#my only concern is still the same as when they debuted

[dpr-stay]

Love Lost! | LN4

Lando Norris x Reader

Warnings: A little bit of the feels, jealous!Lando, hurt/comfort, happy ending, a little bit of drunken confessions but not really, childhood bestfriends to lovers bcs i love that trope.

WC: ~3.2K

Hiya, it's been a few weeks. I've been really busy and kinda lost my inspo to write, so this is me dipping my toe back in. Hopefully it's ok. NOT EDITED (not much has changed huh)

There comes a point in every young person's life where they must look back at what they have done and realise how they could’ve done it greater. Done it faster. Done it kinder. Done it better. Whether it be a choice, an action, or some words, reflection and acknowledgement are key milestones in the development of a person's life.

Lando has had many of these moments. Such as when he had first set foot in a kart, he should’ve done it earlier. His debut season, he should’ve done it better. His schooling, he should’ve put more effort in. The realization of his feelings for his childhood best-friend, he should’ve done it faster.

It was all he could think as his eyes caught you at the bar with some random nobody leaning over your side, obviously trying to chat you up. He took a sip of his surprisingly bitter drink as he watched. The drink shouldn’t have been bitter, it was some fruity cocktail he’d bought for you before you’d arrived, but the look you were giving the guy who you were talking to certainly made it so.

The tightening of his chest went unaddressed as his first clenched around the glass stem, his mind begging to ignore the way your smile had shifted from the fake one you gave to creeps to one not dissimilar from the way you smiled at him. An elbow jolted into his side, causing his eyes to draw away from the bar, though his mind remained around 15 feet away.

One of his mates, some guy he’d met a week ago who wasn’t after his money but wouldn’t say no to sixteen free drinks, looked at him concerned. Atleast Lando thought the look was concerned, he couldn’t exactly tell as the guy's face was hidden behind a pair of douchey shades. He shouldn’t think that though, he probably owned at least ten pairs that looked the exact same.

The guy moved his head again in a silent gesture and Lando nodded, hiding his suffering behind the pretense of not stopping this guy from getting laid, returning the silent gesture. He then shrugged before moving on, quickly running up to a group of girls and placing his arms around the shoulders of two, leaving Lando to continue stewing.

Really, it wasn’t stewing. He had no reason to ‘stew’. He’d only discovered he’d felt this way recently, he hadn’t been silently grudging for years. However, as his eyes moved back to the bar and watched as the guy's hand slid from your shoulder to your back, he could definitely feel the pot boiling over within him. 

You hadn’t moved though, there was no indication that you were uncomfortable from your body language, so Lando had to accept that he wasn’t able to intervene. He trusted you as much as he liked you unfortunately, so he knew that you’d walk away or even signal if you didn’t like where this was going. He couldn’t rush in and be a knight in shining armour if there was no damsel in distress, no matter how much he hated it.

He slid down in his seat, trying not to appear too stalkerish to any people at the club as he watched the two of you interact. Last thing he wanted was rumors of him being a voyeur spreading around the media. It wouldn’t be too far off with the way the guy you were talking to was going. His hand was still sliding lower, moving from your mid back all the way down till it met the seat of the chair.

Lando could hardly hear the music pumping through the club, only focused on your body language. One slight flinch or look of discomfort and Lando would take that as his cue to storm over and create such a row that he would be heard in Azerbaijan. 

However, you didn’t move away. Lando could only watch as you adjusted in your seat, letting the guy's hand slide under your behind. You definitely didn’t need any help. The drink tasted almost acidic when Lando next took a sip, forcing himself to turn away from the bar. He came here for a good time, he didn’t need to see you getting it on.

He cleared his throat, though no one could hear him and no one had even paid attention to him in an hour. A quick glance around the club confirmed this, people engaged with their own activities while he was sat, watching someone he was in love with get hit on.

That’s not pathetic, is it? Lando thought it would be more pathetic if he acted on his impulses, walked over and stopped the random guy in his tracks. You’d probably be mad (would you?) and he didn’t think he could deal with it. Especially after watching what was happening in front of him.

I mean, you’d definitely been mad at him before, knowing a person for over a decade does that to someone, but he didn’t know how mad you would be. He’d never been in this situation before, one where he had to put his drink down and sit on his hands to stop them from punching the guy in the face. 

The fact that this was one hundred percent not healthy was all that Lando could think. He shouldn’t be putting himself through this, watching someone else touch you how you wanted to be touched. How he wanted to touch you.

God, he should leave. There was no point in staying here just to torture himself. He was a voyeur, not a sadist. He took a breath before chugging the drink you had insisted you couldn’t have because you wanted to pay for your own and then standing up and lumbering his way to the exit.

Doing the responsible thing, he arranged for an uber as he walked down the corridor to the door. The fresh air that greeted him sent a wave of feeling down his spine. He walked further away from the cue to get into the club, praying that no one would recognise him as he walked.

Luckily, no one did. Lando didn’t know if this made him feel better or worse.

It’s a funny thing, that. Lando normally liked being in the spotlight. Maybe it was growing up always being unwittingly compared to others, but he liked being special. Even in times Lando didn’t want to be recognised, because he truly didn’t at the moment, he still craved that little serotonin boost whenever someone would turn to him with stars in their eyes. 

It felt nice to be revered, nice to be seen as greater, all those things he didn’t consider himself. You’d always provided that for him. He didn’t want to come off as shallow or as a user, but your everlasting presence in his life, your consistent praise, had always made him feel good. 

God, that did make him come off as shallow. It went without saying, he thought, that he always tried to return the favour. The way you always smiled bashfully in response to his compliments always made his day brighter. 

He almost swore out loud into the empty street as he walked. He should’ve realised earlier. He’d never taken himself as the boy-next-door type, mostly because he was always someplace else, but the idea of domesticity with a person who he’d always been around, especially since it was you, made him feel incredibly warm inside. 

A warmth he doesn’t feel often. It had only come around a few times in his life, but the most notable would’ve had to have been around two weeks earlier. He was just lying in bed, you on the phone rambling about whatever you were now interested in.

Every one of his responses were some variation of “yeh” but that didn’t stop you. Eventually you’d tired yourself out and Lando had finally got a word in. He’d made some tired quip about you “never shutting up”. You’d responded in like, a joke about him not being able to keep up. You’d gone back and forth with your banter before eventually you’d both called it quits and said goodnight. 

Lando hadn’t even registered the fact he was about to say “I love you” as a sign-off before you’d hung up on him until the quiet beeping of his phone sounded. That had made him really, truly think about your years-long friendship, pondering about whether he had meant that platonically or romantically.

It hadn’t taken long for him to figure it out. After ten minutes an itching had settled in his mind that he should call you back and force you to continue talking. He missed your voice, even if it was you ranting about something he had no idea about. Even the thought of it had inspired a familiar warm feeling to bloom within him.

The warm feeling had still been present in the club, even if it was accompanied by the crushing weight of feeling mediocre. Lando almost scoffed at himself as he mindlessly kicked a rock as he walked. 

His earlier thoughts ran through his mind, cursing himself for thinking it pathetic to try and stand up for his own feelings. He should’ve said something at any point. Now you were probably dancing with the guy, ignoring the fact that Lando wasn’t even in the club.

That wasn’t true, of course. You were too kind. Something that Lando had always appreciated but made it incredibly hard in situations such as this one. The buzzing of his phone alerted him to this, a single text from you reading ‘Where r u?’

Completely inconspicuous but oh so characteristic. The shorthand made it clear you were busy, you were never one for abbreviations, but Lando refused to think about what you were busy with. He didn’t think you were ‘easy’, god no he wasn’t an ass, but he’d never seen you click so fast with someone to the point that you’d let them put their hands on you like that.

Lando didn’t know how to respond, instead checking the time on the Uber. There was no way that many people were getting Uber’s that it was a twenty minute wait. He could only sigh before scrolling back to your text. 

An answer that properly conveyed his dilemma evaded him, so he just replied with a ‘Going home’ before quickly tacking on a ‘Have fun :)’ because he felt it was rude not to. After hitting send, he put his phone in his pocket before leaning against the wall of the building closest to him, staring straight into the night sky. 

He’d only have a few minutes of respite before a familiar call of his name sounded in his ears. His head swung down out of shock, watching your hasty figure make your way towards him. You were swaying on the heels you were regretting wearing, your purse having your essentials halfway out of it.

“What the hell, man?” You asked as you stumbled closer, the drink you’d bought yourself making your already unsteady steps seem as though you’d fall over if you went too close to a crack in the pavement. 

He could only look on in incredulity as you stopped in front of him, one of your hands reaching for his arm to balance yourself. He quickly reacted, sweeping you into his side, before turning his head to look at you.

“I thought you were going to stay back.” His voice had a tone of question to it and you shook your head, swaying violently side from side as you moved it.

“No, I came with you. Gonna leave with you too.” Your words were mumbled as you spoke them, the drowsiness you felt becoming incredibly apparent. Lando tried not to react, though he found it incredibly hard. The knowledge that you’d never even planned to leave with anyone but him reassured him. The feeling he got from that reassurance made him slightly uncomfortable. As much as it made him regretful that he didn’t act earlier, no one owned you and you could do whatever you liked.

The words you spoke awoke a feeling that had been increasing ever since that phone call, the previous events of the night also hadn’t done it any favours. That feeling was protectiveness. 

“Would you like me to take you home?” He asked and you nodded against his side. He held you there while you swayed, thinking over what the feeling coursing through his veins entailed. Was it right to feel protective over something that definitely wasn’t yours?

Lando was left to ponder this as you both waited for the cab. He didn’t know if that question explicitly applied to this situation. Maybe you weren’t each others in a relationship sense, but you were definitely each others in a friendship sense. Hell, he’d consider himself yours in any circumstance. He just didn’t know if you thought the same.

As the Uber pulled up the curb, Lando walked you both over. Quickly opening the door and guiding you in, he then rushed to the other side and got in the car. He gave the driver the address of your house before leaning back into his seat.

It took approximately five seconds after the car had started that your head fell on his shoulder. He froze, not daring to move a muscle in fear that he would disrupt your sleep. A quick glance down out of the corner of his eyes showed that you actually weren’t asleep, you were staring up at him. Your eyes looked as though they were shining as they stared at him, and he couldn’t help the heat rushing to his cheeks

Your expression looked starstruck, as though you’d never seen him before. He quickly tapped your shoulder in a silent ‘you okay?’ gesture. You didn’t respond, causing him to look down and look at you.

Unknowingly, he had positioned you at eye level with each other. He could feel the breaths escaping your lips as you breathed out, the closeness a feeling he decided he would cherish because of the highly unlikely chance of ever feeling it again.

Or he could call it, lean in and deal with the repercussions. He was tempted, of course, it would be such an easy way to just rip the bandaid off. He wouldn’t have to deal with a confession or the rejection. He could just lean in for a few seconds then open the door of the Uber and roll out, never having to see you again to face the rejection he could sense. 

After a few seconds he pulled the plug, deciding that the longer he held his head so close to yours, the creepier it came off. Neither of you talked the rest of the journey, relying on the old tunes of Oasis that the driver decided to put on.

Eventually, you arrived at your address. One look at Lando convinced him to walk you inside. He’d call another Uber, regardless of wait times.

You opened the door to your building, holding it open for Lando which he acknowledged with a smirk. You just rolled your eyes, the moment from the Uber well and truly passed. Regardless, you both moved to your elevator, moving in as you clicked the button of your floor. 

There wasn’t many people around, it was too late, so it was just you and Lando in the elevator. A space that would normally be full of conversation was unusually quiet. 

Lando knew why he was quiet, he was recalling the moment in the Uber, slightly mourning what could’ve happened if only he was braver. He didn’t know why you were quiet, probably thinking about how weird he was acting.

But, frankly, the night was almost over. Just another couple of minutes and Lando could start the journey home, able to think over how that man had touched you and how he would never be able to do that. He should definitely try to move on. It would be too uncomfortable to spend a long amount of time secretly loving his best friend.

The lift dinged and you both walked over, moving side by side down the corridor till you eventually reached your door. You both paused outside your door. You didn’t make any move to grab your key and instead just looked at Lando, an unfamiliar look on your face. You almost seemed resigned. Lando didn’t know why.

You then sighed before moving to your purse, rummaging for a second before pulling out your key. A quick turn and your door was open. You turned back to Lando, a small smile on your lips.

“Goodnight Lando.” You said sweetly and Lando returned the gesture quietly, pulling you in for a small hug. After you separated, you seemed to hesitate for a second before shaking your head and going inside. Lando watched you close the door and heard it click before he called out one last ‘goodbye’.

Except the words that left his lips were not ‘goodbye’. They were ‘love you’. Completely unconscious slip of the tongue but it resulted in Lando completely freezing. How the hell had he done that?

He couldn’t hear any footsteps from your side of the door and Lando was left gaping as he processed what he said and the fact that you definitely heard. It was way past the time to say it was an accident when he regained any sort of agency.

He immediately turned away from your door, poised as though to make a getaway. However, the sound of your door opening stopped him. Oh god, how was he going to write this off.

He slowly turned, making eye contact with you as you stood in the doorway of your apartment. Your expression was more shocked than blank, but it was definitely on the border. He could see the question in your face, but he could only respond with his completely gobsmacked expression.

He didn’t know what you took this to mean, but you smiled. A bright smile. A smile more radiant than any one he’d seen you give the man from the bar. It took you a second to gather your thoughts to speak, he could see you formulating something to say in your mind.

“I love you too.” Was your response and if Lando’s jaw could drop further, it did. He was not expecting any of this. If he were to confess his feelings, he thought there would’ve been a lot more of his tears involved and a lot more planning. However, here you were, shyly returning his feelings. A smile that matched your own spread across his face and you giggled at his reaction.

“Really?” He asked dumbly, something you’d tease him about later. You nodded.

It took him less than two seconds to cross from where he was standing awkwardly in the corridor to your door frame, and it took him even less time to kiss you.

And, for once, Lando felt relieved that he didn’t do anything a different way.

hope you likey

#f1 x reader #f1 fanfic #formula one x reader #f1 oneshot #f1 imagine #formula one imagine #lando norris #lando norris x reader #lando norris x y/n #lando norris x you #lando norris imagine #lando norris reaction #lando norris fic #yipee!!!

[genericpuff]

The Elephant in the Room - Queer Erasure and Westernization in Lore Olympus (and all its horrid stepchildren)

This is one people have been asking me for a while now, and I've been waiting for the right inspiration to hit, as is required for my ADHD hyperfixation-fueled rants. After recently watching a video that did an objective review of Cait Corrain's Crown of Starlight, I felt now was the time, because Crown of Starlight effectively proves exactly what Lore Olympus - and other Greek myth interpretations like it - has issues with.

And I want to preface this post with one question - why do we keep getting these Greek myth adaptations written by queer women that still wind up perpetuating toxic heteronormative culture?

Buckle up, because this one's HEFTY.

In that aforementioned review of A Crown of Starlight, there were a lot of points that came up about how Cait wrote the female protagonist - Ariadne, wife of Dionysus - where I immediately stopped and went, "Wait, this sounds awfully familiar."

