#and various other thoughts but those two songs are the main ones for me but literally there's at least 1 line for him in I swear | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

joelalorian · 1 month

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Fall Into Me - Chapter Seven: I'll Catch You Darlin'

dbf!Joel x f!reader

Summary: Joel is hanging on by a thread as a single father to a tenacious 10-year-old Sarah. Feeling like he's drowning, like the world is about to spit him out, he needs some help before he breaks in half. At your dad's insistence, you show up in his life and change everything.

Story is inspired by the song Fall Into Me by Forest Blakk. Chapter titles will be lyrics from the song.

Word Count: 3.9k

Chapter Warnings: Explicit, under 18 take a hike. No outbreak AU. Lots of feelings, unprotected p in v, flirting, dads being dads. Two idiots falling in love. Joel is his own warning. Age gap of about 9 years (Reader 24/25, Joel 33/34). No use of y/n. Reader has a nickname used only by her dad and Joel uses various terms of endearment (darlin', sweetheart, etc.).

Thank you so much to everyone who reads this self-indulgent story and extra thanks to those who comment and/or reblog - you all make me feel like a rock star!

Dividers by the wonderful @saradika-graphics

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Chapter Six | Main Masterlist

Moonlight peeked through the gap in the dark curtains, beams of soft light dancing across your face. Blinking your eyes open, you glanced around the room, momentarily uncertain where you were. Even in the pre-dawn light, the walls were noticeably darker than your room, furniture a rich mahogany, the bedding a deep blue. The spot in the bed beside you was empty but warm, and it jogged your memory.

You were in Joel’s room, in his bed.

You slept with Joel last night… but, no, wait. You didn’t, you know, sleep with him, though you wanted to and now wished you had.

The two of you made a mess of each other on the couch – you still couldn’t believe you made Joel come in his pants. You’d never done such a thing and it was so fucking hot! Even hotter was the fact that he wasn’t even embarrassed about it. Instead, he let you know how much of an effect you had on him, murmuring affectionate words in your ear. Afterwards, you both cleaned up, Joel loaning you a pair of boxer briefs and joggers to replace your soaked jeans and panties, and finally sat down to watch a movie and order pizza. It was a perfect Sunday date night in. When Sarah and Tommy returned, they joined you for a bit, Sarah cuddled into your left side as you cuddled into Joel on your right. Somehow, after Sarah went to bed and Tommy left, you ended up in Joel’s bed, the dark sheets covering you as he held you in his broad arms. Too tired for anything more, you fell asleep.

It was the best night of sleep you had in your entire life.

Glancing at the alarm clock on the nightstand, you sighed. Too early to rise, you huddled under the covers wondering where Joel went off to. Just then, the bathroom door creaked open, and Joel emerged, climbing back into bed next to you. His arms encased you in the warmth of his body and you hummed happily, placing soft kisses on his chest.

“Mmm, what are you doin’ awake, darlin’,” he murmured, nuzzling his nose in your hair.

“Dunno,” you replied, fingertips dancing along his arms and over his shoulders. Joel pulled you closer still and, with a tilt of your head, you pressed a kiss to his pouty lips, the scruff of his beard and mustache tickling your skin.

Just being in his arms, in his bed, caused a wave of arousal to pool in your lower belly. Thinking of last night on the couch, your hips pressed forward without conscious thought from your brain and your lower belly brushed against the swelling length of Joel’s cock.

“Is someone feelin’ a lil’ needy?” Joel asked, voice thick and velvety, as one hand wandered down the length of your back to squeeze at the plumpness of your ass.

“Always need you, Joel,” you practically whined, internally cringing at your own neediness. You always swore you wouldn’t beg for a man but with your skin practically burning for his every touch, you’d give anything for Joel to be inside you. You never wanted someone so much you felt like you could shatter from the wanton desire pulsing through you.

Shifting forward, Joel rolled you onto your back and hovered above you, bracing himself on one veiny forearm. The thumb of his free hand swiped slowly across your bottom lip, pulling at the pouty flesh, his dark eyes searing as your tongue darted out for a taste of his skin. With a growling moan, he darted forward to press his mouth to yours, nipping at that bottom lip while his hand traced a path down your neck and chest, seeking the roundness of your breasts. Precise in his movements, Joel swallowed your little mewls as he plucked at your nipples one at a time until they were hardened peaks. You squirmed as each delectable pinch sent a bolt of arousal straight to your pussy.

Without a word, Joel read your movements, his hand gliding further down your body to dip beneath the elastic of your panties. Leaning back slightly, his eyes met yours, pupils blown, and arched a single eyebrow. You were absolutely drenched, your arousal seeping through the fabric of your panties to coat the flesh of your inner thighs.

“All this for me? I’ve been so neglectful, you poor lil’ thing. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you, darlin’.”

Joel’s eyes never left yours as he swiped through your folds, the rough pad of his index finger strumming at your clit for a few beats before slipping inside you. It had been a while since you had anything other than a tampon inside you and your breath caught at the feeling of his thick finger stretching you. Soft mewls quickly turned to panting moans as he added another finger to the mix, curling them both to hit that little fleshy bundle of nerves that made you desperate to come as his thumb teased your clit.

“Shhh, darlin’. We need to be quiet,” Joel whispered, his breath in your ear causing goosebumps to prickle across your scalp and along your arms. Biting your lip, you did your best to stay quiet, breathing heavily through your nose as Joel scissored his fingers, opening you up to take the fullness of him.

Suddenly realizing you’ve been so focused on what Joel was doing to you that your hands hadn’t moved from his waist, you shifted. Hips arching up chasing the orgasm that teetered just out of reach, you slipped one hand around Joel’s hip, digging your fingers under the waistband of his boxer briefs to take the heft of him in hand.

Fuck, he was huge. Joel chuckled and your faced heated at the realization that you said that aloud. “That’s why I’m making sure you’re ready to take me, darlin’. I don’t want to hurt you, ever.”

How was this man real? He was everything you never knew you always wanted and then some. And God damn did he know how to work you right over the edge. Afraid of being too loud, you bit into the flesh of Joel’s shoulder to drown your moans as an intense orgasm washed over you. Joel’s fingers worked you through it, soothing you through the trembling aftershocks until you came back to your senses.

“Please, Joel. I need you. I’m ready. I need you now. Please,” you babbled, hands scrabbling at his underwear, wanting him as naked as you. So much for not begging.

Pushing back, Joel tugged his boxer briefs down his hips and thighs, kicking them away as he settled between your thighs. Your eyes widened when you caught a glimpse of his cock, mouth watering with the desire to taste him. Next time, you thought, as he tilted his hips forward, balancing his upper body on his arms. This was the moment you’d both been waiting patiently for.

Joel’s big brown eyes met yours, seeking confirmation that this was what you wanted, and you smiled. “Please, Joel,” you whimpered, hips bucking in search of friction.

Sealing his lips to yours, Joel pushed forward, easing his cock into you with an exaggerated slowness. The mixture of pleasure and slight pain was exquisite as inch after inch of his cock caressed your walls, eyes rolling back when he finally bottomed out.

“Fuck, baby. Y-you feel so fucking good wrapped around me, squeezing me so tight. I could live here, just like this, forever.” Joel’s voice a deep whisper as he rocked into you, cock sliding along your fluttering walls, hitting just the right spots with every movement. He was do deep inside you; you’d swear you could feel him deep in your belly.

The broadness of him surrounded you as he fed you his cock with steady thrusts. Sex never felt so good, and you knew it had everything to do with Joel and the way you felt about him. You’d never felt this way about anyone before and, though it overwhelmed you, it was the greatest thing in the world. You were bursting to tell him the true depth of your feelings, but hesitated, not wanting to be the first to make such a declaration, especially in the heat of the moment.

The pace picked up, Joel kissing you deeply as he rocked into you. You swallowed each other’s moans as you wrapped your legs around his hips, drawing him ever closer, ever deeper. The brush of his lower belly and coarse curls against you created just the right amount of friction on your clit it threw you right over the cliff, moaning into Joel’s mouth, fingernails digging into the skin of his back. No doubt there would be a dozen half moon markings on his back later.

Within a few thrusts, Joel’s pace turned erratic as he sought his own pleasure. Tearing his lips from yours, he frantically blurted, “Where?”

“Inside. Come inside me, baby,” your mewled, aching to feel him pulse inside you.

Two more thrusts and Joel came, his low groan muffled by your neck as he burrowed his head into the pillow. “Fuck,” he drew out the word, followed by a sigh of your name before he collapsed half on top of you. The bulk of him like a weighted blanket covering your body. “That was amazing. I can’t wait to do it again.”

Still delirious, you both chuckled as quietly as you could manage, chests heaving as you tried to catch your breath. Rolling off you, Joel pulled you close so that you were now sprawled half over him and cuddled you until your heart rates returned to normal.

A glance at the clock let you know you were out of time. Sarah would be up any minute looking for breakfast before getting ready for school. The thought of unwrapping yourself from Joel and leaving his bed pained you, but you both got up. You did a quick cleanup while Joel jumped in the shower. As much as you wanted to join him, you both knew you’d lose track of time if you did. Instead, you jumped in after Joel finished, letting him deal with getting Sarah’s breakfast.

It wasn’t until you emerged from the shower that nervous energy coursed through you at the thought of going downstairs. Did Sarah know you stayed over? Did Joel want Sarah to know that you stayed over? You should have talked to Joel about this before he went downstairs, but it was too late now. The questions still swirled in your head as you slipped on the borrowed joggers and scraped your hair into a knot at the back of your head. You wore a tank top to sleep in and were about to put your shirt from the night before on when one of Joel’s flannels caught your eye. Holding the fabric up to your nose, you breathed in the scent of him – fresh cut wood and a musk that was so uniquely Joel – and slipped the shirt on with a tender smile. Time to face the music, you thought.

Steps light as you walked down the stairs, you heard Sarah chattering away to Joel and smiled when Joel’s deep voice muttered responses. Their connection warmed your heart and you wanted so badly to be part of this family unit with them.

Catching sight of you as you turned the corner, Joel’s dark chocolate eyes lit up, lips twitching into a half smile. “Good mornin’, darlin’,” he greeted once you stepped through into the kitchen, leaning down to kiss the top of your head as if the two of you hadn’t spent the last hour getting full carnal knowledge of each other. “How’d you sleep?”

“Mmm, good morning you two,” you replied, slipping into the seat next to Sarah with a smile at the young girl. “That was the best night of sleep.”

Joel looked pleased with himself as he placed a glass of water on the table in front of you along with a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. “Just what I hoped to hear.” He took the seat across from you at the little four-top table and the three of you dug in.

Sarah kept up a stream of chatter as you ate, telling you all about her ice cream date with Tommy the night before. About mid-way through breakfast, you nearly choked on your eggs when the little girl blurted, “You’re wearing Daddy’s clothes. Does that mean you’re officially his girlfriend now?”

Sputtering, your wide-eyed gaze darted to Joel. He sat there looking cool as a cucumber, lips quirked in a grin and umber eyes twinkling with mischief. “Yeah, darlin’. Does that mean you’re officially my girlfriend now?”

Eyes narrowing at the menace of a man sitting across the table, you smirked. Two could play this game. “Well, I don’t know. What do I get for being your official girlfriend?” you asked, voice dipping toward sultry.

