” Dustin asserts, but Will’s already standing and following Mike out of the basement, leaving El to decide how to handle the biological twin allegations.

Upstairs, the Wheelers’ New Year’s Eve party is in full swing. The lilt of sociable adult laughter and the drone of the television drift through warmly-lit and stately rooms. Mike still looks wound-up, and maybe even a little discouraged. Will’s not having it, and he gets on his tiptoes to reach Mike’s ear.

“Follow my lead,” he whispers, and tugs a visibly confused Mike into the living room, where Mr. Wheeler looks about five minutes away from sleeping through the New Year altogether. There’s an empty champagne glass in his hand.

“Happy New Year, Mr. Wheeler,” Will beams, offering the man the firmest handshake he can muster. 

“William, it’s good to see you,” Ted drawls, eyes already drooping with exhaustion. “Could you take this glass to my wife in the kitchen?”

“Sure, should I ask her to refill it?”

He waves a hand dismissively and leans back further in the La-Z-Boy. “Don’t think I could have another. You’re a good young man, you hear that? Maybe it’s not too late for you to rub off on Michael. He could stand to have some more manners.”

“Dad, I’m right here,” Mike sighs. Normally, it’d be pretty funny, but he’s already stressed enough as it is, and Will can hear the strain in his voice from keeping it together. Ted blinks lazily and turns his head, nodding at his son.

“Excellent,” he murmurs, and dozes off. Mike rolls his eyes and takes the glass out of his dad’s hands. As the two make their way to the kitchen, which is currently heavily packed with mothers, Will deftly takes it out of his hands. Karen Wheeler is currently engaged in conversation with Claudia Henderson. They both seem to be walking the fine line between wine-drunk and…wine-plastered. Score.

“Mrs. Wheeler? Mr. Wheeler asked me to bring this to you.”

Karen doesn’t even ask, just automatically fetches the bottle of champagne. “I expected that,” she murmurs with a conspiratorial wink. “Every year, Ted makes his way to his last glass by ten o’clock sharp.”

The clock reads 11:37, but Will doesn’t point this out.

“Are you boys having a nice time?” Mrs. Henderson asks, almost as if she’s just realized they’re here. Mike nods quickly, but Will’s going for his Academy Award. He schools his face into a concerned but polite frown.

“You know how kids can be,” he sighs, a little wistful. Karen finishes (rather generously) filling the glass and perks up at this, maternal instincts kicking into gear despite the effects of her revelry.

She seems to notice something in Mike’s expression and reaches up to hold his face with her hands. Mike shoots a panicked look at Will, which shifts to annoyance upon receiving Will’s shit-eating grin.

“They take advantage of his enthusiasm, Mrs. Wheeler,” Will laments, overselling it just because he knows he can. “He’s just too earnest for this cruel and unfeeling world.”

Karen clicks her tongue sadly. “How perceptive! You know, I’ve always said that, Will.” She wraps Mike in a tight hug. “Oh, my bright boy. Never let them put your flame out.”

“Okay, Mom,” Mike placates, awkwardly wrenching himself out of her grasp. 

“Nice to see you, Mrs. Wheeler,” Will beams, and she’s too moved by Whatever Just Happened to take notice of him dragging Mike up the stairs instead of back into the living room.

They quietly slip into Mike's bedroom and shut the door, entirely unnoticed.

“I can’t believe you stole champagne from my mom, dude,” Mike remarks, amazement clear in his tone. Will flushes with embarrassment and maybe even pride.

“I didn’t steal it, Mike. She gave it to us, remember? Besides, it’s only one glass.” He hands said glass to Mike. “It’s not like I snagged us the whole bottle.”

Mike wastes no time in taking his first sip. Pathetically, Will thinks he could get drunk just off of the way Mike’s throat bobs as he swallows the golden liquid. Without needing words, the two sit side by side on Mike’s bed; Mike passes the glass back over, and Will holds it carefully. He rotates it, aiming for a casual movement, until the part Mike’s mouth has touched is furthest from him. He drinks – it’s fruity, but clearly not strong. The scandal of it all is probably more exciting than actually getting drunk tonight, anyhow.

“Do you think I have cooties or something?” Mike asks, and Will turns to meet his eyes. 

“Um. No?”

Mike considers this. “Do you have cooties or something?” 

Will shakes his head, a little amused, but mostly baffled. Mike chuckles, but he sounds slightly exasperated. When they exchange the glass once more, Mike doesn’t turn the glass, drinking from the exact place as Will had. He shoots a lopsided grin at Will. “If you give me mono, I’m gonna be pissed off.”

Will giggles, taken aback. “Hey, you can’t say I didn’t try.”

