#guess who watched indy last night

[tboygareth]

here, have a little modern steddie meet-cute. meet-ugly, maybe? idk. 1k words, mostly dialogue

"uber for, uh," the guy in the beemer at the curb looks at the phone in his hand, "eddie m.?"

"hey, that's my name!" eddie shouts, stumbling toward the car. the world is tipping sideways a little, but it's been a good night.

he wrenches open the passenger side door and slides in.

"cool if i sit up front, man? i get motion sickness sitting in the back, and you would not like me when i'm motion sick."

"uh, sure?"

eddie pulls the door closed behind him and says, "so what's your name, pretty boy?"

"you don't check the app before getting into some random guy's car?" the guy asks with a huff.

"oh, no, i never order these things for myself." eddie laughs. he tries to think back, remember how many jameson shots he put back tonight. can't. oh, well. "my roommate always sets it up beforehand when i come down to the styx for a show."

"a show? like a concert?"

"uh, no. drag show. styx is a gay bar." the guy's quiet at that. "that a problem? still dunno your name."

"oh. steve," the guy - steve - says shortly. "no, it just... looks more like a... metal bar, or something."

"sometimes things are both, can you believe it! they do a drag show last wednesday of every month. good show tonight, all the girls looked great." he kicks his feet up on the dashboard of the car, watches steve's eyes cut sideways at them as he does. "do you like drag shows, steve?"

he's testing the waters, feeling steve out to see if he should be worried about getting into some random guy's car outisde a gay bar with a dead phone. eddie's definitely had a little too much tonight. he's probably got glitter in his hair. there's definitely black lipstick smeared across his cheek from when allison chaynz planted one on him earlier during her set.

"only been to a few, but yeah. they're a good time. good show."

safe, then. tentatively.

eddie studies steve for a moment, trying to figure him out. he's got this thing he does sometimes, in an uber; eddie's an easy read - he gets into an uber and the driver immediately flips their spotify over to a metal playlist.

the driver's are usually easy to read too, and it's eddie's favorite game; he tends to know when he's got a country boy behind the wheel, or an emo transplant from the mid aughts, or the indie girlies with their iced coffees and perpetual dark undereye circles that all the concealer in the world can't hide.

the guy looks like he wears teenage boy deodorant and smells like repressed trauma. he has the indie girlie dark circles under his eyes, an apple watch strapped to his wrist. rich boy. drives a beemer. good hair, stupid highlights. there's a tube of burt's bees cherry lip balm in the center console and a days old energy drink in the cupholder.

"hmmm, the front bottoms," he decides at last, after staring at steve for what must have been an uncomfortably long time.

"i'm sorry?"

"i said, the front bottoms."

"is that a... what's the word... a euphemism?"

"no, steeeeve. it's a band. check 'em out sometime, your daddy issues'll thank you. do you like music, steve?"

"sure."

eddie clicks his tongue. "smells like bullshit. no one who likes music says sure when someone asks if they like music."

they're stopped at a stoplight. from behind the wheel, steve is studying him right back, looking him up and down, his gaze coming to rest once again on eddie's shoes on the dash.

"get your feet down," steve says, pushing at eddie's shins. "do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

"fine, fine. so if you don't listen to music, steve, what do you listen to in this fancy bmw?"

"sports, mostly," steve shrugs. "podcasts sometimes."

"oh, boy, you are a walking red flag, aren't you? shame you're so pretty."

"well what about you? what do you listen to?"

"guess."

"i dunno, probably that metal shit. five finger whatever, or something."

eddie presses his hand to his chest. "five finger - oh, stevie, i am wounded. i wouldn't be caught dead listening to bro rock."

out of the corner of his eye, he definitely catches a smile from steve.

steve holds an aux cable out to him. "here, then. wow me. show me some real metal or whatever."

"god, i'd love to take you up on that," eddie says, huffing out a little laugh. he holds his phone up. "this sucker's been dead for hours."

this time steve's the one to click his tongue. "shame."

"truly. so what's your story, steven? what's got you out at three in the morning?"

"it's my night off," steve shrugs. "just started night shift at the hospital, trying to get used to the new sleep schedule."

"mmm, the hospital. you a nurse?"

"i am. trauma nurse."

"nice. ever see any gnarly injuries?"

"had a pretty fucked up dog bite come in the other night."

"shit."

"yeah." another stoplight, another unsubtle once over from steve. "so what about you? what do you do?"

"line cook."

steve's eyes linger on him a little longer than necessary. "oh, but i'm the walking red flag. got it."

"whoa," eddie laughs. "what's that supposed to mean?"

"i've dated line cooks. everyone's dated a line cook."

"sounds like something a slut would say, steve. craziest dick you've ever had, huh?"

"mmm."

it's not a denial.

they're getting close to eddie's building now, and that's an actual shame. because steve's cute. he needs a haircut maybe, and the stubble around his mouth and chin is just on the wrong side of five o'clock shadow, but he's got these distracting little moles along his face and neck and arm that eddie's been itching to play connect the dots with since he got in the car.

"wait, i know this building," steve says as he slows at the curb and looks at the address on his phone again. "my roommate's girlfriend lives in this building."

it clicks into place, then, for eddie.

"oh, shit! you're robin's steve!"

steve's eyebrows draw together as he gapes at eddie, and then his eyes go wide with realization. "chrissy's ed?"

"eddie," he corrects. "gotta be a level twenty friend to call me ed. and chrissy's the only level twenty friend i'll ever have."

"noted. good to finally meet you, man. i, uh. i guess this is you, then, huh?"

"yeah, sure is. maybe i'll see ya around." eddie goes to get out of the car.

"oh, you will," steve says, his smile lopsided and goofy. "i'll make sure of it."

"hold ya to it," eddie promises with a wink.

steve wiggles his fingers in a flirtatious wave as eddie walks backward on the sidewalk toward his building.

so robin's steve is cute. maybe he should have been letting chrissy set them up this whole time.

still. sports and podcasts. guy's a walking red flag. who knows, maybe they're green. eddie's never been able to see the difference anyway.

#steddie #steddie fic #bee's blurbs #idk what this is honestly #it came to me in a vision #buckingham #if you squint

[pedge-page]

I can imagine preggo wife literally talking and talking and talking in the middle of a movie and gets offended and leaves when Joel tells her to quiet down

Joel Dealing with Preggo Wife : Yapper

notes: Oh I had fun writing this! no warnings (maybe some Fugitive and Raiders spoilers), Enjoy!

- - - -

Joel’s pretty excited for movie night. It’s one of the few films the two of you don’t argue over and can pretty much watch the entire way through without disruption.

Or at least, it used to be.

Joel settles against the couch armrest with his feet propped up, knees bent slightly so you have room to sit in front. He’s got any snack you could think of within an arm reach away, and he’s got the title on pause so you can scooch your fat booty and big belly comfortably. Usually takes about 15 minutes of squirming, smacking his chest to “fluff” it up, adding a pillow at his crotch, then taking it away because you like his hard cock there instead, elbow in his groin and then his knee, then you gotta get up to pee before starting the whole process over.

“OK Im ready!” You say after 15 minutes on the dot, snuggling close to him with the back of your head rested against the crook of his neck.

He finally hits play, and the Lucasfilm logo flashes across the screen. The tropical forest and ominous music plays as the familiar font of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark fade on to the screen.

“Joel. Joel. Hey Joel.” 

“Y-yes?”

“Did you know Indiana was named after George Lucas dog? Who also was the physical inspiration for chewy?” You ask  rhetorically. 

It takes him a second to understand you’re asking him a question. “What?”

“Chewbacca! From Star Wars!”

“Oh ok neat,” he says with some enthusiasm, but quick to end it and get back to watching the movie—

“Yeah also Sean Connery is also apparently—well guess how much older he is to Harrison Ford.”

“Um—I don’t—I don’t know.” Joel says slowly, watching as Indy carefully removes the sand from the pouch and weighs it to the gold idol.

“C’mon, guess!”

“I really don’t know, can we—“

“12 years older than Harrison in Last Crusade! My mom was like ‘WHAT no way’ and I was like ‘Yes way’ and she was like ‘He's his father and he's got all that white in his hair and receding hairline’ and I was like ‘Joel's only in his late 30s and he's got white in his beard.’”

Joel can’t hear a damn thing happening on screen except the shouts about hating a pet snake named Reggie. “Wha—“

“Not that you look anything like Sean Connery in Last Crusade. Maybe in like Bond —oof he was the hottest Bond. Plus you got like a receding beard-line with all the patches, I don’t know, but my mom was like ‘Ya know Joel's got more white hair lately since you've been pregnant’ and I was like ‘Nah uh’ and she was like ‘Ya huh’ and I was like ‘Huh I wonder why that is…?’ Anyway but nope only 12 years between him and Ford—“

Joel turns to look at you with a frown, a bit confused and amazed at how you have so much to say, right now, oblivious as ever. 

It doesn’t phase your rambling one bit: “—Like damn, but you know Harrison Ford has always been handsome. But like in the bad boy kind of way, not like handsome upstanding like Christopher Reeves? When I saw The Fugitive, I was like ‘oooohhhh I'll be his wife now’ hahaha! no no I’m sorry, he’s famous and I’m not so that’s why I married you, but that's such a fall film don't you think? Minus the murder and betrayal and fucking Dr Charles Nickles like was he British or not? He was in and out of an accent the whole time? Didn't make sense to me but yeah, it's just such a fall Cozy film.”

Joel looks back at the screen and realizes Marion is already being cornered by the Nazi creep: “Ah huh—honey—“

“OH! I Love her song! It’s kind of like Leia and Han’s from Empire except the last notes are different, like it goes do doooooo instead of da dat dada daaaaaaa, That’s just John William’s for ya, but you’d never notice they were so similar!”

Joel opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out as you continue:

“—Also I know you said my mom made good apple pie but I really wanna try to make it because I want you to like mine more, so I need you to get some apples and pie crust and butter and stuff from the store, I’ll make a list so you can get it. They said we need ground cinnamon but I think ours expired like 5 years ago so don’t forget that. And then I'm gonna tell you how to slice the apples since I can't handle sharp objects and then oh I need you to get the mixer from the top shelf and then you have to mix it all together and slice the top with like little heart patterns and then put it in the oven n stuff ‘cause it's hot and I don't wanna burn OH and that reminds me—!” 

“BABE!”

“Hmm? yes?” You ask with a innocent smile. 

“Let's try to be quiet and watch the movie ok?”

He offers a gentle smile and nods, pointing towards the TV again and settling to watch it with his beautiful wife.

His very very very unhappy wife. Your eyes haven’t left his, face now downturned in such a scowl, he should be shitting his pants.

You roll your jaw at him once, teeth grinding against one another with slitted, murderous eyes. Joel gulps, too afraid to glance back at you again. His eyes are wide staring at the commotion on the television but, now in your deadly silence, he can’t seen to focus on it at all. 

Instead of saying anything, you roll polly up to your feet, arms crossed over your chest defensively as you utter a loud “Hmph!” before storming away from the living room.

He’ll have to deal with groveling tomorrow morning when you might be a little more welcoming. But on the bright side, he’s got way more room to spread out on the couch and he can hear the movie much better now! 

......... 

He switches it off and runs upstairs to get on his knees by your side of the bed, begging for your forgiveness and promises of a Clyde's milkshake to go. 

- - - -

Permanent Taglist

@harriedandharassed @lola8888673 @its-nebuleuse @zliteraturehoe @merz-8 @joeldjarin @pascalscoffin @pedroshotwifey @ghostslillady @innerpersonunknown @missladym1981 @mrsoharaxx @survivingandenduring @milla-frenchy @cockykookiee @fairytale07 @daddy-din @pedropascalsbbg @spookyxsam @somehopeatlast @millercontracting @pedrostories @mishala005 @theoraekenslover @animez96 @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog @puduvallee @cassiecasluciluce @loohoop

#joel miller fan fiction #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller fanfiction #last of us fanfiction #joel miller fic #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us fic #the last of us fluff #joel miller fluff #tlou fanfiction #tlou fic #tlou fluff #last of us fic #last of us fluff #pedro pascal fic #joel dealing with preggo wife

[xoxoamyas]

Last Forever

rating : fluff, petname used on reader [ darling ]

wilbur x gn!reader [ use of you/yours, no use of y/n ]

☆ you meet wilbur after a lovejoy concert, it's not the last time you see one another. perhaps there's more than originally thought to be. <3

request [ ☆ ]

masterlist [ ☆ ]

⋆˙⟡

You didn't believe in “love at first sight”.

You liked to consider yourself an actually pretty average person. Having a decent job as a security guard for a theatre that had frequent shows and a good amount of hours.

You stood to the side, having been assigned around the barrier since you got in some odd hours ago, slightly leaning back against the stage in a spot that didn’t obstruct anybody's viewpoint. Watching as the process for the next band, a band named Lovejoy, made their way towards the stage.

They were meant to be the last band for the venue tonight. An up and coming band one of your friends had briefly ranted to you about, but not a band you truly listened to since indie nor indie rock was your vibe.

You had to move from your spot a couple times when a couple of people would try to shove the people already at the barrier, needing to break up a couple spats before they could evolve into something worse. On your second round of going back to your spot, you made the mistake of looking at the lead singer.

It was like your breath had been stolen for the first time. Watching the way he moved with a slight sway, his hands leaving the guitar he was playing to wrap around the mic and the stand itself.

You snap yourself out of it quicker than it started, needing to focus on your job. But now that you’ve fully noticed him, you can’t tune out his voice or the way his band seems to actually play together. It was nice.

You don’t notice that you’ve caught his eye in return.

It isn’t until later, after your manager asks you to stay behind and help double check that everything was in place and safe with a promise of overtime pay, that you actually get to talk to him. He had stayed behind, his band still there somewhere backstage. You were triple checking the barriers one last time when you heard someone clear their throat behind you, hand instantly flying to your baton that was attached to your belt when you turned around. Only to end up relaxing and giving an apologetic smile when you notice it was the lead singer from the last band.

“You should be careful. Not all security will look first.” It’s a light warning, one that he seems to get slightly nervous over as his hand moves to rub at the back of his neck.

“Guess I got lucky then, huh?” He seems slightly sheepish, moving to hold his hands in front of himself as he looks towards you. The look he was giving wasn’t one you could distinguish from, though, almost reminding you of someone who was in awe of something or someone. “What’s your name? I don’t think we were introduced when the band and I first got in.”

“No, we weren’t.” You huff out a light laugh before giving him your name, offering your hand to shake in greeting. The man takes your hand with ease, firmly shaking your hand as a smile pulls at his lips.

“I’m Wilbur, or Will, depending on what you’ve heard. But you can call me what you’d like.” You raise a brow, suddenly curious as to how many names the man is known by. Decidedly, you bite your tongue and let the question remain unanswered.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Will. You and your band were lovely tonight. The girls were fighting over barrier for you.” You partially joke, lightly hitting the back of your knuckle against the barrier before crossing your arms over your chest. “What are you still doing here? Your show is over. Surely you’re ready to pass out for the night.” There’s just barely a tint of concern to your voice. It wasn’t like you hadn’t seen bands after their concerts. Most went off on adrenaline, but you’ve seen the type where they instantly find a place backstage to momentarily crash.

Wilbur gives a partial smile as you speak, mostly watching as your lips move when you speak. “I saw you, and I was curious. I couldn't help myself.” He slightly chuckles, pressing his hands into his pockets this time. “Say, are you busy tonight or tomorrow? I'd love to take you out to eat.”

You can't help but give a sound of confusion. Why would he have wanted to take you out to eat at all? Surely, he wanted something out of it since not every lead singer would approach a random person to take them out.

“I'm not sure, I have a busy day tomorrow, and my bed at home yearns for my return.” You try to turn him down lightly, not missing the slight tug of a frown on his face before he gives another smile.

“That's fine. Can we exchange numbers then?” He's getting nervous, unlike when he initially approached. It makes you stall for a moment before you hum and offer a nod.

“Sure, that's more doable.” Your tone is calm, and to Wilbur, it's almost soft.

It takes a moment, but you exchange phones and effectively numbers. Chatting for just a bit longer before Wilbur dismisses himself first.

That night, when you're laying in bed, is the first time you both exchange conversation through text. It isn't the last by any means.

Conversation came easy between you two whenever it occurred. Whether it was in between his concerts or you being sleep deprived at three in the morning, it wasn't ever awful.

It takes a long time for you two when you see each other next. Wilbur, having gone on his second tour around your area, and coincidentally, the theatre you worked at again. It fell on a day that you didn't work, but that didn't mean you didn't get backstage access.

It was a similar tour to the last one you had been working on, songs from the same albums but ones they hadn't played last time. It was like they had an allure to them this time, something that just made you want to dance with someone. It could have just been the fact that you had grown more than fond over Wilbur’s voice over the hour after hour of phone calls that piled up in your logs after having met him.