It should be mentioned briefly for anyone who's unaware - Cait Corrain is an author who was recently (and still) under fire for using sock puppet accounts on GoodReads to intentionally sabotage the ratings of other debut authors, many of whom were her own peers or from the same publishing imprint as her (Del Rey), and most of whom were POC. I mentioned in that previous essay that I just linked that Cait Corrain is a fan of Lore Olympus and decided to give it 5 star ratings from these alt accounts, not just de-legitimizing the reputation of the books she bombed, but also the ones that she praised (including her own book, because of course she had to leave an obvious calling card LMAO). I felt it necessary to tie Cait into my discussion of white feminism in LO and its fanbase because people like Cait are exactly who we're talking about when we dissect the intent and consequences of LO's writing - much of its brand of "feminism" seems to only be catered to a specific kind of woman (i.e. white women who fetishize queer people/relationships) and seem to encourage/embrace violence towards women if those women aren't "behaving correctly" or just aren't fortunate enough to be white and rich - and so Cait choosing to give Lore Olympus 5 stars in her hate-raiding and even have it visibly in the background of her headshot photos was... not exactly disproving my argument that these are the types of people LO caters to and encourages, to say the least.

But then I watched Read with Rachel's "Did It Deserve 1 Star" review of Crown of Starlight and it cemented my assumptions and concerns regarding Cait's intentions and influences even more.

As a brief tangent, I've read A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Claire. It very obviously is using Lore Olympus as its blueprints, but it's not super obvious that if you didn't read Lore Olympus or weren't aware of it, you probably wouldn't notice. It's still not a great book on its own, it's riddled with writing problems, but at least it can call itself its own thing to some degree.

Crown of Starlight is just blatant Lore Olympus fanfiction pretending to be original, even down to its marketing (which I'll get to shortly) but swapping out Hades and Persephone with Dionysus and Ariadne, and setting the entire story in space. Why is it in space? There doesn't seem to be any actual necessary reason for this, it just is, go with it. I'd be willing to accept this because changing up the setting of pre-existing stories can be fun (god knows I loved the premise enough of Lore Olympus being a modern day Greek myth retelling that I had to go and make my own version of it that's still in that modern setting) but as RWR says in her review:

"... we're told that it's the 'island' of Crete, but then we talk about commbands, airlocks, [holo-shields] and it wasn't really written in a way that I felt meshed 'Greek retelling' and 'sci-fi' in a cohesive way."

Needless to say, Crown of Starlight unsurprisingly suffers from the same problems Lore Olympus does, where it will try to "subvert" the original myths by changing their setting and characters and then doing absolutely nothing interesting with them to justify those changes.

To really drive my point home that Crown of Starlight is undoubtedly Lore Olympus fanfiction, Lore Olympus was literally used as a comparison point in Crown of Starlight's marketing which is a fair tactic to use to advertise to a specific niche or demographic, and while some have argued that Cait isn't technically the one to come up with that marketing jargon, it's made much more clear that she used that comparison herself when writing and pitching the book because it is quite literally just Lore Olympus with a different couple in space, right down to the main female protagonist being part of a purity cult. And of course it wouldn't be a bad Wattpad romance if it didn't have our main female protagonist Ariadne talking about how inconvenient her MASSIVE BREASTS are and of COURSE Ariadne is a poor innocent uwu babygirl who needs a man to come in and rescue her from the evil purity cult and of COURSE it hints at them eventually having raunchy sex just for it to wind up being milquetoast bondage and of COURSE it all just winds up taking traditionally queer characters and stories and turning them into this sanitized Disney-esque plotline where the boy and girl were always meant to be together and nothing else matters except their love-

And that, at its core, really just screams "this is bad LO fanfiction". From the stylization of the book's writing which never outgrew its "adorkable fanfiction writing" phase-

"Realizing that I'm being gaslit by my entire world doesn't make it easier to deal with, but hey, at least I still have some part of my soul!" - an excerpt from Crown of Starlight quoted from RWR's review timestamp 13:03

-to the "creative" choices made to turn Ariadne into a chastity cult girl whose resolution is obviously going to be to have what's implied to be dirty raunchy sex just for it to be like... the most tame level one bondage stuff;

-to the classic "she breasted boobily down the stairs" focus on Ariadne's body and breasts and sex appeal that's being kept in check by that pesky purity club.

And that's really disappointing because I had seen people say, "Yeah, Cait did an awful thing and deserves to be removed from her publishing schedule, but it's a shame that that book was written by Cait because it's actually a really good book!" because now it's just making me even more sus of people's Greek myth adaption recommendations (I'm still mad at BookTok for convincing me that A Touch of Darkness was worth reading). All I could think while listening to some of the excerpts quoted by RWR was that if I didn't know about Cait Corrain and read Crown of Starlight blind, I'd undoubtedly assume it was being written by a heterocis guy... but it's in fact being written by a queer woman.

And this is where I segue into talking about the root of this problem, where the calls are really coming from - Lore Olympus and its erasure of queer identities and relationships, despite also being written by a queer woman who should know better.

I could think of no better character to help carry this essay than Eros.

Unlike many of the characters in LO that Rachel has managed to straightwash by changing their motives entirely or straight up changing their identity from the source material (ex. Zeus, Apollo, Crocus who was turned into a flower nymph, Dionysus and Achilles because they're both literally babies, the list goes on), Eros has largely remained the same on paper who had zero reason to not be queer within the story.

Eros is still the god of love in this, he's still a guy and presumed to be an adult, but we NEVER see or explore him having relationships with anyone other than Psyche, aside from a brief mention of organizing orgies in the beginning that's used as a quick joke and then promptly never mentioned again.

Just like with Crown of Starlight and A Touch of Darkness and all these other "dark romance" stories, it's that brand of "pretends to be sexually liberating but isn't actually" writing, where they'll briefly mention orgies or sex-related things and then beat around the bush or avoid involving them entirely like a kid at Sunday school who doesn't want to say the word "penis".

(fr out of all the corny and awful slang for genitals I've seen used in stories like this, "a certain part of my anatomy" is definitely one of the most boring and stupid, like for god's sakes Hades you're both adults and at the beginning of this comic you thought she wanted to bang in the kitchen, why are you suddenly talking like a 7 year old boy LOL)

All that aside, while Eros might still be hinted at being queer and sex-positive, it's only as vaguely as possible so that the story can quickly move on to focus on him and Psyche or, better yet, Hades and Persephone. When Eros isn't deadset on finding Psyche, he's being the gay best friend for Persephone, who he has NO right having a friendship with when he introduced himself by intentionally getting her as drunk as possible with the intent of dumping her in Hades' car as per his mom's command. It's brushed off later as "well Aphrodite maaade him do it, for Psycheee!" but Eros still agreed to potentially put Persephone in danger over a relationship that had NOTHING to do with her and was also mostly his fault in its fallout (which Artemis calls him out for, but of course, like all the other times characters have called out the actual issues in the story they're inhabiting, they get brushed aside so that Persephone can talk about Hades):

Now, the Eros and Psyche plotline is one I've talked about before here and not the focus of this essay so I'll keep this tangent brief, but it's absolutely wild to me that Rachel took a story about a woman going to the ends of the earth to prove her love for someone whose trust she broke (a common theme in a lot of Greek myth stories, such as the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice) and turned it into... woman of color gets turned into a nymph slave for Aphrodite to 'test' Eros, a test that isn't clear at all in what it's trying to achieve, and wait hold up, didn't Eros actually fail that test by kissing Ampelus while completely unaware that it was Psyche-

This is just that episode of Family Guy where Peter justifies emotionally cheating and eventually physically cheating on Lois because "well you were the phone sex lady the whole time so no harm done!", isn't it? (×﹏×)

Anyways. It's all very convenient that the comic will hint at queer rep just to either have it be a constant question of whether or not they're actually queer (ex. Morpheus) OR to have it be promptly swept under the rug to make way for other characters/plot points. It's like when mongie tried to be "inclusive" by writing a stereotypical vaguely Asian character with no specific ethnicity just to get angry at her fanbase for calling her out on this that you can't just call a vaguely Asian character "representation" of anything (because Asia is MASSIVE and covers so many different ethnicities and languages and cultures).

Eros is only as gay as he needs to be to fill the role of "gay best friend" for Persephone.

Krokos is no longer a male lover of Hermes but a flower nymph created by Persephone because... apparently we can't dare imply that Hermes would be into anyone besides his unrequited childhood love, Persephone.

Achilles is introduced as a baby even though it makes no sense in the comic's own timeline where Odysseus is presumably already a well-known hero in Olympus, so much so that he was invited to the Panathenea.

Apollo is turned into a flat-out rapist who's only concerned with getting Persephone at all costs and when that doesn't work, he tries to get ANOTHER flower nymph (Daphne) who's actually genuinely interested in him (contrary to the original myth, there's that "swap it subversion" Rachel is known for) to cut her hair so she'll resemble Persephone more because we can't have a single plot point not resolve around Persephone.

Despite there being loads of genderbent characters already, Morpheus is supposedly the only one we're supposed to assume is specifically trans and not just a gender-flipped version of a Greek myth character. Why? Not because Rachel stated so explicitly, not because the comic has actually explored her identity as a trans woman, but because the readers just assumed it in good faith and Rachel was clearly fine with taking credit for trans representation that's only there via assumption (and only confirmed via her mods in Discord, which is... not how you establish canon information in your comic, Rachel.)

Hestia and Athena are part of a chastity club, until uh oh how convenient that they're secretly in a relationship with each other even though it further vilifies them and their morals, particularly Hestia who was promptly called out for being a hypocrite for taking Persephone's coat gifted to her from Hades while secretly being in a relationship the whole time. Not only does the Hestia and Athena relationship manage to commit queer erasure - of two gods who are considered icons in the aroace communities - but it also makes the only two lesbians in the story come across as assholes AND ON TOP OF THAT ALSO manages to somehow invalidate queer sex and relationships as being legitimate due to the even deeper implication that breaking their chastity vows "doesn't count" because it's not a male x female relationship. It's the 'ole poophole loophole all over again.

And then there's Artemis, who has MORE REASON THAN EVER TO BE IN THE PLOT but keeps being conveniently ignored. Her finding out about Hestia and Athena doesn't get any more screentime than her going "oh you're in a relationship, okay" , we never see her question the true intentions of TGOEM or what it means to her, we never see her have any opportunity to carve out her identity beyond just being Apollo's twin sister (it tries to at times, but then immediately goes nowhere with it, amounting to just poetic word salad), and she really just comes across as what a lot of people assume aroace people to be - alone and standoffish, because obviously someone who's nice and a good person would be in a relationship, there has to be a reason they don't want to have sex or fall in love, and that reason obviously has to be that they just hate everyone and want to be alone forever (￢_￢;) Then again, like many of the queer characters in LO, I don't know if I can definitively call her aroace because it's kept as vague as possible, and - going by Rachel's answers to these questions way back in her Tumblr era - apparently people can't be gay and ace at the same time-

There are undoubtedly loads more examples that I could cover here but that goes for practically any essay I write about LO - the more you peel it apart, the more you start unearthing some really questionable and frankly mean-spirited stuff. Queer people feel largely ignored in LO, alongside many of its derivative offspring such as A Touch of Darkness and Crown of Starlight, and it really speaks to how so many people - queer women, no less - have somehow managed to bastardize and sanitize what were traditionally very queer stories with queer characters. It's like these people think "olden times" and can only get as far as "women were slaves and men were rich assholes". Like, yeah, okay, that was the case for many cultures, but not all of them, and for some of them it wasn't as clear cut as that, many had misogynist power struggles in them while also still celebrating women and queer people in their own way. Greek myth is full of stories of women being forced into marriage or being made the victims of assault, but many of them are supportive of women and their struggles, unlike works like LO that somehow manage to be less feminist and sympathetic to women and queer people than these works from thousands of years ago.

This is another topic that's surely meant for another post, but it really speaks not only to the straightwashing and whitewashing of Greek myth, but also the Westernizing of it. That's not to say Rachel Smythe and Cait Corrain and Scarlett St. Claire are intentionally trying to whitewash another culture's works here, but if you're raised predominantly on Western media, you're undoubtedly going to absentmindedly adopt ideas about society that are primarily molded around Western beliefs .

And this is apparent in LO, while Rachel is from New Zealand, you can tell she grew up on a lot of Western media and its influences are sorely showing through LO's worldbuilding, character designs, and narrative choices. That "modern setting" that I mentioned before is much less Greek and a lot more adjacent to The Kardashians which lends to the theories that most of the media that Rachel consumes is American. Rather than actually going to the effort of doing her research on Greek culture, she seems to just prefer defaulting to the easiest assumption of how modern society is across the board - a generic Los Angeles clone with big glass skyscrapers and pavement walkways. She rarely ever draws food or clothing from those time periods; despite this story being about gods she's spent so little time on the people who passed on the stories about those gods, the mortals, and the gods themselves rarely feel like gods, rather just like Hollywood celebrities covered in body paint. The clothing feels very generic and uninspired with often very little Greek influence, even though Greek clothing is designed around Mediterranean living which you could do a lot with, to such an egregiously Western degree that Hades and Persephone's wedding was Christian-coded. The food... well, there ISN'T any because as we've seen, like the stereotypical American child, Persephone apparently only wants chicken nuggies and Skittles for dinner, so we never see her eat; and not only do we not see Persephone eat, but Rachel weirdly tries to use Persephone's vegetarianism as some kind of anti-capitalist characterization when much of the Greek diet is predominantly vegetarian. It's NOT HARD or uncommon to be a vegetarian in Greece!

(it looks like they're literally all eating the same thing so IDK what Hera is referring to here, it looks like they're all eating toast and lettuce LMAO)

All that's to say, much of LO - and the books like it that I've gone over here - are written with this idea that every culture - including the one that it's trying to adapt - was subject to the same ideas that Western culture lives by in the modern day - that being a vegetarian is "counterculture" in every culture, that the notion of sexual purity is enforced in the same way it's enforced in the Western education system (cough Christianity cough), that queer or otherwise "unconventional" relationships should stay inside the bedroom and not be seen. As much as Rachel claims she wants to "fight the patriarchy" and "deconstruct purity culture", all she winds up doing is reinforcing it through a Westernized lens, which is, as I've talked about before, very indicative of right-leaning white feminism and what it embraces and promotes - being a "good woman" who follows the rules and willingly becomes part of the system that's oppressing them because that's what "good women" do. Women who are confidant in their sexuality are evil and should be shunned for being "sluts". Women who are in relationships with other women "don't count" as real relationships the same way heteronormative relationships do, and cannot be trusted because they're likely trying to spread an agenda that's designed to brainwash heterocis women. Women should only aim to achieve marriage and their entire personality has to be built around their true love. Women are allowed to be kinky, but only as kinky as roleplaying the exact same gender structures that puts the man in a position to dominate a woman, and it should always and only ever be with her first love who she marries immediately, no one else.

This is exactly what the critics are getting at when they hold LO - and its creator - accountable for the messages it's been sending for five years to its audience of middle aged women and young girls. Having a demographic is fine, if this were just a comic for girls it would be fine, but it becomes a lot more problematic when that demographic is being fed toxic power fantasy stories based on a culture that's being gentrified and sanitized of all its original messaging and characterization right before our eyes. It feels blatantly misinformed from the very beginning in its intention to be a "feminist retelling" of Greek myth, because somehow Lore Olympus manages to be less feminist than these stories drafted and written by men from 2000+ years ago.

I opened this essay with a question: why do we keep getting these Greek myth adaptations written by queer women that still wind up perpetuating toxic heteronormative culture?

