#we'd love to see all you lovely people there

[fixingoff]

tuna kimchi gimbap - (ldh)

투나 김치 김팦 = tuna kimchi gimbap

having an estimated 45,000KRW in your checking account has you feeling down. was it a good idea to spend the last of your money buying food? answers point to no, but at least you got to embarrass yourself in front of the cute cashier.

or in which you meet lee haechan at 4am in a convenience store after crying with your best friend over your bank account's balance.

note: ive been seeing a lot of 'cwm to 7/11 in south korea' videos and this came to me. this hits a bit close to home since ive been stressed about money myself and impulsively bought food *cries* plus, i love worker!haechan for some reason

contains under cut

contains | convenience store!haechan, best friend&roommate!doyoung, mentions of crying, overworked and stressed reader&doyoung, foreigner!reader, reader is a teacher who teaches people english, dancer!doyoung, one shot so it's rushed

wc 3.2k

your eyes were puffy, your hands were sweaty, and your hair was tangled to the point where it hurt to run your fingers through it. you noticed doyoung was in the same state, except he looked worse. his eyeliner and mascara was everywhere but where it was supposed to be, his lips were chapped from biting it, and his eyes seemed to start swelling from crying.

the both of you cried yourselves to sleep around midnight, and you both woke up at almost four in the morning. the stress and monotny of your jobs has finally taken its toll once you both added how much money you each had combined, and it wasn't even enough to fill up your gas tank. the tears and screams of frustration came, doyoung going as far as to gripping onto his hair so hard you had to forcefully pull his hands away. it wasn't as if you haven't seen doyoung stressed, but seeing him almost tear his hair out was new.

your situation wasn't any better. you came to south korea after being accepted for an english teaching program. coming in blindly to south korea was something you regret. the only thing you knew how to do was speak the language itself, and you thought that that was all you needed. nothing was wrong with the people you were teaching; if anything they were the only reason you haven't quit. the pay had you wanting to leave south korea altogether, as it wasn't even enough for a down payment on an apartment. you were lucky to meet doyoung, whose roommate just left him and he needed a new one badly.

doyoung was an up and coming dancer, so it wasn't surprising that his pay was just as bad as yours. having to split the rent 50-50 hurt your wallet and his severely, but it was better than being homeless. bonding with doyoung wasn't easy; your schedules rarely aligned, or you were both too frustrated to talk to each other. the only reason he became your best friend was because he came home one day and saw you crying while drinking some type of alcohol you don't remember the name of; you just grabbed it off the shelf. doyoung joined you, and for 3 hours you both ranted and cried over your jobs.

after that night, getting drunk and crying with doyoung became a regular thing, and tonight was no different. except you both didn't have beer in the house, and after checking each other's bank balance to see if you even had enough to buy some you came to the realization that you didn't. the tears came almost immediately, then the screams of frustration. finally came the good nap after a cry, and then came the regret of crying after waking up. but you and doyoung didn't care about that right now, as there was now a new problem...

you were both starving.

"maybe we can split it?" doyoung suggested as he stood up to walk to the kitchen to pour you both a glass of filtered water. "if we go to the convenience store down the road we'd spend about 15,000 won." he finished pouring the water into the glass and took a sip first before handing it to you.

the one thing you were craving was their tuna kimchi gimbap. you fell in love with it the very first time doyoung brought it home from that store specifically. something you forced yourself to do is to get used to eating the same thing almost every day, which is probably another reason you liked it so much. piles of wrappers of tuna kimchi gimbap lay in the trash can to the point where some neighbors called you 'gimbap' every once in a while. it was funny to you in the beginning, until you realized that you were known for basically eating.

you took a sip and sighed in content. "yeah maybe. just give me a minute, okay? i'd rather not go out looking like this." you joked, but obviously it wasn't a joke; everything about your look right now screamed disaster. doyoung nodded. "you're telling me. my makeup is everything but perfect right now." he joked as well, walking to the bathroom to either remove his makeup or redo it. you figured he would be taking it off, since it was 4am and you were both only going to the store.

you decided to take an impromptu shower after failing to ease the tangles from your hair. hearing doyoung's shower turn on as well made you chuckle, suspecting that he was probably too lazy to wipe off his makeup. plus, you were both sweaty after waking up from the nap and you'd rather not potentially look like a sweaty mess.

after showering and a good cry (you could even hear doyoung's sobs through the wall) you were both ready to go. you both stopped by an atm first and cashed out the amount that was agreed upon. seeing the fee made you wince; it wasn't a lot, but for someone in your financial state it broke your heart seeing that.

"god this atm sucks," you began, and doyoung nodded. "fees make me feel like someone is slapping me in the face." you grabbed the cash from the dispenser, holding onto doyoung's arm as you both walked down the steep road to the store. holding onto doyoung wasn't rare for you to do, and neither were the dating assumptions. not once did you see your best friend and roommate as a potential boyfriend, but no one believed you. a simple solution would've been to just stopped holding onto him, but there was something about doyoung that comforted you. maybe it was because he was the first friend you made when you moved here.

the automatic doors slid open, and the bright lights made you both wince and squint. "okay, i suppose our limit is about 7000 won. let's try not to go over that." doyoung commented as you agreed with a nod. and with that, you both spread out to look for what you both wanted to eat and that was in your budget.

your mind was on the gimbap. you knew what aisle to go to, and what direction to take to get to it as soon as possible. what you weren't expecting however, was an employee stocking the gimbap rather slowly, and your patience was wearing thin. the only reason you didn't walk away and look for something else to eat was because, based on his side profile, he was rather attractive. his hair was brown, and his bangs were just barely covering his eyes. the next thing you noticed were his hands as well as his slender fingers; you weren't attracted to hands, and you never have been. but if you were, his would be your favorite.

you weren't sure how long you were staring, but it was long enough for him to finish stocking the gimbap. he noticed that you were looking rather intensely, and it caught him off guard. "apologies, did you need help looking for something? or was there something here that you were waiting for?" his voice was mixed with confusion and worry. after all, there was someone who had been staring at him for who knows how long.

he couldn't help but feel his cheeks turn red from being nervous over the fact that he was watched at, and yours also turned red from embarrassment. "yes, i was hoping to get that right there?" you pointed to the gimbap as your feet began shuffling towards the thing you've been craving so bad. "i didn't mean to stare, really. i was just waiting for you to be finished."

once you finished that sentence you felt like running away from him. you began wondering if you sounded like a condescending customer who was calling him slow, and if you were someone that he was trying to blow up with his mind. working in retail isn't foreign to you, and you've had your share of rude customers. although teaching isn't a good career path for you, it is ten times better than dealing with people who think they're better than you just because they aren't in your position.

"oh! yes i'm sorry. really sorry. please, take whatever you'd like." his voice seemed to get higher in pitch when he spoke, probably out of embarrassment. he stepped aside as you inched closer to him (well, you were inching closer to the food, and he just so happened to be there). you felt a bit intimidated by him, and not just because of his beauty. through your peripherals you could see that his eyes were on you and he seemed to be playing with the empty box in his hands. you chalked it up to the fact that he was probably watching you subconsciously, or maybe he wasn't done restocking and was just waiting for you to leave.

you could hear his fingers tapping on the box, and it somewhat eased your mind racing with thoughts of self-consciousness. "do you need me to hold that up for you at the register? i'm on my way back there." he suggested, and you thought about declining his offer for a second as you were only getting a drink after grabbing the gimbap. though, you assumed that maybe you could get a conversation out of him and if you were bold enough, you could get his phone number.

"that would be nice," you answered, your smile small as you handed him the single piece of food in your hand. your fingers brushed against each other, and you were once again turning red. "you're a good worker for offering... haechan. especially with it being 4 in the morning and all." you pronounced the name on his shirt rather slowly, and he released a breathy laugh afterwards.

haechan's box was quickly forgotten, as it now on the floor while he held your food with both hands even though he didn't need to. "well the copious amounts of coffee help. but if i'm being honest, i might crash out as soon as i get to my place. coffee can only do so much for a person like me." his voice seemed to be high pitched once more, which you couldn't help but find a bit cute. you kept staring at the name tag on his shirt, doing your best to memorize all the consonants and vowels. your mind was definitely not there with you, otherwise you would've been able to pronounce it with ease. plus, you've never heard of a name like his.

"we aren't very similar in that category, are we? coffee makes me sleepy." you joked, remembering the time you drank coffee after pulling an all-nighter from grading your students' papers. your efforts were futile though, as you collapsed into a deep sleep in the teacher's lounge as your students went to lunch. "maybe you just aren't drinking the right type of coffee. if you want, i can recommend text you some recommendations. or better yet i can take you out for coffee one day? promise i won't bring you here." haechan suggested, and you were caught off guard by how quick and smooth he was with whatever it was that he was doing.

to be honest, you didn't really enjoy coffee. iced, decaf, some other third thing; you just couldn't get into it. but for haechan? you'd force the coffee down your throat if you had to. though you were already planning on ordering something other than coffee and just taking sips of his drink. even though it was probably a bit invasive for a 'first date', hopefully he wouldn't mind.