When the concert ends, he takes his time heading backstage with his band. Wilbur is the one to spot you first, quick to run over, and wrap his arms around you in a welcoming embrace. You were quick to reciprocate with a wide grin, happy to finally see him in person after so long.

“I didn’t think you would be here today.” His tone is quiet, one of his hands moving to cup your cheek before moving to the nape of your neck. It wasn’t a hold you had expected from Wilbur of all people, yet it wasn’t unwelcome. In fact, it just made a strange bout of butterflies rise up in your stomach without warning.

“I wanted to surprise you,” You hum out with little hesitation, just enjoying the fact that you get to see him in person again as friends. Ignoring the slight chill that ran through you at that last part, it was all but perfect. “This time, my night is free if you’d like dinner together after your show?”

“Assuming you’re paying, of course.” It’s a joke he gives as his hands leave you, the warmth going with him yet some remaining behind enough. Comfortably, you pressed your hands into your pockets with a softer smile.

“Nah, but we can split the check unless you’re feeling like a gentleman tonight.” You joke right back, bumping the side of your hip against his as you move to walk past him. He’s quick to follow after you, looping one of his arms in your own as you walk together now.

“You should get ready for that dent in your bank account, darling.” You huff out a laugh, the cheeky grin on his face displaying that he was at least partially playing around.

“The only dent that'll happen tonight is the one to your ego when you end up paying for it.” it makes your chest warm, being able to talk and joke with Wilbur in any manner, especially in person.

“Is it a date?” He asks, and there's an underlying tone of genuine curiosity. Taking it at surface value, though, it sounded mostly playful.

“Sure, Will. It’s a date. So long as you pay.”

“I'll take what I can get.”

It was the first of many to come.

#amyas writes #x reader #fluff #wilbur fluff #wilbur soot #wilbur x reader #wilbur soot x reader #wilbur soot x you #wilbur x you

[syuga-s]

who do you blame?

w.c. 11.9k pairing. Yoongi x fem!reader, Taehyung x fem!reader genre. hello again ANGST, slight smut, romance a/n. NSFW MDNI !!! curse words, alcohol, sexual content (just fingering this time),, i may or may not have a second part to this fic 😼 ENJOY pookies <3

Don’t know if I can call it insomnia if I literally sleep at this hour all the time.

I want to dye my hair black again.

But this restlessness feels different.

Maybe that third cup of coffee’s doing its thing.

I was so close to having a panic attack; I did cry, though. And I still want to for a variety of reasons.

I’ve been thinking about a lot of things this week. I really want to see Yoongi like, right now. That’s how I know I’m not doing well.

Lately, I’ve been pondering the idea of resentment and how it means that envy is the emotion you’re feeling. At first, I dismissed it because how do you go from one emotion to a completely different one? But hell maybe they’re right.

I may envy people and their ability to forget how someone else made them feel. Or how they’re able to just overlook someone’s actions. Because I can’t do that. I take everything to heart.

How can you not when those actions were directed at you? Even though I’m used to excusing them and saying, “maybe they’re going through something big, and I just got the short end of the stick,” “maybe they didn’t actually mean it,” or the great, “maybe you’re not the only one that they treated like that, don’t feel so special.”

Alright, but why does it have to happen? Is it that tough to be considerate of someone’s feelings?

Good thing I haven’t texted Yoongi. I’m pretty sure I’m having a weak moment.

Do I want to keep up with that mess? Because that’s what it is.

I just can’t stop thinking about him. I think I miss him. But I refuse to be the one that reaches out for him this time. I’m still pondering if I genuinely miss him or if I’m just fucking lonely again.

Pretty sure it’s the second one.

At the same time, I wish he would grow up more and be ready for something serious.

“Sooooo… I dyed my hair again last night,” you confessed to Gemma on the phone. She was on her way to your house to pick you up because tonight you two were attending a concert.

Your best friend sighed, and you could practically imagine them rolling their eyes. “What color is it this time?” Gemma sounded exasperated, but she wasn’t; it didn’t even surprise her anymore. All her concerns were how you managed to not fry your hair whenever you wanted another makeover.

“I guess it looks kind of black?” You muttered and pressed your lips while you waited for your friend to say something.

“UGH, I can’t wait to see you!,” “you better be ready too because I’m hungry, and you know our pho place closes early!”

“I know, I know. Surprisingly, I AM ready; I’m just looking for my keys.”

This was your and Gemma’s ritual almost every Friday or Saturday night, depending on your plans. Tonight, it was Friday, and you had your usual king size pho, talking about work, your hair on this occasion, and most importantly, the band you were going to watch in a few hours.

You forgot to mention how you’ve been feeling about Yoongi. You thought that conversation could be saved for another time.

As soon as you arrived at the venue, the band came out.

It was one of these L.A. indie bands that both of you discovered this same year. Whenever Gemma was over at your place, you always ended up watching their music videos, fawning over the vocalist. So, when you found out they were doing a concert soon, you knew you had to be there.

It lasted around an hour, which was a little underwhelming compared to the other concerts you’ve attended. Still, all was forgotten because that damn vocalist was as dreamy as you imagined.

When the concert ended, Gemma and you found yourselves a table to keep talking over drinks. You didn’t count on Sam, one of your other friends, calling and telling you she was coming over.

You didn’t usually mixed your plans, but it felt kind of inevitable tonight.

You also thought the place felt kind of dead and guessed it wouldn’t hurt to have more people with you.

Sam arrived with her brother’s girlfriend. Before anything else could be said, they both said, “This place is dead.”

“What were you doing in here?”

You laughed at the confused expression your friend had on her face. She knew you were at a concert, but you then explained you were just sitting and drinking, nothing special.

“We should go somewhere else! What do you say about going downtown?” The brother’s girlfriend addressed you.

You pursed your lips and turned to look at Gemma to ask her what she wanted to do. “I’m staying over with you, so I’m giving you the privilege of deciding.” You smiled at your friend and thought about it. You wanted to keep drinking; it was barely 11 p.m.

You turned to Sam to tell her it was okay, but before you opened your mouth, she tried to convince you, “Come on, let’s just go for a while; Hoseok’s over there with some friends!”

Hoseok is Sam’s brother.

Hoseok is Yoongi’s best friend.

It’s pretty evident that wherever Hoseok was, Yoongi was there too.

Fuck, did I manifest this?

“Let’s go then.”

What a miracle, what a coincidence.

A kiss on the cheek. All kind. Warm greetings—the kind that makes you want to kill whoever invented manners. You see each other from time to time, often at random places and gatherings like tonight.

You haven’t seen Yoongi in over ten months.

You haven’t seen him since that last date you had. If you can call it that.

Last year, life was kicking your ass, and Yoongi was everything you had. You truly needed someone, and he stayed with you throughout the messiest months of your life. He was your everything.

You were perfectly aware he was never going to be serious about you. He’s been in your life for eight years, and both of you have left the other countless times before. You two were just a bad joke. You never understood why he always insisted on coming back to your life just for him to treat you like always. Never something special. Never been the exception, always the rule.

But for those seven months, he acted like the person you always wanted him to be. You knew you were both a joke, but you always liked what “us” meant with him.

Last Christmas was the first time you spent a holiday together. It felt so important to you back then as if life was finally going your way.

You never expected what he had to say to you right on that day.

“First of all, Merry Christmas, honey”. He smiled as he looked at you. “You know I’ll always wish for you and your family to be healthy. I know this is important to you, but I’m sure you can rest a bit about that matter from now on.”

“I’m really happy you’re spending these days with me. You know I’m not fond of the holidays, but I want you to know this feels important to me.”

“I genuinely, truly, really want to keep you with me and for us to go out as much as we can, if you want to, of course. Because to be honest, if it were up to me, we would be doing a bunch of stuff together all the time, but it’s not just a matter of me wanting, so I hope you’d like that too.”

With his words, you went through all the emotions known to mankind. It’s been the first time you’ve heard something like that coming from him, and you felt strange. Thinking how you may have wanted that for years, now when it’s actually happening, you feel so disconnected from yourself, you start to think, “What can he possibly like in me? I’ve only shown him chaos these past months.”

But as soon as that thought crossed your mind, your heart told you, “Yet, he’s still here.”

He made you feel safe, so you committed to being the best version of yourself once again. After all you’ve been through, he’s never stopped being so good and patient with you.

He’s always going to have a piece of your heart.

Then came the inevitable change of heart one of you had every time.

This time, it happened to him. Of course.

You were supposed to go out one night, but you ended up going home in the middle of the “date.”

It’s like you weren’t talking to Yoongi anymore. He was acting cold, apathetic, indifferent, you name it.

You felt awful on your way home. You didn’t even want to think about the reason for his attitude towards you.

You wanted to feel hopeful, happy, and even in love, but it didn’t feel like that anymore. You wanted to trust in what Yoongi had told you just a few weeks ago. Maybe it was just something you wanted to hear, but you didn’t catch on to the intentions behind his words.

I actually fell for it this time.

There have been multiple times when you told yourself there was no future for you two. Why do you keep staying? It just makes you feel like shit in the end.

I just keep building unrealistic expectations, as if there was actually someone who could save me from my own problems1.

This time, you were hoping he was tired of you and would finally choose not to be with you anymore.

Farewell comes. Once again, you bury memories deep in the deepest ocean. Then it comes back and floats up.

There were eight people sitting close together at a little round table, and to your luck, you ended up facing Yoongi.

Beer never stopped coming to your table.

You had an impressive way of acting as if everything was normal. You were always like this. Of course, Yoongi made you angry, but you’ve never resented him for something. Acting full of hostility in front of both of your friends would never be one of your goals.

On some other occasion, maybe you would’ve ignored him and his glances, but you can’t deny that you’ve wanted to see and talk to him for the past few weeks.

Your friends weren’t fond of your “relationship,” yet they were always curious about how you two treated each other whenever you saw each other after a while. Everyone always knew when you two were together and how many months you had spent without talking.

You can’t tell if that’s good or not, but everyone knew it was just a matter of time before you started seeing each other again.

Tonight was going well. You haven’t seen Hoseok or the other guys in a while. Aside from whatever you had with Yoongi, they were your friends, too. Not too long ago, you always went out on weekends to bars, parties, and the occasional concerts.

Ever since you distanced yourself from them a little, they got into relationships. It wasn’t until today that you actually spent time with them and their partners and got to know them a little.

Jimin was sitting on your right, and eventually, you found yourselves talking apart from the others. He started telling you about his partner and how he got in a little fight with them over whether it’s right or not to look at other people at the gym.

Later, the others were all over that topic, arguing whether it was socially acceptable or not to look at someone else at the gym while your partner was there with you. All the alcohol you’ve drank made itself present. Your overall volume rose with each minute, with everyone voicing their opinions.

You had already told tipsy Jimin your point of view, so you got fed up with the subject when it turned into an actual discussion between Hoseok and his partner.

Sam and Gemma were still talking with Jimin over what he did, his partner’s words, and whatnot. So you found your chance to get up and go to the jukebox.

It took less than two minutes of you looking through the catalog when you suddenly saw a tall figure standing by your side.

“Hi,” he said.

You turned to look straight into his eyes. “Hi.”

“You look radiant, better than before.”

You bit your smile back and answered, “can’t complain.” Still searching for a song.

He came closer to you, “we meet again.”

A smile escaped from you. “It’s been almost a year, huh.”

Now they’re walking on ice. To see who slips first. No strings intertwined. They were never anything, but there was always something.

“I know, it’s crazy.” He wasn’t going to waste any more time. “Can we meet later?”

There was something.

“My friend is staying over.” You had already picked two songs but still had three more credits.

“I can come by.”

You were thinking hard about which songs to pick, but Yoongi was making it really hard to concentrate.

Of course, I want you to come over. Yet, I still want to hang on to the small remains of my pride.

“I think it would be better if we go out sometime this week if you want.”

Filled with anxiety over what you were arranging, you started tapping your fingers against the machine, not remembering which artist you were looking for in the first place.

“I thought you no longer wanted to see me.”

You lifted your chin to look at him and gave him a smirk. “Well,” you said with a nervous laugh, “I did, but I can’t lie to you; I’ve been thinking about you for days.”

“Why?”

“Why? What do you mean why?”

“I don’t know, I thought you were done with me.”

“Yoongi, we can’t talk about that here.”

You were finally searching for the last song. “Well, I’ll see you at your house later.”

Again, you turned to look at him but gave him an annoyed expression. You kept going through Pink Floyd’s songs, your distress not letting you find your favorite song by them.

“Can I? Just for a while. I want to talk to you.”

“Talk about what Yoongi?”

Finally, <The Great Gig in the Sky>.

“About why you left like that back then.”

You finally turned your whole body to answer him, “Alright then, you can come by later.” And with that, you returned to your seat at the table. Everyone asked what took you so long, and while you explained that you couldn’t find the songs you wanted, Yoongi came back to his seat, too. All eyes were on you, his included.

It actually got you happy that he talked to you first.

Untethered intertwining. They were never anything, but there was always something.

Sam, Hoseok, and his girlfriend left around 2 a.m., but the rest of you kept finding things to talk about.

You never stopped drinking, but you weren’t feeling drunk yet. In one of your trips to the bathroom, Gemma told you she liked Yoongi for the first time, and it got you all giddy. As you were walking back, you and Yoongi couldn’t take your eyes off of each other. Both of you were getting impatient to finally be alone again.

You’re both talking to your friends, and you’re laughing, and you look across the table. You’re not even far apart, but you catch each other’s eyes, and it’s this secret that exists right there, unnoticed, and no one else knows about it, no one else but you and Yoongi.

The rest of your friends were already drunk, so he told you, “We should go.”

“Come on, I’ll take you both home.”

Gemma hopped in the back of his car, and you got yourself in the passenger seat.

All your actions were too familiar for someone who hasn’t seen this guy in over ten months.

The next thing you knew, your phone connected automatically to his car, and he urged you to put some music on.

It was until this moment, on your way to your house, that you realized you were very drunk. You don’t even remember which playlist or songs you played.

When you arrived home, you gathered all your might to get Gemma inside. (Yoongi helped you open all the doors and, most importantly, carry Gemma to your room).

You got Gemma into your bed, changed her clothes, and left her a glass of water on your bedside table. You also used the moment to gulp a glass of water yourself. Meanwhile, Yoongi was already settled in your living room, his eyes not leaving you. Lying on your couch, recognizing when you were feeling more than tipsy. “Are you drunk?”

His voice scared you for a second. You did not realize he was still there or that he was watching your every move. Your smile gave away that you were indeed feeling a little drunk.

“A little? Maybe?”

The way he laughs always gets you. It has this cute yet manly note that you’ve always loved so much.

You curled up on your couch next to Yoongi, facing him. You truly wanted to hear what he wanted to talk about, but this newfound comfort of being on your couch made you sleepy. At the same time, the way he was looking at you was letting the alcohol in your system wear out.

His heavy gaze no longer made you think about talking with him. All you wanted was for him to hold you and kiss you like he used to as if he couldn’t wait any longer to press his lips on yours, to interrupt you while you were saying something with a kiss filled with the desire you both had for the other.

“Are you dating someone else?” His question shocked you. You looked at him wide-eyed. Yoongi looked directly at your eyes like they were the only thing in the room, fearing that if he looked somewhere else, he’d miss the truth coming from your eyes.

Your face turned into a frown, and drinking in his words confused you. You sat straight to ask your first question, but he beat you to it. “Is that why you left me?” The blood drained from your face.

Is he serious? Is he genuinely clueless? Or is he just being stupid?

“Is that what you want to hear? That I’ve been dating around?”

“I don’t know. It’s just that you disappeared again; if you wanted me to go to hell, you could’ve said so.”

“What are you even saying, Yoongi?”

“I thought you were dating someone.” He let out what must have been a bitter laugh.

“Well, I’m not… I don’t have time to go out with ‘people’.”

Do you even know why it’s so goddamn impossible for me to let you go? Because every song, every moment, and every person reminds me of you.

Why did you even want to see him this time around? Have you ever thought about that? It didn’t even matter because it was always the same. You suddenly forget how you feel or whatever you wanted to say as soon as you’re in front of him. Even if you said something, he wasn’t going to listen. He never does.

“Are you dating someone?”

“That’s not what I wanted to talk about. I need to know why you left me that night.”

“So, you are dating someone...”

“Just tell me why you left me.”

“Fine, I bet I won’t even remember this in the morning,” you laugh softly, maybe in preparation for what you would say next.

You collapse back onto your couch, sighing as your head sinks into the soft cushions. Your eyes drift upward, fixating on the blank expanse of the ceiling above you.

“It’s just that… I don’t know; that day, you were acting so strange toward me, and I truly thought you weren’t my Yoongi anymore. It’s like you were dying to get out of there, and I figured it would be better if I was the one who left first”. You smiled, but everyone could have seen the bitterness behind it. “I trust- no, I hoped… that what you told me that you wanted for us was true, but I couldn’t see a trace of that in you anymore. I didn’t want to turn into an anxious mess and think about you non-stop or… try to find out why you acted like that, so yeah, I left you again.”

