#gatsby really didn't do this to me but this one did | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wordsarelife · 26 days

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𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫: 𝐢'𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐞 (𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢'𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲)

pairing: theo nott x fem!reader

summary: the line between lust and hate is awfully slim between theo and you, resulting in something that changes everything between the two of you

warnings: (like massive) spoilers for the great gatsby, mentions of sex, cursing, let me know if i missed anything else

notes: i’m just gonna quickly leave this here hehe

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monday felt like you had woken up in a different world. cursed legacy had made it their personal task to spend their time with you, much to yours and theo’s dismay.

they treated you like you were their friend again and while you had to admit that you didn't hate that, you still hated theo and being their friend meant being in his presence the entire time.

it started during math-, when enzo and mattheo decided to sit down in between april and you. leaving no other option but for their friends to follow behind them,- and reached it’s peak during english.

it was the only class that mattered to you, like really mattered to you. you knew it did to theo too, so you couldn’t understand how he had to ruin everything. atleast all had gone great, until the end. then all hell had broken loose.

"okay, we don't have too much time left" mrs walker said with a look to the clock "but i do have one last question: do you think daisy and mr gatsby should've ended up together?"

you raised your hand and mrs walker nodded. "yes, y/n?"

"i don't think so" you said honestly "i don't think they should've been involved with each other in the first place. i get that she had a shitty husband and she should've definitely left him, but she was at fault for everything that went wrong in gatsby's life and her loved her too much to realize that"

"thank you" mrs walker nodded before she gave the word to theo.

you turned your head in surprise. you hadn't even noticed him raising his hand. honstely, you had thought that he didn't even read the book in the first place.

"i disagree" he said.

"what a wonder" you muttered under you breath.

"daisy was everything he always wanted. she was the green light at the end of the peer and he might've been blinded by love, but isn't that what love is about? being so blinded that you would do anything for your person?"

you raised your eyebrows and send a look in theo's direction. you noticed that draco was wearing a similiar look as his eyes glided back and fourth between theo and the book in his hands, probably wondering if they had read the same story.

"sorry" you raised your arm "you could be right, but your're not"

mattheo beside you snorted.

"gatsby threw everything away for a woman that loved him for a short while before she went back to another man. he could've easily found someone better"

"maybe he didn't want to" theo was talking to you directly now "maybe it was enough for him to love her from afar"

"then he could've stayed on his fucking side of the lake" you argued "instead he threw these gigantic parties, just hoping for one single person to show up. is that what it is to you? having an unhealthy obsession with something that could lead to your death and calling it love?"

theo's chair scrapped over the floor when he stood up. you could see the anger in his eyes and stood up from your chair as well.

"you don't know what you're talking about" theo was not far from screaming "he loved her because she wasn't easy. he loved because being with her meant not knowing what's to come, because being with her meant to never grow bored"

"that's what you took from this story?" you laughed in disbelief "did we read the same book?" you caught blaise and draco hecticly turning pages as if they were asking themselves the same thing. enzo and april exchanged glances and the smirk on mattheo's face died.

"because i read a book in which a foolish man spends his entire time obsessing over a woman who doesn't love him, atleast not as much as he loves her and later he dies, because he wants to save her and she doesn't even bat an eye, before she goes back to her husband"

"she had no other choice" theo screamed.

"she had plenty of choices, theo" you screamed back.

"stop! the both of you!" mrs walker screamed.

all eyes turned to her. theo and you sank down in your seats defeated.

"both of you, detention" mrs walker said, right before the bell rang out.

you sighed as you packed up your things and grabbed the detention slip from her, before you left the room.

✦•〰〰〰〰〰★🎸☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★〰〰〰〰〰〰•✦

detention was not the kind of activity you would normally choose to do during your day, but here you were, holding a cleaning cloth and a bucket, while theo was holding the broom. you were standing in one of the classrooms, that hadn’t been used for these past few years.

"alright" mr platt clapped his hands. he was a bit too excited about your detention, particulary because he had a one sided feud with theo, who was always a bit too sassy in the janitors eyes. "you're gonna clean this entire room. you have two hours-" he was interrupted by his ringing phone, which he picked up as he walked away from the both of you.

"this is all your fault" you whispered.

theo huffed. “that’s rich”

“is it?” you wondered “because it’s always you that has to ruin everything”

“calm down, pixie” theo shook his head “i thought you were smarter than this”

“i have to admit i thought you were too, but then you proved me wrong in english and here we are”

“shut the fuck-“

mr platt turned back around and both you and theo put on an innocent smile.

“i have to get a few things for the school banket next week. do you think you’ll be fine on your own?” he looked more in your direction than in theo’s.

“of course, don’t worry, mr platt” you smiled and the janitor nodded relieved.

“alright, i will be back in two hours” he walked out of the room and theo turned his head to you.

“don’t worry, mr platt” he mocked in a high pitched voice. you rolled your eyes, before you slapped him with your cloth.

“come on, just start sweeping already”

to your annoyance and ultimately not to your surprise, theo sat down on one of the tables. “i’m not cleaning anything”

“mr platt just said—“

“i don’t know if you’ve noticed, pixie” he smiled “but i don’t really listen to the things mr pratt says”

you were ready to start fighting, until you remembered how you had gotten into this situation in the first place. this was your first detention and you would make sure that it would also stay the last.

you mindlessly started cleaning the tables around the room. when you were done with that, you filled the bucket with fresh water and cleaned the cloth in the sink until it was spotless again. then you walked across the room to take the broom.

"what are you doing?" theo pulled the broom away from you, when you tried to grab it.

"i'm doing what you should've done" you crossed your arms "i'm not gonna get in more trouble, because of you"

"i'm not giving it to you" theo said and you raised your brows.

"why do you even care? you're not gonna do it? okay, fine" you shrugged "but someone has to"

"it's not your fucking problem, pixie" theo pulled the broom further back "you did your task"

"why are you always so stubborn?" you tried to reach around him, but he pushed you back with his other hand "just give it to me"

"no" the bratty smile on his face made your blood boil.

in a few seconds of uncontrollable anger, you took the bucket, ready to drench him in the cold water you had just filled it up with. "give me the broom" you said once again, as if to give him a last chance.

"you wouldn't dare"

"oh i would" you nodded.

theo stayed unmoving and you raised the bucket from the ground, so that it was now hanging in the air between you. but theo was faster than you. he let go of the broom (which fell to the ground with a thud) before he ripped the bucket out of your hands, making water slip over the edge and directly onto your shirt.

"you fucking idiot!" you screamed, and turned away from the boy, once theo had put the bucket down on the table behind him.

"i actually did not mean to do that" he laughed "but it's pretty fucking funny"

"shut up" you started patting your chest with the cloth in an attempt to dry the water stain on your shirt. you did only make it worse.

you could hear theo giggle behind your back and swerved around, before you threw the cloth in his face. he was not as happy anymore when he took the cloth off his face and let it fall to the ground.

"what did you just do?"

you shrugged your shoulders "not like you didn't deserve that"

he stepped slowly closer "repeat that. i dare you"

you stepped back and he followed. your back hit the wall and he came closer.

"you deserved that" you muttered as you looked up at him. you could feel his hot breath on your cheek and thought about just pushing him back and slipping away, but you honestly doubted that you were stronger than him.

"you're very brave sweetheart" he smiled sarcastically.

you laughed humorless. "i fucking hate you"

theo smiled and the eye contact intensified.

"looks like you're having the hots for me now"

"fuck you, theo"

your breath hitched when he quickly pushed his lips against yours. it took you a second, but then you pulled him closer by his shirt, deepening the kiss.

theo's lips brushed against yours and you melted into his kiss, surrendering to the passion that consumed you both.

the kiss was like a storm, fierce and consuming, yet filled with a tenderness that left you breathless.

you had only kissed him once before, back when you were children. back when kissing was something disgusting and didn't make you feel the things you were feeling right now.

you whimpered when he pulled your head to the side with his hand and started kissing your neck.

"i loathe you" he muttered between kisses "but you look so fucking hot in that wet shirt"

you smiled triumphantly and saw your opportunity to push him backwards, away from the wall and to the teachers table. you connected your lips again, as you turned around and climbed on to the table. he stepped between your opened legs and rested his hands on your thighs as he moaned.

you gripped the hem of his shirt, he stepped back and helped you to pull it off, before you repeated the same process with your shirt. your hands pressed to his chest, while he kissed you and unhooked your bra.

you weren't proud of the things that happened next. and especially not of where it had happened.

when it was over, theo looked almost as regretful as you did.

"this was a mistake" you muttered, as he pulled down your shirt and gently fixed your hair. you weren't used to this side of him, not anymore. but even if you said the exact opposite, your were yearning for him.

"yeah" he nodded and then he frowned "i'm sorry, i shouldn't have-"

"-no, it's alright" you shook your head. this was worse than before, it was uncomfortable and awkward. you would've preferred him yelling at you, but the room grew silent as neither o you said a word.

"we can never do this again" he whispered, but it sounded more like he was telling it to himself.

"i know"

"and we can't tell anyone about this"

"i know"

"we're not good for each other" he said finally.

you wanted to say something, anything. it was like everything between you had just died with a simple touch. you almost missed the tension, because now there was just nothing. you tried to reach for his arm, but before you could do or say anything else, the door opened and theo stepped back from you.

"looks alright" mr platt nodded, once he had given the room a look. "you can go" he held the door open so you could walk through.

"bye" you said and mr platt nodded. "theo" you called, but the boy only quickened his step and left you standing alone in the entryhall of the school.

you sighed, before you decided that theo was right, you should just forget about everything that had happened. your relationship with him had not been anything else than hate lately and you had to admit he was right, it would never work, you weren't good for each other.