"well as long as it isn't from here i can't possibly refuse." you said, and he gave you a warm smile. his nose crinkled a bit from smiling, as did yours. haechan's hands reached for his pocket, presumably to pull out a pen or notepad, until you both heard a voice from beside each other.

"you ready to go?" doyoung's voice seemed to echo, and you mentally punched yourself in the face. everyone assumed that he was your boyfriend, and you didn't mind; in fact you were used to it. however, for haechan to be under the impression that doyoung was your boyfriend and you were making plans to go on a date behind his back? well you just couldn't have that.

haechan cleared his throat, and you saw his hand retract from his pocket. "i will have this waiting for you up front. please take your time and enjoy the rest of your shopping." he bowed his head as he spoke in a more formal and serious tone than before, and with that he walked away. you knew it wasn't doyoung's fault, after all it wasn't like you came here with the goal to get a date from one of the workers. but you were mentally cursing out your best friend for having terrible timing.

doyoung watched as he walked away and then looked back at you. "what was that about?" his tone of voice was a mix of curiosity and seriousness, as he assumed that haechan was giving you a hard time or just being a creep. "what did he say to you?" the assumption made you sigh. you couldn't even be mad at him after you discovered that he was just playing into the role of being an overprotective best friend, even if some part of you was still annoyed.

"i was this close," you pinched your fingers together as you spoke. "this close to getting a date with him. now he thinks that you're my boyfriend, and had intentions to cheat on you." you sounded defeated as you walked over to the drinks section of the store. the interaction made you lose your appetite just a bit, and you even debated on just going to another store so you don't have to face haechan out of embarrassment. it was possible to redeem yourself, but you were almost positive that he wouldn't believe you once he saw doyoung again.

doyoung walked behind you, wincing in response. "just go up there and explain it to him. he seems like an... understandable person." his voice seemed to slow down at the end, his attention now on haechan who was standing at the counter perfectly parallel to where you were both at. you turned to look in the direction doyoung was staring at, and there you saw haechan. his eyes were wide, eye bags visible, and you could see his eyes watering a bit. upon making eye contact with you, he quickly looked away. "jesus, if you don't go out with him i will. he looks so sad."

the walk to the register was dreadful, as you were debating if whether or not you should redeem yourself by explaining to haechan that your best friend was just that- your best friend. you didn't want to lose a chance to go out with him over an assumption he made, so you began to mentally prepare a speech to give to him once the opportunity arose. doyoung did his best to help you, even going as far as to standing further away from you as haechan rung everything up. you both spent a total of 30 minutes in the store, and the sleepiness was getting to you both.

"your total is 9800 won. will you be paying with cash or card?" haechan's voice was a bit shaky, as if he was trying not to cry. or perhaps he was just nervous. "cash." you responded, handing him the cash that belonged to you and doyoung. the total was more than you expected, but after seeing the pile of snacks brought by doyoung it made sense.

haechan took out the change as you stood there, as you took in a deep breath before speaking. "we're not dating," you began, and haechan stopped counting to look up at you, while doyoung began to fall asleep while standing up. "this is my best friend slash roommate. i don't want you to think we're a couple, because we're not. his timing was terrible, and i really wanted to go out with you. hopefully i still can?" your words seemed to run into each other, and it didn't go unnoticed by haechan as he laughed in response to your rambling.

"well that definitely... clears things up." haechan began, as he felt some sort of weight lift off of his shoulders at your 'explanation'. doyoung stood next to you sound asleep. "are you still up for coffee then? i get off in about an hour, hopefully you're still awake by then." he joked, his eyes shifting towards your best friend. "or maybe we can just take a nap and get coffee afterwards. whatever you want to do, i'm down for that." haechan suggested, handing you your change then quickly beginning to bag your food.

doyoung's breath was getting heavier, which was a sign that he was going to begin snoring soon. when haechan looked away you pushed doyoung lightly to wake him up, and he jolted awake. "are we done? can we go now?" he asked, and you couldn't help but laugh at him.

"almost. just give me a minute okay? you can go wash your face if you want. i don't want to have to carry you home." you said to him, and with that he walked away to what you assumed to be the restroom to wake himself up until you both got home. then you turned to haechan. "let's see if i'm awake by the time you get out. i just woke up from a nap but it is a bit late." you heard the humming of the machine as the receipt printed, and you watched as haechan grabbed it. his hand reached into his pocket yet again and this time he managed to pull out a pen.

"call me if you need help staying awake," he joked as he handed you your receipt, and you immediately looked at the back of it to see what he had written. after confirming it was his phone number, you smiled at him. "of course we don't have to go out immediately, but i would like it if we did go out eventually." his voice seemed rather desperate, and if it had been anyone else who said that you would've cringed and threw their phone number away in the trash can where they could see it happen. but it was haechan, and you liked haechan.

"expect a call from me in 20 minutes then... haechan." the struggle to say his name was unfortunately still there, and you cringed at your slow pronunciation to properly say his name. his smile was wide now, and his face seemed to become red once again. you both suspected that you would be asleep if you didn't call him as soon as you got home, and you honestly didn't want to fall asleep. you knew that you were doing a bit too much for someone you haven't even gone out with yet. but some part of you felt glad that you were comfortable enough to not feel embarrassed over staying up for him.

you gave him a smile before stepping out, and you waited outside doyoung as you were greeted with the humid night air. within seconds he walked out as well, his eye bags still rather visible, but he seemed to be awake enough to walk home. "did everything go well? he seemed happy. swear he looked like a kid in a candy store."

"shut up."

#fixingoff writes #lee haechan #nct dream #lee donghyuck #nct 127 #nct u #haechan x reader #haechan x y/n #nct donghyuck #nct dream donghyuck #nct fanfic #nct fluff #nct 127 x reader

[inkdemonapologist]

are you excited for the big role sammy's going to play in Cage?? im apprehensive... i love him a feral amount and i was real disappointed with his 2 seconds of screentime in BatDR

also just saying ur sammy drawings give me life he looks wonderful in hats

brought to u by ⭐️ anon

Hehehe aw thank you!! :D

There’s a lot of things in Dark Revival I ended up disappointed about, but despite my love of Sammy Lawrence, Sammy barely appearing was not really one of them. At the time, I’d commented to friends that the complete lack of Sammy mentions in the hype leading up to BatDR meant he was either very important or had only a cameo appearance, and I was actually pretty delighted about the Cyclebreaker cameo – it’s a moment that takes him startlingly seriously, that wasn’t just him quoting one of his four catch phrases; it’s... a kind of moment we haven’t seen from Sammy before. The part where he gets shot was like, where my expectations were, so the cyclebreaker thing was a pleasant surprise.

But like, ever since The Cage was announced… we knew Sammy kind of had to be in it. Like, Henry says “how did WE escape” and it’s set in the SPECIFIC place and time that Sammy also is; literally the only reason for Sammy to not be a significant character is if the creators actually didn’t want anything to do with him. So I have to admit the announcement that WE CAN CONFIRM that SAMMY WILL PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN THE CAGE!!!!!!! RESTORED TO HIS CHAPTER 2 CREEPY GLORY! is just…… ugh, it’s hard to articulate why this tweet frustrates me so much.

Like………………….. "he's in it more" is not the only thing people care about, surely! What is he doing? What is his role in all this? What does he even WANT? In a review, "he's back to his chapter 2 creepy glory" would be a powerful recommendation; in a tweet from the creator right after preorders go up, it feels more like, "Hey, remember the thing you wanted? we DEFINITELY did that thing you wanted and we did it SUPER WELL so preorder our game please!!" Give us an intriguing line of dialogue or a hint about what he's doing (opposing you? helping you? uneasy truce? trying to find bendy?) and you wouldn't even need to promise us that he plays a major role; we'd be curious to learn more.

So this reassurance ends up doing the opposite, for me, because I still don't know if the creators even understand what I like about Sammy. The thing is that the circumstances of BatDR (there's a little Bendy running around, the Ink Demon is claimed dead but actually it's not, Wilson is trying to become the Lost Ones' new Big Brother) could've been INCREDIBLY relevant to Sammy -- that's why people wanted him to show up in BatDR, to see what he thinks of these developments and how he would react to them!! So if you're interested in Sammy, the character, then it would not be hard to hint at like, what his deal is – "Sammy knows the Ink Demon is out there somewhere and Henry is the key to finding him" or "after the disappearance of his Lord he's become a desperate man who's as much an obstacle as an ally" or even "Sammy was defiant when he went into the Pit -- what will Henry find when he encounters him now?" or w/e -- simply insisting HES LIKE HE WAS IN CHAPTER TWO, THE ONE YOU GUYS LIKE instead of being able to think of a single character-based hint that we might find compelling is, tbh, rather un-reassuring!!!

My complaint about Twisted Alice’s role in BatDR was that ultimately, it felt like they were just trying to capture the vibes that Twisted Alice had in BatIM instead of really exploring what that character would be doing HERE, in THIS situation. Nothing she’s doing really makes sense, and what IS there seems to have forgotten what her actual deal is, but she’s doing it with the right flair, so it feels like she’s in-character enough for the scene to be fun. Like an episodic cartoon that just forgets what happened in previous episodes depending on who’s writing this one. So… I think that’s a real risk for Sammy. For the people who just want him to show up and whisper cult-ish things so we can hear his voice more and go HEHEHE ITS HIM, this isn’t really a concern lmao, that will probably happen. I don’t have high hopes that he’ll make sense as a character, but tbf I don’t know that he ever has.