Joel visibly gulped, eyes searching your face before he cleared his throat. “Anything you want.” He said it so simply, the words leaving his lips so effortlessly, and it threw you.

“What about what you want?” you deflected.

Sarah gazed between the two of you, nose scrunched, equal parts happy and confused. Why did adults make everything complicated?

Playfulness glinted in Joel’s eyes, winking at Sarah before turning back to you. “I want you to be my official girlfriend.”

“Okie dokie,” you replied with a nonchalant shrug of your shoulders, feigning indifference as you took the last bite of eggs on your plate to hide your smile.

Joel shook his head, wide grin splitting his face, and went to reply when his phone buzzed. He shot a brief look to you before answering. “Hey JB,” he greeted, listening as your dad spoke. “Yeah, she’s here. Just getting the nugget ready for school.”

One thick-fingered hand tapped a rhythm on the wooden table, phone to his left ear as he gazed at you. Your dad was talking a lot, the echo of his voice carried in the air, but you couldn’t decipher what he said.

“It’s no bother, man. She’s a good girl and we love having her here.” Joel winked at you again before motioning for Sarah to go finish getting ready. “Yeah, JB, you can talk to her.”

Accepting the phone as he passed it across the table, you sat back in the chair. “Hey Dad. What’s up?”

“What’s up with you, ya dirty stay out? I didn’t see your car last night or this morning and wondered where ya were. Guess I shoulda known you’d be over there.”

There was something off with your dad’s tone and you panicked, trying in vain to think of an excuse on why you would’ve stayed the night. Mouth opening and closing a few times, your dad beat you to the punch.

“Don’t be makin’ a nuisance of yourself over there, ya hear? It’s one thing to have a crush on the guy, but it’s another to force yourself into every aspect of their lives, Spud. Don’t be getting’ in the way of their family time. You know how important that is.”

Your dad kept going, rattling off some other advice you didn’t ask for, but you were stuck on one thing. He thought you had a crush on Joel. He was much more observant than you ever gave him credit for. You and Joel would not be able to keep your now official relationship secret for long, not with good ol’ JB nosing around.

Joel’s eyes burned into you, but you couldn’t meet his gaze, staring down at the flaws in the tabletop instead.

“Anyway, I just wanted to wish ya good luck on your meeting at the school today, sweetie. You make your old man proud,” your dad said. “Tell Joel I’ll see him later. Love you, Spud.”

“Thanks Dad, love you too,” you uttered, the line going dead before you finished speaking. Shaking your head to clear your thoughts, your eyes met Joel’s, finally. “He thinks I have a crush on you and shouldn’t interfere with your family time.”

Tilting his head to the side, brows pinched, Joel reached a hand across the table to link his fingers with yours. “We’ll tell him real soon, darlin’. Don’t want you keeping secrets from your dad like this.”

“You sure? What if…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m here, in this, for the long haul,” Joel replied imploringly, his fingers squeezing yours. “I haven’t felt like this in too long, if ever, and I’m not givin’ it up for anything. Okay?”

The tell-tale tickle of tears welled but you refused to let them spill over, nodding with a watery smile. “Okay.”

The day started off cool, but the southern sun beat down on the back of Joel’s neck by early afternoon, causing him to shed the red flannel he wore to the job site. Gulping down a bottle of chilled water, he glanced at his phone hoping for a message from you.

You were on his mind constantly. Something triggered a memory or thought of you at almost every moment of the day. He’d see a bird and wonder if you knew what species it was. Or he’d hear something funny and wonder what you’d think about it. Or memories of you in his lap and in his bed would hit suddenly, making him hot under the collar and below the belt.

Joel Miller was a man falling in love and powerless to stop it. Not that he wanted to, anyway.

Just then his phone buzzed with a message from you asking him to call you when he had a moment. He’d always make time for you, he thought, his fingers already hitting the call symbol.

“Hey handsome,” you answered on the second ring, breathless as if you were running.

“Howdy darlin’,” he replied, voice deep and rumbly, just the way he knew you liked it. “How’d the meeting go?”

You were silent for a moment too long, and Joel pulled the phone from his ear, checking that the call didn’t drop.

“Well, you’re talking to the new middle grade science teacher, so I’d say it went well.” He could feel the pride in your voice and his heart swelled.

“Congrats, darlin’. I knew you’d get it and you’ll be the best damn science teacher those kids will ever have.” He was already thinking about how lucky Sarah would be to have you as a teacher. Letting his voice go a little deeper, he added, “We should celebrate this weekend. Sarah has two sleepover birthday parties to go to, so we’ll have the house to ourselves. I can take my time in showing you just how proud I am of you, and we can be as loud as we want.”

Your breath audibly hitched on the other end of the phone, causing Joel’s lips to twitch into a smirk. “I’d really like that, Joel,” you breathed, and his jeans suddenly grew tighter.

Adjusting himself as subtly as possible, Joel sighed. “I should go, sweetheart. There’s a ton to do at this site and I’m already looking at a few long days this week. Call JB next. He’s dropping by in a bit, and I don’t want to let something slip that I shouldn’t know yet.”

Sighing deeply into the phone, you said, “Alright, I’ll call him now. We gotta tell him soon, Joel. This is only gonna get harder, you know.”

“I know, sweet cheeks. We will, I promise.” Hearing his name, Joel nodded to one of his crew before saying goodbye. Your sweet voice echoed in his ears as he worked like a dog the rest of the day. JB was a proud papa when he stopped by, bragging about you to anyone who would listen. Guilt gurgled in Joel’s gut knowing the two of you were keeping a secret from the guy, but he pushed it down, pretending that he didn’t know anything about your new job and let JB share the details. The sun set long before he left the site, and he arrived home to find leftovers warming on the stove while you got Sarah ready for bed.

The sight of you walking down the stairs, smiling sweetly at him, set his soul on fire. God, how he longed to be with you all the time, to wake up next to you every morning and come home to you every evening.

“Come ‘ere, my sexy teacher girlfriend,” he greeted softly, pulling you in for a scorching kiss. He wasted no time, tongue dipping into your mouth to tangle with yours. “You’re so beautiful and smart, I’m so lucky I get to call you mine.”

You laughed with a little shake of your head. “I’m the lucky one, Joel. I can’t believe some lucky lady hadn’t snatched you up before I came along.”

Even though he was dirty and probably stunk of sweat from working all day, Joel hesitated to let you out of his embrace. As if sensing his feelings, you nuzzled into him.

“I wish I could stay the night, but I should get back to my dad’s,” you said, reluctantly.

“I know, darlin’. We’ll tell him soon and then you can stay over whenever you want.” Joel walked you out the door, thanking you for taking care of Sarah and cooking dinner. He kissed you a few more times on the way to your car and even ducked down to buckle you in and kiss you one last time before finally stepping back. “I’ll see you in the mornin’. I—”

That pesky little four-letter word had been bouncing around his heart and mind for weeks, even before the two of you decided to give this thing before you a shot, but he hesitated to say it first. He’d never said it and meant it, and to him it was a really big thing that he needed to time just right.

The rest of the week passed in a blur of work for Joel. Business was good, keeping him, Tommy, and a few other guys busier than any of them preferred. It was getting to the point where Joel needed to hire another crew so they could run two jobs at once. Though it was a great thing, making changes to his business always increased Joel’s anxiety. Management wasn’t his forte and he was terrified of screwing something up, but maybe that’s what made him a great small business owner. He was hyper vigilant in both the business and construction side of operations, going the extra mile to make sure things ran safely and smoothly.

The downfall of being so busy was, of course, the complete lack of time to spend with Sarah or you. It made him extra happy to know that Sarah had you to lean on and spend time with while he was busy, though. You were the piece of the support system that Sarah had been missing and seeing the bond between the two of you grow stronger every day warmed his heart to the point of bursting.

Finally, Friday arrived, and Joel busted his ass to get done early, rushing home to shower and setup a little something in the backyard to celebrate you landing your first teaching position. He had the perfect evening planned.

tbc

Taglist: @mellymbee @untamedheart81 @anoverwhelmingdin @runningmom94 @leilanixx

@pedropascalfan221 @lovelyjess69 @sarahhxx03 @sofiparallel @tammythr

@lulawantmula @islacharlotte @allyourfavesinoneblog @lover-of-books-and-tea @pedropascalsbbg

@ashleyfilm @brittmb115 @lilmizmoz @loveisacowboyyy @shotgun-shelby

@deninoe @casssiopeia @caitlynsixxx @skysmiller @missladym1981

@marirxse @lizzie-cakes @tynakub

#joel miller #joel miller x reader #joel x female reader #the last of us #tlou #dbf!joel #Fall Into Me #pedro pascal #eventual smut #mutual pining #idiots falling for each other

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aphpuffinchild · 4 months

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since it's out i can finally post my piece for @hws-anthology as well as the timelapse for it. as is arguably all my hetalia work, it's a love letter to my friend @pyrrhocorax 's fic Sendlingur og Sandlóa - i'll ramble a bit about how much it means to me, as well as the symbolism i wormed into this piece below the read more :)

i originally had two pages planned for this piece, potentially more - the fic is a good 74k words long and certainly not light on scenes i could and wanted to pull from, but various things led into other various things and one page was all i could manage, so i tried to cram in what i could, so here's that (in a rough, somewhat arbitrary order of focal points)

the opening chapter! the car is a framing device for the piece as much as it is for the journey the characters will take following that first chapter, so i wanted to use the car window/shapes as a literal framing device in my drawing

joi, shaky at best in his sense of self, sees no reflection in the window, instead there's a silhouetted raven to signify the search he must go on to find it

while not perfectly transcribed by virtue of wonky (plus an extra) line(s), the notes coming from joi's headphones are the opening to the song sendlingur og sandlóa, the fic's namesake, which a loved one kindly transposed by ear for me for the purpose of this piece

in a similar vein, the stickers on joi's suitcase are of a purple sandpiper and a ringed plover, the birds after which the song is named - here they are as transparents and in their original colours

i wanted to create a sliiight impression that joi is the one knocking over the chessboard, representing his repeated rejections of it (both physically, and the things it represents)

the chess pieces were also chosen specifically! originally i was going to use a black rook and a white pawn to match chapter 41, but for the sake of having alternating colours and the rest of my metaphors working (iirc) i swapped those colours around. that, and i wanted to match chapter 13's white king and black pawn - the black pawn stuck, the white king was colour swapped for colour cohesion reasons like the other's. (visual contrast was important to me, but the white queen blending slightly into the sky was okay for symbolism reasons) (there was also black king, white rook from chapter 3, so it all worked out anyway - there's a lot of chess in this story and i only had space for so many pieces and colours, basically)

speaking of which, the black pawn is for joi (chapter 13), the white queen is for halle (someone who, from joi's perspective, can go anywhere, vs joi's pawn, someone to be used -> see chapter 35 and perspective).

