#we've been getting a lot of good comebacks lately

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super Movie 2: Super Hero (3/5)

"What are any of us doing here? We're not even in this movie!"

So the Red Ribbon Army is trying to stage a comeback with a fresh crop of new androids, and Goku isn't around to stop them, because he's on Beerus' planet training with Vegeta and Broly. While Piccolo figures out what to do without them, the movie just goes ahead and shows us what Goku is up to. For about ten minutes.

I'm pretty sure this part of the movie is a concession to Goku's fans. Let's face it, the people love Goku, and to do a Dragon Ball movie with no Goku at all would be a risky proposition, no matter how good that movie is. Looking back at the old DBZ films, Movies 9, 10, and 11 were mostly Goku-free, but he still put in a brief appearance in each one. But those are also regarded as some of the worst entries in the series, and I don't think that's a coincidence.

Now, I'm a fan of Dragon Ball in general, so the idea of a Piccolo and Gohan movie is not only appealing to me, but I'd say it's long overdue. I'd take a Yamcha/Tien movie any day. Or a Launch standalone film. I sat through GT, so it'd take a lot to keep me out of the theater. But Toei's trying to run a business here, and they can't just depend on die-hards like me to bring in the ticket revenue. So I'm sure the decision to focus on Piccolo was a controversial one in the home office. But they probably reached a compromise by giving Goku a decent chunk of screentime as a make-good.

One thing that makes this movie so good is that they don't just toss out a character for the sake of having them in the movie. They actually take a moment to show what that character is doing these days, even if it doesn't affect the plot that much. That's important, because it lets the viewer come away feeling like they got something out of the cameo they just saw. For example, we've seen Goku and Vegeta on Beerus' planet before. This is nothing new, but this time Goku's trying to help Broly control his power. And Vegeta's trying to meditate so he can learn how to imitate Jiren's power. Goku doesn't really understand his approach, which goes to show that Vegeta's trying to push beyond the scope of the training they've done on Beerus's planet before now. Gohan is studying ants, Videl has her combat sports class, Piccolo's a homeowner, etc.

Compare this to Battle of Gods, for example. Now BoG's a good movie, don't get me wrong, but a lot of the characters who appear in the film are utterly wasted. Tien shows up but he looks and acts exactly the same as he did the last several times we've seen him. Then he shows up in Resurrection F and nothing's changed either. He says he left Chiaotzu and Yamcha behind for the big fight, but would it matter either way? If they showed up, they wouldn't do anything new with those guys either.

The trick is to not just put Ox King in your movie, but to have him mention something that he's gotten up to lately, something Ox King fans can mull over later. "Oh, hey, remember how Ox King said he was going back to school to get a sociology degree?" You can sink your teeth into that, even if that's the only thing that you find out about from him. It's a lot better than "It's Bulma's birthday, and one of the guests is Ox King, a character who certainly exists."

Let's talk about Vegeta's revelation in this movie, since it caused some commotion among the fans. Goku complains that Vegeta had just been sitting still lately, which he thinks is a waste of time. Vegeta explains that he's been studying the way Jiren fought during the Tournament of Power. While he dominated Goku and Vegeta--sometimes both at once-- Vegeta is certain that Jiren isn't that much stronger than they are. What made Jiren so tough to deal with was that he was completely relaxed until the very moment he chose to strike, which allowed him to put all of his power into those brief offensive moments. But since Vegeta can't do that himself, he's trying to train his mind to conceptualize it before he tries to make his body learn how.

So a lot of fans saw this and concluded that the studio hates Goku, or they think Goku's an idiot, or that the studio is stupid for failing to remember that Goku has meditated before in the past. There has always been a subset of the fanbase that tries to turn everything into a Manichean conflict between Goku and Vegeta. In this case, if Vegeta figures something out before Goku does, then it means that Toei or Shueisha or Akira Toriyama himself must hate Goku.

This is stupid on the face of it, because Akira Toriyama literally created the character and he's credited with the screenplay for this movie. If he truly despised Goku, why would he even have Goku in the movie at all? He could have killed him off a long time ago. Why even make a Dragon Ball movie when he could have been working on some Dr. Slump project instead?

All this scene is... and I promise you, it's nothing more to it..., is a exploration of what the boys are doing on Beerus' planet. They train here, of course. We've seen that before, but why are they training here? Well, they need to receive instructions and guidance from Whis, and this is where Whis lives. Okay, and why is Whis so important to the process? Why can't they just stay on Earth and spar like they used to do? Because that only gets them so far. They need to learn new ways of thinking in order to surpass the level they're already at.

And what does that mean exactly? Well, they can't just do a million pushups. It doesn't work that way. There's other things they have to figure out, and that requires them to think of things they hadn't thought of before. And Whis is already beyond them in terms of power, so he knows things that they're still struggling to grasp. But Whis can't just spell it out for them. He can describe what they need to do, but it's still up to Goku and Vegeta to understand and internalize it.

And that's what they're doing here. They're basically brainstorming ways to get stronger. This time, Vegeta had an idea, and he's following it to see where it leads. Whis approves, so he seems to be on the right track. Tomorrow, maybe Goku will have another good idea, and so on.

But it's not always going to be one or the other who has the breakthrough. And it would be stupid for them both to have the same idea at the same time, just so the partisan fans won't feel slighted. Goku seems to think he can get a lot out of working with Broly, but that hasn't paid off just yet. It might prove more productive than what Vegeta is working on at the moment, but there's only one way to find out.

As far as Goku failing to recognize the value of meditation, well, he's had to re-learn that lesson several times. People will point to the time he meditated in Otherworld, or the time he meditated during his training with Mr. Popo, but they forget that this sort of focus and concentration was part of his training with Master Roshi as well. Whis scolded both Goku and Vegeta on this point when they first trained with him in Resurrection F. We can draw one of two conclusions here.

Goku's quest for greater strength is a flat circle. He just keeps re-discovering the same fundamentals, making a big gain in power, and then forgetting how he achieved that improvement.

Akira Toriyama is recycling the same martial arts hokum over and over again, because he only needs to show the characters working for greater strength. He does not need to design a genuine and internally consistent system for fantasy martial arts, any more than the writers of Star Trek need to explain how dilithium crystals make the ship go.

Anyway, Whis proposes a Goku/Broly/Vegeta three-way match, but no one wants Broly to fight in case he flips out and wrecks the entire planet. Then Beerus wakes up and finds out he has new houseguests. Goku explains that this is a good place to hide Broly from Frieza, and before Beerus can object, he meets Lemo and samples his cooking. It's good, so Beerus decides he can stay. Then Cheelai walks by with a bag full of loot she stole from Beerus' home. But Beerus decides he likes Cheelai's looks, so he agrees to let her stay too. So that's decided.

I've also seen some fans gripe about how Cheelai didn't spend much time with Broly in this movie, and Beerus' crush on Cheelai muddies the waters further. Look, none of these characters got a lot of screen time in this movie. This scene could be cut entirely and you wouldn't miss a thing. Half of it is Goku sparring with Vegeta, so of course Broly and Cheelai weren't going to have a whirlwind romance in this thing.

All I know for certain is that Cheelai walked by Broly and went out of her way to say he was "looking good", which is a lot more than she complimented anyone else on this planet. I mean, she's stealing Beerus' stuff, which ought to tell you how much she's into his lanky purple ass.

Moving on, Whis still wants to do that sparring match, if only so Broly can learn to appreciate a high-level battle with the fighters maintaining control of their powers. But Goku wants to eat first and so they stop for lunch.

And yeah, then this movie up and decides to give us Goku/Vegeta III, just like that. I don't want to oversell it, but it's an excellent fight. Whis sets the ground rules to that transformations and ki blasts are forbidden, so in a lot of ways this looks a lot like the kind of battle they might have had at the 25th Budokai before Babidi's henchmen got involved. We only get to see a few minutes of it, but they're so evenly matched that the fight takes a really long time to settle, so maybe it's just as well.

Beerus notes that Vegeta's moves have changed in an almost imperceptible way, due to his recent meditation training. Still, he loses interest in the fight and decides to get ice cream while the boys slug it out. I'm pretty sure Cheelai never cared in the first place, but Broly is enthralled with this action. He's getting to watch two of the greatest Saiyans ever put on a clinic, and he's soaking it up like a sponge.

But the important thing, at least as far as this movie goes, is that Beerus tosses an empty ice cream carton onto Whis' staff, so no one notice it flashing when Bulma tries to call him.

Which means Piccolo's on his own, at least for the time being. He gets the news from Bulma while he's picking up some senzu beans from Korin. The situation looks pretty bad, since Piccolo estimates that the Gammas' power is roughly on par with Goku and Vegeta's. And Dr. Hedo might know 17 and 18's weak spots, so they might not be able to help either. There is Majin Buu, though...

.... ha ha ha! No, did you think this one was going to be any different? Buu's sleeping through this crisis too. Seriously, why did they keep him alive at the end of the Buu Saga if no one had any plans to use him for anything?

So what about Gohan? That's what Korin asks, but Piccolo just says they can't count on Gohan right now, which... ouch.

But Piccolo does have one other idea, and so he flies up to see Dende on the Lookout and asks him to draw out his hidden power. See, the Kami of Planet Namek, Grand Elder Guru, was able to power up Krillin and Gohan way back in the day. Now, Dende is the Kami of Earth, so Piccolo figures Dende could do the same for him.

Only, no, it doesn't work that way. Turns out a Dragon-Type Namekian has to reach a certain age before they can use that sort of ability, and Dende's too young. On the other hand, Dende suggests using the Dragon Balls to solve the problem. They could simply wish away the Red Ribbon Army, but Piccolo doesn't care for that idea. Okay, well what about using Shenron to draw out Piccolo's hidden power? Can Shenron do that? Dende's like "gimme a minute."

So Dende wheels out the cart with the model of Shenron on it, and he powers a flask of water on the model. This makes it glow, and somehow upgrades Shenron so that he can grant a wish to draw out a person's hidden powers. Piccolo remarks that he had no idea any of this was possible when he was Kami. To be fair, when Piccolo was Kami, he didn't even know he was a Namekian, so there's a lot of stuff he was out of the loop for.

Now all Piccolo needs is the Dragon Balls, but Dende tells him that Bulma probably has them already. Ever since Frieza came back, Bulma's been gathering up the Dragon Balls every year, using the wishes up so that they'll be inactive in case any bad guys try to use them. Piccolo calls to ask her and yes, she has the whole set. In the dub, he asks her how many she has and she's like "Oh, uh.... All of them?!" I can't be sure, but I think that's a reference to the "All of them?" line from the dub of Dragon Ball, when Piccolo tried to zap Goku, but he missed all his vital organs. Anyway, Piccolo tells her to hang on to the balls until he gets there.

So they summon Shenron and it works. Piccolo gets stronger, and the Dragon promises that he threw in "a little extra".

That still leaves two wishes to use, so Bulma asks for a nicer ass and slightly longer eyelashes. Then she realizes -- too late-- that they could have wished to bring Goku and Vegeta back to Earth. Whoops.

"Shenron, I wish for you to bring Goku and Vegeta to Earth, so that they might bear witness to all this junk within my trunk."

So Piccolo returns to the Red Ribbon base and just walks right back to the line of soldiers there in Magenta's command room. They're still talking, and Piccolo tells the other soldiers he had to go potty. No one suspects a thing.

Magenta's trying to figure out what to do next. He'd like to target Goku and Vegeta, but no one knows where they are. Mr. Satan is too risky, since no one seems to know what his powers are, exactly. Then Carmine suggests Gohan be the next target. His intel says that it was Gohan who defeated Cell, and he has lots of spy footage of Piccolo going to his house to visit, which suggests that Gohan is a "shadow boss" in Bulma's organization. Magenta likes the idea of taking Gohan out, but he doesn't want Red Ribbon guys operating in the city, since it's too soon to reveal their presence to the wider public.

But if they could kidnap Gohan's daughter and lure him to the Red Ribbon base, then they could fight him on their own turf. Carmine finds that to be a good idea, as it would improve troop morale. Magenta orders a two-man team go to fetch Pan, and Piccolo volunteers, saying that he lives in the same neighborhood and knows Pan's face, because she's the granddaughter of Mr. Satan.

Dr. Hedo objects to the kidnapping angle, but Magenta tells him to mind his own business. Hmmm...

So Piccolo will be picking up Pan from preschool after all, just a bit later than planned. I don't know why Pan can't just run home by herself. She made it all the way here from Piccolo's house, didn't she?

One thing I like about this scene is how there's one other kid here who gets picked up, and that kid's mom apologizes for being late, so it's pretty clear that it's well after 1pm. Pan's been here a while. Her teacher assures here that someone will show up soon, but Pan's still kind of disappointed.

The other Red Ribbon soldier sent to do the kidnapping thinks this will be easy, so he just walks right up to Pan and tells her his mom sent him, but she demolishes him with a single blow.

Then Piccolo reveals himself and Pan recognizes him by his ki and calms down. The teacher already knows Piccolo, so she's cool with him, and Piccolo explains that this was all a security drill arranged by Mr. Satan. Now, in the dub, Piccolo addresses the teacher as "Janet", implying that he knows her as well as she knows him, and I think this is what led to the genesis of the Piccolo/Janet ship. I don't have a lot to say about it that hasn't already been said, but I'm all for Piccolo and Janet getting together. Janet's a fine foxy lady, and Piccolo's reputation speaks for itself.

Of course, Piccolo now has to fly the Red Ribbon airship back to base. He's a pretty crappy pilot, but he manages. I like to think Janet is still impressed, though. "Wow," she thinks as he flies away, crashing into a billboard. "Is there anything he can't do?"

Piccolo's plan is pretty simple. He explains the situation to Pan, and convinces her to play along with the kidnapping. When Gohan shows up to rescue her, he'll kick everyone's ass and that'll take care of everything. Actually, that sounds a little half-baked to me. Piccolo got a power up from Shenron, but is that enough? Anyway, they bring Pan to the base and take a video of her acting scared, then Magenta sends Piccolo and the other guy back to the city to show it to Gohan. Wait, why is that Namekian chair back there? What's that about.

Well, it doesn't matter because Pan sees some cookies and she's like "Don't mind if I do!" but then...

Carmine takes the plate away! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

You suck, Carmine!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Pan would probably attack him right there, except Piccolo's behind him trying to calm her down.

So Piccolo and 15 go to Gohan's house, and Piccolo takes him to the window since he knows Gohan won't answer the door. Notably, Gohan doesn't recognize Piccolo through his disguise, even though Pan saw through it immediately. Also, Gohan hasn't bothered to change out of the clothes Piccolo put him in this morning. Those must be fascinating ants he's working on.

15 shows Gohan the video of Pan and RIP the windowsill.

He turns Super Saiyan and scares the shit out of 15, who promises Pan will be fine if he just returns with him to the base. Gohan gets so mad he makes a crater in the ground...

... and the house starts to list down into the hole. But Piccolo doesn't mind because his plan is working. Gohan's back in a fighting mood and he can clobber the Gammas!

Or can he...?

#dragon ball #2023dbapocryphaliveblog #dragon ball super #dragon ball super super hero #piccolo #gohan #pan #son pan #goku #vegeta #broly #beerus #whis #cheelai #leemo #bulma #magenta #carmine #dr hedo #dende #shenron #korin #yajirobe #janet

[legayfuck]

okay but the way that noah and eva were SUCH GREAT CHARACTERS that NEVER DID ANYTHING is so upsetting. I know we all wanted a team e-scope comeback and wt TOTALLY COULD'VE DONE THAT like

and there's definitely possibility for people to get eliminated fairly late in the game, like sweeden sour, rapa phooey and of course double eliminations

first, I'm going to talk about the relations between the members of team e-scope

there could definitely be an expansion on the team e-scope relations. eva and izzy could have a very dynamic friendship- they're both some of the most threatening competitors while also having contrasting personalities. this friendship could've been used in island when they were both returning contestants. eva would recognize that they're both targets because they both skipped challenges and izzy really just went along with anything. she and eva definitely got along and they would be a killer alliance.

if eva made it even like a couple of challenges I think it would be good. just push trent and bridgette back once and move the no pain, no game challenge to after hide and be sneaky. there's the whole trent and heather plot in search & do not destroy, heather, leshawna, and eva could all have immunity in hide & be sneaky which would lead to bridgette's elimination, and then eva loses in no pain, no game. that would give enough time for at least a little use of eva and her rivalries with other characters. ALSO why was izzy in an alliance with heather? put her in with eva cmon. anyways. in hide & be sneaky, the guys could use eva's hate of bridgette to their advantage. anyways I'm going on a tangent here. NEXT

noah and izzy had at least some sort of thing going on since haute camp-ture. izzy with the 'throwing some shrimp on the barbie, that means you noah!' and the whole 'he kissed a guy!' thing definitely leads you to believe that at least izzy thinks they're friends, even if she just annoys noah. then in world tour, while he spent most the time calling her a nutcase, she carried him around a lot it wasn't like he hated her, he just didn't want owen dating her because she didn't treat him right.

noah and eva are a good team-up. noah's the brains and eva's the brawn, that's alliance material. they know each others strengths and neither really have friends. well, noah has owen but that's basically it. and owen isn't the most strategic person in the game. and both have a lot of enemies.

I'm going to talk about potential of the characters as if eva was in world tour and on team chris because that would make sense with canon

I feel like eva could be used so well. She didn't like being famous, so she was all in it for the money. She was straightforward. She was not playing any games. SHE WANTED THAT MONEY. I think Alejandro would see her as useful and keep her around, but he knows he has to get rid of her before the merge. Plus, she's so great for an antagonist. She has a lot of drive and could have a rivalry with literally anyone. She could have beef with tyler I mean realistically. he was a killer bass. also, I feel like she could have an alliance with alejandro. she doesn't seem like someone exactly all for alliances, but she understands a deal when she sees one- alejandro is a powerful competitor and she knows it. betrayal later could be AMAZING and I'll get to a point with that in a minute

and we all know the noah story, we've heard it a million times but it's true, he's a great character. He has a rivalry with alejandro, was labeled 'the schemer' or whatever even though he did nothing, he's really smart like they could have used that. he also had a lot of rivalries with people that were just not used. he didn't like alejandro, he didn't like sierra, he didn't like duncan, and he definitely had potential for relationships (positive or negative) with other contestants. he could still be eliminated at the same time, but at least let him do something.

okay. so I know we all love blaineley. well I actually don't really but we all love blainerific. HOWEVER. HER ASS DID NOTHING. I would bring back either eva or noah. eva, if having that alliance with alejandro, would be mad as hell. and post-merge, she could interact with members of team amazon. noah also is against alejandro and has a lot of potential for relations with other competitors. then I would have them last a little longer than blaineley did so they ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING anyways that's my little rant about eva and noah

#td #total drama #td eva #td izzy #td noah #team e scope #team escope #tdwt

[crystalsnow95z]

Could you do Joon with a high fever and stomach bug during a comeback stage? Caretaker ot6...how they help him

It feels like I'm writing a lot of sick joonie lately.. my two part flu, my collab story and another story where he's sick at a concert..