He felt a tightness in his chest when he heard you say, “My Yoongi.” It wasn’t helping that your words sounded so real to him at that moment. This was easily the third time he’d seen you somewhat vulnerable. He was going to regret talking about this.

“Do you want me to ask you what was going on with you that day?” Your head was still on the couch, but it was now turned to get a better look at his face. You were still smiling.

He thought, Why is she smiling? Why is she always smiling?

“But you said you weren’t gonna remember this in the morning.” There goes his sweet laugh again.

“We can try.”

“Can we try with a kiss instead?”

Only the sound of cars driving by could be heard.

You don’t even remember that kiss anymore.

That should have been a dead giveaway that everything was bound to turn out very wrong after that night.

The following days were even worse. Your conversations over text were boring and awkward. You felt that he was being an ass on purpose, as if he was making you pay for what you “put” him through. Sick and tired. That’s how you were beginning to feel towards this ongoing joke. Over the week, you started remembering the first thing you wrote about him. It was the first time you’d drifted apart.

“I want to see you. I want to be with you now. I hate feeling this needy. I like you so much that I don’t know what to do with all these emotions. Remember that night when we kissed for the first time? Our lips touched, and I think my heart lost its rhythm for a few minutes. It’s okay if you don’t remember it the way I do. But I want you to know that I’ll never forget how you made me feel that night. I think I fell in love with you since then. I’ve missed you almost every day since you left. I realized that I look pretty when I’m sad, but I look prettier when somebody says your name, and I smile uncontrollably. I wish I could explain the physical pain I feel inside my chest when I think about you. And I wish that pain could be erased if we’re being honest. I don’t know what’s wrong with us. I’m running out of ideas to make this work, and I feel like if I don’t do something to save us, you won’t do it either; even though I know you care, I know you’re just going to stand there, arms crossed watching everything drift away. I can’t get out of my head that time you said that you felt that you were hurting me instead of making me feel good, and I said that sometimes I think I hate you. I swear I didn’t mean it. It’s just that I’m too scared of losing you for good because I have this feeling that I won’t feel like this ever again; I’m afraid I’ll have to lose this part of myself that feels genuinely in love with someone. I thought we were made for each other. I thought you were one of my soulmates. I still think we are. But we keep fucking it up every single time. I won’t lie; I’m fine some days, but the smallest things break me. I know it’s not your fault that I’m so damn sensitive, but my feelings have always been this intense, this is who I am, and I was hoping that you would learn to love the whole mess that I am just as much as I love yours. It’s not that I can’t be with someone else and forget about you—I know I can—but I don’t want to be without you. I don’t know what it is about this day, but my head feels so much heavier when we’re having problems. I feel mad at you, and I bet you’re mad at me, too. Have I always been this hard? Or are you just realizing that being with me is a lot of work and I’m not worth it? I’m not ready to let you go. You’re the only guy I’ve ever wanted to keep around. You treat me so well when we’re together. I love when you take my hand in yours. I love every time it’s just you and me, and we talk about life. There’s no one for me but you. You’re the only face I can see. I hope you know I’m only pretending to hate you when I love you so much. After all, I’ll always hope it’s you and me in the end. I’m happy if I get to be with you.”

That was seven fucking years ago. Funny huh?

It was never supposed to turn out like this. Who would’ve thought that someone could pull you down like this under the guise of love? Was it really only an individual’s fault?

Did it keep going because no one wanted to be the bad guy? If we didn’t have feelings for each other, if we didn’t think of each other, would we have dragged it on like this?

Those words played over and over again in your head. Whenever you came to be together again, that was eventually all you wondered about.

That first letter was born when the first layer that was blinding you was uncovered. It was as if something was finally letting you see the shape of the person Yoongi was—or at least the person he was with you.

Next year. The second “letter” came.

“Everything’s been so weird lately. I don’t get you. You didn’t talk to me for three days, yet you still think I’ll say yes when you want to see me late at night when you finally feel like it? Seriously? I’m angry at you, but mostly, I’m angry at myself. How can I be so blind to not realize that nothing will ever happen between us? Why am I still here? I know it’s because I want to be with someone, but maybe that person is not you. Because if you wanted to, we would be something by now. I know you won’t ever change because it’s been 2 years since this started, and you’re still the same. Maybe I fell in love with the hope and longing. All I did was imagine myself with you, I thought I was being patient about us. I can’t help but be a hopeless romantic, that’s all I’ve been my whole life. Occasionally, I find myself doing dumb shit all the time, like apologizing to the stars on behalf of both of us for not keeping our promises. I’ve been thinking about how sad I have been lately. Telling myself I’m stupid for loving you after all you’ve made me go through, how useless I feel, and how painful every day gets, honestly, this love I feel for you is making me crazy. But I shouldn’t be worrying about this. I know it may seem complicated to live with a broken heart, crying until your tears make you blind. I keep saying to myself, “It’s time you get yourself together, fall in love with yourself again, and forgive yourself for thinking you were stupid when you only acted out of love for someone who couldn’t see all you were.” But let’s be honest, being aware of all this still doesn’t make it any easier. I still feel so lost. And confused. I wish I knew how to stop loving you. I miss my peace of mind. I know what I’m supposed to do but don’t know where to start. I know that one day we’ll cross paths again, and I won’t feel a thing anymore, but until then, I’ll keep trying to convince myself that I don’t want you anymore. What have you done to me? What have I done to myself? What is it about you that ended up putting me through this hell? For the past few months, we barely saw each other. I still remember the last words we exchanged, and I feel sick, I keep wishing you would’ve done something else, hoping you would’ve said something different, but wishing for this doesn’t matter anymore, I’ll just keep hurting myself if I keep thinking about this version of you that I kept romanticizing. I’m tired now. All this was too much for me. But let me tell you one thing. I never even thought for a second that I was wasting my time with you. Not even when all my friends told me so. I took pride in myself for “knowing” when a guy doesn’t want you, but you were so confusing. You used to always be there. You knew exactly what to do and what to say so I could keep my love alive, making me think that maybe one day we would be together, but now I’m truly fed up with you. I’m angry. I know I can live without talking to you, but I don’t think I can be in the same room with you and not feel a thing. I’m telling you this because I want you to understand me. I want us to end on good terms because I know it’ll be impossible for us to stop seeing each other. So please help me, because this won’t be easy for me. I still care about you. I love you, but I can’t do this anymore. I need to keep crying, but understand me, I’m not crying for you. It’s just that I have so much inside me that I could never say to you. I know now that I was too much for you.”

In the span of two years, all that relationship lay before your eyes, yet somehow you didn’t want to see it. You decided to keep your hope alive even if it hurt you.

Several breakups between the two of you. A few relationships with other people in the middle of it all. Countless times you wanted to run to him just one more time. The occasional texts came from him, asking how you were and if you wanted to meet again.

You tried to be strong most of the time. You even felt you had gotten over Yoongi on every period where you’d stopped running into him. Those were the times when it was easy. But it was also quite embarrassing how quickly you’d fall into his trap once he got into your head again.

So yeah, you caved in after that kiss from last night.

You were letting this happen. You wanted this on this occasion.

It should be fine, right?

Eventually, after a few weeks, both of you started sorting out your emotions and everything felt pretty normal again.

Why do I make things so complicated when there’s no need to?

You can’t help but doubt yourself and doubt him. You want to know what’s in his head, yet you know it should be enough for you that he wants to keep seeing you.

All these doubts made you realize that maybe, just maybe, you’re treating this in the same way you would’ve years ago.

Just focus on the now.

Aside from that…

You like him very much. He can talk about a bunch of things with you. He can be cute when he wants to be. You used to have a lot in common in terms of music. You like his style. And let’s not get started on his tattoos. ON TOP OF THAT, HIS ARMS. For some weird reason, I always forget he has dimples.

Ultimately, years pass and you always run back to him. You genuinely enjoy being in the same room as him.

No one has gotten close to how he makes you feel. Every time you see him again, everything feels the same. Your feelings towards him haven’t changed.

The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle but never break.

A month later

Ah, shit.

You were having a relatively good weekend. It was the 4th of July. You spent it with your family and now it was almost midnight but you were still texting with your best friend. She was at a party with Sam, Jess, and all the guys. You were experiencing a mild fomo, but you had a deal with your parents, so you had to pass that party this time.

Even Jungkook texted you earlier asking why you weren’t there. But that’s another story.

Your best friend was getting drunker with every text she sent, but she had put herself on the task of updating you with all of Yoongi’s whereabouts and doings.

I mean go ahead I guess. It makes me feel like it’s my fault for not showing enough interest again. This is making me uneasy. Because I like him but turns out he doesn’t like me enough? I WANT TO SCREAM.

I shouldn’t be angry because it’s my fault. I know so. I’m not trying enough, and maybe this was bound to happen. I can’t ask him to just talk to me. He needs to live his life too, he’s human, and he gets tired of waiting for someone who doesn’t seem “invested” in him. FUCK.

He ended up coming to your place around 1 a.m.

And this time, you actually talked. You were worried he’d drank too much, but he showed to be as sober as one can be.

Before he got there, you were extremely nervous, but once you sat with him on your couch, all your tension and fears calmed down. You valued that he was able to make you feel that way.

Your feelings went on a rollercoaster in a matter of a few hours, it was so fucking strange to read those words. To paint yourself a picture of what Yoongi was doing with you.

“Why weren’t you at the party?”

“I spent the whole weekend with my parents, so I couldn’t go.” “I wanted to, though.”

“It would’ve been cool if you had gone, everyone was asking about you.”

A smirk appeared on your face. “And what did you tell ’em?”

“That you didn’t want to see me,” He joked.

You started playing with him.

“That’s sliiightly true,”

After that, he laughed but got closer to you. He even got a lot more talkative, narrating to you everything he and your friends did earlier on. You were pretty entranced in him. It’s risky when you love to hear someone just talk. He took in the way you were gazing at him and figured there was no point in wasting more time. It was obvious Yoongi only went to your place to see if he was getting lucky tonight.

You realized his face was inching closer to yours. Your eyes scanning his own. Him doing the same, with the occasional glance at your lips. You weren’t gonna kiss him. Still, you let him get close enough so your lips could brush each other.

Then you smiled.

You weren’t gonna miss the chance to let him try to explain to you what the hell was going on, so you thought you’d go straight to the point.

“Can I ask you something?”

He returned your smile.

“Wait, let me guess”- “You want to know if I have a girlfriend”.

Motherfucker.

Your smile faltered slightly at him guessing the question, but he maintained eye contact with you. “Yeah, I figured that’s what you wanted to ask,” he replied. His tone is a mix of playfulness and seriousness. “No, I don’t have a girlfriend.”

The way his mind immediately went there. We’ll worry about that later.

Yoongi’s words echoed in your ears, you couldn’t help but believe him. There was something about his voice, his gaze, that made you blindly trust his every word.

Yoongi’s expression softened, his gaze unwavering. “I want you to know that I’m being genuine right now. I don’t have a girlfriend, I’m not seeing anybody formally, romantically, emotionally, or whatever you imagined. I want to give us a chance to make things right for you.”

You clung to the hope that this time he was telling the truth.

A sense of relief washed over you as you leaned closer to Yoongi. Ignoring the cautionary whispers in the back of your mind, you let yourself be swept away by his intoxicating presence.

His lips met yours in a passionate kiss, and for a moment, it felt like all your doubts and worries faded away.

Days turned into weeks, and you reveled in the blissful illusion of having Yoongi in your life once again. Yoongi seemed attentive, caring, and utterly devoted to you. He showered you with affection, making you believe that you were his only one this time.

Over the next months, your interactions with Yoongi were limited to texts. There were no dates or visits to your house or his place, for that matter. It’s like he was growing bored. But that’s nothing new anymore.

You started to grow tired of his refusal to let you go, even if he didn’t like you the way you liked him. You knew it was time to move on and find someone who would honestly reciprocate your feelings.

And then, on a spontaneous note, one day, you stumbled upon someone through Instagram.

thv replied to your story.

It started with you two sending each other songs for a few days.

Then, when you got to actually talk to him. You realized he was funny, his music taste almost immaculate, he was extremely nice to you, and he cared about what you had to say. You basically had the same interests. And hands down, you enjoyed talking to him a lot.

Ever since you started talking to this new guy, called Taehyung, you felt like something had shifted in your life. And it’s only been 3 days since then.

This time, it turned out you were wrong. Wrong about everything.

I can’t regret anything, because I tried, I wholeheartedly tried. I don’t plan to try and understand him anymore.

Yoongi had been lying through his teeth the whole time. He did have a girlfriend, and he reveled in his power over you. He enjoyed playing with your emotions, relishing in his control over you.

You found out a few days ago, and you struggled to know what to do. You weren’t going to just ghost him. You couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be passive-aggressive toward him, and it showed in your texts.

But you weren’t counting on that he was even more of a cynic than you. And you were getting angrier that he wouldn’t accept anything and refused to let the conversation die.

So yeah, it took 3 days.

It took you that long to get yourself way ahead of everything. About Taehyung specifically.

You don’t remember having met him before.

If only you knew that he remembers the first time he saw you in college and several parties after that.

He’d grown attracted to you every time he saw you. However, you never once seemed to acknowledge his presence.

And don’t get him wrong. He didn’t mind. You were just a platonic interest. Somehow he knew you weren’t exactly available even if he never saw you with a guy before.

He just took his chance a few days ago, not expecting anything. Just with the simple excuse of finally getting to know you.

He was a good listener, interested in your thoughts. With each message exchanged, your connection grew extremely fast.

This got you scared. You had barely talked to him and were already getting VERY INTERESTED.

On the fourth day, he invited you to the movies, but ended up going out to two bars and then dancing.

You shared even more stories, talked about your dreams, and even found yourselves discussing your insecurities in your love life.

Taehyung made you feel seen, heard, and valued – something you hadn’t felt in a long time. He was patient and understood your reservations.

On the cab, in the way back to your place, you rested your head on his shoulder, hand in hand, you truly felt so calm, it had been the nicest date ever.

Hell, you haven’t even had a proper date in years. So, no one can blame you when you finally let yourself be vulnerable for once.

Taehyung knew he’d like you, but never to this extent. He wasn’t scared when he realized he was falling in love with you. All he wanted was to see you every single day from now on. He took the initiative to plan a date next week, but you went out of town to visit your cousin.

So Monday it is. There was only one thing that you had to take care of. Before you let yourself move on to the next step in your love life.

Dealing with Yoongi was getting tiring, so it finally happened. The long overdue conversation occurred. Over texts, but it happened.

For once, you didn’t see the point in continuing. You and Yoongi have been through this road way too many times, and nothing has changed.

You decided to cut ties with Yoongi for good on that Monday. From now on, Taehyung could be the only one in your head.

As you were getting ready for your date with Taehyung, you couldn’t help but think about your conversation with Yoongi just a few hours ago. It was strange how life presented you with new opportunities right on the heels of letting go of the past. The decision to leave Yoongi was still fresh in your mind, but you hoped that this date with Taehyung would make you feel different, as bad as it could sound, but a distraction to that awful bit.

Taehyung took you to the movies, and from the moment the film began, your hands found each other’s, fingers intertwining. The dimly lit theater provided the perfect backdrop for this quiet display of affection. The movie itself was fun at times, but it was almost a blur of scenes and dialogue because your attention was elsewhere. You didn’t realize that Taehyung also spent that entire hour and a half not watching the movie, but watching you. He observed the way your eyes lit up at the funny parts, the sound of your laughter made his heart skip a beat. It was as if he had his own private screening of your reactions, and to him, it was the most captivating thing in the world.

The next stop on your adventure was an arcade, a place filled with flashing lights and the noise of all the games you can imagine. You couldn’t resist the air hockey table, and without hesitation, you both grabbed the paddles. As the puck glided across the smooth surface, it was evident that both of you were really good at it. Soon, a couple of small kids had gathered around, their eyes wide with fascination as they watched you play.

Taehyung, multitasking effortlessly, started chatting with them while maintaining his competitive spirit. A little girl, no older than seven, stood beside you, her eyes sparkling with innocence. She looked up at you with a hopeful smile and asked, “Are you going to beat your boyfriend?” Her question caught you off guard, and you burst into laughter at her adorable bluntness. Taehyung, engrossed in his conversation with the other kids, didn’t hear the question. All he could see was how your laughter sounded like the sweetest melody in the world.

Distracted by your laugh, Taehyung lost to you in the game. The little kids erupted in cheers, celebrating your victory as if you had just won a championship. They eagerly lined up to give you high-fives, momentarily forgetting that Taehyung even existed. That was until he, still keen on entertaining the kids, asked if they knew how to play. The result was an excited chorus of enthusiastic and loud ‘yes’s’.