✦•〰〰〰〰〰★🎸☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★〰〰〰〰〰〰•✦

the shift in atmosphere did not go unnoticed by april or the rest of the boys. atleast not until the next saturday when she was spending the day with enzo and matt, chilling in their parent's basement before they head to the rehearsal later.

"have you noticed that theo and y/n have been acting weird lately?" april asked "i mean y/n's been totally denying it, but it's weird right?"

"for sure" mattheo nodded with big eyes "i'm glad you said something, i was dying to ask you"

"isn't that kind of normal?" enzo wondered "i mean for them to be weird?"

"you're not getting it the way we are!" mattheo criticized.

"okay, sorry" enzo raised his hands laughing until mattheo and april send him a look.

"i honestly always thought they would end up together" april admitted "and of course i hated the way their friendship evolved to constantly fighting with each other, but at least that was something. now they aren't even talking to each other"

"right?" mattheo pointed at the red-head "i always thought they were in love with each other, but then she dated that scumbag and leo, well" he left the sentence unfinished and the mood shifted.

"i thought the same" april patted mattheos shoulder. “i think what they have yet to realize is that everything that is between them is not hate, it’s sadness”

mattheo nodded and april could see that he was getting sad too. they both felt helpless, like they couldn’t do what they were supposed to do as best friends to theo and you.

all while enzo found it a bit weird how serious mattheo and april were talking about your relationship with theo. it didn't even concern them, yet they were so... concerned.

"it's not really our problem is it?" enzo tried gently.

the looks he received made him shut up immediately.

"they belong together, enz" his brother exclaimed with a roll of his eyes "they just don't know it yet"

"yeah" april nodded "that's what they have us for" she pointed between her and mattheo.

"but you still like me more than him, right?" enzo joked.

april and mattheo started laughing and enzo joined in hesitantly. "not right now, though"

enzo's laughter died down as he send his soon-to-be-girlfriend a betrayed look.

✦•〰〰〰〰〰★🎸☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★〰〰〰〰〰〰•✦

when the three arrived at the rehearsal, theo and you were already there, setting up the instrument and sorting notes.

"woah" blaise said when he and draco entered the garage after mattheo, april and enzo. "it's cold in here"

you send him an aggravated look, before you just rolled your eyes and continued to turn the pages of your notes.

"did something happen?" draco whispered in the direction of april.

the girl shook her head, before mattheo took it upon himself to inform draco about the newest form of relationship between theo and you.

"haven't you noticed?" he muttered not exactly quiet, but you acted like you couldn't hear him. "they've been acting like this all week"

"really?" blaise asked surprised, before he thought for a second "wait, no, now that you say it, it has been a really peaceful week." his eyes fell upon you "too peaceful"

"hey, y/n" draco called and you looked up "i think theo put down the wrong cable for you again"

"oh" you looked down to confirm that he was right "that not a problem, i'll just quickly change it" you walked around theo, without even acknowledging him and draco looked like he had lost his mind.

april elbowed enzo, who shrieked, but then quickly caught the hint. "theo, ehh" he thought for a second "did you talk to y/n about those notes she needs to play differently in cheap wine?"

theo shook his head, before he turned around to look at you. "you have to play two c-chords and then the a-chord"

"got it" you nodded.

enzo and april exchanged a look. enzo looked to his older brother helplessly, who looked as lost as he rest of his friends. he had no idea what else to say, before it quickly dawned on him. he had to force a reaction out of theo and what better way to do that than compliment you? an insult from theo wouldn't be far.

"you look really good today" mattheo said "i like the way you styles your hair"

"thank you" you smiled.

"theo?" blaise asked as the boy didn't react.

"huh?" theo looked up from the cables he had been sorting "eh, yeah i agree"

both you and theo returned to your respective work while the rest of your friends exchanged looks without you noticing.

"theo, i said y/n looks good today"

"i'm aware" theo nodded "i can hear you, you know?"

"we would love to hear your input" mattheo further encouraged.

"you're acting fucking weird today" and to all their shock, you and theo were now exchanging glances as if they were the ones behaving weirdly.

blaise huffed and mattheo and april crossed their arms silmutaneously.

draco seemed to have had enough of the way you were acting. "stop fucking acting this way! can't you just make up or something? or at least get back to hating each other?" he was close to tears.

blaise rubbed draco's shoulder. "see, what you're doing to him. his parents are divorced"

"okay?" you asked confused "i don't see what that has to do with us, though"

"what's going on?" april asked gently "did something happen? you had this until someone cries mentally, well, did someone cry?"

"no" you shook your head "theo and i are just mature enough, that we decided to stop fighting"

"bullshit" draco screamed from blaise's arms. "you're always fighting, even before you hated each other."

you looked in the direction of theo and thought about what he had said to you in that classroom. he had been right, you weren't good to each other, even before you had been at each other's throats constantly. all of it had been so obvious that even your friends had noticed it.

"would you rather have us fighting again?" theo asked with raised brows "we were going nowhere with this"

"you're not even talking to each other" mattheo muttered.

"we are" you shook your head as if you couldn't believe what he was saying "we just did it like a minute ago"

"can we please start rehearsing now?" theo asked and all of you could feel the annoyance radiating off his body. the boys nodded, giving in without further discussion.

you could still feel april's eyes lingering on you. she didn't believe a word you had said.

even if you tried to ignore it, what your friends had said stuck with you. you knew that theo was thinking about it too.

after the rehearsal you stayed longer.

"we have to stop acting his way" you said as soon as the two of you were alone. "they will find out if we don't"

"i know" theo sighed and it was the biggest reaction you had gotten from him all week. it kind of pained you to admit that you missed your fighting, but something in you clearly did.

"can't you just fight with me? just do something so we go back to normal"

"i can't" theo admitted "i can still scream at you, after-"

"after we had sex" you interrupted. he had been dancing around what happened all week, you were tired of not calling it what it was.

"it should've never happened"

"i know!" you said loudly "and i agree, but this is not the solution we need. we can't go back in time, theo, we can do nothing to change it."

"yeah, but i can do as much as possible to make sure it won't ever happen again"

"why are you so bothered by all of this?" you asked frustrated "it was just sex, it was a one time thing, what makes it different? it's just like any other one night stand"

"no it's not"

"then tell me what it is!" you were screaming now "because i'm tired of playing a game i don't want to be a part of! you confuse me"

"can i kiss you?" theo asked and you had almost screamed from shock.

"what?" you asked instead. "theo!"

"i'm- sorry, i just-"

"okay, kiss me" he did not wait for you to tell him twice, before he had already walked closer and pressed his lips against yours.

you really had to stop doing this. well, after this time.

✦•〰〰〰〰〰★🎸☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★〰〰〰〰〰〰•✦

you continued to come to the rehearsal three times a week over the following weeks. the more time you spent in the old loft, the more it felt like everything was slowly going back to normal.

your friends couldn't explain what had happened, but theo and you had started interacting normally again, having your occasional fight, but being friendlier than ever.

even if they found it weird, they accepted it. they were just happy you were talking to each other again.

april had tried to find out what had been going and between you and the boy, but you had stayed strong, not revealing your secret to her, even if she was your best friend.

you were joking with the boys, the forced friendly gestures you used to exchange were long gone and it was no longer uncomfortable to just sit around when you were taking a break.

mattheo told stories of enzo and their vacation in spain, how they had gone snorkeling and how enzo had lost his trunks in the water, making all of you break out into loud laughter.

each of you shared memories of a time where you had not spoken to the others, as if you had to catch up. and it felt good.

even theo had to admit it did. it had been easier than he thought to be civil. he had been sure he was having a stroke, but as soon as he started to act nice, you did too and after everything that had happened between you both these past few days he was honestly just glad.

it was another saturday when you were once again rehearsing. you had gone through the entire setlist (except for daddy issues, theo had said that it was way too slow to play) and now only had to play eight pack of cigarettes, which was one of your favorite tracks to play, especially because it had a guitar solo in it.

you had spent much time learning the solo and enzo had been of great help, teaching you like a proud parent, even if he was younger than you.

the song began slow, theo started singing as the guitar played slow, while the other instruments stayed silent.

in the glow of street lights, underneath the city's haze, you found me in the darkest nights, lost in a nicotine haze.

the drums set in just a second after, making the heavy rock of the song shine through clearly. shortly after that followed mattheo, strumming the bass. draco only joined at the chorus.

eight packs of cigarettes, burned through these lonely nights, trying to drown out regrets, but you're still in my head.

the solo came just after the brige and both enzo and april watches excitedly how you plaed it so effortlessly. theo watched you and he couldn't help the proud smile settling on his face.

in the haze of smoke and dreams, i'll keep searching for some reprieve, but until then, I'll keep the smoke, eight packs of cigarettes full of hope.

the song ended with the last note of draco's keyboard. you admired how they could go from a full on rock song, to a slow and almost sad outro.

you helped theo to unplug the instruments. draco and blaise said their goodbyes pretty soon, walking out of the garage mumbling something about a new videogame, mattheo was close behind them.

enzo and april exchanged a look, before he threw his not broken arm around her shoulder.

"we're going to the cinema" enzo exclaimed when he noticed your questioning gaze.

"okay" you smiled as you send april a look. 'call me later' you mouthed, before you watched them walk out to april's car.

"y/n" theo said to gain your attention "thank you for helping us, really, i appreciate it"

"it's not a problem" you smiled "just, why did you ask me? i know that you can play, you didn't need me"

"you're way better" he smiled "my heart also belongs to the acoustic guitar and it's way more fun to move freely on stage"

you rolled your eyes laughing at his dumb reasons, but nodded understandingly anyway. "can i also ask you something?"

theo raised his brows "sure"

"did you write daddy issues to hurt me?"