I'm sorry it took so long halfway through writing. I hated it and started a new idea..

It's staying as long as it is..I'm done editing it >.< I have no idea why I obsessed over this so long, and hate it or not this is how it's staying

Tw: fever, vomit

Namjoon adds one more layer of foundation to try to cover up his pale skin without making it too obvious that he put on makeup carefully, adding it around his face moles so they don't get covered.

I'm doing much better this morning.. I don't need the others worrying about me..

Namjoon checks himself out once more in the mirror before taking a seat at the table, picking up a pair of chopsticks to eat with the others.

"I can't believe this is the last practice before the concert.." Jimin pushes the rice around with his chop sticks, struggling to calm the nerves that knotted his stomach.

"Don't worry, Jiminie. I know you'll do great. We've been practicing for a couple of months and we did it perfectly yesterday." Taehyung tries to quell Jimin's anxiety, rubbing his hand across his knee.

"But for the past week, we've been a member short.." Jimin glances at Namjoon, who just sat next to him. Their leader has been fighting with some sort of stomach bug, unable to eat anything without it coming back up again.

"Don't worry about me. Yoongi-hyung has been sending the practice recordings to watch, and I already learned the choreography before I got sick. I'm fine." Namjoon takes a mouthful of rice to try to prove his point.

"Are you sure you're well enough to perform? You were able to hold dinner down last night, but you still shouldn't push yourself. " Seokjin worries about the youngest rapper, reaching to check if his fever really was gone.

"I'm fine, Hyung. I was cleared to perform tonight. I'll just take it easy." Namjoon allows Seokjin to place his hands on the back of his neck to help ease his mind, the older relieved when he doesn't feel the heat that's been radiating off it for several days.

What Namjoon wasn't telling him is that he was still taking medicine to keep his fever under control, and last night, even though he never threw up, his stomach still cramped up keeping him up most of the night.

We worked on perfecting this album for over a year, I can't let our hard work be in vain just because of a stomach ache.. I have to perform tonight..

Namjoon ate even with his stomach still feeling bloated, knowing if he refused to eat, the others would suspect something was wrong. He kept his bites small, washing them down with sips of water.

"It's really good, we should order it again when the show is over." Jungkook says through a mouthful of food, changing the subject to a lighter one.

"Don't eat too much, though Koo. You don't want to be too full before practice." Jin warns.

"Joon-ah you shouldn't eat too much either, I know you're probably hungry from hardly eating but you need to slowly start eating again.." J-hope frets over Namjoon.

"Don't worry Hobi, I only had some of the kimchi fried rice.. I don't want to push my luck.." Namjoon reassures his fellow 94liner with a gentle smile. "I feel much better today, really. You guys worry too much."

"Seriously, don't overdo it, and if you start to feel unwell, tell me right away, okay?" J-hope places his hand on Namjoon's shoulder, biting his lip when he notices that he could see more of Namjoon's collar bone. "Joon, you lost weight.."

"I wanted to lose a bit of weight anyway." Namjoon brushes off J-hope's grip. "Eat Hoba. You hardly ate anything. You need to keep your energy up. You got a tough slot tonight." He tries to turn the tables, but J-hope refuses.

"Yeah, but the way you lost it isn't healthy. I'll be fine..."J-hope watches Namjoon for a moment before taking another bite. Namjoon has pain hidden behind those eyes, and it looks like he hasn't slept.

"I told you, I'm fine." Namjoon says looking away from J-hope's eyes, jumping when he sees Taehyung standing next to him. "Sh*t! You scared me.."

"Sorry Hyung, I made some ginger tea for you." Taehyung places a cup in front of Namjoon, giving a shy smile.

"Thanks, Tae.." Namjoon takes it gratefully, hoping it would help settle his stomach. But since he made it, he also doesn't believe I'm better..

"No problem. Even if you do feel better. Better safe than sorry, right?" Taehyung gives a warm smile before sitting back down next to Jungkook.

"Right.." Namjoon sips on the tea, relaxing when the warm liquid soothes his aching stomach. "It's really good."

"Shoot, we have to leave in ten minutes." J-hope says after noticing the time, shoving one more bite into his mouth before starting to clean up the table.

Jungkook jumps to help J-hope clean up the table, taking care of Namjoon's mess for him. "I got it, hyung."

"I put the extra tea from the pot in here for you Namjoon-ah." Taehyung hands him his BT21 thermos.

"I said I'm feeling better. Don't worry so much." Namjoon places his hand on Taehyungs head, ruffling his hair.

Namjoon normally didn't feel car sick, yet the moment the car started moving, his stomach felt painfully tight, the seat belt pressing against it making it worse. He tucks his arm around it, using it to stop the strap from touching his aching middle.

"Hyung are you okay?" Jimin asks when he sees Namjoon wrap his arm around his stomach.

"Yeah, I just started feeling sick when we got in the car.. I'll be fine when we reach the stadium." Namjoon felt his stomach flip when the driver made a turn, a small groan escaping.

"Poor Hyungie. Try looking out the window and focusing on the horizon. It might help." Jimin says sympathically, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. Usually, it was him or J-hope who got motion sick, but on rarer occasions, the others suffered too.

Namjoon stares out the window, keeping his eyes on the setting sun, but it doesn't do much to help settle his aching stomach, though not throwing up was enough to please him. "It helped..thanks Jimin-ah.."

Jimin smiles. "No problem. I'm happy to help."

Namjoon focuses on the voices of his teammates chatting, their excitement helping him be distracted from the pain.

"Army will be so surprised with the new choreography! Especially the hook part! I can't wait to show them!" Jungkook speaks with excitement.

"That's because you plan to flash your belly." Jimin teases him, remembering the move he added to practice yesterday.

"Not my belly.. my.." Jungkook stops in mid sentence to check if his abs were still there after his meal, peeking down his shirt. "My abs!" He confirmed, making the others laugh.

Namjoon smiled, knowing what happened even without looking at Jungkook. He presses his cheek against the window, the cold glass feeling nice on his hot skin. I'll have to take another dose of medicine when we get there...

"You should flash yours with me! Jiminie-hyung and Taehyungie-Hyungie. In the part where it's just us three!"

"Unlike you, I don't quite have abs.." Jimin says with a tinge of pink. "I don't work out as much as I used to back in our debut days."

"Yes, you do.. i saw them a few days ago, and even if you don't, that doesn't matter. Army will still love it." Jungkook reaches over to Jimin to lift up his shirt, but the older vocalist holds it down.

"Jungkook-ah! Stop that! Go bother Tae about his. He's been working out with Namjoonie-hyung." Jimin fights off Jungkook's hands, grabbing his wrists, trying to sound serious, but a smile gives away he's not actually upset.

"He's not the one who says he doesn't have any, you did." Jungkook points out, now trying to peer down his neck line, Jimin using one hand tp hold down his bottom and one near his neck.

"Namjoonie-Hyung got sick like a week after we started. I dont think my body is that great either." Taehyung states, getting the attention off his soulmate, smiling with amusement.

"It was pretty close when you started." Jungkook moves to his next target,trying to lift Taehyung’s shirt to check. "I bet you got at least a little toned!"

"Stop that tickles..." Taehyung giggles, trying to fight off the mankae. "Jungkook-Ah..!" He laughs when Jungkooks fingers brush against his side.

"I feel them!" Jungkook smiles.

Namjoon was thankful for all the noise the youngers were making. It covered up the gurgling of his stomach, discreetly rubbing his hand across it. But not discreetly enough.

"You okay Namjoon-ah?" Yoongi asks, looking over Namjoon with a worried expression. "You're not gonna be sick are you?" He looks around the van, trying to look for a bag.

"Oh, no. I'm fine, I was just thinking about my own body. I probably lost mine while i was sick.." Namjoon wasn't lying to him, just not telling him the real reason. He looks at his reflection in the window. "

"You planning to join the maknae’s stage antics to make army scream?" Yoongi smiles with amusement, raising an eyebrow, dropping the subject.

"Nah, I'll let them have the fun. I hope they don't waste all their energy before the show even started." Namjoon smiles, taking a sip of his tea.

Namjoon's stomach didn't settle when he got out like he hoped. Maybe it wasn't carsickness... Every jump, every turn, every quick position change. It made him feel worse. He was happy they didn't go all out for stage practice. His stomach gurgled angrily at the movements, but he didn't dare touch it to try to ease the pain. He knew the others were keeping a close eye on him.

"That was great, everyone!" J-hope tells his team with a warm smile. "That's enough practice for today. Namjoon-ah, you're sweating more than usual. Are you sure you're okay to perform tomorrow?"

"I lost some of my stamina, but I'll be fine. With a crowd cheering, it'll be much easier. I'll get to bed early tonight." Namjoon walks away from J-hope to get water, but when he goes to bend down to get it, another wave of pain washes over him, making him stumble forward.

"Woah, i got you." Jimin grabs him by the shoulders to steady him."Here, hyung, you can have mine.." Jimin offers his water bottle, helping him to the floor. "You should rest a bit.. You haven't fully recovered yet.."

"Thanks, Jimin.." Namjoon smiles forcing his voice to sound normal despite the cramping that made him feel dizzy.

"Jimin-sii! We figured out the part where all three of us can flash our abs! Come here!" Jungkook calls to him.

"Aiish, that kid.." Jimin smiles fondly.

"Go on. I'm fine." Namjoon shoos him away before Jimin realizes he wasn't just tired. He only allows himself a minute to rest, taking small sips of water before getting up to join the olders.Yoongi and J-hope were fussing over the minor details. "No, I think we should do more center stage.."

Namjoon went to ask what they were discussing, but a stomach cramp made nothing come out but a breathy groan, taking a few steps back before they noticed he approached.

Why now...? I need to get better not worse..

"I think we should do two songs on the left stage, three center and two on the right.." Yoongi countered.

"Namjoon-ah what do you think?"

J-hope was trying to ask him for advice, but he was too focused on keeping his stomach under control, walking a bit ahead of them to keep them from looking at him. "I trust your judgment.Do whatever you think is good Hoba."

"You don't trust mine?" Yoongi tries to tease him playfully, but Namjoon's eyes widen when he feels like he just disrespected his hyung.

"No, no its not like that Yoongi..I'm sorry." Namjoon does a slight bow, not wanting to bend.

"You don't have to be sorry.. Since we got that settled, let’s go back to the hotel." Yoongi gently pushed him towards the stairs.

He must be exhausted from practice. I think he came back too soon.

"I'll round up the kids." J-hope goes to the mankae line to tell them it was time to go, having the exact same thought as Yoongi.

The next day came, but instead of feeling better, Namjoon found himself three steps back. He woke up at six in the morning, dry heaving on the bathroom floor, already empty from the salad he had for dinner that night.

He was tempted to call Jin or Yoongi to come to his room, but then the concert popped in his mind, only making him feel worse..

It must just be stress and nerves.. I was cleared.. I can't still be sick..

Namjoon continued to lie to himself as he shakily rose to his feet getting himself a cup of hot water to try to sooth his raw throat.

"I don't have time for this...the concert is tonight.." Namjoon sighs, looking at his reflection in the mirror, seeing the dark circles and red cheeks. "I look awful.."

Namjoon quickly showers, putting on another layer of make up and taking another round of medicine to try to fight off the sickness that wouldn't leave.

"Good morning Hyung, did you sleep well?"

Jimin greets him with a worried expression when they meet up together to go back to the stadium. "Me and Junggukkie went out this morning to get you vitamins to try to help your energy for tonight."

"Thanks Jiminie..i probably slept a good five hours. It's hard to sleep on the first day of a concert.. especially when we're performing a song for the first time live." Namjoon replies, trying to keep the conversation off of him.

"I'm nervous but excited." Jungkook says bouncing his leg, clearly feeling more nervous than he's letting on.

"We practiced hard. We'll do fine." J-hope reassures him, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze.

Namjoon listened quietly to the others as they drove to the stadium, the others telling stories about past concerts, going over lyrics and practicing the native language. All the different conversations made his head spin.

"Are you okay Joon-ah?" J-hope asks when he sees Namjoon press his forehead into his palm.

"I'm just a little stressed, so it's giving me a headache. I'm worried about being able to keep up tonight." Namjoon couldn't say nothing was wrong.. not with J-hope. He was lucky his friend didn't catch on yesterday.

"If you want to sit on stage and just sing, you can Joon. You don't have to push yourself if you dont have the energy. I don’t want you fainting.." J-hope reassures Namjoon, squeezing his knee softly.

"Yeah joon. You shouldn't do more than you can.." Jin joins in the conversation, abandoning his conversation with Yoongi. Namjoon was more important than making sure he got the lyrics right..

"I'll see how I feel after the first few songs.. I know I'll feel stronger with army cheering. Don't worry about it. I'm just overthinking.." Namjoon tries to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal.

"Alright, but if I tell you you have to rest then you have to listen. Okay?" Jin speaks in a serious tone, not dropping it until he sees Namjoon nod.

I have to try...

Namjoon bit the inside of his cheek when he feels another cramp in his stomach. "Can we go over Just one day one more time?"

Namjoon took the cocktail of vitamins to try to fight off the fatigue that made him feel dizzy.

"Here hyung.." Taehyung gives him a thermos. "To help wash it down."

"Thanks Tete.." Namjoon guessed correctly when he let the warm liquid touch his tongue. It was tea, mixed with ginseng and honey.

"No problem.. ah..hyungie, are you sure you're okay?" Taehyung asks voice thick with worry.

"I can do this. Don't worry. Just focus on the concert.." Namjoon ruffles Taehyung's hair.

"Hyung! She just did my hair.." Taehyung pouts, swatting his hand away.

"Oh, sorry.. I didn't think of that." Namjoon lies. He knew exactly what he was doing. Getting rid of Taehyung before he got a closer look at him.

"It's okay. I'll get it redone." Taehyung returns to the stylist, bowing in apology.

Namjoon goes to his makeup stylist. "I'm sorry..I tried helping by doing a basic layer.." he was safe as long as staff was working on getting him ready. He just needed to do his best to not stick out before sound check.

Soundcheck came, all seven boys going on stage together, starting with just singing spring day then dancing to Fire. Spring day went smoothly, but when it came to the next song, he found himself out of sync, when he dropped low he couldn't jump back up as quickly as the others and no matter what he did go try to fix it, all the jumps made his stomach hate him even more.

Namjoon knew the choreography perfectly. They've done it multiple times at many concerts, award shows, even just as a warm-up during practices, but he just couldn't concentrate. He picked up his mistake right away, guilt churning in his stomach as he tries to correct himself, but he couldn't get himself back on track. He lost the beat.

Sh*t..fu*k..!

He tried to follow the movements of the others, nearly missing his part to rap when he notices everyone move back.

Namjoon closed his eyes, focusing on only the music, ignoring everything else. The pain in his stomach, the throbbing headache, the chills that kept making him shiver. No..no..I can do this..

His mind and his body weren't in agreement. He ran into Jin when he was trying to switch positions, but both boys pretended nothing happened.

Namjoon felt tears swelling up, each wrong step weighing heavier than the last, making him feel worse. I can't do this...

Namjoon had to get off the stage, but in his feverish state he ends up going the wrong way, nearly stepping off the stage, army squealing to see him so close, some trying to grab him.

"No Namjoon-ah!" J-hope is the one to grab hold of him, pulling him by the back of his jacket.

"Hoseok-Ah, what's wrong?" Namjoon jumps when he feels J-hope grab the back of his jacket, noticing the end of the stage quickly backing up two steps. "Oh sh*t!"

"Namjoon-ah.." J-hope moves in front of Namjoon to look into his eyes, noticing they don't focus on him, looking glassy. "Joon, are you okay?"

Namjoon quickly looks away when he sees J-hope's panicked expression, but it is too late, he's already checking him over placing the back of his hand across his forehead.

"Namjoonie, your fevers returned.." J-hope states, sucking his breath through his teeth. "You're burning up with fever. "

"I'm fine." Namjoon pushes his hand away. "It's just the stage lights. It's hot here."

"Then why didn't you take off your jacket if it's so hot?" Yoongi was done with his excuses. Hw takes Namjoon's hand, pulling him backstage. "Hoba, please handle things up here.."

J-hope nods, going by Seokjin. "We aren't doing the small talk with army.

"Why? What's wrong?" Seokjin asks as soon as J-hope approaches when he notices Yoongi and Namjoon leaving the stage.

"Namjoon is still sick..Yoongi went to take care of him.." J-hope answers, bowing to army when he passes them.

Jin wanted to follow Yoongi but knew they couldn't just abruptly leave. They had to be professional. He gathers the remaining members to quickly say goodbye to the army, trying his best to hide the concern.

"Stay here for a bit, we'll handle things backstage.." j-hope orders the younger members.

"Love you army!" Jimin yells into the mic, giving a thumbs up to j-hope.

"Sorry..." Jungkook apologize into his.

Seokjin goes backstage to find Yoongi striping Namjoon out of the jean jacket he was wearing. "Yoongi, how is he?"

"Namjoonie is running a high fever.." Yoongi explains, taking a towel to wipe the sweat from Namjoon’s face. "I can't believe I didn't notice until now."

"It's not a big deal.." Namjoon says softly, not having the energy to fight off Yoongi removing his shoes and socks.

"Be quiet Namjoon-ah.. let me take care of you." Yoongi gently orders him. "Joon, did you bring any medicine with you?"

Namjoon nods, Seokjin quickly going to find where the young rapper put it. He finds the liquid medicine Namjoon shoved in his bag pouring some out for him to drink.

"Hyungie is still sick?" Jungkook runs towards them.

"Did you explain things to army?"

"I did my best without trying to worry them.."

"I tried too, but they see right through my lies."Taehyung bows his head in apology. "I'm sorry hyung.."

"It's fine Hyung. They'd find out sooner or later." Yoongi takes the medicine from Seokjin, tipping the cup to Namjoon's lips.

Namjoon tries to swallow, but it doesn't make it past his throat before his breakfast from this morning makes a reappearance, heaving loudly as the half digested rice sprays across the floor before anyone has time to react.

"Sh*t..Sh*t Joon.." Yoongi looks around with widened eyes for something for him to get sick in before the next retching comes.

J-hope feels nauseous when he hears it, backing up slowly. Namjoon feels his stomach knot up even more with guilt when he sees him fleeing, along with seeing the mess he's made, some of the white mush hitting Yoongi's shoes. "I..i..so..rrp-" He burps up more sick puffing up his cheeks, refusing to let more hit the already soiled floor.

Seokjin provides him with one placing it in front of Namjoon, gently rubbing his back. "It's okay baby, it's okay.. it's not your fault.."

Namjoon allows the sick to fill the bin, gripping the small bin, his knuckles turning white. His stomach churns again, pushing up watery liquid. "Hyung...it h..hurts.." he says in a breathy whimper as his body continues, heaving not allowing him any breaks to breathe.

"I know, Joonah, I know.. it'll be over soon.. just try to take deep breaths.. you're hyperventilating, sweetie.."

"I..i..I ca..." Namjoon coughs, gagging up nothing but foamy salvia.

"You need to try.." Yoongi gently urges him.

Namjoon takes a deep breath, whimpering when he feels the pain burning his sides.

