#i was trying to pick some of the more popular flags

[thetwistedrope]

i made a version of this way back in 2013 or so. i felt it was a good time for an update.

#kemetic #pride #ma'at #pagan #sorry if your flag didnt make the cut #i was trying to pick some of the more popular flags #but it was hard to choose #lgbt #lgbt+ #queer

[breadbrobin]

campfire games

luke castellan x reader - percy jackson and the olympians

[established relationship, fem!daughter of ares reader]

summary: bets are fun, until they aren’t. you’re fine though. luke knows you’re an absolute badass.

warning: pushy male behaviour, suggestive comments, swearing, bets, threats, assault (physical), sexual harassment.

word count: 1.6k

(help i’m writing too many of these but this is the only other good one also feel free to leave requests yall i’m on summer break i have so much time and need something to do 🤩🤩)

(also i am still in love with luke castellan thank you very much I CAN FIX HIM PLSSSS)

(also very sorry to anyone named andrew it was the first name i thought of)

——————————————————

there wasn’t much that your siblings in the ares cabin liked more than winning capture the flag, but watching you tear down another boys’ ego was definitely one of those few things.

campfires were great for many reasons. singing, marshmallows, games—and bets. when chiron and mr d. turned in for the night early, something that rarely happened, the bets would come out. guys would try and talk to you, your siblings would intercept them, find out what they wanted, then place bets among themselves and with other campers as to how long it would take you to tear them down a few notches, or, on occasion, tear them a new one.

clarisse patted your shoulder as two of your brothers talked to another camper. “incoming.”

“details?” you picked at the chipped red polish of your fingernails.

“son of apollo. been here for about two months. andrew. something about wanting to go on a date with you and thinking you’re prettier than the aphrodite girls.” she rolled her eyes. “he tried it on with me before and doesn’t like taking no for an answer, so break his spirit completely. or, you know, his bones.”

you saluted her teasingly. “yes, ma’am. you can count on me, sergeant.”

she patted your shoulder again with a joking grin. “good on you, private. godspeed.”

with that, she left you sitting alone.

well, not really alone.

luke castellan had somehow ended up as your bodyguard in all of these cases. probably something to do with the fact that you’d been dating in secret for the last three months. you weren’t a huge fan of keeping your relationship a secret, but when you’d told clarisse, she told you that her and your other siblings wanted to keep making easy money, and betting on me was the best way to do that. since everyone thought you and luke hated each other anyway, it was easy enough to keep it up, but as your mocking remarks turned to teasing, then to flirting, it was getting more and more difficult. and as he was getting more attractive each day, it was getting harder not to kiss him in front of everyone at camp.

you swivelled in your seat to look up at him. he was sitting three rows back, almost hidden in the darkness, a distinctly put out look on his face.

“you hear that?” you asked with raised eyebrows and a grin on your face. “he thinks i’m prettier than the aphrodite girls. when have you ever said that?”

“i told you you’re prettier than a model one time and you punched me,” he said dryly. “and then i said you look like a goddess while fighting and you punched me again.”

“in my defence, i did hate you at the time.” you shrugged. “got my back?”

“always.” he said seriously.

you grinned and winked at him as you turned around, waiting for the newest idiot to come annoy you.

luke had, once upon a time, been one of those idiots in your mind. he irritated you to no end. he was better than you at sword fighting, so you bested him at everything else. he was more popular than you, so you became one of the most well-liked people at camp. all of your attempts to break him down, however, only made him fall in love with you. now, there you were, wishing you could be sitting beside him instead of waiting for some loser to come annoy you to death.

“y/n, hey.” andrew said, sitting next to you, probably a little too close.

you looked over at him. “andrew, right?”

he nodded, his smile widening as you knew his name.

you sat up straighter and scrutinised him, looking him up and down. “yeah, you look like an andrew.”

you heard luke hide a laugh in his cup behind you.

andrew’s face fell a little, but he regained it quickly. “heard you were one of the best fighters in camp.”

“i am.”

“that’s pretty cool. i mean, i can help you become the best if you want.”

“no, i think i’m okay.”

“come on, i mean, everyone needs to improve. even the self-proclaimed best. bet i’m better at archery than you at least.”

you looked over at his smirk and had to stop yourself from smirking too. this would be too easy. “no. thanks, though. i’m good on my own. one of the best, remember.”

“you could be better. we should have a little challenge. a game.”

“i only play games with people i like.”

“you could like me.” he leaned a little closer. you leaned away slightly. “i bet i could make you like me.”

you had to stop yourself from laughing. “yeah, i don’t think so, buddy.”

‘buddy’ was usually all it took to break a man’s ego. you’d used it on luke many times during unusually flirtatious sparring, back when you still pretended to hate his guts. it didn’t work on him anymore, but it usually worked perfectly on everyone else.

andrew didn’t falter. “i bet i could. give me a chance. let me take on a date. show you a good time.”

“no, thanks,” you said calmly. your siblings were watching intently. clarisse looked ready to step in if you needed it. you wondered what he’d said or done to her to put her on edge. then you realised it wasn’t what he’d done to her. it was what he was about to do to you.

his hand was on your thigh, gripping onto the bare skin by the hem of your shorts.

his hand was on your thigh.

gross.

you looked up at him, eyes sharp. you could hear luke shifting slightly behind you. “what are you doing?” you voice was deathly calm.

“showing you that i can show you a good time, princess.” his voice oozed honey—sickly sweet and sticky, like a fly trap. good thing you hated honey.

“how about i show you how many bones there are in the hand? by breaking every single one.” your voice was equally as saccharine sweet, but your eyes were glaring daggers into his and your jaw was set tight.

he just shifted his hand higher. you tried to push him off but he was strong. annoyingly strong.

he tutted. “come on, sweetheart. you’re gonna make a scene.”

you finally managed to peel his hand off your skin. “i’ll make a scene, alright. get off me and leave me alone. and while you’re at it, leave my sister alone too.”

he raised his hands, a sickening, sleazy smirk on his face. “i was just being nice, princess. you and your sister need to relax. you especially. i can help you relax.”

“oh, i’d love that. you know how i relax?” you tilted your head mockingly, eyes hard. “i punch my enemies in the face.”

he laughed. “you’re cute. now, come on. it’s not like you’ve got anything going for yourself. i mean, you’re hot, sure, but no guys ever gonna look at you when they realise how much of a bitch you are. not like i will.”

you rolled your eyes and stood up. it was time to go and sit by luke. it grated at you, but if he wouldn’t listen to you, maybe he’d listen to another guy.

he didn’t let you leave. his hand gripped your wrist and pulled you back to him as he stood up too. you were chest to chest with him. he towered over you, at least six inches taller. you stepped back, but he pulled you in by your waist and laughed.

“look at how good we look together,” he smirked. “i could show you—“

you punched him in the stomach. he doubled over, finally letting you go, so you kneed his diaphragm. he gasped for air as you stepped back. your friend chris rodriguez whistled appreciatively.

“touch me, or anyone here, ever again and i won’t just hurt you.” you hissed at him. “i’ll beat your ass, then i’ll drag you past the boundary and leave you for the monsters. got it?”

he nodded, still hunched over.

“good boy,” you grit out.

“fucking bitch,” he grunted.

your eyes darkened, but you didn’t do anything. your siblings were right behind him, all ready to drag him away. “good luck walking tomorrow, andrew.”

“good luck finding a guy stupid enough to fuck you,” he scorned.

you laughed. “hey, luke?”

“yeah, babe?” he stepped down beside you, his hand settling on your hip and pulling you gently into his side. andrew faltered at the sight. he probably hadn’t even realised luke was up there.

“are you stupid enough to fuck me?” you asked with raised eyebrows.

he looked like he was trying not to laugh. “oh, i’m way past stupid.”

you didn’t care about any of your sibling’s bets anymore. you didn’t care that people thought you hated each other. you especially didn’t care that everyone was watching. you kissed him. and in front of the whole camp, he kissed you back.

your siblings groaned in disappointment, knowing their betting days were over, but you didn’t care. you smiled the stupidest smile ever as you pulled away, feeling like you’d just had your first kiss all over again.

“what?” he asked quietly.

“nothing.” you shook your head. “just glad we don’t have to hide anymore.”

after months of kissing behind buildings, pretending to fight in public and avoiding each other so people wouldn’t find out, it felt honestly freeing to kiss him in the open.

he kissed you again as your siblings dragged andrew away. “and all it took was an asshole.”

“thanks for not stepping in,” you said. “i had it handled.”

“oh, i know you did. i was more than happy to watch you destroy his ego.”

“good, because if you had stepped in—“

“i’d be going home in an ambulance?” he smiled.

“no, you’d be going home in a hearse.”

“ah, my bad.”

as the campfire kept burning, you sat down with luke. your legs were pressed against his and his arm was around your waist. there wasn’t much that you liked more than tearing boy’s egos down, but being with luke castellan was definitely one of those few things.

#luke castellan #luke castellan x reader #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #pjo x reader #pjo #charlie bushnell #luke castellan x you

[star-girl69]

Cherry Blossom

Clarisse La Rue x Fem!Demigod!Reader

—-

synopsis: headcanons about you and clarisse and your new adopted kid

a/n: idk inspiration strikes randomly but enjoy

Cherry Blossom - Lana Del Rey

warnings: not proofread, probs ooc clarisse but I DONT CARE I DO WHAT I WANT, swearing, mentions of violence and weapons, idk pretty chill, tell me if i missed anything!!

—-

clarisse never really felt anything towards kids

sure some of them are cute

she likes her younger siblings, bc she gets a real kick out of being able to teach someone who ACTUALLY has talent

she wants a mini army of ares kids w her skill

she would DESTROY in capture the flag

but then along comes your little sibling ivy

even clarisse admits that that’s a cute kid

and you just LOVE this little baby

she has the same hair color and skin as you and yours just like omg my baby

she comes to camp when she’s like 10

bc her mortal parent has a new family and doesn’t rly want her anymore

she never really talks about it but you know that it hurts her

and then it’s like omg this adorable little baby needs a mom EYE will be her mom

clarisse is so confused as to why you love ivy so much

but you are DETERMINED

clarisse is trying to have a nice little date with you and then you walk over with ivy on your hip

she’s about to like explode

but one day you’re helping ivy get used to holding a sword and clarisse watches you from afar and she’s like OH MY GOD bc you are teaching her WRONG

so she marches over even tho she’s supposed to be doing something

“oh my god y/n y/n please i love you so much but STOP”

“what ☹️☹️”

“you are teaching her wrong just move over again i love you but MOVE OVER”

so then she teaches ivy just like the basic stances and ivy is like GOOD

you’re both impressed

but she just has a natural talent

and then all of a sudden clarisse is like oh yeah so this is my child and i would kill for her

ivy is the most spoiled camper at camp

like she always gets little baubles and things from the hephaestus kids you ask them to make and clarisse threatens them to make

you get her the BIGGEST piece of dessert every day

clarisse is a bit more bad cop tho

she’s not afraid to tell ivy to go do 20 push ups if she does smth wrong

and you’re just like “WHY ARE YOU TORTURING THE PRECIOUS BABY????”

it’s so funny bc you and clarisse will just be like tucking ivy in every night and it’s SO jarring bc clarisse is like “ok my little warrior have sweet dreams” and kissing her forehead

all of your siblings are confused but very happy!!!! ivy deserves loving parents even if they are two teenage girls

ivy is also the most popular and influential 10 year old at camp

like everyone knows her name and everyone knows to give her what she wants

there was this one day when some older camper accidentally bumped into her and bc she’s just a baby and so tiny (☹️❤️❤️) she got KNOCKED to the ground

and you’re like “OH MY GOD MY BABY”

and clarisse is like “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?” about to punch the guy and then ivy starts crying bc she skinned her knee and then clarisse is like WHAT

she throws the kid to the ground and she’s like freaking out

overprotective clarisse you can never escape her

so then you’re all like running off the infirmary and ivy is FINE like you and clarisse are just insane

and then one time another younger kid was being mean to ivy and you actually had to hold clarisse back from attacking this 12 year old

ivy definitely picks up her habits from the two of you

someone pisses her off and she will just start attacking them

clarisse is trying so hard not to be proud while you tell ivy that violence is not the answer

but then clarisse is like “OH WHO CARES Y/N THAT WAS SUCH A GREAT KICK AND AN EVEN BETTER PUNCH”

“CLARISSE NO”

the ONLY two people clarisse is affectionate with are you and ivy like ivy is always climbing her like a jungle gym bc clarisse is just so strong and can like do all these crazy things w her

clarisse will literally throw her up into the air really high and catch her

ivy fucking loves it

you have a heart attack

and now they have to do it in secret 💔

you always tuck ivy in together but let’s be real most nights ivy ends up in your bed

and clarisse is all pissed off

so she ends up sneaking into your cabin and your bed every night

like just a huge tangle of limbs and blankets and ivy snores but it’s not that loud and it’s adorable

like the ONE night clarisse didn’t sneak into your bed ivy had a nightmare and you were like oh no way

bc most nights clarisse comes in at like 11pm and you’re already asleep but you know she’s there and you wake up next to her so

but you wake up to comfort ivy and you’re like WHERE THE FUCK IS CLARISSE

and then ivy realizes CLARISSE IS NOT THERE

it’s like some super dramatic scene in a movie you wrap up ivy in a blanket and come into the area cabin and start berating clarisse

“do you just hate us? bc it is ONE THIRTY THREE in the morning and you are NOT in my bed and poor ivy had a nightmare and you WERE NOT THERE”

clarisse is like looking at you like what

half of her siblings are awake and just watching this crying child you’re holding cross her arms and shake her head disapprovingly and clarisse is not even awake yet

“baby idek what you’re saying just come lay down”

“yes but we’re talking about this in the morning”

“…okay”

of course all is forgiven the next morning after a nice sleep

there was this one night you were at the campfire and then ivy just found some random person’s dagger? and she’s like

“y/n!!! clarisse!!! look what i found!!!!”

“what do you have?”

“a knife!!!!”

“NO”

like that one meme y’all know

and then you have to chase her down

clarisse gives her a very blunt sort of dagger thing to play with and ivy is very happy

it’s so weird bc clarisse is like yk being all grumpy and mean and then ivy or you walks around and she’s like AHHHHHH MY LOVES

also when percy shows up he’s so confused

like the scene where she pushes him over you walk over with ivy and then ivy literally JUMPS from your arms to clarisse’s bc she knows she’ll catch her

and then clarisse is like “omg hi my little warrior how is your day?”

“OH MY GOD I THREW A ROCK REALLY HIGH I’M SO STRONG”

you’re like “no seriously it was like 10 feet high”

“omg baby that’s so amazing i’m so proud of you”

then everyone around you is like “oh wow ivy that’s so amazing you are so strong”

bc ivy is just an adorable baby and also bc they don’t want to incur clarisse’s wrath

she don’t PLAY about ivy’s happiness

percy is ????

then clarisse is like “oh isn’t that so funny my 10 year old baby can throw a rock higher than you probably can”

PERCY IS ??????

that’s all i got y’all

in conclusion ivy is just your perfect little angel princess

and you and ivy are the lights of clarisse’s life

—-

taglist:

@lvrue @t-wylia @laughingcheese037 @kroumi @urdeadpoet @colezb @rey26 @harmzilla @elliewilliamsbae @amberfreemansburntface @kyuupidwrites @neverwaakeme-up @shark1008 @liballer @heyimadison @nvirskies @pnsteblnme @mar2ss @restellsss @ravisinghs-wife @marsconer @evangelinexo

#clarisse la rue #clarisse la rue x reader #clarisse la rue x y/n #clarisse la rue x you #pjo tv show #pjo x reader #clarisse and ivy and y/n: the perfect family

[clairegregoryau]

Through the Looking Glass

From fairytale in Season 1 to stark reality in Season 2 of Our Flag Means Death- meta ported across from this Twitter thread by popular demand!

This thread contains spoilers for the entirety of OFMD Season 2

First OFMD S1 rewatch since S2, and holy shit, if you haven't done that yet... do that. A thing that it made instantly clear: they told us *all along* where this was going, but there was a reason we didn't see it. Because we were living in Stede's world then. Now it's Ed's.

I know that a lot of us have felt that the tone shift at the end of S2 was... jarring, compared to what's come before. This felt like a show that wouldn't go there. One where being run through was a temporary hiccup. We've travelled all the way from this to this.

But we haven't jumped there without a journey in between. And from the minute we started hearing about Blackbeard, the show never tried to hide what Ed's world and his specific life was like. Not once. In fact they told us over and over and over.

But Season 1 told us a lot of those things through song and story and fuckery. It blended reality with fiction.

Stede met the Blackbeard he knew through books and tall tales, and the real man was even more wonderful than he'd imagined.

We, along with Stede, were comfortable thinking that all those other tales were exaggerations and misrepresentations, and a lot of them very likely were.

The Ed Stede got to know was a person who was capable of whimsy and silliness and loved soft things and doing something weird. Yep, he was also capable of violence and rage, but when he was with Stede, he didn't feel it so much.

This was a vacation from that life.

To Stede he was absolutely lovely... oh, and also a bloodthirsty killer. And Stede loved (and loves) everything about him, and both of those things can be true. This is a perfect example of a spot where (in watching Season 1 without the benefit of hindsight) I assumed that everyone else in that pub was wrong, and Stede was simply trying to protect Ed's fearsome reputation by agreeing on the bloodthirsty bits. And I think from Stede's perspective that was largely true. I think that's how they wanted us to see Ed, through his eyes. Now, after watching both seasons, I think it wasn't the whole picture.

They told us, we heard it, we saw glimpses of it. But we (and Ed) were in Stede's run-away-to-sea fairytale the whole time. It wasn't until Stede left that we saw the reality- the Ed we knew had been, to a degree, a fictional character all along. I always saw this scene as Ed putting a bit of distance between himself and reality; it always felt like the Blackbeard of Stede's storybooks was the fictional one. But now it feels like the softer Ed that Stede knew was much the same- neither of them the whole story of who Ed was and is.

The one person who refused to live in Stede's fairytale was Izzy. I've seen people say it before, but he always gave off that vibe of the only human in the Muppets movie, or the guy who was in Black Sails while everyone else was in Pirates of the Caribbean. He saw the real risks clearly.

And in that light, the end of S1 has shifted an inch to the left for me, and I'm seeing it at a slightly different angle.

Izzy ripped away the healing Ed was doing, but in some respects he did it by tearing away the fairytale we'd all been living in, shoving Ed back into the Blackbeard story.

And that's where we pick up again in Season 2.

The fairytale reference came back in S2 in two notable places, those being Jim carrying that legacy forward in the darkest times, and in Izzy invoking the wooden boy against Ricky's efforts. Stede's made himself into a real boy. Ricky, nope.

Now that I've watched both seasons together, the tone shift doesn't feel so jarring at all, actually.

It feels like sliding through the looking glass, out of Stede's world, and into Ed's- a world that existed all along; we were just seeing it, la vie en rose, through Stede's eyes.

At the beginning of S2, Stede's gone, and we're seeing it unfiltered through Ed's reality.

But Stede wasn't lying when he said he loved everything about Ed. He made a promise to come back and find him- he went down into Ed's darkest place and reminded him that no matter how bad things got, there WAS someone waiting for him, ready to love him.

The contrast between S1's fantasy and S2's reality (excluding mermaids and actual bird guys and cursed coats) is stark, but it really is that.

We have the same settings, the same people, and very different ideas and outcomes at different times.

But it was always there.

Things do come back to a state of (precarious) balance once they're all together. Apologies are made, whether they're spoken out loud or through actions. Things go right, things go wrong. Healing happens. Izzy continues to have the steadiest, most real through-line in the story as he tracks toward redemption, finds acceptance, and to an extent finds himself.