One glass of champagne later, and they’re both nowhere near drunk, but Mike seems a hell of a lot calmer than he had been before they got up to his room. He hasn’t stopped smiling since his fourth sip, and Will swears he’s somehow inched closer every time they passed the glass between them.

“Hey, you wanna hear something?” Mike asks, but he’s already getting off the bed and crossing to the other side of the room, so Will doesn’t bother replying. When he comes back around, he’s holding his acoustic guitar. It’s something Mike could barely bring himself to touch after Eddie, but he’s coming around to it again. Will’s embarrassingly endeared at the sight of the instrument in his lovely hands, wishing for one idiotic and deranged moment that Mike could hold him with that amount of tenderness and care. 

What follows is maybe the most enthralling rendition of “Auld Lang Syne” that Will has ever heard. Sure, not every chord is spot-on (particularly when he’ll accidentally catch on a string that isn’t meant to be used), but Mike’s voice is so raspy and beautiful, and his eyes are narrowed with intense concentration. When he’s done, Mike sets the guitar aside and meets Will’s gaze, smiling sheepishly.

“It needs some practice, I know, but I only started learning it after Christmas, so I didn’t really have –”

“I like you.”

It slips out entirely without his permission. “I mean,” he immediately backtracks, “I mean, I thought you did great. Seriously, nice job, man.” The casual form of address feels clunky in his mouth, but he’s desperate to cast off as much suspicion as possible. Maybe Mike will let it go?

“You like me?” 

When the two of them were younger, maybe in fourth or fifth grade, they’d both gone through a Greek mythology phase. As a result, Will’s well-versed with the concept of the tragic heroes and their fatal flaws – like hubris, or what have you. Mike’s fatal flaw is his persistence. Of course he wasn’t going to let it go; the ability to do something like that isn’t even in his skillset. 

And Will – Will’s fatal flaw is that he’s a really fucking bad liar.

“Yeah, I do. I have for a while. I’m sorry.”

Mike’s silent for a while, eyes wide and vulnerable as they search every corner of Will’s face. He blinks a few times, mouth hanging open slightly. Will looks down at his lap, tasting bile and champagne rising in his throat. He swallows it down.

“Do you wanna be my midnight kiss?”

Will nearly breaks his neck with the speed at which he turns to look at Mike. “What?”

“I said, do you wanna be my midnight kiss? You know, that thing that people do? On New Year’s Eve?”

“Mike,” he pleads, confused and a little panicked, “what are you talking about? You don’t – you don’t like me like that. Don’t do this for my sake, that’s just stupid –”

“Who said it’s just for your sake?” Mike snaps, a little frustrated. He softens a little, probably realizing how insane he sounds right now. “Listen, I – I mean, I’m…surprised. I don’t really know if I thought about us like that before. Maybe I didn’t let myself even go there, like, uh, mentally? But I feel –” and he places a hand against his own ribs – “happy, y’know? Giddy, almost.” 

Mike leans into Will’s personal space a little intensely. “And don’t you dare try to let me off by saying we’re drunk, because you and I both know we didn’t have enough for that.” Will shrugs, conceding before he can even begin to fight that battle. 

“I don’t get it,” he admits, trying not to sound as pathetic, needy, and utterly lost as he feels. Mike just grins at him, all boyish charm and eager humility.

“You make me smile. I like taking care of you, and you take care of me too. We understand each other – I mean, sometimes I feel like you’re the only person who really knows me, and you still like me? That’s – I mean, I can’t even wrap my head around that.”

“Why? You’re an incredible person,” Will protests, flushing with embarrassment as he does so. Mike’s smile gets even wider, somehow. He wrings his hands together as his leg begins to bounce, seemingly of his own accord.

“Do you know how fucking excited it makes me when you say shit like that? Feels like I could run a whole marathon, and dude, you know how much I hate running. I can’t believe I used to think you just made me nervous! How stupid is that? I guess I always thought being close to you – was dangerous, or something, like I was going to hurt you again. And I do still worry about that sometimes,” he adds, suddenly serious, “but that definitely doesn’t explain the butterflies.”

“Butterflies?” Will asks, incredulous. He’s not fully convinced this is real. Mike laughs, tipping his head back, well and truly cackling as if he can’t contain the joy he’s feeling.

“Yes! Butterflies! I’m so stupid, seriously, Will. I used to do stuff like – like keeping track of how much you smiled when we’d hang out with our friends, or trying to figure out what exactly it was that made you smell so nice on a given day, or wanting to be…to be close to you, just to hold you. And I guess I thought I was just being an attentive friend, but now that I know – I mean, of course I like you! How could I not like you, Will?”