I think cases like these really highlight how deep the heteronormative brainwashing from childhood onward goes. That, despite these writers being queer or women, still manage to reinforce the same ideas and tropes and harmful predisposed notions that were designed to be used explicitly against queer people and women. These are things that we can't ever stop challenging, and asking, and truly deconstructing, because it runs deep in many of us who grew up on popular media even as innocent as Disney. Learning about more complex social concepts like sexism and misogyny and queerphobia doesn't automatically absolve us of those very same biases that have been both blatantly and subtly ingrained into us since childhood. All that said, Rachel being bisexual does not mean she's not capable of straightwashing; Cait Corrain being a queer debut author with a POC main character didn't stop them from targeting other POC debut authors at their own imprint; being part of any minority group or identifier does not automatically protect you from perpetuating the cycle that you, too, likely had enforced upon you at some point or another in your life. The fact that these creators and writers are still perpetuating that cycle to begin with is indicative of why it's a cycle at all - it takes work to break on a subconscious level because those cycles are specifically designed to target and hijack the subconscious.

At its worst, do you really think Lore Olympus can claim to be a feminist retelling that's "deconstructing purity culture" when the creator herself admittedly never fully identified or understood sexism until her mid-30's and has the audacity to say her audience is "harsh" on the female characters that she constantly vilifies through her own narrative?

"I feel like female characters in general, people will be a little harsher on them and sometimes way harsher on them, and I used to be like.. before I started writing the story and like making a story I was like yeah, sexism is not that bad, and [now] I was like oh it's bad. It's quite bad [laughs], so like, I don't know, I feel like the female characters in the story don't get so much of a pass. But this isn't consistent across the board, it's not all the time" - Rachel Smythe, in an interview with Girl Wonder Webtoon Podcast

If Lore Olympus truly was just a series meant to be for fun "no thoughts head empty" drama and spice, that would be fine. I've said it time and time before on this blog and I'll say it again: I wouldn't have an issue if Rachel was just writing a story exclusively revolving around heterocis men and women. I'm just frustrated and tired and annoyed that she keeps lying about it, and doubly so that this comic and its creator who claim to be "feminist" have inspired other people in the same headspace to continue to perpetuate that cycle through works that are clearly inspired by LO and never challenged the things LO promoted - violence towards "unconventional" women, violence towards POC, and erasure of queer people. And worst of all, for writers like Cait Corrain, it's more than just writing a really bad book with really bad messaging, it's going so far as intentionally targeting those same groups of people that are regularly vilified in works like LO - people who are just existing, who don't pose a threat to anyone, but had the misfortune of becoming the target of a white woman's insecurity.

I don't know what the answer to this problem is. I don't know what form the solution will come in, if any, to address the ongoing issues with Greek myth adaptions that are being sorely written through an "America as the default" point of view and praised for "rewriting the script of Greek mythology", quite literally cultural appropriation happening live right before our eyes all for the sake of cheap entertainment. Maybe it'll take the failings of works like Crown of Starlight to really get people talking about it. But so long as the roots of these works - such as Lore Olympus - are still being protected and marketed en masse by the same kinds of people who don't see the issue in Americanizing other cultures and their stories, then Lore Olympus and Crown of Starlight will not be the last ones to cause harm to the source material - and the cultures that source material is born from and a part of - they're taking from.

I opened this post with a question, and I'm going to close it with another to really leave it as food for thought. That question comes from another video that I'll link here for you to watch at your convenience that spends even more time diving into and discussing the nature of works like this that have seemingly attempted to "deconstruct" the very dogmas that they still wind up reinforcing all the same.

Does the romance genre have a white supremacy problem?

(yes. yes, it does.)

#lo critical #anti lore olympus #lore olympus critical #cait corrain #a touch of darkness #crown of starlight #scarlett st claire #Youtube

[oh-for-fic-sake-library]

A Suitable Alternative chapter 2 (Final)

Masterlist

Summary: you new life with vader begins, and though unexpected your not entirely unhappy about it.

Warnings: suitless vader, coercion, dub con relationship, power play, canon typical violence

A/N:Here is a second and final part to my vader fic. I dont really want to get suckd in and make a long fic, i have too many. But i will be doing little anakin and vader oneshots and drabbles in the future

Your eyes flicked to the open living area. The footfalls of Vader moving around did little to calm your nerves. Today was your debut. Or as you'd mentally dubbed it release day. Well, maybe that was a tad harsh. You reasoned with yourself. You weren't a prisoner here, well possibly? Since the whole incident with the fifth brother last week Vader had made it his life's mission to keep you in his quarters until you were quote; 'recovered from the trauma and ready to take your place'. And somehow your new wardrobe had been delayed. Which you didn't believe for a second. Everyone knew when Darth Vader wanted something it was on board within hours. You thought it was more likely that he wanted to have a few days bonding with you. And he did.

Your terror of this frighteningly beautiful man had subsided somewhat. The situation you found yourself in wasn't entirely unpleasant. You were treated impeccably well. It wasn't hard to forget just who he was inside your newly appointed home. You had taken a few days to acclimatise to seeing him without his mask. Whilst at the same time pretending nothing phased you, it was difficult. So much had changed for you, suddenly you were spending more time with him than anyone ever had since he'd appeared out of thin air alongside the empire itself! You shared a home, wardrobe, facilities even a bed.

That had terrified you the first night. He'd dressed you in one of the tunics as a makeshift night dress. You knew he could have someone go and collect your things from your room but he opted to have you draped in his own oversized clothes. You were surprised he even had casual clothing, but then again even a sith lord had the odd free days to relax in his home.

After letting you change in the bathroom he'd slowly coaxed you into bed like a scared child. It took a few tense moments but you did give in. Swallowing back your fear and climb into the bed resigning yourself to his will. He was smug, watching as you crawled below the sheets and turned glancing out of the window to the slowly moving stars as the executor glided through space, passing the odd asteroid and planet.

It was the one thing you truly adored. You didn't have windows in any of your previous rooms. You'd never really seen the stars pass you by before. You could watch the soothing sight all day.

You'd panicked when he'd laid beside you and shuffled close, pressing a hand to your shoulder and lightly drawing your attention to him. You were concerned he'd do something, that he'd expect something. But he kept his word, he didn't push you. Instead just stretched an arm out below your head letting you rest on him, occasionally running his fingers through your hair. And then looked out to the stars with you perfectly content, before striking up a conversation.

He asked about your travels, homeland, childhood, family and education anything he could think of to keep the conversation flowing. It was like he didn't want you to sleep, he wanted to savour the time he had with you. Like he had to hear you speak to prove to himself you were here. It was the first time you got the feeling he was lonely.

From then on it became a nightly ritual, talking until you couldn't keep your eyes open anymore. And that wasn't the only thing that became a daily occurrence you had breakfast, lunch and dinner together every day. He would vent about mistakes others made, missions and upcoming events in the next few days and secret imperial business; which your entirely convinced he wasn't supposed to share with you, but you still tried to help. Even if he did wave it off and settle for threatening or replacing the commanders. He didn't have the same attitude towards the storm troopers though?

You found it odd, but never brought it up. You didnt want to make him think he was being soft on them, your sure he'd do something drastic if he ever thought he wasnt scaring the piss out of everyone. He did infact enjoy that, it amused him to no end watching those around him quiver in his presence. But he wasnt always talking about the empire, he also made a point to speak of your work, ideas hobbies and of course your future together.

It was strange, youd formed an attachment to him. A familiarity, it was easy to forget who he was sometimes, especially when he would entertain you in trivial small talk during meals. And then youd spot the lightsaber on his belt, or his mask on one of the many stands scattered around the place. It would flush through you like ice, youd stiffen a rush of panic overwhelming you followed by him sighing quietly and then he'd draw you to him once more as if trying to condition you into being at ease around him.

The only way you could describe it was they were two different people. Lord vader was the mask, he had always been that imposing tall figure, billowing cape and harsh mechanical breaths and very heavy handed in everything he did. And then there was Vader himself; beautiful, intelligent and dare you say needy? Funny? Allbeit his humour was a little dark and dry for your tastes but you could appreciate some of his witty quips. But nothing detracted the fact he was clearly unstable, possessive and devestatingly strong.

But he seemed willing to put you at ease. He answered your questions most of the time. Sometimes he deflected, but with every refusal he did offer you something else in exchange. Youd asked about his past, who he was before vader was born. He'd gone rigid and trapped you in a stern icey stare before telling you the past was the past and he wont relive that weakness.

Yet he followed this harsh rebuke by offering explanations about his suit. It was nothing more then a means to strike fear into people. That vader was born from the ashes of his own failures and his suit was his new identity. Ending by saying that there was nothing more to the suit itself. Well thats what he said but you couldnt help there was more to it then that.

Yet you still got uncomfortable. Sometimes you'd say something that insinuated a future seperate from his and he would quickly react with a firm yet frustrated quip. Snapping at you to stop being ridiculous, and remind you he would be beside you always. That you were his and there was nothing in the galaxy that would change that. Then his anger would grow, his frustration would boil over and he'd spit venom at you. Voice his own insecurities in some teasing yet vague threats.

This was always resulted in a quick bout of damage control. Youd found out quickly that for someone so unapproachable his love language was touch. Youd grasp his hands holding them close to your chest or tuck yourself against him making yourself small whilst seeking him out. Whispering you were sorry and hadnt meant for it to sound the way it did. Pleading with him to forgive you. Going as far as to press gentle kisses to his hands and wrists, initiating any type of loving embrace or gesture you could. He always calmed when you acted on your infatuation.

He would sag, relaxing and quickly capture you, dragging you close and embrace you tightly. Though he never apologised. No, his anger was always justified. But he would defuse the tension warning you to be careful with your words, to think before you speak. He wanted you to be utterly convinced of your shared future and impending marriage. So much that it was ingrained into your subconscious. He wanted to stop these slip ups, you were his now and forever and you had to come to terms with that and create yourself a new path. A new future. One that had snuck up on you quicker then youd thought possible.

Okay. Okay... Okay, this is okay. Isn't it? Maybe. Maybe not. Fuck. Your eyes ran over the woman in the glass. Black. All you saw was black, velvet, leather and chiffon draped over you like a sea of unending darkness. The clothing was flattering, comfortable and practical, the leggings were a surprise. Something had told you lord Vader believed in more traditional gender roles and once he mentioned a new wardrobe you feared you'd be permanently donning a dress!

But no, thankfully you were placed in a long flowing tunic styled top held securely with a leather underbust styled waist coat. And behinde you fell a thin chiffon black cape. Flowy, feminine just like the rest of your outfit, it was clearly designed to mimic vaders own menacing outfit. But with a faint soft aesthetic to it, less brash and more refined. You were meant to compliment Vader, not out dress him. You moved this way and that watching the cape flutter behind you, it was attatched to the stiff paundrons protruding a inch or so from your shoulders.

"Stunning, my colour suits you." Vader called from the entrance of the bed room. You looked at him through the mirror and bit your lip, cheeks glowing, you couldnt help it when he was looking at you like that! Arms crossed smirking at you like the tempting devil he was, blue eyes flickering amber as they ran lengths up and down your frame. Fuck.

"You think so? I thought it washed me out?" You uttered trying to deflect slightly. You still found it strange having him compliment you. It happened quite often, though sometimes felt more like he was appraising you and preening 'oh look at this pretty jewel in my collection'

"All the more reason for me to bring a flush you your cheeks" you huffed averting your gaze trying to compose yourself. He was far to good at making you squirm. It wasnt fair, the way he could so easily make you flustered and embarassed. Simple blunt statments and well timed innuendos made sure to remind you that he intended to have you in every way possible.

"You are magnificent. You look powerfull, regal. Mine" the words were liquid silk, heated promising. But chilling in their meaning. He was claiming you publicly, making sure everyone who saw you shadowing him in the halls understood you were spoken for. It was like a child taking their new toy out to show it off. But there was little you could do about it. And honestly what could you complain about? You were dressed in comfy expensive clothes, ate amazing food, slept in a luxurious bed and found yourself a gorgeous partner. And above all you were safe. Untouchable. The only thing you had to worry about was vaders temper. But you were working your way around that, he needed to be needed, he craved soft, gentle. He wanted love, or atleast affection.

"Thank you my lord." You hummed sweetly turning to face him peaking up at him trying not to look as anxious as you felt. The reality of being seen out with him today.

"What did we discuss?" You faltered at that snapping your eyes to his. And he stared at you with an exhausted look. If he'd been a lesser man he'd have rolled his eyes. Your shoulders slumped and you tucking into yourself hands absentmindedly pulling on your clothes anxiously.

"Y-yes, right. Vader i apologise" your reply was cut short when he crossed the space, hands raising to your cheeks and ha cupped them almost sweetly, pulling you to face him once more. Youd niticed he hted when you avoided looking at him. He always wanted your attention. He was forever drawing your attention to himself.

"Do not look so sullen little one, it was not a chastisement. Just a reminder" he soothed you rubbing the apples of your cheeks with his thumbs. You blinked up at him still at a loss, these strnge affectionate moments were still foreign to you. It was alot to grow accustomed to. He drew a heavy sigh and tipped his head to the side, his hands began smoothing out your hair.

"I understand things will take time, you must adjust. Im simply trying to help you from new habits. We cant have you living in the past. Nothing exists but our future together. At least not for you anyway" he explained for what felt like the thousandth time. You nodded to him weakly, making sure not to pull away from him. The last time your tried to on reflex he'd fixed his hands round your jaw, pressing his fingertips tighter so you couldn't pull away. It was one of the few times youd been close to weeping, frightened youd angered him.

"You do look delectable in your new wardrobe. I am going to have to keep my witts about me whist your around the other men aboard" he uttered aftter a few moments and leant in pressing a kiss to your head before stepping back and marvelled at you. And then froze, frown marred his face.

"I sense your fear, what has frightened you? You know i would never allow you to be attacked again. If anyone dares to release a harsh breath in your direction it will be their last" the question was quickly followed by a promise to protect you. It would have been chivalrous decree had you not known he was utterly serious about murdering anyone on board whoxd dare make you uncomfortable. But you had to smile, ignore the violence and accept that his darlness was apart of him and the way he expressed himself.

"I know that, i trust you. Im just... not one for change. Everything is changing" you said with a light smile bringing your own hand to his wrist rubbing the skin, whilst leaning into hos hand lightly. He drew a deep breath before craning forward kissing your hairline and then stepped back.

You twisted your hand removing it from him but he quickly found it again squeezing it in his holding you delicatly. You released a deep breath as you successfully shook off your unpleasant fear of being the cause of another death. Not that you cared about the fitfth brother. Well not much, youd never liked him but that didnt mean seeing him brutalised and killed had been your idea of a good time.

"This change is good little one." He coaxed slowly leading you away from the mirror and in to the larger open space on the room.

"Yes, yes i know my lor- vader. I will get over it, just some beginners nerves i think? After all I do have a new position now. Its quite a climb" your words faltered as you struggled to find the appropriate words for your new position.

"You have no need to be nervous, i am here. I will always be here. Now why dont you show off your new uniform properly hmm? Give me a little spin~" he guided you infront of him before releasing you and grinned insisting you spin for him with a quick gesture of his finger swirling around.

You did as he asked spining around for him letting him admire you dripping in the clothes he had provided for you. You could feel the victorious grin he wore. Smug and cocky drinking in the sight of you. His prized trophy. He reached out smothing your cape back down to sit aginst your back and then coiled around you, tucking you below one arm.

"Very good. You truly are ravishing. Are you ready for your surprise?" He asked raising a brow at you, grinning wide a bright excitement across his face, eyes sparkling with his own elation.

"Surprise? what Surprise?"you asked tilting your head at him, scrunching your nose in confusion. He hadnt mentioned anything about a surprise. Only telling you that today youd start your new duties which consisted of joining him about the ship, shadowing him like a makeshift assistant.