And IDK, its still early, its possible the cage will come out and I'll look up spoilers and be like OMG NM I LOVE WHAT THEY DID WITH HIM. A game that's supposed to be psychological horror could, in theory, be a really fun place for Sammy!! Maybe the people actually writing him will give him more care, haha. It's a little silly for me to be so worked up about the marketing for a game that I am not going to buy b/c I’m still not interested in giving JDS, Inc. my money. AND YET DESPITE IT ALL I STILL… CARE ABOUT SAMMY LAWRENCE LMAO….. I think my main emotion about The Cage is just curiosity, though. I do want to know what they do with him. I’m curious if he’ll play a major part in the story, or if he’s like Henry or Porter in BatDR, with one big scene where he gets a bunch of lines and then runs off. A lot of people really want to see Henry and Sammy team up in this, but I’m not writing off the possibility he’s an antagonist of some kind, so I’m curious which way that’ll go. But I don’t feel like I have any strong expectations, so I guess we’ll see!

#sammy lawrence #i know you have questions you always do #bendy saltposting #finally makes a tag so u can mute me being salty abt the franchise if ur not here for that!!

[captainsophiestark]

Miscommunication

Kol Mikaelson x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for my personal fic writing challenge for 2024, Sophie's Year of Fic! Featuring a new fic being posted every Friday, all year long :)

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries/The Originals

Summary: You've finally worked up the courage to ask Kol on a date, but with all the people who've been trying to kill him lately, he jumps to the wrong conclusion about what's being asked of him. Set right after TVD "A View To A Kill", if Jeremy didn't succeed in killing Kol.

Word Count: 2,517

Category: Fluff, Humor

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Hello, love. I wasn't expecting to get a call from you."

I grinned at the voice of the youngest Mikaelson brother coming through the other end of the phone. I'd met him at the Grill a few weeks ago, and we'd pretty much immediately hit it off. I'd been trying to work up the courage to ask him out ever since, and after overhearing his siblings talking about how close he'd come to dying recently, I'd decided to stop wasting time and just give him a call.

"Hi Kol. Uh, I know this is kind of out of the blue, but... well, I wanted to see if you wanted to maybe get together at some point and... talk. Hang out. All that... stuff..."

I grimaced. I'd never done this before, and it was probably painfully obvious, especially to a vampire with a literal thousand years of experience.

"You want to get together and talk?" asked Kol, a lilt to his voice that I couldn't quite decipher. Everything in me screamed that I should bail out, but I grit my teeth and forced myself to toughen up.

"Yeah. If that's something you'd want to do."

"Oh, it very much is." My heart stopped. I'd been sure this call was about to be a total fumble, but apparently, somehow it'd worked? "What did you have in mind?"

"Uh..." I mentally kicked myself. I'd spent so much time trying to work up the nerve to actually call him, I hadn't thought at all about what I would do if he actually said yes. "Well, I don't know. Is there anywhere you'd especially like to meet up? Or anything you'd like to do?"

"How about your house?" The doorbell rang. "Right now?"

My brain short circuited. He was here? Now? I wasn't ready at all! The house was fairly clean, and I didn't look like a total mess, but I also wasn't ready for a date! And wasn't a first date supposed to be about thirty degrees more chill and removed, like a going to a movie or dinner or something?

I forced myself to take a deep breath. Yes, this was technically a first date, but Kol and I had interacted before. We were friendly, maybe even friends. It's not like he was some stranger I was about to let into my home.

"Uh, sure. Now is... now is good. I take it you're the one at my door?"

"Yes I am, darling."

"Okay. Well, then... I guess I'll see you in a second."

I hung up the phone before I could make any more of a fool of myself, paused at the mirror in the hallway to quickly adjust my outfit, then strode confidently to the front door. If I pretended to be confident, it would probably rub off and turn into the real thing, right?

I swung open my door to find a grinning Kol on the other side, one arm raised and resting against the doorframe. My heart did a little backflip at that, and I just hoped his vampire senses hadn't clued him in on it.

"Well? Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Oh! Right, yeah, come on in, Kol."

He grinned at me as he slowly, deliberately put one foot over the threshold, then the other. He paused once he officially stood in my house, facing me with a look like he expected me to have some kind of reaction. I just gave him a smile.

"Welcome in. Uh, I'll be honest, I wasn't really prepared for you to come over, like, now. But we can make some drinks, maybe play a board game or something? I actually think I have an at-home dart board buried somewhere around here if you want to get your ass kicked like you did the first time we met."

Kol huffed a laugh, a smaller, more genuine smile pulling onto his face as he shook his head at me.

"Well, now we have to play, don't we? I can't let my honor be tarnished without fighting back."

"I think it only counts as tarnishing your honor if it's not true," I mused as I led Kol into the kitchen, incredibly aware of how closely he followed behind me. If vampires could hear heart beats, then I was well and truly screwed.

"Exactly. I didn't get my ass kicked in darts, so what you said wasn't true."

I paused long enough to give Kol a judgey look over my shoulder, then walked around to the cabinets behind the kitchen island.

"Alright, I'll go dig out the dartboard in a minute, but let's figure out drinks first. I'll be honest, I'm not the best bartender, but I'll see what I can do."

"Here, let me. I'm an excellent bartender."

Kol reached for the bottles in my hand, but I paused, holding them slightly away from him. He leaned into me, and my heart did its stupid jumping jacks again, although I ignored it. Instead, I fixed Kol with another look.

"Are you an excellent bartender in the way you're an excellent dart player? Or are you actually an excellent bartender?"

Kol shook his head, an edged smile spread on his face as he reached across me and took the bottles from my hands. I was more than a little disappointed when he pulled away.

"Alright, I'm going to make us some drinks while you go and get that dart board, right now. We're going to settle this, once and for all."

"I'm still not totally sure that I actually have it," I reminded him, walking backwards out of the kitchen. Kol just hummed, shooting me one last look as he got to work on the drinks before I turned the corner.

As soon as I was out of his sight, I paused to take a few deep breaths. I was starting to feel seriously giddy hanging out with him like this, and I needed to calm the hell down. It was a casual first date, after all. I didn't need to get ahead of myself.

Once the butterflies in my chest had settled down a bit, I walked the rest of the way to the hall closet, or what I thought of as my junk closet. It was packed with things that were just useful or sentimental enough that I didn't want to throw them away, but that basically never came in handy on a regular basis. If that dartboard someone had gotten me for my birthday a few years ago was anywhere, it would be here.

I dug through a few boxes I thought might be likely candidates, trying to remember where past me might've put things last time I'd organized everything. Finally, after what felt like way too much searching, I found it at the bottom of a box on a higher shelf. Even better, a bag with all the darts still together was with it.

I grinned, doing a little triumphant fist pump to myself before turning to head out of the closet. In the doorway, however, I found Kol hovering, watching me intently, a menacing air about him that hadn't been there earlier.

"Hey... what are you doing?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow at me and crossed his arms.

"Me? I was about to ask you the same thing, darling. It really took you that long to find the dart board?"

I furrowed my eyebrows at him, watching for any clues as to what the hell he was doing before briefly glancing away to check the time my phone. Honestly, it hadn't even been that long.

"I mean, yes? Have you looked around this closet at all since you got here? It's a mess. How long have you been standing there, anyway?"

"I'm not an idiot, sweetheart," he said instead of answering me, taking another step forward. I narrowed my eyes at him. "I know you're back here messaging your little friends, trying to set up another ambush for me after the first one didn't work. I know how you Mystic Falls people like to operate."

My frown deepened. "Kol, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't play innocent with me, darling, it won't work. So who have you been texting?"

"No one, other than you! I knew you were acting weird on the phone, and when you first showed up. I thought my nerves were just getting the better of me, but apparently not."

"Nerves for what? Don't tell me Jeremy's going to come bursting through the door playing Van Helsing again."

"Jeremy who, Kol? Seriously, I have no idea what you're talking about."

For the first time since he'd appeared in the closet doorway, Kol seemed to believe me. His look changed from borderline threatening to almost as confused as my own.

"Jeremy Gilbert."

I paused, trying to place the name. It sounded familiar, but it took me a little while to figure out why.

"That's... Elena Gilbert's little brother? Right?"

"Yes. You're actually trying to tell me you don't know him?"

I scoffed. "Kol, of course I don't know him. I graduated from high school when he was still in middle school. I barely remember him or his sister."

He studied me, eyes scanning my face, apparently looking for some sign of a lie. I just watched him back, waiting on some kind of explanation for this to make sense.

"So you're not working with Elena and her little group of friends, then? Or either of the Salvatores?"

"No, Kol. Working with them on what?"

"You're not lying."

"I know I'm not lying! Now what the hell are you talking about?"

Kol sighed, slumping back against the doorframe a little, the tension easing out of his body although he still looked a little confused. I could relate.

"Elena and Jeremy tried to kill me not too long ago," he said, as if he was saying they'd asked him for directions on the street. "Elena tried to keep me busy by lying about wanting to discuss a truce with me. I assumed this was a terrible second attempt at the same thing."