"That's it, good, good..." Seokjin let's go of the breath didn't even realize he was holding when he hears Namjoon's retching dying down, leaving the rapper trembling and fighting to catch his breath.

Seokjin gently peels Namjoons fingers from the waste bin, gently pulling him back away from the mess. "Here Joon-ah..lay down baby.. it's okay.."

Seokjin places Namjoon's head in his lap, gently moving his plastered bangs from his forehead, gently rubbing his thumb across Namjoon’s temple"There is that any better?"

"I..I'm dizzy..an..and the f..floor is c.cold..Hyung.." Namjoon murmurs, clinging to Seokjin's waist. The oldest vocalist gets startled by his sudden affection.

"Oh Joon-ah, you're really not doing well.." Yoongi takes the towel to wipe the sweat off of Namjoon's skin.

"We need to get him to a hospital.." Seokjin motions for the staff who's been watching the scene, but Namjoon grabs his wrist.

"I'll..I'll be okay in a few minutes..no..no hospital..i have to perform.." Namjoon coughs, his throat still burning.

"Hyungie.. you can't.. you're sick.." Jungkook kneels down in front of him. "I know how hard it is to sit out, but you can't perform .."

"I won't m.mmess up th..this time.." Namjoon whimpers out the words.

"No one cares you messed up, baby. You just can't perform in this condition.." Seokjin tries to stroke his hair but Namjoon pushes his hand away.

Namjoon sits up, swaying into Seokjin. "I..I have to! We've all been practicing for months, we've been getting army ex..exci..ted.. I..I can't d..disappoi.." His voice breaks off in a sob when his stomach turns into a ball of anxiety, clutching his stomach.

Jungkook hugs onto his ailing hyung. "Don't cry it's okay..it's..we understand, and so does army. You can't help it if you're sick.." he strokes Namjoon's back, feeling the heat radiating off of him. "You're gonna make yourself worse..pleaSe..?" The last word cracks as he breaks into a sob.

"Kook-ah don't.." Namjoon whispers.

Don't cry because of me..I've already ruined enough.. you still have to sing tonight..

"Hyungie I'm..I'm sorry.." Jungkook lip quivers, voice coming out as a shaky whimper when he feels Namjoon growing heavier in his arms the shivering worsening. "Namjoon-ah!"

"I..I'm..I'm okay..ju..jus..dizty..." Namjoon's words come out slurred, pressing his forehead into his shoulder.

"We need to cool him down.. could I have an ice pack?" Seokjin asks staff, already having some on hand. "Thank you.." he bows his head as he take one, placing it on the nape of Namjoon's neck after wrapping it in a towel.

"That's cold..!" Namjoon whines, clinging closer to the warm mankae.

"It's okay Hyung...I got you.." Jungkook rubs Namjoon’s shoulders, trying to ease some of the tension out wanting to do something to help. "You gotta rel..relax a little okay..?" His voice trembled with the tears that could not control.

Namjoon takes a few deep breaths, enduring the cold. I gotta..or I can't perform..

Jungkook sniffles, wiping his nose, feeling his heart and getting lighter when Namjoon stops leaning on him so heavily, the shivers becoming less violent. "I..I think it's working..'

"Sorry Jungkook-ah.." Namjoon murmurs an apology. "I..I'm good now.."

"Don't be sorry Hyungie.. it's okay. Lean on me as much as you want.."

Namjoon shakes his head. "No.. no..I'm being..a big baby..not your hyung.. You guys are right..I can't do this.."

Jungkook feels the tension in his body loosen when he hears Namjoon sounding more like himself. "It's okay.."

"Hyung...hyung listen!" Taehyung blurts out everyone getting quiet to listen.

"Kim Namjoon..It's okay!" The stadium were all cheering over and over.

Namjoon smiles softly. "Seems you're right Koo.."

#bts #bts boys #bts sickfic #bts fanfic #bts sickie #bts taehyung #bts jungkook #bts namjoon #bts jhope #bts jimin #bts yoongi #sick!fic #sick!namjoon

[kloppool]

analysis of liverpool's szn at the halfway point

i think the most apparent reason for our resurgence this szn is our midfield rebuild. i won't go too in-depth about our issues last year (cause we all literally lived it) but our midfield was old, injury-prone and just could not do its job. the thing that makes liverpool different is that our attacking facilitators are our fullbacks, so the midfield is expected to do more defensively. that was not happening last season, which left our defense exposed. this year, our brand-new midfield has looked amazing. despite a rough few games, domi has been one of the best signings, covers an incredible amount of ground a game, and can score some absolute bangers. macca has been played out of position so far, but has still been great. however, i think endo has been the best of the bunch, which might be a little controversial, but considering what the expectations of many were vs what he has delieved, i think the thing i love the most about endo is his attitude. even if he makes a mistake, he puts in double the effort to make up for it.

similar to our midfield, our defense is very much having a comeback season. as i touched on in the previous paragraph, the midfield left our defense very exposed last season. this was especially an issue at the fullback position because while taa and robbo are crazy talented, they sometimes leave a lot to be desired in the defensive area. our center back situation was also not great.

while the midfield being loads better certainly helps our defense, i also think that every single one of them is miles better then last year. virg is having a proper renaissance and looks back to his best. joel was phenomenal, ibou is hitting his stride and jarell is our best academy player since trent.

trent's position switch has maybe been the most interesting thing taticallly so far imo. by allowing him to play as an inverted fullback, trent gets to make full use of one some of his best skills- his passing and vision. he's directly gotten us 4 points this season through goals and his defending has improved

to put in perspective how good our defense has been our goals conceded per match is 0.84 so far

the funny thing about our attack this year is that normally it's the area we have the least concern with. for years, liverpool was defined by it's incredible attacking football and lack of defense soundness, which lead to (what felt like) constant 4-3s.....just look at 2017/2018.

so far liverpool have scored 39 goals, only behind city (43) and aston villa (40)

however, the problem is that liverpool are wasteful and not finishing enough chances. mo salah has 12 goals and 7 assists in having played 19 matches

the issue (so far) is that there is no other consistent goalscorer. while darwin has certainly been much better this season, he still misses a lot. if he can improve his finishing, i gen believe he could be fernando torres-esque. if not, we need to a. find someone to consistently score goals and b. allow him the freedom to do what he does best: which rn, is to cause chaos. i can see darwin taking up a bobby type role here and being a facilitator for mo and another strike partner

diogo is, after mo, our best attacker. he is so clinical it's not even funny. cody's movement and energy are fantastic, but his finishing needs to improve. luis diaz has been great at times, but has struggled lately and i think a little time off to reset after everything he's been through this season would be great

summary: our midfield and defense have improved massively thanks to new signings and players rediscovering their best selves. our attack creates great chances, but overall struggles to finish consistently. but, overall, i'm impressed. we've lost a lot of crucial players over the past 2 years, mainly in the midfield and attack (literally all of our midfielders left) and to be in a title race this season is truly impressive.

have not spoken of klopp yet, but he is as animated as ever and his ability to reinvent this team and reenergize them is truly special. i know he's "the normal one" but what he does is the exact opposite.

if you read this whole thing thank you so much.....also you might be a little crazy

#lfc #liverpool fc #liverpool #carrie speaks tactics

[jinxquickfoot]

@badthingshappenbingo prompt: Kidnapping

Find the fic on Ao3

Every day of the Louisiana summer has been perfect.

Bucky sits out on the boat, feeling the gentle bob of the serene ocean, the slightest tap tap tap as it knocks against the dock. He comes out here for the missions; he stays for these still moments.

The world is different. Everyone had reacted to the Blip ending in different ways, all of them messy. He splits his time now between missions with Sam and visiting Clint either in New York or at his farmhouse. He’s kept his apartment – no need for the US government to wonder why the former Winter Soldier no longer sees the need for a home address – but all it’s good for is gathering dust. He no longer spends his nights on the floor. Instead, he wakes up next to Clint or on Sam’s couch. And every time he does so, he gets a little closer to hoping the other shoe isn’t going to drop. That this is it – he finally gets peace.

He slips back to Sam’s house, giving himself enough time to pick up dessert for the party on the way. “Uncle’s Day is a made-up holiday,” he’d protested the first time Sam had mentioned it.

“Every holiday is a made-up holiday,” Sam had retorted. “Go on, argue that logic, let’s see what that cyborg brain comes up with.”

And as Bucky hadn’t found a comeback, he’d been roped into joining the celebrations.

Clint has flown out to join them, bringing his own niece and nephews for good measure. “Made-up holiday,” Bucky asserts as he greets Clint at the Wilsons’ front door, giving his boyfriend a kiss on the cheek.

“Who cares,” Clint replies. “It’s an excuse for cake.”

They retreat inside when the sun goes down and the air cools, the kids’ energy finally starting to abate as the day grows late.

“Okay, photo time before you all start dropping like flies. Uncles in the middle.” Sarah shuffles Sam and Clint into place as the five kids crowd around them. “You too, Bucky.”

Bucky stills, confused. “What? You said uncles.”

“Exactly.” Sarah places a firm hand on the small of his back, propelling him forward. “We've got three uncles in this room, and there are going to be three uncles in this picture.”

“I don’t–”

Sarah places a hand on her hip. “You arguing with me, Barnes?”

“Of course he’s not,” Sam chimes in. “Even the walking staring problem isn’t that stupid.”

Bucky glowers at him, about to protest further, when Clint holds out his hand. “Kids, do you want Uncle Bucky to be in the picture?”

The resounding chorus of yes is impossible to refuse.

Waking up in chains is never a good sign.

Bucky forces his eyes open, willing himself to focus despite the pounding in his head. It doesn’t work, the gray world around him continuing to swim. Drugged, then. Not a lot of chemical combinations out there that can do that. Not many people who have access to them, either. But not many isn’t zero. The kind of person who can kidnap the Winter Soldier isn’t the kind he wants with a drug that can knock him unconscious long enough to drag him to an empty warehouse.

The ache in his back registers next. He’s standing—always a disorientating position to regain consciousness in—but when he moves his hands, they move. No restraints around his wrists. Instead, something thick and cold is wedged under his armpits like a metal harness, forcing him upright. That cold is around his ankles, too. He drops his head, blinking at what looks like metal boots surrounding both feet. He tries to shift them. No dice. He’s bolted to the ground, unable to so much as wiggle his toes.

“Yeah, someone took the concept of steeltoe boots a little far.”

Bucky stiffens, heart pounding even before he lifts his head to get a better look at what’s surrounding him. Or rather, who’s surrounding him. He twists his head towards the source of the voice, stomach sinking through the floor when he sees Sam a dozen feet away from him, lashed head-to-toe to a metal chair with chains that look strong enough to tow a ship. Sam sees where he’s looking, and shrugs as much as he can. “They know I didn’t inherit Cap’s muscles along with the shield, right?”

“At least you get to sit down,” Bucky shoots back, straining in the odd harness. It’s restricting enough that he can’t maneuver the metal arm anywhere but up, and he certainly can’t reach the harness itself. “What did you do this time?”

Sam makes an insulted sound. “Why would someone target me? I’m irresistibly likable.”

“Debatable.” Bucky switches from struggling to straining, leaning forward into the immovable harness as though he can flex the restraints open. He’s actually managed that trick once or twice, before HYDRA figured out just how strong their pet super-soldier could be. “Do you remember anything?”

“I’m guessing you don’t mean who won the game last night.” Sam’s testing his own restraints, trying to shimmy under the chains wrapped around his chest. He’s having about as much success as Bucky.

“Why would I mean a baseball game?”

“Just trying to lighten the mood, man, come on.” Sam gives his struggles a rest, taking in the rest of the warehouse instead. Bucky follows suit, heart sinking as he sees the reinforced metal grates over windows and the singular, heavy, undoubtedly locked door. “Ah, shit. That can’t be good.”

Bucky’s halfway to a quip about none of this situation could be defined as good, Sam, but the words die on his lips as he follows Sam’s gaze upwards. There, dangling from a chain several feet above Sam’s head, is a concrete block the size of a minivan. Bucky’s gaze tracks to the right, where a twin slab of concrete dangles above a single metal square, exactly the same as the one under Sam’s chair.

“Oh, this is some Jigsaw bullshit,” Sam mutters. He tests the chair, this time looking as though he’s trying to rock it from side to side. It doesn’t even quiver. He’s bolted down, right under a block that’s going to turn him into pulp if it falls. Or if someone decides to drop it. “Why the hell are there two of those things?”

Bucky goes to snap back that he has every piece of information Sam has, when there’s a click and a bang from behind him. Huh. Maybe there are two doors in here. Might be something, if he can figure out how to move his feet off the floor.

Sam cranes his head to see around Bucky, expression transforming from wary to concerned. He darts his eyes from Bucky, to the concrete blocks, to whatever is being dragged into the room out of Bucky’s eyeline, seeming to put together a puzzle with a less than desirable outcome. Five seconds later, the sounds of a chair being scraped along the floor finally move from behind Bucky to in front, and Bucky’s trepidation triples as he sees a bound and unconscious Clint being hauled into the warehouse.

Bucky swallows past the sudden knot in his windpipe. He and Sam being kidnapped as a pair, fine, there are a dozen or so reasons for that to happen. Someone going after his best friend and his boyfriend? One answer was more plausible than the rest. “You have a problem with me, it’s with me,” he calls over to the person dragging Clint. “Leave them out of it.”

The man—and it is just a man, the guy looks like he could be cleaning up on aisle nine at Walmart—doesn’t pause in his trajectory. The metal chair continues its screaming, scraping sound against the warehouse floor, Clint’s chin lolling horribly against his chest. The guy has to be strong as hell, to drag an unconscious archer wrapped in several feet of chain the distance to, Bucky notes with dread but not surprise, to the metal platform right under the second concrete block.

There’s a rattle of metal as Sam shifts in his restraints, and Bucky marvels a little as he sees Sam don the Captain America mantle in real time. “Whatever you want, this isn’t the way to get it.”

His voice is clear and strong, even a little empathetic. Sam’s good at talking the bad guys down, at finding the solution where nobody gets hurt. Even so, Bucky hasn’t been naive enough since the forties to believe Sam can pull that off today. Someone willing to go to the lengths of kidnapping three Avengers in such an elaborate way isn’t going to stand down just because Captain America pulls out a pretty please.

The man gives as much attention to Sam’s words as he had Bucky’s. Instead, he lets the chair drop fully into the metal platform, and Bucky flinches as he hears four magnetic locks click into place. Then the man brings slams his fist into Clint’s face.

“Hey!” Bucky lunges forward in his harness, hands grabbing at the air. “Don’t you dare touch him.”

The threat is met by a low groan, Clint’s eyelids fluttering as he comes to. Their kidnapper steps away, eyeing him surgically as Clint slowly regains awareness. Bucky makes the most of the new angle to better examine the guy’s face, to see if the mess of shaggy brown hair and scraggly beard is familiar. No memories surface. 

Clint sees Bucky first, eyes going wide as he sees the restraints, before he notices Sam. His eyes travel to the concrete block dangling over Sam’s chair, before craning his neck up to see the one above his. “Ah, crap. This was supposed to be my day off.”

“Maybe we should have chosen jobs with paid vacation days,” Sam calls back. “Sarah’s at home with her feet up sipping iced tea right now.”

Their kidnapper pays exactly no heed to their banter. He steps into the middle of the room, until Sam and Clint are equal distance away from him, and he’s staring right at Bucky with red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes. “Winter Soldier. I want to play a game.”

“Oh, so the guy actually thinks he’s Jigsaw,” Sam grumbles. “That’s just great. Why don’t we ever get the normal villains?”

Clint’s making his way through the customary restraint checks both Bucky and Sam have already tried, searching for weaknesses. “Try fighting a gang of Russian mafia in matching tracksuits, then you can complain about weird bad guys.”

A line appears in their kidnapper’s brow, as though he hadn’t expected this much talking. Figures. With the time and effort it must have taken to set this up, the guy’s probably been preparing his big speech for months.

Bucky beats him to it. “I’m not the Winter Soldier.” He keeps his voice soft. Or, he tries for soft. He thinks he at least lands close to it. “The Winter Soldier worked for HYDRA, and HYDRA’s gone. I don’t work for anybody.”

“Except for when Sarah ropes you into making family dinner,” Sam offers, and this isn’t idle chit-chat to cover up their nerves, not anymore. He’s humanizing Bucky. Damn, Sam really is good at what he does. Maybe after they get out of here and down half the local Delacroix bar, Bucky might actually feel up to telling him that. “The boys make less mess than you do, Uncle Bucky.”

He’s laying it on a little thick, but Clint’s caught onto what Sam’s trying to do and joins in. “When I asked you to take me to more places, babe, this isn’t what I meant. Maybe that place that does the fish next time?”

Bucky doesn’t want to do this. He doesn’t want to put on a cheery front to try and save his loved ones’ lives. He doesn’t even particularly want this guy to step a few paces closer so he can get his hands around his throat. He just wants someone else to handle this. He wants the backup to burst through the door and rescue them, so they can go throw the shield around in Sam’s backyard and sip beers by the lake. He doesn’t want to do this anymore.

But no backup miraculously appears, so he pushes away the thoughts of the sunny Louisiana day they’re supposed to be having and gets with the program. “What would be the point? You hate fish.”

Clint shrugs as much as he can in the chains. “They do burgers.”

Sam whistles. “I could so go for a burger right now. Southern fried chicken. With jalapeños. And chili-mayo.”

“Stop!” The kidnapper pulls in a few short, sharp breaths, getting himself back on script. “Winter Soldier. I want to play a game.”

Bucky takes the guy in properly for the first time. He’s older than Bucky had first guessed, maybe in his early fifties. Arms with the sinewy muscle of a gymnast rather than a weightlifter. Mousy hair with a cheap barber’s cut. Clothes so worn they’re unraveling at the seams. He’s unshaven, unkept and, judging by the smell, unwashed. This isn’t a man with anything left to lose.

The man jerks his arm forward, pointing at Bucky in a motion so practiced and theatrical that he would have laughed if his ears weren’t filled with the sounds of Sam and Clint struggling in their restraints, trying to free themselves before whatever storm is coming hits.

“Twenty-eight years ago,” the man’s voice cracks on the words, and he has to swallow, clearly annoyed at himself, before he restarts. “Twenty-eight years ago, my family and I were vacationing in the Bahamas. Me, my fiancée, my brother, my parents.”

He starts to reach into his back pocket, and Bucky startles out of instinct. But it’s not a gun he withdraws. It’s a crude remote. “She was my fiancée for all of a day,” the man continues, and Bucky’s heart sinks. He’s already figured out this was revenge. But revenge for a loved one’s death… very hard to talk someone off that ledge. Bucky found that out in Siberia. “I had just proposed. We were celebrating in the resort’s rooftop restaurant.”

Bucky frantically casts his mind back to what the hell he was doing in the Bahamas in the nineties. He has a vague recollection of a high-profile target that had to be eliminated at all costs and a tiny window in which to eliminate him. A mission he’d been ordered to complete by any means necessary.

“I remember.” The words are a croak. “I remember what happened there.” 