Will thinks he might actually burst into tears right here in Mike’s bedroom, which is definitely a mood killer. By some miracle, he refrains.

“And don’t even get me started,” Mike continues, a little breathless in his excitement, “on what it does to me when I think about kissing you. Shit, I really want to kiss you. Can I kiss you, please?”

Will swallows, tries not to think too hard about the surreal bizarro world he’s suddenly found himself in. He takes a deep breath and looks down at his watch. “Hmm, I don’t know. Doesn’t look like it’s midnight yet.”

Despite the fact that Mike has a fully functional watch of his own, he leans even closer to Will anyways, peering down at his watch. “Well, what am I supposed to do for the next…forty-seven seconds?” Will just smiles at Mike, tipping his head forward until their foreheads are touching, and letting himself finally run a hand through his best friend’s soft, short waves.

“Be patient, loverboy,” he croons, earning a playfully indignant scoff from Mike. “Something tells me you’re gonna get kissed a lot next year.”

“Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah. Consider it my resolution,” Will breathes out.

When midnight comes and their lips finally meet, it’s like a billion fireworks have gone off all at once.

(Later on, after they’ve exchanged kisses to the point of putting their lungs entirely out of commission, the two of them crawl under the covers and cling to each other. They feign some excuse like body heat, but there’s no point in disguising any of it. They know.

And if Will, overwhelmed with joy at the feeling of Mike snoring gently against his shoulder, whispers “Happy fucking New Year,” into the open air…well, then. No one has to know, do they?)

#byler secret santa #mia on the mic #st #stranger things #byler #byler fanfic

[lavenderbexlatte]

day 9: suspension

itzy 1.2k words gender neutral reader insert Reader x Lee Chaeryeong NSFW

🖤 warnings: dirty talk, use of a suspension rig, reader's anatomy isn't specified~ 🖤

kinktober masterlist

connect with me! / masterlist

You knew she'd look good like this.

You knew, because you've seen her like this before.

Flying yoga is a ridiculous thing. For beginners, it's just hanging from the ceiling in a giant curtain. And even for experienced students, it's like a weird combination of exercise and circus performance.

You liked the few classes you took on a friend's free pass, though. It was interesting, and it definitely made your abdominals burn for the rest of the week.

And of course, you met Chaeryeong there.

Beautiful, interesting Chaeryeong. She's a dancer, so she had gotten the hang of flying yoga right away, putting the rest of you to shame and getting nonstop praise from the instructor. It was kind of captivating, honestly.

Her toned body just did whatever she wanted it to do, easy as pie, while the rest of you struggled and bent and coaxed yourself into the poses.

In the middle of a particularly strange move set, you'd gotten embarrassingly lost. You couldn't figure out why your legs were getting caught. You'd called for the instructor to give you a hand, but before she could make her way over, Chaeryeong was there.

"Just make sure you ankle goes..." She gently turned your leg to the side, first the thigh, then the foot. "There!"

Easy as that, your leg fell free, right into the position you'd been trying to reach by yourself.

You'd straightened up to get another look at the pretty girl who'd just had her hands on you. "Thanks."

She looked back at you, and then, to your delighted surprise, a little bit of a flush bloomed on her cute full cheeks.

The rest is history.

Now, you've upgraded your room in a really stupid way, just for this moment.

You've been thinking about this since you met her. Since that first day, in her little athletic set, brightly-colored sports bra and leggings that showed off her abs, her incredible lithe figure.

One of your friends helped you find the studs in your bedroom ceiling, the spots of solid wood where you could safely install hardware without hurting the room, or yourself. And into one of them, you'd screwed the top support of a suspension rig.

She just looked so pretty in the hanging scarves at the yoga studio. You had to see it again, in a little bit of a different context.

Your imagination ran. Sue you.

"Anything hurt?" you ask.

Chaeryeong shakes her head, feathery strands of her dark chestnut hair falling into her face. "No."

You brush her hair back again fondly.

She's standing on a box you'd brought in from the other room. Not the sexiest piece of equipment, but you don't want any risks of her getting stuck.

This isn't the beginning of the night, not by a long shot. For one thing, both of you are already naked, already several steps into the game. You'd had a nice meal earlier, had a nice long talk about the scene you'd intended to have, and now you're here.

Now, Chaeryeong's wrists are strung above her head, but not pulled tightly. The ropes are new. The cuffs, you'd already had. Which is helpful, since you can vouch for their comfort and strength. If you tighten the rope, and remove the box, she'll be hanging just about right, toes barely on the ground.

"You gotta tell me if it hurts," you say.

She smiles. "Isn't it supposed to?"

It's a good thing that she's just as bad as you are.

"Chae."