"Well if i told you it wouldnt be a surprise now would it~ Follow me" and with that he swooped out of the room completely and glided across the living area. Right towards a very uncomfortable looking captain. You stopped still, locking eyes with the anxious looking man. This doesnt feel right.

"Captain? What a surprise?" You asked trembling slightly, feeling a deep dread. Panic like youd never felt before burrowing into you like a parasite. But you didnt know why, you couldnt understand it. You stepped forward hesitantly trying to keep yourself in check as your mind raced over all the possible reasons the captain was here.

"Im afraid i could not wait. I feel it would be best if we were to, expedite our union, i see no reason to wait" the sith anounced still striding towards the pale man, quivering in his boots. He was sweating and looked queasy but was outright staring at vader, drinking in the sight of his lords maskless face. You could understand. It was such a momentous thing, to see the frightfull lord in all his glory. Being able to categorically rule out the rumours of knarled twisted features and horrid burns mutations and from interspecies breeding. And instead see the sith for waht he was, a stunning powerful young man.

"It is a little known fact that captains are still able to marry those onboard the ships they command. Even in the empire." Vaders words halted your thoughts, yet somehow you still moved forward, inchingntowards him and his surprise. What? Already? No, he wouldnt do that yet would he? You twisted your head slightly before reaching out grasping for vader in what you hoped looked like casual affection. But it was to anchor you. You needed to hold onto something before your knees collapsed in on themselves and you crumpled to the floor. Vaders was glancing at the captain in warning, eyes burning making it clear the man was to hold his tongue over the next few moments.

And then the dark lord turned to you, one hand meeting yours before settling it in the crook of his arm playing the part of a gentleman. He nodded gifting you another bright grin and then pulled you closer to stand infront of him. He blinked tipping his head waiting for your reaction.

"Marry? He can marry us?" You breathed out, surprized and very very uncomfortable. As much as you knew this was the end game for lord vader. You were not prepared, youd belived hexd take you to mustafa first. Or atleast have the ceremony there. Not on a war ship.

"Indeed. He can and he will." He nodded once more, ending his reply with another threatening look cast to the man who looked like he was about to pass out. But overall vader sounded almost proud of himself. It was clear he thought the surprise and shock on your face was a good thing. And maybe it was? You werent crying or pleading. You cowered back slightly gulping down the dread you felt, you couldnt risk upsetting him now. Not infront of company.

"You look unsure little one, I will not waste our time together. You are mine and theres no reason to delay our future together. This is for the best" vaders words were laced with a soft warning, his bionic hand pressing against yours pinning it to his arm in a tight cold grip.

"We are not revisiting this discussion, ive made up my mind. You know this. Do not begin to disappoint me now little one" the chiding held a sharp egde. Threat of retribution shpuld you even think to argue woth him. His plans will not be ruined. And honestly you were not even stupid enough to try.

"oh no, vader no i was not; im just surprized. When you said we'd wed soon i did not realise how soon" you panicked rounding on him slightly, your other hand coming to rest ontop of his own vice like grip. You plead with him wide eyes glossing with tears, your hand moved smoothing over his skin thumbs circling over his wrist.

He held your gaze, nostrils flaring under his slowly rising temper. Lips thin and eyes glowing dangerously. Your heart thundered in your chest. It wasnt working? You dropped your gaze, slumping and released his hand slowly.

"Please vadet,don't be put out with me. I didnt mean it the way it sounded you know what im like. Id hate for you to think that i was against this in anyway. I truly meant no offence." He hummed relaxing his hold on you and released a deeper breath. You peaked up at him from the top of your eyes taking another half step closer. He settled somewhat as you drew closer, as if he realised you were not going to turn tail and flee. You continued to calm him spurred on by his sublte change in stance.

"It's just i? I suppose its selfish of me but i had silly hopes for our union is all, picking out a dress and flowers. Its what every little girl dreams of. But i will be happy aslong as i have you. Im not refusing you,not in the slightest. Id hate for you to ever think that, because i would never do that to you my lord. Never" you explained, choosing to play the little girl card to wriggle out of the hole youd somehow began to land yourself in.

He held your gaze for a few long moments and then sighed blinking slowly and released your now throbbing hand. You smiled but didnt move, instead squeezed his arm trying to reassure him you were staying here.

"A wise decision little one. unfortunately i have no time to give you a wedding you deserve one day i will make amends. But i have managed to aquire this at least. Here" the warning was more sinister then you'd anticipated. But the half explanation soothed you somewhat. He was once again gifting you with some semblance of consideration, letting you hold onto some sort of hope that he cared for your feelings. The words hung in the air for a few seconds before a hand rose. He held out a ring, pinching it between two fingers letting you pluck it from him.

You inspected it. It felt weighty, large and menacing. Clearly this was not yours it was too large, this ring was meantmfor him. It was neither gold or bright silver but an odd dark silver colour reminiscent of pewter. It was plain, nothing engraved or embedded into it. No decoration whats so ever. You closed your fist around it and plastered a smile on your face before looking back up at Vader.

"Shall we?" You said managing to bypass the panicked lump in your throat. You slowly felt dread build inside of you. You wanted to scream. This felt so insane, so fast and frightening. You were realising this was really happeneing and there was nothing you could do or say. You were trapped, no matter how delicatly he treated you, or how sweet his words and affection were. You were no longer free, you were his now. Completely and this man would keep a tight grip on you from here on out.

Vader beckoned you, holding out a hand clasping yours quickly and directed you to stand beside him and then shifted his attention. Suddenly the captain was pinned in place with a feirce look. It was only then you noticed a slim datapad in the poor mans quivering hand.

There were no fanatical speeches about love or family. No mentions of a pitiful romance or passages read on the sanctity of marriage. Only a few words about loyalty, strength and honour. And then vows, odd vows. Promises of obedience, surrender and worship. You vowed to serve him, to remain by his side and honour him. In return he will protect and provide for you and any children you may birth. It wasnt exactly the best exchange, but you were in not position to argue, you had nothing to bargin with, vader could take what he wanted if need be. So you'd be wise to accept whilst you had the illusion of choice.

You opted to smile pleasantly, reciting your vows watching carfully as vader seemed to visibly relax once youd played your part beautifully. Giving him exactly what he wanted without a fuss. The way you had submitted so quickly made heat rush through him, you were perfect. He'd enjoyed the light gasp as he'd placed his ring onto your finger. Your eyes lit up as you saw it for the first time, he had been unsure about it. He didnt know what youd want, all he knew was he wanted it to match his. From the look you gave him he had done well the delicate black band with light scrolling engraving across it. You were pleased, shocked but please nonetheless.

The ceremony was no more then ten mineuts, it would have been faster had the captain not stumbled over his words anxiously. Fear had made the man incoherent at some points in the small paragraphs. But even if the blithering idiot hadn't messed up the final kiss couldnt have come fast enough for vader. He needed it, the finality.

You stood listening as the ceremony drew to an end, with the fatefull words 'you may kiss the bride'. Your eyes flicked to vader unsure of whether he would indeed kiss you publicly. You shook your head subtly and made to pull back from you once lord now husband. You tried not to let your disappointment show, he didnt strike you as one for outward public affection so you shouldnt be surprised.

But as you tried to pry your hand that had resigned in his since donning his ring. He grunted, squeezing your hand. Suddenly he was on you, his human hand capturing your neck, thumb below your jaw, and hand stretched around covering your neck, fingers curling around you grazing the sking below your ear.

You cast a final worried look to the male beside you before. Opening your mouth to remind vader you had a guest. But what came out was a muffled cry of surprize when vader tugged you close before pressing his mouth to yours. You froze unprepared for his affection so much so he had managed to draw you into him, coaxing you to his own chest. Tilting his head before plundering your mouth. His lips moved against yours with delicate groan. Your eyes closed and cheeks flamed, unsure of what to do. All you did know was the captain was watching you with a weird fascination. It made you self conscious, youd only ever kissed once before;that had been at one of your freinds birthday parties years ago with a fumbling boy fresh out of his acne phase.

Vader chuckled drawing back a little taking a good look at you. You were his. He had a wife again. This time things will be different. He could love you freely without fear. This time he will be able to protect you, simply because youll obey him without question.

He descended again devouring you harsher this time, teeth biting and nipping at your lip making you whine in light pain before pressing forward. Plunging his tongue int your mouth lapping at your own before prodding you, encouraging you to join him in the kiss.

You did so carefully still aprihensive. Gingerly prodding at him, lapping and nibbling testing out what he liked and disliked. Your soft kissing and light exploring touch was met with light groans of praise. You relaxed smoothing your palms over his chest, remembering the lean muscles hidden beneath the thick suit. Just as you were melting into him, moaning into his mouth enjoying the kiss. You heard the captain Shuffle on his feet. Your eyes snapped open and attempted to tear yourself away from vader in a panic. He tightened his grip on your neck growling, jerking you forward drawing your attention back to him taking control. Once again you were reminded vader enjoyed your attention, he doesn't tolerate it wandering from him.

It was a few moments later when a loud thump rung out vader finally let you pull away. You eyed him for a moment only to look away as he made a show of lapping at his bottom lip, eyes half lidded stareing at you hungrily. He made sure not to let you get too far as you pulled back searching for where the thump had come from. His hands dropped to your waist keeping you close, chest pressing against his.

You panicked momentarily glancing around where the captain had been. Then gasped seeing the captain in a crumpled heap on the floor. You forgot to breath, your world stopped. No. No way, not again.

"Oh- shit! Vader he's? Is he alright? Did he passout? We should call the medic droids;" you began squirming in his grip, not beliving what you saw. He'd just passed out, he must have. There no way vader would have killed him, vader needed him to pilot the executor right?

"Hush, all is well. He served his purpose" he hummed pulling you closer resting his chin on your head kissing your hair lightly and wrapped his arms around you. Paying no mind to the dead captain on his living room floor.

"Did you? While we were?" You flushed eyes widening as you realised vader really had used the felxing of his hand on your neck to choke the captain. You stomach churrned, anxiety tugging at your chest like a horrid vice squeezing your diaphragm painfully.

"B-But he is the captain. Dont we need him to pilot the ship?" You asked pressing a hand to your chest rubbing trying to fend off the pain. Your eyes flicked from the captains body, to vader who chuckled shaking his head at you like you would a child.

"No, a team of twenty officers pilot the ship. His job is to coordinate them....Think of it this way, the co-pilot just got a promotion."

"You seem a little too upset, did you know him personally? Was he a friend?" His words grew sharp, the arms around you began tensing, squeezing threateningly. You whined shaking your head, quickly trying to backtrack and calm him before he became enraged.

"No, no ive never met him , i just wondered... this is such a huge vessel and i thought he must have been specifically trained to pilot it. I'd hate the thought of you wasting such a valuable member of the crew over me." You clarified, uttering the first thing that came to your head. Ending with a slight manipulation, wanting him to think you were only concered about his ship and reputation. Not the man who lay dead at your feet. Because god forbid he ever think you felt any sympathy for another man.

"I dont want to weaken you in any way, not even by havingnyour men killed... you have lost a powerfull force user and a trained captain because of me" Vaders eyes bore into you, gauging your reaction before he smiled his tightly squeezing arms loosening their hold.

"So sweet, so innocent. I could just eat you up sometimes. But save your worries we have many officers onboard equipped to pilot this vessel. And many force sensitive inquisitors at our disposal. Its how i keep them on their toes, they work harder if they understand they are replaceable" he cooed at you quietly, and then preceded to reassure you, explaining away the crew and reasoning he had for such a large staff turn over. You nodded dilligently, not really taking anything in.

"Besides he saw my face. No one in the galaxy is allowed that privilege. Except you of course wife~ Come you shouldn't dwell on this. Whats done is done. Instead focus on our happiness. We are now married." He exclaimed, rocking slowly side to side with you still keeping you tangled in his arms.

"Wont you smile for me love? It should be the happiest day of your life" his hand moved pinching your chin tilting you to look up at him. You forced a smile, beaming up at him like the glowing bride you were meant to be. Apart of you mused that things werent soo bad. He was a devastatingly handsome man to be married to, and powerful. He could look after you, keep you safe and sound, fed protected. And all it would cost is? Obedience and a semblance of love. Honestly you were sure you would come to love him, something tells you you wont have a choice in the end. So atleast you might get a true happy ending.

"Theres my good girl" he praised grinning down at you before dipping down clearly going in for another kiss.

Just as your lips were a breath away there was a loud sound ringing out from the door. You yelped jumping almost headbutting Vader. He growled glaring at the door, you wondered how it didnt melt under the anger. He sighed and stepped away from you, releasing you entirely.

"Ugh they are early. I apologise love, I hoped we would have a little time to ourselves to celebrate our union" he scowled as he spoke, disappointment curling into the words.

"Would you let them in. I called for them to clean up" he asked over his shoulder whilst stepping past you heading towards the bedroom. You spun watching him with a frown looking to the door and then bck to the room Vader was heading to.

"Clean up?" You asked unsure what he ,eant. But he sent a glnce over his shoulder nd nodded to the captain. Oh. That.

"Just instruct them to dispose of that mess.I wont be a moment, just finish dressing and once they are finished we will be off"he paused at the entrance to the bed room, and leant forward pressing a hand to the wall tapping it in thought.

"Do not worry they will know what to do, and i will just be in the other room. Id also like for you to put them in their place. Think of it as a? Practice run. I do expect you to mke use of your new title little one" his eyes pinned you to the spot, halflidded and buring with a promising heat before he spoke aagain.

"I dare say I will find it entertaining. But remember nothing will happen to you, my sweet little wife. You are untouchable now. Perfectly safe. " you drew a deep breath as he disappeared into the other room. Safe? Just who the hell is at the door? You pondered for a second before heading to the large main door and pressed your hand to the locking pad. The doors opened with a sharp hiss.

"Grand inquisitor, second sister?"You greeted politely praying you hadnt sounded to uncomfortable. Your stomach twisted and it took everything in you not to stagger back from them defensively. The two black clad visitors looked furious. Fuck.

"You?! i mean Lord vader had sent for us? He has a task?" Grand inquisitor snapped, only just managing to conceal his anger when he remembered that lord vader might be within hearing distance.

"Oh that. Yes. Please come in" you stepped back letting both of the inquisitors into the living space then reached over closing the thick doors once more. They stared at you, curious and spitefull gaz3s mking you want to shrink away from them. You werent a fool, these two were nasty pieces of work, cruel and vindictive. They were snakes and how Vader trusted them with anything amazed you, you wouldnt trust them as far s you could throw them. But then again, vader was a threat to them, they feared him enough not to fuck around and find out. You on the otherhand were an easy target.

"Im pleased to see you are well, we were concerned when you disappeared without a trace" second sister hissed with thinly veiled malice. The type of threateningly polite tipne only females could manage. Bitchy, nasty. Dangerous. You winced slightly and made your way around the room making sure not to turn your back on them. You didnt trust them out of your eye line.

"I have been taking some personal time, after everything that happened." You replied calming your breathing finally rounding one of the larger sofa's in the room placing it between you and the two force weilding occupants.

"Ah personl time, and new robes? A promotion? Or Acknowledgment of your service to the empire?" The grand inquisitors words sparked a chuc,led from second sister. Their eyes flicking to one another with amusement. You bristled at the insult that sat on the edge of his words. Whore. Thats what they saw you as. Vaders cock sleeve was another term youd heard them utter. You clenched your jaw and glanced away from them choosing to ignore it. But paused whe. You noticed you were hovering by the bed room wall, vader was behonde you, he'd step in if they tried anything.