Once again, I hate that they went here with the ending and I wish they hadn't. But it got a fraction easier for me looking at it not as a continuation of Stede's fairytale, but of the grounded-in-pirate-reality arc Izzy was always on, even while we lived in Stede's world.

Where does that leave us? We're not going back to the fairytale, but we're not going to be living in Black Sails for S3, either. We've hit a fusion point where S1 ended with each of them going to separate, miserable homes, but S2 ended with them in the same place, ready and willing to make a go of it.

Season 3 is going to give us their world, together.

I LOVED the moments in this season where the deep emotions were in balance with the silliness I've always adored about this show. Eps4-6 were wonderful like that. Clearly we're not done with drama, either, but like Ed and Stede, I think we'll find a middle ground.

Anyway in conclusion, a rewatch of S1 after S2 somehow made me love the first season even more, which felt impossible? It's now gained /even more/ layers of depth than it had before. No matter how you feel about S2 I think it's worth that rewatch.

Adding one more bit of clarity for myself: I think we got a bit (intentionally) seduced in S1 by the idea that the Ed of the storybooks, the Vampire Viking Clown with the nine guns, was a version of him that others saw, when Stede saw the REAL person who 'worked' for Blackbeard.

In hindsight I think it's clear the Ed Stede go to know was also not the complete version of himself- the reality is, there's a whole spectrum between the two, and they've landed in the middle of it now. Ed intentionally leaned into the unlovable Kraken image to protect himself.

It very much didn't work, just like being just... Edward hadn't worked to protect himself, either. This season has been very much about pulling those two extremes together and finding all the parts that make up Ed overall (another thread on that here on Twitter, which I'll also shift across to Tumblr soon!)

And I think one of my favourite things in S2 has been seeing the way Stede SEES that- he knows what Ed's done, everyone's told him, but he still loves Ed. sees his trauma and how it affects him, and believes he's a good man regardless. He IS lovable; he's not forever broken.

And together, they can heal.

#ofmd #our flag means death #gay pirates #ofmd meta #unreliable narrators #fantasy vs reality #ofmd spoilers #ofmd s2 spoilers

[xoxoemynn]

For OFMD Tumblr friends who want a S3 and are scared of Twitter

First, no judgment from me. I very much get it. I resisted Twitter for a long time, and even though I'm now a bit more comfortable on it, it's still not my Fandom Home. There are a TON of valid reasons not to be on Twitter, but if you REALLY want to keep OFMD visible right now and help its chances of returning for a third season, Twitter is the best place to do it. Like it or not, Twitter is still the best social media platform for raising awareness and for instant news updates.

Tumblr posts don't make headlines. Topics that have been trending on Twitter do. And if we want this show to come back, we need to make OFMD impossible to ignore.

By now you've probably seen just how close we came to a S3, and if you're like me, you are RAGING and donning your battle jacket. But I get it can be intimidating to get on Twitter for the first time, so I thought I'd address some common anxieties I see. I'll put below a cut because this got a bit long, but I promise it's a quick read.

I don't know what to say! Where do I even start? That's okay! You don't have to create your own tweets (although it's great if you do). Amplifying other people's posts is also important. Go ahead and like/retweet/reply to other people's posts. This may also help you get an idea of what you may like to say in your own tweets.

Hashtags...yes? Yes! Although don't use too many or you may get flagged as a bot. The biggest one that seems to be emerging is #SaveOFMD. Other popular ones are #RenewAsACrew, #RenewOurFlagMeansDeath, and of course, #OFMD and #OurFlagMeansDeath.

Should I just be tagging all the streaming services? Per @renewasacrew, no. It's counterproductive. You'll want to tag one streamer at a time and be specific. Below is an example of a tweet I made the other day -- use specific reasons why that that particular streamer may benefit from picking up OFMD.

I'm scared. People are mean. Yeah, people are mean. But I will say the vibes over at OFMD Twitter are currently the best I've ever seen them. People seem to have united for the greater good and are being overwhelmingly positive and just trying to do whatever we can to save the show. (That said, again, I already had a pretty curated feed, and was very liberal with blocking users/terms I didn't want to see, but I've been able to spend so much more time in the For You tab than I ever have without being jump scared by something.)

But I don't know anyone there! Wouldn't I just be shouting into the void? Not if you use the hashtags! Fans are being really good about following those and engaging with the tweets. Plus, [Stede voice], I'm your friend. I'm xoxoemynn over there as well, I'll follow you back and engage with any of your posts that I see. Plus, what's been REALLY lovely to see is that SO many lurkers have come out of lurkerdom to support the efforts, and they are being welcomed with open arms, so you will not be alone. Again, I am telling you, vibes? Best I've ever seen them.

I can't get sucked into another social media platform, I don't have the time. The beauty here is you don't need to spend a lot of time. I've been on Twitter more in the past week than I have in the entire year I've had an account, and I'm still only on for maybe an hour total the entire day? I open the app, I check a couple accounts, I engage with a handful of posts, and I close the app. It takes all of five minutes. It's an extremely small lift that can have a very big impact.

My bet is on Zaslav expecting us to be upset, and that there may be a day or two of outrage, but then we'd move on. I'm sure right now he's trying to convince everyone that this is a fluke, and that it'll blow over soon. Don't let him win. Keep OFMD in the news. Be loud (but polite) and make Max and other streamers take note of what a passionate, loyal fan base this show has. Make their stocks continue to drop. Make it clear this is NOT just a fluke, it is NOT business as usual. It's a BIG fuck up with lasting consequences.

Twitter, for all its sins, is the best place to do this.

Now let's get our damned show back.

#ofmd #our flag means death #renew as a crew #truly BELIEVE ME I get wanting to stay away!! #and if after we get picked up again you want to delete your account please go ahead and do that! #but this is a really easy and tangible way to show Max/other streamers #just how beloved the show is and how it would benefit them to save it #I love tumblr but it's not going to give us the kind of impact we want #it's for fans - not for external folks/key decision makers #ANYWAY I am by NO MEANS a twitter expert but I'm getting better #and I've seen some people be nervous about getting on the platform so I thought I'd try to help <3

[queerly-autistic]

I've seen some concern about the fact that the BBC has double-billed the last four episodes of Our Flag Means Death and bumped it up later in the schedule - concerns that this means it's not doing well for the BBC - and so I'd just like to allay some of those fears, if possible? To start with, it's important to recognise that the BBC does this all the time. I was in EastEnders fandom for many years, and nonsense schedule changes were a regular annoyance. When I shared OFMD's schedule change with my little group of friends from that fandom, everyone rolled their eyes and went 'oh yeah, typical BBC shenanigans'. As an example: the BBC was really pushing EastEnders last year, they'd been hard-marketing towards the big iconic Christmas episode since February, and then, around comes Christmas, and the BBC inexplicably sticks it on at 10pm (when it's usually broadcast at 7.30pm).

So this isn't unusual. This is extremely common. There's often very little rhyme or reason to the BBC live broadcast scheduling. To try and accurately read between the lines of this is like trying to analyse the written output of a cat walking across a keyboard.

But another big thing to remember is that Our Flag Means Death is a streaming show. The BBC dropped all of the episodes in one go because they know that it's the streaming audience where the show is successful. It's the same with What We Do In The Shadows - we know that the show does well for them, because they keep renewing their contract to show it, but because it does well specifically with a streaming audience the live episode broadcasts are perpetually bumped to a weird time (sometimes one in the morning!!).

The BBC is under contract to do a live broadcast of these shows, but that's not where the audience is. And that's why the episodes get shuffled around or bumped to a late timeslot or double-billed together. Them not necessarily getting spectacular overnight live broadcast ratings is not a big barrier to potential pick-up - streaming numbers is the important metric. And, just yesterday, the BBC dropped a card for the show over the credits of House of Games, a very popular (and mainstream!) afternoon gameshow, asking people to go stream it on iPlayer. if you haven't seen it, I managed to screen-record and post it on Twitter here (subtitles included): https://x.com/QueerlyAutistic/status/1762913455051325888?s=20. This is a really, really good ad to get - a very mainstream slot that potentially brings attention to the show from new audience demographics. The fact that they put an ad-read for the show in this particular slot is more indicative to me of the fact that the show is doing well for the BBC than any predictable shenanigans around live broadcast times. They advertised the 'niche' queer pirate comedy to a very mainstream middle-of-the-day audience! That's not nothing! And the fact that they were specifically advertising it as being on iPlayer - not the live broadcast - indicates to me that that's where it's doing well: that's where they know their audience is, and they don't care about the live broadcast, because the streams are where it's at. The live broadcast is probably just a contractual obligation at this point.

Our Flag Means Death is still regularly listed under 'trending' on the iPlayer website, and the Parrot Analytics for the show in the UK are excellent. And that's what we want. That's what we need to convince streamers. Remember: the YouGov survey about the show specifically asked questions about it in the context of streaming services. Overnight figures are lovely to have, too (so keep tuning in!) but this is a show made to stream. It was all dropped on iPlayer first for a reason; they're specifically pushing it on iPlayer for a reason. And, at the end of the day, it's streamers we're currently trying to convince to pick up the show, not broadcast television networks.

So, don't read too much into it. We're still doing good, UK crew!

#ofmd #our flag means death #our flag bbc #save ofmd #save our flag means death #renew ofmd #renew our flag means death #adopt our crew #erin waffles

[rianavi]

what do you see in her?!

luke castellan x artemis!daughter!reader

start to a series

part 1, part 2, part 3

summary; luke stands up for you

series masterlist

when he first arrived at camp he was a bit scared of you. your stern gaze and biting words, he wondered if you ever laughed.

then during archery he saw you shoot an arrow right into another, that’s when he knew he had to be your friend.

after that, it was as if you couldn’t shake him, he followed you during trainings, sat with you at lunch and campfires, he even begged mr. d to put hermes and artemis cabins together for capture the flag.

when you finally got used to the annoying git, you realized how fun he was to be around. you guys would pick fruits, swim, and make crafts together, he swears he even saw you smile a couple of times.

then when you guys were older and more mature - you more than him - he developed a sort of crush on you. he would hold your hand on walks, comfort you during hard times, and patch you up after rough trainings.

over time you guys grew incredibly close, and you might have even fallen for him too.

you enjoyed the way he made you laugh and smile, the way he would blush slightly when anyone mentioned you two as really close, but you found yourself most drawn to how good of a friend he was to everyone. never leaving out the younger kids or the kids who had trouble making friends. he was sweet to everyone, which is why you found it weird he was so close with you.

you didn’t have many friends and most people ignored you in fear, people constantly asked you why you were mad when you weren’t - cure that resting bitch face -, and most people gave weird looks when you and luke were together.

i mean, how could someone so gentle and kind be friends with someone so cruel and angry. it was if he pitied you for being so weird to other people.

you constantly doubted that he actually liked you, that he actually enjoyed spending time with you.

that was until you overheard him talking with someone.

you were up in a tree, reading your favorite book to escape everyones loud chatter and laughter.

you were meant to meet luke in about an hour to go to the lake so you took the time you had to yourself with an open mind.

all the sudden you hear your name causing you to look down. through the bushy leaves and overgrown branches, you could make out luke and some demeter boy that you briefly recognized as he was quite popular standing and talking.

“i mean, why are you even friends with her, she’s weird. everyone hates her and she doesn’t even try to change our minds.” the demeter boy spoke.

“don’t say that about her. she- she’s not- look man, just because you guys don’t try to actually get to know her and just assume who she is, doesn’t mean that you have to belittle her. it’s not her fault she looks mean, she’s not, she’s actually quite funny and caring. you’re just mad because you can’t win over one person, and she’s better than you could ever be.” luke speaks passively and shoulder checks the boy before stomping off in anger.

it was then that you knew, you had fallen completely in love with luke castellan.

[jaegeraether]

Sunsets and footballers (Part 3)

Lucy Bronze x Reader (3)

Masterlist (other parts here)

Jordan had a big smile on her face when she saw YFN. She pulled over at the front of her hotel and put the window down.

“Allo mate, need a lift?”

“I don’t have any money, sorry.”

Jordan opened her mouth in an amused and fake offended ‘O’. “You’re takin’ the mick.”

YFN laughed and slid into the passenger seat. “Do you charge by the hour or…?”

Jordan laughed loudly and slapped her arm. “Too expensive for you, mate.”

She began driving. YFN loved seeing this side of Jordan. The side that seemed much more natural, and much more of the Jordan that Lucy was describing last night.

“Wherrrrrre are we going?”

“I was thinking coffee and then shopping? Also, I’m assuming you don’t have any football gear to wear to the game tomorrow?”

“Hm, you are correct there.”

“Oh, Lucy is going to love seeing you in a Bronze jersey.”

YFN blushed and looked over, surprised.

“What? She loves seeing people in her jersey. Plus, you don’t know anybody else on the team, do you?”

“That’s a negative, and what number is she?”

“2.”

“Oh, my favourite. Okay, let’s get a Bronze jersey. Should we get the home or away kit?”

Jordan laughed. “Wow, look at you! Someone’s been doing their research!”

YFN grinned. “I love blue but the internet says something about it being a bad luck kit…?”

“Oh poppycock. Blue would be perfect with your eyes.”

YFN laughed. “Oh, and I also want an Australian flag.”

Although they only planned on a few hours, the two spent all day together. The atmosphere was great, they both bantered like they’d known each other for years. They wandered around town with iced drinks, stopped for breakfast, then lunch, and Jordan even taught her how to kick a soccer ball on an empty pitch, as well as teaching her some rules. YFN did try to incorporate some tackles to which Jordan gave her red cards for. They collected some free merchandise for the game from people in the club who Jordan knew and managed to find an Australian flag also. The day was fantastic, and of course they ended it on the beach with some fish and chips, Jordan making YFN try it with curry sauce. It confused the hell out of her, but she admitted it was decent.

The next day Jordan picked up YFN again early and they went for lunch. They had decided the day before that they wanted to catch up earlier before they headed to the game. At lunch, Jordan asked YFN about her job and what she did. She was a writer and loved to write fantasy. She’d been working for a newspaper before she left and had a very popular daily column with a lot of fans, but she left because she lost her passion for it. And so, she decided to travel to gain inspiration and get back into writing fantasy with the hope of publishing and travelling the world. Jordan was wowed by this and admitted to wishing she had the creativity for it. About five minutes later though, it seemed she had completely forgotten the conversation though, and had to ask again. YFN laughed, this had happened a few times with her the day before and so she lovingly gave Jordan the nickname ‘Dory’.

The seats for the game were in the perfect spot, just adjacent to where the team benches were. The two were dressed up, laughing at their awkwardness as they made their way down to their seats with arms of popcorn, hotdogs, and drinks. They reached their seats and were greeted by a loud man and his adorable family. YFN didn’t need a degree to figure out who it was. Jordan introduced him as Jorge Bronze, Lucy’s big brother, and his family. He gave Jordan a hug and kiss, and she picked up the kids and gave them kisses also. Jorge dragged YFN into a strong hug they took their seats next to them. It felt like a huge family affair and made YFNs heart swell with happiness. Her family life was not so joyful, and so this was a happy change. A few other friends came over to say hi to Jordan and she introduced them to YFN. They were friends, other football players, or partners of friends.

Shortly before the game, the teams ran out onto the field to warm up. The crowd seemed to yell extra loudly as Lucy came out onto the field, Jorge was the loudest of all. One kid in his arm and a drink in the other, he yelled at the top of his lungs “LUCYLUCY. LUCYLUCY.” Many people were yelling it like a chant, and Jorge recorded it for his social media. YFN couldn’t keep her eyes off of Lucy. She oozed confidence. Her dark hair was up in a messy bun, and she looked a bit different without her glasses, but a good different. YFN bit her lip, thinking her football gear was a welcome sight. She couldn’t help but see the muscles through her clothes, particularly the thigh muscles when she walked. Lucy jogged around without a care, chewing gum and laughing with her teammates. At one point in time, she even sat on a football and just watched as the others warmed up.

“Hey Dory, what’s she doing?” YFN asked Jordan.

Jordan leaned into YFN to yell over the crowd. “Who? Lucy? Oh, her knee is really bad. Like really, really bad. She’s had a lot of surgeries and she’s always in pain. She just tries to keep off it before and after games really.”

As if Lucy had heard them, she looked up and caught sight of her group. Her eyes wandered along her family who were crazily waving until she reached Jordan and YFN. She grinned when she saw YFN wearing her jersey with that little dimpled smile on her face. It suited her, she thought. Being in the crowd with her family and friends, wearing a Bronze jersey, and holding an Australian flag with pride. She and Jordan had painted the flag on their cheeks also, fully supporting their friend. Lucy wanted nothing more than to walk over and talk to them, but she knew she was supposed to be warming up. She settled for a big childish wave and re-joined her team.

Ten minutes later they left the field, Lucy waving at her section and grinning from ear to ear as she left. Soon enough after, the crowd roared as the teams entered the stadium, holding hands with their mascots. Lucy was last in line, swinging arms with her little mascot. They stood for the national anthems and after a quick team photo, the game was underway. YFN couldn’t tell if she was just biased, but it was pretty obvious to her that Lucy was the most intelligent on the field. When she didn’t see an opening she liked, she passed the ball back to the defender next to her who Jordan said was “Millie Bright – acting Captain.” She pushed up the field hard during the first half of the game, and very nearly scoring on several occasions.

“Wow, Lucy is ON FIRE today! LUCYLUCY!” Jorge shouted. “THAT’S MY SISTER!”

“I haven’t seen her play this good is a while!” Jordan shouted in YFN’s ear.

A long shot came towards the goal and Lucy was sprinting from nowhere, her speed was incredible. She leapt, heading the ball and the goalkeeper tipped it. The ball hit the crossbar and bounced back into play. One of Lucy’s teammates were in the perfect position for the rebound and struck the ball, side-netting it. The crowd groaned loudly.

“COME ON LESS!” Jordan yelled encouragingly.

“COME ON RUSSO! WHY IS LUCY OUR BEST STRIKER!” A yell came from behind them in the crowd.

YFN was confused. Jordan saw her confusion. “Lucy is a defender, not a striker. Not even a midfielder. She shouldn’t be the most dangerous striker for us today but she’s just playing so well. The other girls aren’t doing well enough to be honest.”

That made sense to her. Lucy was compensating for her team. All of her discussions with Jordan the day before about Lucy being overly competitive and not liking to lose were becoming more obvious. YFN loved it and joined in on the shouting for England’s number 2.

The whistle blew to signal half time and the scores were still 0-0. During the break the pair took Lucy’s niece and nephew up to the bathroom and brought back more snacks for the Bronze family. They settled back down when YFN noticed that Jordan was tense and uncomfortably shifting.

“What’s the matter?” YFN asked.

Jordan leant over to talk in her ear, not loud enough that anyone else would hear it. “My ex is here. A few rows behind us. She waved at me.”

YFN pulled back with wide, worried eyes. “Oh Jordan, are you okay?”

“I don’t know. We’re still friends and I think she’s a lovely person, but I just feel so uncomfortable right now. She going to want to try and speak to me after this.”

“And you don’t want to?”

“She going to try and speak to me like everything’s normal when it’s not. I don’t think I have the capacity.”

YFN put her arm around Jordan and pulled her close. “You need to tell her that you need space. Because right now, even though you’re replying the bare minimum to her, it’s still coming across like you’re okay to casually chat to her when you know you need your space to heal.”

“You’re right.” She groaned. “I just don’t want to come across nasty at all. She’s such a good person.”

“Protect yourself first. Heal a bit. And only then can you try to have normal conversations with her, hm?”

The teams came back out then, and the second half began. Jordan’s mood picked up as she was lost again in the screaming, but unlike YFN, she was yelling their names.