"I know my safeword," she says, rolling her eyes, good-natured.

"We're not doing shit if you're not taking it seriously," you say.

She pouts. "Oh, I'm taking it very seriously."

She's such a pain.

But you kick the box out from under her feet.

Once the surprise passes - she shrieks a little, which is cute - and the realization sets in, Chaeryeong's expression changes. Something softer. You never know quite how to explain it back to her, when she asks, but when she's really feelin' it, her whole demeanor changes. Coy. Sticky-soft.

The rope is taut now, the cuffs keeping Chaeryeong suspended by her wrists. You measured well; her feet aren't quite touching the ground, close enough that you can easily help her but not so much that she can stand by herself.

"Oh," she breathes.

She looks at you with those heavy saccharine eyes.

You thank your lucky stars that you'd chosen to do this not in the middle of the night, but in the evening.

Golden sunlight still comes in your windows, buttery and half-dampened since twilight is coming fast. It's enough to illuminate her where she hangs, playing off the warm color of her hair. Bending around her bare curves, highlighting the dip of her ribs, the gentle curve of her spine into her ass.

She's so pretty.

Hanging there, unable to move, and all yours.

You don't want the tension on her wrists to be too much, too fast, so you indulge right away.

Gathering her in your arms, you have her wind her slim legs around your waist. She's sitting higher, like that, and the ropes have some give, so that they're not tugging on her quite so much. It has the added perk of being able to feel the heat of her against your lower belly.

So, she's enjoying this, too.

"Still doesn't hurt?" you ask.

Her hair is warm under your palm as you smooth it back again.

"No," she says.

"What should I do with you?"

She flexes her arm experimentally, making the chain connector on the cuff rattle above both of your heads. "I dunno."

You grin. "You can't think of a single thing you'd want me to do?"

"Well, I-"

"Because if you can't, I have a few ideas."

Chaeryeong laughs softly. "Oh yeah?"

"Wouldn't you like me to fuck you like this?" you ask.

You hitch her a little higher in your arms, letting her lean back so that the cuffs tug at her wrists again, keeping her suspended between you and the rig.

"It would be fun," you coax.

"Yeah," she says.

Her voice is small, but you trust that she's just thinking, not that she's not into it.

"So pretty like this," you say. "Just like a little doll for me. Hanging up like a sculpture."

She whines, high in her throat. If she had full use of her hands, she'd probably be hiding her face by now.

But she can't. She's just looking at you, flustered, wide-eyed.

"Is that something you'd like?" you ask.

She nods.

"Imagine how that'd feel," you tease. "Just hanging here. Taking it. Being good for me."

You're not sure where all of this is coming from, but it's making Chaeryeong blush and squirm against you, so you're content to keep it going.

"Please," she says.

"Please, what?"

"I wanna...can you...?"

You need to get ready, if you're going to give her what she wants, so you carefully release her legs, letting her drop back to hang completely on the rig.

Frustrated, she tips her head back, sending her hair cascading down her back. Her posture, from here, in the darkening room...waves of hair, the long lines of her body...

Like a figurine. Like a marble Venus.

Oh, you're not sure if you're going to survive this.

#kinktober 2023 #kpop kinktober #itzy fanfic #itzy chaeryeong fanfic #lee chaeryeong fanfic #itzy chaeryeong smut #lee chaeryeong smut #kpop fanfic #kpop fanfiction

[puppyparkmoving]

☢2: Masquerade - A safeshiptember fic☢

Characters: Brandy and Benny Word count: 628 Description: A really short fic where Benny can tell how Brandy feels and knows all her tells behind her masking. Literally and autistically lol.

"What are you doing here?" Rang a begrudgingly familiar voice.

Brandy sighed and didn't look up from the drink she ordered but refused to drink. It was to keep up appearances. Maybe if she ignored him he'd bug off. Not that that ever worked before. But 100th times the charm.

"Brandy, c'mon. You know you're not supposed to be here." Benny leaned on the bar next to her and spoke lowly.

"Neither are you. Don't make a scene." She bounced her leg slightly in irritation.

"Wrong. As usual." He said in a strangely flirtatious tone which made Brandy scowl "I had a meeting with Marjorie."

"Well good for little ol' you." Brandy rolled her eyes and spun the drink in its glass.

Benny didn't let the conversation lull long "When did you pick up drinking?"

"I didn't. I have to patronize the place to avert suspicion." She sounded like she did when they used to have fights.

"Ah. Why the long face?" He tapped the counter idly "Not about the meeting right? Its just business, girly."

"Yeah right. Like i even care who you're runnin' with." She adjusted the dapper veil she wore to cover her face more.