Something like unease flashes across the man’s face, as though he’d expected Bucky to deny it. Or maybe he really had expected the Winter Soldier: a dangerous weapon to be dismantled. Bucky knows he’s not the Winter Soldier anymore. On his worse days, he’s not so sure about the second part.

“You bombed the restaurant,” the man announces, and Bucky feels sick when he sees both Sam and Clint freeze at the words. They both know far too many details of his past already, even though Sam has shown him nothing but compassion, Clint complete empathy and understanding. He doesn’t deserve them.

“Whoever I hurt, I’m sorry. But hurting more people isn’t going to bring them back.”

“Hurt?” A glint appears in the man’s eyes, bright and dangerous. “My parents were killed instantly. They were the lucky ones. Do you remember what happened next?”

Yes. He’d run. Left the crime scene before he could get caught.

But apparently the question’s rhetorical. “The blast split the building in two,” the man whispers, his face haunted. Twenty-eight years. He’s lived with this for nearly three decades. “My parents fell right into the giant hole you made. No chance of grabbing them. They died screaming.”

“It was HYDRA,” Bucky tries, but the man doesn’t so much as pause in his story.

“I was thrown backward, away from the hole. And when I looked back, I saw my fiancée on one side. My brother on the other. Both of them barely hanging on. I didn’t have time to get to them both.” And he presses one of the buttons on the remote.

Bucky braces himself, but all that happens is that two chains tumble from the ceiling, stopping vertically within his reach. He follows the lengths of the chains up and up and up towards the ceiling, and realizes with sickening horror that they’re connected on a pulley system to the two concrete blocks.

“I had to make a choice,” the man states, the words well-worn with practice. “But I was too slow. I couldn’t choose, and so I lost them both.”

“That sounds devastating.” Sam’s voice echoes across the warehouse, far too calm for the situation. “Really, man, I can’t imagine. And I know you want someone to blame. But the people who killed your family are long gone, I’m sorry.”

The man turns on him, and Bucky takes the opportunity to check on Clint. He appears relaxed enough in the chair, but Bucky can see him trying out every SHIELD trick in his arsenal to try and escape the chains. It doesn’t look as though he’s made one iota of progress.

“The person who did this is right here!” The kidnapper blinks at Sam a few times, distressed, before whirling back on Bucky. “You’re going to make a choice today. You’re going to know how it feels.”

“Don’t.” Bucky pulls at the harness for the umpteenth time. “Listen, I’m sorry. But it’s not their fault. Let them go.”

The man just raises the remote again. “Make a choice,” he whispers, and pushes the second button.

Bucky doesn’t think he’s ever moved as fast in his life as when he reaches out to grab the two chains: one in his metal hand, one in his human one. He holds on for dear life— two dear lives, as dear to him as breathing—as the pulley systems keeping the concrete blocks in the air unlock.

He feels something in his right shoulder tear as he takes the full weight of both concrete slabs. A yell is ripped from his throat, fire exploding up the torn muscle, but he doesn’t let go. He can’t let go.

“You understand now.” The man nods, satisfied. “You will not be able to hold up both blocks forever.” He takes in Bucky’s metal arm. “You will be able to hold the one up on the left for longer, I imagine. And when your right arm inevitably gives out, you will have the choice. Do you keep holding up the weight over your friend, and let the man you love die? Or do you grab onto the other chain instead, and lose your friend?”

He takes a step closer, well within grabbing range now, if Bucky’s arms weren’t a little occupied at the moment. “Or do you wait until you’re completely exhausted, unable to choose, until your body gives out altogether and you lose them both?”

“Please.” That torn muscle splits a millimeter further. Bucky doesn’t care. He’ll happily tear every tendon in his body before he lets Clint get hurt. “It wasn’t their fault.”

“And it wasn’t my family’s either,” the man hisses at him. “They were innocent. I was innocent!”

“I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t have a choice.”

The man steps away, taking in his trap one more time before he nods, satisfied, and heads for the door. “You have a choice now.”

Bucky’s vaguely aware of Sam saying something else, trying to reason with him, but all he can take in is the sound of retreating footsteps, followed by the door out of his eyeline being locked.

“Worth a try,” Sam mutters, sending a wary look at the block set to crush him. “Alright. I guess we brainstorm. Any way out of these chairs?”

“If there was one, I would have found it,” Clint replies, but his concerned eyes are on Bucky. “They’re magnetized to the floor and the chains are locked the same way. Nothing to pick even if I had something to pick locks with.”

“Bucky?” Sam calls over. “Any more luck on your end?”

“Little busy,” Bucky gripes back. He’s somewhat adjusted to the weights now. His stupid super-soldier body is used to adapting quickly to new kinds of stress. It’s the one thing he can actually be grateful to HYDRA for. He presses against the metal harness, the encasing boots. “Even if I could get out, I can’t move, unless you want me to let go of these chains.”

“Yeah, let’s not do that,” Sam agrees, brow furrowed as he thinks.

“He didn’t take my hearing aid,” Clint points out. “There’s a tracker in it that Kate has access to.”

Bucky takes a few slow breaths. The calmer he stays, the longer he’s going to be able to hold up the blocks. “Same with the arm. Rhodes has access to it in an emergency. Think this counts. Except they don’t know an emergency is happening.”

“Kate’s pretty quick to jump the gun when I go missing,” Clint offers.

“And the United States Air Force isn’t a fan when I go off the grid,” Bucky points out.

Sam huffs at that. “Also, you know, Rhodey is our friend and he cares about us.” Sam casts a nervous look upwards again. “So, someone will come. Just hold on until then, Buck.”

“Gee, thanks Sam, wasn’t sure what I was going to do, how nice of you to explain that I have to hold on.”

“And I thought me and Bucky were supposed to be the bickering old couple,” Clint mutters, even as he glances upwards himself. “Holding on though… good idea.”

“I’m not letting go.” Already, pain is mounting in his shoulder blades, and it’s far worse in his right than his left. He ignores it. Even though the multiverse theory has been proven true, there’s no reality where he drops a slab of concrete on Clint.

Even if that means letting go of the one over Sam? a nasty voice says in his head.

Bucky pushes it away. Neither of them are dying. The guy who set this up was prepared, sure, but there’s no way he knows just how far HYDRA pushed Bucky’s body. He knows what the Winter Soldier can do. And he knows he can keep both concrete blocks in the air until rescue comes. He’s not making that choice today. He’s not making that choice ever.

“Bucky,” Clint’s voice interrupts his thoughts, his tone strong and sure. “You have this.”

“I have this,” Bucky repeats. “I won’t let go.”

“That’s the spirit,” Sam chimes in. “Want us to distract you?”

Bucky frantically nods his head.

“You actually asking me to speak nonstop, Barnes?”

Bucky huffs. “I take it back.”

“No, you don’t. You love my dulcet tones. Did I ever tell you about the time Sarah and I tried to break into the mall after hours?”

Sam launches into a story that Bucky is sure is mostly exaggerated, but he doesn’t waste the energy calling him out on it. When he reaches an ending that somehow includes no less than three motorized scooters and a priceless Ellen Ripley action figure, Clint takes over with a tale from his SHIELD days about spiked punch and a more than tipsy Fury. Bucky tries to actually listen to that one—it’s rare he can get Clint to talk about SHIELD at all, it reminds him too much of Natasha—but soon the ache in both shoulders is too prevalent to focus on individual words. He tunes into the sounds of their voices instead as they switch back and forth, trying to keep him distracted, trying to keep him thinking about anything except letting go of chains.

It works well enough until the stories become more up-to-date, and they start to talk about the kids. The time Sam had caught AJ and Cass trying to surprise them with dinner and nearly setting the kitchen on fire. How Lila’s first word had been No, repeated often and with ultimate authority. The play all five of them had put on for them last Christmas—

“Stop.” The word comes out a strangled gasp. His left arm is holding up okay, except for the tug of metal on skin. Shuri had designed it to be as comfortable as possible, but even the smartest person in Wakanda couldn’t have dreamed up that the arm would be used for this. The arm could probably hold the weight of the concrete block indefinitely—Bucky’s just not certain his shoulder blade is going to hold up nearly as well.

And none of that is even really an issue, because his right arm is going to give first. He swears he can feel the tear in the damaged muscle splitting further and further with every passing minute, like a zip slowly being undone. He’s going to let go of that chain first, and the block over Clint will fall unless he uses his metal arm to catch it, and Sam dies instead.

Make a choice.

No, no, it’s not going to get that far. But he’s not going to last by picturing which set of kids might lose an uncle today.

“Bucky—” Sam starts, all sympathy and understanding and no, nope, that’s not helping. Because this trap wasn’t designed for Bucky Barnes, and Bucky Barnes isn’t going to be the one to get them out of it.

“You have to push me.” So far Bucky has been staring at the floor, letting their voices wash over him, but now he raises his head. He doesn’t bother looking at Sam, not for this. He turns straight to Clint, whose expression is already a grim mask of understanding. Clint’s going to hate this, but he’ll understand why it’s necessary. Sam somehow manages to always find the best in Bucky, but Clint understands the darkest parts of him. Bucky needs the latter right now.

“When I was the Soldier…” Bucky breaks off with a wince as a particularly nasty twang goes through his right shoulder blade. He forces the pain down. His arm could rip in two and it still wouldn’t be as painful as what’s going to happen if he lets go.

“When I was the Soldier,” he starts again. “I took much worse than this.” He meets Clint’s gaze, willing him to understand. “I had to. There was no choice.”

“Christ,” Sam mutters, but Bucky tunes him out.

“When I had a mission, my handlers pushed me until I achieved it. And when I failed, the punishment was always the worse than whatever pain I would have suffered by just pushing through.” Not unlike now. Every time he thinks he’s finally going to let the past lie in peace, someone wakes it right back up again. “So push me.”

Clint looks a little like he’s going to be sick, but he nods. “Alright.” He sends a quick look Sam’s way, as though reminding himself what’s at stake if he doesn’t do this, and then nods a second time. “Ah, futz. Alright. Let’s go. Soldier—”

“Russian,” Bucky corrects him around short, sharp breaths. “More effective… Russian.”

A string of muttered curses, then— “Soldat.”

Bucky hates that, even after all these years, even after all his recovery in Wakanda, even after all the time spent with people he loves, that one word snaps him right to attention. An odd calm spreads through his chest, grounding him, as he waits for instructions.

Clint—not Clint, he can’t think about Clint, this is his handler now—continues in Russian. “Your mission is to keep holding those chains, Soldat. If you let go, you will be punished.”

It’s not a struggle to recall all the possible outcomes of that threat. His handlers had swapped and changed regularly throughout the years, some more creative than others. They’d initially used the Chair, until they realized that labeling it as punishment was messing with the Soldier's programming. The Chair was rebranded as a gift, a reward, and other penalties were invented.

A particularly memorable punishment had been enacted after Bucky had collapsed somewhere in the icy outback of Siberia. “You are the Soldier,” his handler had scolded him. “The Fist of HYDRA. You endure or you are worthless.” That handler kept Bucky on the balls of his feet for days, lest he impale his heels on two razor-sharp spikes covered in chili oil.

“You are made to endure,” Clint’s—his handler’s—voice echoes across the warehouse, and a distant part of Bucky wonders if he’s remembering the same story. Or maybe he’s thinking of the half dozen others Bucky had confessed to him over the years. That there was a version of the Soldier’s mask that placed a razor right over his tongue to teach him to complete missions in total silence. That one set of handlers had worked out that if they pulled his teeth out but left them in the gums, the serum would heal them within the hour, meaning they could repeat the activity endlessly without permanently damaging their weapon.

All of that was worse than a little ache in his arms, and he’d endured it. He’s the Soldier. He is amde for this.

He takes several slow, deep breaths, latching onto the voice that’s telling him this is his mission, this is what he is built for, that failure will come with extreme punishment. He’s been here before. This is familiar. And he has always survived, no matter the cost. Even when the cost had been unimaginably high.

I’m not sure I’m worth all this, Steve.

The remembered words break the fantasy Clint’s words are painting around him. After years of convincing himself the mission was the only thing that mattered, a familiar face from his past had blown that reality to smithereens. Steve had been so sure Bucky was worth saving. Sure enough that his actions had sent Sam and Clint to the Raft. Sure enough to destroy his relationship with Stark and leave the Avengers scattered when Thanos attacked. Sure enough to go back into the past, convinced that Bucky was in safe hands and that the Soldier was gone for good.

And Steve had been wrong. Because he’s here, with more people the Soldier has put in danger. He’s a weapon. He endures. And people die because of it.

“Okay, okay, stop!”

A familiar voice cuts through his thoughts. That voice doesn’t belong here, not with the Soldier, and Bucky feels his constructed fantasy splitting open just like his shoulder muscles are.

The Russian monologue hesitates.

“No.” Bucky’s eyes fly open, and suddenly he’s back in the present, and also fully aware of the increasing fatigue in his body. “Wait, don’t stop, I need—”

“It’s not working." Sam’s voice leaves no room for argument.

“I…” Bucky’s voice trails off as he stares at Clint, willing him to keep going.

But Clint shakes his head. When he speaks, his words are English, his tone soft, his voice his again. “Sam's right. It was making you spiral. That’s not helpful.”

Bucky’s right arm has started to shake. “I can’t—” He cuts himself off before the words hold on can be added to that sentence. He has no choice. He has to endure. He’s been through worse pain, he can do this.

“That’s okay.”

Bucky blinks, sure he’s misread Sam’s words. He looks over to his friend, who is eyeing him with a kind of grim calm.

“This isn’t your fault,” Sam continues, in that same awful, measured tone.

Bucky swallows around a lump in his throat. “I killed that guy’s family.”

“That was HYDRA,” Clint reminds him. “You had no choice. Like I had no choice with Loki. We’ve talked about this.”

They have, multiple times. Whenever Bucky starts to backslide into self-hate and blame, Clint reminds him of a certain God of Mischief that had visited New York. If Bucky can’t blame Clint for his actions under Loki’s control, he’s not allowed to blame himself for anything he did under HYDRA’s.

“This isn’t your fault,” Sam insists. “You shouldn’t have to make this choice.”

With a sudden bolt of dread, Bucky realizes where he’s going. “No. You’re both getting out of this. I can do this.”

Even as he says the words, the chain in his right hand slips.

There’s a single terrifying, horrifying moment as the block over Clint starts to fall. Bucky lunges forward as far as he can, yelling as the friction in the chain burns his palm, tightening his human fist in a vice. The yank of the chain as he catches it pulls at his already damaged shoulder, and he shrieks as he feels the snap of his tendons.

There are several seconds where all he can see is white, where all he can hear is the blood rushing in his ears. He blinks it away, fighting through the fresh bout of pain. The first thing he sees when his vision is returned to him is the now slightly lower block over Clint’s head. Bucky almost failed. He almost—

“Good catch.” Clint seems to be getting his breath back himself, only for his eyes to go wide as he stares at Bucky’s hand—at the blood now dripping down the length of metal. His palm is cut. His grip is weakened. And now there’s liquid to make his hold slippery.

Bucky wastes all of half a second wondering if he can slowly lower the concrete blocks instead of dropping them from the warehouse ceiling before he dismisses it. All that would result in would be slowly crushing them to death.

“Thanks for proving my point,” Sam says drily.

Bucky clings onto the chain even tighter, ignoring the sting of cold metal in an open wound. “I’m not dropping them. You’re both getting out of this.”

“Buck,” Sam says softly, and Bucky kind of wants to punch him for how gentle he’s being. “When Steve gave me the shield, he gave me all his responsibilities, whether I asked for them or not. Protect the planet, stand up for what’s right, all that jazz, but one thing Captain America has always been known for is looking out for his team.”

“Sam,” Clint starts in warning, but Sam’s not deterred.

“Like I said, this doesn’t have to be your choice,” Sam continues. “I’m the captain of this team. That makes you both my responsibility, and that makes this my call. And my call is, when it gets too much, you’re going to use that freaky metal arm of yours to get you and Clint out of here.”

Clint yanks on the chains, clearly not having it. “Or, counterpoint—Steve gave you the shield because he knows the world needs Captain America. Besides, I don’t think I could…” He swallows, turning to Bucky. “After Pietro and Natasha, I can’t be the one who survives this a third time, Bucky. I can’t. Save Sam.”

Sam exhales. “That is so manipulative, Barton.”

“Whatever gets the job done.”

“Yeah? You want to get manipulative?” Sam meets him with a look. “You said Kate is likely going to track your hearing aid out here at some point. Which means she’ll be the one to find you all over the floor. You really want to put that on her?”

“Stop,” Bucky groans, trying to push away that particular horrible visual. “Not… not choosing. Can’t.”

It’s getting harder and harder to hold onto the chain in his right hand.

“Use the handler voice again,” he asks. Pleads, maybe. “It was working, I swear. Just go harder.”

Clint glances at the makeshift executioner’s tool waiting above his head. “I’m not a huge fan of my last words being I’m going to punish you for something that isn’t your fault.”

Bucky’s heart sinks through the floor. “It is,” he croaks. “He did this to hurt me. For what I did.”

“That was HYDRA—” Clint starts, but Bucky shakes his head.

“They didn’t tell me how I had to do it,” he whispers. “I just had to take out the target. It didn’t matter how. I thought it was just him and his colleagues in the restaurant. I didn’t know… I didn’t know.”

“We know you didn’t,” Sam says. “We know, Buck. The guy who grabbed us has been grieving for years and clearly not dealing with it. He’s projecting. That doesn’t make this your fault.”

“Stop. Stop, Sam, I just… talk to me like the Soldier again, that was helping, that was…”

“No, it wasn’t,” Clint interrupts him. He’s looking at Sam, some unspoken conversation passing between them. “And us trying to convince you who to let die isn’t helping either.”

“No shit,” Bucky gasps. His left shoulder blade is almost numb, which would be a relief except it’s making the pain in his right one ten times more intense. He can’t keep holding onto both chains for much longer. But he has to. But he can’t.

Whatever silent exchange Sam and Clint are having seems to come to a conclusion. Bucky braces himself—if they’ve somehow decided which out of the two of them should die, as if Bucky could live without either of them, he’s going to… well, not kill them. Would kind of defeat the point of trying to beat the kidnapper’s trap. Stern words, maybe, when he finally catches his breath.

Sam speaks first. “You’re not going to win this because you’re the Soldier, Bucky.”

Bucky huffs at him. “I am going to win. I am.”

“I know,” Sam continues. “But you’re going to do it because you’re Bucky, and because you love us.”

“I…” Bucky’s brain tries to cling to the soldier mindset of endure to complete the mission, but it just short circuits.

“What he said,” Clint adds. “This guy wants to punish the Soldier, but the Soldier’s not here. He never has been, Bucky. It’s just you.”

Bucky’s right arm is practically vibrating with the strain of not letting the chain go. “Neither of you are dying.”

“That’s right,” Sam encourages him. “Because you want us around. Bet that’s not something you thought you’d ever admit to.”

If Bucky could speak in full sentences, he’d ramble something about not a want. He needs them like he needs air. Both of them. 

“Every other romantic partner I’ve had has been a total car crash,” Clint says softly. “And then you came. You’re the safest person I’ve ever dated.”