Lucy played even better the second half, giving so many chances to her teammates to score. She went down, hard at one point, literally tumbling over like a gymnast and the crowd seemed to think this was normal.

“NEVER A GOOD GAME UNLESS LUCY IS FLYING!”

“LUCIA!”

“LUCYLUCY!”

“BRONZEYYYYY!”

She got back up and jogged back over to her spot a bit stiffly. YFN was in awe of her resilience. Eventually the 90 minutes were up and they were given +2 minutes. Just when all seemed like it was about to be over, Lucy scored. And it was beautiful. Just like last time she came sprinting from absolutely nowhere however this time she volleyed the ball into the net, hard. So hard the net must have broken. The stadium erupted, they all leapt to their feet screaming at the top of their lungs. Jordan and YFN grabbed each other, jumping up and down. Popcorn flew all around. Lucy was bombarded by her teammates leaping onto her. Looking up at the big screen, YFN could better see the massive grin spread across her face. Of course she scored.

“GOAL FOR ENGLAND NUMBER 2, LUCY BRONZE!”

The stadium erupted again.

Play resumed for the last 20 seconds, and the whistle ended the match to a stadium still cheering for Lucy.

Jorge was again filming on his phone, kid in one arm and phone in the other. “AW TOO BAD SO SAD.” He cackled as he filmed the other team. YFN laughed at the absurdity of it. She looked around at the packed stadium. It was all insane.

“AND YOUR PLAYER OF THE MATCH IS… LUCY BRONZE!”

Lucy received even more yelling and applauses. She shook hands with both teams and then was dragged into an interview on the pitch while her teammates signed autographs and gave out some of their match worn gear to the crowd. When Lucy finished the interview, she immediately hobbled over to her section and jumped up to lean over the barriers. Jorge and her family got to her first and pulled her into big hugs and kisses. They took some selfies and then Lucy moved over to grab Jordan into an all-encompassing hug.

“I’m so proud of you.” Jordan cried, tears welling. Lucy grinned and pulled back, looking at YFN and opening her arms cheekily. YFN laughed and wrapped her arms around her in a tight, warm hug. Of course, Lucy’s hugs were amazing.

“I’m sorry, I probably don’t smell the best right now.”

“You smell like success to me.” YFN kept holding tight for as long as Lucy was, though Lucy was doing the same. They both gave up eventually so as to not give any wrong impressions to photographers or the crowd around them.

“Nice jersey. Would you like me to sign it?”

“Depends, how much would it be worth?”

Lucy rolled her eyes and took a sharpie from her brother. She shifted YFN’s hair back gently to sign her jersey over her collarbone. She couldn’t help but notice YFNs perfume. The same perfume that was on her hoody when she had given it back a few days before. A shiver went up her spine as she tried to focus on writing neatly.

“Mine too please!” Jordan quipped. Lucy signed her jersey also.

“Oh, and this please!” YFN held up her Australian flag. Lucy grinned, rolling her eyes again and signed her flag. YFN couldn’t help but stare at her, the big grin taking over her face, her hair curling at the sides where she’d been sweating, and those big green eyes. They locked eyes for a moment but both broke contact almost immediately as it affected them both so intensely. No way would they be able to keep it normal in front of so many people. They felt each other shiver and saw each other smile. Nobody seemed to notice.

“I hear there’s a dinner party tonight!” Jorge almost yelled.

“Ohhhh yeah. Family and friends. I told them you’d all be there. You’re all coming, right?” She looked at Jordan a little worried, presumably because her ex would be there.

Jordan looked at YFN. “Stuff it. Yeah, we’ll be there.”

#lucy bronze #jordan nobbs #engwnt #woso #woso x reader #woso imagine #woso fanfics #woso community #woso soccer #womens football #lionesses #lucy bronze x reader #lucy bronze imagine

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

02/23/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; How To Help; Rotten Tomatoes Reviews/GoggleBox; Cast & Crew Sightings; Taika; Rhys; Leslie Jones; New Watch Party: These Thems; Save OFMD UK Billboard; Transparency policy; RhysDarbyFaction; We'reWolves; Fan Spotlight; Podcasts/Youtube vids; Articles; Love Notes; Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika

Hey all. I'm starting out with the how to help section tonight because there are some things we'd love to see happen to try and help with the renewal.

== HOW TO HELP ==

= Rotten Tomatoes Reviews =

Okay all, this is a big one. It's been brought to my attention by @bzy_hands on twitter, that there are less than 1000 reviews on rotten tomatoes for Season 2. They have an excellent point, Con DID screenshot Season 2. If you haven't already, please go over to Season 2 and review it to help get over that 1000 review mark.

Need help on how to review on RT? @lowrahh Was kind enough to make a tutorial for us, check it out on the repo: Review on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB

== Let's Get OFMD On Gogglebox ==

Our crew-mate @queerly-autistic was kind enough to have written up a How-To on on getting OFMD on Gogglebox!

"One of the biggest things we can do to try and get Our Flag Means Death picked up by another network is keep making noise about it, and so I had a wild middle-of-the-night idea about one way we could do this: try and get the show on Gogglebox! For anyone who doesn't know, Gogglebox is an extremely popular and successful show in the UK on Channel 4, where ordinary people (and sometimes celebrities) watch and react to television shows, pop culture moments and films."

Wanna give it a go? Please check out their tutorial here!

== Cast & Crew Sightings ==

==Taika!==

It's been a minute since we've seen Taika! But he's out with Rita at the Taylor Swift concert.

= Rhys Darby =

Well, even though Rhys is taking some time off until March, we still have some Cameo's coming in from prior to him closing cameos!

= Cameo 1 - Cryptids! =

Thank you to @iamadequate1 for sharing this fun little cryptid video +

Tumblr / Twitter Links

= Cameo 2 =

Our friend @blackcravatart over on twitter was kind enough to share a birthday video for her (edited for names). I don't know if it's anywhere else and I didn't get permission to download it, so I apologize I'll try to do that and get back to you if we are allowed to share it elsewhere! Cameo Video on Twitter.

= Red Dead Redemption 2: Episode 3 =

The next exciting episode of Rhys playing Red Dead is up!

= Leslie Jones =

I really don't post enough about Leslie, who is my absolute idol. She's out doing comedy at the Hawaii Theater in Honolulu tonight with @lennymarcusnyc! Just wanted to give a shout out her way since she's a BAMF and deserves all the love.

== New Watch Party ==

Join @adoptourcrew on Friday 3/1 for a watch party of #TheseThems! Times haven't been secured quite yet but mark your calendars!

Watch Party Hashtags:

#TheseThems

#These Gems

#AdoptOurCrew

Wanna see what other watch parties are planned? Feel free to visit the repo for Watch Party Events.

== Save OFMD Billboard Campaign ==

Some of you may have noticed that there's been some suspicious pictures going up across multiple platforms regarding a billboard with the hashtag #WatchTheHorizon from our SaveOFMD Crew. There's definitely some Billboard planning in the works and the crew has provided a bit more transparency on the situation this time. All links in the images will be listed below.

Links:

SaveOFMD Crew Transparency Policy

Team HAVEN

Trans Lifeline

RainbowYOUTH

Outright International

Full Twitter Thread

== SchadenFreude ==

Just a little karma for WB.

== Rhys Darby Faction ==

So for those of you not on twitter, there was a bit of fun had with a random film poll guy who posted a poll that included Rhys Darby on Twitter.

It was found by OFMD twitter, and immediately started being retweeted, which, is how twitter works, right? His Response to this was:

So several of our OFMD Twitter group decided to OWN that lovely little name, and put together an actual hashtag #RhysDarbyFaction... and start polite menacing and trying to boost engagement for #AdoptOurCrew and #SaveOFMD Which triggered a meme factory, here's a few:

#RhysDarbyFaction is now a trending Hashtag on Twitter, and the Faction is using that to help support the #SaveOFMD and #AdoptOurCrew effort as well as spread positivity and love around Rhys Darby works. There's even a discord server if you're interested in joining: https://discord.gg/r7db78j4 There's been talks of putting together some events for a Cryptid Scavenger hunt, but in general it's just a small safe space to try and promote little guys and support the ofmd renewal effort. You don't need to join the discord to be part of the crew, just use #RhysDarbyFaction and be a polite menace/positive force!

== We're Wolves ==

So according to the #WellingtonParanormalPodcast's tiktok, it sounds like Jermaine is finally in talks for writing "We're Wolves"! A sequel to the 2014 What We Do In the Shadows movie. I know we've all been in a Vianton mood since that one Rhys Cameo, so just wanted to make sure you'd heard if you hadn't! SRC: Tiktok

== Fan Spotlight! ==

Getting close to the end of the month so gotta catch up! More collages from our friend @wnderngnomad on Twitter!

Day 23: The Cinematography

Day 4: Nat Faxon

Day 5: Vico Ortiz

Day 6: Leslie Jones

== Podcasts / Youtube Vids ==

Speaking of podcasts, checkout some podcasts from our fandom!

= Citizen Dame =

First up! @celluloidbroomcloset, has a podcast that’s called Citizen Dame. While it doesn't specifically discuss OFMD in this episode, they do discuss Taika, and you all know how much we love that man. So give it a listen and support a fellow crew-mate! Podbean Link / Patreon / Spotify

= Never Left Podcast =

Another fan-podcast I'd like to add tonight is Never Left! More podcasts and discussions on all things OFMD -- give them a listen if you feel up for it! "Welcome aboard our Safe Space Ship! Your Co-Captains, Ariana Perry and Amanda Catron, will be hosting this completely spoiled, totally unofficial, deep dive into Our Flag Means Death." Podbay / Linktr.ee

== Movies With Marty ==

Marty has a new First Watch video out! If you haven't watched Marty's vids yet, feel free to check them out! He's a hoot and is a HUGE supporter of OFMD!

== Articles ==

What to watch on Netflix and BBC this weekend?

Keeping promises of queer representation

== Love Notes ==

Today has been a long day lovelies, and I'm out of spoons so I'm gonna take a night off from writing out love notes and spread some from someone else. Just know I'm very proud of you for everything you did today, I hope you're doing well and feeling safe. <3

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Idk if these really go together tonight, but here we go. Both of them were on tenor with no srcs? Sorry! Hope you all enjoy!

#daily ofmd recap #daily ofmd recaps #ofmd daily recaps #ofmd daily recap #ofmd #our flag means death #rhys darby #save ofmd #taika waititi #leslie jones #jermaine clement #movies with marty #podcasts #citizen dame #never left podcast #we're wolves #rhysdarbyfaction #rhys darby faction #billboard campaign #uk crew #Youtube

[the-owl-tree]

genuine question bc I haven’t read the books since. Idk a long time, why do ppl hate nightcloud so much?? I have literally only ever heard of her as an afterthought. Like she’s the third choice for crow feather bc he needed to take a mate to not be seen suspicious and just picked her, there’s no love between them, and afaik he basically forced her to raise her son by herself, not counting the moments of attention he DID give which seemed to be overwhelmingly negative and even abusive. Isn’t she allowed to be bitter and that when he’s very clear abt his apathy and even resentment toward her and her son?? Or am I missing some context

People took Crowfeather passing the blame onto Nightcloud for Breezepelt's behavior at face value, despite two arcs worth of books proving that wasn't true at all. I'd argue the writing team ALSO believed this, as with how they characterized her in the subsequent Field Guides. Immediately, Nightcloud's past actions were re-contextualized to be negative, to further push this idea that she was this old coddling bitch mom who didn't let poor Crowfeather be involved with his son (look at the language of the field guides, they genuinely wrote "she should be glad to be alive").

Crowfeather was (and in some circles still is) a pretty popular character, and a lot of people were quick to latch onto the idea that he was blameless. I can't remember if CrowPool was or wasn't a popular ship, I lean towards yes, so take this line with the knowledge my memory is fuzzy, but I'd also argue that Nightcloud being the "replacement" mate was what made people even more hostile to her.

So, what is Nightcloud actually like? I'm only going to cover scenes where Nightcloud is either mentioned or actually appears, so no Outcast, click the first link for a better look at that. I'll only cover Po3 and OoTS for now.

Nightcloud's Appearances in the Power of Three

Our first meeting with her is in The Sight, where ThunderClan intervenes when they're being chased around by a dog. Her first piece of actual dialogue is her defending Breezepaw from Crowfeather, which is not coddling, especially when given the added context in Outcast that Crowfeather is verbally abusive towards his son. She also proceeds to lecture him about his manners towards a ThunderClan cat, so, she's not the one encouraging his rude streak.

She is then absent for most of the book until the end, when during one of the contests at the Daylight Gathering, Lionpaw and Breezepaw get hurt in a collapsed tunnel incident and she understandably is quite distressed. Then Leafpool drops the "i'd give every drop of my blood for you Crowfeather" line and Nightcloud just tries to divert attention from that, understandably uncomfortable with what's being said.

One of the scenes that's commonly used as "evidence" that Nightcloud stopped Crowfeather from bonding with Breezepelt is this one:

No hissing or swatting. She just doesn't let him help, and considering we now know Crowfeather has been absent from the beginning and isn't above hitting and screaming at his kid, I think it's understandable that she arguably isn't going to stop just so he can help. But that's my interpretation, I think this scene in itself proves nothing of the sort either way and people were reaching when trying to use it as evidence.

Nightcloud's remaining appearances in The Sight is her watching over Breezepaw and Lionpaw as they recover:

That is the entirety of her appearance in The Sight. Onto Dark River! Where her first mention is Leafpool identifying her and Jaypaw sensing some jealousy from Leafpool, as the patrol is going to check in on WindClan and get information because of uh scents. you know usual warriors border bullshit. We then get Jaypaw noticing her breath, and finally him sensing jealousy from Nightcloud (that she does not act on). This is the entirety of her appearance in Dark River:

Cue Leafpool being polite to Crowfeather, and Crowfeather waving as many red flags as he possible can.

And onto the infamous Outcast! Where Nightcloud has *drumroll* one fucking appearance.

She also has one appearance in Eclipse where she's part of the patrol that attacks Lionpaw, but I'm not even going to mention it it's quite literally just him going "Nightcloud!" before the scene shifts to his and Heatherpaw's conflict. She is entirely absent in Long Shadows, there is no appearance of her beyond allegiances.

And finally in Sunrise, she is entirely absent until near the ending. She's first mentioned by Crowfeather when Jayfeather asks him if he knew the truth, then noticed at a gathering by Hollyleaf:

When the secret is revealed, Nightcloud stands with Crowfeather. No hissing or hitting or turning on him, here is the entirery of her appearance when Hollyleaf reveals everything:

This is it. This is the entirety of Nightcloud involvement in the story, she is barely mentioned and she is barely a character. Her appearances are dwarfed by Crowfeather and Breezepelt, and she is literally just a normal mom character throughout.

Nightcloud's Appearances in Omen of the Stars

Nightcloud is absent throughout the entirety of the Fourth Apprentice. She is only mentioned in the allegiances. She has one appearance in Fading Echoes:

Then there's Night Whispers, where her first appearance is her arguing with Crowfeather while Flametail goes "yikes!":

Her other appearance is the infamous grabbing scene that people latched onto as proof that Nightcloud was an abusive monster who was hurting poor Crowfeather and was forcing him to not bond with his son. Breezepelt and Lionblaze get into a border dispute and it escalates into a fight:

Leafpool intervenes and asks Crowfeather why he's not doing shit, he then proceeds to throw up multiple red flags in front of her and does the red flag dance:

We finally get Nightcloud where she comes in and pulls Crowfeather away from Leafpool. Despite using her claws, presumably because she does not have fucking THUMBS to grab onto him, no blood is drawn. She just pulls him away in an already emotionally charged and over dramatic situation. This is not comparable to Crowfeather's abuse of his son and with everything else I've presented, her grabbing him is not indicative of their relationship, ESPECIALLY given the circumstances of the action:

Her last appearance is her talking about shredding RC cats, it's not relevant but uh it's there. That the entirety of her appearances within the book.

She has no appearances in Sign of the Moon. She then has a two appearances in The Forgotten Warrior where she is hostile to Hollyleaf (which feels understandable to me considering what Hollyleaf did):

She has one onscreen appearance in The Last Hope where she defends Jayfeather from the Dark Forest attack with some other WindClan cats:

Her only other mention is Crowfeather blaming her for Breezepelt's behavior:

In canon, this never happens. We never see Nightcloud encourage Breezepelt to hate Crowfeather, but we instead see Crowfeather spending an entire book abusing Breezepaw when Nightcloud is away. This is bullshit, but the fandom took this as truth and immediately turned on Nightcloud despite no actual evidence.

There are three takeaways from this:

Crowfeather blaming Nightcloud is....false. It's false. We see no canon evidence of this, and in fact the books tell us another narrative.

Nightcloud is barely a character. She has so few actual appearances that calling her "complex" is a lie, she is a narrative tool that moreso supports Crowfeather and Breezepelt's conflict than any story of her own.

Even if Nightcloud did do all that offscreen, Crowfeather STILL abused his child and that is directly tied to Breezepelt's motivations within Omen of the Stars. Nightcloud's behavior does NOT negate the harm that Crowfeather did to his own son.

#warrior cats #nightcloud #breezepelt #crowfeather #deer rambles #stealing bonefall's essay format LOL but it's useful for organization. #anyways. i've wanteed to make this post for a while sooo ty anon for the excuse to

[sardonic-the-writer]

—business man

SUMMARY | tip number one to survive new york: If you see a blonde british boy running up and offering you pond water, run.

PAIRING | tommyinnit x reader

REQUESTED | no

WARNINGS | none

WORD COUNT | 1.5k+

AUTHORS NOTES | i've gotten back into the swing of things haven't i

🛹 Masterlist 🛹 Navigation 🛹 Rules 🛹

New York was many things. Dirty. Expensive looking while managing to be cheap in quality. Crowded. A tourist trap. But most of all, it was captivating.

Try as you may, the beauty of the heavily graffitied alleyways and skateparks was not lost on you. Each act of vandalism, each scuff left behind from a sneaker as someone lost their footing on a halfpipe, told a story. Perhaps it wasn't the content of these stories that held your interest in an iron clad grip, but rather the fact that they weren't yours. And you had always had a knack for poking your curiosity where it didnt belong.

Perhaps that's why you didn't do the sensible thing that afternoon and turn to walk away as a yelling British teenager approached you with a bottle of water.

All you had really wanted was to take a quick walk down to your favorite corner store to stock up on the basics for your tiny apartment that cost an arm and leg to live in. Maybe pick up a cookie or something from the bakery near it on the way back.

You figured it wouldn't take long, considering you knew a short cut. Straight through a little plaza located right next to a far more popular park. It was no diamond in the rough so to speak. There were probably dozens like that one sprinkled all around the city, but it offered some relief for your aching feet. If you cut through there and past a little path hidden among some bushes in the corner of it, you'd shave roughly ten minutes off your walk. It was either you took that or you would have to start investing in better shoe support.

"Hey! Hello there!"

Sounds of surrounding foot traffic blended from person to person. No one conversation stuck long enough for you to make out what was being said, but it was fun to try and imagine. Occasionally an odd quote in passing would elicit a harsh laugh from you before it was disguised as a poor cough.

"Hulloooo. Over here!"

Was someone trying to talk to you?

Your brows furrowed, picking up the sound of someone's voice for the second time that past minute, seemingly directed right at you. Your neck swiveled around a quick ninety degrees, hoping to all hell this wasn't some weird catcalling ploy. But all thoughts of anything like that vanished as soon as you found the grinning source of your confusion.

He had the wildest blond hair you had ever seen. It curled into ringlets in some places and clung to other parts of his head messily. Like he had slept wrong on a long car trip across the country.