the king piece is falling (but hasn't quite fallen) between halle and henrik (chapter 3, 7, 13, though i most clearly thought of 19)

the person in the top right corner is eduard! i desperately wanted to include him because i think he's deserved it, and i considered a lot of ways of working him in, but i think an ambiguous silhouette that isn't Quite part of the main picture works better narratively

note also that he's separated from the other's through a red curtain, to represent the iron curtain (naturally) i wanted it to match ber + tino's part in some way, to sorta emphasise their similar foundations despite being split apart across places

the flowers at eduard's window are placed and chosen purposefully as well! orange/red zinnia's outside (for familial ties, steadfastness, friendship and remembrance) for what eduard puts out in to the world, then lily-of-the-valley for tino and cornflower for him inside to show what he wants to hold close :)

halle and joi are the only characters with their eyes open - halle looks towards the viewer/author/reader/joi, while joi looks away all together. if you've read the fic (which i assume you have because i can't imagine this is interested to read otherwise) you probably don't need me to explain why that reflects their roles in the story

similarly, every character apart from the brothers is turned towards another in some way (eduard does not count when his flowers do, and his role in the story is based around that disconnect partially anyway) tino towards ber and eduard (and hana, i guess), ber towards tino, henrik to halle, halle to henrik (though he looks away - his values are elsewhere even when they are together). joi, at best, looks at his own reflection in the window

the colour scheme, while arbitrarily picked from gradient maps based on what i felt "fit" has been approved by the author as being very "SoS core"

finally, the poem on the note, chapter 46

all that being said, i can and will now talk about my personal relationship with SoS, so unless that interests you i imagine the post is done now! thank you for reading :)

the first comment i posted on SoS is dated 2nd November 2016 - logging into my old account i can see i bookmarked it on the 31st August that same year, so i can safely assume i first read or at least found it then. a month after my first comment, i posted another on a different account, pouring a few bits of my heart out and the author responded! we went back and forth a bit and eventually talked (i think) via tumblr for a little, but the majority of our conversations were via skype for whatever reason (we didn't call, just texted). it was a lot of me looking for writing advice, insight to their work/process/skill, talking about The Brothers and talking about psychology/the brain on a general and personal level. i think if i read our conversations back now i'd cringe, given that i was an awkward, fumbling 16 year old, but i dont think anything else wouldve been fitting given the subject matter. eventually our conversations fizzled out and we stopped talking for years, but i'd go back to SoS routinely and cry.

in may of 2021, i posted another comment during what in hindsight was definitely another relatively minor mental health episode - i think it was half trying to emphasise how important the work was to me on the off chance pyrr saw it, and half a bid for connection since i had no idea if they even remembered us talking. i assumed nothing would come of it, and for about a year that was true - until pyrr responded after all in february of 2022 - i'm happy to say we've been talking consistently on discord since then. i feel a little weird speaking too intimately about our friendship as it is now since it's not just my story to tell (though pyrr, if you're reading this) (i'm sure you are at some point) (you're welcome to talk about it however, i just didn't want to without consulting you) but i can say with some certainty that it's at least a little bit my fault that we have a sequel now - cementing my place as official number #1 fan and validating the me from almost 8 years ago in a way i don't think either of us processes well.

it's here that i feel the need to talk about my other dear friend, @hws-lceland , who i'm grateful to have met through the zine's discord server. i'm sure they're reading this too, and a lot of what our relationship means to me is stuff that's probably a bit too vulnerable for either of us to speak publicly, but i *can* say that i love them very much, and i'm really grateful to have someone else to understand, and that he read SoS for me. i thought he needed it, and i hope i was right

sendlingur is...endlessly important to me. i'm aiming to not write an essay here (a goal i think i've already sorta shot in the foot) but i think it's important for me to talk about some of this a little loudly, all the same. my writing has changed because of the series - remeeting with pyrr and showing them some of my more recent work was interesting since it was apparent even to them the influences i'd taken (to be fair, in one section i explicitly asked and did borrow a format of theirs, but this goes beyond that). when i was 16 i asked my mum to read the fic in a desperate bid to be understood. i've cried reading the fic many, many times. i've signed off letters and poems with my switched around version of i'm sorry / thank you / i love you (i swap the first two around) many, many, many times, including in a close friend's wedding gift. SoS has very sincerely changed my definition of love. the name halle is a part of my abstract mindscape. id already considered changing my name to johannes anyway and this fic certainly didnt help. i've gained a friendship of 7 and a half years through it. i've gained another newer one now, too. i am not well. i wasn't well then, reading it, and it hasn't fixed me (i am worse, now, arguably), but it healed something, or at least made me feel understood. i could go on, and maybe sometime i will (there were so many things i wanted to include in my piece and pay homage to!), but for now i will thank anyone who took the time to read all this (again), and say that i look forward to experiencing the sequel

as always, i'm sorry, thank you, i love you

#hetalia #hetalia nordics #hws iceland #hws norway #hetalia iceland #hetalia norway #hetalia denmark #hetalia sweden #hws sweden #hws estonia #hetalia estonia #hetalia finland #hws finland

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signedkoko · 3 months

Note

Hi again~! Your first batch of valentines are super cute, you did a great job! Also, I would be honored to be 💙 Anon if you’d like! Sorry for responding late, but I didn’t want to clog up your inbox! Maybe one day I’ll be brave enough to come off anon. 😂

I have a fresh request for you too, I hope you’ll like it! Would you please do romantic headcanons or a little oneshot (I’ll let you decide which you feel like!) for Vox and f!reader going out dancing? I got the idea in my head recently and it won’t go away! Like just imagine him taking reader to one of those 1950s style nightclubs with the big ol’ dance floors for a night out—I think it’d be so cute! 😊

Thank you as always for all your hard work!

-💙

Rum Punch [Romantic]

In which on one random boring night you bring up how you miss dancing at clubs, and Vox only wants to make you happy. Reader is female.

Song - Don't Start Now x Hung Up Remix

There was nothing peculiar going on for you or your husband tonight; just normal days highlighted by seeing one another. There was nothing wrong with repetition, of course, you were both comfortable and happy as you were most nights.

But tonight, you couldn't help but feel inspired by the various songs switching as Vox scrolled through sinstagram.

"If you like staring at me so much, why not take a picture?" The voice blurted from your phone, and when you looked down at it, Vox's head had taken over the screen.

Rolling your eyes, you swiped the screen, which caused his visage to switch back to his main monitor.

"Not you, though I know you just love the idea of being my only focal point." Your neutral expression shifted into a smile, enjoying your usual teasing.

"I was just feeling..." As you trailed, the overlord leaned toward you expectantly. "Inspired?"

Reaching over, you pressed a button on the side of his screen, which immediately closed off his face and opened up his home screen. An angry grumbling came from your phone again, and you couldn't help but laugh as you used his monitor to look up the nearest club.

He swatted your hands away once you finished typing, and his face came back with a look of annoyance.

"Listen, if you want to party so bad, I'll take you to a party! Best of the best, every celebrity you could ever-"

"That's sweet and all, but I mean a real party—an old club with a big dance floor and shitty drinks!" You stood up, holding your hands far apart as you expressed the size of the dancefloor. Vox only sat back, sinking into the couch.

He looked up to the sky as you jokingly showed off some disco moves to exaggerate your point, though he stopped you when he held up a hand.

"Well, if my baby wants to party, then party we will! But I get to pick the place."

. . .

Only an hour later, the two of you were dressed and on your way. You argued that you didn't want to draw any attention, so he begrudgingly called a cab instead of his usual driver.

"So! Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

"Not even a hint?"

Vox only shook his head, though he laughed at your interest. Hell had a fuckton of bars, most shittier than the rest, so he made sure to pick a place he had minor ties to, that way he could ensure your safety.

Not that he would tell you that. He knew you liked the authenticity of being a stranger to others, but you should have thought of that before you said 'I do' to hell's most known man.

When you arrived, Vox could see the excitement creep onto your face upon seeing the club. It was run down, certainly, but it had a full parking lot and the music was blaring.

He seemed quite proud of himself, knowing he'd done a good job, but he quickly straightened himself out and offered a hand to you. In no time, the muffled music turned into a rhythm your heart could beat too, surrounded by friends and couples dancing together.

This was certainly old school—older than you expected—it was tacky, but it was perfect. Everyone's heels tapped on the waxed pine floor, which made every step louder than it seemed and filled the room with the drum of dozens dancing.

It looked to be some kind of tropical theme, with fake palm trees along the walls and many colourful cocktails with pineapple wedges or mini umbrellas.

All the chairs were wicker, along with the tables, though those had glass slabs on top of them to protect from the likely hundreds of spills this place saw per night. The seating surrounded the dance floor, most tables had a few people who would take turns on the dance floor. While you were interested in the warm-toned string lights hanging around the ceiling, Vox was interested in grabbing a drink.

"For the lady, a rum punch...and I'll go for the blue Hawaii." There were almost too many options, but you couldn't go wrong with the classics.

You were still distracted taking in the scene as he leant against the bar, glancing at you with a chuckle. He was sure he could have picked anywhere and you'd have been happy, but he liked to think he did a good job.

"You know, this sorta scene really reminds me of my startup in hell." A drink in each hand, Vox let you take a sip of both before handing you the one you enjoyed more. As always, you stared at him when he drank, probably still weirded out by how a monitor drank. Vox chose to ignore it as per usual.

When your gaze never left him, he figured he might as well continue.

"Val and I have known each other a long, long time. He got into business before me, and you know his thing. He'd go to every nightclub in the city, trying to find people who'd hear him out." Vox stiffed a laugh, seemingly amused, thinking of Valentino's struggle to fame.

"He needed a cameraman, and I was better than nothing. But cameramen were easy to hire, so quickly I was moved to handling the website, and you know the rest from there." He turned his monitor to the dancefloor, his now mostly empty drink placed on the table you were standing by.

"Places like these were all the hype. We went from scouting in them to blowing our paychecks in them to owning them." In his peripherals, he saw you down the last of your drink, sitting it next to his and pumping your first in the air.

"Here's to the past! And how much better it feels looking back on it than being in it." You dropped a lighthearted comment to pull him back to the present, grabbing his hand to drag him into the mingling hot bodies dancing as if they were going to die tomorrow.

He had to duck and squeeze between everyone, seeing as you were far smaller and could get through easier. But eventually, you were in the centre of the dance floor, facing each other.

"Are you sure it's okay to dance after chugging a drink?"

"I can't hear you! Just dance dumbass!" He could hear you just fine, but he shrugged it off with a grin, seeing you bust out the same moves you had in your living room just a few hours ago.

Only this time, he grabbed one of your hands and joined in.

Song after song, you two were never further than a few inches from each other. While Vox focused on keeping you close to him, you were busy singing out the lyrics to songs he didn't even know you knew. He made sure everyone saw that you were all over him, and he was just the same back, to make sure there were no incidents with stupid demons thinking they could take you away from him.

Even in the heat of dancing, Vox would always be jealous enough to worry about others looking at you.

But those thoughts were easily distracted when you'd pull him in for a kiss or push up against him, asking him to do a move with you.

A few drinks later and the night was a blur shaped vaguely like you, something that danced around his head until, eventually, he could remember that you both had work the next day and needed to leave.

When you left the building, there were only a few cars left in the parking lot, the building having mostly cleared during the handful of hours you'd both spent there.

Vox was holding you in his arms, bridal style, while you held loosely onto the heels you really shouldn't have worn.

This time, he called for his driver and let you comfortably lay in the back with your head in his lap, his claws carefully tracing through your hair and scratching your scalp. He could tell you were half asleep, but still coming down from the high of the club.

"Vox."

"Mhmm?"