I sighed, shaking my head and closing my eyes for a beat as I leaned against the shelf behind me. I knew he was a vampire, and I'd even known someone had tried to kill him recently. But somehow, I'd underestimated the level of ridiculous drama and miscommunication that would likely create.

"Yikes. Well... I'm glad you survived, and I can honestly tell you that I'm not a part of any plot to try to kill you. I can't even remember the last time I talked to Elena, and the only time I've ever talked to either of the Salvatores was when Damon was drunk and hit on me at the Grill."

Kol snorted. "Sounds familiar."

"I'm sure."

The two of us stayed put, neither moving to stand up or leave the closet, neither speaking either. The silence just hung, and I had no idea what I was supposed to do next, so it was a relief when Kol leaned forward, the menace in his posture gone and replaced by tentative curiosity.

"You know, this leaves us with a very important question."

"And what's that?"

"If you weren't trying to drive a stake through my heart... why did you call me and ask to meet up?"

And just like that, the relief was replaced with sheer nervous panic.

"Uh... well..."

Kol grinned and took a few steps towards me.

"You said you wanted to get together and talk," he said, a teasing tone to his voice that made my heart speed up at the same time that it made me want to give him a shove. "What exactly did you want to talk about, if not murdering me?"

I shook my head, trying and failing to keep a smile off my face. Kol was well and truly in my space now, standing right in front of me, one arm over my head and leaning against the shelf behind me. Based on the grin he gave me when I met his eyes, I got the feeling he could hear my heart racing.

"I... Well, I was trying to ask you on a date."

"Were you now?" asked Kol, his shit eating grin doubling in size. I huffed.

"Yes. And it took a lot of effort to work up the courage to actually go through with it, so if you're just messing with me right now with the whole leaning into my space and flirting thing, I might actually join Team Try To Kill Kol."

Kol just laughed and shook his head, leaning in a little bit further as he did. I couldn't help a subconscious glance at his lips, and with the way they curled up even further, I knew he'd noticed.

"I'd never dream of messing with you about this, darling. Honestly, this is the best news I've gotten in days. If I hadn't been working to keep a few different people from killing me, I would've asked you out a week ago."

I grinned. "Really?"

"Absolutely."

I huffed a happy, disbelieving laugh as Kol leaned the rest of the way in, his lips finding mine. Fireworks exploded in my chest at the sensation, especially as he wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. My hands found his shoulders, holding on tightly, and when I finally pulled away after a few long, long moments, I was a little breathless and a little dizzy.

"Now that was worth thinking I was about to be vampire-slayed," said Kol, grinning at me before starting to lean in again. I laughed, but put a hand to his chest to stop him.

"I agree, but this is still a first date. I want to actually talk to you and get to know you beyond the few conversations we've had at the Grill, not just make out in my closet."

"You didn't like making out in the closet?"

"I didn't say that." Kol grinned, and I gave him an exasperated smile of my own. "I like this, Kol, a lot. But I could've just kept flirting at you with the Grill if all I wanted was to make out with you. Dates are supposed to be... a little more than that, at least to me."

Kol sighed, bringing his hand up to cup my chin and running his thumb across my lips before stepping back. My heart was doing backflips, and from the smirk on his face, I knew he could tell.

"Alright then, darling. I'll give your version of a date a try. As much as I like making out in closets, it might be nice to just talk to you for a bit, too."

I beamed at him. "Good. Although, it doesn't have to be all talk." I retrieved the dartboard that had been shoved back onto a shelf when Kol had first gotten in my space and held it up. "We have a few things to settle, after all."

"Oh yes we do. Come on love, our drinks are waiting in the kitchen. You're going to need one, so you have something to blame your loss on later tonight."

"Keep talking, Twilight. It's just gonna make it that much sweeter when I win."

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

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989

TVD/TO Taglist: @elenavampire21

#sophie's year of fic #the vampire diaries #the originals #kol mikaelson #kol mikaelson x reader #the vampire diaries fanfiction #the vampire diaries oneshot #the vampire diaries imagine #the originals fanfiction #the originals oneshot #the originals imagine #kol mikaelson fanfiction #kol mikaelson oneshot #kol mikaelson imagine #jeremy gilbert #elena gilbert #the vampire diaries x reader #the originals x reader #tvd #tvdu

[pookietv]

a secret | arthurtv

a request!! fluffy arthurtv having a crush on a singer that arthur hill knows!!

you weren't really sure how the last few months had played out: you had gone from a tiny artist doing covers and the occasional original song on your smaller youtube channel, to being thrust into a welcoming community with a viral video.

it was surreal, you thought, and you were convinced the support and exposure you had experienced couldn't get any better, you had been able to quit your job, and do what you loved.

that is, until you received an email, inviting you to be an opening act on a tour for arthur hill at his london shows. you had seen him on tiktok, heard some of his songs and seen some of his youtube videos, and he did look cool.

so it was an easy yes, you already lived in london, you wouldn't need to travel, the only thing you needed to do was get used to performing on stage.

so you began doing small shows in dive bars, mainly on friday nights filled with drunk people who paid little attention anyways, so you could mess up all you liked, so it became routine.

performing as normal, in the abnormally warm room, the lights slightly pinkish in the cramped bar, it was unusual to hear your name from the crowd, so when you heard a slight gasp and a "wait, you're right, it is y/n," your head did turn slightly, but with the large crowd talking between eachother, drinks in everyones hands in a sea of people, you couldn't make out anyone in particular.

once you had come off the make-shift stage area, placing your guitar neatly in it's case, you felt a slight tap on your shoulder, turning your head to be met by arthur, a smile on his face.

"y/n! didn't know you came here," he said happily, looking at you expectantly.

"oh! hi arthur, yeah, just trying to get used to performing more, so i do a couple shows a week, what about you, what are you up to?" you said nicely, giving him a small smile in return, looking around the room slightly.

"oh, i'm just here with some of my friends, it's kinda close to our apartments so we figured we'd come just to see what it was like," he paused, turning around to point to three boys stood near the bar, "come over, i'll introduce you, they'll no doubt be at the show so you'll probably see them there too," he nodded over to them, and you followed him, with him chatting away about how excited for the show he was.

"so this is y/n! this is george, chris, and arthur, two of us so a little confusing," arthur hill grinned a little as he pointed to each one in succession.

"it's nice to meet you all! i've seen you a little in videos," you smiled towards them, looking slightly at the other arthur, who was timidly holding a pint of beer and looking at me with a mildly awkward smile.

"its nice to meet you in person! i feel like your songs are always playing in our flat between the two arthurs, it's all they bloody queue," chris smiled, and you giggled a little.

you shrugged with a small grin, "well, i am sorry if you're a little sick of my voice then," you joked, and george shrugged it off with a casual, "no, no, it sounds good!"

"i think arthur got me into your music more than anyone else," arthur hill said nonchalantly.

"oh?" you turned my head towards the other arthur, curiously, looking at him for a moment, and observing how nicely the shade of green of his jumper looked on him, whilst arthur hill began sharing some story with george and chris.

"oh, um, yeah! watched you on youtube for a while, even when you were just, like, doing covers," he smiled broadly.

"oh, that's really cool! i feel like not a lot of people knew me when i was doing covers," you said softly, and he just shrugged a little.

"were you going to stay for a drink?" arthur asked, and it became your turn to shrug. he was quite nice to look at, and that prospect made you slightly nervous.

"i mean, i wasn't planning on it, but i suppose a drink could do me some good," you giggled, and he nodded.

"i'll get you a drink, what do you drink?" he asked, and you tilted your head a little.

"oh, no, you don't have to get me one! i can get one, honestly," you said, but he shook his head with a genial look on his face, a knowing smile on his face making his eyes crinkle slightly.

"no, no, it's fine, please let me get you one?" he said, already sauntering his way to the bar as you followed a few paces behind him.

"okay, well, um, thank you..! i drink anything really, i'll just have whatever you're having," you smiled, and he nodded, ordering two pints of beer.

once the bartender had poured the drinks, you and arthur kept chatting whilst walking back to the rest of the group, who were still in discussion, and arthur seemed to pay it no notice, still speaking to you.

"i do really love your covers, by the way... you're easily one of my favourite singers," he spoke, and a small spread of blush graced your cheeks.

"that's really sweet of you, thank you," you murmured, a little shy before taking a sip of your drink and looking up to him, "so, you do youtube as well right? what kinds of videos?"

"oh, i dabble in a little of everything, in all honesty - i mainly do commentary on like reality tv, so things like ninety day fiance, if you know that? but i do a lot with others, too, reaction content, stuff like that," he explained, and you nodded along, smiling as he spoke about it.

"that seems really cool! i always thought i would love to vlog maybe, if my life got more interesting, y'know?" you joked with a slight giggle, "i don't really do much at the moment, i mean i sing, i write songs, i read a little... not too much, pretty boring."

arthur grinned a little and shook his head, "i don't think you're boring, i think you could definitely make interesting content in that sense,"

"i mean maybe, i don't know, maybe if i ever toured or something, that would be a cool thing to vlog," you looked up for a moment, as if you were rolling the idea around your head. "anyway, i should probably go soon, even though i'd love to stay and chat longer, but i gotta catch the last tube home," you nodded to him as your glass was finally empty, giving him a small apologetic smile.