"I'm not running with anybody, Bee." He held a hand up defensively then slowly lowered it inquiring "But I uh... I hear you are. Whats his name?"

"I'm not runnin' with anybody either" She lied and crossed her legs the other direction, a little tell she was lying.

"Uh-huh" he fixed her veil a bit to look at her eyes then his charm faltered as he saw she was a bit nicked and bruised "How'd you end up like this? If its this new guy I'll-"

"Oh stop" she interrupted but didn't shoo his hand away and looked over his face slowly like it was art "Its from some goons. Its why I'm not seeing the guy. His employer doesn't want me nosing around him."

"Baby," he said sickly sweet in a low tone that somehow drowned out the orchestral music playing in the Luxe "Don't mess around with guys who get you dented up like this. Nose around me instead. I wont let you get hurt. Just like before."

She softened slightly in a way only Benny would notice "You want me to come crawling back so bad. Its pathetic."

"Sue me" he caressed her cheek and ran a thumb on the edge of a bruise.

"You're not as cute as you think you are, you know that." She soured her face at him but leaned into the touch.

"Yeah? How cute am I then, baby?" He continued to rub his thumb back and forth in soothing motions.

"Shut up, Benny. Why don't you get outta here?" She poked his chest.

"Alright. Where you wanna go?" He lowered his hand and ran it down her arm.

When he reached her hand he lifted it to his mouth and gingerly kissed each of her knuckles. Then her palm. Then started leading them up her arm. Brandy relished in the attention despite a neutral expression. Benny could tell when her hairs rose on end and she freckled with goosebumps that she was enjoying affection. He'd learned it long ago and was the only one who knew how she ticked and when to stop and go for her. She'd pretend she was over him and felt nothing. But there was no fancy hat and sunglasses she could hide the truth from him behind. He knew she was confused in life. Hell he was too, but he also knew they'd always find shelter in each other.

"Alright. C'mon. Lets go home." She stood up pulling herself from his kisses finally.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and began leading her out "Yeah. I thought you'd say that."

#safeshiptember #safeshiptember2023 #safeship #si: brandy #🔳

[animehouse-moe]

Do It Yourself!! - CGDCTT: Cute Girls Doing Cute Things Themselves

For anyone that isn't already watching this wonderful and warm slice of life series: what are you doing? Overloaded on crazy anime this season? Feeling like you've got a heavy and full schedule of series? Take a break, and watch Do It Yourself!! The perfect reset on the dense and packed fall season that follows a DIY club in their antics, and as I'll explain impassionedly with episode 6 as an example, gives a great perspective into DIY work and everything that makes it great.

The first thing I really enjoyed was the girls getting all excited over the hardware store. Getting to peruse all the various options and available tools like a fun DIY version of a kid in a candy store. It's definitely something that I can say is relatable. Walking past aisles of new and shiny power tools on sale, thinking of the great deals and all the things you'd be able to get done with a proper hammer drill, how nice that solder kit looks for making changing out/upgrading your keyboard switches (yes, I don't use hot-swap switches currently, sue me) way easier. Anyways, I digress, it's cute, it's apt, and a great little segue to place them into DIY mode.

We swiftly move into Rei's room though, which aside from being cute and organized has loads of DIY projects, some of which even happened in the anime already!

Once again, going past the purpose of cuteness and fun, I really love how the DIY element is integrated into the daily lives of the characters. It was used to create a warm and fun environment for Jobko where she could be happy and comfy in her homestay with Purin, and here it really drives home the "nothing goes to waste" mentality that can accompany DIY in general. So many little pieces like a tablet stand, or a chair, or even a little decorative board, it's really fun to see just how many pieces of DIY stuff litters Rei's room and how much personality it gives it.

After the girls have their fun and get into a sidebar conversation about Shoujo manga though, we get into the real DIY of the episode with the girls making seashell beach necklaces, coffee drippers, and tablet stands!

I love the level of detail they go into with each of the crafts. Using the correct tools, having little tips and creative additions, they do such a wonderful job of making the project engaging to the viewer, but also providing insight and accuracy to it. The tips about layers for the resin art? Really solid, and the little trick with the hair dryer? Loved that they added it. To go a step further though, Rei talks about bubbles appearing in the resin during the process, but you can actually use it to your advantage! Of course, you want the lower layers to be without bubbles, so make sure you pop them as they appear or heat up the resin before it cures so that it can work the bubbles out of itself. Anyways, with the wave part of the beach scene in resin work like Rei's, you can use the bubbles from the white resin as extra details/foam in the waves and it can look really pretty.