"Thank you for taking me out," You paused as if you had something else to add, but when the pause continued for what felt like minutes, Vox realized you'd passed out on his lap.

For once, his grin was nothing but a careful smile, his hand leaving your head to rub circles into your shoulder.

"Thank you for reminding me what it felt like to be human."

Author's Note - This was SO HARD TO WRITE but not because of the story 😭I was so excited for this prompt, but I had a 7hr exam right before I started this, and then I finished it at 8 am after being awoken by the window cleaners PRESSURE WASHING MY WINDOW. Scared the hell outta me!

Anyways im rambling, tysm for requesting blue anon! I am so glad we have an indicator for you now 🖤

Word Count - 1,432

#koko writez #hazbin hotel #helluva boss #hazbin hotel x reader #helluva boss x reader #reader insert #x reader #vox #vox x reader

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raining-dreams · 8 months

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Best Underrated Shows

Saving Me

Saving Me is about a lonely old guy who invents a time machine so he can go back to his child self and fix all his past mistakes. I learned about this show from this video titled Watch THIS instead of Hailey's On It by M!n!mal M!ss Art. Despite this video, I was still very excited to watch Hailey's On It. It seemed like a story with a cool premise and cute art style (and ultimately I do really like the show) But Hailey's On It wasn't gonna be out for weeks when I came across this video and this video really sold me on giving Saving Me a try. I never would have even heard of this show without that youtube video which would have been a real shame because Saving Me is fantastic! I hope this show reaches more people and I'm dying for a season 3!!!!!

House of Anubis

Mystery is my favorite genre and House of Anubis is chuck full of it. I used to be obsessed with this show back in high school. I had so much fun coming up with theories and live-blogging my thoughts and opinions about each new episode. Some of the acting & dialogue could be a little cringe sometimes but the story is just so good that it doesn't matter. I've heard that Het Huis Anubis (the Dutch version of the show that House of Anubis is based on) is even better, though I haven't gotten around to watching it yet.

Over the Garden Wall

Those of us who have seen Over the Garden Wall seem to agree that this show is amazing! Which makes it feel a little weird to call it underrated. But it seems like so few people have actually seen it. Maybe because it was a mini series, it couldn't reach the same level of popularity as other shows of similar quality. If you like Gravity Falls, you'll likely enjoy Over the Garden Wall as well. (Wirt is even voiced by the same guy who voiced Dipper!) I would highly recommend anyone that hasn't seen it already.

Dead End: Paranormal Park

I feel like it's pretty rare for animated series to exist in the horror genre for some reason. It truly is an untapped market. But if you love horror and animation, Dead End is the show for you! (Of course it's kid friendly horror since the target audience is children) The two main characters, Barney and Norma get jobs at a haunted park and work together to fight ghosts and demons. Dead End has a super cute animation style, in my opinion, and a very diverse set of characters. I encourage everyone to watch it!

Just Add Magic

Just Add Magic is based on a children's book by the same name. It's a show about three girls who love to cook and basically discover that they can use cooking to do magic. It's a pretty interesting take on how magic works in their universe. It's very fun to watch. All of the actors are also so talented! And one of those actors is Zach Callison (the voice of Steven Universe)!

The friendship between the trio is awe-inspiring! They have so much chemistry. It's a pretty fun watch.

The Last Kids On Earth

Based on a comic of the same name, this show is about a group of kids who have to survive on their own when a zombie apocalypse breaks out. And other various creatures start to threaten them (or even become their allies) It's basically a cute found family story. The premise is pretty simplistic but that's what I love about it. The animation style of The Last Kids On Earth is so beautiful as well!

I'm still waiting for a season 3!!!!!

Code Lyoko

I remember as a kid being aware of this show and thinking it looked kind of interesting (and I always loved the theme song!!) but I never ended up watching it back then because I let peer pressure get the better of me. I remember I met someone who brought up how much they loved the show. When I heard them express that interest, I was at first excited to ask them more but before I had the chance, everyone else started making fun of him for liking Code Lyoko.

I guess it was like the nerd show or something? I don't really know why it was considered cringe to like Code Lyoko but upon seeing my peers act this way, I decided I can't like Code Lyoko if I want to fit in. So, I avoided watching it. But earlier this year, when I was flipping through channels, they were showing old episodes of Code Lyoko! I was intrigued since I remembered it from childhood and thought I'd actually give it a chance this time. And it's actually a pretty good show! It can be slow at times but overall I enjoy it.

If you're like me and avoided watching this back then due to peer pressure, I highly recommend leaving that in the past and just letting yourself enjoy this show!!

Slugterra

Slugterra is honestly pretty similar to Pokemon, except it's slugs! And the entire series takes place underground. Basically, there's a whole underground world called Slugterra, home to slugs, trolls, moles, etc. And all the slugs have cool powers so the people collect & befriend slugs so they can use them as weapons ("slugslinging"). If you like Pokemon, you're sure to like Slugterra!

Detentionaire

I discovered Detentionaire randomly while I was searching through Amazon's library of cartoons. I was looking for a new show to watch and just stumbled upon this one. It looked pretty interesting and I was surprised to see it was a show from 2011. I don't know how I missed this show back then. Idk if maybe it only aired in Canada or something? (cuz it's a Canadian show) But anyways, Detentionaire is such an intriguing show where the main character, Lee, discovers some grand conspiracy and has to try to expose it to prove his innocence so he can get out of detention. It's such an interesting concept. And, as I mentioned earlier, mystery is my favor genre, so I had a lot of fun with this one.

The only problem though is, of course, it ends on a cliffhanger. The show got canceled before they had the chance to conclude the story in a satisfying way (or any type of way) so watch at your own risk.

Catscratch

I honestly don't even remember what this show was about but I do remember enjoying this show and being excited when I saw a new episode was out. I remember thinking it was so funny. I just don't think enough people know about this show.

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am-i-interrupting · 2 months

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How Autism Effects Them

For Me. Hi, I’m autistic and I write these specific characters with autism in mind. Here’s how it effects my writing of them.

Alastor

Alastor is a sensory avoidant autistic with the PDA profile.

He avoids touch unless specifically initiated by him or someone he trusts.

He cannot stand any type of soft touch and is much more receptive to strong grips.

Part of the reason he employed Niffty is because of her obsessive cleaning and his need for things to be orderly but lack of willpower or energy to clean.

He has a specific way of organizing things and Niffty quickly caught on and adopted those same values.

He avoids going certain places due to sounds which may occur. Specifically retaining to music.

He enjoys Jazz, swing, classical, and blues. That is it.

Being sensory avoidant, does not mean, however, that he never seeks sensory stimulation. It is just something he does not do often.

One of the biggest ways he seeks some sort of new experience, sensory or emotion wise, is actually through his planned chaos like with the Hotel. A situation he has some control over and sway in how it goes.

The main stimulation he will look for is the feeling of blood between his teeth and fingers or the best of his favorite songs. Though, he also enjoys the smells and tastes of various spices.

(Personally, I am of the belief that dancing is a stim that he participates in because it’s socially acceptable.)

He is very in touch with his needs and what his body communicates to him even if he doesn’t always have words to describe them.

The PDA profile of autism is known as Pathological Demand Avoidance or, preferred by many PDA-era, Persistent Drive for Autonomy. This often shows up as feeling like anything perceived as a demand is a threat and reacting accordingly.

This results in despite him knowing what his body needs, he refuses to give in to it.

How dare his body tell him to sleep, he is in the middle of very important things that he does not want to stop doing and will stay up even longer to spite his body.

How dare Charlie and Vaggie insist he use video when his radio station is perfectly available, he will mess it up out of spite.

His special interests are actually radio and body anatomy. This fueled both his career choices.

Lucifer

Lucifer is a depressed, anxiety ridden AuDHD king.

He hyperfixates on his projects and forgets to eat, drink, even go to the bathroom.

He struggles with keeping relationships.

You send him a message, he forgets to reply, remembers to reply two weeks later, spends another week debating whether or not it’s too late to reply before finally replying or just starting a new conversation.

He is easily overwhelmed in social situations and cannot maintain multiple conversations at once.

He will fixate on one person and only reply to them.

Just barges in on conversations and chimes in when initiated at inappropriate times.

He bounces between needing complete silence, a specific noise, or an amount of noise that would overwhelm others constantly.

Vaggie

Vaggie is an autistic who has alexthymia.

She’s very monotoned and doesn’t know how to express her emotions because frankly, she doesn’t always know what they are.

It’s like there’s some disconnect between her thoughts and her body.

She’s not very good at articulating what she feels or connecting what her body is experiencing to her emotions.

She actually has a journal filled with bodily descriptions and how they connect to what she thinks she should be feeling. It helps her describe them to you better.

She doesn’t just have a disconnect with her feelings but her body as a whole.

She does not process things that should be painful as painful.

Her brain doesn’t always compute what signals her body is giving her so she can often forget to eat, drink, go to the bathroom, sleep.

She has certain rituals she does in order to try to connect better with her body and understand what it needs.

Every morning while she’s getting ready, she needs complete silence so she can connect.

She goes through the motions of brushing her hair and takes note of how it feels before and after. She does the same with brushing her teeth.

A couple times every day, she just has to stop everything, find a quiet place, and try to understand what her body is telling her.

Vox

Vox has the PDA profile of autism, is sensory seeking, and has OCD-like tendencies.

See Alastor, point 13 for definition of PDA.

His PDA comes up in a much more controlling way than Alastor’s. Or at least obviously controlling.

He needs everything to go a specific way and gets very disregulated when it doesn’t.

I feel like this also makes his RSD (rejection sensitivity dysphoria) worse.

Not only does he have the disappointment and feeling of failure when he is rejected or dismissed but he also has the emotional disregulation of his PDA which makes him feel like he’s been threatened and in danger to deal with on top of this.

His PDA often results in his use of manipulation and hypnosis over the general populace to ensure a favorable outcome for him.

If he is told to do something and there’s no way out of doing it, he will coerce the situation into something that at least feels like he has control over it.

However, if he does have a way out of it. He simply won’t do it or will purposefully do it wrong.

If you ask him to do something that he was already doing, he will walk away and come back to do it later when you’re gone.

His sensory seeking behavior is often like how we were introduced to him, plugging himself into his systems and being bombarded with the sounds of people.

He does this to regulate.

It’s cathartic to him in the same way blasting loud music when you’re upset is.

His main source of stimulation is through noise and sight.

He finds things like bright lights a calming thing as well.

He is a bit sensory avoidant though but it shows up very differently to Alastor’s.

It shows up in the form of constant cleanliness, yes, but Alastor finds cleanliness soft, unstained rugs and polished wooden desks whereas Vox finds it in a much more modern style.

Counters that don’t have a single finger print on them. Floors that are tile and shining, always looking freshly waxed.

Alastor’s version of clean is warm and homely. Vox’s version of clean is cold and slick.

This also plays into his OCD-like tendencies.

For Alastor it’s an annoyance when these things get out of place. For Vox it’ll ruin his entire day and he has to rearrange his schedule in order to fix it.

Another sensory experience he avoids would be strong smells. He cannot cope with them as they overwhelm him, along with taste.

His part of the tower is very pristine and actually very cold temperature wise not only because he enjoys colder temperatures but they also prevent him from overheating when he’s upset or just feeling strong emotions.