It was an endearing sight as Taehyung listened attentively to the kids. Meanwhile, you couldn’t help but smile at how easily he connected with them.

“Okay, guys, what’s the next game we should play?” Taehyung asked, genuinely intrigued by their suggestions.

The kids seemed to have a dozen ideas at once, and it was all a jumble of arcade classics, from racing games to shooting hoops. One girl, with a mischievous glint in her eye, pointed at the dance machine in the corner.

“Can we try that dance game?” she asked, her excitement infectious.

Taehyung exchanged a playful glance with you, and you both agreed, despite the potential embarrassment that awaited you. The music blared from the machine, and you gave it your all, dancing like nobody was watching (except a group of kids, of course). Taehyung joined in nervously, even though his dancing skills were almost too good.

The kids burst into laughter at everyone’s dance moves, cheering you on with each step. It was one of those moments where embarrassment turned into pure joy, and you couldn’t have cared less about who was watching.

It was heartwarming to see him engage with them, making sure each child had a good time. After making sure the kids had enough tokens to keep playing, Taehyung gently took your hand, and together you wandered through the arcade. The place was a riot of flashing lights and game sounds, but it all faded into the background as you explored hand in hand.

Eventually, you came across the game involving knocking down rows of clown figures. You both paused, taking in the challenge. With the timer ticking down, Taehyung turned to you. His eyes sparkled with affection, and amidst the blinking lights and arcade tunes, he asked, “Can I kiss you?”

You paused for a moment, your heart racing as you looked into Taehyung’s eyes. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to kiss him - far from it. In fact, you felt a strong pull towards him, a connection that seemed to grow with every passing second. Even more so, after the side of him you saw today.

But there was something holding you back, a nagging doubt that whispered in the back of your mind. You had just met Taehyung, and even though the chemistry between you two was sweet, you wanted to take things slow. You didn’t want to rush into anything, not after what you’d been through with Yoongi.

So, with a soft smile, you gently shook your head and replied, “Not yet.” It was a response that carried a promise, a promise that there would be time for kisses and more in the future, once you were both ready to take that step. Taehyung nodded understandingly, his smile mirroring your own, and you continued your adventure to a bar, still hand in hand.

As you settled into a cozy corner of the bar, the atmosphere shifted, becoming more intimate. The soft hum of conversation, clinking glasses, and mellow jazz music in the background created the perfect backdrop for a meaningful conversation.

You started by talking about your time at the arcade, laughing about how the kids had cheered for you when you won the game. Taehyung joined in, sharing his amusement at their excitement. It was a light and joyful conversation that made you feel even closer to him.

Taehyung was genuinely interested in getting to know you better. He asked about your family, and you shared stories about your parents and siblings. In turn, he spoke fondly about his own family, reminiscing about childhood memories and you noticed how much he loved them.

Work became the next topic of discussion. You both talked about your careers, your aspirations, and the challenges you faced in life. Taehyung’s dedication and passion for his job shone through, and you found yourself admiring his determination.

As the night wore on, the conversation deepened. You talked about life, dreams, and the things that truly mattered to you. It was a conversation that left you feeling a sense of connection you hadn’t experienced in a long time. You realized that this was different from anything you had with Yoongi, something that was still scary to you.

As the night progressed and the conversation with Taehyung deepened, you couldn’t help but notice the stark contrast between him and Yoongi. Taehyung’s genuine interest in getting to know you, his kindness, and his openness were like a breath of fresh air compared to the complexity and uncertainty of your history with Yoongi.

The realization that this connection with Taehyung was different, something new and potentially beautiful, both excited and scared you. It was scary because it meant stepping out of your comfort zone, venturing into unfamiliar territory, and leaving behind the emotional rollercoaster that had defined your relationship with Yoongi.

But that fear didn’t deter you. In fact, it fueled a sense of courage you hadn’t felt in a long time. Maybe you were ready to embrace something real, something stable, and something built on honesty and trust. It was a daunting prospect, but for the first time in a while, it might be worth taking that leap into the unknown.

The night had stretched on longer than you had initially planned, but you didn’t mind one bit. In fact, you didn’t want it to end.

As Taehyung’s car pulled up to your place, reality seemed to rush back in. With the engine turned off and the night’s silence settling around you, you both remained seated in the car. It was one of those moments where time felt suspended, and neither of you seemed in a hurry to say goodbye.

You gazed into Taehyung’s eyes, his warm and sincere gaze locked onto yours. Your heart pounded in your chest as you felt a mix of anticipation and nervousness. You knew what you wanted, and in this moment, you felt a surge of courage you hadn’t experienced before.

Taehyung’s voice was soft, barely above a whisper, as he said, “I had a really great time tonight.”

You smiled, your heart racing. “Me too,” you admitted, your voice equally hushed.

For a moment, neither of you moved, the weight of the unspoken words hanging in the air.

Finally, you took a deep breath, your nervousness mingling with excitement. “Taehyung, can I ask you something?”

His eyes were curious. “Of course.”

Without overthinking it, you leaned in, closing the gap between you and Taehyung. In the dimly lit car, your lips finally met a gentle and electrifying connection that seemed to seal the promise of something new, something real.

As you pulled away, your foreheads touching, you whispered, “I’ve actually been wanting to do that all night.”

Taehyung chuckled, feeling a newfound hope. “Me too.”

Unable to resist kissing him way longer, you reached out again. The kiss started slow, a tantalizing exploration of each other’s lips. Your mouth was warm and inviting, and Taehyung couldn’t resist the urge to deepen the kiss.

Your lips moved together with a fiery passion, tongues dancing in a tango. There were no more words, just the intoxicating taste of each other. Your hands roamed, tracing all of his torso, igniting a fiery desire within both of you.

Taehyung bit your lower lip, sending shivers down your spine, and you responded with a soft moan. Your fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer as the kiss grew more fervent. It was a hunger that had been building all night, and now it was impossible to contain.

The kiss was wild, a passionate exchange, a language of desire and longing. You explored every inch of each other’s mouths, savoring the taste of your newfound connection.

When you finally pulled away, both of you were left breathless, lips swollen and hearts pounding. Taehyung’s eyes bore into yours, filled with an intensity that matched the fiery kiss you had just shared.

He whispered, his voice husky, “I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I saw you.”

You grinned, your own desire burning bright. “I’m glad we finally did.”

As you entered your home, the soft glow of your phone illuminated the room. You couldn’t help but smile as you saw a series of texts from Taehyung, sent with an urgency that mirrored the fiery passion of your kiss.

From that moment on, there wasn’t a single time of day when you weren’t texting each other. The connection between you two was electric, and it seemed like every message, every word, only deepened your bond. It didn’t take long for Taehyung to invite you again on a date, and he chose a taproom for the occasion.

Taehyung arrived the following Saturday at your doorstep around 7 p.m., his charming smile lighting up the evening. Dressed casually but looking effortlessly handsome, he greeted you warmly.

“Hey there,” he said, his voice a pleasant melody. “Ready for our night out?”

With a nod and an excited smile, you locked the door behind you and joined him. The short drive to the taproom was filled with easy conversation and soft laughs. When you arrived, you were greeted not just by the cozy atmosphere of the taproom but also by some of Taehyung’s friends who had already gathered there.

Taehyung couldn’t contain his excitement about introducing you to his friends. He made the rounds, enthusiastically presenting you to each one of them, his introductions filled with admiration. As the evening went on, his friends couldn’t help but tease you both when they knew you weren’t officially a couple.

However, that made them gush about Taehyung. They spoke of his kindness, his sense of humor, and his unwavering loyalty. They assured you that you’d found someone truly special, and it was clear they thought he’d done the same in finding you.

Throughout the night, amidst the clinking of glasses and the hum of conversation, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of warmth and belonging. Taehyung’s friends were welcoming, and their approval only added to the unique feeling of the evening.

As the night continued, the connection between you and Taehyung deepened. Your hands naturally gravitated towards each other, fingers interlacing as if they had always belonged together. There was a palpable comfort in being so close, and the world around you seemed to fade into the background.

In the midst of this enchanting evening, a message from Sam popped up on your phone. She was suggesting a plan for tomorrow - a baseball game. Without a moment’s hesitation, you enthusiastically said yes.

But what made your heart race, even more, was the eagerness to include Taehyung in your plans. You turned to him, a radiant smile on your face, and said, “Hey, my friends just invited me to a baseball game tomorrow. Do you want to join us? It’d be amazing if you’d come with me.”

His eyes lit up with delight at the invitation, and he nodded, “yeah, I’d love to be there with you.”

It felt like a natural step, merging your separate worlds and bringing Taehyung closer to your heart.

In your world, your friends were your anchors, your family, and the people who knew you best. If someone couldn’t fit into that crucial part of your life, it was often a telling sign that the relationship might not make it.

As you looked forward to the baseball game the next day, there was a mixture of excitement and nervousness. You believed in Taehyung and the genuine connection you shared, but there was always that sliver of doubt. Would he mesh well with your friends? Would they see what you saw in him?

But deep down, you had a feeling that this was a significant step. If Taehyung could seamlessly become a part of your world, it would be a powerful confirmation of your relationship.

Thoughts of tomorrow’s baseball game, and the potential changes it might bring, had temporarily vanished. All you craved at that moment were the hugs, kisses, and the warmth of holding Taehyung’s hand.

The atmosphere seemed to hum with your love surge, an electric charge that coursed through you, making every moment feel like a heart-pounding adventure. As you bid farewell to Taehyung’s friends, you couldn’t wait to be alone with him, to dance again at the same bar where your love story began.

Tonight, something was different. Your excitement was on an all-time high. The tension that had built up between you over the last dates, the unspoken desires and emotions, were now rising to the surface. The connection between you two was undeniable, and your touches were igniting sparks that seemed to intensify with each passing second.

In the dimly lit bar, the pulsating beat of the music coursed through your veins, syncing with your every move. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation, and as you moved to the rhythm, your dance became a sensual invitation. Your body swayed and undulated in harmony with the music, your hips swiveling provocatively to the seductive melodies.

Taehyung watched you with desire burning in his eyes, unable to resist the magnetic pull you had on him. Your dance was a mesmerizing display of confidence and allure. Your hands moved sensually across your own body, tracing the curves and contours that begged for his touch.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Taehyung stepped closer, his hands finding their way to your hips. His touch was electric, sending shivers down your spine. His fingers traced the curve of your waist, pulling you closer to him as he succumbed to the same fiery rhythm.

Your bodies moved together, pressed intimately against each other. The heat between you grew with every tantalizing sway, and the world around you faded into obscurity. In that moment, there was only the two of you, lost in the lights of desire and passion, each movement drawing you closer to an inevitable collision of lips and bodies.

As the night at the bar wore on, the two of you shared more than just dances. After one particularly intense moment, you found yourself with your back pressed against Taehyung’s chest, the thumping bass of the music reverberating through both of you. His breath was warm against your ear, sending delightful shivers down your spine. In that space, with his arms wrapped around your waist, it felt as if the world had disappeared, leaving only the sensation of his closeness and the rhythmic beating of your hearts in unison.

Between dances, you took breaks to calm yourselves with a beer or whatever drink you saw first at the bar. Each moment spent apart only seemed to fuel the intensity of your attraction. With every sip of your drink, you couldn’t help but glance back at Taehyung, a magnetic pull drawing you together once more. The atmosphere was heady with desire, and your chemistry was through the roof. Each dance, each stolen moment, was a step closer to something neither of you could resist any longer.

After those couple of hours of dancing that left you slightly breathless, you decided to seek refuge in one of the dimly lit booths at the corner of the bar. It provided a temporary sanctuary from the dance floor, allowing you to catch your breath and collect your thoughts amidst the lust that was echoing in your ears. The low hum of laughter and conversation from people around you provided a calming backdrop as you settled in, your heart still racing from the intimate moment with Taehyung, who had managed to stir emotions you hadn’t felt in quite some time.

He slid into the seat opposite you, his eyes locked onto yours with an intensity that sent shivers through your body. In the closeness that the booth offered, you could feel something deeper between you. It was as though the music, which had once enveloped you in its intoxicating embrace, was reduced to a mere murmur in the back.

With a playful grin, Taehyung finally broke the silence that had settled between you. “You know,” he began, his voice a low, seductive murmur, “I think we might just be causing a lot of jealous looks in here.”

You chuckled, the sound husky and filled with desire. “I noticed.”

His fingers traced patterns on the table, drawing invisible lines as he continued, “It’s not just about dancing, though. I’ve been imagining being with you like this since the first time I laid eyes on you, and it’s been killing me all night.”

You met his gaze, your heart pounding in your ears as you whispered, “Since the first time you saw me?” Not trusting yourself enough to say what you were really thinking, so you mirrored his words.

Taehyung’s hand reached across the table, his fingers lightly brushing against yours. “I can’t keep my composure anymore,” he admitted, his eyes never leaving yours. “I’ve been thinking about more than this all week.”

He paused, his gaze locked onto yours with a smoldering intensity. “You know,” he added with a sultry smile, “seeing you getting along so well with my best friends earlier, it just… made me so hard.”

The anticipation hung in the air like a charged current, a palpable magnetism drawing you closer together. It was a sensation you couldn’t ignore, a magnetic pull that seemed destined to ignite into something more profound.

You bit your lip, your pupils were blown, unable to contain the emotions surging within you. “Taehyung,” you began, your voice barely above a whisper, “if you keep this up, I think I might fall in love with you.”

His eyes sparkled with a mix of desire and affection as he leaned in closer. “Is that so?” he murmured, his lips tantalizingly close to yours. “Maybe that’s exactly what I want.”

Moments later, Taehyung led you to his apartment.

“I’m glad that we can finally be together like this.” He said with a sincere smile, his hand moving lower to cup your ass. He couldn’t resist anymore; he had to have you right then and there.

He slid his hand under your skirt, feeling the smoothness of your skin against his fingertips. Traced the outline of your panties through the fabric of your bottom. Taehyung felt a wave of arousal wash over him as he painted himself a picture of what lay beneath. Slowly, he slid his hands up your legs until he reached the hem of your panties. With a gentle tug, he pulled them down, revealing your wetness to him.

The sudden exposure caused you to blush slightly, but it only fueled his desire further. You couldn’t help but moan at the feeling of what came next “*Aren’t you going to see how wet I got because you?”

He leaned in and gave you a soft kiss on the cheek, then gently placed his hand on your inner thigh. As he did so, he whispered in your ear. “Do you really want me to do this?”

“I want this, trust me.”

He slid his hand up higher, feeling the warmth and dampness of your cunt. He could hear your soft gasps and moans as he touched your pussy. He continued to stroke you gently, feeling your muscles tighten around his fingers.

He heard your moans and started to become even more aroused. He could feel his own hard on growing in his pants, and he knew that it would only be a matter of time before you both got carried away. He slowly pulled back from you and looked into your eyes, his face flushed red with desire. You could tell that he was just as affected as you were.

You nodded, your eyes locked with his as desire coursed through your veins. You breathed, “I want you to touch me. I need your hands in me.”

A low growl rumbled in Taehyung’s throat as he gave you a hungry look, his fingers inching closer to your dripping core. “Fuck,” he muttered, unable to contain his own need. “I’ve been dreaming about this for days. About burying myself deep inside you.”

The raw desire in his words sent shivers down your spine, igniting a fire within you that burned hotter with each passing second. You could feel the wetness pooling between your legs, desperate for his touch.

His fingers brushed against the sensitive skin of your inner thighs, teasingly avoiding direct contact with where you needed him most. The anticipation was almost unbearable as you fought to maintain a hint of control.

“Please, Taehyung,” you whimpered, “don’t make me wait.”

A wolfish grin tugged at the corners of Taehyung’s lips as he finally gave in to both of your desires. His fingers dipped into your wet heat, eliciting a moan from deep within your throat.

“You’re so fucking wet for me,” he groaned, his voice rough with lust. “Did I make you this way? Did I make that pretty little pussy of yours ache for me?”

All coherent thought flew out the window as Taehyung pumped his fingers inside of you, hitting all the right spots that made pleasure surge through every nerve ending in your body. You could only manage to nod and let out a desperate moan in response.

He wrapped his other hand around your neck, pulling you closer to him. He could feel your pulse racing beneath his fingers, and he knew that you were enjoying this a lot.

He started to apply pressure to your neck, feeling your body respond to his touch. You let out a small gasp of air, and as he continued to choke you, he leaned in closer to your ear and whispered. “Do you like this, baby? Is this what you wanted?”

His thumb found its way to your clit, circling the swollen bud and sending jolts of electricity straight to where you needed it most. The pleasure was overwhelming, bordering on blissful torture, as he brought you closer and closer to the edge.

“Cum for me, baby,” Taehyung whispered, his hot breath fanning across your ear. “I want to feel you cum around my fingers.”