Moving on, we get to see Kokoro and Rei work away on some Coffee Drippers, and they do a solid job for the most part. They provide some solid tips for drilling symmetrical pieces of wood, and the tip about using tape to prevent burrs/rough entries on wood can be a good tip. My only gripe is that using tape to secure two pieces of wood for drilling through them is a bit flimsy compared to clamping, but at the same time I'm lazy and just use my one hand to keep stuff in place so I can't really talk😅.

They do a really solid job with the majority of the steps they walk you through, but have a few personal disagreements here and there. You don't really to drill holes all around the circle you're cutting out, just a single access hole will typically do for making a cut with a jigsaw.

This piece is probably the biggest offender though, and twofold at that. The simple issue is the translation. In Japanese, they call the tool a "Setsudanki" , which directly translates to "Cutting Tool", but most handypeople out there know it as a Chop Saw, not a circular saw. Chop Saws are static saws that are brought up and down on the material in question to "chop" them, as the name implies. A simple error, but one that should be corrected because Circular Saws and Chop Saws are pretty different. Anyways, the more complicated issue is they don't mention any protection or precaution for cutting metal that will spark. It can get hot if you get any on your skin so it's best to be careful when cutting metal with power tools. Again, maybe the advice isn't the greatest coming from a person that'll run a concrete saw without earplugs and only wearing sunglasses, but I at least want to encourage safety in others.

The learning doesn't stop with Coffee Drippers though, as Jobko walks us through their approach to making a tablet stand. As a quick aside I really love Jobko's character and how well each episode makes use of her. The perfect bridge between technology and practicality, she always finds a way to integrate the two in an inoffensive and positive way, whether neither takes away from the involvement of the other. Also, I just love how detailed they get with the technical drawings she uses. Walking a perfect line of pretty and practical, they're really detailed and wonderfully standardized, basically exactly what you'd expect of a proper technical drawing.

One little detail that they skip over though that's really useful is the gluing of some of the pieces. It's definitely not super structural given they don't clamp it or let it set, but it solves a really important problem when securing pieces together. She only uses a single screw on the piece in the image below, and that creates a problem on its own. It's a single point so the two pieces can rotate around it freely, which isn't exactly great for a product. Jobko solves this by gluing the pieces together as well as added security, good job Jobko👍!

So, case study closed, not only are these cute girls doing cute things, they're doing it themselves, and doing it accurately! It's really great to see and only adds to the overall warmth and fun atmosphere that the show provides. They find a perfect way to inject the DIY and creativity in a way that fits the girls wonderfully, ending the episode with setting up a little space in Rei's family shop for the crafts they made, and it really sells the best parts of this story.

Do It Yourself!! really prides itself on the passion that it passes along for DIY, not just as an individual activity and a space away from the blistering and startling pace of growth in technology in daily life, but as a space to happily coexist in alongside your friends full of passion and creativity. Finding projects to do together, creating stuff by hand to gift to your friends, getting to spend that time together away from screens, just happiness that you can't find without an activity like DIY, and they do a wonderful job portraying that in all the episodes so far. It looks so fun and enjoyable, like something you want to pick up with your friends and try out. And I say do it.

#do it yourself #yua serufu #diy!! #anime and manga #anime

[buttercuparry]

Day 4: favorite quotes

So, writing a meta based on this prompt proved quite the struggle for me. And the reason behind it was that there are simply too many mesmerizing quotes to choose from! I mean how do you choose? How do you decide when Arya's character is so rich that in almost every chapter in every book we have some kind of quote, adding to her complexity.

So I decided to keep it simple and began from a non-arya POV.

Ironically one of my favourite moments in AGoT is actually from Sansa's pov. We see her commenting (somewhat disapprovingly) on Arya's free spirit and it struck me then, that despite being born a noble man's daughter (in a society that actively encourages class segregation), Arya chooses to interact with her father's subjects with dignity.

Sansa knew all about the sorts of people Arya liked to talk to: squires and grooms and serving girls, old men and naked children, rough-spoken freeriders of uncertain birth. Arya would make friends with anybody. 

Arya definitely possesses a natural love for people and perhaps this is why she pushes against the constraints of the Westerosi society so vigorously. Why she feels that apathy for the common folk isn't the way to go.

In a similar vein is her iconic quote of:

"The woman is important too!"

There have been lot of misunderstandings in the fandom regarding Arya's views on the feminine. And most of it is a result of D&D's horrendous: most girls are idiots.

So I think this quote from Arya deserves a mention as we see that despite her reservations against the Royal family, Arya still manages to dismiss Jon's flippant opinion of Cersei's display of Lannister colours as her being vain.

Also another thing that I would like to mention is how brilliant it is of Grrm to actually introduce nuance to Arya's character. She is not a Mary Sue as some so mockingly claim her to be.