Going to the other parts of the tower are not something he enjoys.

Velvette’s normally smells of strong perfumes and Valentino’s smells of a combination of perfume and sex.

#vox x reader #hazbin vox x reader #alastor x reader #hazbin alastor x reader #hazbin lucifer x reader #hazbin hotel lucifer x reader #lucifer x reader #hazbin hotel lucifer morningstar x reader #hazbin vaggie x reader #vaggie x reader

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topguncortez · 9 months

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Silly Love Songs || Bradley Bradshaw x OC!Female

Dragon & Rooster Masterlist | Main Masterlist

synopsis: Bradley has a trick up his sleeve for this coming Valentine's Day. . . however, Dragon isn't all for the whole cliche Valentine's Day.

word count: 2.0k

warnings: none:) it's fuffy:)

The love was in the air, and everyone could feel it. Dragon wasn’t sure as to why they had to hang Valentine's decorations in the Hard Deck, but the sight of pink and red was starting to give her a headache. She wasn’t ever a big fan of Valentine’s Day. Her parents used to make little baskets for her and Phoenix and leave them outside their doors. She remembered seeing girls walking around with giant teddy bears and flower bouquets in high school and of course the tears from those whose boyfriends didn’t even pay attention to what day it was. Dragon had never been big on PDA so Valentine’s Day was just another day to her.

“So what are you and Jake doing for Valentine’s Day?” Phoenix asked Y/N.

“Oh boy, I haven’t even thought that far,” Y/N said, which everyone knew was a lie. She was probably the only one in the group who had planned out exactly what they were going to do, “Probably just dinner somewhere. I’ve been busy making Valentines for the kids to take to school. What about you all? Dragon, it’s your first Valentine’s Day with Rooster!”

Dragon rolled her eyes as Fanboy burst out laughing, spraying his beer across the table. If there was anyone who knew Dragon better than her very own sister, it would be Mickey Garcia. And he had been front and center to various boyfriends who had tried the whole Valentine’s Day Display on the younger Trace sister.

“If Dragon celebrates Valentine’s Day, I think hell just might freeze over,” Fanboy said. Dragon shot the WSO a glare and he held his hands up in defense.

“Oh don’t say that!” Y/N said and looked back at Dragon, “You guys need to celebrate! It’s your first one!”

“I don’t care about Valentine’s Day,” Dragon sighed, and watched as Y/N’s smile dropped from her face, “Why do I need to put on some large display of love and affection for him for one day? What does that prove to anyone but ‘Hey look at me I’m in “love”’. The whole thing is kinda silly if you ask me,” Dragon said and sipped her beer, “We will go to work, go home, probably have a beer over dinner, have sex, and go to bed like we always do.”

Phoenix sucked in a breath and looked at Bob, who was the only other person who knew of the Valentine’s Day plans that Rooster had in store.

Across the bar, Jake was looking at a picture of a ring on Rooster’s phone. It was a silver band that had a pretty good-sized diamond on it. Jake thought it wasn’t nearly as good as the one that Y/N had on her finger, but it was still nice. He handed Rooster back the phone and took a drink of his beer.

“What do you think?” Rooster asked.

“I think it’s pretty nice,” Jake nodded, “I think she’ll like it.”

“It’s not too flashy for Dragon? I mean, she doesn’t wear any jewelry except for the silver necklace. I don’t want her to hate it ‘cause it’s too much,” Rooster said and played with the condensation on his beer bottle.

“I think it’s just right for her. Is it your mom’s ring?”

“The diamond is, yeah,” Rooster nodded, “Apparently it’s called ‘emerald cut’, and I guess it wasn’t very common back in the ‘80s, but it’s all the buzz now. Who knew Goose Bradshaw knew a thing or two about engagement rings?”

Jake chuckled, “To Goose Bradshaw, the all-knowing, lady-killing romantic.”

“A good man,” Bradley tapped his beer against Jake’s, and then took a sip, “I just hope she says yes. We’ve only talked about this once, and she seemed to be into the idea of us getting married.”

“Rooster,” Jake said, patting his back, “You are thinking way too much into this. That girl loves you.” Jake turned on his barstool just in time to see the sight of his wife walking up to him with a slight pout on her face, “What’s up, sweets?”

Y/N gave Jake a small smile and shook her head, “Nothing, needed to get away from the anti-Valentine’s Day talk.”

Rooster’s eyebrows furrowed, “Who’s anti-Valentine’s Day.”

“Dragon.”

Jake looked up at Rooster and swore he could see the moment when Rooster’s heart stopped beating. Rooster felt his hands get clammy and his throat tighten up.

“She doesn’t like Valentine’s Day?” Rooster asked, clearing his throat when his voice cracked.

Y/N sighed, “Not really. She said it’s cliche and she doesn’t think she needs one day to showcase her love for her partner. She was talking about how dumb Valentine’s Day proposals and weddings are. I love her Rooster, but sometimes she puts a damper on my mood. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay, Y/N,” Rooster said. Jake could tell the smile on his face was fake. He took a swig of his beer before setting it down on the counter, “I’m gonna go get her, and probably head out. Bye, guys.”

Both of them said goodbye to Rooster and watched him walk over toward Dragon, his shoulders sagging a bit. Jake shook his head and looked at his wife.

“Is she really anti-Valentines Day?” Jake asked.

“Sounded like it to me,” Y/N shrugged, “Even said Cupid is just a grown man in adult diapers.”

“Shit,” Jake rubbed his forehead, “He was thinking of proposing to her on Valentine’s Day.”

“Oh my god! Did I just ruin it!? I have to go-” Jake grabbed her hand before she could run over and apologize to Rooster, probably spoiling the surprise.

“Don't apologize. I’m sure he will find another way to ask her to be his wife. You didn’t ruin anything.”

“But-”

“But nothing,” Jake said and took her into his arms, “Enough about them. How are we going to celebrate Valentine’s Day?” He smirked at his wife and moved his eyebrows up and down causing her to giggle and kiss his cheek.

— — — ♡ ♡ ♡ — — —

The ride home from the Hard Deck was a bit tense. Bradley hadn’t said a word to Dragon since he asked her if they could leave. Usually, Bradley was singing along loudly off-key to the radio or talking about something to do with whatever sports team was in season. Dragon noticed that he was holding the steering wheel with both hands instead of his usual one on the wheel and the other resting on her thigh. She sized him up, taking in the slight sag of his shoulders, and that his usual smile was gone.

“There something wrong?” Dragon asked as they stopped at a red light. Bradley shook his head, “Okay. . .” Dragon said and leaned back in her seat. She looked out the window as the light turned green and Bradley continued his drive back to their apartment.

The silence was growing increasingly annoying as not even the radio was playing. Dragon huffed as she leaned forward and turned the radio on. She messed with the dial until a station came on and settled back in her seat. She looked out the window as the opening chords to an all too familiar song came flooding through the speakers. A smile rose on her face as she looked over at Bradley, seeing him fight back a smile.

“Don’t smile, Bradshaw,” Dragon pointed at him, as she started to dance in her seat, “Don’t you dare smile! Don’t smile!” She said and leaned over to tickle him. He bit his lip harder as he pushed her hands away, her laughter filling the bronco.

“Don’t go breaking my heart,” Dragon sang. Bradley sucked his teeth as he looked over at her. She gave him a look and he shook his head, “Honey If I get restless?”

Bradley tried to keep up his silent treatment. . . but he was a weak man when it came to anything concerning Dragon Trace.

“Baby, you’re not the kind,” Rooster sang back and Dragon cheered in victory. He chuckled as she sang along to the chorus and he pulled into the parking lot of a random supermarket. He put the bronco in park and quickly jumped out going to her side. She looked at him confused as he opened her door and pulled her out of the truck making her squeal.

“What are you-”

He cut her off by reaching in and turning the music up louder, “Dancing with you.”

“Right-”

“Don’t go breaking my heart, baby,” Rooster fake pouted, and started dancing around her. Dragon couldn’t hide her laughter at his adorably dorky dance moves. For a man who could play the piano and guitar, he could hardly dance. Dragon closed her eyes and moved her body to the beat.

The two of them danced to Elton John in the parking lot, totally in their own world. When the song faded out, and another one came on, neither one seemed to miss a beat. Neither one knew how long they had been having a dance party in the parking lot, until Silly Love Songs by Paul McCartney started playing and Rooster pulled her into his arms, leaning her head on his chest as he twirled them slowly in a circle in the orangey light from the parking lot lights.

“My dad said this was the song that was playing when he asked my mom to marry him,” Rooster said and Dragon lifted her head up to look at him, his honey-brown eyes boring into her. “Why don’t you like Valentine’s Day?” He asked her and Dragon drew in a breath.

“Y/N said something, didn’t she,” Dragon asked and Rooster nodded, “It’s not that I hate it, I just don’t understand why there has to be only one day a year where you get flowers and gifts and chocolates from your partner. My dad said that if someone truly loves you, they won’t wait for Valentine’s Day to show you it.”

“He’s right,” Rooster said, a moment of realization washing over him. He didn’t even need to think twice as he grabbed Dragon’s hands and dropped to one knee, right in the middle of the abandoned Walmart parking lot.

“What are you-”

“Your dad is right, Grace, I don’t need to wait for Valentine’s Day to show you that I love you,” Rooster said and Dragon felt her heart start to rise. She felt heat behind her eyes as they became cloudy with tears, “The ring isn’t done yet. I used my mom’s diamond on a silver band cause you told Val once that you liked her ring. But I don’t need that to do this, Dragon, I love you, more than I have ever loved anything in my life.”

“More than flying?”

Rooster paused and tilted his head, “. . . Honey, I’m trying to be romantic here. . . don’t ruin the moment,” Bradley said and Dragon chuckled, “Please, make me the happiest man for the rest of my life. I know we’ve only been together a year and-”

Dragon dropped down to her knees, still holding Bradley’s hands, “Will you marry me, Bradley Bradshaw?”

“I was supposed to ask you that,” Bradley said.

“You were taking too long,” Dragon shook her head, “So. . .”

“Of course, I’ll marry you. Will you marry me?”

“Oh fuck yes,” Dragon said and smashed her lips to Bradley’s.

'Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs. What's wrong with that?'

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taglist: @damrlova @shanimallina87 @phoenix1388 @desert-fern @mygyn @cherrycola27 @yanna-banana @seitmai @topgun-imagines @bradleybeachbabe @startrekfangirl2233 @xoxabs88xox @atarmychick007 @happypopcornprincess @sophiaslastbraincell @bradswolfe @fandom-princess-forevermore @thedroneranger @angelbabyange @lovelywiseprincess @diorrfairy @krismdavis @eternallyvenus @pono-pura-vida @dakotakazansky @starberryhorse @daggersquadphantom @gspenc @poppyalice2001 @els-marvelvsp @nyx2021 @t0kyoreveng3rs @frazie99 @kmc1989 @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @toobouquet @malindacath @badasspizzalover @sagittarius-flowerchild

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gojo-mochi · 5 months

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Softy my dear! Please, I give you this star 🌠 in exchange for kissing Toji under the missile toad. Thank you for the surprise request opening & I hope you're having a wonderful holiday!

[She / Her are my pronouns 🩶]

Happy new year!!!! sorry it kinda late waHHH!