His words were all it took to push you over the edge. The coil of pleasure that had been building inside of you snapped, sending waves of ecstasy crashing through your body. You clung to him as you rode out your orgasm, his touch the only anchor keeping you grounded in a sea of sensations.

As the last tremors of pleasure receded, Taehyung pulled his hand away and brought it up to his lips, sucking your taste off his fingers with a look of pure satisfaction on his face.

After a few hours spent in tangled in touches, the clock ticked its way to 4 a.m., signaling the impending end of the night’s bliss. Despite the energy that was bubbling up between you, the evening hadn’t ventured beyond the boundaries of those lewd touches, leaving something else lingering in the air. As the minutes kept passing, a sense of reality nudged its way back into the forefront of your mind.

“You’re even sweeter than I imagined,” Taehyung’s voice, thick with desire, caressed the dimly lit room, echoing the sentiments of the night.

With a hazed smile playing on your lips, you gently disentangled yourself from Taehyung’s embrace, the need for rest tugging at your consciousness. “I have to go home, Taehyung,” you murmured softly, your words tinged with regret at the thought of parting, “I should get some actual sleep if we want to spend the whole day together again.”

Your fingers traced soothing circles along his shoulders, a silent reassurance of your affection. “You are coming with me tomorrow, right?” you queried, hope flickering in your eyes as you awaited his response.

In the hazy glow of his room, Taehyung’s gaze met yours, a promise dancing in his eyes. “Absolutely,” he affirmed, his voice laced with determination, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

With a final exchange of tender kisses and lingering glances, you reluctantly bid farewell to Taehyung’s warm embrace, bracing yourself for your way home.

Despite the lingering effects of last night’s alcohol roaming your body, a surge of adrenaline pulsed through your veins as you rolled out of bed, battling against the persistent fog of a very hungover you. With each groggy step towards the bathroom, the anticipation of the day ahead infused your weary limbs with energy, overriding the dull ache in your head.

As you splashed cool water on your face, the mirror reflected a mix of exhaustion and excitement in your eyes. Today was the day you’d introduce Taehyung to your best friends, a prospect that filled you with nerves. The thought of seeing their reactions, of sharing this part of your life with them, ignited a spark within you.

After downing a much-needed glass of water and popping a couple of painkillers to combat the lingering headache, you set about getting ready for the day. Despite the persistent throb at your temples, you couldn’t help but hum a tune under your breath, the thrill of today’s plan chasing away the last traces of drowsiness.

With each minute, the excitement grew, the clock ticking in slow motion as you counted down the moments until Taehyung went to pick you up. Finally, the sound of the doorbell shattered the quiet of the morning, heralding the arrival of your lover boy.

With a quick glance in the mirror to ensure you looked somewhat presentable despite feeling like shit, you hurried to answer the door, a smile of genuine delight spreading across your face at the sight of Taehyung standing on your doorstep, two large cups of coffee in hand and a grin that mirrored your own excitement.

“There we have my pretty and hungover girl,” he greeted you warmly, his eyes alight with anticipation, “are we all set for the big day?”

With a nod and a grin, you took the cup he handed you, the aroma wafting up to greet your senses. “Definitely”.

As you and Taehyung arrived at the stadium, the vibrant atmosphere of the bustling crowd greeted you with a wave of excitement. Sam, Gemma, and Jin were already waiting for you near the entrance, their infectious laughter echoing in the air as they exchanged playful banter.

“Hey, look who finally decided to show up!” Sam exclaimed, her grin widening as she caught sight of you and Taehyung approaching. “And who’s this handsome stranger you’ve brought along?”

lmk if you're up for reading the second part of this mess 🤭 bonus. just a little jungkookie for fun

#bts #bts fanfic #bts fic #bts imagines #bts scenarios #bts angst #bts au #bts members #bts x reader #bts yoongi #bts suga #yoongi #suga #yoongi x reader #yoongi fanfic #min yoongi #taehyung #kim taehyung #taehyung x reader #taehyung x you #taehyung x y/n #yoongi x you #yoongi x y/n #bts smut #taehyung smut #park jimin #bts jimin #jung hoseok #bts jhope #jeon jungkook

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Game Night: Cassette Beasts

Pokémon fans threatening to find a new monster taming series is like Americans threatening to move to Canada: we’ve all said it at some point, and for completely valid reasons, but the reality is that it just isn’t that easy to pick up and go.  For me at least, it’s hard to pin down exactly what it is about Pokémon that’s central to my interest in it, so I’m not quite sure what to look for in other monster tamers.  At the very least, when something like Palworld rolls around I can easily tell that it’s not that.  The last several Pokémon games have been some of my favorites, but I’ve remained curious about the genre at large; unfortunately these games are innately a rather large commitment, which doesn’t pair well with my indecisive uncertainty.  All this to say, while I was definitely intrigued by Cassette Beasts when I first heard about it years ago, that intrigue never actually went anywhere…until now.

I believe I recently heard someone toss it out as a recommendation on a stream I was watching, which is why it stuck out when I was browsing the Games Done Quick channel on YouTube.  Out of curiosity, I wound up watching the speedrun.  I then poked around the official wiki a bit and came to realize this game could be very appealing to me specifically.  And BOY was I right about that!

Before we get into it, spoiler-free tl;dr: Cassette Beasts both wears its inspiration proudly on its sleeve and iterates upon it in many truly fascinating ways, with an atmosphere that switches effortlessly between delightfully cozy and creepy cool.  I have some gripes, but I have been thoroughly entertained and downright mesmerized playing this game.  If you have any interest in monster tamers, pixel art indie RPGs, and/or cosmic horror, I highly recommend checking Cassette Beasts out.

>PLAY

The game first asks you to customize your character, sans outfit—that comes later so you’re not entirely overwhelmed right away.  There’s also an option for pronouns, including he/him, she/her, and they/them, which is lovely to see.  You are then dropped onto the shore of a mysterious island, and are found by a girl who tells you that you’ve landed in a different dimension.  So, yes, technically an isekai.  But this is a limbo-esque world that only has humans because they keep falling into it from time to time—every single character is either from another world, or was born to parents who are stuck here.  That, combined with making your character’s explicit goal “find a way home”, excellently avoids the most common pitfalls of the genre and lets you assess it without preconceived notions.  What’s really interesting about this is that people are pulled from many different worlds, and from various points in the timeline: you have characters talking about the Mars landing of 1969 and the 20th century peace treaty with the elves, and also famous Greek philosophers and Karl Marx.  I love how eclectic it is, and it’s frequently used in really funny ways. (You all remember Diogenes, right?  Guess what traits are shared by all the monsters he uses.) The people brought here have all banded together in a mutually supportive community, with everyone contributing what they can and materials like wood and metal being traded for goods as opposed to using money.  Why do we want to go home again?  This sounds like a nice place to live!

But anyway, we’re here for the monsters.  And in-game they are just called “monsters”, never “Cassette Beasts”.  Which strikes me as odd.  But the monsters have been in this world way longer than the cassette tapes, which are actually a relatively recent arrival courtesy of an isekai’d shopping mall.  Rather than catching a monster, you record them on a blank tape, meaning that even if you are successful you’ll still need to defeat the monster or flee to end the battle.  You then use your tape and cassette player to take on the form and powers of the recorded monster, and fight your battles first-hand!  Pokémon briefly flirted with this idea in a spin-off manga (Pokémon ReBURST), but here it’s fully embraced; this sort of approach can be seen in other aspects too, as we’ll see later.  After learning the basics, you’re given a few major questlines and then set free into the open world of New Wirral, tackling whatever catches your attention as you romp around.  There is some level-scaling, though I’m not sure of the specifics.  Regardless, both it and enemy AI can be adjusted via Settings, and you can also turn off the glitch effects that show up if those are impacting your experience.  In battle you control both your avatar and one of several recruitable partners, and can carry up to six tapes at a time—essentially Doubles format, with all the complexity and chaos that entails.  One very interesting wrinkle in the formula is that in addition to the tapes/monsters having health bars, the humans also have their own health bar, hidden under that of their tape as if the tape’s HP was a shield meter.  If attacks overkill your tape, the excess damage is dealt to your own HP, and if you lose all of your HP then you’re done regardless of how many tapes you have left.  It’s an important extra resource to keep in mind, and the same is true for (most) NPC cassette-users: if you deal enough damage to their own health bar you can defeat them without having to get through all of their tapes.  Until the late/post-game, that is, where your human foes are invulnerable beneath their tapes while you very much are not, and that feels very unfair.  I also find it strange that there’s no item for restoring your human HP—campfires to rest at are fairly plentiful, but it’s still somewhat odd.

Each monster has one type, and rather than limited uses for each of its moves, both characters generate AP every turn they can then spend on certain attacks.  Moves also each have a type, but while there is a same type attack bonus (STAB), it’s not as significant as it is in Pokémon.  Naturally, each type has advantages and disadvantages over other types, but!  Weakness and resistance is also toned way down, and is not your primary goal when using type advantage. Type interaction is far, far more nuanced in this game, involving the entire spectrum of ailments and buffs and debuffs, and even changing the target’s type.  For example: Water extinguishes Fire, temporarily reducing its attack power.  Using Fire on Water creates steam, which heals Water over the next few turns.  Fire also melts Ice, changing it to a Water type for a few turns.  And this is all just barely scratching the surface!  A chart showing these interactions is given to you in-game, which is nice; more than that, whenever you discover a new interaction for the first time, a tutorial box pops up and elaborates on the effects, as well as providing an explanation of why (extinguish, steam, melt, etc) that goes a long way in keeping track of them all.  While a fantastic feature, it can get repetitive at times: the mystical Astral type has identical interactions with all four classical elements, and despite all 4 being mentioned the first time, you’ll still get that same text box explaining that interaction 4 times.  Types range from the usual suspects (Fire, Water, Air) to some very…surprising choices (Glass, Plastic, Glitter), plus Typeless moves that take on the type of the monster using them.  Moves are treated as stickers applied to your tapes, and can be peeled and moved at your discretion; you obtain them either from leveling up a tape, or from shops and chests and drops.  Leveling up monsters (from 0 to 5 stars) also increases their max AP and how many move slots they have, and I think slightly increases their stats?  Your human characters, though, have their own stats which increase as you level them up from 1 to…well I’m not sure exactly but it exceeds 100 at least.  I couldn’t tell you the exact mathematical way the two sets of stats interact, but it’s a neat idea, strengthening yourself as well as the tapes you collect.  Your partners gain experience even if they’re not with you, and thank God they do, otherwise it’d be a pain to spend proper time with each and every one of them.

There’s one other major battle mechanic unlocked at the end of the tutorial segment: Fusion.  After filling up a meter, your avatar and partner can fuse their monster forms together to unleash hell upon your enemies.  Monster sprites were made modular so that the game could automatically generate fusions on its own, meaning that there are in fact over 16000 different fusions you can make, and your bestiary will keep a list of them all. (Thank God there are absolutely no incentives for filling that list!) Fusing will also cause whatever music track is playing to gain vocals, which is a fun way to up the presentation factor.  Your relationship with your partner is key to Fusion: its measured from 0 to 5 hearts, and you need at least 1 to be able to perform Fusion at all.  At 2 hearts, you gain a super move.  Every level gained increases the stats of your fusion as well.  It’s a fun mechanic to mess around with, even if a lot of the fusions can look a bit derpy—small price for the sheer flexibility of the system.  I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that Pokémon fans have been enamored with fusion since at least B2W2; I doubt it’s coincidence that Cassette Beasts chose to implement it as a Mega Evolution-esque gimmick.  Once you get to the late/post-game, the NPC fights also gain access to Fusion, giving you a chance to figure out ways to play around the feature from the other side.

Like I said before, this game greatly expands upon a number of fan-favorite concepts from Pokémon, and I’m pleased to say that extends all the way to Shinies.  Every monster has a small chance to be a “bootleg”, with not only a different color scheme, but a different type.  There are a total of 14 types in the game.  Do you see where this is going?  Every single monster has 14 variants with different types and color palettes (even their original type, weirdly enough?).  And every single one has a page in their bestiary dedicated solely to tracking how many of these variants you’ve found.  Probably nightmarish for a completionist, but holy shit is that insanely cool!  Multiple palettes to choose from instead of being stuck with just one that might suck!  And they have mechanical differences to incentivize recording them beyond simply collector’s value!  Fantastic!  There are also various ways to increase your odds, all the way up to 20% in specific cases, which I imagine will entice quite a few players into the hobby of bootleg hunting.

Let’s see, what other mechanical topics can I cover before moving onto more story-related stuff?  Field moves are a thing—you obtain them by recording a specific monster, and in the case of some like the glide you’ll partially transform when it’s activated.  I think it strikes a nice balance: it’s dependent on what you yourself have actually recorded, but doesn’t ask you to dedicate move or party slots to it.  Their approach to evolution feels simplified: when you rest after getting a tape to 5 stars, you’ll be prompted to “remaster” it if applicable, rather than having to guess which level you should be aiming for.  There are a few wrinkles when it comes to branching evolutions, but only a few, and mostly come down to either having a certain move on the monster to change its remaster, or, after choosing to remaster, being given two options right there.  Those options can be a bit vague, though; I looked into it ahead of time, and if I had gone with the option my gut opted for when remastering my starter, I would have gotten the less cool-looking monster.  I also want to mention the loading screens; you know how The Sims lists random stuff on its loading screens?  They do something similar here, except they’re all related to one of the monsters: “Directing Traffikrab”, “Tuning Kittelly”, “Sharpening Ripterra’s knifeclaws”.  It’s a little thing but I find it charming, and perhaps a bit devious in making players curious to track down these various monsters being teased.  Oh, and selecting the Flee option will tell you your percent chance to flee, and even if you fail you can still choose to blackout if you really just want to get out of there.  There’s also a Mystery Gift analogue that’s been used to distribute various bootlegs, and things I haven’t even tried like the “Gym Pass” to customize your player character's stats.  Beating the game also unlocks customization options for future playthroughs like randomizers and permadeath.  There’s a LOT.  It’s a very packed game.

Right then, story.  There are two BIG big questlines, one of which being a setup similar to collecting Gym Badges: there are 12 special NPCs all over the map who give you a stamp when you defeat them, but rather than specializing in a certain type, they tend to have a favorite tactic they employ in battle.  One of the easiest to find specializes in moves that create defensive walls; one particularly annoying one prioritizes controlling accuracy and evasion; there’s even one who specializes in just one particular monster with an elaborate signature move.  It’s perhaps not an enormous difference, but again, it’s nuanced.  There is also a “Champion” fight at the end, but I won’t get into that.  More importantly, the questline that the game is largely centered around and leads to the end credits, is the hunt for hidden subway stations that house powerful, eldritch boss monsters known as Archangels.  Apparently, when humans first wound up in New Wirral, they didn’t know what to make of the monsters and tended to refer to them as angels or demons.  That fell out of fashion as the community came to understand monsters better.  The Archangels, however, cannot be understood by human minds.  Each one is drawn/animated in its own style that clashes with the world around them—your partners all say that it hurts just to look at them, and just being in the stations makes them feel uneasy.  A personal favorite is the claymation skeleton with a vertical mouth, to give you some idea of what to expect.  These fights have their own unique mechanics, and the Archangels tend to hit very, very hard; if you do survive, some floating guy in a red coat with a 3D rendered reflective triangle for a head shows up and absorbs the boss (concerning), and you’re given part of a riddle that will eventually lead you to the final dungeon.  The vibes are incredibly at odds with the typical overworld gameplay, and I mean that in THE best possible way.  The Archangels were a real highlight for me.

In addition to those, every partner you can recruit has their own questline, which can range from a single fight all the way to finding 6 hidden locations around the map with their own substantial battles to win.  The girl who finds you at the start of the game, Kayleigh, is your first partner, first having a quest that’s essentially “finish the tutorial” before switching to a more personal quest that involves dealing with an actual cult.  You’re also very early on pushed in the direction of Eugene, who has that long, long quest finding hidden locations all over the map.  Slow-going as it is, though, it’s about fighting off a horde of capitalist vampires who are trying to establish a housing market, so.  That’s fucking hilarious.  But it has stiff competition in Felix’s quest, where you follow his middle school OC brought to life as she journeys to four sacred altars to slay their guardians.  That’s right, Felix’s edgy anime OC, an angel demon catgirl ninja named Kuneko, is also up and about in New Wirral and he is mortified by this discovery.  Excellent questline, no notes.  Another partner you’ll run into fairly early is Meredith; her quest involves navigating a dungeon you probably won’t get to for a good while, though it’s a solid dungeon when you do get to it.  There’s also Viola, the character from Twelfth Night by William fucking Shakespeare, whose search for her brother takes her into a haunted shipwreck to face a villain from a different Shakespeare story.  New Wirral is very eclectic.  But perhaps least expected of all is Barkley the dog.  One of your playable partners is a dog.  His quest is the shortest and an utterly fucking brutal punch to the emotional gut.  Anyway I like all these folks, they’ve got personality and endearing character development that touches on some personally relevant topics.  Aside from Barkley, you can romance any partner after maxing out your relationship level, and that was a tough choice to make.  The Gym Leader analogues are sufficiently quirky for their role, and you meet a handful of other perfectly fine recurring characters—including a few who are only encountered in post-game quests.  If I’m really being strict here, I don’t think I’d say any of this game’s characters have jumped the ranks to new blorbo status, but take that as you will.