"i understand why you might think i did" theo muttered "but back then, no" he admitted "i wrote it for you to listen to whenever you felt like that. i thought about not putting it on the album after everything that happened, but i wrote it for both of you and leo had made me promise"

"typical" you laughed "he demands something and once he leaves everything goes to shit"

"i'm sorry i made you play it" theo muttered.

"it's alright" you took the acoustic guitar from the couch and held it in his direction. "can you do something else for me? could you play it for me? the way you intended it to be played?"

he nodded and took the guitar from your hand before he sat down across from you. he softly stroked the chords and the words that were coming out of his mouth didn't feel like they were supposed to hurt you, they felt gentle, like a hug.

gentle, like the days you had spent up in the treehouse, crying in his lap as he stroked your hair the same way he was now stroking the chords.

go ahead and cry, little girl nobody does it like you do i know how much it matters to you i know that you got daddy issues and if you were my little girl i'd do whatever I could do i'd run away and hide with you i know that you got daddy issues

he played softly, almost cautious, as if he wanted to fix you with his singing alone. he ended the song and you couldn't help but smile at him, even if tears were running over yours cheeks. he put the guitar down and sat next to you on the couch.

"why did you ask me to do that?"

"because i don't want to think of the song as something bad…not anymore" you explained as you wiped your tears away. "not when leo didn't intend it to be"

"he loved it" theo said softly "made him cry like a baby"

"because you're so good at writing" you laughed.

"no" theo shook his head "he cried because of you, because i think for the first time he could really understand how you felt"

"thank you" you said.

"nothing to thank me for" theo smiled softly.

"do you want to hear a secret?" you asked. you knew not everything between you was normal again, but you trusted him enough and right now, there in the garage, was a time where safety was all around you.

"sure" theo nodded and watched you expectingly. you turned your head to look at him.

"i haven't spoken to my dad in a year" you admitted.

"oh" theo breathed surprised. "why not?"

"i don't really know" you shrugged, it wasn't the whole truth, but you were not at the point of telling whole truths yet "but i think it's alright, i don't think there's anything we could still say to each other"

"i'm sorry"

you shrugged "it is what it is, right?" you tried to smile, but theo shook his head.

"it shouldn't be like this"

"it's not like i can miss anything" you shrugged and theo frowned.

"it's just unfair. i'm sorry, y/n"

"where did pixie go?"

"i thought you hated when i called you that"

"i did" you smiled lopsided "but now i kinda miss her"

"do you ever know what you want?" theo laughed and you shrugged, while you shook your head. he looked at his phone, to check the time. "are you free tonight?"

"sure, why?"

"a friend of mine is throwing a party and his band is playing, i promised to come, do you maybe want to accompany me?"

you shrugged "it's not like i have anything better to do, so why not?"

"i feel honored that you spend time with me nonetheless, pixie" theo smiled and you mirrored his expression. for the first time in a while his nickname for you did not sound malicious.

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queenlucythevaliant · 1 month

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Okay, here we go. Rating literary allusions in Taylor Swift songs:

The Outside: "I tried to take the road less traveled by /but nothing seems to work the first few times/am I right?"--Starting off pretty well! She tried to take the road less traveled by, but it didn't make any difference. 8/10

Love Story: Whole song allusion to Romeo and Juliet-- All those 2008 jokes about Taylor not having read R&J weren't funny then and they aren't funny now. It's a fun, satisfying subversion. However, I am going to dock points for the fact that Romeo and Juliet aren't a prince and princess, just rich. 7/10

Love Story: "You were Romeo/I was a scarlet letter"--Is the Juliet character in "Love Story" being publicly shamed? Did she do something scandalous? There are zero other lines in this song to suggest that she did, and a fair amount of evidence that she didn't. This allusion confuses rather than clarifies and tbh this is the one people should've made fun of in 2008. 2/10

New Romantics: "We show off our different scarlet letters/ trust me, mine is better" --Hooray! She figured out what the book is about! This is a beautifully executed allusion, where "scarlet letters" represents a mark of something shameful which, in a fun subversion, is being shown off with pride. Fits the song really well. Most improved award, 11/10

Getaway Car: "It was the best of times, the worst of crimes" (A Tale of Two Cities) -- Goes in the category of "fun wordplay, but doesn't really mean anything deeper" 5/10

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: "Feeling so Gatsby for that whole year" --This is a perfectly serviceable allusion, but not a super interesting one. Sub "Gatsby" out with "nostalgic" and the song wouldn't change at all. She could've done a lot more with the reference, given the subject matter of the song. 6/10

cardigan: "I knew you/tried to change the ending/Peter losing Wendy" -- This works! You get a sense of Betty losing her innocence and choosing to leave James and of it being inevitable somehow. Plus, it imbues the song with a lovely fairy tale quality. 10/10

illicit affairs: "take the road less traveled by/tell yourself you can always stop" -- To take the road less traveled by is to do something risky, unpopular, or unfamiliar, not just to take a route through town where you won't run into people. Not totally egregious, but the regression from Debut is disappointing. 4/10

invisible string: "and isn't it just so pretty to think/ that all along there was some/ invisible string tying you to me."(The Sun Also Rises)--Ugggggh. Okay, so "Isn't it pretty to think so?" is this sad, tired, ironic note in The Sun Also Rises. Brett tells Jake, "We could have had a damned good time together" and Jake says "Isn't it pretty to think so?" because their whole situationship was never going to work. It's not a positive thing; it's pure, bitter Lost Generation irony. Completely out-of-place in a song about how two people we're supposed to believe will actually work as a couple. This one drives me nuts, and I don't even like Hemingway. 0/10

happiness: "I hope she'll be a beautiful fool/ who takes my spot next to you" (Gatsby)--Saying this about an ex's future SO is so... off. Like, the reason why Daisy hopes her daughter will be a beautiful fool is because it's easy. The two situations have nothing to do with one another, and not in an interesting way. 1/10

The Albatross: whole song allusion to "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," but most notably "She's the albatross/ she is here to destroy you"--The albatross in the Rime is a good omen. The Mariner shoots is for no reason, and the albatross's death is the ostensible source of bad fortune. I wrote a whole separate post on this here. That said, culturally "albatross=bad omen" is common enough, so whatever. 3/10

I Hate It Here: "I will go to secret gardens in my mind/ people need a key to get to/ the only one is mine" -- I like this one a lot. Exactly the right vibe for the song, trying to escape something miserable by going somewhere pleasant. The key is a nice touch. Poor Archibald. 10/10

The Prophecy: "I got cursed like Eve got bitten" --No Taylor, that's not what happened. Famously, Eve was the biter in that situation. 0/10

Cassandra: whole song allusion -- correct me if I'm wrong (I haven't actually read the Illiad), but my understanding is that Cassandra died fairly far into the Trojan war, and not by burning. 4/10

#this probably isn't exhausive lol #but it's what i've got off the top of my head #this was weirdly cathartic to write #you guys know i adore taylor swift but literary allusions have always been my biggest nitpick with her #i would just like to send her to an English class or gently help her out or something idk #tay tay #i'm aware that i'm not addressing Peter off ttpd but that song is such a nothingburger that i really can't be bothered #pontifications and creations #literature makes us more human

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hopelesslyromanticshark · 2 months

Note

Girl you know I gotta ask for writing for my boy Connor (loml) and a daughter of Athena 🤞🤞 I really don’t mind whether it’s headcanons or a blurb or a fic just whatever you feel like writing babes I trust you’ll do him justice 🫶🫶

Love you and I am officially fully caught up on all your writing 💪💪

⋆⭒˚.⋆ connor stoll x daughter of athena! reader hcs

content: connor stoll x daughter of athena! reader hcs warning: language author's note: i hated starting this one for some reason but guys!!! so fun!!! i love, so cutesy. AND CONNOR MY BOY HAS RETURNED also glad to see you are FINALLY all caught up smh, can't believe you missed one of my leo fics frfr everyone point and laugh at her in the comments (jk jk public humiliation is not allowed...mostly)

connor was in desperate need of a tutor

he wasn't sure he could take junior year english...again

the athena cabin was the obvious solution but not many of them were too fond of connor at the moment

okay, so yes, he had hidden tiny fake spiders in their cabin that took months to find all 250 of them, but it was just a harmless little prank!!

but, with quite a lot of bribing of snacks he could sneak into camp, connor finally won one of them over

you were a sucker for twinkies, okay??

you were put on the 'traitor of the month' wall within cabin six, along side percy who was asleep the last time a real spider was in cabin six so he was unavailable to kill it

at least the picture was cute

and the boy in which you risked your reputation for was even cuter

though, terrible at english

the worst part was that he was truly trying his best

which just happened to be a 'd+'

so you felt bad, more often than not just giving him the answer, though thoroughly explaining why it was the correct answer

connor was more than grateful for you, one you boosted his grades and two you were quickly becoming the girl of his dreams

and you were quickly losing interest in the twinkies, sticking around for connor and all his corny jokes

"did you hear about jay gatsby’s new car? It was a real hit with the ladies," connor mused, clearly proud of himself, leaning over his homework to be closer to you

you didn't even raised your eyes, flipping a page of your book

"connor, i know you did not read that book. do you even get the joke?"

"yes!! he's...hot, right?? like, leonardo dicaprio plays him in the movie so-"

"no, con, he hit a lady with his car. get it?"