The thought of your new unintentional husband slaughtering these two if they tried anything shouldnt have mde you giddy. But it did, there was something to be said for having that type of protection from such a sinfully wicked man. His immense strength was your new sheild.

"Yes you could say that. Something to thank the inquisitors for. Though the circumstances were... unpleasant the outcome is, preferable" you smiled tightly, casting a quick glance over your shoulder hearing some movement from behinde the partician wall. You visibly relaxed. Vader was only few feet away and could hear everything. And something told you he'd made himself heard to remind you of that fact.

"Im glad we could be of service to you. Its telling that you take your personal time here of all places. And to think you tried to deny your... association with lord vader so desperately." Grand inquisitor uttered with a laugh once again calli g you a whore without actually saying the words.

"It's laughable really we all knew it" the other woman added, laughing along with her commander. Ganging up on you like bullies on a playground. You growled feeling a rush of hopelessness and anger swell. A small voice began whispering to you, you could have mistaken it for someone else uttering spite in your ear. 'How long? How long will you let this go on for? Why are you letting them talk to you like this? Use it. Use the rage, its there for a reason' you snarled shaking with fury clentching your fists letting your anger seep through your stance.

"Knew what exactly?" You snapped at the two chuckling vindictive fools. They faltered, frowning when they saw you standing tall, back straight muscles tight and eyes blazing.

"You know very well;"

"Im afraid i dont. Would you spell it out for me? If not wait until vader is here? By all means ask him. Im sure he will indulge one of you." You sneered cutting off the womans rambling attempt at cutting you back down to size.

Both inquisitors shared a look, they looked unsettled. Confused by your rage. You were meant to be spineless, weak! Somebodymeone they could always push around and frighten. Yet? No. You looked different. Confident and assertive, angry. They eyed one another again shiftingnon there feet slightly before decideing to change tactics and steer the conversation away from what ever outburst was awaiting them if they continued to pry.

"Where is lord vader? Its seems unusual for him to be absent when he requested us, especially when he calls us into his own rooms" grand inquisitor asked trying to sound high and mighty, beliving him being here was an achievement, something he could brag about being called to the lords private chambers.

"Vader is;" you began with a smile realising that the man was trying to not only diffuse the situation but also regain control by name dropping your superior.

"Lord vader, he has a title" the other woman sneered once again testing you, trying to provoke you with a correction. Your gaze snapped to her, she flinched. You mentally pat yourself on the back. You were uncomfortable, anxious about this whole dominance thing. But you were more concered with the repercussions from Vader if you didnt heed his request. But even you took a second or so to appreciate that thrill seeing someone grow rigid and wary just from a single glance.

"Vader is occupied." You snapped at her actually feeling insulted by at the tought of being corrected by this woman who still seemed to think you were below her.

"Occupied?"

"Yes. And the only reason you are here is deal with that." You huffed waving a hand in the direction of the dismissed captain lying out of veiw, save for his feet pomeing out from behinde one of the leather sofa's. Both inquisitors frowned before side stepping, peaking around to see who had fallen ill of their lord.

"I-is that the Captain?" Second sister uttered outloud a light tremor to her voice. You could tell she was pnicked, the cptain was an extremely high ranked trusted officer. And to have been killed? Well it meant either vder was in a bad mood, or just plain furious. Both were never a good thing especially when you were due to see vader yourself. Youd much rather encounter him on a good day.

"Yes... It was unfortunate. But? Whats done is done." You finished repeating the words of vader himself. Only this time they seemed to settel more, there meaning truly sinking in. His life was over, done, gone and there was no bringing him back. No reason to mourn or fret over it. Much like life before the incidentwith the inquisitors? The life of a faceless engineer in the empire fleet. Your anonymity was a thing of the past, or it will be soon. You could feel it, the way your mind resigned itself to your new position. Youd always served vader, you just had a different role now.

"You've been called to clean up this mess"

"Of course, those are our lords orders" you bit your lip harshly. Did you dare push futher? Could you? 'Yes, assert yourself Lady vader' you gasped head tilting slightly, listening out in the direction of vader. For a moment you felt you might be going mad especially when neither inquisitor reacted to vaders voice coaxing you to retaliate. 'Im here, im always here wife' you tensed but nodded minutely locking eyes with the two people infront of you. You knew exactly wahat to do.

"No. They are mine. Though im sure vader wont mind me commanding you over such trivial things" your words escaped with little thought that time. You were beginning to understand why so mny superiors hd n attitude, it was invigorating commnding others with lttle consequence. Your tempted to order one of them to retrieve some caf for you, but the fear of them spitting in it was enough to deter you.

"We do not obey orders from a" grand inquisitor snarled eyes burning whislt taking a threatening step towrds you. It seems youd found his boiling point. You almost shrunk back at his menacing approach, but somehow held firm remaining still. Your stomch twisted in knots as you continued to stare him down. Quietly praying vader would hurry up nd pop out from his hiding place.

"From a what? Though do be aware you must choose your next words carefully, very very carefully there will be repercussions should i not enjoy them" your unsure how but you mnged an even tone, kept your words calm but sharp all the while praying vader would realise you were beckoming uncomfortable now. You were scared, fearfull of what a split second of anger could result in if the grand inquisitor did loose his cool and used the force against you.

"Or else what?" The hiss ws pure venom, he towered over you standing inches from you, the tip of his boots brushing yours. You opened your mouth to reply but couldnt, the words left you.

"You witnessed first hand what happens to those who antagonised my wife" You relxed instantly as your husband spoke whilst entering the room with an air of sinister mischief. But also a dull rage, he glanced at you quickly noting the how panicked youd seemed. And how close the grand inquisitor had gotten.

Vader straightened an rm out beckong you to him as he slowly crossed the space in measured steps. You side stepped the offending male and tucked yourself into vaders side, placing yourself under his cape smiling up at him thankfully as his arm curled round your waist.

He hummed in approval he definitely wanted to intimidate his inquisitors letting them know of the real connection between the two of you. Not that they could see his amusement below his mask that was now firmly placed on his head, shrouding his true beauty below the intimidating visage. You tried not to let him know you were uncomfortable with the way he'd orcastrated this little reveal. But your unsure if you managed to conceal it.

"Yes my lord" unlike you the two force weilders before you managed to shake the fearful shock within seconds at the revelation and snap into a tight posture. They looked to you with anxiety in their gaze, clearly wondering if their disrespectful teasing was going to cost them. You simply faced forward as yur husbands hand glided to the small of your back absentmindedly.

"I expect lady vader gave you her orders? Complete your task by the time we return." vader ordered befor turning to you dismissing the two underlings to their task.

"We have much to do this morning" he informed you acting as if you were still the only two in the room.

"W-we do?" You frowned, you hadnt realised you were busy today. Vader hadnt told you what you were doing, just that you were going to be with him for the morning. But then again you were quickly finding that vader didnt prewarn you. He planned things and then sprung them on you last minute.

"Yes, today we will visit the control center where you will install your track and trace protocol and whislt we are there we can inform the copilot of his promotion, nothing too exciting i assure you" he continued mking sure the other two could hear him. It was petty in a way, vader was flaunting you. Letting the inquisitors know you were to be conducting important business and trailing after your husband all day. And they will spend the morning as clean up crew.

"Im sure it will be exciting enough for our first excursion my love, im eager to join you, as much as i adore our home i do need to stretch my legs, a few laps of the halls will be some much needed exercise." You replied with a smile allbeit a nervous one. you hadnt tried to play anong with vader like this, so you were unsure if he'd reciprocate but it was worht a shot.

"My lady have i not provided you enough stimulation?" You could feel his smirk. As he teased you, playing the small game youd initiated just to spite the others into an awkward unsteady footing. He couldnt help the little thrill as he saw your tiny sadistic streak rear its head once more.

"I apologise for this oversight. I will be sure to indulge you more frequently in the future" with that you laughed out loud shaking your head at him before drifting closer placing a hand to his bicep squeezing lightly in thanks. He hummed to you raisingnhis other hand to pull yours down along his arm leaving it to settled in the crook of his elbow and held it there.

"As you should husband~"You told yourself you were playing a part,to piss off the other two currently on clean up duty. But there was a certain flutter of excitment, you couldnt help feel that the little vindictive victory over the inquisitors was just the first of many new privileges. And the fact vader had not only tolorated but actually played along with your spiteful little game helping you to tease them made you giddy. Were you aprihensive about your future with him? Sure. But so far the title lady Vader was working out smashingly.

"Come let us go" Vader spoke casually before stepping forward. He was pleased. There had been slight hiccups today but the way you'd obeyed him so quickly and stood up to the two inquisitors that had tormented you. You'd also trusted him to protect you if the inquisitors tried to attack. It was perfect and definitely made him realise he had chosen wisely. You really will be the perfect little wife he needed. And he doubts it will take long for you to fully submit yourself to your new role. When that day comes and you've truly proven yourself, you'll be rewarded. Given the honour of carrying his child, the heir to the galactic empire. He couldnt wait to have it all.

#oh for fic sake fics #darth vader x reader #suitless vader #darth vader x you #darth vader imagine #star wars darth vader #yandere anakin skywalker #anakin x reader #anakin skywalker imagine

[zerobaseonefics]

shutting them up with a kiss ㅡ haruto, jongwoo, matthew, junhyeon & gunwook

boys planet trainees x gn!reader

requested : their reactions to shutting them up with a kiss.

genre : fluff, a bit angsty on the haruto one

• haruto

haruto was on a survival show, boys planet. after the second elimination, they let the boys have some rest to go and see their family and friends. as his family in japan, you were the first person that came into his mind, so here he was, at your place. you were more than thrilled when you saw him, and after eating together, you ended up on your couch.

"so, how's it ?" you asked him, eager to know all the gossips and backstages of the show.

at first, he was mostly telling you funny anecdotes about what was happening there. then, he complained about the staff. little by little, things were getting a bit more serious, and haruto started to tell you about his true feelings.

"you know, i have fun there, even if it's stressful but... i worry about the image the editors are conveying to the star creators. i feel like they rarely give me screen time that showcase my hard work nor my talent, you know ? like, i'm only shown when i'm saying something funny."

you listened patiently to his concerns, showing him with small reactions that you were truely interested in what he was saying.

"this is not my first survival show. and i told my parents i'd go back to japan if i haven't debut after i graduated high school."

the worry on haruto's face was starting to be more visible. he was confortable enough with you to show you how he felf. you took his hand in yours, encouraging him to keep going. you knew he needed to get this off his chest.

"so, yeah. i'm kinda scared because my rank are not high enough, and they don't picture me as someone who is good enough to debut. i'm afraid the people who watch the show picture me as a comic relief more than anything and this show is my last chance so... you know, i'm starting to think maybe it was all a waste of time"

without a warning, you leaned in and planted a deep kiss on his lips. he was surprised at first, but then he found himself comforted by the gesture. now, the only thing that mattered was the feel of you next him, and now the warm of your embrace as you pulled him in your embrace.

when you broke apart, you didn't wait to encourage him.

"i don't think it was a waste of time to chase your dreams. you're surely more talented than what mnet shows on tv, but i'm pretty sure most of the star creators know that. this is a big show, so even if you don't end up debuting, you haven't lost. it's an opportunity and you gained lots of fans and support through it. you'll surely have debut plans proposed to you after it, because you are that talented. don't worry okay ? in my book, you're P01."

haruto felt the tears coming to his eyes, at first because of the stress, but when you started talking, it was the relief. he felt so much better after your words, and he simply hid his face in the crook of your neck.

"i don't know what i'd do without you."

• jongwoo

jongwoo and you had been dance rivals for years now. always pushing each other to do better in order to beat the other. you two were in the same dance crew for a while now, and you knew each others for years. because of that, you were constantly fighting to know who will be the leader of the crew, as you two were the best dancers.

this competition results in you guys always bickering and teasing each other, creating a tension between you two. but you still respected each other and admired your talent and work.

there was a dance competition coming soon, and your coach decided that in order to win, he had to send his best dancers, namely, jongwoo and you.

you complained so much about working with each other, and you guys struggled to create a choreography because you kept up fighting about what was better. but, at the end of the day, you always found a way of compromise.

the dance was a bit intimate. nothing too much, they were just moments were you had to touch each other and be close, portraying the relationship of two lovers. and there is where lies all the difficulty. for as long as he could remember, jongwoo always had a crush on you. it was a secret he never told to anybody. on the other hand, the feeling was mutual since recently. when you were practicing, your eyes couldn't help but find their way to jongwoo, admiring his dance skills. your feelings made it hard for the both of you to focus during the intimate parts, and you two covered your shyness with even more bickering.

there was this part of the dance where you were face to face, his hands on your waist while yours were making their ways to his shoulders. and jongwoo couldn't keep his chill whenever this part came up, firstly because he was too shy, but also because you were never doing correctly.

in fact, you never touched him fully, your hands only brushing lightly his skin. he never said anything about it, but he was still thinking about winning the competition, so he understood it was time he corrected your posture.

"look, i know it's awkward for you because the dance is a bit affectionate but, please do it correctly."

"what do you mean ? i'm doing it the right way", you tried to defend yourself.

"let me show you."

he pulled you closer by your wrist, lightly in order not to hurt you. after that, he faced you, placing your arms on his shoulder the way they were supposed to be. finally, he completed the move by placing his own hands on you.

"we're supposed to do it that way, otherwise the whole story we're supposed to deliever through the choreography would be messed up. we have to look like lovers, so please touch me the right way so it won't look weird. if you really have a problem with the move, we can change it"

he kept talking about some of the other close moves you weren't doing right, but the way he haven't let go of you made you lose focus on his words, looking at him. now, your eyes were focused on his face only, and you couldn't help but realize he was good looking. like, really good looking. he started to feel his gaze on you, slightly slowing down his words to look at you back.

"if we want to win we cannot do it that way, so... uh... why are you looking at me like that ?"

despite his eternal beanie, you could see his ears go red. both of you felt that strange electricity between you, and just like a magnet, you couldn't help but get your face closer to him, without your lips touching him yet.

"are you going to kiss me or something? i-i'm not saying that's what i want but if you want to kiss me i won't stop y-"

that was enough for you to finally press your lips on him. for a moment, he was unsure what to do, not realizing you were kissing him directly. but then, he responded, his grip on your waist thightening a bit. it was only a brief moment, but it was enough to make you feel like your legs were week.

"i'm sorry", you said once you two pulled away. he simply smiled, still not letting you go from his embrace.

"i don't know if you're suggesting to put that in the choreo, but i liked it" he said, making you giggle a bit, before he leaned in again.

• matthew

if there was a word to describe your relationship with matthew, it was... confusing. you shared the same friend group, and at first he was just your friend's friend. with time, you two grew closer, to the point where what you had was a bit ambiguous.

you may tell everybody that you guys are just friend, no one would trust you.

at first, your friends thought it was funny, the little games you two played. sometimes you two would flirt, sometimes you'd try to make each other jealous, or you'd bicker, and sometimes you were just regular friends. but, they never thought those games would last that long, they hoped eventually one of you would finally make the effort to ask the other out. they would tease you to let the you know how the other felt.

but it's been a year since this relationship was going and neither you nor matthew did a step toward the other.

in reality, the fact that they kept teasing you but none of you had confessed yet made you both doubt. matthew thought after all they said, and the way he acted with you, you knew he liked you. and if the feeling was mutual, maybe you would have asked him out. but you never did, so he never dared to try anything with you.

little did he know, you thought the same thing, and that's why you were to afraid to confess to him. that is how you two ended up with this confusing relationship were you both are idiots in love, but too dense to realize the feeling is mutual.

until jiwoong had enough.