The post-game has an interesting structure to it.  You don’t unlock any new areas, not really, but after engaging with the newly-unlocked sidequest board for a bit, you gain access to a few longer questlines.  There are two that eventually come together which each feature their own new characters, one following the direct consequences of actions you took earlier in the story, and one that’s about someone new being dropped onto New Wirral, showing that the world keeps turning even if your particular story is over.  There’s also another questline which delves even deeper into the background lore of the game, and that’s something I’ll never get enough of.  The repeating sidequests are brief and rewarding enough to from a satisfying gameplay loop to disguise the grind, and I’m only just now considering an extended break after nearly 70 hours total gameplay (which I would guess is around half post-game).

Oh, I should also talk more about the bestiary and completing it!  Each monster has the standard flavor text and habitat listing, plus that page that tracks bootlegs, and a list of how many you’ve encountered/defeated.  However, when you raise a tape to 5 star level, you also unlock an additional page of flavor text, usually something related to the inspiration for the monster’s design.  While heavily scaled back, having this sort of progression in the bestiary reminds me of doing research in Pokémon Legends Arceus, and I very much appreciate that.  Going that far is optional, of course—really, doing anything involving the bestiary is optional.  But the game does nudge you in that direction and reward you several times along the way.  When you first encounter the “professor” character, he gives you a series of quests that just ask you to record one of the monsters found in the central region of the map.  Easy!  From there, he gives you a handful of resources and tapes every time you hit a new milestone of 10 monsters recorded.  In the post-game you can also randomly get quests asking you to get a certain monster to 5 star, or perform a specific fusion, or use a specific monster to fight the professor’s assistant, all slowly, slowly nudging you in the direction of completion.  But what’s really interesting is that you don’t necessarily have to fully complete the bestiary to get the grand prize (this game’s equivalent to the Master Ball).  Cassette Beasts originally had 120 monsters.  A later update raised that to 128, and some time after that, they released a DLC that added a handful of unnumbered monsters.  You get the Master Tape by recording 128 monster species.  So, if you record a bunch of the DLC monsters, you can “complete” the bestiary without tracking down every last monster in the base game.  If you do go beyond that, the completion percentage will actually go over 100%, which is so weird to see, but in a cool way.  It seems the intention was specifically to not make completion increasingly difficult as new updates are added, which is honestly pretty rad!  And, again, though I appreciate the bestiary remembering all of your fusions, I’m so glad there’s nothing incentivizing you to from every last one of them.  Same goes for bootlegs.  So, does this mean future updates/DLC with even more monsters are on the way?  No clue.  But they are working on a multiplayer update expected to release soon! (I don’t have Switch Online so I won’t be able to do much with that lol.)

I did purchase the DLC right away; I was confident I would enjoy the game enough I would want it eventually, and buying them both together was slightly cheaper than buying them separately. (The bundle also comes with a cosmetics pack but it’s nothing that interests me personally.) After progressing through the main quest enough that you become able to access the final dungeon, a small boat washes ashore, and you’re able to ride it to a dock in the middle of the ocean housing some sort of carnival.  The ringmistress asks you to explore the three major attractions and beat their power sources, the “Infernal Engines”, into submission.  Despite being a small area it’s still just as open-ended as New Wirral, an effort I appreciate.  You can tackle the attractions in any order you want, even leave in the middle of one to go do another if you prefer.  The place is also populated by several new monsters to record, including one of my personal favorites, a ghostly book monster named Hauntome.  It’s a few mini-dungeons, some solid bosses capping them off, and then one last boss, with a loose story in the background that has some connections to the main story but isn’t anything essential.  I don’t know if I’d go as far as to call it a must-buy, but it is fun, and inexpensive, and more Cassette Beasts.  Up to you.

There are two major themes I picked up on during my playthrough: community and art.  The people who’ve ended up in New Wirral, in spite of coming from countless different dimensions, have all banded together to support each other and however many newcomers show up; they don’t even ask for anything in return, they just value life and want to be sure people are cared for.  The theme that plays in Harbourtown is transparent about this: “we’re all in the same ship […] but at least we’re together […] I don’t know you but we’ll make the most of / wherever we are now”.  Fusion is about literally joining with someone to create something stronger than either of you could do on your own.  There are even some genuinely scary twisted manifestations of this idea, like the Mournington cult and the truth behind the Landkeepers—people crave community, and there are some who will use that to their own advantage.  It’s baked into the motivations of all your partners, and, switching gears, most of them are heavily connected to art too!  Felix is an artist learning he doesn’t need to be ashamed of his past, less “polished” work.  Kayleigh, after addressing her regrets with Mournington, reconnects with her old hobby of playing guitar.  Meredith actually takes things in a different direction: she used to spend all of her time consuming vast quantities of art to the point that it cut her off from her community, showing that you still need to exercise moderation when it comes to art.  Viola is a character from another, pre-existing work of art!  The Archangels play into this as well: one of the biggest things setting them apart is the way they clash with the rest of the game’s art style, and their nature as incarnations of humankind’s ideas is a delightfully malevolent spin on the whole thing.

Taking these two themes together, Cassette Beasts presents a thesis on our responsibility to our fellow people and how we can all find our own way to fulfill it, with a particular focus on art and how it broadly conveys our ideas and inspires change.  The final boss fight punctuates this beautifully when, after Aleph destroys your cassette player, Morgante awakens and tells you that you don’t truly need the cassettes.  “THE ABILITY TO MANIFEST YOUR WILL TO ALTER REALITY…TO CHANGE YOUR WORLD, AND YOURSELVES...THAT LIES WITHIN YOU.”  Then she and ALL of your partners fuse with your avatar, and through your combined might, you strike down the malevolent forces in your way, secure a path home, and bring a huge, fundamental change to New Wirral as its inhabitants now have the option to decide if they should stay or go.  It’s an extremely satisfying ending, even if it does see you and your partners going their separate ways.  But, who knows?  Given a few tidbits from the post-game, it sounds like we just might get to meet them again someday.

Again, I had a really, really great time with Cassette Beasts and highly recommend it.  It’s charming, its fun, and it’s only $20!  Maybe don’t get it on Switch, though, not if you can’t stand frequent load times.

And, just to brag about my bootlegs a little:

-The random free bootleg from Harbourtown was a Glass-type Dandylion for me

-The freebie Ritual Candle netted me a Water-type Glaistain!

-The post-game bootleg starter, I got a Poison-type Candevil

-Was able to use the mailbox to get a Fire-type Undyin

-And obviously there’s Barkley’s Ice-type Pombomb

-The first one I encountered purely by chance was an Astral-type Jellyton

-Air-type Jellyton

-Ice-type Carniviper

-Astral-type Carniviper

-Fire-type Traffikrab

-Plant-type Squirey

-Ice-type Boltam

-Lightning-type Snoopin

-Poison-type Kirikuri

-Glass-type Scubalrus

-Glass-type Spooki-onna

-Lightning-type Dominoth

-A Fire-type Piksie

-A Glitter-type Picksie

#Cassette Beasts #Game Night

[wisteriagoesvroom]

lovingly stolen from the feed...

star sign: aquarius. which i apparently share with megan thee stallion. can't be mad at that. (also apparently - pierre, checo, george, nyck and liam?!?)

favorite holiday: mid-autumn festival. lanterns! gazing whimsical at the moon! inhaling my weight in weird-flavoured mooncakes!

last meal: some salmon sandwich thing at my local overpriced, but beloved, neighbourhood cafe. and calbee spicy chips.

current favorite musician: f1 writing has got me back into my White Indie Bands Era from like fifteen years ago. so a lot of arctic monkeys and yeah yeah yeahs i guess?

last song listened to: what's the time where you are? by troye sivan. a big landoscar mood.

last movie watched: beyonce's renaissance concert film

last tv show watched: *long sigh* DTS again

last book finished: erm. good question. this one is gonna probably be a fanfic. oh yeah, sawtooth!! for an actual book, i'm working my way through red white + royal blue. (i'm in my yaoi era ok leave me alone.)

last book abandoned: a very forgettable Romance novel. for the record i *love* romance novels, this one was just so badly written and assumed i had so much knowledge about the characters 'cus it was book 2 in a series. it was a sad DNF for me especially 'cus both protags were asian :(

currently reading: that one from work can come over on monday night by @freeuselandonorris. it is a very good and breezy landsocar story! so tender and hot and funny! i recommend it!

last thing researched for writing/art/hyperfixation: "what is a backmarker" probably. i'm a f1 noob i only got here two months ago!!

favorite online fandom memory: too many. recent ones include all the ppl who are in my DMs or asks to talk about random f1 stuff and rpf blorbo nonsense. u r very dear + cherished to me!!

favorite old fandom you wish would drag you back in/have a resurgence: extremely niche but, the five people who were around for edith/sherlock from enola holmes, the tv show

favorite thing you enjoy that never had an active or big fandom, but you wish it did: the silent sea (2021)

tempting project you don't have time for: a f1 word prompt account

tagging whoever wants to do it! (no pressure.) my usual salad tags of @dirchristophernolan @linewire @supercollide @callsign-shortstack @lecrep @fueledbyremembering + lovely new ppl i met here recently @lovelylotus-writing @souvenir116 @ssamja-hoonie @verstaaphpan @vastappenen

#about me post #wisteria talks

[nautiscarader]

What the hecking heck happened with me - THE UNNECESSARY (and kinda boring) SEQUEL

So you might have noticed I have been absent for the past 2.5 weeks. So, where have I been? What has happened to me?

Well, you see, I got this magical music box, and when I opened it, I was transported into a different world full of talking frogs, toads and-

Wait, I've done this bit already.

....

Yeah, got into hospital. AGAIN.

Same warning as before applies, regarding medical stuff. Especially if you are eating.

Chapter 13: Wednesday Night's fever

So around three weeks ago I found myself really sapped of strength. Well, as you might recall, I basically had a fall and got wounds on my hip. Or to put it in another words:

Well, something from those wounds got infected or something and started affecting my whole body. The effect? Pretty much daily ~38C (~100F) fevers that drained me of energy.

No, buddy, the solution is paracetamol.

That was helping me daily when I was in hospital while getting some long-term antibiotics.

So, yeah, not to blow the trumpet, it was pretty much that: drips, pills, drips, pills, gastroscopy, drips, pi-wait, what did I say AND WHAT IS THIS THING-

Chapter 14: Gastroscopy

So I had to have gastroscopy done, which, in case you don't know is basically a tube with camera being inserted into your esophagus and-

Yeah, not pleasant. But the whole thing lasted only about 10 minutes, and the worst part was the first 30 seconds. So, no biggie. Now, let's talk about....

Chapter 15: Neighbours

Because they were really an odd collection.

First one was just an old dude who hated when I asked to open windows (and of course just as I was admitted spring temps have arrived)

Second one was a detective! In fact he has just solved a murder mystery that happened in the adjacent room! And the murderer was his roommate!

... yeah, he was pretty out of touch with reality, they took him after a day.

And then comes our star: Typical Janush, or Ordinary Janusz, as the Polish meme goes (don't worry if you don't get it)

This absolute unit of Polishness with huuuuge beer belly, bald spot and moustache has brought with him in his bag of holding:

coffee and sugar (nothing spectacular tbh)

TWO different chocolate waffers packs,

two strawberry chocolate bars,

Toffee sweets,

coffee sweets,

TWO different types of sausages,

home-made chicken wings,

and a jar of pickled mushrooms (fereality-indy DNI)

What else did he have in it? I don't know, and frankly, I am scared of the possibilities. This guy could give Mary Poppins a run when it comes to that bag.

He cursed like a sailor when he watched the news - and he watched all the news, he was funding the TV, so he might as well get what he's paid for.

He was also... really kind. He helped me with everything I couldn't do, sometimes faster than the nurses. Really awesome dude.

And the last one who was admitted JUST as I was leaving, was a 96-year old grandpa with some gastric problems. What problems? I don't know, but imagine a cat coughing up a furball... at a volume of a small steam locomotive. At 2 a.m. Every half an hour.

i only had to deal with him for a day.

He also brought... a flask with him.

The one they usually sell spirytus in. Now, it did NOT contain alcohol, just lemon-flavoured water.... but you had to see the nurse's reaction when he was seen casually drinking from it :) He was politely told to use other vessels.

And as a bonus, there was a guy in adjacent room who sometimes visited us and wore a curious t-shirt.... you know the "how do you do fellow kids" meme, right?

and how they just wrote "music band" in order to avoid problems with AC/DC copyright?

Well, his T-shirt had a generic basketball and words "Basketball Team est. 1992". And that's it. No other allusions to, say, Chicago Bulls, or any other team. Just that.

We have reached singularity, people.

Chapter 16: In conclusion, it was mostly boring

Yeah, I have to admit, this stay wasn't that eventful, which I guess I should count as blessing. What else to add... Oh, all the nurses were h*cking cute!

One even recognised me from my first visit!

So, yeah, now I've done the unpacking, and oh boy, you always collect lots of stuff you then forget about.

Like-

Wait, the heck is that?

It... it looks like I have written a 4k Glitch Techs G-rated fic... on my phone! Which has non-existent keyboard! Wait, that can't be right...

It's mostly done, but not finished... Still, it's a shame if it got wasted, right?

#personal

[handgiven]

TAG NINE PEOPLE YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW BETTER!

I. favourite colours: yellow & blue, especially when they occur together (like on van gogh's yellow house painting, or the siesta painting, or like when it's stormy and the sky is dark blue and grey, but the sun still shines on the yellowy buildings, or yellow acer leaves)

II. favourite flavours: palm sugar, pho broth, wild blueberries, masala chai, walnuts & honey, rosehip, elderberry

III. favourite genres: urban fantasy, queer & historical queer lit, poetry in prose, dystopian, philosophical, interviews with ordinary people & stories about ordinary people (bohumil hrabal, my beloved)

IV. favourite music: ambient, indie, folk, folk-punk, folk-rock, lo-fi (mostly i like anything that i can vibe with on account of the Vibes)

V. favourite movies: the fall (2006) -- it's so beautiful and it uses real locations and !!!!!! it's so good and sad and beautiful, maurice (1987) -- historical queer story with a happy ending, thank you mr e.m.forster o7, hombre mirando al sudeste (1986) -- philosophical scifi kind of thing it lives rent-free in my head, rent-a-neko (2012) -- "are you lonely? i'll rent you a cat.", jojo rabbit (2019), lola rennt (1998), mad max: fury road (2015), pride (2014), isle of dogs (2018), inside llewyn davis (2013), samotáři (2000)

VI. favourite series: in the flesh (2013), firefly (2002), the good place (2016-2020), attack on titan (still haven't seen the last two episodes, so no spoilers haha), the magicians (2015-2020), crazy ex-girlfriend (2015-2019), black books

VII. last song: radio by fred again.. & brian eno

VIII. last series: genuinely do not recall, but it might be good omens season 2, i just didn't have time to watch anything else since that came out

IX. last movie: blow-up (1966)

X. currently reading: lots of things started, none finished, but i do carry 'matter & desire' by andreas weber wherever i go these days s o i guess that; i am also listening to vonnegut's mother night as an audiobook :')

XI. currently watching: trying to listen to wtnv for the 5142952 time

XII. currently working on: art project for uni, deep-cleaning up my living space for the first time in months, trying to sort through my drafts & asks so it's all manageable

tagged by: stolen from @chiefofstafftanner tagging: @spookyagentfmulder @beyondthescully @talentforlying @shilohgreen @void-foxy @primordialchoice @amischiefofmuses @ravmalakh && anyone who sees this and is intrigued enough .) (also all you tagged people do feel free to ignore this, i appreciate you either way !!)

#▻ 𝐺𝐸𝑁𝐸𝑅𝐴𝐿 、ooc ⁽ ᵐᵃʸᵇᵉ ᶦ'ˡˡ ᵍʳᵒʷ ᵒᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᶦᵗ ⁾ #in the spirit of munday (:

[cq-studios]

Questions for 15 Friends Tag Game

Tagged by @corishadowfang ^^

Rules: Answer the questions, then tag 15 people.

ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

Not that I know of. I think my middle name was after someone but, if that's the case, I don't know who.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

This weekend watching Days. That game breaks me every time.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

Nope and don't ever plan on it.

WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED?

Uhhhh, none.

I tried out for the basketball team twice in elementary school but didn't make the team either time. That school, and especially the coach, had it out for me though (I am neurodivergent had behavioural issues so they didn't let me do much).