"WHAT THE FUC-"

connor then stole your copy of the great gatsby and read it, determined to understand the joke

and then, one day, while you were walking to lunch, you heard yells of your name

"Y/N! Y/N! Y/N! SMARTIE PANTS, CMERE!" connor yelled as he ran up to you, huffing and puffing as he bent over, out of breath, in front of you

you went to open your mouth but connor held his hand up, taking a few more deep breaths before pulling himself upright

then he presented you with his paper that the two of you had been slaving away over

and proudly put in the top right corner in read was a 'b+' and a little 'good job!' under it

"omg, a b?!" you hissed out, brows furrowing

"I KNOW ISN'T THAT STELLAR?? best grade i've ever gotten and-...are you- are you mad?-"

"that was totally an 'a' paper, are you kidding me?? i did not use the word 'quintessence' to get a 'b'!" the daughter of athena raged and connor couldn't help but laugh, setting a comforting hand on her heaving shoulders

"y/n-"

"IM GOING TO WRITE A VERY ANGRY EMAIL ABOUT THIS!"

"okay, you do that."

post angry email, you sought connor out, this time with a warm smile.

"come to terms with my 'b'?" he asked with a wide smile as you sat down beside him with a roll of your eyes

"i'll allow it," you joked, bumping your shoulder with his before handing over what you had been hiding behind your back.

it was a little fake diploma and graduation cap on a headband, the little diploma reading 'y/n's tutoring school'

he laughed, setting the headband into his hair, turning for the girl's approval, which he got in laughs

"...does this mean we're done with tutoring?" connor asked after the laughter died down, his smile slowly slipping away

and panic filled the girl's heart as she came to the same realization

then, her ever brilliant mind too over, thank the gods

"what? no, you've still got tutoring college. and then, tutoring grad school. and, maybe, if you're lucky, tutoring internship. you think you're getting rid of me, stoll?"

"gods, i hope not."

#postcards from covey ౨ৎ #all my love ౨ৎ #pjo #pjo fandom #connor stoll #connor stoll x reader #percy jackon and the olympians

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shaylixie · 11 months

Text

The Great Gatsby

Word Count: 2922

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Bang Chan x gn!reader

Requested: No.

Summary: Chan throws a party a while after not seeing you.

Warnings / Contains: Alcohol consumption; language; dialogue heavy; lots of characters.

A/N: Omg, where do I start? Hi! I'm back and seemingly writing again, lol. Anyway. This is my first fic for Stray Kids. I wrote it just for fun...I wasn't really sure where I was going with it & I just ended up with this. So. Bon appétit. Not sure if you can tell, but I'm a multistan.🤣 Primarily a Stay. I wanted to write something fun and wholesome and fluffy. This is the start of something wonderful! I'm thinking of making this into a loose sort of series? Hm, we'll see. Let me know if you want a part 2, and I'll think about it! Thank you for reading, and enjoy! 💕 Feedback welcome.🤍

You knock on the door of Chan's place, loud enough that it's heard over the blaring music. It opens, and you're faced with an excited expression.

"Y/n! You made it!"

"Hey, Sungie!" you greet Jisung, followed by a warm hug. "I had to see my favourite guy."

"Me or Chan?" he asks with smirk.

Sigh. Okay. So here's the thing.

You and Chan have been friends for...well, enough time. But a small part of you wishes you were more. Okay, fine. A big part of you. See, you caught feelings. But this is your friend you're talking about...you can't ruin your friendship after so many years. Even if you did want to risk it everytime you were with him.

You rolled your eyes, anticipating the familiar endless teasing.

Everyone knew, it seemed. But if Chan was part of "everyone", you didn't know. He certainly didn't act like it.

You walked in and began greeting the rest of your friends. The usual ones were there - that is, the members of Stray Kids, along with a few personal mutual friends - and also a handful of people you didn't know. Other idols, including but not limited to those of JYPE, and friends of friends. It wasn't packed to the brim but it wasn't a small gathering either. A decent enough crowd for it to be considered a party, and for the house to be full.

Of course, knowing the Kids for as long as you did, you knew most of the idols here so you weren't as intimidated as you thought you'd be. Sure, you still got starstruck from time to time. But you were familiar with the JYP family; had befriended them even. You suppose that's the perks of being such a close friend of the Kids. So much so that you're playfully referred to as the 9th member...except you can't sing or dance. Or rap. Or do pretty much any of the extraordinary things they do on a daily. But you still somehow platonically seduced all of them. How? You didn't know, but you didn't care either. This was your family.

After hugging all your friends who you could find at arm's length, you started settling down and adjusting to the atmosphere. Minho handed you a cup and just winked when you asked what was in it. Oh, you were in for it tonight!

"Y/n!!"

You whipped your head around at the familiar voice. There was Chan, bounding towards you with his own cup and his loose fitted tank top. He placed the cup down and lifted you up, spinning you around and sloshing half of your own drink onto the floor.

"Oops! I'll clean that up later," he laughed.

"Channie! I've missed you. How have you been?"

"Great! Except I've really missed you too."

"I know, I'm sorry. Studying has been crazy. I'm here now, though! Catch me up, guys," you say turning to the others.

He threw his arm around you as you drained your cup and then flopped onto the couch, with half of the Kids surrounding you - specifically Minho, Han, Felix and Hyunjin - and also Ryujin, Yeji and Chaeryeong.

You all started talking non-stop about anything and everything, laughing at the most stupidest things. You know, standard feature.

"Oh my gosh, Somi!!!" you suddenly burst out excitedly, leaping off the couch.

You half-skipped-half-ran to your best friend as you giggled together and embraced, jumping up and down.

"Didn't you guys hang out last week?" Hyunjin asked with a weird look on his face, hiding his amusement.

"Yeah but this is my best friend in the whole woooorld!" Somi said as she rocked you side to side, still in an embrace.

"Also how would you know, Jinnie? Do you stalk us?" you asked.

"Ooooooh, he probably stalks all of us," Chaeryeong teased.

"Eww," Hyunjin said with his classic disgusted face. "I saw it on your story, Y/n. Yours is the only one I check all the time...since we're best friends and all you know. Or maybe not..." he ends dramatically.

"Oh shit," says Han.

You roll your eyes, laughing at the constant competition between Hyunjin and Somi.

"You're my guy best friend, Jinnie. Somi is my girl. You know this."

"Yeah, I'm her girl," Somi teases, wiggling her eyebrows. She makes playful kissy faces at your cheek and you turn around last minute, making her kiss you on the lips. Everyone bursts out laughing, and somewhere in the room you hear a cat whistle. It makes you and Somi double over laughing, not fazed at all by your friendly flirty dynamic.

Chan stands up again and pulls both you and Somi into a hug.

"I gotta go say hi to a few more people, I'll be right back," he says looking at you.

"Wait!" Felix shouts. He runs to pull you, Chan and Somi into his arms. "Group hug!"

You pull him into your arms at the sight of his happy face and everyone leaps up from their respective places on the floor and the couch until your face is buried in Chan's chest and you can't breathe, let alone lift your head up. All you hear is cheers going up as people start to randomly join, and you giggle wondering how drunk everyone is. When the hug eventually ends, everyone's moods lifted even higher than before, you and Somi part as the rest do the same, all going to mingle.

"So...I saw how he had his arm around you," Somi says, bumping your shoulder.

"Ugh, it doesn't mean anything...but I loved it so much, Som! Like...I just wanna stay like that. I'm lovesick. I need another drink if I'm gonna get through this night."

"Already on it," she laughs, pouring you a drink. "But we gotta take a shot first!"

As she pours the shot, Sana and Dahyun come over with Jackson Wang from China (as you lovingly call him) and more hugs ensue.

"Shots? Count us in!" says Jackson.

You all take a shot together...and then another one. Hey, you may not party much (like, at all), but when you do...you DO.

Next you know, Sana is grabbing your hand and Dahyun is leading you outside onto the makeshift dance floor (the lawn). Everyone is vibing and jumping up and down and busting out their best (and worst) moves all over the yard and you can't help but join in on the fun. You dance (is that what you call it?) with your friends surrounding you, all letting loose and having a fun time, their idol masks surrendered. You can't remember the last time you had this much fun. At some point, Changbin and Chan join in, and Changbin grabs your hand and dips you, making you squeal. You hold him tightly around his neck and drop a hand to his bicep, squeezing there.

"I've been working out!" he shouts over the music with a huge grin. He knows how much you love feeling his muscles up, and he loves how much you do. It's become something of an inside joke between you.

"I can tell! They're even bigger than last time!"

"You're drooling, Y/n!" shouts Chan. "What about me?"

Changbin lifts you up again and you bound up to Chan, squeezing his bicep too. You make a show of thinking hard.

"It needs more work!" you say, stifling a laugh.

Chan pouts, making you fail at holding your laugh back. He laughs too then, grabbing your hand. You relish at the feeling of his hand in yours, and next thing you know, you're running behind Chan, following him inside the house and up the stairs. He stops outside one of the closed bedrooms, the both of you breathing hard.

"I really did miss you," he says softly, but loud enough for you to hear over the music and laughter. He pulls you into a tight hug then, and you blink out of shock.

"Are you drunk?" you giggle.

"A little. But I missed you when I was sober. And I'll miss you when I'm wasted. And hungover too. And then sober again."

You laugh and boop his nose. "I missed you too, Channie." You dip your head to hide your face before saying the next part. "More than you'll ever know..."

"Yeah?" He looks at you like he genuinely wants to know.

"Yeah...yeah, of course."

The two of you are silent for a bit after that, just staring at each other. It's a comfortable silence. The type you always have with him.

He clears his throat. "I, uhm. I...how drunk are you?"

"Surprisingly not drunk at all," you say honestly. "Tipsy...but I'm fine. You?"

"Not drunk enough," he laughs. "I'm still okay."

"Good."

"I'm asking because...well...I wanted to tell you something."

"Good or bad?" you ask nervously.

He laughs just as nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "It depends..."