"its no worries! i suppose i'll see you next saturday, right?" he asked - the day of the concert, and you nodded.

"yeah, of course!" you beamed, and turned to arthur hill and tapped his shoulder slightly, "sorry to interrupt the conversation! i was just gonna say bye, gotta catch the last tube home, but it was lovely to meet you all, and hopefully i'll see you on saturday?" you looked between the boys with a smile, and they nodded, all saying their goodbyes, and giving them slight hugs.

as you left, guitar case on your back and giving them a wave, before opening the door, george turned to arthur and grinned, "so, how's the not so secret youtube crush?" he teased, and arthur's face went red.

"yeah, we figured we'd leave you to it, seemed like you were in the zone," arthur hill chimed in and chris laughed at arthur's eyes rolling.

"she's... just very nice, that's all!" he poorly defended himself.

when saturday had rolled around, you were nervous, without sugarcoating anything.

luckily, you had nothing to be nervous about - your opening went great, the crowd was lovely, and the second your set was over, the rush of adrenaline was palpable as you came off stage, and couldn't hold back a toothy smile, wishing arthur hill good luck before he went on.

you watched eagerly from backstage, wanting to cool down a little and not wanting to jump straight into the crowd.

"you did great," you heard from behind you, and turned to see arthur.

"oh! thank you, i'm so glad i didn't flop or anything," you joked a little, giving him a small smile.

"you looked really good too, really, y'know, pretty," he grinned, "overall, a great performance,"

your cheeks turned slightly red at that compliment, shyly nodding a little as he laughed a little at you, though it was endearingly.

"can i trust you with a secret?" he smirked a little, and you tilted your head slightly.

"and what makes you want to tell me a secret?" you giggled back.

"'cause i reckon you can keep my secret," he retorted, "i've sort of had a fanboy crush on you for a while, y'know, from watching your youtube. you're as nice off camera as you are on." he smiled a little awkwardly, turning to look at you for a moment.

your eyes widened a little, your cheeks only burning more as he grinned at you still.

"oh? well, um, y'know... you're also, quite attractive," you practically babbled out, giggling a little nervously and he nodded in return. "nice eyes, and stuff,"

he laughed a little at your awkward attempt, and you rolled your eyes at him as he grinned, `"and stuff?" he teased, and you pushed his shoulder slightly.

"oh, shut up, you,"

#arthur frederick x reader #arthur frederick #arthurtv x reader #arthurtv

[hazbinhotelie]

Do you believe in love at all? (Not crush anon, just a curious bystander)

"Why do you ask as if it's some sort of made up thing? Of course love exists, that much is clear. Just take a look at Charlie and Vagatha, or Angel Dust and Husker. That's love, is it not? I believe in it, yes, I simply think it's a fickle thing, often unnecessary. I see no point in seeking it out, but I'm not one to judge if it makes others happy. I may not fully understand it, but I do my best to remain respectful. Just because I'm not experiencing the same thing as them doesn't mean I have a right to disregard others emotions."

"Now, I know when I responded to crush anon I said I didn't care about such a silly little thing- but I meant it in the sense that I didn't care because it wouldn't change our relationship with one another. Whether they harbour feelings for me or not, my own feelings towards them are the same. I wouldn't treat them any differently simply because I was made aware of the fact they have a crush on me, especially since they didn't even seem to want for me to know- it was a mishap on Charlie's part and I've no right to judge regardless. People are allowed to feel whichever way they'd like, I simply don't think there's a need to dwell on it if nothing is going to change. Their feelings are unrequited, but as far as l know, we'd both like to remain friends. So that's exactly how we'll proceed."

#alastor hazbin hotel #alastor the radio demon #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel #alastor #the radio demon

[kiaratheronappreciationweek]

We're on our final day of KTAW 2024!! It's been wonderful to see the entries so far - we saw some new faces and lots of fresh stories, and every work we've got so far has shown such love and admiration for a character so often overlooked!

Our final theme(s) tomorrow are pretty simple and straightforward! This day is about exploring how Kiara navigates her relationships with people - Familial, Platonic or Romantic! We all know she is protective of the people she loves even if she may not fully understand their way of dealing with their problems. It would be great to see how our Kiara fans will look at these dynamics!

Any content is welcome!! Just make sure your work centers Kiara, and presents a positive depiction of her. Fic, art, meta, headcanons, edits, icons, interactive media, even simple character appreciation posts!! We also accept WIPs, so if your piece isn't entirely complete by the end of the week, fret not - you can still send us the WIPs!

The themes are simply inspirations. If you bring a piece for one of the days later, it's entirely okay...just make sure you tag the posts with the day you meant it for! We will always be keeping a bonus week in case you couldn't complete the piece during the week itself, so our official deadline for pieces will be June 1st!

We'd also like all of you to know that KTAW 2024 will be open ALL YEAR ROUND. So if you're unable to finish a piece before June 1st, pls do send it whenever you're ready to (and tag us!), and it will definitely be up on our masterlist!!

Be sure to do the following when you send in your work:

1. Use the tags #kiaratheronappreciationweek and #KTAW in your posts. Make sure to tag the day as well (#KTAW Day 1, #KTAW Day 2, etc)

2. Tag @kiaratheronappreciationweek, as well as hosts @sazanes and @lizzybeth1986

Fan Community blogs are super important to our promotion of events, so we'd definitely love for you to check out some of these awesome blogs and their challenges:

@choicesficwriterscreations - Primarily fanfic and fanart (no AI allowed). Check out their rules and roster of events!

@choicesmonthlychallenge and @choicesmaychallenge24 - Any and all content welcome! This month's prompts are delightfully Greek mythology-themed!

@choicespride - Any and all content welcome, as long as it centers LGBTQ+ characters and/or themes! They will be hosting this year's pride event soon!

@choicesholidays - Any and all content welcome, as long as it is centered around one of the holidays listed! Currently, they are hosting Spring Fling!

@choicesprompts - Any and all content welcome! Currently no events, but you could check out all the cool stuff they've been up to so far!

@choicescommunityevents - Any and all art welcome as long as it is on-theme! Currently hosting the AAPI Heritage Month!

With Day 5, this week may be officially over, but as we mentioned earlier our bonus week will still be up!! You have time till June 1st to send in entries! The masterlist will also be open the whole year through for entries as well.

#kiara theron #the royal romance #the royal finale #the royal heir #kiaratheronappreciationweek #KTAW #KTAW 2024 #KTAW Day 5 #KTAW Day 5: Family #KTAW Day 5: Friendships #KTAW Day 5: Romance

[jr-bigbang]

We’re thrilled to announce our 2024/25 James/Regulus Big Bang! ☀️✨

For those who may be unfamiliar, a ‘Big Bang’ fest brings fanfic writers and fan artists together in a collaborative space to create illustrated fanfiction for a particular pairing. Over the course of several months, writers will write fanfiction centered on ‘Jegulus’ (James Potter x Regulus Black). Artists will then ‘claim’ those fics and create art for them!

Community is the backbone of fandom and we’re so excited to create a collaborative space for authors and artists to work together to contribute fan works to a ship that means so much to us. As we get closer to the fest, we’ll be sending out invitations to our Discord server so all of us can mingle and bond over our shared love of this ship!

We hope you follow along and reach out with any questions (or general excitement!). For additional information, including our schedule, look under the cut!

Love from your mods,

@wolfpadx, @just--vi, @imdamagecontrol, @badhairred, @lemonlans, and @steveahoi

Authors are expected to submit one fanfic that is at least 20k words long (and no longer than 200k words). Since this is a J/R Big Bang, Jegulus must be the primary focus/ship. Secondary or background ships are permitted but must not be the focus of the fic. Authors are allowed to collaborate on a fic, but may only submit one fic (that means that if you co-write, you may not also submit an individual fic). Because of the timeline and word count expectations of the Big Bang fics we require all authors to have at least one existing published fic of 20k words. 

Artists are expected to submit at least two pieces of work per fic, including a banner and a piece of artwork. Artists may submit additional pieces of art for the fic they claim but are not required to! Artists will be allowed to select one fic to illustrate during initial sign ups. Artists may be allowed to select additional fics if some remain unclaimed!

Betas are welcome to join the fest! Authors are strongly encouraged (but not required) to use a Beta. Authors may bring their own Beta into the fest (we simply ask that they sign up as any other Beta might), or, if they do not have a Beta and would like one, the mods will pair an Author and a Beta for the fest. 

Rules and further information will be released soon. We wanted to introduce our fest to you now to give you all ample time to plan your fics since this is an open-prompt fest (meaning you decide on the plot so long as it is James Potter x Regulus Black-centric), and to shuffle your schedules/WIP plans around if needed.