If it counts, I was on the Improv team in middle school. That was a ton of fun and I would've kept doing it into highschool if the teacher who was in charge of the competitions didn't retire (no one stepped up after that)

Other than that not really anything.

DO YOU USE SARCASM?

Oh definitely. I grew up in an incredibly sarcastic household lol

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

Uhhh, I haven't really thought about it...

Probably hair? That's how I tend to recognise most people, which is most definitely unreliable (thanks for that brain lol).

Shout out to that one time my friend got a drastically different haircut than usual, didn't tell me, and I didn't recognise her until she spoke to me lol

WHAT’S YOUR EYE COLOUR?

Brown.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

Definitely happy endings. I have absolutely no tolerance for scary things.

My pour soul got nightmares so easy as a kid I wasn't allowed to watch Scooby Doo because it would keep me up at night lol

ANY TALENTS?

I'd feel weird saying anything artistic, because honestly I consider those skills more than talents (since they're something I actually work towards improving and not something that I can just do for some reason lol).

So alternatively, I think my talent is simultaneously have the worlds worst and best balance. Like I can fill up a cup completely (and I mean completely, there's a meniscus and everything) and I can bring that up to my mouth without spilling a drop, but at the same time, there have been several occasions where I have fallen out of chairs while doing nothing but colouring. I can walk across a completely rounded balance beam (like curtain rod look and size) eyes closed and backwards, but walking I'm tripping every other step.

I can also quack like a duck so convincingly I've tricked hunters lol

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

I'm not entirely sure...

Somewhere around the southern Quebec-Ontario border I think?

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?

Drawing, animating, reading, writing, and playing video games (and doing stuff for local theatre productions if that counts).

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?

Yes, currently I have a dog, Neve. She's a Golden Retriever-Labrador mix and she's very strange.

My brother also has a cat, but she lives in the basement and I never see her lol

HOW TALL ARE YOU?

I couldn't tell you the last time I measured my height, but I'm only a bit taller than my mom (4"11 and a bit), so probably 5"-5"1.

FAVOURITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL?

Chemistry.

I love chemistry. I love balancing formulas. I love the experiments and demonstrations (even if when I was doing them I kept burning my hands... I swear I was being careful I'm just cursed lol). I love learning about all the elements properties and stuff. The math isn't awful (like in physics). And it makes me feel smart.

DREAM JOB?

My dream job is whatever I have to do to be able to make my own show (my current plan is making an indie studio) and also being able to make a living off of doing tables at cons.

I'm actually slowly but surely working towards both right now. A lot of just saving and planning at the moment but I'm getting there.

Gonna start applying for grants soon-ish, so wish me luck lol

I don't really have 15 people to tag so, uhh, open tag I guess lol

#According to my friends and family I have a tendency to overshare so hopefully this isn't one of those times lol

[naneun-no]

7 Things

🌸🕺🏻🥊💟🩲🫦👖

(My thoughts are scattered lately so here are seven strays, if anyone actually reads this lmk your thoughts!)

🌸 1. Was listening to Wild Flower and was reminded once again how much I wish Jimin could have sung the chorus 🤣 I totally get why he didn’t, I get that it was RM’s thing, and it’s really cool how many different artists he was able to collab with for Indigo. I just can totally hear Jimin belting in his indie-girl voice when I hear youjeen and it makes me wistful. I know I’m not the only one.

🕺🏻2. Speaking of indie-girl voice, I’m trying to manage expectations for JM’s album but I love his voice and vibe so much I’m having a hard time tempering my excitement. I’m sorta hoping for some sort of fusion of Prince, FINNEAS, the song Promise and Jimin’s verse in Vibe 😅 but also, I’m looking forward to being surprised. What about y’all?

🥊 3. I’m cracking up, Jimin is still shameless. Out there for everyone to see talking that flirty shit all “Keep growing and protect hyung 🥺”, bitch —

💟 This might piss people off, but 4. I had kind of written off Dreamers after listening to it a few good times when it first came out. It was okay to me, but just that. Okay. After watching the Bangtan Bomb for Dreamers I’m way more into the song, and can I just say — that is Big Hit’s entire marketing scheme in a nutshell and I can’t stress that enough. I’m even aware of it, and it still works like a charm on me. Cause like, that second verse of Dreamers is almost objectively bad. The weird rap-sing combo with meaningless lyrics that does absolutely nothing to support the lofty beauty of the chorus. And that’s not Jung Kook’s fault, he didn’t write it, but imo, it’s still a pretty mediocre submission to the world history of recorded music. But seeing JK in the studio stressing and poring over the sheets and doing his best and learning the choreo and working his ass off makes me listen to it with rose-colored… eardrums (bad metaphor sorry) and next thing I know I’m jamming to it while I clean the kitchen, singing along to that second verse like it’s poetry. So it’s as a good a time as any to remember that while BTS does in fact make good music, sometimes very good music, not all of it is equally good* — and some of it is very close to being not good at all — but we are conditioned to like it anyways because we love the seven men who are making it. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Just… you know. We should probably recognize it, at least occasionally. *I realize Dreamers isn’t a BTS song, but the same applies to certain ones they’ve made/collaborated on. Thoughts?

🩲5. Are we all ready to accept that JK is not going to be the next face of CK? Lol. I guess it could still happen, but I sort of began to doubt it when my boy was downing beer and scarfing chicken two nights in a row. We know that ain’t the way he eats when he has a photoshoot coming up, lol. Even if it wasn’t Jung Kook, CK still got themselves an itty bitty waist big eyed beauty though, so I’ll be respectfully enjoying myself some Jennie in her underwear for the time being 😘

The last two are song recs:

🫦 6. Trigger, Seori. From 2020.

Or do you wanna bite my lips and taste my blood? Come be dirty with me.

*shivers in bisexual*

👖7. Hurt, New Jeans.

Not as depressing as the title makes it sound!

If you made it this far, I need song/musician recs too. Send me some?

Until next time ✌️

#random thoughts #jikook #bts

[lazypanartist]

Hi i went with a different take on this one i hope you enjoy this blind box!! Also, another Yokai reader because i find them so fun to write.

- 📝 anon

---

Leonardo never thought you'd be here. If he did, he never in a million years would have dragged himself into these rafters, let alone his brothers. Never snuck his family into this free showing of New York Indie Music show by the docks. Never gave them a front row seat to his downfall.

After all, he never knew you of all people joined a band.

He was about to say they should all bounce, say that he and his hermanos should ditch and go get some pizza, but…well, his wretched darling little brother looked over one of the metal beams he laid across and down at the newest band on stage, and perked in curiosity.

"Hey! It's your ex!"

Awesome. Cool. Super super cool.

Donatello looked down as well, scrunching his snout some before going back to looking at his phone. "Let's see here…Ah yeah, Dark Lighthouse. Looking at everything here, it seems they're friends with the guitarist and sometimes lend their voice to some songs. My guess is the band is using one of those."

What rotten luck. That six month old wound opened up like the eye of a storm.

"And you didn't say anything because…?"

"Uh, you said you both agreed to split and that it was cool? Plus, I didn't know they were performing a song they had a part in."

Leonardo grumbled and looked away, back down at you, eyes trailing over your agitated shadow under the harsh lights. Tendrils of your hidden form twisting and weaving anxiously.

He remembered when you got that crack on your cloaking broach. Your shadow never did look right after that, but it still compressed your much bigger, more sharp and tentacle-y form down into a handsome package that fit in his arms nicely. It never mattered how you looked though, either form was marvelous to him.

"You good man..?" Raphael patted his shell. "You're lookin' pale."

No. He was sitting above the reason why he couldn't move on. Sitting above the person who severed ties with him with no explanation.

The sea monster yokai who had sunk his heart like a stray lifeboat.

"I'm fine."

"You wanna head out?" His older brother asked, looking down at you as well. You looked distant, but even he could see you were trying to calm your nerves. The small audience was milling about, not really paying attention as you set up.

Yes. Yes yes yes yes yes-

"No! No, it's fine. They just gotta sing one song and then it's onward to the next band. It's whatever, I don't care." Leonardo watched as you turned to the drummer, who said something that you gave a stilted nod to. He knew he was lying through his teeth, but he couldn't leave. Something about it sat poorly in his gut.

Mikey gave him a disapproving look. "Nardo, it's fine if we head out. It's-"

"Let's stay. Just one song."

Sighing, the youngest shrugged and the four continued to watch Dark Lighthouse get ready. "I think that's a bad choice, but if it gives you some closure, okay…"

He wondered if you would sound like you did when you used to sing with him in the kitchen, making breakfast burritos or scrubbing last night's supper off the plates. He remembered calling you a Siren once, with how your voice would lead anyone to you.

You gave him a half hour talk about how Sirens were bird women and you were decidedly more sea creature-y and not like the temptresses. Apparently it was a big deal between the avians and sea folk.

A guitar began to play, strumming a riff that made him think of a rocking boat on dark waves. More instruments dropped in, and he could feel the salty air and the whirling ocean breeze.

And then you began harmonizing with the rest of the band members, and Leonardo felt his heart crush the air from his lungs and fill with only thoughts of you. And then your swirling voice pulled him in.

"On some level I think I always understood

That these hands of mine were clumsy, not clever."

Leon saw the nights he shared with you in the mystic city, cooking with you only to find you'd cut or burn yourself. Nights he'd hold your clawed hand gently and wrap a plaster around the offensive area. The sharp nails made you have issues with fine motor things, but he marveled at them all the same, decorated with colourful bandages or not.

"And I tried to do the best that I could

But try as I might, I couldn't bring myself to hold you."

The terrapin thought of how you always seemed so…distant. 

You were never good with physical affection. He thought you might have been similar to his brother Donnie, but instead of being overstimulated by touch sometimes…

It was almost like you were scared to touch him. Like he would break.

"It's a secret I keep tucked inside my chest. With this heart of mine that's guilty, not remorseful."

He wanted you back. He felt like a ship, longing to dock but being turned away. Aching for respite but having no option to find a port.

"There is love that doesn't have a place to rest…" 

He still loved you. Six months did nothing to turn the tide in his chest. And he had a feeling you loved him, too!

Leonardo thinks that scares you.

"-But it would have buried you if it had settled on your shoulders…"

Like you thought your love was nothing but a burden to him.

The night you left him played on repeat in his mind. How you claimed you would do nothing but hold him back. He wished you would let him make the decision of whether you were bad for him or not. Wished you weren't so sure you would be his misery.

The ninja continued to watch you, your voice cascading and washing through the crowd like a riptide. People watched, sure, but he felt riveted by your performance. He swore, he could taste the sea breeze of your breath. Could feel the whirlpools your cold hands would trace along his shell's scutes.

"On some level I think I always understood

That a ship could never really love an anchor."

Your thoughts swam with your dark tendrils latching to the anchor line of a ship, his ship, pulling it down, down, down to its doom.

"So I did the only thing that I could

And severed the rope to set you sailing from my harbor…"

You had to cut him free from you. Leonardo, as funny and handsome and charming as he was, would never be happy with the quiet, cold, hard to love likes of you. It would end in tragedy, and you loved him enough to sever your monstrous tendrils that held fast to him.

Sea serpents, krakens, beastly yokai like you…they never got a happy ending. He deserved one. And you'd provide him the opportunity to be free of you and have it.

"There are times when I still wonder about you."

The red eared slider peered over the support beams more. He wanted so badly to leave, but felt like he was drawn to your melancholic voice, knowing he would just be dashed upon the rocks his ship wrecked into. Donatello had to keep a grip on the lip of his shell to make sure he didn't fall from the rafters and do just that.

Even now, you held back, even when it hurt you. Your feelings, your fears…

Your voice.

Leo knew your voice could rip his heart asunder. 

"You are someone I have loved, but never known."

Did you love him still, he wondered? Loved him like he loves you?

It made his heart skip a beat, the ebb and flow of his tide disrupted.

Why weren't you singing like he knew you could?

Why did he want you to? Why did he want to become shipwrecked, sunk into the depths of your echo and scattered like debris along the sharp, unlit cliffs you warned and threatened and promised him?

"And you'll never see the reasons I had

For keeping my claws away, when they were close enough to hurt you."

He wanted it to hurt.

Saltwater trailed down his cheeks as he leaned more, the drops glittering through moonlight and stage lights like the rain of a monsoon before landing on your hands, which clutched the mic like a life ring. You looked up.

Your eyes met.

Brine stung your eyes.

"I am selfish, I am broken, I am cruel."

You never looked away. Leo couldn't find he could either. His heart was too busy fighting the current of your voice, sinking fast into your undertow into the frigid, pitch black depths.

"I am all the things they might have said to you."

Why was he here? Why was he here, now, just when you felt you could finally move on and never think about the warm sun and cool breeze Leonardo brought with him? Why now, when your emotions laid bare and raw and ripped open like whale fall?

You were unwound from him, like plastic and fishing net snipped free of a sea creature's throat. So why was he here, and why was he miserable, and why is it always your fault?

Where was his sun and wind? Why was he nothing but a deluge, dark and miserable as he stared wide eyed down at you, his rain touching the abyss you dwelled?

"Do you ever think of me, and my two hands?"

Leo found himself mouthing his answer as he felt the phantom touch of your clawed, webbed digits on his skin or the cold brush of a smooth tentacle along his arm.

Yes. 

"And wonder why

They never soothed your fevers"

But you soothed his fears during sleepless nights.

"And wonder why

They never tied your shoes"

But you picked him up after particularly brutal fights.

"And wonder why

They never held you gently"

But you sat near him, close enough to touch despite fearing he would catch upon your unpleasantly sharp bits when he craved closeness.

"And wonder why

They never had the chance to lose you"

But he lost you.

The song closed, the rocking ocean waves of the melody ceasing when the band finished, and you dove away off stage, wiping your face silently as you slunk away.

Leo was no better, Michelangelo having to help haul him back onto the rafters they hid in and talked to him quietly, whispering that he would be fine and that they should leave and how he would feel better after time and pizza. Needing to gather himself, Leo asked his brothers to go on ahead, telling them he would catch up soon.

Raphael gave him a tight squeeze, and soon it was just him in that rundown warehouse's ceiling, shuddering breaths making him feel like he was fighting to not breath in sea water.

You slid down the metal siding of the venue, staring at the cold, wet concrete of the alley. Streaks of oil slick soiled your clothes while you did nothing but watch. Three shadows passed to the left, not far from you, and you could hear familiar chatter like that of gulls as they flew away, sailing home across a sea of rooftops like a flock of albatrosses.

A fourth landed nearby, and you struggled to not shoo him away. Instead, you pretended like you weren't there, willing to let your vessel sink below the waves rather than address the other.

Leonardo sat next to you, silently. 

A nautical pennant was raised, awaiting your own.

Your head bowed, accepting his request to communicate despite six months of radio silence.

The two of you talked quietly, sitting on the wet ground as a chill seeped deep into your bones like arctic waves. You played catch up like he wasn't a ship spiraling in the eddies of a maelstrom, like you weren't Charybdis ready to pull him down to you once more. Like the two of you would wash up on black and white sand beaches dotted with coral reefs and promises of safe seas.

"...It uh. Really hurt me when you left. But…it was supposed to, wasn't it?"

You, your feelings bottled tightly like a model ship and held near to your chest, didn't say anything.

"Yeah. I figured. You know, dooming us from the start doesn't make the whole superstition about sea monster yokai being cursed with love any easier to navigate. You gave up before we had a chance."

"...You deserve something that won't ruin you later."

"I mean, yeah. Maybe. And maybe that would have been you, but it could have not been."

You had long since removed your broach. If he was seeing your raw feelings, he should see you as well. Your eyes slowly trailed over to where he sat next to you, pressed against your scaled shoulder.

"...I guess."

"I think…you should try to be a bit more willing to hope for good things. It might do you good."

These waters were treacherous, and neither of you had a way to navigate. He could see the sky, the wind direction, and any approaching weather. You could see the depths, hidden dangers and strong channels and currents that might sweep someone away.

…But. You had each other, one able to help where the other would fail.

Your tightly clenched hands let go, dropping and shattering your bottle.

"I'm scared. This all scares me."

"I know."

"It makes me scared FOR you."

"I know."

"I don't know what to do…" You whispered, flag held aloft. "I don't know where we go from here, what we do from here." You swallowed down an anchor. "I'm sorry. I really am."

Leonardo slowly, slow enough that you could pull away should you wish, tucked his hand into yours and squeezed it. A rush of warm, southern winds fluttered your heart and sail.

The terrapin threw you a line, mooring his ship to you. And you held it fast with scales and fins and claw.

"I accept your apology, and I forgive you. It's okay to mess up."

You wanted to argue against his words, but in doing so you would no longer be tethered. So, instead, you held tighter and trusted his direction.

"You're right."

"Of course I am!" He smirked up at you charmingly, and your tentacles twisted and writhed as you remembered what made you fall so hard for him in the first place.