Idk why it got so….like that at the end … blame toji

You were snuggled neatly on Toji’s lap, head tucked under his chin, as he flicked through various TV channels. To your surprise, he lands on one of those cheesy Hallmark movies. He settles on the couch, pulling you back with him. An arm snugly wrapped around your waist, fingers softly tracing patterns on your hip, sometimes sneaking a thumb in your waistband and feeling the plush skin there. You thought this was like a ‘Netflix and Chill’ kind of excuse where you put on a shitty movie and pretend to pay attention. But somehow, Toji’s attention was fixated on the movie.

It was the normal storyline: a big city woman goes back home to her small country town and meets a local there. They butt heads but soon are forced to fight together against the big bad evil corpo that is threatening to ruin Christmas for the small town. Then, in the end, they fall in love, and the woman leaves the city to be with the small town guy. You were only a quarter through the movie, but every plot point was playing out like you expected. “Are you secretly a romantic or something, Toji?” You teased lightly, stealing some of the popcorn from the bowl and munching on it. Toji snorts, “I just like making fun of them; look at how stupid everyone is. Especially the female lead; I mean, she’s leaving a rich lifestyle for some country town snob.” Now, you really didn’t expect Toji to be that invested in this plot. He rolls his eyes as the male lead accidentally bumps into the female lead, causing them to topple on top of each other, looking longingly into each other's eyes.

Toji makes snide comments here and there, his hand fully making its way under your shirt at the halfway point of the movie, just keeping it there for warmth. You eventually settled in, enjoying your boyfriend’s warmth, the cheesy movie, and stealing most of the popcorn from under his nose. Toji’s hand goes to the popcorn bowl only to find it empty, and he turns to you with a small frown. “What happened to all the popcorn?” You shrugged with a mischievous grin. “Maybe the ghost of Christmas’s past got to it?” Toji narrows his eyes at you, grabbing your salt-covered hand and sticking your fingers in his mouth. "Hmm, you taste like a liar and a thief to me.”

He purposely drools on your hand, his grip iron tight on your wrist, not letting you escape. “Ew! Toji! Stop that.” He only chuckles cruelly in response, pulling you in towards his chest and tickling your sides. You squirm and wiggle in his grasp, trying to escape, only to be pushed down on the couch with Toji on top. His hands are still glued to your sides, and fits of giggles bubble from your lips. Then both your attentions get torn back to the TV as the climax of the movie is reached and a loud and cheerful Christmas song is played as the two main leads are seen going for a kiss under a mistletoe.

Toji snorts, but an idea pops into his head as he watches the scene. He squishes your cheeks in his massive palm, making you pucker your lips together. “This is a fitting punishment for a thief like you." He leans in, his whole tongue sticking out as he licks your lips messily, chuckling at your whining and squirming. Shushing you with a proper kiss this time, his lips searing themselves to yours, his tongue coming out again to poke and prod its way into your awaiting mouth. Tasting the salt from the popcorn and some sweetness from the hot cocoa you were sipping on. He pulls away, leaving your face and lips a mess. Slick and shiny with his drool and spit all over your chin. He coos at you as he wipes away at your face, coating his hand in his own drool.

“I think we can still use this somewhere else..”

#toji fluff #toji x reader #jjk fluff #jjk x reader #softy moots (づ ᴗ ᴗ)づ♡#₍ᐢ. ̫.ᐢ₎ softy writes #softy writes #softy's mistletoe event

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helloworldjj · 8 months

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Which pjsk group swears the most?

hello, tumblr! so I was bored and was thinking about pjsk as I often do and this particular train of thought led to me scouring the lyrics of songs to see which group swore the most. here are my results:

Leo/need:

none. family friendly fr stan l/n <33 (unless you count like, kagerou daze bc I doubt being killed over and over is content for kids)

MORE MORE JUMP!:

also none, but some songs are not as family friendly 💀 (looking at you, vampire)

Vivid BAD SQUAD:

Odo “half-ass deserves a K.O.” (kinda iffy on this one bc it’s ado’s official translation but lots more eng translations dont swear)

Honorary mentions:

Traffic Jam (the wiki’s translation has “fuck compromises” but several more translations use other words and the eng subs on the official video don’t use it. an and akito have this part)

YY (the og says “shit” various times but it’s BARELY audible in the vbs cover. akito and an get the lines where it occurs if you wanted to know lol)

Wonderlands X Showtime:

Law Evading Rock “party people (can just) fuck off” “welcome to the fucking circus” (tsukasa sings both of these ones lolll. the second one is only in the full ver and not the game one though)

Ego Rock “1, 2, 3, fuck you” (Len gets this last line)

ONLINE GAME ADDICTS SPRECHCHOR “shitty scheme” or “scheme like a shit” (miku sings it)

Honorary mentions:

KING (there’s literally not a single swear word but they bleep out Rui singing “die” and it is hilarious to me)

Literary nonsense (the eng subs on eve’s mv say “XXX you and your lies.” rui has this part. it’s funny that he’s been technically censored twice in these two songs even though he doesn’t really say anything akdjkajd)

Nightcord at 25:00:

Usseewa “shut the f*** up” (this lyric is censored on the wiki like this for some reason despite the fact other songs aren’t censored lolll)

Venom “like a shitty video game” (mizuki has this line)

Honorable mention:

Bitter Choco Decoration (the og spells out “fuck” but it’s not at all audible in the game)

The way I narrowed these down was by first going through this page that had a list of songs with “inappropriate lyrics” and looking at the translations of those specific songs.

Then I went through the main song list on the wiki, only looking at cover songs since I assumed the commissioned songs wouldn’t have any words I was looking for. I went through all of the songs and their lyrics featured on the wiki, though I did speed through them a bit so i might’ve missed a few words

#sidenote: when I was on Childish War’s page my phone auto translated the Japanese #it was… something 😭#like it translated a phrase as ‘wiping his ass’#but i didn’t put in it the list bc that’s not what other people have translated it as #just thought it was funny #pjsk #project sekai #colorful stage #hatsune miku: colorful stage #leo/need #more more jump #vivid bad squad #wonderlands x showtime #nightcord at 25:00

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blackdchliia · 1 year

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♡Movies: Denki Kaminari♡

♡Warnings: angst to fluff, song lyrics are used♡

♡Summary: as a child, you had always wished for a love story much like the ones in the movies you would find yourself obsessing over. Denki Kaminari is the very male that has caught your loving gaze♡

♡Please like and reblog! And don’t be afraid to request any other story you wish to see with a My Hero character♡

As a child, I was obsessed with fairy tales and romance. I fell in love with the fictional worlds my mind frequently visited, watching in utter happiness as the two main love interests fell more in love with one another than they had at the start of the movie.

In my head, I would be dancing in the arms of my lover; kissing under the stars as we told one another we loved each other. “I love you,” those three words are words I have waited endlessly to hear from him. I want a love like the movies. I always have and always will.

For ages, ever since I had met him I had pinned helplessly for his love. He was beautiful; the sun–he could light up a room with just a single smile. He was Denki Kaminari; a boy in my class whom I was so hopelessly in love with. We had grown close at the start of the year, I sat right behind him in class. He would always turn around, sparking up a conversation with me, asking me about my day, or even just telling me I looked pretty that day.

With every conversation, every innocent touch, every smile: I would fall harder and harder. My infatuation with Denki grew each day with each little interaction we had.

If life were like the movies, Denki would return my feelings and be just as in love with me as I am with him.

I learned the hard way that I was only viewed as a friend by Denki; our love was nothing more but an innocent friendship full of innocent, loving touches. We were at a party–a welcome party for us, the students, for moving into the U.A. dorms.

His hand gripped mine, dragging me around everywhere, exploring our new home. “We can definitely do some serious movie watching in the common room, Y/n,” movies; my heart beats at the thought of the various romantic films that I was so in love with–the films in which I dreamed my life would turn into. No sound came out of my lips, he turned his head, beautiful yellow eyes filled with electricity gazing right into my own e/c orbs. I finally nodded in response, a smile grazing my features as he continued to drag me around.

What started as an innocent adventure of our new home ended in complete and utter heartbreak. Denki and I had stopped exploring around for a moment, going outside to get a breath of fresh air. He leaned against the stone wall of the tall building, staring up at the night sky. The sky in which I oh so badly wished to dance under with him. His pale arms rested behind his head, a grin growing on his face as he studied the beautiful white dots in the sky–the stars.

“I’m excited to live here with you guys, Y/n,” he turned his head, eyes locked with my own. “I’m really hoping I can grow closer to Jirou.” My heart shattered. I stared helplessly at Denki–wishing, praying, hoping that I had heard his words wrong.

“Huh?” I sounded so dumbfounded as I spoke; embarrassing. “Ya know, Jirou? The girl with the earphone jacks,” his smile grew wider–eyes holding nothing but love inside of them as he stared back at the stars. He looked so in love–. “She’s gorgeous Y/n. I genuinely think I’m in love.”

His words stung.

In my head we’d never grow apart, and in my head he would never break my heart. I was so stupid; real life is never like the movies.

Now here I am, watching in complete and utter envy and sadness as Jirou and Denki held one another–dancing to some Ricky Montgomery song under the stars right outside of my dorm window. My heart ached. That was supposed to be me; my dream did not belong to me anymore, instead to another.

I hold no hatred for Jirou; she’s a gorgeous woman who deserves so much–but why did it have to be Denki of all people? Why did I not deserve him?

I believe after that night in which I had my heart broken, Denki could sense a change in me. After that night, he ceased talking with me. Instead, growing closer with Jirou. I had lost a friend and a potential love all within a few short hours.

They were holding one another so close; laughter erupting from Jirou’s mouth as she threw her head back–arms pulling Denki closer to her as he pressed a loving kiss against her shoulder. He looked so happy, their love was just like the love I had seen in the movies; the love that I had yearned for.

In my head, that would be Denki and I dancing in the dark–kissing under the stars. But, it’s not what we’re doing; because real life is nothing like the movies.

I felt so much envy and heartache in my heart, but I could never make myself hate Denki or Jirou. I continued to gaze out of the window; eyes watching sadly as they danced the night away with one another. Yellow eyes gazed over a clothed shoulder–locking in with my own eyes. A smile grew on my face, bottom lip trembling as he raised my hand up; giving Denki a small wave. He smiled in response.

He smiled.

My heartbeat quickened; I shouldn’t feel this way over such a small interaction. My eyes looked back out the window–for I had gazed down the moment he flashed his beautiful smile, only to find neither Denki or Jirou standing under the sky. My eyes widened; where could they have gone?

A knock sounded against my door–I turned in my chair, watching as the sun entered my room–Denki. He smiled sheepishly, holding his hand out to me, yellow eyes staring right into my own. “Come on,” his words echoed in my mind. To where? I wanted to question, but no words came out. My hand shot out, taking Denki’s in a loving grip.

Soon, I was dragged outside–to the very spot in which he and Jirou had been dancing at. His arms wrapped around my waist, yellow eyes staring down at me, watching me intently. I could only stare up at him, my own arms wrapping around his shoulders without a word spoken.

“Denki–,” he hushed me, his thumbs that rested on my sides rubbed soothing circles as we began dancing to a song that I did not bother listening to. All I could focus on was Denki as he held me close–dancing under the stars.

The stars watched us in envy; wishing they had what we had.