Schedule

#jrbigbang #jegulus #regulus black #james potter #sunseeker #reblog for more reach! #we'd love to see all you lovely people there #marauders #fanfic #marauders fest #jegulus fest #starchaser

[vdearest]

– seattle: day 1, abby – the WLF stadium

#abby anderson #tlou2 #the last of us part 2 #tlou2 photomode #the last of us 2 #tlou part 2 #abby anderson tlou2 #tlou2 spoilers #MAN okay so #this is one of my absolute favorite environments in the whole game #i love the homeliness and makeshift stands and homes so much #i wish we'd get to walk around it even more #but the ascension down the stairs while you see all the people washing clothes #gathering fruit #etc #is just so visually appealing and i love it #in general it is a strong start for abby because it takes us back to the feeling of jackson‚ in a way #godd i love this game #vens tlou journal

[finexbright]

i know some people say that he relies on fans too much but i don't think you'll say that if you see the genuine emotion on his face while talking about fans and the support he's received over the years and how much we've done for him. the sheer overwhelm and gratitude on his face as he spoke about how if it weren't for the fans and how much we boost him up, he wouldn't have moved from the sound of walls to the sound of faith in the future, which to be fair are miles apart and takes some artists years to move between genres. he's well aware of how the industry has betrayed him but he's truly reached a point where he does what he does for the people who love him and no one else and i'm so proud of him for that. i know in this industry radio play and awards and public promo matters, but to see him talk about us has made me realise that to him success means that his music was loved by his fans and everything else is just a bonus. he was sat there, a full few weeks after his album going number one, and he still couldn't believe it. he looked like he didn't know how else to say thank you, and like words were falling short for the amount of gratitude he wanted to express. being in the crowd last night made me realise just how much he values the artist-fan relationship he's built with us and he wants to keep working towards keeping this connection strong and tight knit and creating this community together 🫂🤍

#like. i know so many people complain about him not getting radio play #but being there last night made me realise that he's aware of it and he will shade it but at the end of the day #to him what matters is us loving his music and being so gassed for him and his career #he even said that this album and the sound was a culmination of what both he and us wanted #like. it was his way of sort of saying ''i know you wanted me to go punk and so i did and i'm glad you loved it'' #and like when i say he's truly doing it for the fans i don't mean it in a fan service way i mean that he's doing what he loves #while also completely trusting that we'll love it and give it all the hype that it deserves #given how much the industry has sabotaged i know it would've been hard to move from walls to fitf and its sound #but he only did it because he knew we'd eat that up #and i'm so proud of him for making an album that he genuinely loves and is so pumped for performing #you could see it on his face last night that he too was thinking about how he was gonna miss tour and how excited he was #i honestly can't wait to see how fucking awesome tour will be 🤍 #meant to post this last night after the q+a but my hands were freezing so you get it now

[thetarttfuldickhead]

A Jamie-centric pre-OT3 Christmas story told in 25 short chapters.

Masterpost / AO3

25.

Epilogue

Roy called her in the evening, as Keeley was carefully removing her make-up in front of the bathroom mirror. It had been a long day, a stifled Christmas lunch with her mother followed by Richmond’s home game against Norwich in the afternoon. At least Richmond had won, managing a by the skin of their teeth 1-0 after a late and defiant goal by Jamie.

She thought she’d seen him looking up at the VIP box as the team celebrated around him, and she’d blown him a little kiss, even if she knew the distance was too far for him to catch it.

Next to her, Rebecca had raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow in a perfect expression of slightly sceptical interest. “And here I thought you were here to support me.”

“I am here to support you,” Keeley had said firmly. “Because I’m an amazing friend and I’d show up to support you with chants and balloons of cute animals and stuff at your murder trial, especially if Rupar’s the victim. But I told you, he’s been having a rough time of it.”

Not telling Rebecca about what had gone down with Jamie and Roy the other day had never been an option. Rebecca had listened with a frown, and asked if she needed to do anything about James Tartt. Keeley had said no, for the moment: Jamie needed to be the one to make the call on that.

“Hey you,” Roy said now, looking properly fit in the black suit he usually put on for his pundit appearances (and which, to the untrained eye, looked identical to all his other black suits, but Keeley knew him and fashion better than most, and thought the Hugo Boss was a particularly nice look on him).

“Hi, babe.” Keeley propped the phone against a moisturiser bottle, so she could continue her routine while they talked. “You back from work then?”

“Yeah. Took fucking ages, because Cartrick wouldn’t fucking shut up. You’d think he’d run out of things to be wrong about after six hours, but no, if the filming crew hadn’t started making noises about needing to go home to their families, we’d still be there.”

Keeley hummed in agreement, even though she suspected Roy was maybe exaggerating things a little. Sometimes it was best to just let him vent belligerently for a bit, get it out of his system. Besides, it was lovely to have him care about things enough to be pissed about them again. Roy was a passionate man, and Keeley loved him for it; having seen him go through the motions with nary a flicker of true feeling throughout the autumn had been awful.

Speaking of caring… “You catch any of the Richmond game?” she asked.

He grunted. “We didn’t really cover any of the Championship games, but yeah, saw some of the highlights.”

“Jamie played well, didn’t he? Seemed a little more aggressive than he’s been lately.”

Roy grunted again, but kept his mouth stubbornly shut. Not ready to talk about the advice he’d given Jamie last night, then. Fair enough; it’d keep.  

Roy kept on saying nothing, though, when normally he would have tried to move on by changing the subject or asking her about her day. When Keeley glanced over at the screen she saw that he was looking unhappy, dark eyebrows furrowed.

Keeley cocked her head to the side. “You all right, babe? Something on your mind?”

“No, it’s… “ He paused, and she waited, until finally he let out a frustrated huff. “It’s just Jamie’s fucking dad, right?” His lips curled. “I can’t stop thinking— Jamie was in a right fucking mess when I walked in on them. Not physically, it was just scrapes, but he was so fucking quiet. It wasn’t natural, not having the little muppet run his mouth like he was getting paid for it.”

“He seemed all right after,” Keeley said hesitantly, because Jamie had, when he left them on the morning of Christmas Eve and when they talked to him yesterday. Happier than normally, even. But Roy was right, it seemed a little strange in retrospect, that he had shaken it off so completely, given the state of him when she first arrived at Roy’s three nights ago. “You think he’s used to it,” she realised aloud. “That’s why he bounced back so quickly.”

“I know arseholes like that, okay? My sister fucking married one. So yeah, I don’t think it’s the first time it happened, and it probably won’t be the last either, and I keep on fucking wondering if his dad’s the reason he walked out on City, and City’s playing Chelsea in a couple of week s and I—“ He paused again. “I know it’s fucking stupid, it’s none of my business. I don’t even like the prick.”

Keeley had a sneaking suspicion that that wasn’t quite as true as it once had been, but she didn’t mention that. Let Roy reach that conclusion when he was ready to. “I think it’s sweet,” she said instead. “The way you stepped in when he needed you to, and took care of him. I mean it,” she added off his predictable eye-roll. “I’m really proud of you, babe. And,” she pressed on, because it was true and because she knew he tended to get a little uncomfortable when things got too earnest, “it was kind of sexy, too.”

Roy’s eyebrows rose at that. “You thought me taking care of Jamie was sexy? What happened to your thing being me crying pathetically?”

“Girls have deep and complex tastes, Royo. So yeah, you being vulnerable and passionate is really hot, but as it turns out, you being all caring and protective and fetching tea really gets me going as well.” She smiled at him and he scoffed, but smiled back. “Seriously, though,” she continued, “I was thinking we should ask Jamie over some day. Just hang out a little, make sure he’s all right.”

Roy’s eyes narrowed. “You better not be suggesting we invite him to Sexy Christmas.”

“No,” Keeley said with a small a laugh, even as the thought of it sent a pleasant shiver through her. Sex with Roy was fantastic. Sex with Jamie had always been amazing. Both of them, and with the way she suspected their tastes would run exceedingly compatible, with her and with each other… Well. A girl could dream (and maybe have a wank once she got of the phone with Roy). “But dinner sometime soon, yeah?

“Fine,” Roy said, sounding like he was only reluctantly agreeing to do her a favour, but she knew him well enough to see the relief in his dark eyes.

Fuck, but she loved him. The way he cared so deeply, even when he didn’t want to, and even when he would sneer at the assertion.

“You’re so fucking hot,” she told him. “I can’t wait for the 28:th.”

He smiled for real then, that wide grin he reserved for just her and sometimes Phoebe and his sister. “Me neither,” he agreed. “I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah, see you then. Love you.”

“Love you.”

They hung up, and Keeley yawned. It was getting late, and she had to be up early tomorrow, for an entire day of what was supposedly just a bit of informal mingling for publicists, a little holiday get together on Jace Asthon’s country house, but which was in actuality the networking opportunity of the year for people in her line of business. She needed to be well-rested and looking ready to slay for this one, and had a bunch of people and business to read up on, potential sponsors and partners for Richmond.

She still took the time to send a couple of texts before turning out the lights.

hey jamie

got any plans for new year’s eve?

She hardly had time to set the phone down before it pinged with his reply.

Doesn’t really give a shit if I’m not playing for City.

Something slid into place then. “Is that why you did Lust Conquers All?” Roy asked. “To get away from you dad?”

Jamie didn’t answer, but that just said it all, didn’t it?