"gyuvin, i have a mission for you."

"what ? are you jerry from totally spies or something ?"

"come on bro it's serious matter, it's for the world's peace."

"okay you got me at the world mission anyway. what is it about ?"

"you're gonna flirt with y/n."

"and now you've lost me."

gyuvin was looking at jiwoong in shock, not getting why he would flirt with you.

"y/n is basically with matthew, and they are my friends, why would i do that ?" continued gyuvin, offended.

"the thing is they are NOT together!" insisted jiwoong.

"but you know how it is... both of them are just waiting for a sign to get married or whatever."

"the problem is they had enough signs and didn't do shit yet. i can't stand them whining anymore about their one-sided feelings when they could be together already.", explained the oldest.

"okay but why would i flirt with y/n then...", said gyuvin, still not understanding.

"because matthew would see you as a menace and finally step the fuck up."

"why don't you do it yourself ?"

"because i flirt with all my friends and matthew wouldn't care as much as if it was you."

"...fair enough."

it was enough to convince gyuvin, because he was tired of you and matthew's bullshit anyway. the plan started the day after jiwoong talked with gyuvin, and the three days that followed, gyuvin kept on hitting on you. jiwoong's role in the plan was to be the little devil on matthew's shoulder. your friend group went to the amusement park that day. matthew was sitting on a bench, jiwoong next to him as he observed you and gyuvin taking pics a little further.

"damn... don't you think gyuvin and y/n grew closer these days ?"

"right...", sighed matthew.

"maybe you should do something about it'', advised jiwoong.

"i don't know jiwoong, they kinda look like they like him."

"they clearly don't. but if you want my opinion, it's your sign to confess before y/n actually ends up liking him."

"what if they reject me ?"

"at least you won't have regrets about it."

matthew kept thinking about his friend's words, contemplating wether or not he should really ask you out, to the point where he became extremely silent. you noticed it, and you finally left gyuvin's side to talk to matthew. jiwoong got up, letting the two of you together as he joined gyuvin.

"hey. is anything wrong ?" you said.

"hm ? no, i'm okay. why ?" he answered.

"i don't know, you seem lost in your thoughts."

his hands were flat on the bench, so you let yours on top of his.

"whatever it is, i can listen to you. maybe i'll be able to find a solution."

matthew felt the butterflies making their way into his stomatch after you touched him. the thought of you doing the same thing to gyuvin came up suddenly, and it got to him.

"look, i know you might like gyuvin but... well no, do you like gyuvin ? i just hope you don't because i was there before him and i felt like it was going nice between you and me and it's pissing me off that you two became that close because i liked you for a while now and i was wondering if you'd like to go out with me, but if you don't i get it 'cause-"

matthew was stumbling over his words at this point,

you placed a quick peck on his cheek to get his attention, and he felt his face get warm because of the sweet gesture. he finally turned his head in your direction, looking at you in disbelief. matthew face slowly lit up, still proceeding everything. you took the hand that was under yours as you leaned in once again, this time going for his lips. it was a small kiss, innocent, that still left him speechless.

"i'd love to go out with you."

• junhyeon

"are you almost done ?"

"no."

"okay... and now ?"

you let your head hit the table. there was this homework due in two hours that you totally forgot about. when you remembered about its existence, you went straight up to the desk in your room, pulling out your laptop to work. but there was something else you forgot about : your boyfriend, junhyeon, was supposed to come over.

you were halfway in the work when he knocked on your door. you told him to wait for you until you finish your work, because it was very important. so you were on your desk, and he was laying on your bed, waiting for you to finish.

but it's nothing more than a fantasy to imagine him staying quiet while waiting. at first, he did, scrolling on his phone, not disturbing you. then, an hour went by, and he started to lose patience.

"y/n, i feel lonely."

"loneliness comes in pair with silence. therefore, please shut the fuck up."

he simply whined as you tried to focus again on your work. after a few minutes, you started to feel thirsty. you turned to junhyeon's direction.

"babe, could you please grab me water ?"

"i don't know... should i ?, he replied in a teasing tone. you just sighed, about to get up to take it yourself, when junhyeon grabbed your desk chair to pull it toward the bed he was sitting on.

"how about you take a break ?" he said.

"junhyeon, i swear i'm almost done. you can wait for a bit then i promise i'll be all yours."

"but i'm boreeddd... plus, it's been a while since we got to hang out together. i miss y-"

junhyeon couldn't finish his sentence, because your lips ended up on his. it was not only because you wanted him to stop talking, but he looked all pouty and down you couldn't control yourself. he met you eagerly, his lips soft against yours, finally getting what he wanted since he got here. you pulled away when you remembered the work still waiting for you, leaving junhyeon still wanting more.

"is it enough for you to wait for me ?"

he gently pushed your chair back to the desk before letting himself fall back on the bed.

"i'll take a nap, hurry up."

• gunwook

gunwook could swear he wasn't the jealous type. in fact, he did swear many times that he wasn't. and he lied all of those times because he definitly is.

it's not that he didn't trust you, far from that. he admired you in so many ways, and he knew most people admire you as well. the problem is, gunwook is not confident enough.

you know, he's trying to stick to that one persona, of the confident, strong, and powerful boy. but it's more of a facade he's pulling to convince people it's truly who he is.

so, yeah, when he saw you that day, laughing so hard to junhyeon jokes, he didn't like it. calm down, gunwook, they are just laughing! that's what he repeated to himself, trying not to let that get to him. in fact, he was dramatic about it. gunwook didn't try to interfere between you two : after all, the three of you were friends. wouldn't he be a bad boyfriend if he just pulled you away from junhyeon and for what ? laughing at his jokes ?

he definitly didn't want to be that kind of boyfriend. come on gunwook, think ! what do you do now ? this is a situation of crisis, this is how everything start. they start by laughing and then you don't have time to realize that they are already getting married !

yes, it was time for him to... assert his dominance.

trying hard to look composed and cool, he passed his arm around your shoulders, pulling you a bit closer.

"hey, y/n ! how about we go and i show you how funny i am."

"...what ?"

"no cuz what.", added junhyeon.

gunwook throw thunder to junhyeon through his eyes, and his friend didn't need much to understand he was jealous. after all, he knew gunwook, they already talked about his jealousy toward other people. a smirk made his way to junhyeon's face.

"y/n, who do you think is funnier between gunwook and i ?"

"oh you did not", said gunwook in disbelief.

"well, you are both funny...?"

you were kinda dense to be honest. you didn't even realize junhyeon was teasing gunwook.

"what do you mean we are both funny ?? i'm funnier, right ?", told you gunwook.

"that's not the same thing, you don't have the same type of humor anyway, it's not even comparable..."

"okay but you like my type of humor better ?"

"what kind of question is this"

"gunwook... don't tell me you are... jealous ?", said junhyeon in a dramatic tone, gasping after the last word.

junhyeon was having the time of his life. he crossed his arms, a smile on his face as he watched gunwook rambling and going crazy about nothing.

"i'm not jealous ! why would i be jealous ? you guys were just laughing, right ? in fact, i make y/n laugh way more than you do junhyeon ! i make them laugh 2x, no, 10x more !"

"are you really jealous about me laughing to his jokes ?", you said in disbelief.

"oh he definitly is", responded junhyeon.

"i am not because i am funnier anyways."

"well that's not what y/n said..."

"y/n please don't let me lose to kum junhyeon"

"gunwook, there is no competition..."

"okay but what if-"

at this point, it was getting ridiculous to you. not to junhyeon tho, he loved the view. gunwook just started rambling even more, telling nonsense. junhyeon was eager to see what you would do. suddenly, you had an idea.

"gunwook." you said, making him stop in his monologue.

"what ?"

you simply went closer to gunwook, giving him an innocent peck on the lips. you finally silenced the gunwook who was freaking out seconds before. a pink tint started to creep on his cheeks, as junhyeon let out a loud scream.

"DON'T KISS IN FRONT OF ME??"

#boys planet #boys planet fics #boys planet imagines #boys planet reactions #park gunwook #kum junhyeon #yoon jongwoo #seok matthew #maeda haruto #kpop #b0ysplanetfics #boys planet trainees

[lestappenforever]

My ask is maybe a bit silly, and would probably go in 'sanity check' category. It is about Max, and how he is perceived. If I understand correctly, it is said he is mad max, bad guy, aggressive… and similar. Now, I know teenagers are sometimes a bit crazy, and from what I read he was actually very badly treated by freaking adults, fellow drivers, when he first joined F1, so maybe then he was a bit aggressive, and it would be even understandable… but still it is difficult to even imagine that. Because Max I see (I am only following racing since last year) is nice, soft, funny, polite guy, still more looking like an innocent kid than an adult, even appearing naïve (unlike the sweet, adorable devil that is Charles!), and obviously so nice towards rookies (Oliver and Liam-who himself said it). So am I delusional and see what is not there or for some reason he is so vilified (I guess most coming probably from jealousy and Netflix crap…). Oh and one additional observation, he always looks so much softer and somehow cuddlier and cuter on photos from his streaming at home… What do you think? One final observation, then I will shut up  Sometimes it seems to me that all the Lestappen moments and specila connection maybe come from the fact that when Charles came to F1 Max finally had kinda his person there. Because he went form father abuse to fellow drivers abuse, but when Charles came to F1, he had someone he could have a real relationship with, even if they fought and were a bit sulky almost teenagers still in the beginning, they got over it as they grow up. But Charles is his genuinely healthy, good, fun, friendly relationship. Having spent time as kids growing up of course also deepens the bond and friendship, but also mutual respect and understanding each other’s qualities. I don’t know if explained it well enough… P.S. I LOVE your fics!!!!

Hi anon, and thank you so much for this ask! I don't think it's a silly ask at all.

All these "Mad Max", being too aggressive, being mean claims etc. stem from two things:

1. When Max made it into F1 almost 10(!) years ago, he was 17(!!) years old. He was a kid — a literal child. And he was a cocky, arrogant little shit at that, as any kid would be making their debut in such a prestigious sport at such a young age.

2. Max haters who will hate him forever, no matter what, no matter why. They don't even need a reason; they're just determined to hate him and will do so forever.

But the thing is, and his haters especially seem to love to ignore this fact, Max was seventeen years old when he made his F1 debut. He was, for all intents and purposes, a child. I watched Max make his F1 debut, and I watched and read the way he was viewed and the reception he received from his fellow drivers, the media, and fans alike. And I watched these grown-ass men already on the grid when Max joined welcome him by treating him like shit. These adults were so threatened by this kid who came into the sport without having to go through the same ranks almost every other F1 driver has to go through to get there, such as several years in F3 and F2 (Max only spent a year in F3 and skipped F2 altogether), that they did virtually nothing to make him feel welcome. Quite the opposite, in fact. It was so fucking sad and infuriating, and I lost a lot of respect for many drivers because of it. And if I'm being honest, anon, that's what made me decide Max would be my favorite driver. I can be incredibly spiteful when I want to be, and watching Max get slammed and slandered from so many directions from the very beginning made me want to be very spiteful. That's what made me decide that I was going to support that kid like hell. And I haven’t looked back or regretted it since.

I cannot stress this enough, and I know I've said it so many times before already, but: Max Verstappen was a child when he made it into the world of F1. But he's not a child anymore, which a concerning amount of people seem to be blissfully and willfully ignorant to. Max has grown and matured so much in the years he's been in F1. And, like most other people, Max Verstappen the adult is not the same person as Max Verstappen the teenager, or Max Verstappen the child. And he hasn’t been anything like his 17-year old self in a long, long time. But this, of course, is something his haters will never accept or acknowledge.

I truly believe, from the very bottom of my heart, that Max is always so nice and welcoming towards rookies, always willing to lend a hand or giving them advice, always going out of his way to praise and support them, because practically no one ever did that for him when he was a rookie. And that speaks volumes about his character and the kind of man he has grown into since making his debut.

You're not delusional at all, anon, and having only followed F1 since last year means it's not surprising that you don't see the very outdated and frankly incredibly incorrect persona the people who dislike Max will always keep trying to convince themselves and others is still him. Because it isn’t — not even close. Practically every single person who has worked with or been around Max in the past few years all say the same thing: that he's funny, easy-going, and one of the genuinely kindest people on the grid. And that means a hell of a lot more than the opinions of people who have never and will never know him, and have made it their personal, sad mission to hate him. So you keep holding on to the impression you have of him, anon, because that is a far more accurate representation than the image some people are so hellbent of painting of him. (He’s definitely not naïve, though, not even close.)

And I absolutely agree: he looks even softer and cuddlier when he's streaming at home! I love streamer!Max so much.

"When Charles came to F1 Max finally had kinda his person there". <- You are spot on with this, anon! I've talked about the special bond I think these two share in the past, like in this post, and so have many others. (@tsarinablogs @valyrfia @thearchercore to name a few - highly recommend checking out their blogs if you haven’t already!) It truly seems like they have never, and will never, see any other driver as a big a rival as the other, and the numerous accounts of their karting days from people who got to watch them battle first-hand from such a young age definitely backs up that claim. And I think that's so beautiful, and it's one of the many, many reasons why these two are so dear to me, and why other F1 ships will never be able to come close.

P.S. That makes me so happy to hear, anon, thank you so, so much. 🥹❤️

#Asks #Anon asks #Lestappen asks #Max Verstappen

[katnisspeetaprim]

BTS Reaction

You are an idol and a photographer tries to photograph up your skirt. Hyung line ver.

Warnings; Female character (reader is wearing a skirt) being uncomfortable, perverted behaviour from photographer, like one swear word

Masterlist

Hello! My first time ever writing for BTS so I hope it’s not bad! If enough people like this I will maybe do the maknae line too! Also open to any other requests you guys have for BTS too maybe also Stray Kids but currently only Bang chan, Felix or Jisung right now!

You are part of a well known idol group that is only gaining popularity. You were currently at an event involving many different idol groups and soloists so it was quite a big deal, this meant that there would be many cameras and press at the event.

For your outfit, your stylist had forced you into a much too short skirt for your liking, even though you would be wearing safety shorts underneath, you still didn’t like the amount of skin you would be showing.

As the show was coming to an end and all acts were on stage, you made sure to drag your group over to stand next to BTS, having known some of the members since well before either of your debuts.

Kim Seokjin

He would instantly notice one of the photographers below the stage acting strangely, he was laser focused on you and pointing his camera at a strange angle. Jin immediately knew what he was trying to do and it pissed him off.

Jin didn’t want to cause a scene while on stage, even if he was angry so, as calmly as possible he slid his way in front of you to block you from the creeps view. The man glared daggers at Jin but he couldn’t care less if it meant protecting his friends dignity.

You were oblivious to the fact that you were being filmed like that, too busy having fun with your fellow members and Jin, not wanting to make you uncomfortable decided not to mention it to you right at that moment, but would definitely be letting you know once you got off stage.

Kim Namjoon RM

You had noticed the strange man amoungst the group of photographers right away and he was making you nervous, knowing what he was trying to do. You held down the front of your skirt and instantly notified your members in case he tried the same thing with them, they all looked at him in disgust while you all huddled around each other.

Namjoon felt you all shuffling next to him and looked over to see you sending quick glances to the crowd from behind your members. When he looked over and saw the mans gaze focused on you and only you with a camera in toe, he instantly knew what was happening.

As fast as he could, he located the closest security guard and hastily pointed out the man to have him removed.