His hoodie, as red as a crayon straight out of the box, was marked with small print you couldn't make out. It was only until he had begun to get closer—two more people in tow—did you realize you had been stood staring at his hoodie for longer than intended.

"Excuuuuse me!" There was no mistake now that you were the target of this person's interest. That was clear enough in the way he sprinted over, shoes slapping noisily across concrete, just to reach your side.

It wasn't uncommon to be flagged down with strangers holding stuff on the bustling streets of the big apple. Some were nicer than others, simply offering a look at their product before moving on when they got no response. Others took to sneakier and more forceful methods. They were one of the many reasons you had taken to donning a resting bitch face.

"Why hello there! Don't you look parched?" His smile was too wide, too genuine, to be true. Eyes crinkling at the edges with a hint of humor you had the feeling you wouldn't, or rather couldn't, understand even if you tried.

Instincts told you to wave him off and keep going on your merry way ignoring the pain in your feet. But you took one more look at him with his loud accent and crooked smile and decided not to.

"Not really." Your shoulders moved in an up and down motion, shrugging off whatever sales pitch he had set up. "Was about to hop on over to the store. Gonna get a drink there anyways." A lie. But like I said before, you had a habit of becoming to invested in situations like these. And maybe you wanted to see how he responded to your bluff. Just a little.

"Well fair pedestrian—" Wow he really was loud. Energetic too from the looks of it. "—what if I told you I could offer something far better than any bland soda you Americans drink? Hmm?"

"Oh really?" You flicked your gaze to the plastic bottle crinkling in his hand, noting the way it seemed to swirl around with bits of silt and salt in it. "Just looks like pond water to me."

"Ah! A smart customer. Got a melon on their head aye?" He turned to look at his companions now. More specifically at the one holding a camera, a detail you hadn't noticed until now. Not that it bothered you. People always had cameras out nowadays. especially in a city as famous as this.

"So it's just pond water. I'm assuming from that fountain over there?"

"Right on! Big Drink, the water of the future."

Okay maybe you were having a bit too much fun humoring this kid.

"Alright mister businessman." He puffed his chest out at your title, and while you couldn't tell if it was for the presence of a camera or simply because it filled him with a sense of pride, it brought a smile to your face nonetheless. "Say I do decide to take a shot in the dark at your new product. What's in it for me? And more importantly, will my wallet be hurting after our exchange of goods and or services." You winced at that last bit, making a clicking sound with your tounge. "Maybe I can rephrase that better next time."

But the lanky figure next to you didn't seem to mind, letting out a laugh that could only be described as boisterous before straightening back up.

"Well, you'd be the first to invest in this promising product, only at the cost of one hundred dollas! But for you I'll add on a discount of ninety nine percent." His accent thickened a considerable amount on the last bit, presumably with excitement.

"Very generous of you mister businessman."

"Thats mister businessman Tommy to you."

Alright. So you were now standing here, fishing for your wallet in front of three strangers, one of which you were now on a first name basis with. Now that could either be the set up for a very bad stand-up comedy joke, or something to be concerned about. But for some reason, it was the most fun you had had in ages.

"I'll be expecting my share of the cut in the mail when you rag tag lot make it big. Make it out to one (Y/n) the fabulous. I prefer hard cold cash, preferably delivered in an envelope" Your laugh was full of childlike enjoyment as you handed Tommy a crumpled five-dollar bill in exchange for the water bottle. Only after he paused to scribble something on the lable—a detail that you missed.

However, what you didn't miss was the way his smile faltered a little, clearly not expecting the surplus of money even if so miniscule. But you got the feeling he wasn't upset. Just surprised someone would do that in the first place. And honestly, so were you—although not regretful. Still. Bye bye cookie you had been looking forward to. Hello pond water that smelled faintly of piss.

"Consider the other four dollars money for the postage when I get my share of the cut."

Tommy shoved the bill in his pocket. He looked at you with a different flash of something in his baby blues now. A more friendly look—if that was even possible. He was probably the most friendly person you had met, especially on the streets.

"Trust me, you'll get it if it's the last thing I ever do." He gave a goofy salute in your honor, causing one of the camera men from behind to giggle before quieting quickly.

"Good luck with the rest of your sales Tommy." You offered a small wave as you walked off, clutching your newly acquired prize loosely.

Common sense told you to throw it in the first trashcan you passed. Getting rid of whatever plague the liquid might be containing.

But the longer you walked, thinking about that bright smile and genuine joy you had just encountered, your grip only tightened on the plastic.

It wasn't until you were three blocks away from the plaza did you see the number hastily scrawled on the edge of the handmade label. Right next to big bold words, reading Big Drink!!!!!™️ 

You were quick to utilize it. Probably too quick to be honest.

text sent at 6:21 pm do you give your number out to all your coustomers? must be bad for buisness

text received at 6:21 pm only the fuinny ones

text received at 6:22 pm fuck

text received at 6:22 pm *funny

Yeah. The water bottle was worth it.

#tommyinnit #tommyinnit x reader #tommyinnit x you #tommyinnit x y/n #mcyt #mcyt x reader #mcyt x you #mcyt x y/n #mcyt tommyinnit #cc!tommyinnit #dsmp #dsmp x reader #dsmp x you #dsmp x y/n #x reader #one shot #fluff #imagine

[bukguhope]

BTS Hockey AU- Part One of an interconnected series about the members as hockey boys. (begins with Jk X reader and continues with made up characters)

Synopsis: Jungkook is a star right winger for your university which means only one thing- he’s popular. With popularity comes girls falling to his feet for a chance, but as fate would have it he falls (literally) at the feet of a certain someone who he can’t have. You: his captains younger sister and the one girl on campus who doesn’t want him. You don’t mess with hockey guys though or so you thought.

Jungkook x F.reader, brothers best friend, enemies to lovers (if you squint), forbidden-ish romance, pining, eventual light smut

wc: 18k

A/N: so sorry this is past the release date, life’s been crazy but normal uploads are returning <3

y/n pov

“get the fuck away from my sister before i rip your teeth out one by one” You roll your eyes, Namjoon was at it again. He was everyone’s beloved captain, best leader the team could ever ask for. But, he could get scary and by the look of the random guys face beside you at the campus bar- he had indeed have that scary look going on. The guy wasn’t even trying to pick you up, not even flirting in the slightest, he was trying to get a run down of a lecture he missed that week. Now, he had ran off and there was yet another guy that would never try to speak to you ever again. That particular list probably had every single guy on campus at this point

“he’s from my class you dick” Your brother doesn’t seemed fazed about this information, simply shrugging and raising a hand to flag down a bartender

“don’t care where he’s from, he was too close” Fist clenching and then releasing you stand from where you previously sat and moved to leave. You didn’t get too far, Namjoon reached out to hold onto your arm “where you going?”

“for fuck sake, get off my back! you’re my brother, not bodyguard” You shake his grip off and head straight for the exit. Any kind of fun for the night was ruined for you the moment him and his stupid team showed up to celebrate their first game and win of the season. It was obvious when they arrived, their loud voices echoed throughout the bar and everyone clapped and cheered.

The anger was radiating off you as you pushed open the doors and stomped right pass through the smoking area and off onto campus, in the direction of your dorm. It was growing dark by now, the wind picking up with each step so you cross your arms and hold them close to yourself. Some loud footsteps echo from a direction close by and your head whips around as you look around, but find no one. The nosies didn’t affect you, the campus was always busy with rushing people so it wasn’t unusual to hear random noises. The rustling bush coming up in front of you though? That, was weird. You halt in your tracks, watching as the leaves move around. Was there an animal in there? More like multiple having a fight by the looks of it by the way the bush was moving so fast. A poor cat maybe get picked on?

With that thought it mind you move in it’s direction, prepared to find some rabid animals attacking another. Suddenly, with not much space between yourself and the bush, a figure emerges- well more like falls out of it. A scream automatically releases from your throat as a body tumbles and lands with a hard thud, right at your feet. A voice grumbles out in pain and you look down at the figure as they move to lay on their back. . He looks up and a pair of big brown eyes meet your gaze from his position on the floor and you squint down at him. Oh, you recognise him

“Jungkook? from the hockey team?” He offers you a sheepish smile, not moving to get up from his position at your feet

“that would be me”

“why were you in a bush?” He nibbles on his bottom lip, still on the ground and not getting up. In fact, he connects his fingers and rests them on his chest as he looks up at you

“oh, no reason in particular” It was silent as you look at each other, awkwardness growing by the second. But as you thought, you came to a conclusion. You nod your head at your silent thoughts, lips pursing

“my brother made you follow me” You say it as a statement, not a question because you already knew that this was the case. Jungkook looked uncomfortable now and was still on the fucking floor “oh will you get up!” You huff, offering your hand out for him. He nods, hand gripping onto your forearm and he pushes himself to his feet. Jesus, he was tall, your neck craned upwards in order to keep eye contact “he may be be your captain but you don’t have to listen to every fucking thing he tells you to do” You step closer, Jungkook steps back “tell him he’s a dick and iam telling mum on him and don’t you ever follow me again” Your pointer finger was going crazy at this point, waving around in the poor boys face as he just looks down at you- silent. Stepping around him, you stalk off grumbling to yourself before you stop and turn. He was still stood there, not knowing what to do with himself “Jungkook!” His head whips to you, there was quite a bit of distance now so you had to shout a little “Are you okay?! That looked like it hurt when you fell?!” Your tone was still angry, despite the concerning questions and you notice a small smile on his lips

“yeah i’ve taken worse then that!” He shouts back and you nod once before turning and continuing the journey back to your dorm. Namjoon literally had zero boundaries, this wasn’t even the first time he’s had one of his friends follow you home. He’d excuse it, say it was for your safety. The entire year you’ve been here on campus you’ve had him breathing down your neck, fuck he’s been like this since you were kids. You never even speak about the time he caught a boy in your room, it was innocent just a study date but he hit the roof and that kid never spoke to you again. Mumbling curses at him, you pull your phone out and dial your mum

“sweetheart!” She picks up only after a few rings “how have you been?”

“you need to come and sort your son out” Your mum sighs down the line as you enter your dorm building and begin climbing the stairs

“what’s he done now?” You scoff, pulling your keys from your hoodie pocket as you get close to your floor

“he had me followed home again mum” She sighs again as you slide you key into your door

“leave with it me”

Jungkook’s pov

“fuck it’s my mum, she really did tell on me” His captain grumbles as he looks at the incoming call on his phone. He slides out from the table and walks off to answer to it

“so, you just fell out of a bush?” Hosoek, the teams left winger asks with a raised eyebrow as he takes a sip of his beer

“that’s what i said wasn’t it?” Jungkook grumbles, fiddling with the label on his bottle of water and ripping it off bit by bit

“why were you in one in the first place?” He looks up from the bottle to give Jimin, teams goalie an exasperated look

“i didn’t want her to think i was stalking her home or something, so i tried to stay hidden” He shrugs, ripping off a big chunk of label

“but that’s exactly what you were doing” Yoongi, left defensemen, deadpans. Jungkook couldn’t really refute that, because that was basically what he was doing. What was more concerning then him practically following you was that you hadn’t left his mind since he first looked up at you from the concrete floor. You were pretty, really fucking pretty. Sure, he knew who you were but never exactly met you properly given that you were Namjoons sister and he’d rather kill over then bring you up around his friends and teammates. It brings a little smirk to his face when he remembers you calling back to him, asking if he was okay.

“he made me do it once, swear she wanted to rip my balls off and feed them to some wild animals” Taehyung, right defensemen, chimes in with a light chuckle “oh fuck, hide me” His chuckling stopped immediately as he flew underneath the table, head bumping it momentarily and shaking the drinks perched on top of it

“saw Nina didn’t you?” Jin, co-captain, mumbles as his head whips around, looking for the girl in question and spots her coming through the door

“seriously dude, major man points deducted for hiding from your ex” Jungkook leans his head toward him under the table and Taehyung waves him off desperately as he stays planted on his knees. Jungkook spots Namjoon coming back to the table, disgruntled, angry look on his face. He sits down, legs sprawling before a yelp comes from beneath the table

“bro why the fuck are you down there?” Namjoon calls out to the man he just accidentally kicked and Taehyung only groans as a response

“Nina” The boys say in unison and Namjoon rolls his eyes

“should’ve guessed” The captain takes a big swig of his drink before placing it back down, a little roughly

“what’s the verdict from your mum?” Hoseok questions, taking a handful of peanuts from the bowl in the middle of the table before shoving them all into his mouth. Hockey players = endless appetite

“not allowed to get anyone to take y/n home anymore or iam not getting any christmas presents this year” The boys laugh as their captain pouts while he fiddles with his glass

“i wouldn’t say you getting people to follow her is ‘taking her home’” Taehyung calls out, still under the table

“you have no say, coward under the table” Namjoon calls out, the boys break out in laughter once again

y/n’s pov

“so he just fell out of a bush?” Lola, cheer captain and one of your best friend asks as you twirl a piece of her hair around a curler. It was game day so as normal you were helping her get ready as she sits in her cheer uniform

“i don’t think him falling was the main take away from the story” You release her hair and it bounces into a curl, you grab another and repeat the process

“yeah but, why was he in the bush in the first place?” Nina, co-captain of the cheer squad and your other best friend asks as she listens into the story while doing her eye-makeup next to you and Lola

“i don’t know, the point is Namjoon is still getting people to follow me around” Nina chuckles, tapping some excess eyeshadow off her brush

“and he just led there on the ground until you told him to get up?” Lola’s question makes you sigh, seriously they’re caught up on the wrong part of the story

“yes he was in a bush, yes he fell out of it and yes he led on the ground until i told him to get up but the point is, my brother is having me followed!” The girls laugh, you put your curler down before grabbing some hair spray

“i would not be able to survive someone being that protective” Nina mumbles, face close to a mirror as she blends some shadow onto her lid

“you’re telling me, this has been my entire life. him scaring people off, having me followed. he’s completely unhinged” You spray a couple coats over Lola’s hair, running your fingers through it as you do so

“i guess it’s coming from a place of love, even if it’s annoying” Lola smiles up at you, you offer a weak one back. You knew Namjoon loved you, knew he was just trying to protect you in his stupid way but he’s been pushing your boundaries for the past year

“well iam done letting him do whatever he wants, he needs to leave me alone and stop treating me like a child” Nina scoffs, you turn your head to her

“good luck with that, he’s relentless” She was right, no matter how many times you had your mum tell him off he still found his way to keep tabs over you. You frown as you place the hair spray back down as Lola fiddles with it until she’s satisfied

“you coming to the game tonight?” Nina asks, now coating her lashes with mascara

“i’ll come watch your routine but then iam going” It wasn’t that you didn’t like hockey, you did but seeing your brother would only annoy you right now and you’d rather not watch girls hitting on him afterwards, you’d not be staying for the game. Plus, all his friends pissed you off too. Not only was one of them your best friends ex, but they were popular and watching their egos inflate with all the female attention was infuriating. Hockey boys, no thank you.

~

As soon as the main cheer routine was done, you were on your feet and walking towards the exit. No need to stick around and watch the boys on campus spend more time bodying one another then actually playing hockey. It was all a show of ego with guys this age really, especially you’re brother and his friends. Pulling out your phone, you check through some apps before the sound of shoes slapping on the floor echoes throughout the hallway. Looking up you see a figure, a big one, sprinting in your direction. A figure you recognise, and it seems he does too because he slows and stops in front of you, breathing heavily

“y/n?” He pants, trying to catch his breath “you’re not staying for the game?” He almost has this, adorable pout on his lips as he asks. Adorable? No, you think to yourself- absolutely not adorable

“oh no, but good luck Jungkook” You side step, about to walk on but he steps to the side too so he’s back in front of you

“ah well, i just want to say sorry about the whole following you home situation” A small smile appears on your lips, he actually seems almost embarrassed with the little pink hue on his cheeks

“i know it was my brothers doing, don’t worry” Jungkook returns the smile, tips of his front teeth showing slightly

“well, i could’ve said no so- sorry again” You almost chuckle at him, he actually seemed nice. Not at all what you imagined someone your brother hung out with to be like

“again, no worries” Taking a peep at the phone in your hand, you notice the time “shouldn’t you be going on the ice in like, twenty minutes?” Jungkook’s eyes seemed to widen ever so slightly

“oh shit right, sorry again hope you stay for the game” He rushes out in a ramble, before taking off back into a sprint- shoes slapping onto the floor once again. You find yourself turning your head to watch him, his hair flying around as he runs off down the hallway. There’s a smile on your face. You catch yourself, frown, shake your head and turn before walking off.

Weird

Jungkook’s pov

His eyes dart to the right of the stadium- no y/n. He quickly diverts his line of sight to the left side- still no y/n. He thinks, then, a body is slamming into him. Jungkook flies backwards and lands with a hard thud onto the ice. The crowd watching gets loud as his body slammer skates around his body, before stopping harshly making ice shards fly over his face. Namjoon, in captain mode, is on him in a flash pushing the guys shoulder and away from him as Jungkook gets back up onto his feet

“stay focused man what the hell you doing?!” Taehyung yells out as he skates past him and to the guy Namjoon is currently being separated from by the ref. What was Jungkook doing? Right, looking for the captains beloved sister in the crowd. He really needed to get it together.

~

The teams cheers echo throughout the locker room as Jungkook enters last with his helmet in his hands. Despite the fall, he’s fine with no pain and they won the game - thank god.

“Jeon, a word” Everyone sets of into oohing as Namjoon motions for him to step back outside the locker room. Can’t he just let it slide? No, of course he couldn’t. “what happened out there? you let yourself get bodied man, you’re normally so focused out there” Jungkook shakes his head with a sigh, he can’t exactly tell him he was looking to see if his hot as fuck sister was sat in the crowd. He didn’t have a death wish

“it was just a momentary lapse in attention, won’t happen again” Namjoon didn’t seem satisfied with that answer, but it was the only one he’d be getting

“you were late too, don’t let it happen again” Is all he mutters before patting him on the back “well done though, great performance afterwards keep that up” Of course he’d compliment him afterwards, always the best in leading the the team with a firm yet fair hand

“thanks and it won’t happen again” He thanked whoever was looking over him for Namjoon not asking for a further explanation

“celebration party tonight!” Jungkook looks over his shoulder at Jimin shouting as he runs down the hallway, already changed with his gym bag in hand.

Around three hours later that party was in full swing, bodies pushed into one dorm with music blasting throughout the place. Jungkook wasn’t the biggest fan of these things, people seemed to forget boundaries when they’ve had a drink.

“you were so good out there tonight, you could seriously go pro” He had no idea what this girls name was but she had be talking for the past fifteen minutes about what, he had no idea. But, he wasn’t horrible and he tried to seem like he was interested at the very least. She was being nice after all but every so often she shifted closer to him and now she was basically pushed up against his side. Jungkook moved backwards, creating some space but she simply followed.