“I’m sorry,” his words caught me off-guard, my head tilted up, eyes looking into his. “About?” A sad smile grew on his face, eyebrows knitting together in worry. “About not seeing it before,” his grip on me tightened as he pulled me closer, chin resting on top of my head.

“Not seeing what exactly, Denki?” He chuckled, causing his shoulders to shake as he pulled away, staring down at me. “For not seeing that you love me, Y/n.” My heart stopped–time seemed to slow down as he leaned down, our lips were centimeters apart; he looked into my eyes, and without a word, our lips connected.

Before I got too lost in the kiss, I pulled away, staring up at Denki. “What about Jirou?” His thumbs once again began to rub calming circles into my side. “When we were dancing–she saw you. She was talking to me, pointing everything out to me..how you look at me, how you act around me,” he took a deep breath, pressing a chaste kiss against the skin of my cheek. “She made me realize that you were in love with me, Y/n.”

My bottom lip trembled. “Do you–Do you love me?”

A wide grin grew on his face. “Y/n, everytime I look at you, I look at you like you’re perfect for me. You are a diamond–and I’m the ring,” he paused, pulling away from me. His hands flew up, pressing on either side of my face as he looked right at me. He had begun to wipe at the tears that were beginning to fall from my eyes.

“In my head,” I began, my words were jumbled as I spoke; “we would always be dancing in the dark, and in my head, we would kiss under the stars,” I sobbed as I spoke. “I’ve always wanted a love like the movies.”

A smile broke out on Denki’s face, he leaned in, pressing another kiss to my lips. “In my head, we never grow apart, and in my head I’ll never break your heart,” he spoke against my lips before pulling away.

“Never?” I sniffled. His fingers raised up; wiping once more at my tears. “Never..” He whispered before our lips once more intertwined.

In my head, we’re dancing in the dark and in my head, we kiss under the stars.

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jamiesfootball · 6 months

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Please tell us more about your original works!!

Honest to God, I was thinking of your stories earlier today and thought how lucky we are you spend any time writing fan fiction (and for the show that is my hyper fixation! How did I get this lucky?) because you’re so fucking talented you should writing real books.

you are always far far nicer to me than i deserve and I LOVE IT! (I LOVE YOU!!)

The wonderful thing about fanfiction is that writing for Ted Lasso has full-on cured my years-long writing slump. And I am looking at all of these book ideas, some of which have been kicking around in my brain for going on 10 years, and i'm like....yeah, yeah. I am going to work on those :D

So these are the ones I'm working on. They are in various states of progress.

My Babies! If any of these are getting finished first, it will be one of these three!

Barnacle - the placeholder name for my DETECTIVE STORY. A woman who has recently left a troubled marriage, our main character is a shell of the person she used to be. Wanting to put as much distance between her and the California life she left behind, she's rented a cabin in the middle of a small tourist town in the northern cold. When a man in the neighboring cabin is murdered during the night, she finds her mind stirred to action as the pieces of herself that she thought lost slowly come back to her. (And then she becomes a private investigator because I love detective stories and she solves crimes and makes friends and this is just the first one and I'm like. super excited about it.)

A Robot Named Future - this one is my long-brewing wip. It's about an AI robot from the not-to-distant future that gets rebooted ('wakes up') in a junkyard the very far distant future. Lots of scifi tropes, lots about the erosion of history and humans always being humans, and of course, food. Like a lot about food in this one.

Chasing Whispers in the Canyon (Western (sort of)) - Injured and AWOL military soldier Joanna is on the brink of death in the middle of the desert when she is saved by a tall, pale stranger. Her and the stranger -- an offputting, odd woman who's absolutely lethal with a pistol - hunker down together in a small town that seems on the verge of its own small war. When trouble comes for Joanna, the stranger risks drawing the attention of her own complicated past to save the woman who is possibly her only friend. (yes, the placeholder title is a song title. One song spurred all of this. I regret nothing)

The ones I'll get to one day!

Boots and Babes on the Boardwalk - I don't know why I titled it this way other than the alliteration (needs a new title). This one is about a partially closeted, mentally ill, middle aged gay man who's running his conservaative family's shady business. He just fell head over heels about another man, and that's serving as an impetus for him to actually look at his life. On temporary hiatus because the plot is a little wobbly

The Lens - Guy who recently went blind and had to drop out of an art program accompanies his still-seeing friend to a museum exhibit. Due to the awkward tension their circumstances have put between them, neither notices when his friend proceeds to lose the camera equipment he'd checked out from campus. With the museum closing in an hour and his friend's final grades on the line, these two piece together where in the museum his friend lost his camera. (this one is more like a novella or a long short story)

The Hoard - One night. One party. Five thieves. One pile of dragon treasure. (Think leverage but the treasure they are stealing belongs to a corrupt government via dragons).

Hawaiian Shirts and Bruised Eyes - A butch, lesbian stuntwoman who broke her arm on a motorcycle meets a nurse at the hospital who may just be the love of her life. The love of her life may also be a serial killer. It's hard to say.

The Frog Witch - vengeful disgraced witch lady seeks revenge against the people who wronged her with the help of a prince who has been cast out from his people. References to Euripedes' Medea.

#ask box is always open #THANK YOU FOR ASKING #original works

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yssa3002 · 2 months

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Old-Time Tradition: Folk Musical: Hello Dolly by Gene Kelly, 1969

Opening Thoughts

Gene Kelly's Hello Dolly (1969) is set in New York City in the 1890s, and follows the charming antics of widowed matchmaker, Dolly Levi (Barbara Streisand). While working as the marriage broker for wealthy business man, Horace Vandegelder (Walter Mathau), Dolly begins meddling in the romantic lives of Vandegelder's niece who is in love with a man he does not approve of, and of his head clerk whom he never gives a night off. All the while, Dolly is scheming to advance her own romantic aspirations. The story takes us from Yonkers to the shining streets of New York City where the characters experience life and love like never before.

What do the musical numbers signify about identity in the course of the film's narrative?

The film opens with a solo sung by Dolly, clearly conveying her charming, meddling, and involved personality. The song, "Just Leave Everything to Me", asserts her as someone who knows people, and whom specializes in arranging people's lives, singing, "I'll arrange for making all arrangements". This opening number sets the tone for the rest of the film as the rest of the characters soon fall into Dolly's respective plans for them. The firmness of her personality is further asserted in a musical number towards the end of the film, "So Long Dearie", where she does not bother to waste her efforts anymore on a man who rejects her. The next song, "It Takes a Woman" sung by Horace and an ensemble of men working at his shop, is a bit ironic as it is about how "it takes a woman, all powdered and pink/ To joyously clean out the drain the sink". This song makes audiences aware of the time period, as it speaks strongly to female identity, and how they were expected to perform all of the home keeping tasks, but with a smile of course. However, the song is quite silly as even though it puts the man in the position of power, it is Dolly who takes charge not only over her life, but of those around her including Horace's.

The film's narrative is one of finding love, and therefore, over the course of the film, the music creates a joyous and light hearted sense of being swept away in the various emotions love brings. Since the cast is primarily white, and follows the stories of white characters, the story is void of social issues that would be present in the lives of the cast were they not white during this time period. It is because of this I think, that the film is able to tell this story of love taking precedence over social and economic status.

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What is the purpose of the songs in the character's lives?

Over the course of the film, the musical numbers convey the desires of the main cast, whether they are waiting for love, wanting to experience new things in life, or moving on from mourning. For example, Cornelius (Michael Crawford) and Barnaby (Danny Lockin), two young men who work for Horace, conceal their identity to pose as prominent figures in the New York City social scene in order to woo the girls whom Dolly has set them up with. Without much money to their name, they see it necessary to pretend to be something they're not so that they might get to experience love and luxury even just for a day. Listen below, musical number "Elegance".

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Many of the songs also serve as catalysts, connecting one segment of the narrative into the other. Especially with large ensemble numbers with no dialogue, and music coming from outside the diegesis. For example, the number, "Dancing", is a cheery song about overcoming fears surrounding not knowing how to dance--which really represents the Cornelius' fear of being caught in the lie that he is rich. For Cornelius, learning to dance is a way of freeing himself from his reservations as he gains the confidence to pursue his love.

In his essay, "Is Car Wash A Musical?", Richard Dyer argues that a musical number in white musicals "embodies a sense of release from the confinement of everyday space and time, a glorious escape from the restrictions of modem living" (Dyer 95). This is how the numbers incorporate themselves into the character's lives, and how they create meaning in them. This is seen used in the film a lot in numbers like "Dancing", "Put On Your Sunday Clothes", and "Hello, Dolly!". In these scenes, the characters break into large scale, choreographed routines. The ensemble makes use of their space, whether they are in a park, a restaurant, or a platform at a train station.

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In what ways are the songs and/or musical performances racialized and/or gendered?

Circling back to the beginning of the film, "It Takes a Woman" is clearly a very gendered number. Not only is the ensemble performing all male, but it talks about the want for a woman who does everything to keep herself pretty and "fragile", yet who is also happily willing to do several miscellaneous chores from "setting the table" to "cleaning the stable". Another example of a gendered musical number is Irene Molloy's (Marianne MacAndrews) "Ribbons Down My Back". This song speaks to her desire to find love, and how she will gladly wear ribbons down her back to be noticed by someone. The song looks to love with hope, and reinforces traditional female gender expectations by portraying Irene as the passive figure, simply waiting to catch a man's eye.

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Moving away from the content of the songs, the way in which the songs themselves are performed and inserted into the narrative is a whole different story. The film falls within the characteristics of what it is that makes a white musical. These characteristics include non-diegetic music, reprises, cheery/love songs, and an escape from reality, topics I'll discuss further below.

What elements of the film align with White musicals’ longing to transform the ordinary into utopia?

Dyer speaks to the differences between white and black musicals, informing readers how race dictates how stories are communicated to their audiences. White musicals allow their white protagonists "opportunities for expansion and freedom", not confined to their reality alone as we briefly covered above when talking about how these numbers play into the character's lives (Dyer 95). The musical numbers are meant to remove the characters from the world, and insert them into some sort of utopia where music comes from nowhere and everyone knows the same dance.

A strong element of the white musical utilized in the film is reprise. Dyer says reprise is "generally used either to mark the change that has occurred in the narrative (...) or to signal the closure of the show" (Dyer 95). Reprise, of course, is repetition, but it serves the purpose of expressing growth, resolve, and a happy ending for our characters. the number "Hello, Dolly!" has a reprise at the end of the film, a big number with the whole cast to celebrate the marriage of Dolly and Horace, and effectively welcome her "back into the world" after she was away so long in mourning. In black musicals, repetition in the form of the reprise isn't common, rather repetition remains a more consistent part of the narrative.

Another way the film aligns itself with the longing to transform the ordinary into utopia is how characters burst into song. Unlike in black musicals where the music often comes from within the narrative space, such as a radio or someone playing an instrument. These sudden musical numbers work to create spaces, as Dyer says, "freed from labor" (Dyer 97). Whereas white protagonists are encouraged to experience joy outside of the material world, black musicals often convey black joy as being experienced while working. This reinforces social expectations, and limits the black experience in musicals to a more stationary life devoid of growth. The film, however, makes it very clear that white joy lies outside of work, as Cornelius and Barnaby's whole journey involves abandoning their jobs and eventually quitting as it isn't worth giving up their newfound love for.