You let out a sigh of relief as you saw him be escorted out of the venue by 2 guards, just as Namjoon made his way back over to you. He placed a comforting hand on your arm and gave you a slight nod, silently questioning weather you were ok or not.

You made sure to thank him properly backstage.

Min Yoongi SUGA

Yoongi had first noticed the man watching you and angling the camera during your groups performance, he wasn’t too concerned at first since he couldn’t confirm that he was doing anything wrong from where he was sat however, now that everybody was present on the stage he had a clear view of the photographer, the guy was definitely pushing his luck with that camera. You hadn’t noticed, too busy celebrating with your group so Yoongi tapped you on the shoulder to get your attention.

You turned to face him with a beaming smile but soon turned place once he pointed out what the guy was doing. You instantly pulled your skirt down, while Yoongi pulled you to hide behind him and the boys of BTS.

Yoongi made a mental note of the mans face and made sure to pass the information to your manager after the show. Yoongi could tell you were upset about being violated like that, so he made sure that once you were off stage to give you all the cuddles you needed.

Jung Hoseok

Like with Jin, Hobi would just inch his was in front of you when he noticed the creep in the audience, but he would also pull whoever was standing closest to him over too, to cover you more and also your group members if need be.

You would be a little confused as to why your friends were blocking you from view, so Hobi would turn to face you and whisper in your ear about what was happening. You were mortified to say the least, which made him feel guilty for having not caught it sooner.

Hoseok made sure to keep you covered up until the show was over, and even helped cover you with his jacket as you walked down the stairs, causing fans in the audience to go crazy.

Needless to say that these actions by Hobi inspired both ARMY, and your own fan base to start shipping the two of you together...Not that you entirely minded.

#bts #bts reaction #bts x reader #imagine #one shot #scenario #smut #fluff #angst #kim seokjin #min yoongi #jung hoseok #kim namjoon #park jimin #kim taehyung #jeon jungkook #headcannon #idol!au #female reader #request #stray kids

[patheticallyinfatuatedwithu]

Heyy can i request hanni one shot about where hanni is reader's childhood's crush but reader hasn't been in touch with hanni for soo long that they meet up back and reader confess?TYSM

not as pretty as you, pham hanni

ofc! thank u so much for requesting! hope i did ur req justice😭

it's been a day since newjeans debuted and their popularity skyrocketed through the roof with the release of attention, and they were the talk of the kpop community.

along with it came the resurfacing of school photos, friend group photos and baby photos/videos the members had, and nothing was more interesting than the one pham hanni had with you, the vietnamese's chubby cheeks pressed with yours in a hug, quoted as "hanni makes a friend in kindy!".

the fans being the nosy people they are, searched the internet for you. not only because you were the supposed bestie, but because of the cuteness you've showcased.

with one of the lives they've had, you were mentioned and hanni responds that she hasn't seen you since 5th grade, having to move states due to your parents' job, having no contact with each other since.

a sniffle escape hanni when she explained that, and now, finding you was so much more vital than before. the fans had struggled, your digital footprint was honourable, only a few baby photos and photos where you were in the background, unlike other people who uses the internet to document every thing in their life.

you were someone who didn't indulge their self in social media, only having a facebook account for family reasons where a few photos of yourself was shared through the school's website.

however, when a video circulated through twitter quoted "pretty girl plays the drums, guitar, sung and ate", the fans felt their world stop. there you were, in all your glory, seated behind the drums wearing an oversized shirt and ripped jeans, hands hard to catch as you hit every beat.

the video was an hour long, showcasing your talent for music as you played the guitar, drums and sang in different times, giving time for your teammates to have a break and catch their breath.

it was mentioned in the recent live newjeans had, and the moment hanni read the comment, she was rushing through her phone and into twitter, breath hitching in her throat as she watched the video, the same butterflies she felt in 4th grade when you pecked her cheek surfacing as you smiled when you finished a song.

her reaction was more than an answer, and the fans knew they hit the jackpot. "oh my god, it is her." she says, shuffling in her seat as her brows furrowed and intently looked at you.

you've changed a lot through the years she hasn't seen you, the bob cut you've had all grown out and tied with some strands fighting for their life to be released. you looked taller and leaner too, unlike when you were a kid.

it brought tears to her eyes that after all these years, you've been doing well and her concerns for you washed out.

you still held the passion for music stronger than before.

"y/n, you're trending."

you looked up from your guitar, stopping in the middle of tuning it to look at your bandmate who faced his phone to you. "what?"

"you were friend with a hanni ph-" your other bandmate bursted through the door, almost popping it from its hinges. "Y/N!" he rushed to your side, kneeling in front of you as he shoved his phone on your face. "YOU WERE FRIENDS WITH HANNI PHAM?!?!?!?!?!?!?"

you flinched and moved away from him, throwing his phone at him. "yeah? she was my childhood friend." and childhood crush, you wanted to say. he grabs your hand, still on his knees and looks up at you with puppy eyes. "PLEASE INTRODUCE ME OH MY GOD!"

you laugh, patting his shoulder as you release your hand from his grasp and walking back to pick up your guitar. "we haven't had contact for years. try again next life." he groans, sitting behind the drums and hitting every cymbals.

"damn it." he mumbles, but a smile on his lips nonetheless. "i can't believe i'm friends with someone who used to be friends with hanni." you perked up, "hey! i'm still friends with her... i think."

the door opened, revealing your female bandmate and bass guitarist. "y/n, you're trending." you deadpanned, plucking a string in full volume. "turn that shit down!"

the next day was more chaotic than any other, as the fandom finally found the twitter account of your band, the account immediately gaining lots of followers and attention.

and that was where you had appeared more, videos and photos garnering lots and lots of likes and retweets. you had looked at the comments earlier, fingertip hovering over the follow button of newjeans' twitter account from your personal one.

you sighed and threw your phone aside, ever since the topic of hanni was brought up, you've considered getting into contact with her, but your negative thoughts formed a wall around you.

"oh fuck it," you grabbed your phone and followed the account, screaming right after burying your face in your pillow.

arriving home that day was a chaos as well, your younger sister (who happens to be apart of the fandom) rushes to you, phone on record and gasping. "guys! this is y/n! hanni's childhood friend!"

you stare at her wearily, sighing and taking her phone off her hand and raising it high up where she couldn't reach it. you look up at the phone, your sister fighting for her life to reach it. "hi, yes, i'm hanni's childhood friend."

you said at the camera, placing it on top of the cupboard where your sister needs to take a chair and stand on top of it to reach. she kicked you as you walk away, chuckling as you make your way up the stairs and flopping on your bed.

your mum knocks and walks in a few minutes later, punching your jaw off your face and landing on the floor. "we're going to korea!"

you shot up, utter confusion plastered on your face. "what?" she smiles, ushering you to leave the bed and into the living room. "the pham's are tagging along with us, i said it'd be a great chance for you and hanni to meet again due to the circumstances."

you hum, "when are we leaving for melbourne then? assuming we're meeting them there." "tomorrow."

you thought your mother was kidding, but when she gave you that unfaltering smile of hers, you knew it was better to comply. after talking with your bandmates (who were so jealous you get to have a break off school), you packed your bags and was on the road the moment the clock ticked 3.

after 8 hours on the road, your reached melbourne and was soon at the pham's, where your younger sister and jasmine reunited with loud squeals. "you're becoming famous, y/n." mrs. pham said, a smile on her lips as you greeted her.

"she always was. used to, still is." mr. pham replied, pulling you in for a handshake. "hanni would be in cloud 9 when she sees you again." mrs. pham said, the smile on her face big as if she had won the lottery. "she's lucky to have you."

a choked laugh left your throat, her statement almost rendering you speechless. a smile on your face, nonetheless. "i'm the one lucky to have her, ma'am."

when hanni looked at her phone and saw the photo her mother had sent her, she swore her eyeballs jumped itself out of her sockets. you were seated next to mrs. pham, a mask covering the lower half of your face, a headset hanging off an ear and eyes crescent, the only thing to show her that you were smiling.

her heart stopped, and danielle, who was in the same room as her noticed the sudden atmosphere that surrounded itself on hanni. "are you alright?" she asks in english, worry plastered on her face as hanni's slack jaw tries to move. hanni looked like she had seen a ghost.

"my parent's are at the airport." she gulped, "here." danielle's visible confusion grew larger, "is that a bad thing?" hanni shook her head, "no, of course not. it's just that... y/n's with them."

a small gasp tore its way out of danielle's throat. and minji, who had just entered the room had to deal with danielle's very high pitched squeal.

mrs. pham smiled as she conversed with hanni through the phone, "hanni told me she'd be meeting us in the hotel." you looked up at the mention of her name, a tinge of red on your cheeks as you tried not to think of her too much to control your feelings or else it'll burst.

your sister snickered beside you, catching jasmine's attention as well. "try not to stare and blush at hanni when you meet her here challenge!" she squeaks, and the two laughed, and you wanted no more than to smack her.

it was quite dark when hanni had arrived at the hotel, eyes scanning for her mother who'd promised she'd be waiting at the lobby. you, who was at han river at the time, missed the whole interaction. hanni tried hard not to run out the door the moment she'd been informed of your whereabouts, trying to play it cool.

however, they knew better and let her go the moment you were mentioned, where she found you with your camera in hand, hair dancing along with the wind as you snapped another picture.

she felt the air around her dissipate, and she was left breathless. you glanced to your side, where she walked gingerly towards you, as you flashed a meek smile. "did you run here?"

it was then she noticed she's catching her breath, and blushed in embarrassment. "no, uh, i thought i'd miss you if i wasn't fast enough." "is that so?" she hummed, and leant on the rail as you walked beside her.

you let your camera hang around your neck, shuffling to take a coating of layer off and placing it around her, your warmth trapped inside. "you're shivering." she averted her gaze, tilting her head a bit to the side in case you saw how her cheeks warmed up. "thanks."

you nodded in response, "how's the idol life treating you?" she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, relieved that you still knew how to spark a conversation. "it's tiring, but getting to be with the members make it better."

"still the same hanni i've met years ago." you responded, chuckling as you shook your head. "how about you? any," she paused, wanting to smack herself for getting the gall to ask this, "love interests?"

you glanced at her, the smile on your face getting bigger as you laughed, smacking the rail a few times. "no, uh, don't have time for it." she pressed on, "how about a crush? none?"

your eyebrows knit together, "is it still considered a crush if you've liked them for years now?" hanni felt herself take a step back and shrink.

of course you wouldn't stay single for her forever. of course you'd crush on some else that's not her, after all, this is your first interaction in years. why would she expect that she'd have at least a chance for your heart?

"how- how's your crush?" you glanced at her, meeting her eyes that looked at you with such sadness. oh. "she's uh, fine. doing well." hanni raised a brow. she? oh. "assuming you are well?"

you didn't know where the sudden confidence injected through your veins came from, but you weren't complaining. you stared at hanni as she tried to place the pieces of the puzzle together. and when she did, her mouth gaped. oh.

she stammered, "wait- you're- you're talking about me right? about the crush thing. you're talking about me... right?" you looked away, and nodded. she froze.

holy shit.

"i-i'm not expecting you to return my feelings, i just thought that maybe i'd get this out of my chest because i don't- i don't know when we'd have the opportunity to meet like this again. and i'm very sorry if that made you uncomfortable, because i know i was way out of the line and-" hanni had cut you off with a peck on your lips, hugging you tightly like you'd even try to escape her grasp.

"i like you too." she mumbled, "and don't worry, you weren't out of line." you reciprocated her hug and squeezed her lightly, glancing at the way the moon shined at sprinkled it's stardust on the two of you. "the moon's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked.

you left a lingering kiss on her cheek, before replying, "not as pretty as you."

broken records send help i have a bit more reqs and im here on tumblr instead of studying for the upcoming exams💀

#kpop #kpop gg #wlw #kpop gg x reader #newjeans #newjeans x reader #new jeans x reader #new jeans #newjeans hanni #kpop x reader #kpop gg oneshots #kpop oneshots #kpop imagines #pham hanni #hanni pham #pham hanni x reader #hanni x reader

[joaoista]

《More than colleagues, they are my family》

❤️Charlos + mention of Arthur/Ollie 💛One-shot (+1.4k words) 🤍Fluff + family bonding time (sort of)

Oliver waited patiently inside the Ferrari motorhome. He had already gone through multiple interviews making statements here and there. He received congratulations from many important people in the world of motorsport, feeling fortunate to have so much support from those he admires. Even his father was there to celebrate with him this first great milestone in his career in the highest category of motorsport. The only thing missing was to celebrate with a well-known duo from the paddock that he considered equally important as another member of his family.

And it was with them in mind that the first figure crossed the entrance, giving him a friendly smile before approaching him.

“You did very well, mate”, Charles' words were imbued with genuine affability, as he watched the youngest in depth.

He already knew that look. Eyes narrowed, bright with emotion. It was undoubtedly...

Pride. Pride for him.

Ollie felt himself reverberating in his seat with ill-contained emotion. It was because of it that he couldn't help but jump out of his chair and rush over to Charles, wrapping his lanky arms around him in a tight hug.

“Yes, we were a great team today! One of the best!”, he exclaimed. Enthusiasm pouring through his pores.

However, his mind clicked. He quickly pulled away from Charles. A thin layer of blush sprinkled over his cheeks, embarrassed, mentally scolding himself for getting caught up in the emotion of the moment and acting impulsively accordingly.

He was just about to shout an apology when the Monegasque took him in his arms again, reciprocating the congratulatory embrace.

“Oh, come here Ollie”, the older man murmured. Oliver felt his eyes slowly blurring, feeling himself almost completely overcome by the accomplishment of the feat he had achieved tonight.

He was going to allow himself to collapse in the midst of Charles' comforting embrace, but an intrusion awaited deep down by him made an appearance, startling him and watching as he stole the second of the Leclerc brothers' breath away.

‘They're so obvious’, Bearman thought with amusement and affection.

“Carlos”, he's pretty sure he could hear the smitten sigh leave Charles' lips.

“P3, not bad, my Lord Perceval”, the Spaniard walked in their direction with a slow step. Appreciation painted all over the eldest's eyes as he focused on his mate from Monaco.

“I would be offended if you thought otherwise. The fight to see who can cut the Red Bulls' streak started last week.”

“As well as the other inside bet we have”, Leclerc was the one who ended up closing the distance between them, lightly tapping the other's shoulder for the joke. He then went on to take Sainz's hands in his own.

Well, maybe he was interrupting a scene that did not concern him.

“And look who's here, the golden boy from Maranello. Congratulations on your big debut, Ollie”, although, he dismissed that thought quickly. Of course, they would not turn his presence away no matter how enclosed they were in their bubble.

Eagerly he ran to the Spaniard. “Carlos!”

He was about to hug him. However, he remembered the problem the pilot was bringing with him, so he abruptly stopped his action. Nevertheless, Carlos gave him a nod, indicating that such a hug was welcome.

“Go ahead, Ollie. Just don't push too hard.”

Oliver hugged him with a little less intensity than he hugged Charles, but with the same enthusiasm and appreciation he showed for him. He was still grateful for the advice he provided before the race, even in a state of recovery he made sure to instruct him as best he could to get the most out of the car.

How can you not love Charles and Carlos?

“I'm still sorry to hear about your operation. Also, I'm so glad you're doing well.”

‘And that you're here with us.’

Sainz just denied. “Nothing to be sorry about, Ollie. You did amazing out there and you were able to get the most out of the car. I'm very proud of you.”

Proud of you.

Something throbbed inside Bearman's chest. His eyes misted over again.

“Of both of you. You did a great job.”