The words make Bucky’s eyes burn. Safe. He hasn’t had anyone refer to him as safe since the forties. “I’m… not.”

“Of course you are,” Sam says. “You think I’d let you around Sarah and the boys if I didn’t think you were a safe person, Buck? And more than safe, you’re good for them. You’re a pain in my ass but there’s no denying that Delacroix doesn’t quite feel right unless you’re around.”

“Same with the farmhouse,” Clint says, and every word is sincere. “Those kids love you so much.”

“No, don’t talk about the kids, I said—”

“We’re going to talk about them,” Sam cuts him off. “Because you’re not taking either me or Clint away. You’re going to get us home to them. You’re going to get yourself home to them. You can do this.”

“You can do this,” Clint repeats. “We love you, Bucky, okay? So much. I don’t, um… don’t say that to a lot of people. But I’ll always say it to you, as much as you need to hear it.”

“Same, man,” Sam takes over again. “Why do you think I blew up your phone for months even when you were too stubborn to respond? You’re stuck with me. One guy with a grudge against the wrong man isn’t changing that.”

They go on and on, the same sentiments repeated over and over again. Hold on. You can do this. We love you. Their words caress him like a cape, settling on his aching shoulders, and he draws every ounce of strength he can from them. No one ever loved the Soldier. He was a weapon, a means to an end. Even with the worst of punishments he would fail missions, again and again and again.

But the Soldier isn’t here. The Soldier can’t fail, because he’s gone. And Bucky is going to win.

He’s in so much pain that, when he finally hears the sound of the War Machine suit, he’s half-sure he’s hallucinating. Then the ceiling of the warehouse bursts open in a shock of sunlight, a metal figure framed there.

Rhodey takes all of two seconds to figure out the situation. He lands right in front of Bucky, War Machine gauntlets grabbing the chains. “I got them.”

The words don’t register. Bucky’s still gripping the chains with any ounce of strength he has left, despite the puddle of blood underneath his right hand. Then, suddenly, the weight vanishes. For one horrifying moment, he’s sure he’s dropped them after all, but there is no crash of concrete on bone to be heard. He raises his head, seeing both chains held securely by someone else. He’s done his part. Someone else can take over now.

A sob rips up his throat as he collapses forward in the restraints, arms too numb and sore to wipe away the tears that start to flow, relief and exhaustion hitting him all at once.

“You’re alright,” Rhodey’s tinny voice turns clear, his faceplate flipping up. “Guys, hurry up, I’m, um… kind of stuck.”

Bucky doesn’t have long to wonder which guys he’s referring to. There’s the click of the door behind him, followed by footsteps and concerned voices sprinting across the warehouse floor. He tugs ineffectually against the metal boots and harness, ready for this to be done so he can just go home. 

“Easy,” Rhodey soothes him. “Torres and Kate will get the others free, then I can let go and release you, alright?”

Bucky’s half-aware of voices, the click of metal chains shifting, the thunk of bodies being tugged out of chairs. He thinks he hears Rhodey say something like, “Hold on, this is probably going to get loud,” before he lets go of the chains.

Bucky’s attempted “Don’t!” comes out more as a guttural scream as he lunges forward, trying to catch the chains before it’s too late, only to feel his heart implode as he hears the smash of the concrete blocks hitting the two chairs.

There are more voices, and then hands on him, pressure being relieved as the metal holding him upright snaps open. He collapses to the floor, except there are strong, familiar, calloused hands to steady him. Rough thumbs come up to wipe the tears off his cheeks, and then he realizes Clint is in front of him, free, unharmed. “You did it,” he’s saying. “We’re okay. You won.”

Then another hand is touching him, and Sam comes into his field of view as well. “Knew you’d miss me too much to let that block fall.”

He gives Bucky’s aching arm a gentle squeeze and moves as though to check the damage to Bucky’s shoulders, but Bucky grabs him back. “I just need…” To feel that they’re both here. To see that they’re both okay. To know that it’s over.

Thankfully, they both seem to understand. Bucky knows there’s more to do. Injuries to be fixed, a kidnapper to chase down. But he’s got Sam on his left and Clint on his right.

They’re okay.

And, in this moment he’s going to linger in a while longer, everything as it should be.

#bad things happen bingo #bthb card #kidnapping #bucky x clint #bucky & sam #bucky barnes whump #marvel #mcu #the falcon and the winter soldier #tfatws #hawkeye tv #winterhawk #tw: minor gore

[eiy-lei]

Royal Rumble 2023: A retrospect.

Overview:-

So recently I rewatched last year's Royal Rumble in preparation for this weekend's RR just to see how far we've come since then, and I must admit, this show has aged so well over this past year.

From establishing narrative threads for the upcoming year to solidifying the main event presence of Sami, Gunther and Cody, as well as (unbeknownst to us at the time) housing the final match of the late great Bray Wyatt, there is a lot to discuss about this event.

Men's Rumble:-

To keep it short and sweet, this match was STELLAR. It may have lacked the surprises that a royal rumble match is typically known for (spoiling Cody's return in advance wasn't a great idea and I stick by that + Booker T has been present in NXT, thus keeping close ties to WWE) however, what it lacked in shock value it delivered with star power and match quality.

Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Sheamus, Bobby Lashley, the aforementioned Cody Rhodes and, undeniably, the star of this match GUNTHER, really made this match into a showcase of the best the WWE had to offer.

With the storyline of the Banger Brothers (yes I am calling the that) intertwining with Gunther setting the stage for their eventual MOTY candidate at Wrestlemania, Bobby Lashley eliminating Lesnar which helped build their (in hindsight underwhelming) feud, and of course, the comeback of Cody, all leading up to an amazing mini match with Gunther, with such a quality final two not being seen since 2007 between Taker and Michaels.

As a result, this match ranks amongst my favourite rumbles of all time.

4.75/5 ****3/4

LA Knight Vs Bray Wyatt:-

This one is so unfortunate to write about, considering that this was Bray Wyatt's final match, however we must be honest with ourselves in that this just wasn't a good match.

I loved the neon aesthetic, a lot easier on the eyes than the red light the Fiend used to have, however it still made it difficult to watch the action in the match, and on the topic of action, this match was a glorified squash match, with Knight only really getting a single table bump before falling victim to Wyatt's final sister abigail.

The purpose of this match seemed to be that of an introduction into Wyatt's new character, acting more as a plot device than a match (which is further elaborated on in the next match on the card) however was never explored further due to Wyatt's untimely passing.

Thankfully, Wyatt's final match wasn't in vain, as Knight benefitted a lot from the exposure of this match, leading him onto greater things later in the year, and if Wyatt's last match were to be at any instance, at least it was a marquee match on a big 4 PLE. Rest in peace Wyatt, thank you for all that you have done for this business and the world of Pro Wrestling, your memory will live on in the hearts of the entire world wide wrestling community.

Sadly, 2.5/5 **1/2

Alexa Bliss Vs Bianca Belair:-

I'm a huge Alexa Bliss fan, not as big of a Bianca fan in recent years due to her going Super Cena, however her work rate is absolutely phenomenal, so going into this match I was really expecting something special, a lightning fast pace with some spooky shenanigans typical of a 2020s Alexa Bliss match, what we got instead however was...none of that.

The match progressed at a snail's pace with no particularly big spots to speak of. The commentary for this match was also quite awful, from Pat MacAfee not recognising anything Alexa was doing, to the lack of acknowledgement of certain signature moves like Bliss' insult to injury (which she didn't do completely for some reason??) and her Bliss DDT, which, I must emphasise, she has been using as a FINISHER for the past 5 years now alongside Twisted Bliss and her recently acquired Sister Abigail, and overall, her performance looked unfortunately sloppy.

Bianca's performance didn't really help either as admittedly, she was getting her behind handed to her throughout the match with only a few bright spots before she hit the KOD, 1, 2, 3.

What a lackluster much with so MUCH potential, being made worse by the fact that they teased an angle with Bliss after the match relating to the Wyatt 6, however as you may know, nothing came out of it due to unfortunate circumstances and Bliss soon disappeared off of television as she got pregnant (congrats to Mama Bliss though I hope she's doing well) and as a result, this match was completely inconsequential.

1.5/5 *1/2

Women's Rumble:-

RHEA BLOODY RIPLEY! What an emphatic match; unlike the Men's match, this match had a mix of both surprises and match quality, with full time returns from Asuka under a "new" gimmick, Chelsea Green and Nia Jax, alongside a one off appearance from Michelle McCool.

Looking back at the returns, each returning superstar have made a significant impact throughout last year; Asuka, winning the EC, fighting Belair at WM39 and eventually winning the belt and joining Damage CTRL. Chelsea providing a breath of fresh air to the women's midcard and is most likely set for a massive push this year, and Nia Jax filling the role of a top monster heel in the women's division that can finally match up to Rhea. This Rumble was the start point for all of this.

The match itself was action packed from beginning to end, never a pause in the action. Rhea and Liv starting and ending the Rumble was an excellent choice and really helped elevate those 2 into main event caliber stars, especially by having them both gain the record for the longest lasting iron woman.

Damage CTRL's dominance was also a highlight of the match and really put them over as a threat to the division (more than their actual booking on TV has) and the way the whole match shifted once Nia Jax entered the ring was impeccable and really sold Nia as being the most dangerous individual in that ring.

Overall, not only was this match excellent in terms of match quality, the amount of stories and characters that were intertwined and established within the Rumble really make this match (arguably) the greatest Women's Rumble of all time and overall one of the best RRs of all time regardless of male or female.

5/5 *****

Roman Reigns Vs Kevin Owens:-

Ah yes, the yearly KO Royal Rumble title feud. Contrary to popular belief, I really enjoyed this match, not just for it's post-match segment, but for the actual content within the match itself.

Sure it wasn't the best match they've had (their last man standing match in RR 2021 being their best imo) but they delivered considering this match's overall purpose was to act as an angle for what was to come. The match was a back and forth affair until the end post low-blow, where Roman just began to torture KO leading to the finish and setting up beatdown yet to come.

I'd rate the match 3/5 *** but this isn't the end of this part of the post, as of course, this match is better remembered for what happened afterwards, the chair shot heard around the world.

Goodness, where do I start. The fact that a 15 minute mic-less segment could register so many emotions into the hearts of millions is astounding, however I'd expect nothing less from The Bloodline and Sami Zayn with how flawlessly executed the story has been up to this point, and I think it being mic-less added to the discomfort of the whole thing, with the crowd in a state of shocked silence as KO is chained and cut down by Solo and the Usos, with all Sami being able to do is watch.

Then, when that fateful moment arrived, when Sami struck Roman with a chair, a thunderous roar from the crowd echoed throughout the arena, reaching decibel levels unmatched since the Attitude Era.

As Roman slowly crumpled down onto his knees in the same fashion that he did when Seth struck him down the same way 9 years ago, it was set in stone, the bloodline had began to crumble.

The character work in this moment was brilliant, with Jimmy, who was the first person to accept Sami into the Bloodline, show no hesitation to attack him, with Solo following suite, while Jey, who Sami earned the trust of after initial discord between two, was left in state of disbelief, crying his eyes out, saying "Sami what are you doing man..." and soon exiting the ring, unable to attack the man he saw as a brother; to put it bluntly, this whole segment was poetry in motion.

It ends with the image of Sami and KO laying lifeless in the ring, bathed in the segments of the Ula Fala, officially starting the road to Wrestlemania and Sami and KOs quest for justice.

This segment is quite possibly one of the best (or even the greatest) segments of all time, and this really established the 2023 Royal Rumble as one of the greatest Royal Rumble PLEs/PPVs of all time.

Overall show rating: 8.5/10

Thank you for reading, peace out gang and see you on January 27/28 for the Royal Rumble!

#wwe #royal rumble #wwe royal rumble #sami zayn #roman reigns #alexa bliss #bray wyatt #la knight #bianca belair #rhea ripley #cody rhodes #gunther #liv morgan #asuka #kevin owens #wrestling #pro wrestling

[therhythmafterthesummer]

it's been a while rhythm!! how is everyhting??

i have yet to read some of your latest works, but life has been a little bit hard lately and i found myself missing our dearest pack 🥺 unfortunately i don't have time rn to re read my fav one shots, but this week it's being kind of a parenthesis and i can breathe a little 一some needed rest before i dive in university life again.

i've seen what other anons said about the girls gang (wereroomies, i mean) hanging out together and supporting each other. even with their hobbies, and i keep finding confort on pretty because i feel like i have so much in common with her. those asks helped me a lot because university is a lonely period, at least at the beginning and in my experience, so reading about how they enjoy their time together made me realise i have to appreciate those little moments i have with my friends (who aren't studying the same degree as me, unfortunately i don't see them as much as i would like to).

these months have made me more mature, but in a good way. i have been carrying a very heavy load for years and little by little i'm noticing how it weighs me less and less, so i'm very happy rn. i'm in that kind of mood when i want to spread that happiness with everyone (so if you're reading this, known that you're amazing and loved and you deserve so much more that you think you do ♡).

oh, i also remember one time you mentioned that one hobby that pretty has is crochet!! i started this summer haha i crochet when i'm stressed, with a nice playlist 一which reminds me of skz's comeback!! what are your fav songs?? (mine comflex and cover me 🤭).

what i wanted to ask (this is a very chaotic ask i'm sorry) is how did pack members cope with loneliness and stressful seasons in university?? especially when they felt like there was no one they could tell how they felt, if that was the case...

i know i don't interact a lot, but i missed talking to you. have a nice day/night rhythm!! ily (❤️‍🩹)

things are doing fine! i'm tired but soon i'll be on holidays so i'll be able to rest lots hopefully~

don't worry, baby. my works will be there for when you have time💜💜💜 no need to stress about that, you've got enough of that in your life.

makes me happy that you can find some comfort in the silly conversations we've got going on in this blog. i'm glad people are kind enough to send in their thoughts and we can just have some fun with them together!

good friends should really be appreciated, and it's always worth it to nurture and maintain friendships, even if it's in a sort of cactus way (as in, maybe you don't meet often, but you know you can rely on them when you need them, you know what i mean?). that's really especial, so i hope you get to enjoy it to its fullest!

yes! i like to think pretty does crochet as a hobby, she just seems like she would, for some reason??? so yes hahah. i want to include it on an actual instalment at some point. it's cool that you picked it up too, though! it's really fun imo. putting a nice playlist or some video essay on youtube while you crochet is a good way to de-stress mewhehe.

i think my fave songs from the album so far are megaverse and social path (kor ver). all of them are good, but those two have me in a chokehold for sure.

as for your question...... here's the thing. werewolves live in packs for a reason, right? so, their pack was probably the biggest support they had in moments like those. i suppose they would've tried to lean on their friends, or to try and step back for a moment to put things into perspective. engaging in activities outside of school was probably a good outlet as well (like going on wolf runs, or going for a walk), just things they could do to remind themselves that there was life outside uni, and that ultimately it wasn't a race, they were there to learn, so as long as they learnt a bit, they could take their time.

i feel like Chris particularly would've struggled a lot, considering he was living alone alone during his first and second year. i can see him making the extra effort to meet with changbin and jisung weekly (or every two weeks) to avoid lone wolf syndrome.

thank you for dropping by and leaving this message! i hope that weight you're carrying continues getting smaller and smaller💜

#i hope i didn't miss anything... i'm very sleepy LOL #❤️‍🩹 anon #ask #wereroomies ask #wereroomies headcanons

[twelvedaysinaugust]

Why would Harry take the month Louis wanted when Harry wasn't even releasing music in September 2022 and Louis had his comeback single out? /

If you don't mind, mod, I do kind of want to lay this out, because I've seen a lot of people say something similar to this anon, and at least to me, the answer is very obvious and not at all anything controversial or scandalous or upsetting, if people took the time to think through it.

Harry wasn't releasing music in September 2022, no. But DWD was coming out in September, followed by MP a month later. It wasn't like Harry had nothing to promote - he was very clearly promoting his two upcoming movies and his tour. And around the same time, iirc, Gemma Chan, Florence Pugh, and Olivia Wilde all had covers of different publications, which makes me think the DWD marketing team was in the lead here (and probably paying for it).

I don't think it's nearly as simple as being able to request a different month, but even if we entertain the possibility that it was and Harry and/or Louis could've just requested a different month to make room for them both, there was a combined July/August issue, which was likely way too early to be effective promo for either of their purposes, and Megan Thee Stallion was on it discussing her shooting, so not something RS would want to let another publication get the big interview on. October cover featured Stephen Curry, who you could maybe argue could've been bumped, but, one, I doubt RS would want two former 1D members on back to back covers (and to be perfectly honest, I don't think the obvious invitation for comparison would've done Louis any favors - "new king of pop" vs "comeback single"), and two, in January RS got an exclusive first look at Steph Curry's documentary, so it seems pretty likely that was part of his cover deal. Again, not something RS would want to give up easily. November is too late for Harry's promo, almost too late for Louis' promo, and the cover went to Pharrell and RM from BTS, talking about BTS' break and making solo music. Again, huge get, not likely RS would give it up to give the cover to Louis instead.

Like mod said in the tags, I really do not think that Harry and Louis personally are the ones arranging these covers. They help set the overall strategy, I'm sure, but they have marketing and promo teams who decide how best to execute that strategy and make the calls and arrange opportunities. And even if Harry had wanted to somehow give that opportunity to Louis after hearing about it, what is he supposed to do? Tell his promo team and the DWD promo team to walk back the negotiation with Rolling Stone so his ex-bandmate could get the cover? First off, they're closeted, so that would've been extremely suspicious behavior (and honestly would've been weird even if they were openly dating... which brings me to my next point...). Secondly, while I absolutely do not actually know Louis Tomlinson, from everything we've ever seen or heard about him, I cannot imagine he would want to get major career wins like a Rolling Stone cover because of a favor from his partner. I feel pretty confident in saying he'd like to get these things on his own. I have a lot of issues with the recurring undercurrent in fandom discourse that Harry should somehow be using his success to help Louis' career, but one of my biggest is that it takes away a lot of Louis' agency. He's talked a lot about needing to find faith in himself as a solo artist and performer, and I think that's more important to him than any magazine cover he could've gotten through a favor (much less Harry giving something up for him).

In any event, the NME cover was still a huge get, and they gave him an album review too, which he might not've gotten from RS. Arguably, it worked out better this way.

All good points.

[twisted-tales-of-all]

Hi! I'm the anon that requested shinee last time and I loved your Mihno fic! Thank you!

I saw your new prompts for confessions and I miss taemin so much I wanted to ask you for something for him with this: "You have no idea how much I love you, dont you?"

You can make it as he confessing or the other person, however you like! ❤

Hi anon! I'm so glad you enjoyed your last request and came back for more ❤ also thank you for helping me add to my SHINee masterlist because I keep feeling like I don't write enough for them quite yet. I also miss Taemin :( so I hope you enjoy! It's a bit angsty and slightly sad timing, but I think it's still pretty sweet and light-hearted overall.

---

You and Taemin have been friends for as long as you can remember. You watched him become who he is today and you couldn't be more proud of your best friend. You attended as many concerts as you could and hold a collection of all his solo and group albums, trying to support him in any way possible. You also message him on a daily basis with reminders to stay healthy and to not overwork.