"Yeah?"

"I uhm..." he trails off, stepping closer to you.

Your heart is beating so far out your chest, you think he can see it.

"I don't know how to say it. But I-...we're friends, right? Good friends?"

You're about to answer when suddenly-

"CHAN HYUNG!"

You're interrupted by Minho's yelling, and you make a mental note to kick him in the shin later. Chan drops his head in exasperation, then laughs.

"Give me a second," he says apologetically.

"YEAH?!" he shouts back, halfway down the stairs.

"WE GOT THE BEER PONG ALL SET UP. YOU COMING?"

"YEAH, I'LL BE DOWN IN A SEC!"

He runs back up to you then, about to say something, but seemingly changing his mind.

"Minho set up the beer pong. It's your favourite game..." he winks at you. "Be on my team?"

You shove down the anxiety of the previous moment and agree, hoping the beer will help. You hate beer, but it is your favourite game after all. Chan takes your hand again, and you go over to the living room where the beer pong is set up.

"So, who are Chan and I winning against?" you ask to the room around you, feeling much more confident because of the alcohol. Oh - confident about talking to an entire room of people - not about winning. You're always confident about that.

Seungmin walks up with Chaeyoung from Twice.

"You sure you can beat us?" he quips.

"Yeah, sorry Y/n, but I'm pretty good at beer pong," Chaeyoung says.

"Oh, don't worry. You haven't met my Y/n here," Chan says.

Your heart skips 3 beats at that - "my Y/n" - and you have to ignore the urge to check your pulse to see if you're dead.

"Let's go, Old Man! Try to keep up," teases Seungmin.

Chan rolls his eyes at the familiar nickname.

The game starts, and everyone who isn't passed out or dancing gathers round. Minnie and Chaeyoung go first, and Chae gets it in first try. The crowd goes wild. You chug down the drink as Chan goes next...and misses. Seungmin laughs and says something about "losing with the old man." It's your turn now, and lo and behold, you get it in.

"Not bad...not bad..." Chae says, and downs the drink.

Seungmin goes next and misses, which causes Chan to start teasing him back. "What's all that about an old man, huh??"

"Girl power! Yes, Queens! Slay!" shouts a drunk Yuna, and everyone laughs.

The game continues with various hits and misses, and the 4 of you progressively get drunker off the beer. Finally, it's down to the last cup on both sides. After what seems like an eternity of back and forth throwing, you land the ball in the cup. Stunned, no one reacts at first. Then the whole room erupts and everyone starts surrounding you and Chan and you think you hear Seungmin scream "FUCK!" but you're not sure because Chan has picked you up and he's spinning you around and shouting "That's my girl!" and everyone is too drunk and excited to question it and the euphoria spreads through the room. Ah, yes, you think. Beer pong is your favourite game.

Seated around the bonfire, spread out equally on blankets on the floor and chairs, are all of your favourite people. Well, some are missing because they went home and others are passed out in Chan's guest room and on his couches and maybe one or two on the floor. But most of your favourite people surround you right now, and a peaceful atmosphere decends over the night. Softer music is now playing as everyone sings along, swaying and sitting half on top of each other. You walk out of the house filled with people spread around drinking water and eating bread and ice cream, trying to sober up before they go home. Chan is still beside you, and he walks up to the only remaining empty seat, vacated by Jackson whose Uber just arrived. He sits down before realising you have no place to sit, and then stands up just as fast, offering you his seat.

"Just let her sit on your lap," says Somi, drunk and drowsy, half lying on Yeji on the floor.

A chorus of "oooohs" go up, and Chan's ears go red.

"Everyone is sitting on everyone anyway," Jeongin points out.

"I mean, if you're comfortable..." Chan says softly only to you before sitting down and holding your waist lightly.

You drop gently into his lap and he pulls you against him, wrapping his strong arms around you. You hold his arms back, and cuddle into his warmth. It's a warm night with a cool breeze, but you savour his body heat anyways. You shiver, and not from the breeze. You feel him hold you even tighter after that, and you're glad he can't see your blushing face. Hyunjin winks at you, and Felix smiles at you knowingly from between Jinnie's legs. Your blush deepens. You soon get caught up in the conversation, laughing and throwing comments in here and there. The topic changes and you take to just listening. But you're interrupted by a soft voice in your ear.

"I'm really glad you came," Chan says softly.

"I'm glad too. I loved- I mean, it was nice seeing you."

Chan chuckles, not oblivious to your change of words.

"I loved seeing you too."

You dip your head in embarrassment.

"I mean it. It would have sucked if you weren't here," he continues.

"Sucked? Hey, you still would have had a good time with everyone else..." you point out.

"Yeah, yeah you're right. But it wouldn't be the same without you, you know? It wouldn't have been as good. I'm just really glad you came."

"Why wouldn't I?" you ask. "It's your party, after all."

You don't know if it's because you're still both a little drunk or because of the soft, romantic atmosphere or the intimacy of everyone around you, but he admits, "Yeah, that I threw for you."

You scrunch your eyebrows up in confusion. "For me?"

"Yeah. I wanted an excuse for you to come...it ended up becoming bigger than I planned though. Much bigger," he laughs shyly.

You laugh at that then, and then start laughing harder, earning you a few looks. Pleased ones, at that.

"What?" he asks, slightly embarrassed.

"No...nothing. You just...you sound like Gatsby."

He laughs then too, his body shaking against yours.

"Nerd."

"Shut up!" You swat him playfully. "Everyone knows Gatsby." A pause. "I had fun tonight, Channie. A lot of fun."

He grins, his eyes squinting at the action and his cheeks dimpling. "I love it when you call me that."

"Channie..." you tease.

He tickles you then, and you squirm in protest.

Once you quieten down, he asks for the second time that night, "How drunk are you?"

"Uhm, not that drunk. I can Uber back safely."

"Oh," he says. Is that disappointment you hear?

"Why?" you ask.

"Oh uhm, I was just asking. I wanted to know if you'd feel better staying over. You can have my room - I can sleep on the couch. If it's not already taken..." he laughs. "I mean, the guys are staying over. I thought we could nurse our hangovers together, you know? Besides, it's too late for you to go back alone. I don't feel right about it."

You smile, hoping for this outcome.

"I'll stay. But on one condition..."

"Mhm?"

"You have to sleep in your room. I don't feel right kicking you out. Besides, I'm on your lap right now anyway. What difference does sharing a bed make? Lord knows I've fallen asleep on you so many times before..." You giggle together at the various memories.

You can hear the smile in Chan's voice as he says, "Deal."

You snuggle into him further, your head in the crook of his neck and his scent all around you, and you know it's not possible, but he pulls you even closer. He joins in on the singing around the bonfire as the song changes, and you smile at his lovely voice. Looking around you, you can't help but feel your heart swell to three times its size. Here are most of your favourite people, your deepest loved ones, sitting in the same place with smiles on their faces and love all around. You wish you could capture this feeling forever and get drunk on it every night. But you can't, so you settle for relishing in it deeply right now. You're grateful and loved and everything is perfect, and you wouldn't ask for more.

#stray kids #bang chan #stray kids text #christopher bang chan #bangchan #bang chan x reader #bang chan fluff #bang chan skz #stray kids x reader #stray kids imagine #skz x reader #skz x y/n #skz imagine #skz scenarios #kpop #kpop imagine #stray kids fanfic #bang chan fanfic #bang chan x gn!reader

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greenerteacups · 2 months

Note

Hi GT, I was reading one of your wonderful responses and you mentioned you don't love what they did to Remus, and I have to say I 100% agree. In my opinion his relationship with tonks is weird (regardless of whether people think he had chemistry with Sirius) like he's at least 10 years older than her and he tries to leave her and it just seems like he goes along with HER infatuation without really caring about her very much. It also puts Tonks back into JKR's frequent dynamic for women, which is "badass who really wants to be with a guy who doesn't seem to appreciate her much" (see Hermione/Ron).

Do you have any further thoughts on that? I always found JKR's writing about women in relationships/who want relationships really weird. You definitely do it better.

JKR has many strengths as a writer, but I don't think anyone would say her romances are one of them. I think a lot of authors either consciously or subconsciously look down on romance as a genre because it's associated with sensuality and frivolousness, but writing and selling the idea that two people should and do want to kiss each other is like, really fucking hard to do, and it requires a certain set of skill checks as an author that not everyone has. Just like writing good horror or good fantasy, good romance has tenets and rules and things you can do to get the audience on board with you, and JKR didn't execute a lot of those things (to my satisfaction, YMMV) in the books. Bad romance is also a high-stakes problem, because it risks flattening out your characters and pitching them into OOC territory if the audience doesn't buy that the dynamic evolution is natural. But again, that's something you don't know if you haven't written romance, or tried to, before.

Mostly, you have to really lean into the vulnerability of the thing. Romance is silly and goofy and embarrassing. It makes you say dumb things and act in dumb ways. It can't be ironic or chilled or demure. At some point, to make a real human connection, someone has to get down, take off their dignity, and bare the rotten core of themselves. When we propose, we kneel on the ground. We get dirty. And all authors have a great terror of embarrassing themselves. They're doing something tremendously vulnerable; of course they want people to think they're cool and intelligent. It's embarrassing to put yourself in the head of a 15-year-old boy with a crush. It's embarrassing to write about a suitor earnestly confessing their love, because — what if this is too much? What if it's corny, what if it breaks the audience's suspension of disbelief? What if my readers are laughing at me? What if I'm the butt of the joke?