“that’s nice thanks, iam gonna get some air” He left no room for a response, he bolted and headed straight for the door and out into the night breeze. Breathing a sigh of relief, he takes a sip of his drink before heading to the bottom step on the building and sitting down. It was much quieter out here, no one to be seen and it felt like he could finally relax. He allowed his thoughts to take over, thinking about what that girl had said.

you could go pro

God he had heard that one too many times. His friends, his parents, literally anyone he had ever met. It was the immense pressure, to have so many people talk about his future. Sure, he was grateful they expected so much of him and yeah he loved hockey. But that wasn’t everything to him, hockey wasn’t everything. Huffing he ran his fingers through his hair, tugging lightly on a few strands in frustration

“rough night?” The sudden voice had him jumping in surprise, his drink flying in the air as his hands flew up in surprise. The contents of the drink spill behind him, the sound of the ice is loud as it hits the slabs of the steps

“jesus!” He stares at you, stunned and embarrassed as he grips the plastic cup so hard it crumples up into itself

“iam so sorry” You get out between a fit of heavy laughter while he tries to catch his breath. He watches as you climb up the first step before sitting beside him, your skirt sliding up ever so slightly to reveal a little more of your thighs- he looked away. “why you out here?” Good question, one he didn’t particularly have an answer for

“just, getting some air” You nod, and he can’t help but keep his eyes trained onto you. There was just something about you that gave him this comfortable feeling yet at the same time he was on edge, his heart was beating so damn hard

“how come you didn’t stay for the game?” Jungkook had been pondering about that ever since he stepped out onto the ice and kept looking around. It wasn’t a pro game, the crowd and arena was small so he could’ve easily spotted you if you were there

“not really my thing” You shrug the topic off which only makes him more curious “heard you won though, congratulations” A small smile appears on his face as he places his, now empty and crushed cup, down beside him

“don’t compliment your way out of my question” He notices the corner of your mouth tip upwards, a small smirk gracing your lips

“okay, honestly i don’t really get involved in my brothers life” Jungkook frowns, he assumed you two had a good relationship with how much Namjoon goes out of his way to protect you. Maybe he had it all wrong?

“he can be over the top huh?” You scoff lightheartedly at that understatement before replying

“oh he definitely can. it’s too much, iam my own person with boundaries which he doesn’t seem to understand” He felt that, his situation sure wasn’t the same as yours but he knew exactly what the feeling of people not understanding him felt like. And in that moment, with someone he barely knew, he wanted to tell you everything that laid heavy on his heart

“can i admit a secret to you?” You look over, slight shock etched over your face at the sudden change of conversation but once you nod your head, he goes right into it “i don’t want to go pro with hockey” He’s waiting for the surprise, the questions but- it never comes

“what do you want to do instead?” Now he’s the one shocked. You weren’t asking why he doesn’t want to go pro, just simply asking what he actually wanted to do instead. It was, refreshing

“i- don’t know” He sighs “all my life all anyone has ever said was that i was born for hockey, i appreciate it all i really do but- theres more to me then just hockey. everyone just expects that i’ll go pro, never anything else” Jungkook looks over, your listening so intently and he’s so relieved to get it off his chest. He’s held onto this for so long

“it’s okay that you don’t know what exactly you want to do forever. you’re only young and hockey’s allowed to stay a hobby, you don’t have to do it for any longer then you want to” Jungkook felt his chest lighten, you said it so simply as if it wasn’t a big deal if hockey wasn’t destined to be a forever job for him and it was just so nice to hear.

“yeah, you’re right” Is all he can muster up, he wants to say so much more but you don’t even know him so the emotional dumping might not be the best move

“iam always right” You chuckle, hand coming down onto his thigh. It was meant to be a friendly gesture, but there’s this instant connection, an instant feeling brewing up inside of Jungkook that all he can do his stare at your hand. The door at the top of the steps suddenly swings open and your hand disappears as you look behind you. It was a random student, stumbling out and down the stairs. He couldn’t seem to see one inch in front of him as he grips onto the wall. Suddenly, he’s thumping down the stairs in your direction so Jungkook wraps an arm behind you before he scoops you up into his side. Your eyes are still on the drunk guys and as he steps closer, you lift you ass from the step and plant yourself right onto Jungkooks lap. The random plows down the rest of the way before stumbling, looking up and squinting his eyes in the direction of you and him

“oh- J-jungkook? hey, you’re a b-beast at hockey. D-definitely going pro man” Then, he’s off and stumbling his way into the night. You watch as he disappears before turning your head to look at Jungkook, whose been staring at you ever since the guy was off the steps

“definitely going pro my ass” You mumble and he exhales through his nose before laughing, head flying downwards. His grip on you tightens without him releasing it, you arm still around his neck from when you climbed on him to escape getting trampled. You laugh along with him, head tipping backwards. When the laughter dies down he feels you slowly lifting yourself, he takes his hands of you as you finally move yourself off him “i better go find my friends”

“right” He can’t help but feel a little disappointed, he liked talking to you. There was no pressure, no expectations. “or we could go get some food?” Jungkook cringed at himself. You didn’t even know him very well, only as your overprotective brothers friend and teammate. Why on earth would you-

“okay” His thoughts came to a halt, he looked up at you from his sat position “where would be open at this time?”

“oh yeah, probably all closed by now” Jungkook mumbles, he didn’t even think about the time and how late it probably was

“wanna come to mine?” Silence ensued at your question, he simply stared up at you. He should say no, sure it was an innocent invite to eat but you were his captains sister after all. Would probably get his ass handed to him if he found out but as he thought about it, looking up at you looking just so fucking pretty, he stood to his feet. You were you own damn person, who was Namjoon to dictate who you hung with?

“yeah, sure” He finally gets out, chewing on his bottom lip momentarily as you smile up at him before backing off and walking away silently. Jungkook releases his lip, smiles and then follows

Y/n’s pov

You can’t help but wonder what the hell you were thinking when you decided to invite him back. Jungkook was practically a stranger and after one conversation you thought, hey why not bring him back home and eat? You needed a brain check. But you couldn’t stop thinking about his confession, the expectations on him, the pressure. If you could relate to and understand anything it was that. Namjoon had these wild expectations that you were precious enough to be protected, sheltered to anything that could be mildly upsetting. These things were apart of life, it’s how you would grow and learn but no- your brother believed you could be saved from it all.

“how you feel about some noodles?” You ask as you move into the kitchen, turning the lights on as Jungkook finished taking his shoes of.

“fine by me” He calls out as he follows you and you begin to gather everything you needed to start cooking while Jungkook sits himself at the kitchen island on a stool. “you a big reader huh?” Confused you turn to look at him, finding one of your books in his hands

“oh yeah, i love to read” You watch has he plays with the coloured tabs sticking out of the book and smile at his intrigued face before turning back to cooking

“the colours of the tabs mean anything?” He asks as you empty a packet into the water that filled a saucepan

“yeah they’re for different types of moments” You call out, not looking back as you add another packet before pushing around the noodles with a spoon

“what’s red for?” Jungkook mumbles out and you hear the movement of him open the book. With wide eyes you turn to catch his curious eyes and quickly move to him and rip the book from his hands

“oh, nothing important” You rush out, taking the book with you to the stove, placing it down onto the side when you hear him chuckle

“i saw it y/n, red means sex scenes huh?” God you wanted the ground to open up and swallow you whole. Out of all the colours, red was the one he chose to be curious about? “don’t be embarrassed” He laughs “most people watch porn, you read it. completely normal” You turn to face him and are met with a cheeky smile upon his face

“hey it’s not porn, it’s literature” Waving the spoon at him in the air, you defend yourself as he chuckles

“literature porn” You try and hide the smile creeping onto your lips but fail miserably, he just had this naturally talent of making you do that

“stop teasing, that’s not all the books about. it’s about the struggles of life, growing up and love” Turning your focus back to the noodles, you empty the flavour packets in before mixing it all together.

“hm, it’s about a guy that plays hockey too” You freeze, eyes fluttering over to where the book in question lays on the side. The covers got an illustration of a guy, in his hockey gear. Of course, the only hockey romance book you have is the one you left for out for the hockey player to find.

“he does” Is all you can reply, turning down the heat of the stove as the noodles are almost ready

“can i borrow it?” A little surprise runs through you, he wants to read it? Did he read often? You find yourself wanting the answer to that question and so many more. Why did you want to learn all about him? What he likes, what he doesn’t?

“you read?” You hear him stand, hear the footsteps coming towards you and then he’s right behind you. He was close, you could almost feel him against you

“don’t sound so surprised” Jungkook murmurs and you swear you could feel his breath on your neck. His hand comes up and brushes over the cover of the book, he almost had you caged against the kitchen side

“didn’t mean to be judgemental, take it, enjoy yourself” You we’re surprised how well you managed to get that sentence out, with him being so fucking close. Jungkook takes the book and slides it off the counter but doesn’t move away right then. He stands behind you, other hand touching your shoulder before he leans down to you ear

“thanks” His voice almost made you knees buckle but you stand firmly as he steps backwards and back to his seat. Exhaling lightly, you grab some bowls and dump out the food before taking both dishes to the table. He’s already opened the book and reading over the first page when you slide his portion to him then sitting opposite. Jungkook closes the book, places it down and slides the bowl closer to him before picking up the cutlery and taking a bite

“this great, thank you” You almost laugh but settle for a smile instead

“it’s just noodles” He looks over at you, a smile of his own on his lips

“and it tastes amazing” You do laugh at this before eating yourself. The pair of you eat quietly and you can’t help your thoughts, wondering why he was so nice and wanting to know everything about him. It was weird, you’d never gotten the chance to talk to many other people except Nina and Lola. Which you were fine with, but now you were suddenly getting to know him- Jungkook seemed unlike anyone you’ve ever met. You were instantly comfortable, not something that would come by easily with many people. It took no effort whatsoever for him to make you smile or laugh, it was just so easy to talk to him. Yet, you didn’t really know him at all.

“how did you start playing hockey?” Jungkook seemed shocked by the sudden question but you saw him think about it as he chewed

“my dad put me in classes, i was kinda bigger then most kids my age so i guess he assumed i’d be good at hockey” You nod, thinking about that answer

“and you enjoyed it?” He paused, food mid air as he thought and you waited for his response

“hm, yeah” You raise an eyebrow as he continues eating, looking over at him with curiosity

“that sounded not at all convincing” Jungkook smirked as he chewed, which only reassured you that your assumption was correct. He was wasn’t being completely truthful

“honestly, i don’t know. i was good at it, so thought it was natural to keep on playing. and i truly love being out there on the ice i do” You nod, that was understandable. Yet, why do something you didn’t really like only because you were good at it?

“is there anything you actually enjoy and do it for that reason? not just because you’re good at it?” You both had finished your food at this point, bowls pushed to the side as you continued the conversation

“i like art, being creative. fucking shit at it though” A laugh escaped you. He liked art, not entirely what you expected but something you could see him doing

“well, life is about the things you enjoy and if you like doing it that’s all that matters. doesn’t matter if you’re not the next monet” Jungkook crosses his arms and leans them in front of himself on the table, big smile on his face

“that’s very philosophical” A snort escapes you, he pretty much just read you like a book because that was the degree you were currently doing

“good thing iam taking philosophy then right?” His head tilts to the side and you can’t help but relate the action to something a cute puppy would do

“getting a philosophy degree? that must be interesting” He was right, it really was. Every class was fascinating to you, the conversations and debates that could sprout from them were always good

“yeah, i would love to teach it one day. feel like it’s such an under appreciated subject” You explain, standing to grab the dishes but Jungkook pulls his bowl away when you lean over to grab it

“you cooked, i’ll clean” With that, he took your bowl and headed over to the sink and turned the tap on letting the water get warm “so tell me more about philosophy” You turn your body in the stool to look at him while he cleans

“don’t ask to be nice, am sure it’s boring” He gives you a look over his shoulder before turning back around

“no, i asked because iam interested. now, please tell me” You let out a little chuckle before replying

“it’s just, i’ve never been academically inclined- iam not bad at it but i love the questions that can never actually be answered. i like to think about endless possibilities, i don’t know if that makes sense” You shrug even though he can’t see you

“makes perfect sense, the worlds problems aren’t always a simple yes or no. you just enjoy the journey of the conversation then the destination or a simple answer” He turns now, drying his hands as you look at him with a little disbelief “am i wrong?”

“nope, exactly right”

~

You had no idea what the time was, too busy laughing away the night with each story that Jungkook came up with. Sat next to him on your couch, both legs up in front you but tugged close to your chest to give Jungkook room and back against the arm rest, he finishes up his story. You could feel yourself getting a little tired, but tried hard not to show it. Jungkook was good a sharing stories and you were enjoying yourself too much to fall asleep

“please don’t tell her i told you, taehyung would kill me” Your laughing dies down, not surprised at the man in question actions

“oh i don’t have to, she saw him under that table by the way” Jungkook’s eyes widen before his head flys backwards in laughter. You pretty much had the same reaction as his when you received the text off her, saying she spotted her ex crouched under a table

“that’s fucking hilarious, definitely telling him that” He states, pulling his phone out of his hoodie pocket but not moving to do anything with it. “shit it’s four in the morning” Your mouth drops open in surprise, looking up at the clock hung behind your tv.

“thank god i have no classes tomorrow” You sigh in relief, dropping your head to the couch arm, put keeping your feet by your ass making sure they didn’t invade Jungkooks space

“you look uncomfortable, just put your legs out” You move your knees to hit the back of the sofa so you could see him clearly, a look of uncertainty on your face “come on it’s fine” His hands reach out, grabbing your legs and pulling them over his lap. The relief you felt was instant, sighing as you tilt your head fully back and close your eyes. Jungkook’s hands remain on your legs and you have to surprise a shiver when one slides over your knee to rest on your lower thigh “tired? i don’t mind heading back to mine, let you sleep”

“no it’s fine, i like hearing your stories tell another” You could hear the sleepiness in your voice but refused to succumb to it. Jungkook chuckles before he begins speaking, but at the sound of his voice- you find yourself drifting off without realising

Jungkook’s pov

A low groan escaped his throat, eyes still closed although he was waking up. Jungkook felt warmer then usual and tried to pull himself closer to that warmth. Then, that warmth moved and his eyebrows scrunched. Jungkook’s eyes finally open and he blinks several times before he realised that the unusual warmth, was you. His eyes widen, now fully awake as he looks around. He was still in your apartment, on your sofa, with you tucked against his chest. The movement was you turning over to face him and as he looked down, his hand was holding you tightly by your ass. Jungkook snatches his hand away, but with lack of space had no where else to put it except your lower back. His head drifted up over your head and to the clock on your wall, seeing it was eight on the morning he exhaled before placing his head back down softly to not wake you. Jungkook raked his brain, not remembering even falling asleep let alone laying down next to you. His body stilled when he felt you shift, body coming into his more tightly and head going into his neck. Your breath fanned his skin right below his ear making him inhale. A sudden and rapid knocking makes him jump

“y/n! hello, you awake!” His eyes widen upon hearing Namjoon call through the door. “y/n come on open up!” Your brother knocks again and when Jungkook looks down he sees your eyes opening, you look up at him and the pair of you stare at each other momentarily “i swear to god open the door you lazy bitch” Your eyes widen and you jump up and out of Jungkooks arms

“fuck does he know you stayed over?” Jungkook stands on his feet as you whisper under your breath at him

“i have no idea” His heart rate picked up, there’s no way Namjoon knew he was here- well he hoped not

“y/n! if you don’t answer the door iam telling mum you’re dead!” Jungkook would’ve laughed if his captain wasn’t the one shouting through the door to girl he just woke up cuddling- that girl being his fucking sister.

“ok, go upstairs my bedrooms the first door on the right” He practicality runs up the stairs as you head towards the front door. He rushes into your room and closes the door behind him just as he hears you open the door. The dorm wasn’t big, so he could clearly hear you two talking

“finally, swear you could sleep through a natural disaster”

“what do you want?” Jungkook laughs under his breath, the two of you were textbook siblings to say the least

“chill with the attitude, i came to apologise” He hears Namjoon walking further into the dorm and the door closing as he does so

“mum must’ve threatened you with something serious then” Jungkook could actually hear Namjoons huff from up the stairs

“no, iam being a decent brother”

“hell must’ve closed over or all those knocks from hockey have finally given you brain damage” Jungkooks hand flew to his mouth to hide the laugh that escape his throat

“still be smarter then you with the brain damage so zip it”

“i still haven’t heard the word sorry, worst apology of the century” Jungkook’s head falls and he smiles at the interaction

“fine! iam sorry, that my actions may not be seen as nice as they really are”

“no, try again” Namjoon huffs once more

“ok, i’ve had it pointed out to me that iam being too much. iam sorry, with us being far away from home i guess i’ve just felt it was my duty to protect you. I know now that it’s been annoying. there, happy now?” Jungkooks lips turned into a little smile, he knew how much Namjoon loved you and it was heart warming. Not many siblings were this close.

“hm, did mum give you a script? tell her iam impressed”

“you’re so impossible, i’ve apologised so iam leaving” There was the typical sibling behaviour

“bye!” You yell out as Jungkook here’s a door close and he deems it safe to leave. You turn to face him as he walks down the stairs and he offers a genuine smile before his attention turns to something else and he frowns

“my fucking shoes are still by the door” Your head whips to them, big combat boots that are clearly men’s

“don’t think he noticed thank fuck” There was a moment of silence before the pair of you just burst into laughter at the whole situation. Jungkook liked hearing you laugh and as he realised he did he also realised something else- he was truly fucked because he wanted to keep giving you reasons to laugh like that. Just so he could hear it “oh do you want my number?” You say bringing him out of his thoughts. He gives you a smile and nod and then you’re off to find your phone

Y/n’s pov

“fuck off, you woke up cuddling him?!” You glare at Nina, her volume threatening to gain everyone students in the cafes attention

“please do tell everyone within hearing distance” Lola laughs, seemingly enjoying the whole situation

“oh stop being dramatic, you spent the night with Jungkook then spooned with him. Tells us more details” God you hated this entire situation, Jungkook was Namjoon’s friend and team mate- if news about this got out you’d never hear the end of it

“there’s nothing to tell, we ate and accidentally fell asleep. then i had my fucking brother knocking down my door. get this, someone apparently got him to take account of his actions according to him. iam betting it’s my mum” Lola shifts in her seat and you look over to her, she gives a small smile before speaking

“well, at least he’s realising now and apologised. maybe you can live more peacefully” You wished for that to be the case

“we can only hope” You mutter before you reach down to pick up your bag “iam heading off to the library, got an essay to write before next week” The girls say their goodbyes to you and you head off into the library to start working. You spot a small empty table and decide to set up there but as soon as you pull your laptop out, a figure sits opposite you

“iam so glad you’re here, are you doing the essay for next week” It’s a guy from your class, Jinyoung. He normally sat at the back each time, normally behind you so he could lean forward and ask questions. Jinyoung was smart, but his attention span was awful so you always offered help when he needed it

“yeah thought i’d make a start, you need help?” He laughs as he pulls out his laptop

“help is an understatement” You chuckle yourself before getting your notebook out and sliding it over to him

“there’s notes in there, i know you struggle to listen during the lectures so take your time with them” He sighs before grabbing your hand in both of his

“you’re truly a life saver” He goes to take a look of the book when you feel a chair being pushed beside you, looking up your eyes widen when you see Jungkook before he sits down

“thought i saw you come in, i forgot that book at your place last night? the one i want to borrow” Your eyes widen, that could be taken in a completely wrong way but Jungkook doesn’t give you time to reply, looking across the table he asks “who’s this?” You give him a look before looking over at Jinyoung

“oh uh- Jungkook this Jinyoung. Jinyoung this is Jungkook” Your class mate smiles and nods as a greeting as the table falls silent for a moment

“nice to meet you man, thanks for the notes come over before you leave and i’ll give them back” Jinyoung stands then as you give him a confused look while he walks to another table with his things

“you two looked cozy” Your head whips to Jungkook, who’s much closer then you thought with his chair pushed right next to yours

“cozy?” Is all you could offer up, because honestly you don’t know how you two looked cozy while on opposite sides of the table

“yeah, he definitely likes you” Jungkook extends his arm behind you and rests it on the back of your chair while you continue to just stare at him

“hm, i don’t think so” You clear your throat at the feel of his arm against your shoulder blades

“well i do, can tell by the way he was looking at you” There was bite in his tone and it made you furrow your eyebrows at him

“yeah? how was he looking at me?” You turn your whole body is his direction, curious about this so called look from Jinyoung. Jungkook sighs, eyes drifting momentarily to your lips before back to your eyes. Then, he leans forward himself dropping his arm from the chair. His hand dances over your back before it drifts down your spine before coming to a stop just above your ass

“like he wanted to fuck you” He whispers out and you swear you could feel it in your core. Jungkook keeps his face inches from yours, his hand remains on your lower back and his touch ignites your whole body.