His idol friends always jokingly refer to you as his partner due to always seeing your contact pop up on his Kakao notifications, but you're certain he's too busy to even consider you - or anyone, for that matter - as anything more than a friend. The clumsy boy you watched grow up has turned into an extremely dedicated and talented man, and you will always be more than content to remain a part of his life through everything.

However, he's about to go into his military service, which means that you won't have nearly as much communication with him. He asks you to meet him a couple days before his scheduled assignment, so, when the time comes, you quickly climb into his van as he picks you up at home. He seems a lot more tense than usual, so you try to lighten the mood with a joke.

"How come you can make any hairstyle look good, Min? This seems a little too unfair that you get all the good looks AND the talent."

"Who said I have all the good looks? Have you looked in a mirror lately, Y/N? Clearly, you have some, too!" He retorts back, pouting at you.

"Oh, come on. You're just saying that. Anyway, what are we up to today? It's our last time meeting before you head off, so we should do something really fun. Ooh, how about some bingsu! The last time we shared one was when we celebrated your debut!"

He smiles and agrees to your plan, asking his driver to drive to your favorite bingsu spot. You continue recounting memories throughout the trip, while he mostly listens and smiles at you, only responding when necessary.

As you both leave the van and walk into the shop, the owner recognizes you and leads you both up to the VIP table that he has in the back so that Taemin won't be bombarded by fans. As soon as you sit down, Taemin asks for the same dessert from the experience you mentioned in the car. You lean your head on your hand as you shoot him an innocent smile.

"Y'know, I've known you for decades now, but you've never been this quiet around me. You always have something to say. Why are you silent today? Is it just because you're leaving?" You confront him, concerned that he may be having bad thoughts again.

"It's just- I don't know. I guess I just don't really know what to say. I'm gonna miss you while I'm gone." His head low, he admits his concerns.

"Taemin, we'll still be able to message, just not as often. You're always busy anyway, so it's not going to be too much different than when you're swamped in concert work or comeback promotions. Don't worry, I'm still going to be nagging at you to eat and sleep properly. I'm not going anywhere."

With a sigh, he folds, "You have no idea how much I love you, do you?"

Laughing, you poke his cheek, "Of course I know, dummy. We've been best friends for how long now? How could I not know?"

"No, Y/N, I don't think you do."

With his sudden seriousness, you simply tilt your head and wait for him to explain. You feel your heart beat faster as you try to assure yourself that there's no way he means it the way you wish he would.

"I hate that it took me this long to say something to you, but I love you. Not just as best friends. I want to be a couple, bun. We already act pretty close to one - even my friends think I'm your boyfriend - and we take good care of each other, no matter the distance. Do you think you'd want to date me?"

Shocked, you stare at him open-mouthed for a few seconds before shaking your head to bring yourself back to reality, "Uh, Taemin... You want to date me? Really?"

He simply nods in response, waiting for a response. So, you take a moment to think before responding.

"Yes, Taemin. I'd love for you to be my boyfriend, but should we start dating today or wait until the end of your service? What should we claim as day one?" You ask, as you'd prefer to spend special days with him.

"Let's wait until I'm back to claim day one. But your mine and I'm yours starting now, okay?" He smiles brightly, happy that you've accepted him as your partner, "Can I kiss you?"

"Of course, love."

#kpoparchives #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines #kpop drabble #shinee #shinee scenarios #shinee imagines #shinee drabbles #shinee taemin #taemin #lee taemin #taemin scenarios #taemin imagines #taemin drabbles

[rehkkuma]

she's all yours | okuyasu x reader

summary: unlike his partner in crime, Okuyasu lacked experience in the dating field. Once he believes that he may have a chance with his crush, his best friend begins to get in the way.

words: 1.8k

disclaimers/tags: fem pronouns, modern AU (basically just phones being involved), tiny bit of angst, fluff, and cursing.

He was staring again. The poor 16-year-old boy couldn't help but notice every single detail about her: the slight tilt in her walk whenever she went up the stairs, how she would tie her shoes, and the unfortunate glint of light in her eyes whenever she spoke with his best friend.

Y/n L/n was someone extremely special to him (whether she knew it or not). She could read his expressions so clearly, sometimes knowing more about Okuyasu than Okuyasu did himself. The emotions he couldn't quite put his finger on, she always had an answer to. At times, he felt undeserving of the friendship he had with her. After coming to terms with his developing feelings for the girl, of course she began to get closer with his best friend.

He was painfully aware of the difference in treatment he received compared to Josuke. While Josuke could be referenced as Morioh's pretty-boy delinquent, Okuyasu was more like the intimidating ruffian that stood by his side. Obviously, Y/n did not think of Okuyasu in that way, but her perception of him didn't matter if he was considered nothing more than a friend.

"Hey," Josuke called out, concerned for his friend.

"Y-Yeah?" Okuyasu stuttered, trying to regain his thoughts.

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

Okuyasu silently thanked Y/n for standing in a crowd with other students. If she stood any further from the school's front entrance, it would've been easy for Josuke to pinpoint who he was eyeing.

"Nothing, really. Just thought I saw a cute girl."

Josuke shrugged his shoulders, repositioning himself so his back laid more comfortably against the tree. "Well, if you do see one, ask 'em out or somethin'. I wanna see you have your first kiss before we graduate," he chuckled.

"Mhm, yup," Okuyasu responded, eyes now glued to the grass he was sitting on. He was about to spew out a self-deprecating joke but stopped himself once he noticed Y/n approaching the two of them. Immediately, he recognized Josuke's energy shift from disinterest to eagerness.

"Y/n!" Josuke cheerfully said, waving at the girl.

"Hi, you two!" she waved back. Once coming close enough, she sat down along with the boys, her knees lacing together in a criss-cross position. Because of the short distance between her and Okuyasu, the boy could smell the flowery essence emitting off of her body. He wasn't too fond of fragrances, but the one Y/n had was light and sweet-- perfectly suiting her personality.

Before he knew it, Okuyasu was staring again. The only thing that got him to snap back into reality was the cry of laughter Y/n let out after Josuke made a funny remark.

"Did you hear that Okuyasu?" Y/n choked out, leaning back with both hands on her stomach.

"Y-Yeah." Okuyasu fake laughed, really having no clue what the hell was going on.

"God," Y/n sighed as she wiped off the faint tears forming in her eyes. "I wish I could hang out with you guys a bit longer, but I just wanted to drop by and say hi. I gotta help out with some chores tonight."

"It's all good," Josuke smiled. "But only if you promise to call me tonight."

The girl rolled her eyes while getting up from the ground. "We'll have to see about that, Jojo!" She then stuck her tongue out before scurrying off to her house.

Josuke chuckled, slowly placing his chin on the palm of his hand. "She's pretty cute, isn't she?" he said, eyes glued to the girl's figure in the distance.

"Yeah, she sure is."

* * *

Okuyasu could remember the first time he met her as clear as day: his hands were tucked deep into his pockets, feet dragging along the sidewalk while he was on his way to school. Unlike his regular routine, Josuke was unable to walk with him due to an argument breaking out between him and his mother. It seemed like a bummer at the moment, but maybe it was actually a blessing in disguise.

"Fuck!"

In front of Okuyasu's feet laid a girl. Her uniform was stained with a bright red juice and its can rolled next to her. He didn't recall exactly what happened, but he did feel someone's face hit his chest before hearing a thud.

"I didn't get any on you, did I?" the girl asked with panic.

Okuyasu, hands still in his pockets, shook his head. "Mnn. Don't think you did."

"Okay, thank God. These stains are so hard to get rid of."

That was one of the first things that Okuyasu remembered from Y/n. Her casual way of talking was enough to make any stranger feel like a good friend. Something about this girl piqued his interest.

"Guess it's not your first time, huh?" he hummed.

"You'd think I'd learn my lesson after the third time."

After the small accident, Okuyasu took the girl to the laundromat. Classes would begin in any minute, but neither one of the pair minded skipping it.

"Oi, what're you gonna be wearin' in the meantime? Don'tcha think the teacher's gonna kick your ass for showing up like that?" Okuyasu pointed at the revealing tank top she wore.

"Yeah, definitely. That's why you should totally let me borrow your top," she winked.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself. I don't even have a clue on what your name is."

"L/n." she replied crassly. "It's Y/n L/n."

That was several months ago. Since then, their relationship started to significantly grow. From sending short texts to sharing a few inside jokes, to hanging out every other day after school. In Okuyasu's eyes, it was inevitable for him to fall for a girl like her.

Right before he could spill about his crush to his best friend, Josuke had already introduced himself to her. It crushed Okuyasu to see the girl he loves slowly start to move on from him-- to his own best friend nevertheless.

All of his frustrations were best to be kept to himself. No way could he express his jealousy to Josuke or Y/n. Out of all the girls that fawned over Josuke, why did she have to be one of them?

**Brring**

Okuyasu rolled his body to the other side of his bed. On a nightstand was his phone that rang. The alarm was just loud enough to break through the pessimistic thoughts roaring through his brain.

"Who's this?" he asked, too lazy to check the contact number.

"It's me, Okuyasu! Why, is it that hard to use a second of your time to check the contact name?"

He recognized that voice anywhere. It was her.

"Aw, look. I was in bed, alright?" he smiled, feeling his mood change immediately after speaking with her.

A small giggle echoed from the other end of the phone. "Alright! I wasn't here to nag you all night anyways." The girl then cleared her throat with a cough before soon speaking again. "I was thinking we should hang out tomorrow. For ice cream, maybe. Just us."

Small butterflies began to form in his stomach from hearing the last sentence. "Just us" had never sounded better.

"Sounds good to me."

"Great!" she nearly interrupted. "A-Ah, sorry! I just got excited. It feels like we've been parting ways the past couple of weeks, but I promise tomorrow's gonna make up for it!"

"It's alright," Okuyasu sighed. "See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow!" she repeated.

* * *

Was it just Okuyasu or did she look way cuter today? The makeup she wore differed from the one she usually had on, her accessories managed to compliment her eyes even more, and she even put an effort into customizing her uniform like Josuke and Okuyasu despite expressing her laziness multiple times. She looked like an absolute doll.

"Hmph." She huffed. "You've been doing that a lot lately," she said flatly.

"Doing what?"

"Staring at me like I'm some crazy person."

Okuyasu internally panicked for a few seconds but composed himself. "You just look pretty lately, that's all."

He expected a cheeky comeback in return but was left with a bashful smile from her instead.

"Let's just hurry up and get ice cream..." she said, eyes faced to the ground.

Okuyasu nodded at her suggestion and began to walk, making sure his pace wasn't too fast for Y/n. He'd occasionally give a glance at her direction to know if he was walking at a comfortable speed for her.

Several minutes of walking and a few casual conversations later, the duo made it to the ice cream shop. Y/n ordered a mix of her two favourite flavours while Okuyasu ordered two scoops of mocha almond fudge. Feeling a bit more gentleman-like today, Okuyasu insisted on paying for the both of them.

"Thanks for the ice cream!" the girl said, taking a small lick of the cone. "I feel like the more I hang out with you, the more things I owe you back," she chuckled as the two left the shop.

"Don't sweat it. Hangin' out with you's enough for me." Okuyasu smiled.

"Ah, really?" she blushed. "That's... really sweet of you."

There she did it again. No witty comeback. Just a flustered reply.

"Somethin' up with you? Eat something bad today?" he asked.

"Hm?"

"You're just actin' a bit different, that's all. Not sayin' it's bad though. I kinda like it." Okuyasu continued to walk on the sidewalk but stopped once he realized Y/n was frozen still. "Hey, you comin'?"

Y/n began to slowly jog her way to Okuyasu. When she caught up with him, she paused once more, now looking into the young boy's eyes. "I feel like you don't hear yourself talk sometimes," she said. "I can't tell if you're flirting or you're just naturally this oblivious."

He didn't know how to respond. He was starting to get nervous from how close their faces were. If he wanted to, he could practically count each beauty mark on her face.

"Well?" she said.

"Well..." Okuyasu tried to come up with something but found himself paying more attention to the girl's lips. They looked plush and soft with a slight glossy coat from the ice cream.

Eventually, the girl noticed where he was looking at. Slowly, she closed the already small gap between the two.

"Okuyasu," she breathed out with a gentle tone. "I really like you."

"I-" he stuttered. "Not Josuke?"

"Josuke?" She covered her mouth with the back of her hand and chuckled. "I don't know what you think is going on between us, but it's not that. He's not exactly my type either."

Okuyasu couldn't believe what he was hearing. Before he could say anything back, he felt her lips against his right cheek. It was a delicate kiss. Maybe a bit sticky, but it made his heart do several backflips nevertheless.

Once her lips left his skin, she stood awkwardly in front of him. The way she looked up at his eyes with that lovestruck gaze made Okuyasu realize something he didn't before: he wouldn't need to jealous of other guys. It was clear that Y/n L/n was all his.

#jjba x reader #okuyasu x reader #jojo x reader #jjba headcanons #jjba imagine #jojo fanfic #jojo fanfiction #okuyasu nijimura x reader #jojo headcanons #jjba diu #jjba part 4 #diamond is unbreakable #jojo reader insert #jjba hcs #jojo hcs #fluff #angst #okuyasu nijimiura #jjba #jojos bizzare adventure x reader #jojo's bizarre adventure #mmmjojo

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

COSMIC - S1:E1; Chapter One, The Vanishing of Will Byers - [Pt. 2]

A Will Byers x Male!Reader Series

𝘖𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥'𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥.

|| 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ||

The boys and I finally make it to school; my legs are always exhausted by the time we reach the student drop off.

I hear the bell ring when we park our bikes.

"That's weird. I don't see him." Mike finally says what we've all been thinking. 'Where the hell is Will?' Personally, I'm starting to get really worried.

As if catching onto my growing worries, Lucas chimes in.

"I'm telling you. His mom's right. He probably just went to class early again."

I always admired how Lucas can always be so optimistic with stuff like this; always thinking logically. He's really good at keeping the party level-headed. I tend to worry a lot so it's nice to have a friend like Lucas to keep my feet on the ground.

"Yeah, he's always paranoid Gursky's gonna give him another pop quiz."

"Well, I don't blame him. Gursky gives me pop quizzes all the time, and it's exhausting. Never knowing when you will be put on the spot" I say.

"Step right up, ladies and gentlemen."

'Oh just perfect. Troy and his goon'

"Step right up and get your tickets for the freak show," Troy says smugly.

I click my tongue and shake my head in a mocking tone.

"Oh, sorry guys but we actually can't make it today. By any chance, can we catch your act tomorrow?" I bat my eyelashes at them in innocence, the comment earning a few chuckles from Lucas, Mike, and Dustin.

Troy's face scrunched up in anger, clearly offended by my comeback.

"Hey, no one asked you, shithead!"

I roll my eyes at his cheap insult. However, the boys were having none of it, especially Dustin, as usual. They get into a threatening stance, while Dustin tries to lunge for them, but I put my arm out to stop them before they can even do anything.

"Guys, just ignore them. It doesn't matter to me. They're not even worth it."

Troy and his puppet James only seem amused.

"So who do you think would make more money in a freak show anyway?" Troy continues.

"Midnight," he punches Lucas. I clench my fists, my chest already burning with anger.

"Frogface," he punches Mike, and my jaw tightens so tight it threatens to lock.

"Orphan" he punched me. I took a deep breath trying to control my anger.

"Or toothless?" He shoves Dustin.

It's taking everything in me not to tackle him right now. I've always been like this. Whenever someone insults me, I'm able to brush it off, but as soon as someone goes after the people I care about, I lose it. Big time.

His goon sighs and holds his hand to his chin as he pretends to think about it while he looks at all of us. He then stops at Dustin and singles him out, in a voice that's clearly supposed to be Dustin's.

"I'd go with Toothless." My nails are probably drawing blood from my palms at this point.

"I told you a million times, my teeth are coming in. It's called cleidocranial dysplasia." Dustin says.

"I th'old you a million th'imes" he continues.

"Screw you," I shout, lunging for him. But before I could ever actually reach him, Dustin pulls me back, stopping me as I had him.

"Y/n, you were right. They aren't worth it."

They just laugh smugly in response. I grit my teeth and cross my arms.

"Do the arm thing."

"Do it, freak!"

"OH, I swear to GOD," I go to charge at him but Mike pulls me back and pats my back trying to calm me down. I glare daggers at the boys in front of me. I swear I'm seeing red and it feels as if my blood is literally boiling in veins.

"Y/n it's fine. Look, here," he sighs tiredly, putting down his backpack and taking off his jacket. He then extends his arms out and you can hear his bones crack. He then looks to the bullies pointedly and says, "There, I did it. Will you leave us alone now?"

The bullies groan in disgust and Troy says, "UGH. It gets me every time!" They laugh, shoving us aside roughly and walk away.

"Assholes," Lucas beat me to it.

"I think it's kinda cool," Mike offers, looking at Dustin. "It's like you have superpowers or something. Like Mr. Fantastic."

"Yeah, except I can't fight evil with it."

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

{Trigger Warning for Anxiety Attacks}

Troy and his friend had just left us alone, so the four of us began making our way to class. As we walk through the hallways, the three of them end up side by side by side next to each other while caught up in their conversation which at this point, had drifted to planning our next campaign. Normally I'd be all over it but I found myself drifting back and keeping to myself, my thoughts wandering to Will.

'I really hope he's okay. Ya know what? No, Lucas is right, as usual, he's got to be at class by now. He has to be.'

I try to push all the negative thoughts to the back of my mind as I try and focus on getting to the classroom as soon as possible just to prove to myself he's okay and I'm just overreacting. The four of us approach Mr. Clarke's room and I run ahead, no longer able to wait another second. I pop my head in the door and to my great dismay, he is nowhere to be seen. I take a deep breath, and stumble back, that familiar viscous feeling of a pit in my stomach. My anxiety is kicking in.

The boys look to each other in silence, all thinking the same thing.

'This is bad. Will would never skip. And he's not at home, so something must be very wrong.'

Before the boys get the chance to say anything, I slip away and walk quickly down the hall to the bathroom, my arms tucked into my sides defensively while my head is down. I always run to the bathroom to be alone when I have an anxiety attack. I can't be around people when it's this bad so I usually end up sitting in the stall, trying to calm down. The guys know I have anxiety attacks like this sometimes and I know they want to help, but they don't know how and that's fine.

When I reach the familiar stall, I slam it shut and sit on the edge of the seat and put my face in my hands as my elbows are propped up on my knees. My breathing is ragged and my eyes become soaked in tears as panic takes over my body. That familiar feeling of nausea returning. The endless 'what ifs' begin flooding my mind.

'What if he got hit by a car on his way home?'

'What if he got kidnapped?'

'What if... he's dead?'

Just the thought of never seeing my best friend ever again makes me wail. I'm rocking back and forth hugging my torso when I remember I have to take deep breaths or I might pass out. I try to remember to tell myself that I don't have all the information and that there has got to be some sort of explanation for all of this.

That it's just my anxiety talking. It's just brain noise. I just need to learn how to manage it.