Anyway, I think a lot of really great books have terrible romance subplots for that reason. In The Great Gatsby, we never actually see Gatsby and Daisy alone together. We get their story second-hand, from people who can deliver it in a cool, reflective tone of mystery; we don't see them undressed, undone, emptying their hearts to one another. And Nick and Jordan, the romance we actually get to see develop, are easily the weakest plot in the book. Meanwhile, authors like Tolstoy have an incredible gift for writing romance that feels right, and is sensual without verging into purple prose. But Tolstoy is one of the greatest writers of all time. JKR wrote some very good books that a lot of people loved very much, but for her, the romances were accessories to the story. They weren't a focus. I'm certain she cared about Remus and Tonks's relationship, in the same way she cared about Ron and Hermione's relationship. Both take up too much space to explain otherwise.

TLDR: Writing romance is hard because it's really easy to fuck up, even if you care about it. I don't know that JKR put all that much thought into selling us on chemistry and interpersonal dynamics of the couples she threw together; I think she writes for plot, and the couples emerged as a part of that. That means the couples that don't necessarily make sense on paper lose out majorly because the audience doesn't know exactly what they're rooting for, and the couples that do make sense on paper lack a certain... I dunno, va-va-voom.

#we could also say fairly that as it's harry's story he wouldn't be witnessing most of the romances happening around him in private #but like that's kind of cheap to me because people have been writing rich ensemble stories in third person limited for centuries #you can sell a romance without literally showing them kiss #I don't see what my couple friends do behind closed doors but I know that I like them and think they're cute together #and that's kind of what you as an author are trying to do #greenteacup asks

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supernovafics · 1 year

Text

✧∘ଂ ࿐ ཾ 𝑳𝑬𝑻𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑶𝑵𝑬. ✭・.・✫・゜・。.

pairing: ex-bestfriend!steve x fem!reader

word count: 683 words

warnings: explicit language, minor mentions of parental trauma

series masterlist | last part — next part

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

❝ 𝒊 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆, 𝒊 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖. ❞

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Dear Steve,

Do you remember how we met?

Weirdly enough, I remember the exact moment. Mainly because I was so fucking nervous. (side note: being the new kid in town sucks absolute ass)

But, anyway, I moved in next door to you and our parents hit it off immediately since it turned out that our dads were going to be working with each other.

As they all nonstop talked for a solid fifteen minutes in the front yard and I stood by like the most lonely twelve-year-old fifth wheel ever, you pulled up on your bicycle coming from God knows where.

Our parents were quick to introduce us, and then they made you hang out with me. It was nice finally seeing and interacting with a kid my age, but I also thought that you would hate me since our parents were essentially forcing this “play date” to happen. However, you were actually really nice and I was kind of glad that my parents forced me to meet you.

We went to your backyard and sat by your pool, and I remember that it was insanely hot that day and I really wanted to go swimming but had no idea where my bathing suit was packed among the boxes scattered in our new garage. I could tell that you really wanted to swim too, and although I told you that it would’ve been completely fine if you did it without me, you shrugged like it was no big deal and said that you didn’t want me to feel left out. Which, now looking back on that moment, is probably when I knew that I really wanted us to be friends.

It surprised me how much we had in common and how so much of that commonality came from how insane our parents were. In the moment it felt funny, but now I can’t help but see how sad it was because of how nonchalantly we were talking about our parents being so neglectful to us.

You told me the story about when you were in first grade and your mom forgot to pick you up from school because she booked a spa appointment that went until 5pm, and that’s how you learned how to walk home. And I followed up by talking about the time both my parents missed my dance recital when I was eight because my dad worked late (even though he said he wouldn’t), and my mom somehow showed up so late that she missed the number I danced in.

Now I’m realizing that those fucked up storytimes were probably what cemented our friendship. Because somehow we both found someone that actually fully understood what all of that parental shittiness was like.

The next day I went over to your house again, since mine was still in complete disarray from unpacking, and I brought a bunch of my favorite movies and we watched them in your living room.

It’s funny because I think you hated all of them, or at least most of them, and I remember thinking something along the lines of: “I can never talk to this guy again. How could he hate The Great Gatsby? He’s an idiot!”

Of course, none of that happened, because aside from your horrific judgment of movies (which I hope has changed by now), I already saw you as an important person in my life.

I think we probably spent that entire summer before school started attached at the hip, and when school did finally start it felt okay walking in as the new kid because you were there. Helping me and protecting me from the idiots.

Twelve-year-old me truly never thought that there would be a time when we weren't the greatest of friends with each other. And I know how naive that probably was for me to think.

But, actually, I don't believe it was entirely that naive to think because we were different. You and me, our friendship, was different than just any other one.

And I honestly think that if I didn't mess things up as badly as I did, we would still be in each other's lives right now.

Sincerely,

Y/N

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

next part

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington angst #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington series #steve harrington fic #steve harrington smut #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x y/n #stranger things fic #stranger things imagine #stranger things fluff #stranger things smut

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cupcake-torture · 1 month

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Things people (and canon) seem to forget about Captain America (Steve Rogers) (an old ass man)

Facts

• Dude was born in 1918

• Time alive (not including ice bucket challenge) = 1918-1943 [INSERT 68 YEAR GAP] 2011-2023

What he missed

• The atom bomb

• The cold war

• Civil rights movement

• Anything space travel

• Women's rights

• Lgbt rights

• Really anything to do with a computer and the internet

• Rise of neo-nazis

Based on this. He is like your grandfather's father. Imagine teaching that old bugger the new world WITHOUT him seeing its evolution.

Based on the list above he would (at least for a good long while after being out of the ice.)

Be racist

• Black and coloured people did not have rights when he was iced. Them having rights would at the VERY LEAST confuse the fuck outta him

• The N-word was commonly used before the civil rights movement. It was not known to be a bad thing to say. It was more a statement of fact.

• Also black people were not seen to really be PEOPLE during the time so take that as you will.

Be sexist

• Women didn't have rights at this time. Sure they had more than black people but at the time when Steve got iced they were still fighting for the right to vote.

• It would be almost natural for Steve to not take women seriously. (Although I imagine Peggy took some of this out of him, but we're being realistic).

• He would also probably be very Victorian man being shown an ankle about how women can dress today. (God imagine him seeing a bikini for the first time)

• He also wasn't around for the lobotomy so I like to imagine him being fucking repulsed about the medical negligence and endangerment of American lobotomies (shokingly European ones weren't as bad. I REPEAT: WERENT *AS BAD*)

be homophobic

gay people didn't really 'exist' at this point in time so I doubt steve would be all the knowledgeable in all of it

that is to say, he is Christian, being gay is quite openly a sin in most Christian interpretations, and my boy wants to do right by God.

he also wouldn't get all this gender stuff. it was never a thing for him. at least 'queer' was a word when he was around.

be fucking useless with technology

I can clearly envision steve giving tony multiple aneurysms as he shows him his inevitably virus-filled computer ("HOW? HOW DO YOU HAVE MORE VIRUSES THAN ACTUAL PROGRAMS???" "but this man said he needed to fix my email...")

the most this man used was a typewriter (so he would be infinitely better at typing on a computer than a phone)

he also was iced before modern calculators, so he would have used an adding machine at most

yet again this man is 100 and missed most of technology being made. this is not his fault, but it will still happen.

not be all that book smart

so this guy would've been... *counts on fingers* 11 when the great depression hit. so maybe 5-6 years of schooling before he would have dropped out to work because great depression

also anything he learnt in school would probably be false by now (even maths has changed since then)

I am NOT saying he's not smart. i know he's smart with military stuff and all that, but he's more a wisdom guy than an intelligence guy y'know?

would not swear

swearing wasn't really a thing in the '20s - '30s so yeah...

he would have some weird ass slang tho, and I do not doubt that tony would give him all the shit for it

(from knowledge acquired by reading the great gatsby) he would use the words probably, but more literal (like 'bitch' for female dog)

honestly be shamed for america allowing nazis to continue to exist

half of dude's life in the military was punching hitler. i think this would be pretty self-explanatory.

i think he would like how germany goes about having it all be against the law tho. he'd support that 100%.

I WANT TO SAY THIS JUST IN CASE ANYONE MISUNDERSTOOD ME. i do not believe that steve would be a bad person on purpose. he is simply a product of his time. i thoroughly believe that when pointed out, he would do his best to become better, to learn more, and to be accepting. what I am saying is that it will take time, and many trip ups, and honestly, I think that would have been a really cool thing to bring up about how much culture has changes in less than 100 years. the MCU really only brought up the technological differences and I think it would have been cool to explore this. (I am aware some things can't happen because slurs are age restricted, but still, cool concept.)

anyways, if you got this far, thanks for reading this unintentional essay. have a nice day.

#also i really only have experience with marvel through the mcu which I watched years ago #marvel #mcu #avangers #steve rogers #captain america #i feel like im going to get hate for this #oh well #lets see how many people read to the end then

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bokettochild · 20 days

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Ok so I sent the thing about the great gatsby so let me type it instead sorry about that. The one you didn't understand

I went to see the great gatsby on Broadway I'm a big theater nerd so I kinda was just trying to rant but voice typing doesn't like me.

So I feel like if malon and time brought the chain to see the great gatsby time would kinda be like an air port dad but...city like? Like "do you have your tickets? Is that alcohol free? What if that fell down? Legend why do yoy like this jeremy jordan? We're is the parking malon! Why are people cursing to much" like that

Mean while malon is amazed at what the city looks like she is in awe like "why is the buildings so tall? I think that person waved at me" she is like a kid but she also is keeping an eye on hyrule and wild to make sure they're not running off. Four is just holding malons hand.

Legend is the whole reason their there because he has been dying to see jeremy jordan and eva noblezada on Broadway so both of them in one play? Kill two birds with one stone. Legend is giddy the whole time but like it's not obvious Maybe only to hyrule.