“he just wanted help with an essay” Your surprised with how well that sentence came out with how your body is reacting to him being this close. His lips slowly turn upwards before he slowly leans back but keeps his hand on you

“i highly doubt that sweetheart” God the nickname, it sounded too good coming out of his mouth. You curse yourself for liking it as much as you did

“is that why you came over? saving me from a good eye fucking?” You had no idea what you were saying that this point, were your flirting? Because it sure sounded like it. Jungkook eyes you slowly, his gaze going down before coming back up

“nothing about him eye fucking you is good” Only a power above could explain why this conversation was turning you on, because you definitely couldn’t

“and why’s that?” Your voice came out as a whisper, a gritty undertone to it. You had no idea why you anticipated his answer so much, desperate to know what he had to say next

“hey sorry to interrupt” Jinyoungs voice makes you jump slightly. You turn away from Jungkook to look up at your classmate “i took a picture of them so here’s your notebook. thanks again” He holds out your notes and you smile before taking it from him, very aware that Jungkook still hasn’t taken his hand off you

“oh no worries” Jinyoung smiles one last time before turning away and walking off. Awkwardly, you shove the notebook in your bag before doing the same with your laptop. You didn’t complete one bit of work, but with the thoughts of Jungkook now running through your mind there was no point in even trying to work

“i better get going” You mumble before standing, making Jungkooks hand fall from your back. Not looking his way you quickly walk towards the exit, asking yourself why on earth you liked having Jungkook that close. Liked having him touching you.

~

“Please come with us!” Lola tugs at your arm, practically begging you to get up

“no, i went to one last night that’s all my partying done for the year” You also ended up with a certain hockey player sleeping next you because you agreed to go to that party

“y/n you’re coming with us, not only will Lola need a wing woman i need emotional support for having to see my stupid ex” Ah, the never ending story of Taehyung and Nina. Not even breaking up can stop them from being apart of each other’s life’s

“i do not need a wing woman, but i do need you there. please?” You can never say no to these girls, it was becoming a problem

“ugh fine” They celebrate as you get up to get ready and in no longer then an hour, you were at some randoms dorm with music blasting in your ears. You had already lost Lola in the crowd, but she did text assuring you that she found a friend and was safe. The current form of entertainment was Nina, who had already ran into her ex

“what would it take to get you to transfer? iam fed up of seeing your bitch ass on campus” You had to laugh at her, she still clearly had some sort of feelings for him not that she’d admit it. Everyone on campus knew about them, and they all were waiting for them to either get back together… or kill each other. There was actually a betting pool going on for each of those outcomes, you had bet for them getting back together.

“if any of us should leave, it’s you darling” Your friend rolls her eyes so hard they might actually get stuck in her head. Before she can reply you tap her and shake your empty cup to say you’re going for a refill. She nods and immediately turns back to Taehyung

“your comebacks are almost as bad as the amount time you last in bed” You hear from her as you walk away to the kitchen, they’d probably be arguing for the remainder of the night. In their terms, that’s probably foreplay. Pushing past some people who linger in the kitchen, you finally get to the bottles on the island and look at the options in front of you. Spotting the vodka you pick it up and unscrew it before before placing a small amount in your cup- a hangover is not what you want tomorrow morning so a single shot it is

“i was hoping to see you” You whip your head over your shoulders, eyes meeting Jungkooks who looks down at you from behind

“and why’s that?” Turning away from him you screw the lid back onto the vodka before placing it back onto the counter and then reaching for the cola bottle

“because you still haven’t given me that book sweetheart” That nickname again, why did it make your core shake?

“why do you want it so badly?” A laugh escapes you as he moves to stand next to you while you fill the rest of your cup with the soft drink

“it looked so good and just maybe, i could get some tips from the pages you marked in red” Okay, this was definitely flirting. You weren’t too sure at the library but the way he was speaking to you, standing so close, he had to have been flirting. Screwing the cola back up, you place the bottle down before turning to face him. You brain ticked, suddenly wanting to play him at his own game. He was being so cocky and as that realisation hit you, all you wanted was to make him squirm

“how about we go back to my place then and get it for you? can get all the tips you want” You smile up at him and you see his face falter, his grin falling as you push yourself ever so slightly against his body.

“go back to yours?” Jungkook’s voice seemed a little shaky and you had to resist laughing as you look at him

“hm hm, we can go now” You watch as his pupils shake and his bottom lip catches between his teeth. This was so strange for you, never before had you acted like this with any guy. But for some reason, Jungkook just pulled this side of you out and you were enjoying every second of it

“are you serious?” His voice was suddenly raspy, eyes staring straight into yours with wonder

“yeah, you want the book right?” You step back then, tension dropping as you pick up your cup and take a sip while maintaining eye contact. Realisation hits him, an exhale of breath leaving him and a smirk rises on his lips

“i got played” A laugh breaks out from your throat, head going back before looking back at him “oh you find it funny? okay” You drink is taken from you and disregard on the side, you’re about to question before he wraps his around your waist making a noise of surprise leave you as he lifts you off your feet and over his shoulder

“what are you doing?” It comes out between laughter as people watch him carry you out of the kitchen, more heads turn to stare as he takes you out into the empty hallways of the dorm. “Jungkook!”

“teaching you a lesson is what iam doing” Another laugh tumbles out of you as he leaves the dorms and jogs down the building steps outside

“okay! iam sorry put me down” You feel his shoulder shakes as he laughs and stops in the middle of an alleyway before slowly lowering you off his shoulder. All laughter stops as you body slides down his front, his hands gripping at your waist holding you close. There’s no hint of humour on his face as he leans in as your feet finally hit the ground, your hands planted onto his the corners of his neck. Your breathing turns heavy when his lips ghost over yours, barely touching almost as if he was testing the waters. It was like a gravitational pull, without realising it you brushed your own lips back against his- your mouth stealing a quick breath from his mouth.

Then it happens, he firmly plants his lips against yours and a groan escapes his throat and gets captured in your mouth. The kiss was hard and fast, like neither of you would live if it wasn’t. Jungkook’s hands fly to the sides of your face, holding you against him as his tongue traces your bottom lip. With a moan you open you mouth allowing him access and his tongue immediately meets yours, it was messy and intense.

“fuck, you tatse so good” He mumbles against your lips before going right back in for another kiss and you can’t do anything but sigh into it. Then, a ringing phone breaks your attention and Jungkook whines against your lips “ignore it” He whispers out and god it was so tempting, but remembering your friends who were still at the party you just got carried out of- you pulled away and pulled the phone out of you pocket. You try and catch your breath before quickly answering the call

“Nina what’s up?” Your eyes widen when Jungkook dips his head into your neck and begins nipping and licking at it like his life depended on it

“y/n!” You could barely hear her over the music blasting into the phone, even if there wasn’t you’d still struggle with Jungkook going to town on your neck “are you still here?!” She was practically shouting down the phone and it took everything in you to keep a moan escaping when Jungkooks lips meet the spot just below your ear

“i uh, am outside” Your knees almost buckle when Jungkooks fingers begin fiddling with the button of your jeans, undoing it with ease

“you okay?!” A small sigh leaves your lips as he pulls your zipper down, his fingers dipping underneath your jeans “y/n! you good?!” Your eyes flutter closed as his fingers brush lightly over your covered clit, adding a little more pressure with each stroke

“y-yes am fine” You could barely hold a coherent thought as Jungkook stops momentarily before his thumb then presses down where his fingers were just brushing

“thank god i couldn’t find you, want me to come out?” His thumb begins circling your clit and your free hand comes up to grip his shoulder, your eyes fly open

“no!, no it’s okay stay at the party” Jungkook sucks at your neck and you almost let out a strangled noise at how good it feels

“ok, come back up soon Taes driving me crazy”

“yep will do, bye” You didn’t let her say anything as you quickly hang up and let a moan finally leave your throat “are you crazy?” It was half hearted, mainly because you already knew how fucking crazy he was from doing this on the middle of a god damn alleyway

“i told you not to answer” He mumbles against your neck before his thumb stops and you whine out which makes him chuckle. Jungkook’s head comes into view as he zips you back up along with doing up the button. The pair of you just stare at each other quietly, your heart pounding against your chest as you do so. What was it about him? He just had this way of making you lose complete control, yet you barely even knew him “there’s something about you, that just drives me fucking crazy” Well, at least he was in the same boat as you. You open your mouth to reply when voices flood from just outside the alleyway.

“please don’t leave, just talk to me” Your brothers voice makes you turn your head with wide eyes, Jungkook acts fast by taking you in his arms and turning you so you’re planted against his chest and all anyone can see if they look is his back

“i can’t Joon, you know i can’t” Is that, Lola? You tilt your head to look up at Jungkook and he gives you a confused look

“why? iam begging you please, there’s something between us you can’t deny that” Something between them? When in the fuck did your best friend have something with your brother?

“no i can’t, but what would y/n think? i can’t keep this from her anymore it’s killing me” Your heart burned, she sounded so upset. Did she really think she had to keep this from you? Sure, you were pissed at the audacity of Namjoon to scare of any guy when he himself was clearly interested in one of your best friends. But you’d never stop Lola from seeing him if she really liked him. You don’t hear anything more as their voices drift off, walking away together. Jungkook let’s you go and you take a step back

“well, didn’t see that coming” He says making you chuckle lightly. You definitely didn’t see it coming either.

Jungkooks pov

His mind was replaying the moment in the alleyway over and over on repeat as he stared at the wall of your dorm while you moved around the kitchen making hot chocolate. After you messaged your friends saying you were going home, he naturally just followed you back to your dorm making sure you got there safe. But you invited him in, and he wasn’t about to decline. Jungkook had no idea what he was doing by flirting with you for the past two days, all he knew was that he couldn’t help himself and now that he’s kissed you? He would never be able to forget you

“here, careful it’s hot” You pull him out of his head. Looking up at you his smiles, unable not to when his eyes meet yours. You were just so damn pretty how could he not?

“thank you” He takes the cup out of your hand and you place your own on the coffee table before sitting next to him on the sofa. Taking a sip, he places the cup next to yours before his phone rings out indicating he has a text. Pulling it out, he reads the notification

dad: hi son, you have any offers yet for pro training?”

A sigh makes its way out of him. It was probably early morning for his dad back home and of course the first thing he does is message him about hockey

“what’s wrong?” Jungkook wanted to pretend, say nothing was wrong and move on but for some reason he couldn’t. You know about his struggle with hockey, how he didn’t know whether it was something he actually wanted to do with the rest of his life. It comforted him to know there was someone who knew he had practically fallen out of love with the sport

“my dad, asking about hockey” You offer him a small knowing smile. What he liked so much was your lack of pity, your smile wasn’t overly sympathetic and you weren’t coddling him saying it would all be alright. You just listened and accepted his opinions

“do you think that you not wanting to do hockey professionally is less about not liking it and more about fear of failing?” The question shocks him, he hadn’t really thought that deeply into it. Jungkook loves it every time he steps onto the ice, thrives off it even. But as soon as the game is over, that feeling disappears and the thought of doing it forever scares him. He always assumed it meant he didn’t want to do it forever, but maybe there was another reason

“i never really thought about it like that” You nod, obviously thinking about something

“it’s just, when we talked about it last time you said you do love being out on the ice. but somehow you also don’t enjoy the thought of doing it professionally. maybe what’s taking away your enjoyment, is the thought of failing and disappointing people?” Jungkook remained silent, a gnawing feeling of realisation snaking up his chest. Were you right? It for sure made sense, why else would he love being on the ice but hate when people talked about him going pro?

“i think you might be right” You place a hand on his shoulder before moving it on his back, the action oddly comforting

“well i might not be, but it’s an explanation to explore. try not to over analyse yourself, just do what you love and everything will work out” Jungkook’s heart beats a little faster. You were just so understanding, so open to letting him ramble about himself.

“thank you y/n, for listening. seems it’s our thing to leave parties and have deep talks in your dorm” A laugh erupts from you and it makes him smile. It was weird, he’d only ever had a handful of conversations with you and yet, he’s opened up to you more then any of his friends. Jungkook knew his friends wouldn’t t judge him of course, but he’s never felt comfortable enough to open himself up. That was until you entered his life.

“anytime, well for the next week. once my roommates are back i don’t think they’d appreciate us coming back here every weekend after parties” He’d never even considered where your roommates were, well he never really thought of much else except you when you two are together

“seriously i really appreciate this. ever since i fell out of that fucking bush i knew there was something about you.” His chest ached at how vulnerable he was being, he’d never had this much of a crush on anyone. Never even had this much feelings for someone, it was scary but he’d be a fool to not admit it

“what the hell were you even doing in that bush?” Another round of laughs escape you and a pink tint ghosts over his cheeks at the embarrassing memory

“i didn’t wanna fucking creep you out! i can’t even believe Namjoon asked me to do that but hey, if it meant his sister getting home safe sure i didn’t mind. i tried to keep out of sight, which was why i was in the stupid fucking bush” His heart almost leaps from his chest when you look at him with the brightest smile on your face, for some reason he felt he’d do anything to have you always smile at him like that

“you’re a good guy you know? you just, i’ve never gotten close to someone as easy as i did with you” God were you tying to kill him? You were just so sweet, so welcoming and it made him go crazy

“fuck it” He grits out make you look confused before he reaches over and attaches his lips onto yours. You gasp in surprise and he uses it to his advantage, sliding his tongue into your mouth while pushing you to lay on your back. This kiss was softer then the previous one, slower too. He wanted to savour the feeling of your lips on his, memorise the feeling

“bedroom” You mutter against his lips and he almost shudders at the thought

“you sure?” He didnt want you to have any regrets, sure he wanted to fuck you until the sun came up and maybe then some. But he wasn’t about to not make sure it’s what you really wanted

“do i look like am not sure?” You roll your hips up into his and groan leaves him at the feeling. He leans down and plants a firm kiss on your lips before leans up and lifts you up. Wrapping your legs around him you lean back down to continue your kiss as he carries you into your room

Y/n’s pov

The constant buzzing filling the room made you groan as you wake up. Your eyes blink rapidly to adjust to the room before raising your hand blindly towards your desk trying to stop the noisy buzz of your phone.

“who the fuck is calling at the ass crack of dawn?” Your head whips to the boy led next to you, no shirt and messy hair. Jungkook turns to face you, eyes still closed as your hand finally comes into contact with the phone which has thankfully gone silent. Peeking at the screen, you sigh

“it’s nine, not exactly dawn” He groans in response making you laugh through an exhale. Jungkook’s arm lazily reaches over your waist and tugs you against him while his eyes remain shut.

“can we just agree to like, never leave this bed again?” Another chuckle leaves you as you tuck yourself closer into his side.

“hm if only i could, i need to see Lola” You needed answers. What exactly did she have with your brother and why, or how long, had she been hiding it?

“she’s definitely fucked Namjoon” Jungkook mumbles making you abruptly sit up

“hey! i would rather not discuss shit like that” He chuckles but slowly sits up next to you. A laugh escapes you at the sight of his hair stuck in all different directions

“what’s so funny?” Jungkook’s eyes are finally open, blink rapidly as he tries to wake up properly as he itches the back of his head

“nothing, you’re just cute” He gives you a confused smile as you get out of bed, just in your underwear still. You move to your closet, trying to find something to wear for the day “i might have some of Namjoons stuff from when he used to stay over if you need something to wear i’ll have a lo-” You stop mid sentence as you turn and notice Jungkook’s eyes trained downwards, in the direction of your ass “excuse me?” His eye flick upwards, lower lip between his teeth “typical man” You grumble but with a smile as your turn back to your closet

“pardon you but iam no typical man” His voice comes closer to you, his arms circling your bare waist from behind. The coldness of his touch makes you momentarily shiver “i know we’ve done this the wrong way around, but i really wanna take you out sometime” It was a little hard to focus on his words when his hands began to run along the top of your thighs before coming back up to your stomach

“iam sure that can be arranged”

-

Locating Lola seemed to suddenly be the most difficult task on earth. She wasn’t answering texts, or picking up your calls and even Nina was no help

“i haven’t seen her since last night” She mumbles, shoving a handful of crisps into her mouth at once. “and since we’re talking about last night, where did you end up running off to?” You shift uncomfortably on her bed at the question

“actually i, i spent the night with jungkook” Nina chokes on the crisps shoved in her mouth, coughing before reaching out for her water bottle and taking a sip as you silently watch her reaction

“jeon jungkook? right winger jungkook? taehyung’s friend jungkook? your BROTHERS friend jungkook?” Her voice goes up in pitch with each word and you struggle to come up with any sort of response “FUCKING HELL!”

“ok calm down with the dramatics” You huff before crossing your arms over your chest

“calm down? you fucked jungkook and you’re telling me to calm down? oh namjoon is gonna hit the ROOF” The mention of your brother reminds you of why you were at Nina’s place

“well on the subject of him… i think him and Lola are fucking” Nina’s jaw drops silently, eyes widening. “right, my thoughts exactly”

“you’ve fucked jungkook and Lola’s fucked your brother. what the fuck is happening?” You can only shrug, because you didn’t have any idea either

“i overheard them talking last night, about having something between them and hiding it from me. the irony is, i couldn’t give less of a fuck” You honestly didn’t. Lola would only be good for him and that’s why you were trying to find her- to tell her she can absolutely see Namjoon she didn’t have to hide it from you.

“oh my god” You turn to face Nina “what if she’s at his dorm?” Your blink as you think about it, she was definitely at his dorm how could you not have thought of that

“iam going” You stand but halt as Nina stands too. She gives you a look before speaking

“oh don’t think iam not coming with you, i wanna see everything”

Jungkook’s pov

“dibs on the first speech at your funeral” Jungkook glares at Taehyung from across the table. He should’ve known better then to think his friend would give him actual advice

“real funny” He deadpans and Tae shrugs, shoving a spoonful of pasta into his mouth

“i ain’t laughing, nor joking. namjoon is going to kill you” Tae gets out between chewing making Jungkook roll his eyes

“yeah well, he hasn’t got a leg to stand on” Taehyung pauses just before taking another bite of his food, then lowering the spoon back into his bowl

“and why is that?” Jungkook leans closer to his friend over the table, making sure no one in the campus cafe could hear him

“he might be sleeping with one of y/n’s friends” Taehyung’s jaw locks as he tightens his grip on his spoon

“which one?” He grits out through clenched teeth and Jungkook gives a small knowing smirk

“not Nina, you jealous dick” His friend visibly relaxes and wipes the anger off his face in the blink of an eye

“so not jealous, idiot” Jungkook just laughs, he so was but it would take a miracle to get him to admit it “i don’t know why you’re laughing, Namjoon is still gonna beat your ass”

“look, i like her. i like her so much Tae, she listens, she understands and we could have something so special- iam not letting an overprotective brother stop us from having that” His friends head tilts slightly, looking intensely at Jungkook for a few seconds before replying

“hold onto that Jungkook, hold real tight okay?” Jungkook’s brows furrow in confusion but nods his head. He will hold onto it, of course he would

“Jungkook” He smacks his knee against the table in the haste he stood up once he heard your voice. Jungkook hissed through his teeth as you smile up at him, Taehyung chuckles as making Jungkook shot him a glare before looking back at you “sorry to interrupt i just wanted to speak with you if you’re not busy?”