How does the film reflect the temporal circularity of Black musicals?

To further on this concept of growth within black and white musicals, Dyer talks about the concept of temporal circularity in black musicals. In black musicals, this circularity encourages stasis, as there is this understanding of "spatial boundedness" and of how "Black people don't get out of their situation, eventually or geographically" (Dyer 102). With this, the possibility for characters in a black musical to change their circumstances for the better is discouraged, as Dyer writes, "The musical numbers do not take the characters out of the moment, "transport" them, resolve their problems; the emotions and experience of the music do not lead to fundamental changes in their situation" (Dyer 104). However, these themes more commonly seen in black musicals are reflected in the film.

Though white musicals are able to provide a vision for a better world, it is often just that. Hello, Dolly! reflects this to an extent. The film ends where it began, Yonkers, New York, but we still see growth despite the circularity. The final scene is of Dolly and Horace's wedding, and the two other couples, (Cornelius and Irene, and Vandegelder's niece, Ermengarde (Joyce Ames) and Ambrose (Tommy Tune)) are also to be married. So despite this circularity, the characters were able to fulfill their desires expressed throughout the film.

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Discussion questions

From what you can gather, how do both white musicals and black musicals imagine happiness?

Why is it that black musicals and white musicals focus on "two different constructions of happiness"?

Why do you think white musicals, in all their longing for utopia, still often fall short of that hope for change in the narrative space?

Can you think of any examples of contemporary black musicals that challenge the characteristics of black musicals? How about contemporary white musicals? Have you seen characteristics of either being utilized in any contemporary musicals today?

#@theuncannyprofessoro #oxyfilmmusical #Youtube

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twig-tea · 7 months

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Bump Up Business Review

I just binged the entire show, and...really don't know what to think lol This is a drama in which idols from a group that first gained notoriety by overtly appealing to shipping culture in their choreography and MVs and then moved to making explicitly queer music videos that were dedicated to giving visibility and garnering acceptance for love between two men [the song dedications are in the official video descriptions], are starring as idols being asked to follow a "business gay" concept but who actually fall in love. This is...complicated.

Overall, this was better than I was braced for. It was a lot of fun watching OOO act, and the OST is great. Lots of flaws but I didn't feel like I wasted my time.

Spoilers below the cut.

Things I liked about the drama:

Both of them already knew they were gay from ep1 (it's unclear whether Eden is homophobic based on his childhood experience, but my takeaway was that he was trying to hide his homosexuality rather than being in denial. He is clearly super interested in Jihoon from jump and has to keep talking himself down. And we get him explicitly calling J his first love, which to me makes it clear his 'what do you mean, how could a guy be a first love' to Jihoon was his attempt to wave that off without outright saying Jihoon was wrong.

This means that unlike what I was bracing for, this was two various-states-of-closeted gay men in a homophobic but also ship-driven industry being asked to pretend to have affection for one another for views while they develop real affection for one another. Much more interesting than thought-I-was-straight drama!

The chemistry between Nine and Mill is of course excellent; for those who don't know OnlyOneOf they were already a ship before this series and are the stars of the last two music videos in their Be series.

Real kiss on camera (though see the list below)

I liked the OST main song , which is lucky because it repeats a couple of times

The we-met-in-childhood couple was not endgame for once!

Things I did not like:

This drama is really short, and the story is too complicated for the length (there are TWO love rivals?!; just generally it tried to give emotional weight to too many things and as a result nothing had emotional weight)

What happened between Hyunbin and Jihoon is not clear; it seems like Hyunbin conspired with Go Ra-eun to drug and take compromising photos of Jihoon so as to create rumours...I'm really not clear whether this was to hide their romance or to make him stop his idol activities, though I'm guessing the latter.

This drama didn't seem like it could decide whether it was in the BL world or the real world (in which homophobia exists). The CEO seemed fine with the idea of Jay and Eden dating; but Hyunbin challenged Eden that if he pursued Jihoon he'd have to tell his family and friends about him.

The acting was very uneven (Nine and Mill's acting was surprisingly good for most of it; I liked Mill's version of sunshine and Nine's version of grumpy)

The CEO is somewhat villainized as only caring about her agenda and not caring about the wellbeing of her idols, but this is also shown to be good business, so I'm not really sure it is successful in making a point about the industry, if it was trying to.

Similarly there was not enough in the way of exploring the impact and consequences of feeding into shipping culture for my taste; I feel like this show wants credit for criticizing this type of approach without actually criticizing it (other than the one moment where Eden says it's wrong and is ignored).

It drives me mad that the kiss we got was explicitly stated to be "business only" even though it clearly wasn't; it was also (less clearly) a drunk kiss; why do a kiss fake-out at the end? I assume it was to not encourage fans in thinking Nine & Mill are real, but if that's the concern then don't do this plot in the first place?

There was no good explanation for why Jihoon was avoiding Eden and why he was so successful; how had Eden gone from "I'll talk to him directly" to not going into Jihoon's dressing room to talk?

The water trauma was really glazed over

It ends in a really precarious spot, it's not clear at all what their future will be, whether they'll be allowed to stay in the group and date, whether they'll continue, etc.

Just generally this show started a lot of threads and did not do a good job maintaining them or keeping things moving evenly.

I don't have a rating system, so I'll just say: It's a good binge if you're bored. I feel like I still need to sit with the storyline about the idols but as it stands: it's complicated.

#bump up business #onlyoneof #bl meta #typed so I can stop thinking it

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callisteios · 1 year

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I ended up with "god of longing for connection", which is funny given my current situation (housing/attempting to get comics into animation etc) and I'm noticing that some others are getting deep sea god (when they're actually studying the deep ocean as their major) etc... so my q is, are you somehow an ancient greek oracle pointing things out using modern technology to see what the mortals do with this knowledge? (Also thanks for a fun quiz)

you're going to get a long answer for no other reason than I'm at work and I hate my job. sorry

like way to long. i am so sorry.

So.

personality stuff

I'm going to say that first and foremost I am a massive skeptic when it comes to stuff like personality types, astrology etc. I think a lot of these things are people making very broad statements which many people identify with and become more convinced of their reality. a messy rabbit hole. I'm hardly the first to say this so lets move on

I also am a massive fan of personality quizzes (done well) and things like tarot ( i literally love doing tarot readings does anyone want a tarot reading). so not super well meshing opinions you may say?

yes.

however. i make them fit like this. I don't think all people can be split into 12 or 16 or whatever number of groups. I do think there are many shared human experiences and emotions. I know that most people taking my quiz are of a smiliar age and mostly western. This means we have even more shared experiences in this very global world.

I also know that from a lifetime of studying people and trying to understand their motivations (thank you autism (in case you couldn't tell)) I have got reasonably good at understanding various types of feelings and states people experience. and yes i suppose 'types' of people.

From this observation I have understood that (on top of us living in a very similar/global environment) we all (not all but basically all) go through the same emotions at some point during our lives.

From this experience and my understanding of our shared reality and feelings it is not exceptionally hard for me to then craft a quiz and retroactively apply the answers.

Example:

I'm going to give an example here because I feel my explanation has got incredibly rambly. Uh spoilers for my god quiz

Let's look at this result: the sky and the earth (because it's one of my favourites)

the first thing i'd say about this is that it's literally based on one of my favourite songs of all time. written while the author was in a mental instition no less (stream dory previn). so i am hardly the first to identify this 'type'.

When i look at this result and am assigning answers for it, several things about it stick out to me. Its main focus is the in between feeling, the longing for more spirtuality but also a desire for the physical and real. while at the same time feeling as if those are very confliced desires. there's obviously more to it but i can only hold so much info in my brain.

i think this is a state many in modern society will experience as we live in such a new and confusing and separate world. i am exposed to more of the world every day, and yet i feel as if i understand it less. the opportunities for me to truly experience the natrual are few and far between. i want to crawl around upon the earth. i want to see the stars and be enlightened.

knowing this i will say

does someone who is sky and earth want to be a god?

(this was the hardest question for literally every type btw.) here i'd say yes. because only something divine can be two opposing concepts surely. surely to know the sky and earth is an impossible goal for a mortal.

ok moving on (im not doing this for every quesion, don't worry, just a couple more to hammer home the point)

this one was harder. i was torn between fruit, dedicated to one issue, and drowning. I think all fit but went for dedicated in the end

for this one i knew i was using a picture of an iguana and i thought iguanas come from deserts so i chose desert. they're not all hits

this one was so easy. to me the confluence of rivers, bringing together something that's normally apart. that felt like the duality of sky and earth to me.

basically the exact same thing as above with mutilation.

i chose the painting of the building surrounded by people. i felt like this building crushed between the sky and the earth, looked upon by passers by, felt like a monument to the dichotomy. when i am feeling sky and earth i feel like the building, i cannot move or touch or really experience. i am just stationary watching it all move around me

So you see. I have identified here an emotion which i felt, which i have witnessed others feeling. i have identified the likely responses i believe a person in this state would give and i hope for the best.

Tarot

OKay you definitely get the point bt now. but i am nowhere near done, i mentioned tarot earlier. there was a reason for this beyond me wanting to do more tarot readings.

I think even though im good, i am really not that good. one thing i have noted over doing many tarot readings is that often the subject needs incredibly little input from the reader. oh, they may need your help guiding them towards the symbolism on the card, but once they've got that they launch into an explanation of how this answers their question.

Because I Always make sure they ask a clear question. this to me is the most important part of any kind of reading or quiz. you want the person to think about this themselves and then perhaps help them to the conclusion. once they're at the results screen/have a card they already have some idea in mind. it doesn't matter if they were expecting something a bit different, this is just a vehicle for their own self truth anyway.

ok im done.

i am a god

woah woah woah. im not done though. you're talking to a classicist so ive GOT to address the oracle comment. my favourite oracle of delphi theory is that the oracle's chamber sat above some kind of natural gas deposit, this gas was possibly hallucinatory. The oracles would get high and then deliver prophesies. I believe that if you combined my observation with powerful drugs I could come up with prophesies like "if your empire goes to war with another empire a great empire will fall ;)". Therefore, yes i am. and i'm taking requests ;)

tldr? uh. i take very universal feelings, use some skill to present those to people most likely to identify with them, they do a bunch of the work

/tldr i am a divine prophet and would like my place at a nice temple and access to good drugs asap

#you can take brackets out of my cold dead hands #i have many asides and i find them the neatest way to do this #please do not kill me and take my brackets #this is not to say i dont believe in the more mystical aspects of tarot and other forms of divination.#i do not think self relflection and divine providence are incompatable #i feel like i similtaneously called myself a fraud and way overstated my abilities #so hopefully we land on a nice centrist everyone hates me #using the tags as footnotes her #important to note: i think you will see far more people saying my quiz was good than saying it was bad and they didn't relate because most #who don't simply won't interact #ok #done #ask #ninjakittycomics #wait not done #i need to say sorry again #to you and my followers #i need to stop writing horrifically long rambles to every question #well i say need. ill never stop. but ill never stop being sorry #sorry if you read all this #to my point about people not agreeing with results #see everyone reacting to getting tech company campuses/made up finance things. my 'meaner' answers #they definitely don't agree (mostly) though i would say in some cases that's because people don't like reading bad things about themselves

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