Wind hyrule and wild are like "Oh what's that? Can I touch it? Look shiny! What does that say" their running away giving time a panic attack. Twilight has a literal leash on the three of them.

Twilight and sky are just talking about school and their lovers. Well warriors will add a comment here or there.

Once their in the theater.

Legend is just like star struck when he see jeremy and eva on the stage. Like malon has to physically shut his jaw.

Malon is enjoying the show she likes how it is in the 1920s but she had been close to hitting time four time already because he had no clue what Is happening he is not following anything. Like time mind is just wrecked theirs lights on but no one is home.

Warriors wants to know how they all do their make up that's the only thing he cares about he doesn't care about the drama even though you would think he does all you hear from him is "I gotta ask how they did their make up"

Sky passed out the first five minutes of the show.

Twilight is trying his best not to choke wild because wild hasn't shut up from the beginning of the play he is making refrances and all that.

In the play their is a a sex sence that happens and malon would be like "wars! Cover winds ears and eyes!" In panic

legend Is trying not to laugh at malons panic but he is also covering hyrules eyes but is very in vested.

Four is unfazed by aby of the show.

Then for Mt second rambled I was trying to talk about what Broadway shows I think would fit each linked Universe character.

Like for time either Westside story or the notebook book.

I feel like for warriors newsies or mama mai but like if he was a newises boy he would act out katherine.

I feel like legend would either fit six dear evan hanson or the great gatsby just because it fits him so well or bonnie and clyde.

Wind is the greatest showman or high-school musical.

Wild and twilight I feel like are a bit of descendents but also a bit of Westside story.

Four is hamilton just with all the different personality's.

Hyrule i feel like Cinderella.

Sky I feel like he would a mix of newsies or the waitress because he would just relate with it with sun.

Hope this makes sense.

Much better! Thank you so much! I saw Broadway and really wanted to read it, so I'm real thankful for the second go!

Legend being a theatre nerd that drags the whole family down to see his favorite actor (Jeremy Jordan, heck yeah!) is something I love, and while I've never seen that musical, I'll bet he's loving the whole thing!

The oldest three just chilling and chatting while corralling the rest is gold to me LOL

Hevane help the whole theatre if Time and Wild are sitting next to each other, or worse, with Twi between them. they're both so lost and chatty, and Twi just wants to watch the musical! I'll bet food is the only way to shut them up, and he's plying them both with it so he can hear at least some of what's happening.

The whole family starts slapping each other in the face when things get R Rated. How they missed that while buying tickets, they're not sure, but apparently amidst all his fussing, Time forgot to actually look up anything about the play, just the theatre, the town, the roads, and everything else LOL.

I honestly have no clue which musicals best suit the boys, and have only seen a few, but I love the thoughts you had, at least as far as the ones I actually recognize!

#asks and answers #linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu legend #lu warriors #lu twilight #lu wild #lu four #lu time #lu malo #lu sky #lu hyrule #lu wind #theatre

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yyyyanyan · 2 months

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Book Club: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I feel like everyone has read this but this was actually my first time! I did know everything that was coming though because my teacher showed us the movie in school before and I'm wondering if I watched it multiple times? bc I swear to god every single time something happened in the book I just had flashes of the movie (vivid ones too!) but it's been years and years since I saw it.

I kind of wish I had come in blind, because the ending--which I don't remember from the movie, unsure if I just forgot it or didn't see it or something--struck me really hard and it moved me in a way that I honestly didn't feel very much for the other parts of the story.

I don't think I actually liked a single character except for Nick, but I also found myself incredibly invested in Daisy and Gatsby's romance as well as Daisy herself. I do love it when characters have just one true love, but I also really appreciate it when past loves are recognized and accepted instead of being brushed off as "I wasn't actually in love I didn't know what love was". I was pretty ambivalent to her for most of the book, but I saw her in a new light when she said that she loved Gatsby now but she had loved Tom as well, and it made me appreciate her a lot while also realizing what Gatsby was like behind his money.

I definitely want to reread this because I just found the writing style to be very moving and interesting, and I'm curious what I'll see in a reread!

Last note: I went to read fanfiction (as is my habit whenever I finish anything) and found a lot of natsby. I'm not much of a natsby shipper (I don't think Gatsby had feelings for Nick) and I ended up looking up "is Gatsby gay" to see if other people had posted analyses already and found that most of the discussion was about Nick. I wanted to share what Peter Shor said in this response on Literature StackExchange because it really opened my eyes and made me certain I wanted to come back in the future.

For most of the novel, Nick has a completely erroneous conception of Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is selfish and a criminal. But Nick doesn't notice any of these imperfections in his character. Why not? I'd say because Nick is in love with Gatsby. Fitzgerald filters the reader's view of Gatsby through Nick's skewed perspective. This is important, because it lets the reader be blindsided by the revelations about Gatsby's true character towards the end of the novel. If Nick wasn't in love with Gatsby, it would be much harder to justify why Nick had such a skewed view of him.

And that's all! (I'm ngl I hurried to rush this out after taking a break from writing this because I really want to ramble about the book I just read today)

#yy ramblings #the great gatsby #yy book club #reading time: 2 hours 53 mins #it took me forever to get through it though i was really not feeling it in like the first 30 pages

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ihave3frigs · 7 months

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did you have the opportunity to see come fall in love / the ddlj musical? do you have any Specific Thoughts?

call me crazy for NEVER checking my inbox but haha HERE WE ARE A YEAR LATER I JUST SAW THIS BUT I WILL NEVER PASS UP AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT COME FALL IN LOVE, NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT IT AND ITS A CRIME BC I SWEAR YALL WILL SOON

I somehow got lucky enough to see it twice and I absolutely loved it!! I'm coming from the background of not having seen ddlj before the musical, which I liked since I didn't have any expectations for the story and I thought it was really well done. Also, for context, I'm white so I'm coming from an outsider's perspective on that side too. Now having seen the movie (several times) I can say that I think they did a pretty good job of staying faithful to the heart of the story while updating it for a new audience (but nostalgia is hard to beat, and they definitely fell victim to changing random things that lovers of the original may not like). I loved the show so much that not only did I go back and see it AGAIN but it inspired me to watch ddlj, fall in love with it, and in turn introduced me to a lot more films that i wouldn't have thought to see otherwise.

Also: the songs were SO GOOD. They still get stuck in my head a year later. Party and Spend Daddy's Money is my JAM. I CRIED when I realized how long it would be before a cast album.

And ofc I HAVE to talk about the sets/props. It was absolutely beautiful and such good design. I used to stage manage, and the amount of props that would come on and off stage for five seconds in a single song, NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN, gave me a heart attack. Where were they keeping that boat? The BEAR?? THE VESPAS???? I was DAZZLED.

And finally I have to talk about the cast because they frickin KILLED IT. Shoba obviously was amazing, and I think the perfect person to embody this new version of Simran (a bit more nerd-working-on-her-thesis-about-love-at-harvard). And this show also introduced me to Austin Colby (he's in Great Gatsby rn actually!) who obviously had big shoes to fill and was a controversial choice. But five seconds into his performance I can say with all honesty that he was an incredible Rog (not Raj this time) and instantly became one of my favorite performers. Austin perfectly captured Rog's charisma, humor, and heart. And you could see that he put EVERYTHING into it. The ensemble was just as energetic, and I would be remiss not to highlight Jack Sippel, whose hotel sequence (where he changed costumes behind a desk in rapid succession, embodying a completely new and hilarious character every time) got the whole audience roaring with laughter.

That was a lot longer than intended but...I loved this show?!? And no one else is talking about it so...

The Old Globe is working on transferring to New York, but they haven't been able to find a theater yet. I have my suspicions that Chopra's reimagining of Raj/Rog as white may have doomed them from the beginning, but I really hope not. I just hope everyone gives this show, and Chopra's reimagined story, a chance because I truly think it could be a fan favorite. The next legally blonde perhaps??

#come fall in love #ddlj #musicals #theater #theatre #theatre kid #musical theatre #musical theater

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fiercynn · 8 months

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was in bed all day so i watched the entirety of the fall of the house of usher. i'm mixed about it overall, but i think it may have actually been the best plot-wise of the mike flanagan shows i've seen?

spoilers for all the mike flanagan tv shows except the midnight club (which i started and was intrigued by, but fizzled out on when i found out it had been cancelled) beneath the cut

my problem with both hill house and bly manor is that i think that plot-wise, they set up interesting stories and then can't stick the landing and go out with a whimper out at the end. they do an okay job with emotional arcs, but you can't entirely divorce the emotional journey from the bones of the story - at least, not in these kinds of stories - so the plot still matters, i think.