I spend the next few minutes focusing on taking deep breathes, and after what feels like hours, I am finally breathing normally again.

I grab my bag which had been thrown to the ground during my attack and exit the stall. I stand in front of the mirror washing my hands and I look at my eyes which are now totally swollen from crying.

I reach down and splash some water on my face, and rub my eyes. Getting the remainder of the water off with a paper towel. As I look at my slightly improved reflection I take another deep breath and head to class. Pretending everything's normal and I hadn't just had a meltdown in the bathroom, as usual.

I pick up my pace as I shrug my shoulders to secure my backpack so it doesn't fall. I was lucky I was able to come down from my attack as quickly as I did because it seems I wasn't late like last time. It looks like I made it with just a minute to spare. I walk over to where the party and I usually sit. I think twice before sitting down next to Dustin.

I know at this point the boys are aware of the state I'm in judging by the looks of sympathy they are giving me. The state of my eyes and the fact I didn't take my normal seat next to Will's probably gave me away. I decided to take the seat in front of my usual so I don't have stare at Will's empty seat and be worrying all class. So as they say, out of sight out of mind. While waiting for class to start I try and think of different things to keep my mind off of Will, and my mind wanders the new Heathkit ham shack that was supposed to have come today.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

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#you'll float queue #stranger things #will byers x reader #reader insert #cosmic #m!cosmic #y/n henderson #will byers #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #mike wheeler #stranger things x reader #stranger things x male!reader #x male!reader #the vanishing of will byers

[beevean]

I'm of two minds about Ian Flynn being the head writer of Sonic Frontier; on the one hand, I personally think he gets elements of the characters/world right, he does do a fairly decent job, particularly on things like dialogue or decent setup/pacing of dramatic scenes (if you disagree on this that's totally fair- s'all subjective innit). On the other hand, let's not pretend his writing is flawless- it isn't- and yes, he has very clear interpretations of how certain characters are or should be that doesn't always gel with what we see elsewhere, and yeah, comics writing and games writing are two entirely different beasts in terms of pace and structure. More pertinently, the plot details revealing that this is yet another "Eggman finds a Power/Creature/Thing, tries to control it, loses control, things go wonky" story has left me a little bit cold- regardless of writer, surely that story is well trodden ground by now? It's something that can be revisited, sure, but that's particular setup has been at the very least the backbone of every mainline title from Heroes (arguably Adventure 2) to Generations; for what issues Forces has, it at the very least bucked that particular trend and I'm not very thrilled to see it make a comeback in the game immediately after it.

I'm a little cool on Fromtiers in general so far; I'm not outright uninterested and I cannot fairly judge a thing that's not even done yet, but for as technically impressive as the world shown off looks it felt a bit... drab? Obviously the final game will have more location variety (well, you'd like to think so), and what we see in the teaser may be spruced up further, but I'm not wholly sold on it yet. I think part of it is a style clash- that more realistic-ish looking setting might work better for something that's... not Sonic, but I dunno. I'm also a little unsure about the music- this one's not to do with the trailer itself, but I know Forces' soundtrack (which I really liked) caught a fair bit of flack, whilst the Team Sonic Racing tunes (which Jun Senoue had a lot of a hand in, and whilst I don't dislike his work I'm so beyond tired of Buttrock Sonic Tunes at this point) went down a lot better; I'm worried that that indicates a style shift back to that Senoue style sound, possibly to the point of other Sonic Team composers- Naofumi Hataya, Kenichi Tokoi, Fumie Kumatani etc.- taking a backseat and contributing very little, which would be a huge shame as despite their not getting the same degree acclaim as Senoue and lately Ohtani, they're extremely talented composers with really interesting styles that I wish the series would explore a little more. Again, of course, this is all entirely subjective taste-wise and, more importantly, is pure conjecture and speculation drawn from basically nothing, but it is something on me mind. We'll just have to wait and see, I suppose.

Conversely, Sonic 2 looks pretty good. Like, really good. Far better than it has any right to be- much like the first film did (and ultimately was). It is so surreal to me that I can sit here and say "I am really looking forward to the sequel to a live action Sonic the Hedgehog movie, possibly even over the next actual game, in which beloved and talented actor and musician Idris Elba has been cast as Knuckles" and mean it. What a weird timeline we've found ourselves living in!

You know the thing?

I know that Flynn is so praised because he saved Archie Sonic from the absolute ungodly mess that was what Ken Penders left behind. And I appreciate it! From what little I know, he did a good job!

But I never read Archie, so my exposure to Flynn was IDW, which started off as great and tumbled down into sheer stupidity after 19 volumes. Sonic became OOC, Eggman became OOC, Shadow I don't even know whose fault was for his IQ being dropped, Starline lost everything that made him interesting, Belle is too bland for how much focus we got...

I saw Flynn as someone who looked like he could extrapolate the hints left by the games and build a coherent, interesting world with compelling characters, and then ripped all of that away from us.

Then he started directly contradicting canon, and that's when I decided I wasn't going to bother with him anymore. I had fewer positive experiences with him than the older Archie fans, that's all.

Anyway. Writing for a comic and writing for a game are two different things, for different reasons. Maybe he won't pull an IDW 2.0. We shall see, even though the concept itself sounds so boring and outdated.

It's something that can be revisited, sure, but that's particular setup has been at the very least the backbone of every mainline title from Heroes (arguably Adventure 2) to Generations

Adventure, Adventure 2 and Unleashed were all about Eggman unleashing an entity that then replaced him as the villain. Heroes and Advance 3 had him simply replaced by his own robot, and ShTH and '06 had him replaced by an alien/divine creature.

Colors, the first game written by Pontaff, avoided this cliché completely, and then every game had a different twist: in Generations he managed to tame the beast, in Lost World he survived the Zeti attack and waited until Sonic was done with them to attack, in Mania he battled against Heavy King, and in Forces he dispatched Infinite when he became useless. I love this! It all shows how clever and resourceful he is. I wasn't expecting for the next game to go back to the old "eggman fucked up" concept.

Agree with the rest. I won't judge just yet, especially because the trailer was nothing more than a showcase of the Hedgehog Engine 2, but I hope that in the actual game it doesn't look like Sonic was plopped into a generic fantasy setting. The music was pretty, but surprisingly un-Sonic for something composed by Tee Lopes and Tomoya Ohtani.

Well, I love Senoue's buttrock so I wouldn't complain if he came back :P I personally wish Ohtani took a break, he's great but they really squeezed him to the bone in the 2010s. I doubt Senoue's music will be used for this kind of game, though - the pipedream is that Kenichi Tokoi and Mariko Nanba will come back and the music will sound like '06's <3

Nothing to add about Sonic 2. Sonic as a vigilante is a bit odd, but it could lead to his canonical portrayal of someone who does heroic things out of fun. Tails is adorable, Eggman is cool, and Knuckles holy crap that one like sounded way more badass than it had any right to be. Even in Italian! I swear these are the only movies that I can enjoy in my language without cringing <3

#sonic the hedgehog

[thevampiresiren]

Helping Yoongi Shave

Word Count: 2.5K

Genre: Fluff, Humor

WARNINGS: Soft!Yoongi, Tooth Aching Fluff, Cursing, Slight Suggestive Themes (nothing major, just some suggestive flirting and a little talk of sex. Yoongi also puts his hands on the reader's butt)

Summary: Yoongi needs to shave, but he's too tired to do it himself. So he teaches you how to shave him.

A/n: So… This is the very first Fanfic that I wrote and I’m not going to lie; I was a very nervous about posting it until one of my friends read it for me and loved it. I’m not sure if I’ll be doing this stuff as a part of my blog ALL the time, but if I can think of anything and if it comes out good; I’ll definitely post it.  Also I just REALLY wanted to do a Yoongi shaving fanfic because I think helping your significant other shave is SO intimate and involves a lot of trust. I hope you guys like it!

I was passed out on the couch in the living room when I woke up to the sound of keys jingling outside the apartment door. As Holly got up from laying next to my feet, I picked up my phone and saw that it was around 1:30 am. As the door opened, I heard the brown toy poodle bark happily while he was spanning around in a circle while footsteps stopped to where he was. "Shhh, Holly. You're gonna wake Mom up." My boyfriend whispered petting the fluffy canine.

"Too late, she's awake." I yawned while stretching with a smile on my face. Yoongi looked up from petting Holly.

"I'm sorry, Jagiya. I thought you were in bed." Yoongi said while taking his shoes off, setting his work bag down, and walking over to me. I smiled as he tilted my chin up to gently peck my lips. When he pulled away, he laughed loudly. "What?" I asked.

"Nice bed head, babe". He said smirking while nodding at me. I ran my my finger through hair and sighed. "Hey, don't be upset. It's cute." He said standing up and kissing my check. I felt a slight roughness on my skin once he made contact. I look at his upper lip and chin, smirking.

"Nice stubble, babe." I copied. He touched his face and groaned. "Don't be upset. Its cute." I mocked. Yoongi smiled.

"I'm gonna go get changed. I'm too tired to shave tonight." He said yawning while walking to our bedroom. Holly and I followed not far behind and he laid down in his little bed starting to doze off again knowing his dad was home. I walked in and saw that Yoongi had put his glasses on and changed into his black sweatpants that hung loosly on his hips and was topless. He was by no means the buffest man in world, nor did he have majorly defined abs; but he was toned enough that you could see his pecs, and when the light hit right at the correct angel; his faint abs from him most recently working out would show up. He was perfect. His arm muscles slightly moved as he threw his clothes into hamper. I was too busy admiring him before he broke me from trance. "You okay over there? If I didn't know any better I'd get the feeling you're checking me out." He said with a cocky smirk. I smiled and pushed myself off the door frame I was leaning on.

"Nah, I think your hideous and by no means attractive. And you do it to me all the time." I said jokingly.

"Your loud noises from me pinning you down two nights ago and those dark marks say otherwise, baby girl". He said smirking. I blushed while trying to cover the "love marks" on my neck and where my shoulders met.

"Shut up and let me enjoy my hot boyfriend's body when we aren't fucking." I said laughing. Yoongi let out chuckle before he went off to the master bathroom to brush his teeth. I changed out of my day clothes into nothing but his white Fear of God shirt that hit my mid thighs and put my hair in a high ponytail.

"Aish! Its so fucking bad" Yoongi groaned loudly. I looked in and saw him examining his facial hair, clearly upset with how fast it was growing. "Yoon, just shave it tomorrow before you go to work. You need sleep." I said walking over to him. I knew he was beyong exhausted by how irritated he sounded and by the slight bags under his eyes. It was comeback season and I knew he was over working himself a bit. He was eating healthy and was taking care of himself like he has been, but I still worried about him. "I can't, we have an interview in the morning and we have dance practice. Plus, I need to finish up a song in the home studio once I wake up." He said leaning his head against the mirror pouting; his raven bangs falling and covering his eyes. I wrapped my arms around his bare torso and leaned my cheek on his broad shoulder making him shiver at the contact. "What if I do it for you?" I said quietly.

"My work?"

"No, dumbass." I said pulling away laughing while he turned around. "I mean shave your face." I said poking his chubby cheeks and kissing his pout.

"You sure you're not to tired to do that for me?"

"I wouldn't be offering if I was."

"Yes you would, because I'd do it too for you."

"I've already gotten at least 4 hours of sleep. You've been up since 6 am. I have more energy and I don't want you stressing out over it. Let me do it, baby. Let me take care of you." I said seriously.

"God, I can't wait to make you my wife." He said sighing. I laughed loudly "Who said I would say yes if your proposed?".

"We've talked about it and you were weak at the knees when I told you I would give you as many kids as you want and I would find a way to make it work for you, the kids, and music. Plus, you let me take your v-card. You've already said yes based on that like I did." Yoongi said laughing.

I blushed. "Just go get your damn razor and everything else." I said crossing my arms over my chest. Yoongi turned around and opened the medicine cabinet to pull out his shaving cream, aftershave, and the black leather case that he kept his razor in. He set everything in front of the sink and scooted out of the way for me to work. I opened up the case and saw exactly what type of razor it was. Anxiety shivered through my body as I pulled the razor out carefully. I just came to the realization that I had never actually SEEN his razor. He usually was using it on tour or even over at the dorm with the rest of the guys. Whenever he did shave here, it was in the shower.

"Yoongs..."

"Yeah?"

"This is a straight razor...". I said quietly.

"I know. It gets closer to my skin and the shave lasts longer. It works better for me than a normal one.". I carefully opened the blade far away from either of us at the risk of us getting cut. I stared at it and my anxiety just continued to grow. These were dangerous and I'd never used one before.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Yoongi said looking at me concerned while reaching out and gently rubbing my shoulder.

"I'm scared I'm going to pull a Thomas Brown Hewitt and slit your throat while I shave you. I can't afford a lawsuit as big as you." I said casually as I carefully set the razor down after I slowly put the blade back. Yoongi busted out laughing loudly at my comment.

"You'll do fine, Kitten." He said calmly after he collected himself. "I'll show you how to use it on yourself first if that'll make you more comfortable.". I thought for a moment and nodded my head agreeing. Yoongi grabbed the shaving cream and turned the water on so it was hot but not scolding. "Fuck." Yoongi said looking down, his deep raspy voice just slightly about a whisper as he just noticed what I was wearing. I smirked at him with a face that said "really?" .

"Sorry, you just look really fucking cute." He said blushing. Yoongi showed me how to put the cream on my legs which was no different than I normally do. He then grabbed the razor, instructing me to put my hand where his was. He lightly wrapped his large hand around my wrist, and started.

"Okay, so the trick is to go with the grain of hair; never against it. It can cause bumps and ingrown hairs. Also keep your hand at a 30-degree angle. Anything more will cut yourself. Make sure the skin is always taught as well. And go slow and gentle. Like this.". Yoongi began helping me shave where my ankle was and guiding me with the right amount of pressure. After a few more strokes of him helping me, I had enough confidence to do it on my own. It wasn't as hard or scary as I thought. After 20 minutes, I had both of my legs shaved and set the blade down on the sink. I ran my hands down my legs and noticed how smoother my legs were. I had no cuts, bumps, or anything like I normally would. "I DID IT YOONGI! I DIDN'T KILL MYSELF!". I yelled extremely happy that I didn't have to go to the ER, wrapping my arms around Yoongi's neck . He laughed at how excited I was.

"I told you that you could do it. Are you ready to try it on me now?" He said picking the blade back up. I smiled and told him to sit down on the counter of the bathroom sink. Once he was sat down and his glasses were off, I put the water on and shaving cream on his face. Just when I had turned to grab the razor; I felt a large warm hand on my wrist. "Um.. wait a second."

While I went to look over at Yoongi; I felt a soft, light, pressure on my left cheek followed by a muffled sound. I looked between my face and part of my hair covered in white, to Yoongi's right hand also covered in white and the right side of his face showing his skin underneath. It took me a second to get over my shock before I began processing what had just happened. "MIN YOONGI." I yelled, waking Holly up, making him barm from the disturbance of his sleep before going back to bed. Yoongi busted out in a full-on laugh attack causing him to almost fall off the sink before catching himself. As I washed the shaving cream off of me, I looked annoyed but also amused at him being playful. "I want a divorce already." I said laughing with him. Once we both settled down and Yoongi had his face covered in shaving cream again; I grabbed the razor and was about to start shaving him when my anxiety started getting the better of my again. Yoongi sensed my anxiety sparking and grabbed my hand that wasn't holding the razor.

"Hey." Yoongi said while he looked up at me lovingly, running his long fingers over mine soothingly. "I trust you okay. I know you won't hurt me." He said before kissing my knuckles, careful not to get the shaving cream on my hand. I nodded smiling and slowly started shaving him. Several minutes in shaving him, while I was concentrating, I felt Yoongi's hands reach behind me to my upper thighs, pulling me closer. He gently started rubbing soothing circles on them and messaging my ass.

"Keep it PG, Min. I have weapon and I'm not afraid to use it." I said jokingly making him chuckle.

"You know what you in my clothes do to me." He said with a tired smirk. His dark lashes hit his cheekbones as he relaxed under my touch. I smiled at a how serene he looked, and it took everything in me not to kiss him. Once I was done, I rubbed my nose against his causing him to open one eye and smile. I grabbed the washcloth and gently cleaned whatever was left of his shaving gel. I grabbed his Invictus aftershave and put some on his face.

"Okay, I'm think done." I said proud of myself. Yoongi put his glasses back on and grabbed the handheld mirror I had held out to him and examined his face closely. A huge smile hit his lips and he wrapped his strong arms around my shoulders and pulled me to his broad chest. "You did amazing Jagi. Thank you." He said as he muzzled his face into my neck.

"You're welcome, Yoons." I said tiredly as I ran my fingers through his soft locks, laying my head on top of his. The faint smell of his aftershave along with the smell of him in general hitting my nose made me feel tired as I gently messaged his head. Yoongi hummed quietly into my neck before placing chaste lazy kissing to my neck, chest, below my ear lobe, cheeks, temple, nose, and finally my lips.

"I love soft, cuddly Yoongi." I said giggling. Yoongi looked at me with a soft smile, our noses touching.

"I thought you loved rough, dominate Yoongi?" He said rubbing our noses together.

"Ehh, I like all sides. I'm an easy woman to please." I said looking at him smiling before telling him it was time for us to go to bed. He yawned while nodding and we headed to our bed, setting his glasses down on the nightstand. He pulled me close, so my head was laying on his chest and placed his hand on the side of my face. Our centimeters away from each other he smiled and looked into my eyes with his full of love, care, warmth, and passion. "I love you so much, Jagi." He said tired while stroking my cheek bone. I leaned it connected my lips to his in a sweet but passionate kiss. We both pulled away with giant smiles on our faces. I responded looking tiredly into his eyes. "I love you too, Yoongi.". I layed my head on my pillow, my face buried in his neck breathing in his scent while he buried his in my hair, arms wrapped tightly around me. "I can't believe you smashed me in the face with shaving cream." I said quietly.

"That's what you get for staring at me and then parading around our bedroom in my shirt and your lace panties you brat.". He responded letting out and airy chuckle. I smiled before closing my eyes and falling asleep to his light breathing.

#yoongi x reader #yoongi x you #yoongi fanfic #bts yoongi #bts #bts x reader #bts fanfction

[seonghwa-is-babie]

Protective pup

Y/n And yunho haven't gotten the best response to coming out, getting a lot of hate from antis, unfortunately, y/n got a bit more than just online hate, all because he looked too scary and intimidating with his height and tattoos

Yunho x male reader

Warning: slight angst (cursing, bruises, crying)

Note: sorry if this made u cry ;-;, and that the ending's a bit awkward

Today was a wreck for y/n, ever since he and his boyfriend, Yunho came out as a couple, he's been getting a lot of hate from both fans and non-fans. y/n tried to stay strong in front of him, but in reality he didn't know how much hate he could handle anymore, since it was escalating to physical harassment

It wasn't uncommon for him to come home with bruises, but he did his best to hide them from yunho, he was already stressed with their comeback being right around the corner

Today was another one of those days where he got beat up for being in a relationship with their 'oppar'

🐶

Once he got home he expected to be welcomed by his boyfriend, Yunho, with open arms, but he wasn't home at the moment, so y/n decided to text him

________________________________________

you: baby why aren't you home? I thought you were done by now?