“of course you can, iam not busy” He hears his friend snort but he chose to ignore him

“thank you, i’ll wait outside” You give Tae a wave on your way out and he gives you a smile, Jungkook goes to follow before his friend speaks

“might aswell start practicing your bark now, seems as she’s walking you like a dog” Jungkook stops at his friends side before bending down to whisper

“i’ll get lessons from you, seems as Nina’s had you on all fours since you met her” Taehyung’s smile falls but he doesn’t deny it, just stays silent. Jungkook grins before standing straight and heading out of the cafe to see you leant against a wall nearby “you okay? what did you want to tell me?” You give him a half hearted smile before pushing off the wall

“i can’t find Lola or Namjoon and iam getting worried, does he have any hockey meetings or something he needs to be at today?” Jungkook thinks for a second. There’s no game until next week and training is tomorrow- in theory he should be completely free

“no, there’s nothing hockey related today. maybe he has some work for classes?” He could see the frustration on your face and wanted nothing more then to just solve everything for you but had no idea how to do that “hey it’s ok, iam sure he’s just off doing something i’ll call him”

“i already tried, none of them are picking up. i haven’t heard from either of them since last night what if something happened after they left that party?” He could sense it in your tone, you were one step away from bawling your eyes out.

“let’s not think like that okay? we’ll find them” Jungkook reaches out and pulls you into him, your arms immediately go around his waist has he holds tightly onto you. It stays like that for a little while before the ringing of you phone breaks up the silence. Sighing you pull away from his embrace and pull out your phone

“it’s my mum! maybe she’s heard from him” You answer the phone and Jungkook goes to go back inside to give you some privacy but he’s shocked as you reach out and grip his wrist, encouraging him to stay wordlessly. “he is? thank god tell him he’s fucking dead for going MIA on me mum, i swear to god iam gonna beat his ass” Jungkook chuckles and moves his hand to hold onto yours as you finish up your call. He loves the relationship you have with your family, he’s felt that way ever since he got close to Namjoon and seen how close you all are- quite the opposite of himself. He had been avoiding his Dad ever since the constant questions about hockey began

“is he okay?” Jungkook asks as you hang up the phone and turn to him

“yeah he’s back home, travelled all night apparently” That’s strange, with training on for tomorrow he’d never expect Namjoon to run off with no notice of possibly missing it “according to my mum he’s love sick, whatever that means”

“sounds like this thing with Lola is more serious then we thought” You give his hand a squeeze but say nothing.

“woah since when were you shacking up with Namjoons sister?” Jungkook’s head whips around to see Jimin

“i have a name” He laughs at Jimin’s flustered face at your response, he thinks this is probably the first words the pair of you have ever exchanged

“right, sorry” Jimin mutters as he takes a quick glance at the links hands of the the two of you before looking back up at Jungkook

“don’t worry about it, only kidding” You reply to Jimin before looking up to Jungkook “iam gonna go on the hunt for Lola but i’ll catch up with you later?”

“yeah sure and let me know when you find her okay?” You give him a smile and a nod before stepping away and walking off. When you out of sight, Jungkook turns to his fiend who his smirking at him

“you are so dead” Jungkook was getting tired of hearing that today

y/n’s pov

You were still on the hunt for Lola well into the evening and past it with it now being near midnight, it was truly like she had disappeared. All you wanted to do was find her and tell you knew and that you were absolutely fine with whatever was going on between her and Namjoon. You huff at the same voicemail you’ve heard all day and end the call

“still not picking up?” Nina questions and you shake your head before flopping onto your bed making her laugh at you “can you believe she has something going on with your brother? how did they even get close enough to fuck each other?” You friend wonders as she swipes another layer of nail varnish on her toe from her position next to you

“beats me, i didn’t even think they’ve ever had one conversation” Your phone starts to ring then and you flip the screen and immediately sit up “it’s her, it’s her”

“pick up! loud speaker please” You side eye Nina and she waves her hands at you, ushering you to hurry up so you do and click onto loud speaker

“Lola?” You hear an immediate sigh down the line before she starts speaking

“y/n, iam so sorry” It was obvious she had been crying and it broke your heart a little “i didnt want it to get this far, i promise i never wanted to go behind your back”

“Lola it’s okay! i promise iam not mad” It’s silent from her end for a couple seconds

“you’re not?” You almost laugh, this was incredibly dramatic

“no you idiot! iam more concerned that you’d actually want to spend time with my brother” She let’s out a chuckle down the line

“y/n, i love him”

“LOVE?!” You whip your head to Nina who has the utmost look of shock etched all over her face

“Nina?” Lola calls out and your friend leans closer to the phone

“hi baby!” A laugh makes its way out, you’d love these girls forever “look you get your ass back here, i want the full story. start to finish, no dirty detail left unsaid” Lola laughs loudly down the line then and you hear a sniffle to follow it

“iam sorry for running guys, i just got so scared you’d hate me. i’ll be back tomorrow, iam at my parents” You sigh in relief, thank god this whole situation has been sorted out

“we love you okay? see you tomorrow” You say with a smile

“i love you guys too” Everyone says their goodbyes and you look over to Nina before letting out a breath and once again flopping onto your back

“she loves him. i can’t believe this” Nina says as she continues to paint her nails “speaking of love, how’s your boyfriend?”

“he’s… not my boyfriend” Even you were shocked at how sad that sentence came out. With your whole brother drama, you never even stopped to process what was happening between you and Jungkook

“do you want him to be?” Did you? that was a good question. Somehow you’ve found yourself falling for a hockey player who is your brothers friend. And you had no idea what he even wanted.

“i like him, our conversations are easy and fun and there’s this weird connection but i don’t know what he wants i really don’t” Nina gives you a pointed look and you just stare right back her

“okay listen, i need you to give me the whole story. start to finish” You sigh and tell her everything, the secret conversations, the hangouts in your dorm, the sneaking off at parties, the sex- everything. At the end, your friend is silent for a moment as she processes. Nina screws up her (your) nail varnish and places it on the bedside table before she finally speaks. “am i sat where you fucked? please tell you changed the sheets”

“Nina! please i need advice” You whine out making her laugh before she slides closer to you

“y/n, it sounds like he’s head over heels for you. why else would he agree to sneak off with his captains sister? and that story about asking you stay for the game, i remember him being super distracted that game- he was looking around the crowd the whole time. how much you wanna bet he was looking for you?” Shaking your head you can’t help but disagree

“no we didn’t even know each other then, never even had a proper conversation” Nina rolls her eyes and scoffs

“please, why else would he say he hopes you stay for the game? iam telling you he’s had a crush this whole time” Did he? You shake your head at the thought, no he couldn’t have that’s impossible

“this is life, not a rom com Nina” She actually laughs at this, head thrown back before coming back to look at you

“it’s fine you’re in denial, i’ll be proven right in the end. he’s in love and i think you are too” You throw a look her way, silently telling her she was being ridiculous. Jungkook and you had only barely started whatever it was you two had, it was exciting and new- he definitely wasn’t in love or crushing on you the entire time. You open your mouth to word this but a loud knock on the front door echoes throughout the house “it’s half past midnight who the fuck is that?” You shrug at Nina and stand before a voice calls out

“y/n! are you home?!” Your friend immediately gets on her feet, widened eyes pointed in your direction

“oh my god is it that him?” She asks but you just blink at her, because that was definitely Jungkook calling through the door

Jungkook’s pov

He resisted the urge to knock a second time. Breathing a breath of relief when he notices the living room lights turn on and hears the door being unlocked. He’s even more relieved when he sees the sight of you upon opening the door

“Jungkook it’s so late, you okay?” His lips twitch upwards at the concern from you, heart beating slightly faster

“i came here to ask you that, you never called or anything i’ve been trying to get a hold of you” He tried so damn hard not to come here, worried he would come across as slightly deranged for coming here this late- but you weren’t replying to his texts or answering his calls, he couldn’t help coming over to check on you

“oh iam so sorry, i’ve been constantly calling Lola i didnt see anything from you” That would be why his calls wouldn’t go through, he thinks.

“don’t worry about it, i just wanted to check in. i’ll-uh head home” He goes to turn but you step through the doorway and hold onto his hoodie. The action makes his chest ache in the best way

“don’t be silly, come in” You basically pull him inside with the grip you have on his hoodie and the action ridiculously almost makes him hard. He takes an inhale to calm himself down. Once inside you close the door and head into the living room and maybe Tae was right because he follows right behind you wordlessly- no better then a dog. He laughs to himself at the thought. “have a seat” Jungkook does so immediately - yeah, definitely her little bitch. He chuckles to himself once again “something funny going in that head?” You ask, hands resting on the back of the sofa where he sits and he almost gets a little tongue tied looking up at you from this position.

“nope, nothing” He smiles up at you and you give him a look of suspicion but smile back at him. A sudden noise from upstairs make the both of you look in its direction and the thought of you having someone up there that late makes his jaw clench. He leans up to you, his knees digging into the couch as his face meets yours “you got company?” His hands rest on the outside of yours on the back of the couch, fingers digging into the fabric as he awaits your response

“i do” You whisper face leaning down, nose softly bumping into his as you do so. Jungkook’s surprised he doesn’t break the back of the sofa with how hard he was gripping it but you catch him off guard as you brush your lips against his in an almost kiss. A shaky exhale leaves him as he extends his head up in an attempt to get a proper kiss, forgetting about his jealously of whoever was making noise upstairs. However, before he can plant his lips onto yours you pull back ever so slightly making a deep groan leave his throat. “it’s Nina” You whisper before pushing off the sofa with a smile. God, your really did have him wrapped around your little finger and he was loving every second of it

“sorry, didn’t mean to intrude when you have company” He goes to sit back down properly but before he can your hands meet his checks and you lean down- pressing your lips against his. Jungkook immediately kisses back, hands reaching out to hold onto your waist. He subconsciously pulls you closer but the back of the sofa gets in the way making him groan at the fact he couldn’t feel your body on his. Jungkook feels you smile against his lips before you pull away and sigh escapes him “please come to my next game” Even he was surprised that came out of his mouth. He has no idea why it did, but he knew he was going to ask at some point

“hm sure, but just know i’ve never stayed for an entire game so if my brother sees me he’ll be suspicious” Jungkook almost rolled his eyes at this but held himself back. You move into the kitchen and he’s on his feet following you in a second

“y/n” You hum at him in response, back to him as you mess around with the kettle “y/n” He tries again and you turn to him this time as he eyes your from over the counter “be my girlfriend” Jungkook notices your eyes widen ever so slightly but he keeps his face straight.

“are you asking or telling?” You let out a little laugh, leaning against the kitchen side and god the way you looked right now made his heart beat so fast. Short bed shorts, baggy black cropped top and white shocks- he could genuinely stare at you forever in this moment

“both? whichever one will make you agree” This got a proper laugh at you and fuck was it becoming his favourite thing to ever hear

“jungkook, are you sure about this?” His eyebrows furrow, a look of confusion taking over his face making you sigh “we’ve slept together once, and we barely know each other” He scoffs at this before rounding the counter to stand in front of you and hold your forearms in his hands

“no one has ever made me feel as heard as you do. since that very first night where i fucking fell out of that bush i’ve thought of nothing and nobody but you” You take a sharp inhale but he continues “you’re the only one who brings this instant feeling of relief whenever i see you, even when iam completely relaxed i’ll see you and this just feeling of relief hits my fucking chest y/n. i would be the biggest fucking idiot if i didn’t even try to have you be my girlfriend. it doesn’t even matter if you say no right now, i will seek you out every damn time, no matter where iam or who iam with because i haven’t felt this way in fucking forever.” It’s pin-drop silent once he finishes, you blink rapidly a couple times as you stare up at him. His heart is beating faster then he ever thought it could, he swears you could probably hear it from where he stands

“you sound like you just stepped out of one of my fucking books” A chuckle mixed with an exhale leaves him at your response that breaks the silence “sorry, that was not the right thing to say after, that” This only makes him laugh more and you grip onto his forms arms to match his grip and shake him “okay stop laughing i have an appropriate response” Your tone was almost tantrum like and he bites onto his lower lip to try and fulfil your request “i think iam falling for you” His laughing stops immediately as he hears you, staring into your eyes

“really?” Jungkook’s chest aches at the slight thought this could be you playing a joke but tells himself you would never do that, he knows that

“yeah, you’ve been so sweet and open with me. you always just listen” You take a moment to sigh and he doesn’t like the sound of it “before we decide anything though, let’s go on a date? we haven’t even been on a proper one, can we do that? before we get too serious without thinking” It’s his turn to sigh then, he runs his hands down your arms before gripping onto your hands

“okay, i would love to. just be clear, iam ready, i know iam but if this is for you to be- then fine i’ll happily do it your way”

game day

Jungkook was in the locker room alone. He purposely came early to prepare, he was more nervous then normal. He knew you were going to be sat in the crowd today, you promised you would be. God, it was just a game of hockey he didn’t know why your presence had his hands borderline shaking. But you just had that effect on him, he couldn’t explain it. A groan wanted to escape him when he heard a bunch of voices coming from the hallway, it was the other boys you could hear them from a mile away

“ah you’re already here, why you ignoring our calls man?” He turns away from his locker to seen Jin leading the other guys in- Namjoon was missing though and he hated and he was a little relieved. He hadn’t seen him in a while, which he preferred knowing the little secret he had been keeping

“sorry, it’s on silent” He mumbles before turning back to his stuff and pretending to rummage through his things as if he was looking for something

“thought you were off having a secret meet up with your girlfriend” Taehyung teases and Jungkook rolls his eyes but doesn’t hate the way that sounds. You, his girlfriend. He could get used to that

“his girlfriend?! you have a girlfriend?” Hoseok almost screams and Jungkook tenses up, he loved his friends but they did not understand boundaries sometimes

“oh he has a girlfriend alright, how is Namjoons sisters Jungkook?” A dead silence appears in the locker room and Jungkook just knew they were all staring at his back

“someone wanna tell me why you’re asking Jungkook how my sister is?” Shit- he already knew who it was from the first word. Whipping around,he meets Namjoons gaze staring at him from the locker room door.

oh fuck

y/n’s pov

You were surprisingly nervous as you sat among other students, waiting for the game to start. The cheer team had finished they’re routine a little while ago so the game was set to start soon and your legs were bouncing rapidly as the rest of the crowd were chatting. Honestly, you had no idea why a simple game of hockey was filling you with anxiety. Maybe because you didn’t want to see Jungkook get thrown around, or maybe it was because you knew you’re brother would see you and have a million questions. A tap on the shoulder almost made you jump, you look behind you- where the stairs were for the audience.

“you’re needed, please” It was Taehyung, kitted out in his full gear making people stare at him and murmur among themselves as to why minutes before the game a player was among the crowd. You immediately stood up and followed him up the stairs and into the hallway

“what’s going on?” Tae throws a side glance your way before replying

“oh you’ll see, in fact you’ll probably hear them in a couple seconds” You scrunch your eyebrows in confusion but soon enough it became clear. Loud voices echoed through the hallways and two of them you could hear over the rest

“oh fuck” You grumble out and Taehyung had the nerve to chuckle at this situation as you approach the open locker room door

“my fucking sister?! really?” Namjoon was loud but weirdly didn’t sound too angry. Not nearly as mad as you thought he would be

“yeah your sister, who is her own person by the way! and this isn’t just some fucking hook up okay before you jump down my throat. iam fucking falling for that girl Joon and i will not let an overbearing brother keep me from that kind of happiness!” Your heart instantly warmed and ached. Jungkook was in a room full of his teammates, friends even and didn’t hesitate once to say such sweet words, you knew your exes would’ve never. Too concerned about what their ‘bros’ would say or think. Every damn day he gave you a reason to keep falling for him

“and does she feel the same?” Suddenly it was quiet and you felt so damn angry at yourself that Jungkook couldn’t answer that straight away. You wanted him to know how you felt, know that it was the exact same way he was feeling

“yeah, she does” At the sound of your own voice all heads turn to where you stand at the door, Taehyung stood behind you not knowing what to do with himself. You met Jungkook’s eyes straight away, heart hurting about how sweetly he smiled and beamed at you. Then, you turn to your brother “Namjoon, i have not interfered once when i found out you were going around behind my back to be with one of my best friends. i never have my entire life, for once you need to back off and give me the same courtesy” You turn back to Jungkook once your done and give him a smile before walking over to him, he surprised you when he instantly wraps his arms around you.

“look, they’re so fucking cute i can’t!” You laugh into Jungkook’s shoulder at Jins exclamation, as did everyone else. You pull away but his hand remains on your back

“guys you’re so dramatic i swear to god, iam happy for you!” The looks of everyone’s faces must have been something after Namjoons admission. It would’ve been funny if it wasn’t for the pure shock of the moment

“you are?” Even Jungkook sounded unsure “but you bombarded me with all the questions, it was about to be an argument?” Your brothers laughs making everyone give each other looks of confusion

“no it wasn’t, i was just excited i get loud when iam excited. i’ve been hoping you two would get together, why else do you think i’ve been chasing people away from her since she came here?” Your mouth falls open, well, everyone’s did

“bro, you’ve gotta explain yourself. what?” Yoongi had been sat down the whole time, watching everything unfold from the corner of the room

“ever since i met Jungkook i thought he’d be perfect for y/n. but my plan really went into motion when i asked him to walk her home, i knew if they even just had one conversation they’d hit it off. Knowing how stubborn she is, she’d probably not even go on a date with him if i set it up- so i did it that way. I had to keep guys away from her, otherwise they might never happen” It was silent for several moments, no one knew what to say. Suddenly, you burst out laughing, it was all your body was capable of doing with this information. This whole thing was ridiculous, you couldn’t even comprehend it

“you’re crazy, iam going back to my seat i can’t even have this conversation right now” Without thinking you turn to Jungkook, plant a kiss on his lips making him smile down at you, and leave the locker room- still laughing. You must’ve looked insane.

“y/n oh my god we heard Joon found out!” You look up from your chuckling to see Nina and Lola running towards you still in their cheer gear

“Lola i missed you, great routine by the way!” Pulling her into a hug she seems a little taken aback but returns the hug before pulling back

“sorry i haven’t caught up with you, been with- your brother actually” Lola seemed sheepish at her admission but you just smile at her, happy her and Namjoon had sorted everything out

“speaking of, what the fuck did he say?! did he go crazy?” Nina seemed frantic, waiting to hear your answer

“he um, is completely okay with it”

“huh?” Is the synchronised response from both girls and it made you start chuckling all over again

“yeah, he apparently supports it. wanted us together” Your friends say nothing while staring blankly at you, even they didn’t know how to react “yeah i dont know what to say either, iam gonna go sit down for the game, catch up afterwards?” They both agree and say their goodbyes before going back to the rest of the cheer squad to prepare for halftime

“jungkook get back here, warm ups start in one minute!” The voice of the school coach echoed down the halls and makes you turn around and see Jungkook in full gear running towards you. His hair bouncing making you smile.

“i haven’t got long but i wanted to see you before i go out there” He breathes out and you open your mouth to reply but get stopped

“Jungkook! warm ups!” He waves his had behind him, shaking off the coach making you laugh

“can you wait for me after the game?” His soft tone had your stomach bubbling with butterflies. How could he be so sweet?

“of course, i-”

“JUNGKOOK!” The coach was almost screeching at this point and you look past Jungkook to see the guy almost pacing with stress

“let’s talk after the game” You chuckle and Jungkook nods before bending down and planting a quick kiss on your lips. The action shocks you a little

“hey, you did it first” He points out before jogging backwards with a grin on his face before turning fully and running to his coach. Your lips twitch upwards before you full on smile.