#THE END #THIS IS IT WE ARE HERE IT IS OVER #not gonna lie there were times where i SERIOUSLY doubted we'd ever get to this point #doing this might not have been one of my better ideas #but i am actually REALLY fucking proud i made it #warts and all #lots of love to the sweet people who have cheered me on and liked and reblogged or interacted over a ao3 #you guys are the best and quite frankly the only reason i managed to see this through #jamie's christmas carol #fic #my stuff #jamie tartt #keeley jones #roy kent

[marciabrady]

not a question but i just wanted to thank you for always defending the first 4 disney princesses! their motives & overall character have been so misunderstood by ppl, even by their own actresses (more-so emma & rachel). and yes not everything has aged perfectly well, it’s disappointing to say the least. but on the bright side, there are people like you who actually care & see how much depth these princesses have <33

#ask #softstarlite #thank you so much for this #i never thought we'd get to this point where we tear down the women who have constituted as the steps in our society as it's moved forward #i really hope people will start to see the error of their ways #people like you are all the more important in wake of all the hate for these lovely characters and the people that were involved in their c #eation #thank you for getting it

[theghostofashton]

.

#been thinking a lot lately about something that happened over the weekend #the wedding was gorgeous it was a wonderful weekend it meant so much to be there and everything went really well #but there was a moment that hasn't sat right with me since #one of the wedding traditions we did was the groom and his family dancing to the mandapam where the wedding would take place #and the bride's family waits there to greet him #this wedding was held outside of lisbon in an area that was part hotel part tourist location so members of the public could see us #and as we the bride's family walked over to the place we needed to be to meet the groom and his family #these white tourists started taking pictures of us in our wedding outfits and whispering to each other #and then decided to come up to us and shove their phones in our faces #demanding photos with us #and i was just like. have never felt like more of a museum exhibit in my life #no 'i love your outfits' or anything just phones in our faces and the expectation of us to pose for pictures #we were just people attending a wedding not exotic creatures to treat like that #and i think this is a microcosm of the experiences of a lot of asian people worldwide #exotic creatures that aren't seen as human beings #exhibits that belong in museums that you want to take photos with #but people that are rarely listened to #rarely seen beyond our cultural traditions that people don't genuinely want to learn about anyway #i am all for cultural appreciation #but it's not appreciating my culture to be treated like a zoo attraction instead of a human being lol #i wasn't sure if i wanted to say something but it's aapi month in the us so i thought i'd just say #please think before you act please be respectful #treat us as people #we have so much love for our cultures and we'd love to share it but..... not like this lol #ask questions i am always open to answer #i don't like being grabbed and having a camera shoved in my face to be in some white tourist's photo #so they can show off the indian wedding they witnessed #neha rambles

[unproduciblesmackdown]

take 4: the tension (gulf spanned with incomplete, continuously crumbling bridges) between the perspective of oneself as the Deservingly Epic Winner Protagonist Person who dares to be Out Of Line versus the need to actually completely stay in line within this b/c it hinges on being in harmony with the preexisting hierarchies which will supposedly reward the "merit" of this Actor. while everyone whose existence is Inferior, according to the hierarchies, is defined by being Out Of Line, which these same people resent & respond to, also Staying In Line with the hierarchy, by trying to reinforce the dynamics of these inferior / superior groupings. "everything pathologized about the inferior groups / rejected as what's Wrong with their existence so as to "cause" these dynamics is "take 4" b/c this is from me trying to write about winston quant kid 2 billions like holy shit a series operating on this logic huh, giving this unvarnished expression of this perspective b/c it's assuming (& requiring...) we all have it. winston is constantly responded to as Guy Who's Out Of Line. the "superior" parties who hate him & get to have him as their punching bag / hit with the butt of the joke / at least ignored & excluded, but taken advantage of, but who all have to Stay In Line, how's that going for them even when it comes to the writing, where characters can't do anything if it's too disruptive of the In Universe hierarchy, unless it's a finale zone for a permissable shakeup, where ppl insulating/supporting each other being a bit Out Of Line is not a problem b/c they individually recognize each other's transcendently True worthiness in thee objective hierarchy we all assume exists, but definitely can never disrupt the out of universe hierarchy, e.g. the show decides wendy is the true hero, b/c she deserves to be. taylor has to hire back dollar bill & stand back while wags & wendy take the lead & the spotlight & hate the autistic guy they hired & show up so the Winner, who was written into the show with nothing to do but tell taylor they're not quite as good as wendy & then provide a vagina amidst otherwise being an Everyemployee who fails to even differentiate from an Axe Cap style everyemployee, can announce their winningness detached from anything that actually happened ever.

counterpart to winston's departure needing an audience of people to stand there & stay in line, which on that side of the same coin meant punishing his Out Of Lineness that doesn't even act like anyone bothered to think of [this is one particular preexisting guy. you thought he liked scifi once before you lost interest in even suggesting he has interests, though, will roland likes scifi, will roland wore his own open buttonup as quant kid 2 that'd define the Look, will roland happened to have the facial hair just kept for production b/c who would care, will roland brought the entire je ne sais quoi acting interpretation that made quant kid 2 go from "out of line guy we kill once" to "out of line guy we keep around to kill all thee time until finale 'haha but seriously though' material means pushing him out of the way in s6 & then s7 alike" like hmm] like everyone just spitballed "annoying things! cringe loser things! things that would never happen to me, a deserving winner!!" & put it in as easter eggs as though that would even make sense, much less [you have no other priority?] but like. rian's sendoff didn't do any better for acting like she's a specific character who's said & done things we're meant to remember & have thought about then & now. taylor didn't get to have resolution with philip. they Had to have resolution with wendy that, again, has nothing to do with any/everything prior, except perhaps to contradict it. this is what anyone got for Staying In Line like superior winners. the autistic [annoying arrogant inferior undeserving etc] Out Of Lineness that would be so supposedly admired instead seen as pure Other shit that's projected upon ppl so as to Reject it thusly. couldn't be me!! i'm a winner who will always have Superior ranking in the hierarchy & treated accordingly!!! i Must be!!!! like i must Kill people who seem to be disrupting this, even by acting like a person who assumes they're equal to me despite being Different. there all along like wow winston existing Out Of Line is so powerful. he can harmonize with & support taylor so well b/c they're introduced as being so Out Of Line, up to the inevitable point of breaking out & starting their own thing entirely!!! but while it's like, okay yeah, you Have to reel them back in by thwarting them b/c otherwise they break so far from central men's orbit they exit the series or you have to put Them at the center (imagine...) (plus! the role winston plays in them getting as close to this as they ever can be!) but then in the end taylor's just shortchanged b/c when it comes time to take down a central man as thee main thing all season, series finale style, they should be knocking it out in a few episodes with sacker & philip. instead we focus on wendy given the helm & fucking around all season. after disposing of winston b/c who even needs him for anything, this is Stay In Line times, and to do that we can do nothing w/autistic people but hate them & punish them for being undeserving. but don't worry b/c he doesn't get to be so Out Of Line as to easily cause problems for them & thwart them, b/c he just doesn't. taylor waits around on wendy & tells her she's the best b/c they just do. we are all in line on all of this ourselves so whew, there's no Disruption to notice if that key Alignment is maintained. rian was never holding herself Above winston if we just really tentatively suggest she doesn't think that she was, while letting every double standard at play be acted out. rian being "out of line" was that she wasn't being aggressive enough about any of her Superiority, b/c if you didn't leave bruising then nothing was That Bad; cue the assaults and boundary violations Reserved for the inferior losers as fun times & nothing anyone is beholden to with Consequences, we don't even make the viewer stick with the consequences of how it affects the target a second too long, lest you start to think it's Drama & not Jokes.

anyways it's all about the [categorization as inferior Other based on an assumed Hierarchy = inherently defined as Out Of Line] all "why get a formal diagnosis from a professional who doesn't know what to look for when at age 5 my peers went 'something's wrong with this one' & acted 'accordingly'" like even when people "know" what's Wrong with someone to make them the odd one out / "incompatible" w/what makes others exist Right, it's time to interpret everything else about them as "backing that up" no matter what, certainly no matter if it involves theoretically Valued concepts, b/c it's all first & foremost Staying In Line with the hierarchy, where the correct way to do things is: if you Can push someone else into greater vulnerability while you're established as Insulated, you Do. tl;dr winston inherently continuously Out Of Line; being "superior" requires an ultimate (&/or also quite Immediate. especially when it comes to "simple" matters already "correctly" arranged in the supposed Objective Hierarchy, like: winston's "objectively" inferiority (autistic swag)) Staying In Line. and what comes of it. all the most engaging & complex shit when people get to not actually stay in line. the power of it if taylor & tmc & allies didn't have to ultimately be shoved into Staying In Line even when it means wendy is the best & oh who cares about taylor & philip when wags is around etc etc. if winston being someone Out Of Line was seen as relevant & not an easy nonstop joke. while a quant who is so In Line as to correctly personally abuse him even more than others are doing is so ""out of line"" as to decide she's already gotten everything she wants & may as well live the dream now, b/c she's not an aggressive man, one has to suppose, same diff as wendy getting to believe she's Better than everyone & is nobly in charge of orchestrating their fates when she Means & Knows so well, & is somehow pitted against prince being this same figure but without having to confront that fact. he's mean! or whatever. he's talking about killing people & wendy isn't so that sorts it out forever. "abuse your local autists; it's funny & their fault & consequenceless b/c they're not real people" is also harmonious with all our ideas. edgy rulebreaking bold independent Out of Line heroes completely in accord w/the established hierarchies. & those whose existence threatening peership disrupts it who are written off losers who could never upend those heroes' goings on. everyone Actually being peers is unimagineable, not as a figure of speech. we do not imagine it, what are you even talking about. now for the Merited Hierarchy to be acted out as arranged, which is fun, god i wish that were me. Independent Agents ascending it only!! & people who Cheat to get in like loser nerds w/their math, b/c they can't Deserve it. now to keep insisting that everyone else could just be On My Level if they tried, while also responding violently if it seems like weirdos / ppl who aren't Supposed to be here are infringing on my level (the only violence is physical strikes that made contact, & perhaps killed you)