Yunho🐶❤️: They're making us practise a bit longer for our comeback

you: When are you coming home then? I miss you...

Yunho🐶❤️: We're almost done, don't worry :)

Yunho🐶❤️: love you😘😘❤️

_______________________________________

Deciding he had enough time left to hopefully cover up the wounds, he went to the bathroom to get some bandages for the cuts, and foundations for the bruises

🐶

After bandaging up his arms and putting on a decent amount of makeup to cover up the bruises

He turned off his phone, hoping to not see anymore notifications from comments under anything he posts "maybe he is better off without me, or he can find someone else who's so much better than me, who isn't hated" as he started to think, he couldn't help but cry from it, falling asleep after the crying had tired him out.

At practice🐶

"alright from the top guys, five six seven eight" they went over their choreography once again "yunho your footing's wrong, you're supposed to go like this" the instructor demonstrated "sorry sir, I won't do it again" they repeated it, only for him to do another part wrong, repeating this problem until the members decided to address it

"yunho, you've been a bit out of rhythm since our break, is everything okay?" seonghwa asked concerned "I don't know hyung, maybe cause of..."

San looked at him confused "cause of what, Yunho?" he looked down "y/n sent a text asking why I wasn't at home and after I explained why, I don't know why, but his reply seemed so sad, he didn't even say I love you back, and I think I know why" the older didn't fully understand

"well, why do you think he's sad?" yunho looked down "I think it might be because of the hate we've been getting for coming out, I've deleted all social media of off my phone, but I don't know if he did it as well."

"yunho, maybe you should go home to check on him" Hongjoong said, concerned for the yunho's boyfriend, he knew him quite well and knew that despite his intimidating exterior, he was a gentle soul "but what about practice?"

wooyoung pushed him towards the door "that's not important right now, what is, is that you go home and check up on your boyfriend"

🐶

"I'm home" yunho said, expecting a hug and a kiss from his boyfriend, but all he saw was an empty living room, like he had feared "maybe he went to bed already? That's strange, normally he waits for me to get back" he went up the stairs to their shared bedroom, hoping to find the other there

To his surprise, he did, though he was already asleep, so he tried his best not to wake his lover up, sadly he did wake up because y/n was a pretty light sleeper

"Yunho?" he turned around to face his lover, he smiled "hey, I'm home, I missed you" he went closer to his lover, only then noticing the tear stains and the slightly red eyes "why did you cry? Did something happen?" he hoped to deer God that it wasn't the hate, but just a bad day at work

"i'm fine, don't worry about it" he tried grabbing yunho's arm to stop him from further inspecting his body, but that backfired as the sleeve came up and exposed the bandages, which yunho obviously saw

"oh my gosh! What did you do? Did someone hurt you?" tears started to slip from y/n's eyes and he turned over to his back "babe please, I'm worried about you" y/n turned back to yunho, the years exposing his makeup "hold on one minute, please"

He came back with a a few makeup wipes "may I?" y/n decided to no longer hide what people were doing to him and nodded. As yunho started gently wiping off the makeup, his face contorted into one of shock "how'd that happen, honey?"

"....Your fans, they've been harassing me on and off social media, on it, they always say I don't D-deserve you, that I-I'm a heartless ass hole who doesn't know how to properly care for you. But off...... Yunho.... I'm not sure if you know how much it hurts not only physically, but mentally as well. I've tried to stay strong, but I don't know how much longer I can take it"

at this point he was sobbing, something Yunho had never seen before. He sat next to his slightly taller boyfriend and rubbed the others back "I-I didn't know it go that bad..... I didn't think they would go that far. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you sooner" both began to cry in each others arms

🐶

"I promise you I will do something about this, I hate to see you go through so much pain" yunho said, sitting in y/n's lap "maybe we could do something together?" the younger nodded, before getting up from the older's lap and grabbing his phone, texting someone "who're you texting?" yunho made room for y/n to look over his shoulder

"just my manager to ask him if I can do a V-live to address what's going on" the older tensed up "are you sure that's a good idea?" the younger nodded "we don't have to if you don't feel comfortable with it" y/n thought about it

"I don't want you to do this alone, but I don't know if I can face the camera right now" Yunho tried to think of something they could do "how about...... You lay your head on my lap facing away from the camera, that way, you'll still be there with me, but don't have to see any negative comments" y/n nodded

🐶

Yunho got his phone positioned where they could see both him and y/n and waited until enough people joined in "hey guys.... This isn't going to be a happy vlive today, instead I want to address something that's been a problem lately" he could already see some hate comments on screen "ever since I came out with my boyfriend, we've been getting a lot of hate, me getting only a bit of what y/n has been going through, I normally trust you guys and love you all, but harassing y/n for being together with me is just wrong"

"but oppar he isn't right for uuuu"

"we love a protective bf, preach🏳️‍🌈"

"not our fault you're both filthy homosexuals😒"

"hope u guys still know there's fans out there who support you two, we love you💙💙💙"

"but he doesn't treat u right unlike I would"

"for the people who think y/n doesn't treat me right because of how he looks, he's the sweetest guy I could've asked for, he knows what I like and dislike, how to cheer me up. Why can't you guys see that, is all you guys see a tall scary man with tattoos, or the sweet, loving person laying beside me"

y/n started to cry again and buried his face into yunho's thighs, Yunho brought him up to comfort him, y/n still facing away from the camera "it's okay, it's gonna be fine, we're gonna sort this out alright?" the youngest went to wipe his tears, the older leaning into those touches from him

"guys, you should stop... Look how much we're hurting him and y/n"

"oppar he'll just use you"

"look at how much they care about each other, how could you hate them?🥺🥺🥺🥺"

"guys please, I can't stand seeing him this unhappy and sad, seeing him with so many bruises and cuts, and him not even being able to face the camera because of you guys. This has to stop, or we will have to take drastic measures in order to keep ourselves save" y/n looked at his boyfriend, a bit scared but also relieved that this might just be a solution to their problem

"yunho, are you sure this is what we should do?" he asked, still unsure of what to do "I know many fans probably won't like it, but this is what I have to do if I want to keep you and myself safe" he took in a deep breath before looking back towards his phone "we will be deleting our social media from our phones, and if we catch any of you harassing me or y/n, you will be blacklisted and will get a restraining order from us" he ended the live

🐶

"are you okay baby?" y/n asked yunho  "no, I just-" he began to cry "I just can't believe that they would do so many awful things just because we're together" the older pulled him closer "I guess that's the harsh reality of idol life, because of the way you're supposed to act towards fans, it gives them a false sense of hope. I wish things were different, but sadly we can't change it, not in one day that is. This stuff is going to take time for people to accept, but i'm sure that when some more time has passed, people will accept it, as there will be more like us in the future"

"how can you be so sure of it? Maybe people will start to resent it even more" he looked up at y/n "I don't know what the future holds, but I do know we can influence it, you're a role model for people, if they see from you that it's okay, I'm sure many people will follow"

they stayed in each other's arms, eventually falling asleep, but not before saying one last thing to each other "I love you yunho, with all my heart, and I hope our country will allow us to be together till the end" yunho snuggled closer to y/n "you mean like getting married and stuff? I'd love to get married to you, and I hope we can in the future too"

They shared a quick peck before cuddling up once more and going to sleep for the night

#ateez imagines #ateez scenarios #kpop x male reader #ateez x male reader #ateez #Yunho x male reader #Yunho #jeong yunho

[nightswithkookmin]

JIKOOK: SOMETHING HAS CHANGED-Jikook Shading Eachother pt2

Disclaimer:

This is for entertainment purposes. Nothing expressed in here is to be taken seriously. Everything expressed in here is my opinion and is not intended to be malicious or disrespectful to any of the parties involved.

So what's tea....

I stated in my previous post on how Jikook aren't always-Jikooking. There's been fights, breakups, make ups, tensions and a whole lot of crazy going on with those two over the past couple of years. Some of course you know of- because they are blatantly obvious like Manila etc; some you'd have to be a bit of an inquisitive, highly OCD, nerdish to a fault, have a long history of anxiety disorder and lack any form of social life to catch- not saying I am any of these things... I AM. SEND HELP!

Following the theme of my previous post, today I want to discuss some of the things I believe have changed within BTS in general in regards to how they behave or have behaved towards Jikook. This discussion is relevant because it will help you understand the changing dynamics of Jikook's relationship and why I think they are at where they are now: subtly throwing shade at each other in 2020. Bless them.

In a recent interview during this Japan comeback, JK openly admitted to how the members of BTS aren't the same as when they started out 7 years ago and he wasn't wrong. Things have changed. I just don't know if this change is necessarily good- in Jikook dynamics I mean.

For one, RM used to treat Jikook's relationship with some level of reverence. Especially in regards to how he acted around Jimin. He seemed to subconsciously acknowledge an unspoken rule that Jk had some sort of autonomy over Jimin and he had to respect that even as an elder and leader.

It was one of the early clues that gave Jikook away.

Remember this moment?

JK got mad, angry and couldn't even hide his emotions when he noticed RM doing- whatever that was- with Jimin.

What's interesting to me was how RM behaved in the moments after that incident. He touched his chest, almost like he was hurt by JK's reaction to his little minimoni moment with Jimin and then turned to Jin to explain what had just happened.

Jin looked equally surprised by JK's behavior. Surprised, not mad. They both should have been angry enough to scold JK given as they had said openly how they disapproved of JK's possessiveness and greediness. It was expected of them at least.

Sure, perhaps they didn't want to cause a scene but still, they are the hyungs not the other way round. And given how age difference is such a big deal in South Korea they should have exerted their superiority over JK in this instance and put him in his place even if they should about it playfully like we've seen some of them do when a younger drops honorifics etc. After all JK doesn't own Jimin... or don't he? *Wink.

If you fail to see my point, here. This moment should clarify things better.

This is RM patting Jk on the shoulder a few moments after he had wrapped his hands around JM and saw JK's shook face in the view finder.

He patted Jk immediately as if to say sorry I didn't mean to dude and JK just nodded. He nodded people! He fucking nodded!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That nod was him giving his approval to- whatever that was RM did to Jimin. He was a little pissed following that and went on to do his tongue in cheek thingy but it still doesn't take away from what that moment signified.

There are many moments like these where RM and even some of the other members have been seen to bow figuratively to JK when they had had to interact with Jimin in a way that may come across as offensive to Jimin's intimate partner if he had one.

This act of acknowledging JK's authority over Jimin is part of their culture. It is expected of Koreans to respect the sanctity of another's relationship. It is why JK received a ton of backlash from K-army and antis when he was seen back hugging that tattoo girl in September 2019. They even went as far as to 'report' JK to the guy the girl was believed to be allegedly dating at the time.

And the guy's response was equally telling. Even though he denied he was in a relationship with the said girl, he did acknowledge the disrespectfulness of JK's conduct and said JK was grown enough and should know better. (The emphasis is mine)

Thats their culture. You just don't touch other people's girlfriends or boyfriends, hug them, act affectionate with them without their permission. It is seen as disrespectful in the and would explain why RM and the others have acted that way towards JK in the past and most importantly it explains why JK acts or has acted like he owns JM most times. He do. Bless him.

Sisters and brothers, aliens and Lizards; JIKOOK IS REAL. Praise the Lord!

But don't get excited just yet. All that was before and during 2015/2018. Flash forward to 2019/2020 and that dynamic is almost extinct. Almost.

Now we have moments like these where RM 'feels' Jimin up with no apprehension what so ever. This man be feeling ghetto around Jikook lately. Always moving like he about to let lose some nuke codes on them.

EXHIBIT A:

This is their 2020 VLive reaction video to their debut video. JM made a negative comment about his body and RM and JHope immediately 'felt' JM's body up complimenting him for still having an impeccable body.

Jk glanced at them briefly, his nostrils flared a bit and he had a look of disdain on his face. He sort of rolled his head in a way only a scorned woman would understand and then remembers there's a camera watching him so he tries to tone it down immediately.

But still you could tell he wasn't ok with what had happened as he began fidgeting around a lot, smacking his lips together and touching his clothes impulsively.

EXHIBIT B:

This was during their Grammy VLive, when RM felt up JMs thighs and JK had to side eye the moment and smack his lips again. At this point I won't lie I feel sorry for JK. It hurts me to see him go through all this.

So the question remains, WHAT HAPPENED in 2018 to cause this drastic shift in the way RM behaves towards Jikook?? TEA: it's not just RM!

Why are they all of a sudden not giving JK his due respect like we've seen them do in the past? Why is RM suddenly feeling so confident in interfering with Jikook moments, separating them and what not?

This is where I insert his legendary standoff moment with JK at the MMA 2019 but I think I've made my point. No?

FINE. HERE:

So there you have it. Something has definitely changed in Jikook dynamics and I'm gonna tell you what just stay with me a little longer alright? It's gonna be a slowburn.

MUHAHAHAHAHA. Sorry.

Signed,

Goldy

#jikook fights #jikook analysis #jikooktheories #jikook #kookmin fights #kookmim #kookmin analysis #kookmintheories #kookmin #bts kookmin #bts kookie #bts jimin #bts angst #bts #nightswithkookmin #goldy #jikook scenarios #jikook soft packs #jikook social media au #jikook soft moodboard #jikook smau

[cloudminhyun]

Before NU'EST's Comeback...

I felt it was important to address certain things that have been happening lately in the fandom. Minhyun's fancafe letter has pushed me to write this just like how some people's behaviour pushed Minhyun to write that letter. For those unable to access fancafe, to summarise, Minhyun tried to once again convey his love and loyalty towards NU'EST and the fans and apologised for not making this clear and concise beforehand.

As someone who has been a fan since the very beginning of NU'EST's debut, I have never once doubted Minhyun's loyalty but I completely understand how older and newer fans might've felt uneasy when Minhyun resumed activities with NU'EST. He never verbally said very much about his intentions during the transition phase from Wanna One back to NU'EST, nor has he said much whilst being back with NU'EST. Everyone dabbled with the idea of him going solo and worried about a variety of things, such as the impact on the fanbase etc.

Something I want to remind everyone of is that Minhyun is a man of action. You don't simply wait for him to say something but rather observe his actions in order to understand his intentions. He returned to NU'EST, he has released music with NU'EST, he has done live streams with NU'EST, he has performed at a concert with NU'EST, and he's done all of this with a smile on his face. Why? Because he is a member of NU'EST. That is something that shouldn't even be questioned. You can simply see from his activities how hard he's tried to integrate back with the members and to reconnect with the fanbase. He wants to be NU'EST's Minhyun again and this is something the majority of the fanbase has accepted and is happy with.

Obviously, the problem is the people who only support Minhyun and are completely against NU'EST. There's nothing wrong with being a solo stan so long as you're respectful towards everyone else. If you are however throwing hateful, negative, toxic comments and abuse targeted at the other members of NU'EST then you are in fact being problematic. Feel free to support Minhyun, but if you're doing so by hating his fellow members, then you are in fact hurting Minhyun. It's as simple as that.

Since Minhyun has returned to NU'EST, he has tried time and time again to prove his love and loyalty to his members. He has tried to show us all just how much he loves the fans. He's constantly trying to prove himself and the truth of the matter is that he shouldn't even have to. From the very beginning, Minhyun made it very clear that he wanted to stay a member of NU'EST. We should trust him and we should know.

Love conquers hate, it's a quote we've mostly all heard, but in this instance, we are losing the battle because we are fighting hate with more hate. NU'EST have led by example by constantly showing us fans their love and appreciation, for example Ren's surprise fanmeet and book. Even after everything that's happened the past few months, from the sticky-note protests at Pledis's building to the rampant hate online, NU'EST have only ever responded by showing us their smiling faces and by giving us more than we probably deserve. Because they show us a bright, cheery side, we probably all forget and take for granted that NU'EST are in fact the one's hurting the most. Of all the members, who do you think is feeling the brunt of the responsibility for the hate? Even though he's not done anything to cause any of what's happened, other than exist and work as a member of Wanna One and NU'EST, Minhyun is feeling the impact of all the drama and hate the most out of everyone.

It's hard to ignore the hate and it's difficult to not feel anything when you see it. I'm not asking anyone to stop reacting towards it because I'm not in control of anyone's actions. All I want to say is that next time you see someone hating any of NU'EST, please take a moment to step back and think, "If I was NU'EST and I read this or saw this, how would I react?" Most of all, I'd really like if everyone took the time to think, "If I was Minhyun, how would I be feeling if I read this?"

We can't control what people put on the internet. What we can do is control how we react towards it and how much we expose ourselves to it. It's very easy to get sucked in and to want to read everything, to know exactly who's saying what and sometimes you may feel it necessary to reply and confront the hate comments, but let me ask-does it make you feel good when you read hate comments? Does it make you feel good when you're reacting to the hate with more hate? I'd imagine the answer is 'no'. So the simple solution is: don't read or look for the hate comments and if you see them, don't respond negatively. If they appear on your timeline, simply block that person and move on. If you feel compelled to comment, don't be passive aggressive, but try and be compassionate. You may feel like those people don't deserve any compassion after everything they've done to NU'EST, but remember: NU'EST would show them compassion and kindness and we fans are an extension of NU'EST. We represent them as a fanbase. ㄴㅇㅅㅌ by name and by nature, always.

The point of this very long post is this: NU'EST are about to release their first album as 5 for the first time in 3 years. It's their first album since they went on PD101. The boys have put a lot on the line for this album so they really need us to focus and to do our best to support them. That doesn't just mean by buying the album digitally or physically, nor does it just mean streaming the songs and music video tirelessly, it also means bringing a positive attitude to the social networking platforms you use and by promoting them in a positive way. So rather than focussing on the hate, we need to be focussed on NU'EST.

By promoting what you love, by showing people how great NU'EST are, you are more likely to entice potential new fans. However by promoting the hate and focussing on how they bring the fandom down, you're going to scare away potential new fans. NU'EST need loving fans, not toxic people. Haters come and go. The more attention you give them, the longer they persist. As soon as you stop giving them focus, they'll get bored and they'll move on. I've been a KPop fan for a decade now so trust me when I say that. It may seem difficult to ignore, but let's try our best.

After everything NU'EST has been through, they deserve the recognition for their art and their hard work. So let's make sure we do our best to focus and support them well. And ultimately, please, please, let's help ease Minhyun's troubled mind by cheering him and the rest of the members during this comeback. Let's show Minhyun that we respect his decision to be with NU'EST and how we support NU'EST with all our hearts.

Thank you for reading. Good luck during the comeback. Don't forget to rest and look after yourselves whilst helping support NU'EST. If anyone ever needs to talk about anything fandom related, I'm always here to listen and lend a shoulder. Hwaiting everyone!

- Harj

#minhyun #hwang minhyun #minhyun hwang #nuest #nu'est #nu est #kpop #k-pop #k pop #뉴이스트 #황민현 #민현 #ニューイースト #ミンヒョン #personal: cloudminhyun #text: cloudminhyun #cloudminhyun: text