Jungkook’s pov

Stepping off the ice his heart was thumping as adrenaline coursed through him. This was the first game in a while where he actually felt good after a game, like he could do this for the rest of his life. It had been a while since he felt like that and he knew the reason why. He was proud- because he saw your face light up at every good play he made, saw you smile, clap and shout when he scored. Jungkook couldn’t explain it, there was just something about you cheering for him that made him fall in love with the game all over again. He was moving rapidly in the locker room, trying to shower and change as quickly as he could

“woah calm down, got somewhere to be?” Hoseok questions just as Jungkook and finished zipping up his bag

“y/n’s waiting for me” He says quickly as he throws his bag over his shoulder

“woof woof, sit boy” Taehyung mocks with a smile and Jungkook whips his head over to him

“Nina teach you to bark like that Tae?” The boys smile flips into a frown and Jungkook gives him a big smile before leaving the room. He spots you a little further down the hallway, chatting away and his top lip twitches when he sees that guy from the library. He can’t even recall his name, he didn’t even want to remember it. Jungkook walks over and manages to catch what you’re saying without being seen

“he was so good right? I knew Jungkook was good at hockey but i’ve never seen it before! I mean come on, i understand why everyone says he can go pro if he wants to” His heart skips a beat, an overwhelming feeling of pride fills him as you finally spot him close by. Your full attention turns to him as you mutter a goodbye to, whatever his name was, and you smile widely at him before closing the distance “congratulations! you played amazingly i-” Your sentence is cut short when he pulls you in for a tight hug

“thank you” Is all Jungkook mutters as you return his hug. “for a long time i didn’t enjoy hockey anymore, nothing i did ever made me love it like i used to. but seeing you in the crowd, cheering - it makes me excited to get back out there just to see you smiling from the seats” He couldn’t help but to admit this to you, he just wanted to tell you every thought that ran through his head because lately everything single thought was about you

“Jungkook, that’s so sweet” You mutter as you pull away from the hug, keeping your hands resting on his arms while you take a moment to look at him before going to speak “look i know i said i wanted to do a date but-”

“but?” He can’t help but interrupt as his heart feels like it’s about to fall out. Had you changed your mind? Did he come on too strong? “iam sorry if i can on too strong that night, i just-”

“jungkook” You interrupt him this time and he notices a small smile on your lips which confuses yet calms him at the same time “i would still love the date, but i’ve been thinking about it and- i think i made a mistake when i didn’t answer you when you asked to be together. i was trying to be careful, thought it was fast but i’ve never felt this way before. i’d be stupid if i didn’t go for it, so if your question still stands- then yes, i would love to be with you jungkook” He’s stunned as he blinks at you in silence, heart beating rapidly against his chest.

“y/n i-”

“hey little sis!” Namjoon’s voice makes Jungkook jump momentarily as his captain comes up to the both of you “iam so glad you finally stayed for the game, although it wasn’t for me” He glances at Jungkook “obviously, but still happy” You throw an annoyed glance his way, clearly annoyed your brother and inserted himself in the middle of the conversation

“kind of in the middle of a conversation here joon” The older looks between the both of you before a big grin appears on his lips

“oh i see, apologies children i’ll let you get back to it” He makes no move to leave though, just stands there smiling while looking between Jungkook and you

“oh my god will you leave already?!” Jungkook finally breaks at this point and laughs at you shouting at Namjoon to leave, the previous shock leaving him. Your brother finally takes the hit and walks away, not before giving a little wave to annoy you further. Once he’s gone you finally turn back to Jungkook

“iam sorry” Jungkook’s laughter stops at this point as he looks at you again, smile bright on his face

“y/n, of course the question still stands and i’ll happily take you on a date” You smile up at him and he can’t help it, he leans down and gently places his lips on yours. His hands cup your face as the kiss deepens, your own come up to rest on your shoulders

“ohh a free show how kinky” The two of you separate quickly at the sound of Jimins voice, Jungkook glares at him as the boy walks past with a smile before leaving the two of you alone once again

“think they’re all heading to campus bar, we better go before they all get crazy with the celebrating” You say making Jungkook wrap an arm around your shoulder before the pair of you begin walking towards the exit. He feels you wrap your own arm around his waist making him smile “hey, now iam your boyfriend and all can i finally read that book?” Your laughter is loud and it makes his smile bigger

“you seriously won’t let go of that book huh?” You look up at him and Jungkook returns it

“nope, iam gonna study each and every page marked in red. could use the insight into what you enjoy sweetheart” The scoff you let out makes him chuckle as he pushes open the exit door with his spare hand and the pair of you begin to walk out

“this is never happening again, do you understand?!” Shouting prevents your reply. You and Jungkook half your walking as you both turn back towards the direction of the source of the yelling- just inside the exit you just came out of.

“isn’t that Nina?” Jungkook asks and you nod as a reply

“did i say i wanted it to darling?” A second voice is heard and you and Jungkook whip your heads to look at each other

“taehyung?” You both say at the same time. A moment of silence passes before the two of you laugh at the same time

“iam so winning the campus bet, they’re gonna get back together” Jungkook chuckles as the two of you turn away and continue walking

“shame, i bet on them killing each other” He mutters making you giggle

#bts fanfic #jungkook #taehyung #jungkook x reader #jungkook x y/n #bts imagine #kpop #kpop imagines #seokjin #yoongi #jhope #jimin #namjoon

[supersoakerfullofblood]

Seeing lots of discourse about the woman with a shelf full of NA erotica, and then the post saying she doesn't read, she just consumes porn, and then the backlash to that post. Imo both sides are right, there's just a communication gap.

There's always been a holier-than-thou sentiment about reading compared to other forms of media, which admittedly is fair when you compare it to like Youtube and Tiktok. But as mediums like those grow in popularity, so too does the reactionary stance of "reading good," and this has muddied what "reading" actually means. People conflate "reading" with just consuming the written word, like the act of looking at a page is itself a healthy thing to do. It's certainly healthier than other options, but this argument misunderstands the original conceit of "writing > other media." People who love literature don't love it because of the physical product of a book. They love it because books introduce them to another perspective, and stylized prose from that perspective (a book as a physical product is also nice, admittedly). Literature exists as an act of empathy from one lived experience to another, but the medium doesn't matter. It could be a movie or a show or a podcast. So then we get to the erotica argument.

There's nothing wrong with enjoying a book for whatever reason you want to enjoy it, just as you can enjoy any piece of art for whatever reason you'd like. But I think when you conflate books meant to be consumed (erotica) with books meant to be really thought over, you misunderstand why people have always "read" to begin with, what "reading" has always meant to people. So you have two groups of people:

1. People who have always read to try to refine their worldview and understand the people and cultures and etc. around them.

2. People who read books for pleasure's sake.

The best novels combine these in some ratio (though usually not with erotica, but erotica isn't incompatible with thoughtfulness). But both of these flags have been flown under the broad banner of "reading," even though each group is looking for different things in a book, which again, is totally fine. But you end up with increasingly polarizing, pretentious groups of people spouting about what a book should do, bragging about the titles they have or haven't read ("I've read/haven't read Infinite Jest" vs. "I have/haven't read The Love Hypothesis"), and just generally being annoying.

It's hard, because the verbiage isn't really there for good discourse. You can't really tell someone whose literary diet is 90% erotica that they don't read books like a literary scholar, because that triggers a knee-jerk reaction of "you can't tell me how to read," which, okay, fair, but let's be honest with ourselves. Your bookshelf is color coordinated, almost all of it is NA romance, and there's literal visual porn next to your books. These books are products more than they're art, which doesn't mean you can't read books for their empathetic value, just that you haven't for some of the books you've read. At the same time, if you tell a lit scholar that these are equally valid books, they'll turn their head up, because their definition of a book has always been synonymous with "thing that triggers deep personal inquiry," when in reality, what a "book" is is quite broad.

Again, read what you want, just know why you read and why other people read, and know that these are equally valid and fairly distinct aims, and that, because of this polarization, these aims are increasingly polarized by publishers so that their books sell well--the market churns out poorly written, soulless romance novels just as it churns out curmudgeonly Oscar bait novels at maybe the greatest frequency we've seen because people like picking one of those sides and snapping at the other.

TLDR: At the end of the day, we just can't equate Colleen Hoover and Kurt Vonnegut, and that's okay. Source: I write "serious fiction" and also (admittedly not smutty) McDonalds fanfic

#writeblr #writing #fanfic #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #bookblr #booklr #books #reading

[cu-taibhseil]

this might not be a popular opinion and i mean it with the least amount of disrespect possible, to the families of the deceased: it's okay to recognize that the oceangate situation is sad. i wish we lived in a world where people didnt die as a consequence of their actions, but sometimes that happens. if you get on a shoddily built roller coaster chasing adrenaline, or you go spelunking and get stuck in a cave trying to chart a new cave system, or you choose to eat food that has possibly gone bad and risk it. sometimes the high risk/high reward situations pay off, and sometimes we're left here - angry at a company for allowing the situation to even be an option and angry at the people who lost their lives chasing a very slim high reward.

it's also okay to recognize that it's a sad situation and still not feel sad or upset by the news. was it something they deserved? no. was it something anyone deserved? no. but was it something that could be reasonably be expected from the choices they made? unfortunately yeah. choosing to spend their money on an "experimentally designed" submersible craft, choosing to sign a waiver that basically almost guarantees bad things are going to happen when walked through the fine print, and then actually getting into the craft after being given a tour of it were all choices those people made. and it turns out the perceived reward of seeing the titanic wreck in person wasn't worth it, because they lost their lives.

but when you think of the situation: person has 250k to spend on a tourist attraction. person has a decision to make: go for the high risk but possible high reward option, or go with the option that will guarantee you get home safe after your expedition? in this case the person(s) chose the high risk but possible high reward option. when they made the choice to pick the high risk they understood the risks. they signed the waiver and they talked to the CEO and they talked to people who'd been on the craft before. they were willing to risk death to tour that shipwreck.

and to those of you who are heartbroken over the 19yo who was on board: it's objectively sad that a promising business student lost his life (presumably) trying to bond with his dad. can we spend time mourning his trust in his dad to keep him safe? yeah. but should we sit here and continually say "he was just a baby! he's a kid! he doesnt know better!" he was a business student who lived in a separate city (if not country) from his dad. he was an adult person, able to drink, drive a car, vote, fight for his country - the whole nine. it's so incredibly disrespectful to place the blame of his death entirely on his father's shoulders as if he didn't also understand the risks. i know that the prefrontal cortex isn't fully formed until a person is 25, but he had some ability to make choices and he unfortunately made the wrong one. he's a grown man who made a wrong / ill-informed choice just like his dad and the other men on the craft.

i dont understand how you can sit there and be completely heartbroken when these men talked with people who'd been on the craft before, they'd signed the waivers, they'd been somewhat informed (not to the extent they should've been and that blame sits squarely on the shoulders of the next CEO of oceangate) that the craft was "experimental" in nature and not up to par with other submersibles in the same field. presumably these men were experienced divers and had spent time in submarines. they knew some of the red flags when they'd seen them right off, and others were more hidden from them. example: a boat taking the craft out to the drop site. it's my understanding that submersibles usually leave ports because of inspection laws. the men aboard the ship would've noticed the change in protocol. they would've noticed and they chose not to care, or chose to focus on the possibility of the high reward.

while it's objectively sad that this happened, it's okay to not feel actually sad over this. the people on the craft knew it was an option from the get-go, and remember they'd weighed the risks and the rewards and they'd decided with their grown ass adult brains that the slim possibility of the reward would be worth risking their lives for. it's sad. but when it boils down to it, they made a wrong choice; they played a stupid ass game and won the worst prize of all.

#personal #oceangate #oceangategate #titan #titanic wreck #titanic

[zvaigzdelasas]

So who’s your money on to succeed Zaluzhny, Budanov or Syrski? I kinda lean Budanov just because his current role makes him favorable looking to the CIA and State Department as an “intelligence” guy

Currently the Ukr govt is denying that Zaluzhnyi has been fired but the sources of the rumors are getting closer and closer to people with official classified information so 🤷‍♀️ wouldn't look great to say "no that's a lie" right before saying "anyway we fired Zaluzhnyi btw" but who knows

In a normal situation, Syrskyi would be the obvious pick but he has occasionally had his moments of being similarly critical about particular choices of western arm supplies as Zaluzhnyi has (particularly the obsession over the F-16 as opposed to the much cheaper & less flashy A-10) so if Zaluzhnyi were to be fired I'd figure that's kind of a yellow flag for similar criticism of the head of state/foreign policy. Possible tho, would be much less disruptive to normal military operation so everything else being equal that would prob b smartest

Especially given Zaluzhnyi's apparent popularity amongst troops (& broader Ukr public), firing him could also be a potentially major instigator for some mutiny by either the officer class or even lower down the ladder...if so I'd expect some kind of purge of Officers in the lead up, specifically before Zaluzhnyi would be fired. That could potentially be the impetus behind the recent procurement scandal but that also looks pretty bad for the political leadership so 🤷‍♀️

If that were to be the case, then Budanov taking direct control of the armed forces would be a pretty logical next step, trying to keep a tighter ship & exert more explicit political control over the armed forces. Would also expect more of direct accusation of complicity by Zaluzhnyi - something to try to damper his popularity & impact his image, more direct than "it happened under his watch" bc ppl can always write that off as just not having tight enough control over the Officer class. This route would also probably greatly increase resentment amongst rank and file troops, rly a matter of if Budanov can either exert control through force or through immediate shift in tactics that make tangible gains against the enemy

TLDR: 🤷‍♀️

[stargazeraldroth]

Red Flags (An [Unfinished] Errorink Oneshot)

Summary: Error asks Ink on a date to an unspecified AU. Ink accepts, despite his friends trying to discourage him from doing so. The date seems to be going relatively well until some concerning things start happening during their conversation. If only red weren't such a beautiful, attractive color.

Warnings: Human Centipede. That's it, that's the warning. And Error's text might be difficult for some people to read.

The date was going better than Ink had thought it would. Or, rather, it was going better than what Dream and the others were so paranoid over. Honestly, they could be so protective sometimes. Ink knew they meant well, but it could be a bit overwhelming at times. He's just grateful they didn't need to be convinced to not follow him to the restaurant.

That is, of course, assuming they just never told him about that. And were currently stationed somewhere he couldn't see, observing everything from a distance. It would be so embarrassing if they barged in and interrupted the date with their worries over Error being a "red flag".

Granted, if that did happen, the one saving grace Ink would have is that the restaurant was entirely empty except for him, Error, and the AU's Grillby. It was some kind of precaution, Dream said, to ensure that there were minimal casualties if something went wrong. Ink preferred to think of it as them being considerate of Error's dislike of social spaces. He had to admit, he was surprised the glitch suggested a dinner date instead of something like stargazing in Outertale. Not that he minded, of course! He was simply shocked Error was willing to step out of his comfort zone so soon.

"YoU'vE eAtEn FiSh BeFoRe, RiGhT?" Error asked, jarring Ink from his thoughts. "AsIdE fRoM sUsHi, I mEaN."

"R-Right!" Ink stammered, blushing at his hesitation. "There's so much that can be done with it! Uh… what's your favorite kind?"

"DoN't KnOw. I'vE nEvEr ReAlLy EaTeN aNyThInG oThEr ThAn ChOcOlAtE." He shrugged. "YoU wAtCh CaRtOoNs, DoN't YoU? AnY fAvOrItEs?"

"I wouldn't say I have favorites, really… I think they all have their unique charms. But some personal picks would be anything by Studio Ghibli- you know, like 'Spirited Away' and 'My Neighbor Totoro'? The Powerpuff Girls was pretty good too, I think. My favorite was always Blossom. Do you… watch anything other than Undernovela?"

"YeAh, I'vE wAtChEd SoMe MoViEs. ThE hOrRoR fRaNcHiSe IsN't ToO bAd, SuRpRiSiNgLy. AnOmAlIeS cAn MaKe GoOd CoNtEnT."

"… You know how I feel about you referring to the AUs as that."

"RiGhT, rIgHt. My BaD."

"So… any horror films in particular that you like? The Conjuring's popular, isn't it?"

"YeAh. BuT I'm InTo OlDeR fIlMs… SoMe PeOpLe SaY iT's A bAd MoViE, bUt I tHiNk It'S gReAt!"

"And what movie are we talking about?"

"HuMaN CeNtIpEdE."

Ink nearly spat out his drink, setting the glass down immediately. Error seemed a bit surprised by his reaction, his eyes going a bit wide and his smile wavering. Ink managed to swallow the liquid without choking on it, but still let out a few coughs after the fact. After a moment or so, he was finally able to get himself in check, and gave an awkward smile.

"'Human Centipede'…? As in, that 'Human Centipede'?" He asked.

"Is ThErE aNoThEr SeRiEs CaLlEd ThAt?" Error asked in return. "AnD I kNoW wHaT yOu'Re ThInKiNg, AnD tHe AnSwEr'S nO. I dOn'T lIkE iT fOr ThE gOrE oR bOdY hOrRoR, I lIkE iT fOr ThE pLoT!"

"Uh… I've never… watched the movie…" Ink admitted nervously. "I've only heard things about it… but! Uh, first time for everything…? What's it about?"

"DePeNdS oN wHiCh OnE yOu'Re TaLkInG aBoUt." There was more than the one!? "BuT sInCe YoU'vE nEvEr WaTcHeD iT, I'lL gO wItH tHe FiRsT oNe. ThE sEcOnD iS mY pErSoNaL fAvOrItE, bUt ThE tHiRd OnE mIgHt Be A bIt… InTeNsE fOr A nEw WaTcHeR."

By The Creators. What the hell happens in the third movie?

"AnYwAy, ThE sImPlE vErSiOn Is A GeRmAn DoCtOr KiDnApS tHrEe PeOpLe AnD sEwS tHeM tOgEthEr To TrY aNd CrEaTe OnE sYsTeM, sO hE cOnNeCtS tHeM aSs-To-MoUtH-"

Why did he agree to come on this date in the first place!? Sure, Error was fairly attractive and all, but he's… well… Error! Why would he have ever expected him to have normal interests when one of his hobbies was collecting people's souls!? He had stopped listening to whatever it was Error was saying, only catching an occasional word or two. He reached to his side and grabbed his phone, hoping to send his friends a quick text and ask them for some advice. Hopefully, Error would be so entranced by the sound of his own voice that he wouldn't notice Ink's distraction.

Just as he was about to hit the button to send his text message, sharp fingers appeared over his phone screen. The device was torn out of his hands and tossed in the air, skewered by blue threads. Ink watched, mouth agape as the pieces of circuitry and the case fell onto the table. His eyes reluctantly shifted to the person sitting across from him, locking with narrowed red sockets.

Red could be such a beautiful color.

"Is ThErE a ReAsOn YoU'rE oN yOuR pHoNe?" Error questioned, evidently displeased. "I wAs ExPeCtInG yOu To LiStEn To Me."

"I was… uh… um…" Ink stammered, struggling to think of an excuse. He couldn't just tell Error he was going to ask his friends to get him out of their date! He'd lose his mind! "I was… looking up the other movies! You said there's a third one, right?"

"… YeS. BuT yOu CaN't WaTcH tHeM oUt Of OrDeR! EaCh OnE sTaRtS wItH tHe EnDiNg Of ThE lAsT oNe, YoU'd SpOiL yOuRsElF!"

"Right… um, so the first movie… how does it end? Does it have a happy ending?"

"I wAs JuSt GeTtInG tO tHaT bEfOrE I hAd To SaVe YoU fRoM yOuR oWn CuRiOsItY. I hOpE yOu'Re PaYiNg AtTeNtIoN, InK. I'm QuIzZiNg YoU oN tHiS."

Shit.

#errorink #error sans #ink sans #oneshot #stargazer writes #this is so bad lmfao #it's supposed to be silly not serious so it's okay #i was originally gonna be more genuine to the song #but decided not to #i'm gonna put this on ao3 too #error's eyes are too powerful