anyways just another installment of [fake fans haunted by billions, & other things which are in real life, such as the fictional series billions] musings i have to excise at all b/c [this was take 4]. winston Out Of Line. superior correct winners who have to Stay In Line at related great costs despite the supposed associated wins of that. his autistic swag. knowing ppl Are different autism style b/c they're "out of line." encountering irl autistic people without realizing it & repeatedly writing "this nerd guy is just So annoying ugh!! he's just like weird & doing everything wrong for no reason & won't just Be Normal or Shut Up & Go Away!! but at least his intractible arrogant cluelessness also means we have fun punishing & taking advantage of him" Type butt of jokes into things. those cringe loser Insistently Annoying Weirdo nerds who we all find insufferable & punish, we all know them, inherent Inferior Other Out Of Line that they are. now it's a Guy we all hate & enjoy seeing suffer & Understand as a less deserving less [person] just dropped into the periphery of this fiction. he will easily be thwarted from an alliance with the [person designed to be Out of Line in a way that Is considered Legitimate] that would let them shatter the limits of the series in 5 sec which we're also holding them back by the scruff of the neck to prevent anyways while pushing forward ppl supposed to be even More correct b/c uh um they're a little more Normal, & perhaps even Women, who are innately more caring & gentle. there they go hurting those around them as much as they can, with nothing stopping them at all, but they're using their inside voices & not issuing physical threats so that's what i'm talking about. that is heroic, vs the villainous efforts to navigate life as though everyone will respect them as a fellow person which Autists egregiously pull, to which you can do anything you want to Reject this. maybe even decide you wanna personally use them. isn't that nice of you. no, we don't know what to do with the "this guy won't stop acting like he gets to think he's a person" but eventually send him away after the dozen trampled boundaries to punish him for fun b/c what else was the point of him? anyways don't worry i saw the autistic swag. the nonbinary swag it didn't even know was there. the nonbinary swag it knew was there but held back by the scruff of the neck b/c all billions' most engaging, potential filled characters are the ones Held Back b/c they're threatening too much [out of line] / their out of Lineness must be contained; vs everyone perfectly in line who keeps being pushed in front of them no matter what b/c uhhh.

let's go Out of Line gang. continual inevitable Disruption of the norm(tm). like even just standing there vs "oh immediately i fucking Hate this guy." billions where anyone considers winston for 5 sec would also shatter apart. taylor would be too powerful even more than they already are if they didn't have to stay wendy's sidekick no matter what. rian who didn't have to come back from the hiatus even more "right" than they presumably intended her to always be (bound to thee hierachy / actually always Staying In Line. if she's out of it, psych, actually that was just a correction of the "objective" hierarchal order waiting to reconfigure itself around the situation). standing around waiting like okay but the payoff that Could happen....okay still time though lol....well here we are

the fundamentalness of the Out Of Lineness. quantessential....send post

#another [mentally pacing while writing out the saga] moment #winston billions #it's all about the Out Of Line.... #b/c it's all about the hierarchy; & the fact that it's People beneath you = forever being in conflict w/Reality being ''out of line'' #this person talking & taking up space & breathing & Appearing & Behaving & Acting & [Autonomous]ing....no. no!!!!!!! #tmc just so happened to be Weird except also mafee is there but he's too not ''aggressive'' enough for axe cap. or is he!! not that much #all while even in peak tmc times....thee hierarchy! we Hate winston & Will all act accordingly to keep him inferior(tm) #we'll also use him. but not include him as a peer when we can help it. or even acknowledge a ''value'' for having found him Useful(tm) #just like wow really didn't think at all about winston besides [he IS out of line!!!]. ppl can do all That to him & not have it questioned #like hey so long as maybe you do it without....well they did also physically assault him in the end so really no limits obviously #the make or break context? his autistacity means well he deserves it from anyone #whereas if some of those ppl do some of those things to Winners w/the same goal to punish & hurt & coerce? hmm bit messed up #it's not double standards when you objectively buy into it right. if winston was a Good Enough Real Enough person we'd all Love him #however we just all immediately recognize a weird little autistic loser & that's all that is relevant forever somehow! hmm! #most ''out of line'' billions characters unleashed....we deserved this #what a coincidence that at the high points of this; like say; Kompenso; winston is treated the best!! 4x12!! Hmm!!! #irrelevant i said. nothing to see here like there's nothing inside him but Cringe Wrongness. scene over! series over! autists are Others #they power down in nooks & crannies & stop imitating Real People words & deeds when we're not looking so just do whatever #that Whatever means finding it rewarding to go after them & assert power=superior status over them? epic Normal shit. what else is there #rhetorical!! stop answering about like ''nobody's life & existence treated as Less'' #but at what cost? oh so a really epic man can't like pwn people now?? perhaps an epic Woman? all cishet agenda style btw? hell

[becca4leafclover]

waiiiitt I just realized the reason why I love QSMP so much as a concept is because it's kind of like my childhood growing up overseas oh my goooodddddd what if i cried

#its in the bonding over multicultural experiences #in school everyone would be from somewhere different from all over the world #and we were only at this place for a few years so we just vibed together and our differences didnt matter #but then sometimes we'd just end up talking about where we lived before #and sharing these crazy things we'd had as american kids in other countries #and we'd also for one reason or another have local kids sometimes talk about their own experiences as locals coming to the american school #and it was cool too!! #but coming back to live in the usa has been pretty isolating as someone who grew up outside here and no one else has left their state area #but the qsmp community has been bringing that culture exchange back into my life!! #and it's SOOO amazing to see people learning about outside their world and be part of that culture exchange again #and no its not the same and im not saying its supposed to be! #i love it so much i love learning about the outside world and how humanity is so varied and so so special #thank you qsmp this silly minecraft server has brought back a part of my life i thought i left behind forever when my family moved back #now im actually practicing my german again and picking up on more basic spanish than i ever thought id get #and im getting reinspired to want to aim to go back overseas rather than stay in america for job oppertunities #i thought i was resolved to suffer here forever but theres still a world out there thats not perfect but if my place isnt here its okay!

[look-at-the-stars-tonight]

one of my friends and i were talking about life and where we would be in a few years and it made me a lil bit sad

#we were driving somewhere and i said something about how she was going to move away one day #(she doesn't wanna live in texas forever esp cause she's lived here most of her life) #and we talked about how one day we'd both probably just be fond memories to each other #like just people to look back on when thinking about your early 20s or whatever #SHE said this not me. i think it's so fucking morbid #but like she's not wrong and i keep thinking about it #how everyone you ever love will leave u some day?? isn't that just so absolutely fucked #but like. we're probably gonna part ways someday #and then we'll just start talking less and less and less and one day not at all #cause that's how life is isn't it #someone can mean the absolute WORLD to you one day #and a few years later you might not even think about them unless something prompts it #and i DO Try to talk to my besties as often as i can #but maybe i should get on real social media or something idk #it's literally impossible to talk to every single person who has meant something to you on a regular basis #and i think that's what social media is for??? idkkkkk #i'm being melancholy and CRINGE today ig #idk it's weird how u can go from 'we're going to be at each other's weddings' to 'eh we probably won't see each other much if ever #in another five years' #she's said both of those things. one of them is more realistic than the other. #delete later #you just gotta leave before u get left ig #sorry for quoting taylor swift

[breadmercury]

You know if I had a nickel for every time a nephew of someone who does accounting for the store i work at tried hitting on me despite my clear and firm disinterest, I would have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

#register rotisserie #personal pastries #this is an overlap i think #anyway I literally JUST finished dealing with the first one and I had to TELL HIS AUNT TO MAKE HIM BACK OFF #but this other dude!!!! his aunt is WINGMANNING FOR HIM #FUCK #like bro!!! y'all have fallen for the False Self!!!!! i am CUSTOMER SERVICE VOICING YOU #if u are normal with me for a couple weeks then u get to see me be a normal person!!!! but jumping straight to flirting?? MY MAN #if u like me docile and subservient and sugary sweet then we'd be incompatible just. this is a fact #and that's all u know me as bc u have been working here TWO DAYS we have known each other TWO DAYS AT WORK #i really do try to let people down easy but I'm fresh off the stress of the first dude so i. might just be a bitch this time instead of #letting someone walk all over my boundaries in the name of 'love' <3