By that I mean to say that yes, even if our girl is vehemently against treating common folks as fodder to a nobleman's cruelty, she can be naive and have a very black and white concept about the ways of war ( which is understandable since she is just 9 years old). So it really is a stroke of genius on Grrm's part when throughout ASoS, he makes Arya confront the fact that there are no 'good' and 'bad' side in war. That her House, and its allies have been just as cruel as the Lannisters.

One such example of it is the scene that unfolds at the Stoney Sept. Here we get to see Arya's despair when she realizes that the men forced into cages are actually Northern Men who too have brutalized, raped and plundered their way through the Riverlands.

She looked at their filthy hair and scraggly beards and reddened eyes, at their dry, cracked, bleeding lips. Wolves, she thought again. Like me. Was this her pack? How could they be Robb's men? She wanted to hit them. She wanted to hurt them. She wanted to cry. They all seemed to be looking at her, the living and the dead alike. The old man had squeezed three fingers out between the bars. "Water," he said, "water."

These quotes are definitely not the whole of it. But they do give us an insight as to who Arya is and who she will grow to be in her future. And that's why I think that these deserve a celebration in their own way.

#arya stark #aryastarkmonth2022 #canonaryastark

[clown-cult]

Sessrinner love to say that their ship is so popular and that everyone is watching the show for their ship yet if it’s so popular why couldn’t yashamine not get a third season, why is it that sesshomaru and rin were in a lot of episodes of yashamine yet they never trended like inukag, and why is it that after episode 15 viewership dropped. Let’s be honest season one of the show made no noise yet season 2 literally went unnoticed. Yashamine was a horrible sequel and deep down the creators now that.

Even if we were to overlook the problematic aspects for a moment (grooming ship, bad parenting, white washing, slavery etc) and look at it just as the bare bones of what it is (a sequel anime) it’s still not good. Let’s do a list, shall we?

The animation is trash. It’s clunky, rushed, clearly recycled from the main series and from its own episodes, bad uses of CGI, inconsistent models and a plethora of mistakes, awkward frames and cheap colour rendering. The choreography for fights and use of magic and abilities is as cookie cutter as it gets. Y’all know the bad 2000’s Mary Sue stereotypes for how baby’s first fanfic would play out a fight scene or give their character new powers? It’s that.

The designs for new characters aren’t good. The colour stories for the twins just blend together and don’t really stand out. The red stripes of hair exist for no reason. Setsuna looks like a walking bruise and Towa looks like she owns a plantation. Take into account the bad animation and any interesting detail in their designs is lost the minute we’re not in a closeup still shot. Takahashi apparently had some input into the designs and you can clearly tell where her priorities were as Kirinmaru and Moroha have the only passable designs in the show.

Speaking of Kirinmaru and Moroha, they’re the only decently written characters in the show even if they too fall victim to how bad the writing is overall. Moroha is a joke. She’s there to be funny, make mistakes and get hurt cuz funny and provide forced exposition when need be that a joke character should not have. I’m not calling Moroha a joke, I’m just saying that’s how she was treated yet they couldn’t even do that consistently. The entire OG cast is so bland and what characterisation they do get is so OOC that the writers might as well have not tried in the first place. As for the twins, these girls went to the “male brown haired character in a harem” school of characterisation and passed with flying colours because they’re incredibly flat and any opportunity they get to express some sort of strong emotion is not only jarring but quickly forgotten.

The soundtrack is nothing remarkable. What’s new and original feels flat and recycled and what actually is recycled isn’t in the best quality. If you listen closely, you might be able to hear the original episode of the OG anime that the soundtrack was screen recorded from. Something that made me kinda sad to note was how the OG soundtrack samples are the only ones that have any heart in them.

Which brings us onto voice acting. This goes for both English and Japanese. Whatever Towa and Setsuna’s actresses were paid, it clearly wasn’t enough because they just couldn’t get into their roles or emotions of the characters at all. The alternative theory is these actresses are actually some of the most masterful in the business and they read off their godawful scripts in exactly the non existent tone they were handed to them. Everyone else sounds like they’re really doing their best to be involved and earn their pay checks but that’s literally all that motivates them. It reminds me of how tired and disinterested James Earl Jones sounded in the Lion King remake.

The story goes nowhere, which is kind of incredible considering how obviously Sunrise is trying to mirror the original while insisting it’s all new and fresh and like nothing fans have seen before. Speaking of what fans have seen before, don’t include so many obvious references to the original and insist your fans must pay attention to everything if you’ve got no idea what you’re doing from episode to episode. Simpsons and Family Guy put more thought into continuity than this show does. At least if this was Family Guy or Simpsons with their characters who are Flanderized, horrible people, we’d at least have SOME characterisation and an element of self awareness this show sorely lacks.