His smile. His warmth. His wit.

His sail caught a breeze, and your thick, finned tail caught a current, the two of you maneuvering away from the rocks and high tides.

"Can we try again?"

Another rope tossed down. You caught it between rows of teeth and began to pull him, cautious to not shred the lines he gave you.

"I would like that. I will…try being more open about how I feel."

"And I'll listen more and take them more seriously. I know the whole 'love is doomed for sea monsters' thing really gets to you."

You gave a shaky smile, and he gave his own back.

Leonardo's raft touched the pebbled and rocky shore gently, and as he looked back into the cool, kelp-dotted shallows, he could see you, waiting. Listening. There for him like he was for you.

It wasn't a sun soaked paradise, with tropical reefs and golden sand, but it was yours. It was your love. And you would work until it became what you both deserved and needed.

OHHHHH MY GOG!!!

I don't think I've ever seen this concept done.. sea monster Yokai my beloved 💕

#kana's chats #rottmnt #rottmnt x reader #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the tmnt #rise leo x reader #📝 anon

[cirerally]

Indie Browser Games Masterpost

⚠️ Make sure to check the descriptions of the games for information beforehand as some of them can be triggering! ⚠️ Also, feel free to suggest games to add! The platform doesn’t matter as long as it’s safe and you can play without necessarily logging in! 

Stylization 👾: pixel art 🎮: low poly (ps1 style) 🧊: 3D

Difficulty 🍃: easy 🍊: medium 🌶️: hard No emoji: doesn’t apply

Visual novels

Off day: "A point & click visual novel about appreciating the little things in life." (via itch.io)

👾 Is it that deep, bro?: "A text-based game where you navigate the tricky headspace of a teenager who is going to see a movie with his friend." (via itch.io)

Dating sims

👾 Nothing to say: "You're on a date with a cute girl, but you're feeling tongue-tied... Can you puzzle out how to confess your feelings?" (via itch.io)

Horror

👾 Five Nights at Freddy’s NES: do I have to explain. (via itch.io)

🎮 Burger & Frights: "It's a late night and you were craving burgers. It's time to ride home." (via itch.io)

👾 Egg friend: "Play games. Earn money. Feed it. Love it. Watch it grow. It is sure to love you back. "

Adventure

👾🍃 Princess Poffin and the Spider Invasion: "The moth kingdom has been covered in spiderwebs! it's up to poffin to find the spider responsible, and restore her kingdom to its former web-free glory!" (via itch.io)

Platformers

👾🌶️ HELP! NO BRAKE: "Hey umm, your car won't brake anymore. So better clear all the levels to get it fixed I guess."  (via itch.io)

👾🍊 Bio Evil 4: "Leave to me, Leon!"

Under 5 minutes

How to make a cup of tea: "Hello! You know, I could do with a good cup of tea. Could you please make me one? Don't worry, I'll guide you through it!" (via itch.io)

We become what we behold: the legend itself. (via itch.io)

Gacha

👾🍃 Catfishing cuties!: "Catfish to fish for some local cuties! Collect them all!" (via itch.io)

Text based (like, only text)

You Are Jeff Bezos: ‘’When you wake up this morning from unsettling dreams, you find yourself changed in your bed into a monstrous vermin.’’

Puzzle games

👾 Economical: "2D puzzle action game where saving coin is important!"

👾 Poca - A Thief’s Escape: "Steal all carrots in a level to exit."

👾 Knightin’:  "Knightin' is a little zelda-like adventure. Explore dungeon, fight monsters and solve puzzles." (via gamejolt)

👾🍊 Witch’s familiar: "Your master has tasked you with an urgent delivery." (via itch.io)

🍃 Good Morning!:  "A morning routine simulator." (via itch.io)

👾 Last seen online: ‘‘You find an old computer at a garage sale. So you decide to turn it on.’‘ (via itch.io)

Multiplayer

Local 

👾 Toe II Toe: "Who said fighting games need to be difficult and time consuming? (Seriously, punch those gatekeepers!)" (via itch.io)

Thwack: "Funky-legged tennis." (via itch.io) (also a demo)

Online

Count together: "Count all the passing creatures." (via itch.io)

Shooters

🧊🍊 Wolfgun: "You are WOLFGUN - an ornery, rage-filled werewolf on the set of a bad horror movie. Hordes of undead ghouls wielding knives have broken into the studio and want you dead, and it doesn't look like they're part of the crew." (via itch.io)

Demos

👾 Small town emo: a game set before Halloween in 2007 about a seventeen year old emo with a crush on his best friend. (via itch.io)

👾🍊 10 Minutes Till Dawn: "Survive the onslaught of an endless horde of monsters for 10 minutes!" (via itch.io)

🎮 Fear the Spotlight: follow your mysteriously-vanished friend to the abandoned area of Sunnyside High, but beware, something seems to be lurking there with you. (via itch.io)

Mr. Stretch and the Stolen Fortune: "Join the late Mr. Stretch on his quest to reclaim his fortune, stolen from him by an old enemy that Mr. Stretch can't quite remember."

No ending 

👾🍊 BASES LOADED: a baseball survival game... basically? (via itch.io)

👾🍃 Bunnyland:  "A bunny is shipwrecked on an island and your task is to survive and get off the island." (via itch.io)

👾🌶️ GB-Wordyl: A Wordle clone for the Game Boy that will ruin your life. (via itch.io)

🎮 Hungry ducks: "If there is no food... you become the food!!!" (via itch.io)

👾🍃 Ketris:  "Avenge your adorable dog by clearing rows and decatpitating the evil Kets! (via itch.io)

Plant daddy: "Your plants grow in real time–water them, buy some furniture, and then close the tab and come back when you have a spare moment!" (via itch.io)

👾🍃 Shoukan Connect: "Use your tripwire to prevent the ghosts from reaching the circle and connecting the 5 points of the star that has no affiliation to any existing religion!" (via itch.io)

Terraforma:  "Grow your land by placing blocks & buildings while carefully planning your placements, and make your own little world in this small idle game." (via itch.io)

#masterpost #games #free games #retro gaming #retro games #itch.io #gamejolt #newgrounds #indie games #indie gaming #ericblogging

[cru5h-cascades]

The Nonsensical Ramblings of a Teenage... Victim? (Murder Trilogy Story Theory Post)

Welp, I guess now that I've been listening to a lot of the Killers' music (especially songs from their 1st album, Hot Fuss), I might as well talk about the Murder Trilogy. Now, despite the fact that the Murder Trilogy mainly consists of 3 songs (Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf, Midnight Show, and Jenny Was A Friend of Mine), I've seen lots of other people tie in the rest of Hot Fuss into the story & I kinda think I can work every song in Hot Fuss (and Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf) into the story, so anyways, here we go.

Andy You're a Star: the intro to this story, introducing our protagonist & the story that has yet to unfold. The protagonist appears to be well respected among those living in his town & is a football player, possibly in his senior year of high school considering the events of this story.

Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll: We get another peek into the life of our protagonist, Andy, who has a side gig as a tamborine player in an indie rock band. It appears this is also where we first find out about Jenny, the drummer of the band. It appears that their relationship isn't the best considering how much they "make up & break up", yet they still stay together (not the smartest decision, especially considering the rest of the story).

On Top: A peek into Andy & Jenny's relationship. That's all I'm gonna say here folks.

Somebody Told Me: The events of this song possibly happens some time after Andy's high school years (so he's basically in his early 20s or something) considering that it's implied that this takes place in a club of sorts. Andy catches Jenny cheating on him with another dude one night and is pissed off about it. Soon enough, Andy attempts to confront Jenny about the cheating, but she walks away from Andy to be with the other guy she was with.

Mr. Brightside: After being left in the dust by Jenny for the night, Andy does some stalking & finds Jenny making out with the guy she was with. While watching them, Andy attempts to calm himself down (hence why he calls himself "Mr. Brightside", which is what others view Andy as; the guy who has it all).

Change Your Mind: After the night at the club, Andy invites Jenny to his place in attempt to fix their relationship, but it doesn't work.

Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf: Some time after the events of the previous song, Andy moves away from his old home and recalls the events of Change Your Mind in a drunken stupor, which leads us to...

Everything Will Be Alright: Still drunk from the last song, Andy goes out and searches for Jenny, leading up to the events of the next song...

Midnight Show (aka my fave song from the Killers): Andy kidnaps Jenny in a drunken rage & then ultimately kills her.

Believe Me Natalie: The day after the murder, Andy realizes what he has done and ultimately feels guilty about killing his ex. He then decides to spend some time with one of his bandmates, the tititular Natalie, and tells her about what happened to Jenny & aknowledges the fact that the cops might be coming after him soon.

Jenny Was a Friend of Mine: The cops finally come after Andy and take him in for questioning. In attempt to keep a clean record, Andy tries to establish an aliby, but it's no use.

All These Things That I've Done: Some time after the interogation, Andy knows that there's no way he'll be able to get out of this. He deeply regrets what he's done, but in the end, justice is going to be served. Jenny will be at peace since the police caught her overly controlling ex.

Smile Like You Mean It: The ending of our story. In Andy's final days of freedom, he reflects on his life. He thinks about his ex bandmates and how they'll carry on life without him. And most importaintly, Andy remembers the good times he had with Jenny. And thus ends the story of Hot Fuss.

TL;DR: Hot Fuss is about an abusive bf who had it all, only to lose everything after killing his gf.

#the killers #hot fuss #the killers murder trilogy #album analysis #theory #long post

[metaphoricgibberish]

thanks for the tag hun @sawymredfox - i've been shit at keeping up with tags, but this is me trying to do better.

1) Were you named after someone?

i was not, my parents liked the really basic, overused name sara so they went with that. my mom and i have the same middle name, though, i bet you can't guess what it is... (you absolutely can, almost every white girl in america has this middle name).

2) When was the last time you cried?

literally last night lol.

3) Do you have kids?

no, no, no. i don't think kids are for me.

4) What sports do you play/have you played?

i played soccer (football for those who care about technicalities) for like nine years when i was younger. but i don't currently play anything. i go running a lot, though.

5) Do you use sarcasm?

never

6) What is the first thing you notice about people?

i'm not sure. i think physically i notice eyes and smile. outside of that, i'm really big on vibes. sometimes people just have a warm vibe, ya know what i mean? i appreciate that.

7) What is your eye colour?

kinda blue? kinda gray?

8) Scary movies or happy endings?

both plz!

9) Any secret talents?

i don't have many talents, so the ones that i do have i definitely do not keep a secret.

10) Where were you born?

the bay area in california

11) What are your hobbies?

this will come as no surprise- reading, writing, slipping into a dissociative state. i love baseball a lot, so i watch a lot of baseball during the season. like i said earlier, i love to go running.

12) Any pets?

i don't have any where i live (it's so hard to find housing in sf that allows pets) but my parents have a lab named Zephyr and three cats: Lucy, Indy, and Harry.

13) How tall are you?

5'6'' (actually 5'5'' and a half but don't tell the DMV)

14) Favourite subject in school?

always English Lit. i was horrific at math and science. i liked history a lot once i got to uni, but the american public education system loves to lie about/whitewash history.

15) Dream job?

i don't really dream about labor. i work in office operations and have for a long time. it's chill and gives me a lot of downtime. once upon a time i wanted to be a high school English or writing teacher, but i still have too many loans to pay off from my undergrad to pursue that.

hi if i'm tagging you and you don't wanna do this plz don't feel any pressure. ily. @verybigvag @netherfeildren @pedgito

[bates--boy]

WHYYYY do you use AAVE? You're fucking bRiTiSh, the CHILD of ENGLAND AND SWEDEN, LITERALLY THE WHITEST COMBO EVER. You sound so stupid lmao "finna get some fish an' chips. Oi oi, bestie, haters be killing the vibe with tea an' crumpets, guvnuh! Chewsday gonna be hella lit, bruv!" headass Your music career is gonna flop once people see what a pathetic poser you are. No wonder you're called ""Atrocity"" lmaooo Everything about you is a disaster

First, I'm fully, officially Swedish. Documented and certified. Check my records, ask my Papa. Don't ask Arthur, because his opinion doesn't matter.

Second...

Third, I could brag about my ongoing accomplishments, but truthfully? You aren't worth it.

You sound like a WASP, to be honest, one of those annoying types with the nasally Valley Girl voice who makes their whole personality about shopping at Urban Outfitters and listening to some indie, obscure artists like Local Natives or Hippo Campus or some shit. "Finna get some fish and chips" You can't even do AAVE right.Lemme guess: you are also the type to complain, "why can Black people say the N word but I can't?" and that is why your "friends" don't talk to you. Maybe make friends outside of your group of Kensleighs and Jeffersons and you might pick up on the intricacies of AAVE without sounding like a Karen.

You're probably a Plain Jane or an Average Joe sporting a Hank Hill ass, just straight back all the way down to your calves. Probably the one who was always picked last for teams at recess or P.E. and never got a Valentine's Day card at school. To make up for being a dullard no one wants around, you tried to make yourself "quirky" by Naruto running down the hall and growling at people, and then bitch and moan to the principal about the bullying you rightfully deserved, you fucking Mary Sue, Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way ass bitch. I would ask you "where are you in life?" but I'm not really interested (I bet you hear that a lot in your life) because it's the same thing day in and day out for you, isn't it? Get out of bed, consider a drink at seven in the morning to get you through the workday, cry in the shower, clock in, work your hours, have a boring egg salad sandwich for lunch, clock out, and watch Eat, Pray, Love or Sex in the City for the third night in the row until you fall asleep. Or! Maybe you treat yourself occasionally by going to town with your Hitachi wand or your weird ass fleshlight until you collapse. Might I suggest switching it up with a vibrating buttplug or an ejaculating dildo? Surely, you're bored and sore with having that broomstick up your ass.

Anyways, your Mom is an OnlyFans whore, which is funny because, like you, she looks like a substitute teacher with allegations, and it's your dad that's the cum dumpster so he should be the OF whore, anyway. Either way, your mom shoulda had the good sense to swallow so that her disappointment of a kid wouldn't plague my presence and ruin my day with their boring ass decades later.

[dusts hands] Alright, I think that covers all of the bases! You may get out of my sight, now! And after you leave my sight, maybe think about changing your underwear and going to a clinic? Because I smell tuna and yeast and onion, yet there is not a filet-o-fish in sight, so that stink must be coming from somewhere.

#ic #i would add a read more because it's a bit much but #the read more keeps glitching out of place for some reason?? so why bother #anyway I've been sitting on the origins of Peter's love for Black culture for years #I guess now would be a good time to write it

[destinyc1020]

How was “The Banshees of Inisherin” ?

Ummm.... Beautiful Irish landscapes.... 👀

I started watching the movie last night, but then started falling asleep lol, so I had to finish the movie this morning.

Chiiiiillle..... I can't believe they made a whole 2-hour movie about two friends who had a falling out for the most mundane of reasons. 😏

25 mins into the movie and we STILL don't know why the old man is mad at Colin's character. 😒 When we finally figure out why the man is so upset and doesn't want to be friends with Colin anymore, you're sitting there looking like....

By the first hour I really wanted Colin to just leave that crazy man the feck alone lol 😆 😂

When a man is actually cutting off his OWN FINGERS because you keep bothering him when he's already asked you multiple times to leave him ALONE, it's time to just give up on that friendship and abide by the man's wishes imo. 👀

Towards the end of the movie, Colin's character almost became a stalker! 🥴 Shoot....I would have left that former friend alone long time ago. You don't have to tell me twice. 👀

To me, they BOTH were crazy! 🤣

This movie wasn't as traumatic as "The Whale", thank goodness. But I can't believe it's nominated for "Best Picture"? 🥴

While Colin's acting was good, I definitely don't think it's anywhere near as good as Brendan's or even Austin's as far as that matter. Jmho 🤷🏾‍♀️

I've seen Colin do much better Academy Award nominating work.... Shoot.... his acting was even more remarkable in "The Batman" (imo), but of course, he wouldn't be nominated for THAT because of the comic book genre of the film. 😏

In fact, I'm actually surprised they decided to nominate Angela Bassett for Best Supporting Actress in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" (even though her acting was amazing in it) because the Academy usually doesn't nominate comic book films/comic book acting jobs.

They REALLY should have nominated Voila Davis as well for "The Woman King" for Best Actress. I will go to my grave saying that. 😤

Anyway, it wasn't a bad film, but it was just one of those obscure "Academy-friendly" films where you're like...."Okay, the Academy just wants to nominate these types of films I guess lol". 😏

I saw MUCH better "commercialized"/"blockbuster" films last year that I actually enjoyed lol 😆 Just my humble opinion lol.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind indie films, or "Academy Award-friendly" films at all (I loved "The Father", enjoyed "The Fabelmans", and even saw the msg and beauty in "Nomadland"). I just wasn't that impressed with this one (for an Oscar-nominated film), but it wasn't a bad movie.

#the banshees of inisherin