(imo midnight mass does not do that, it tells exactly the story it wants to tell and constructs it decently; i just found that story really boring lol.)

so while i think bly manor was still the most enjoyable of the shows to watch, the fall of the house of usher might be the best in my book at plot, and i enjoyed the way it used poe stories amd poetry with its own twists on them. and i think with a few changes could have been really good overall! here's what i would have changed:

less racism. i mean it was probably average amount of racist for both a flanagan show and, generally, a majority-white cast & crew american show, and i know the whole thing was about how horrible rich people are, but there was still so much casual racism, sigh

like 40% less monologuing. i know, i know, that's flanagan's whole deal, but it's still too much even when it's performed by actors as enjoyable as bruce greenwood and carla gugino, and isn't all about catholicism (sorry midnight mass fans)

pretty early on i thought that the reveal about what happened on new year's 1980 would be madeline and roderick killing rufus griswold. but then after roderick betrayed auguste at the deposition i was like "wait no that's too obvious, they must have killed annabel to keep her quiet about roderick's perjury" and honestly i think that would have been a better twist??? like even the bells they were hearing behind the wall made sense to me because her name was annabel! and it would have been a murder roderick felt guilty about on a personal level, and it might have made sense that he would take the deal from verna if her pitch was "you already sacrificed your wife who you loved. don't you want to make it worth it by having some certainty for you and your children for at least a number of decades?" so i was bored when my original predictable guess was right. i guess it fit better with the cask of amontillado to have it be rufus but still, less compelling

the scene with arthur showing pictures of verna throughout history was SO silly and hamfisted, i'm sorry. also the lemons speech, the worst kind of example of a flanagan monologue which thinks it's brilliant and is just...goofy

i thought maybe there was going to be a twist where lenore didn't die because her mom had actually cheated on freddie and i was upset that didn't happen :( i know it was meant to be a lesson, that roderick and madeline's deal had to apply even to the not-horrible members of the family, but i still hated it! sigh

i thought that both lulu wilson (child madeline) and willa fitzgerald (mid-20s madeline) did a much better job with the character than mary mcdonnell (senior madeline). idk something about her just didn't seem as ruthless and collected and cold?

also not a change exactly but why did no one comment on the fact that roderick and madeline usher, who are twins, one of whom was married at the time, decided to do a couples' costume as jay gatsby and daisy buchanan for new year's 1980. why

#the fall of the house of usher #mike flanagan #original

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lady-fey · 1 year

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Whenever I make a post about a technique that you can use to diversify your writing, I usually keep it pretty surface level. Describe the technique, give an example or two, and then leave it up to you to decide whether or not you want to use it in your own writing. However, my post on using relationship descriptors instead of pronouns generated some comments along the lines of “just use names” so I wanted to take a step back and explain why relationship descriptors work whereas things like “my blue eyed sibling” don’t.

To start, let me show you that this isn’t a “me” thing.

Prue Ramsay, leaning on her father's arm, was given in marriage. What, people said, could have been more fitting? -Virginia Wolf To The Lighthouse

When Jane and Elizabeth were alone, the former, who had been cautious in her praise of Mr. Bingley before, expressed to her sister how very much she admired him. -Jane Austin Pride and Prejudice

Frances pulled his hair heartily, and then went and seated herself on her husband’s knee -Emily Bronte Wuthering Heights

“Of course it wouldn’t,” agreed Tom. She turned to her husband. “As if it mattered to you,” she said - F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby

I didn’t have these quotes at the ready. I just pulled up some famous works of literature and searched for relationships that I remembered being in the text, knowing that I’d find examples of relationship descriptors among the lauded pages of the classics.

How did I know that?

Because relationship descriptors are an extremely common way to refer to people even in non-literary conversations. For example, my boss is married and mentions his wife with relative frequency. However, I don’t think that I heard her name until I’d been working there for well over half a year. He just always called her “my wife”.

My wife and I went out for dinner last week.

My wife and I are hosting Thanksgiving.

And so on.

This is a thing that we do without thinking about it, in part because we don’t assume that everyone will remember our loved ones' names. Unless someone knows my brother personally, I’m probably just going to call him “my brother” when talking about him because that makes communication far more easy than expecting every person I know to remember my brother’s name.

We also do it because that’s just how we think of people. I’ve been known to say, “Did you call your brother?” when talking to my significant other. I could have used this individual’s name, but I’m looking at my SO, thinking of things in context of him, and just default to “your brother”.

Because this is a thing that we naturally do, it doesn’t feel odd when we see it in text. We barely even register it. It's really no different than using a person's name.

The same cannot be said for physical descriptors like “the blond” or “the older man”. We don’t typically use those in normal conversation. That doesn’t mean that physical descriptors should never be used, though. Even the greats used them:

I should think this a gull, but that the white-bearded fellow speaks it: knavery cannot, sure, hide himself in such reverence. -Shakespeare Much Ado About Nothing

They just limited their use to discussions of total strangers or times when character A didn't yet know/had forgotten character B's name.

So, yeah, don’t be afraid to use relationship descriptors. If they sound natural in the line, then they likely are. There are definitely times when I use one and then replace it because I think it sounds awkward, but the same can be said of names! That’s actually when I tend to pull in a relationship descriptor. I read through a passage and think, “I use names too much here, it sounds off” and then I replace one instance of a name with a “his sister”, “her wife”, etc. and that usually fixes it.

#writing advice #pronoun trouble #pronoun troubles #writing tips #more in depth discussion of literature

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hinatastinygiant · 8 months

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9 | The Great Gatsby

Pairing: Daichi x Fem!Reader

Only in Whispers

ASAHI'S P.O.V.

Peering from behind a small bush on the beach, I watch as Saeko talks to herself. I can't quite catch all the words she says, but I know she's muttering something about her brother. A few moments later, he approaches and groans when he sees her standing nearby.

"What do you want, Saeko?" he sniffles.

"To stick together, Ryu," she says.

"What's the point? Our friends are dead," he whimpers.

"So, what, you're just going to give up and let the killer win?"

"Why not?"

"You're such an idiot, Ryu," she grumbles. "We need to help each other out. We can't continue with this no talking to each other game that we've been playing. It's not safe."

"Saeko, it doesn't matter. There's nothing we can do anymore."

"You're an idiot, Ryu," she shakes her head. "You're not even trying. I thought you said you loved her!"

As the two of them talk, I can't tell what I should be thinking. Do they need to stick together because they both know who killed Kiyoko? Or maybe Saeko did? Or both of them? Just as I'm about to head back inside and tell Daichi what I've heard, something Tanaka says catches my ears.

"I don't understand you, Saeko. Why did you go out partying every night after mom and dad died?" he asks her, tears in his eyes.

"Yeah, well, why did you stop talking to literally anyone who wanted to help you?" she snaps right back at him.

I had heard Noya say something once about how the two of them had a hard time understanding each other's grief and coping mechanisms after their parents died, but I didn't realize it was this bad.

"Because I wanted to be left alone! And no one seemed to understand that! Everyone kept telling me everything would be alright, or that they were there for me, or that it wasn't my fault," he cries. "And the one person who did understand it was out getting drunk every other night!"

"That's not fair," Saeko frowns, shaking her head.

"Well, it's true. So, go ahead and say what you came here to say. Go ahead and make fun of me for chasing some girl who might've ended up killing herself," he sighs, looking away from her.

"Ryu, I don't care about that anymore," she tells him. "All I care about is making it through the night. We have to stick together. Don't you understand that?"

"Of course, I do. I'm not an idiot."

"Then say we'll stick together," Saeko sighs. "I swear, I have nothing to do with it."

"Neither do I, Saeko," Tanaka agrees. "And neither does Noya. And, no, it's not Yamamoto either."

While the two of them make up, I turn and attempt to sneak away. However, Saeko hears me and calls out, "Who's there? Stop where you are!"

"Shit," I sigh, walking over to the two of them. "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"Really? 'Cause that's exactly what you were doing," Saeko replies, crossing her arms. "Ryu, let's bring him inside."

"Wait, no," I protest.

"Shut up and do what she says, Asahi," Tanaka tells me, grabbing my wrist and tugging me back inside the house.

"Okay, fine, but I really didn't mean to get into your business! I promise, I'm not the killer," I beg.

Neither of them answers me until we get inside where a bunch of the others are standing around all drunk. "Where's Daichi?" Saeko asks Suna.

Atsumu, who is being comforted by Kuroo, huffs, "We don't need him."

"I'd rather he know I'm not the killer," I groan.

"Yeah, well why else would you be spying on people?" Saeko grumbles, causing Noya to look at me with a confused expression.

"What's going on?"

"Don't worry, Noya. It's all good," Tanaka smiles.

"He was listening in on our conversation outside," Saeko says.

"Come on guys. Asahi is our friend. You know he wouldn't do that," Noya says looking a bit nervous as he speaks. And I can't manage to hold eye contact with him past the second sentence. Instead, I glance over to the side where I notice Hinata and Kageyama walk in, glance at the group, then turn around and walk back out of the room.

HINATA'S P.O.V.

"I don't want to be in there with them," I tell Kageyama. "No way."

"Me neither. I don't want to deal with that drama," he replies, shaking his head.

Just then, Y/N and Daichi rush past us, going to join the group we just walked away from. It's strange, I didn't know they were that close. In fact, I didn't even know they knew each other before this whole Kiyoko situation. "When did the two of them become friends?" I ask Kageyama.

"No idea," he answers. "What is Y/N's job? Maybe they're both cops?"

"No," I shake my head. "I'm pretty sure she owns her own business."

"What kind of business?" Kageyama hums, scratching his head.

The two of us look at each other, but before I can give him an answer, Yamaguchi approaches us. He looks as though he hasn't slept in a week. "Are you o-" I begin, before he cuts me off.

"I need to talk to you. Now!" he says, grabbing me by my hand and pulling me over to the stairs. "Come on, Kageyama, you too."

Kageyama follows behind us, and Yamaguchi leads us up to my room.

Y/N'S P.O.V.

"All right everyone," Daichi addresses the group after they fill us in on what's been going on. "Go back to your room and get some rest. Y/N and I will solve this, I can assure you."

"Why Y/N?" Sakusa's voice then rings out. "Why aren't you working with Semi?"

"Where even is Semi?" Oikawa chimes in.

"Does that answer your question?" you sigh. "I'm here because Kiyoko was my closest friend. I want to figure out who did this to her!"

"Yeah, that's not what I was asking," Sakusa rolls his eyes.

"You don't have to be so rude, dude," Kuroo tells him, glaring at the man.

"Now that I think of it," Oikawa continues, "We're missing a lot of people..."

"Maybe we should take a headcount?" Yachi suggests.

"I'll do it," Daichi nods his head. "Nobody move."

Only in Whispers

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