All this to say that even with the clearly problematic elements removed, this anime still doesn’t hold up well, especially as when it was being released, you had other continuations also in the field like the latest seasons of Attack on Titan, MHA and One Piece still coming out, along with other proper sequel anime like Boruto, the latest part of JJBA or Higurashi, all which blow Yashahime completely out of the water.

This show never stood a chance, to be honest. I remember it being advertised when I was using Funimation and it would usually be a 30 second trailer right next to an ad the same length for Higurashi or Demon Slayer. Even then, the difference in quality was stark.

I almost feel bad for the show…and then I remember it condoned and allowed child grooming, abuse, racism and sexism and, much like any memory of this show in a year or so, any sympathy I have fades away.

#hanyou no yashahime #anti sessrin #god this show sucked #cashgrab at its finest #or less than finest in this case

[blutweiss]

Detailed Ranking of the Carrie Movies

Carrie herself-

Number one spot goes to Sissy Spacek. This is really no contest this is what acting is about. I love all the little details in Sissy's performance. How she tries to disappear into her clothes, hide behind her hair and even how she wraps herself up in her shawl at the prom. It's fantastic.

Chloe Grace Moretz- I never fully buy Chloe in the role. She does fine but I feel like her performance and the film itself could have pushed further. That said I felt like I bought the mother/daughter bond between her and Margaret most, warped as it is.

Angela Bettis- I love Angela Bettis but she never really works as Carrie for me. Some aspects of her performance feel over done and I never find myself buying her as a teenager. Though I do like some of her mannerisms like the way she twists her hair. Just go watch May

Margaret

This is a weird one because it's like ranking apples and oranges. Piper Laurie's performance suits the disco fairy tale vibe of the 76 film but I never buy her as a human being and don't think I'm meant too. Juliane Moore feels like someone suffering from genuine mental illness who loves her daughter in her own twisted way except for those few scenes where the movie needs to up its gross-o-meter. Patricia Clarkson does the best job of balancing those two extremes though given the flaws in the 2002 film she's not a clear favorite to me.

Coach Desjardin

Betty Buckley and Judy Greer- This is such an easy tie. Buckley's Desjardin feels like someone who became a teacher because they want to reach the weird kids but feels human enough to struggle with it. While Greer who usually just gets bit parts gets to really shine in this.

Rena Sofer- I do not care for Rena's Desjardin she feels genuinely mean-spirited with her ten-year reunion speech and I don't care for it. I sorta get what they're going for but it makes her come across as a genuinely terrible teacher.

Sue Snell

PLOT TWIST- Its actually Kandyse McClure in the 2002 film as she feels like the most fleshed out and genuine of the Sues. I also like that she actually approaches Carrie herself at a few points. And I'm kinda into the Snow White imagery when she rescues Carrie from the tub.

Another case of apples and oranges Amy Irving's Sue fits the film and feels like a very genuine fairy godmother-esque figure whereas Gabrielle Wilde's is more ambiguous and feels more like a dumb teenager who hasn't thought through her actions. Like genuinely what does she expect to have happen after prom?

Tommy Ross

Like Sissy's Carrie this goes so easily to William Katt's Tommy it's not even funny. I love how Katt's Tommy will get genuinely pissed off. He's mad at the teacher and calls everyone out for the pig's blood stunt before he dies. I also genuinely want to know how things would have turned out after the prom if the pig blood stunt didn't happen because?????? He seems very genuinely into Carrie?????? I'm also soft touch for Katt in general I think he's a fine actor.

Tobias Mehler is essentially a non-entity as Tommy but I do like that he's clearer about his intentions and that Sue is setting them up which makes him feel the most mature of the Tommys.

Look I want to be fair to Elgort No I don't he makes sense sorta as a dumb teenager who hasn't thought things out. But he also feels super flat as just a generic 'good boy' there's none of the genuine anger Katt brings to it that balances the character out.

Chris Hargensen/ Billy Nolan

This is another case of apples and oranges. Portia Doubleday and Alex Russell feel more familiar in the sense they vaguely remind me of people I went to high school with but idk if they have any more depth to them than the 76 film or the 2002 version. The 76 film at least leans into the flat characterization because it knows what it's about and every fairy tale needs it's baddie.

#The world was younger than today {meta} #this is useless but wanted to be fair to the remakes even tho the 76 film is the best precisely because it knows what works best #Carrie is Cinderella with a body count #the 2002 is more muddled bu has some strong writing/character beats #whereas the 2013 film is very compromised and goes for realism unfortunately that feels inherently wrong headed #at least imao