“Thank you, Carlos”, he murmured, trying to hold back tears. He gave them both his big smile that exposed his pearly teeth, typical of when he was very happy.

They accompanied the Spaniard to take a seat on the couch in the motorhome, settling in to have their own post-race chat without interruption from third parties and in the intimacy of their circle.

“You know, I would have really liked him to be here.”

Both pairs of eyes stared at him, instantly picking up on who he was referring to.

“You haven't talked to him?” Carlos asked, surprised.

“Curiously, from him was the first message I received on my cell phone congratulating me on my performance. He beat my whole family, even”, mention to them incredulously, but bubbling inside with raw emotion at the gesture.

“Well, I think it's time to give this to you...”, Charles mentioned, as he stood up to get a marbled gift bag. He handed it to him without further thought.

“What?”, Oliver's astonished intonation echoed through the room, still taking the gift in bewilderment. A maroon sweater, a box of biscuits, and a pink rose lay inside.

“Arthur sent it to you. He strictly told me to give it to you as soon as we finished our routine post-race activities. Oh, and he also said there's a surprise waiting for you at Maranello. Apparently, he stayed up late into the night working on this”, he held out his cell phone, showing him his gallery.

A picture of a Ferrari cap with the number ‘38’ stitched on the side of the visor, revealing the face of a small teddy bear woven with brown threads on the inside, was all over the screen. The sender? None other than Arthur Leclerc.

Ollie's eyes opened wide, intensifying that characteristic gleam in them. With trembling hands, he picked up Charles' phone, trying to process the situation. He swallowed in a vain attempt to undo the lump in his throat.

‘Oh, Arthur...’, he mumbled in his head, being a teary mess inside.

“Charles, I think that was only for you to see, not the boy”, Sainz catches his eye, pointing out the obvious detail. The Monegasque froze in place.

“Aïe... I'm sorry? Please pretend I didn't show you anything and act surprised when he gives you the cap”, a nervous laugh bursts from his lips, apologizing for the oversight over and over again.

But, for Oliver, it is more than clear that he will not be able to forget that fact so easily. If he felt his heart was already filled with so much affection for the people around him, it undoubtedly overflowed with love when he learned of the gift Arthur had painstakingly prepared for him, in addition to what he had made him get with his brother.

How to stop the growing infatuation for his former academy classmate if he took great pains every day to surprise and entertain him, even when he did not know the effect it has on him? An impossible mission that he has no intention of stopping.

“And I want to hug Arthur so much because of that...”, He added in a dreamy tone, forgetting for an instant that he was still in company. “No, I...! I...! Now you pretend I didn't say that about your brother, please”, he pleaded with a wail, the color of his cheeks matching the color of the Cavallino Rampante car.

“Now I'm supposed to call him ‘brother-in-law’?”, Carlos annoyed him with a clearly amused tone.

“Carlos!”

“Mmm... I think the four of us should have a dinner party, don't you, Ollie?”, his partner followed his lead, laughing softly.

“Charles!”, implored the Englishman, flushed with embarrassment.

Leclerc only let out another small laugh at Oliver's embarrassed expression. He wasn't going to lie; he was enjoying the somewhat familiar atmosphere that spread between the three of them. It was almost the same feeling witnessed being with his own family and he didn't dislike it at all. He liked it.

Now recomposed from his sultry moment of the day, he approached the red-clad couple and enclosed them both in a final embrace, feeling that last thread that held him fastened to the illusion that this race was a mere fantasy finally break and the bucket full of reality spilling over him.

He felt warm and very happy.

“It's good to have you on the team, Ollie”, Charles whispered, returning the hug. Carlos nodded at his words.

‘It's good to have you two with me.’

[First time posting a fic here jaja! Spreading the Arthur/Ollie propaganda, tho -gets hit-. I really enjoyed writing a fluffy moment between these three, so, I hope you like it! ^^💖]

#joaoista can write #f1 rpf #f1 rpf fic #charlos #c square #5516 #carlos sainz x charles leclerc #arthur leclerc x ollie bearman #(what's the name ship?) #arthollie #bearclerc #i like the first one tho #help

[eyeodyssey]

When it comes to books that act as ephemera for the Tokyo Grand Guignol’s plays, most collectors would seek out items like the retrospective 2-MINUS magazine Ameya Style or the volumes of Theater Book and June that featured contemporary articles about the TGG’s plays. The information included in these books is incredibly valuable as many production stills, descriptions and even whole screenplays were printed in these publications. That isn’t to downplay the importance of other adjacent books though, such as the Suehiro Maruo magazine Only You, which features a digest version of Galatia Teito Monogatari’s screenplay. There are even more magazines that have since been shrouded in obscurity, two of which acted as the direct source of several of the most iconic images affiliated with the Tokyo Grand Guignol. The above image is from the October 25th, 1985 volume of Emma magazine. My knowledge of these publications is pretty much nonexistent outside of the fact that on the auctions I found this (and the next featured book) on, both volumes were listed as “photo magazines” or something like that. They definitely contain pictures, that’s for certain. Either way, this photo was a specially shot production still derived loosely from a scene in the TGG’s first play, Mercuro (1984). Despite the close association, this photo is usually given with the play, there was no scene in the original screenplay where Ameya emerges from Kyusaku Shimada’s torso. It was said on the Twitter account TGG_Lab that this scene was based on a variation of the play that was performed at an event hosted by Peyote Workshop known as End of the Century Live, said version of Mercuro being a loose descendent of the iconic televised performance of the play that was shown on Tokumitsu Kazuo's TV Forum. Both renditions were heavily abridged variants of Mercuro’s most iconic special effects scenes, with the televised version specifically being a crossing of the openings of act one and act two. One thing of note is that near the end of the article on the side, a special teaser is given for the upcoming December 1985 debut of Litchi Hikari Club.

The next photo spread is of a similarly iconic production still, this one being a direct capture of (what was likely) the opening of the first act of Litchi Hikari Club. In said opening scene, an execution is conducted to the tune of the S.P.K. song Culturcide wherein the light club hang a student who crossed their strict rules. This student is apparently different from the one who is blinded by a spotlight later on in the same act. This photo is from the April 11th, 1986 volume of Focus, a magazine that happens to contain a fairly interesting coincidence. In my prior essay regarding the parallels between Litchi Hikari Club and the futurist movement, I mention how Ameya at one point cited an airplane accident as a direct influence for Litchi’s story. According to his recollections, the accident occurred not long after the televised performance of Mercuro, which was in 1985. While I originally had a hunch while writing the essay, I’m fairly certain the airline accident he’s referring to was the Japan Air Lines Flight 123 crash on the 12th of August, 1985. The time frame matches Ameya’s descriptions, and to this day it’s still recalled as being one of the deadliest airline accidents in history. In the same volume of Focus that this image came from, an article is featured a few pages earlier that concerns the accident. A description of Litchi's opening can be read in this excerpt from a lengthy Twitter thread by user Shoru Toji where she gives an in-depth description of the play's 1986 rerun and the subculture around it: I saw Litchi Hikari Club on March 27th, 1986, the first day of its rerun, at a live house called Super Loft KINDO. It was a renovated iron factory in the Tokyo Metropolitan area. The place was previously destroyed by Hanatarash with a live set where he went through the space with a bulldozer. If I recall correctly, the hall was illuminated by fluorescent lights from a high ceiling with exposed steel frames. The walls were painted black. The curtain separating the audience seating from the stage was a set of white sheets, like the kind you’d find in a hospital. There was no announcement when the play was ready to begin. Instead, the fluorescent lights suddenly went out, and a set of speakers in the ceiling emitted hissing noises. The stage was dimmed to the opening queue of Culturcide from the Seppuku Dekompositiones EP, and I thought to myself “This is SPK!”. And with the sounds of synchronized stomping and a ringing flute, the curtains were drawn back to show the scene of a line of students marching through the darkness in single file with lights hoisted over their shoulders. The way the lights aligned in their rows reminded me of spotlights. They marched all about the stage, going right, left, forward and to the back, all at once in an orderly manner. They were taking orders from a man standing on a podium. That man was Tsunekawa in the role of Zera. He stood with an overhead spot bathing him in red light. He pointed in many directions, with the students loyally following each command he made. Eventually, the left side of the stage began to loudly rattle with the starting of a U-shaped quarry conveyor belt. Another student is carted into the stage from the belt, screaming “Please, don’t do it! Please, forgive me!” as he’s suspended upside down from the belt. The light club place their lights in the back of the stage and hang their first victim at the front with a chain.

Sources: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

#norimizu ameya #tokyo grand guignol #litchi hikari club #suehiro maruo #lychee light club

[ofstarsandvibranium]

Unexpectedly Yours: Part 10

Fandom: Ted Lasso (Regency AU)

Pairing: Roy Kent x F!Reader

Summary: Lord Roy Kent still has yet to marry. He hates the notion that marriage is a way to ensure your status in society. You have delayed your debut to society for years because of the same idea. So what happens when two people who hate the idea of marriage are constantly drawn to each other?

Warning: Rupert Mannion and his grossness

Series Masterlist

Roy is frozen, seeing his former fiancé in front of him for the first time in years.

The woman gives a shy smile, "It's-It's nice to see you. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Roy continues to stare at the woman with a dumbfound look. You decided to step forward and curtsy, "Good evening, my lady. I'm Lady Y/N L/N."

Georgina bows, "Duchess Georgina of Cumberland."

"It's an honor to be here with you, Your Grace."

"Thank you, Lady L/N. I hope you and Lord Kent enjoy your night," the duchess picks up her dress and continues to wander the ballroom.

"Roy?" you look at the man with concern.

"I need air," he grumbles and turns on his heel, heading towards the gardens without a care of if you were following him or not.

You hurry behind your future husband and out the door towards the gardens. As soon as the cool air hits, you gasp at the crispness. You stay behind Roy and take in his state. He's tense, his fists are clenched into tight fists.

You carefully and cautiously make your way up to him, placing a gentle hand on his arm, "Do you want to talk about it?"

At your touch, his shoulders slump, "Did you know she and I were engaged?"

You nod, "I heard rumors. You were in love and then she caught the eye of Duke Rupert Mannion of Stratford. She broke off the engagement. They were married a month later."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

He turns to you, brows furrowed in confusion, "Are you not upset?"

"Why would I be?"

"That I still feel this way about her?"

You shrug, "I suppose I understand why you're taken back by her presence. She's caused you a great deal of pain. You loved her and she hurt you."

He nods, "I did love her," he slips his hand into yours, "But not like how I love you."

You feel your chest swell and you softly smile at him, "I'll admit that does make me feel very prideful."

He chuckles and leans in, kissing your head, "I'll be okay. Promise. She just took me by surprise. Besides, I'm sure her presence along with the Duke's will take the attention away from us, hm?"

You let out a deep breath, "God, I hope so."

____________________________

You were actually enjoying yourself. Roy danced with you as many times as you liked and kept by your side at all times. Only twice did he let you out of his sight and it was so that Jamie could dance with you.

Fortunately, as Roy would hope, the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland took the spotlight away from you and Roy. However, you couldn't help but catch a few ladies whispering about Roy's previous engagement to Georgina. It took every bit of you to not scold the women for gossiping about your future husband. Again, you didn't want to bring attention to yourself tonight, so you refrained yourself from doing so.

You and Roy were having some polite chatter with Lady Rebecca Welton, the hostess of tonight's ball, when a man came up to her.

"Becca, darling, thank you again for the invite of tonight. My lovely duchess and I have had a wonderful time."

You can see how uncomfortable Lady Rebecca felt, yet she smiled, "Of course, Rupert. It's been wonderful to see you and the duchess."

Rupert then turns to you, "Oh hello," he shoots you a grin that makes you incredibly uncomfortable, "Rupert Mannion, Duke of Stratford."

You curtsy, "Lady Y/N, your grace."

The older man notes your arm around Roy's and his grin grows, "Oh. She yours, Kent?"

"We're engaged, yes," Roy responds plainly.

Rupert chuckles, "Interesting. Thought you'd never marry after I stole my lovely Gina's heart."

Your eyes shoot to Georgina and she winces, placing a hand on the duke's arm, "Darling, why don't we get some air?"

The man pushes her off, "I don't need air."

"I want some air, darling."

Rupert sighs, "Very well." He gives Roy and Lady Rebecca a nod and you a wink, before dragging Georgina to the gardens for air.

Once out of earshot, Roy turns to Rebecca and says, "I can't believe you were married to that prick."

"Roy! You can't-wait," you look at Rebecca, "You were married to him?!"

Lady Rebecca nods, "Unfortunately. He wasn't all bad at first. I genuinely did love him, but things changed. He changed. Then he saw Georgina and he had our marriage annulled. I suppose they deserve each other with how they left Roy and I in the dust."

You try to gather your thoughts from the information you just received, "Wait. You and Rupert were married. Then he met Georgina, who was engaged with Roy. Then Rupert had your marriage annulled, Georgina broke off the engagement with Roy, and they end up marrying each other."

Roy nods, "Correct."

"Yes, that sounds about right," Rebecca says before sipping more of her lemonade.

You shake your head in disbelief, "That's...awful."

Lady Rebecca sighs, nursing her lemonade, "Yes, well, everything happens for a reason, right? I'm fine and Roy is marrying you," she leans closer to you and murmurs, "Congratulations, by the way," and shoots you a wink.

"Thank you, Lady Rebecca" you respond.

She waves off the formalities, "Please, just Rebecca is fine." She lifts her glass up to Roy, "Kent, treat her well."

"Will do," he grunts in response and watches as Rebecca waltzes away to continue to mingle with her guests.

"She's lovely. Doesn't seem to very traditional, hm?"

"Not at all," Roy says as he places his hand on your lower back and guides you to Keeley and Jamie, whom seem to be in a heated discussion with one another.

You quicken your step to join your friends, "You lot look like a bunch of gossiping mamas."

Keeley smirks, "To be fair, we were gossiping."

"About?" Roy asks curiously with a thick cocked brow.

"You, m'Lord," Jamie responds with a grin, "And the grand duke and duchess."

Roy rolls his eyes, "I'm fine."

Jamie shrugs, "Didn't ask if you were fine. Just gossiping."

Your future husband's jaw clenches and takes a step towards Jamie, but you step in, "He's just joshing, love."

He immediately looks to you, "Love?"

You immediately feel flustered, "I-I'm sorry. I'll just call you Roy-"

"No, no. Love is fine," his gaze is soft and you feel that light fluttering inside your chest again.

#roy kent x reader #roy kent imagine #regency au #regency era #fem!reader #female!reader

[pricelessemotion]

Starstruck and Metal | E.M.

Summary: [4.3k] you meet eddie for the first time. it doesn't go quite like you expected.

Pairing: rockstar!eddie munson x fem!music journalist!reader

Warnings: none!

Notes: huge thank u to my bestie chuck for beta reading 🫶 also if you solve the crossword hint i love u

previous chapter | series masterlist | next chapter

InStereo magazine was not The Rolling Stones, but it was a start. The modest music magazine had a humble following, enough to earn some hums of recognition whenever someone made the mistake of asking what you did for a living. Most days, it’s great. You relish in the joy of working in a field some people only dream of entering. The leap from column writer to main article was a large one, but you insisted that you were ready. Your first assignment as a music journalist and of course you got stuck with Eddie fucking Munson. 

Any self-respecting music journalist, anyone with some skin in the game would have laughed in the face of their editor. But instead, you smiled. You nodded enthusiastically, mimicking the bobblehead that has since been removed from your desk. When you decided to become a music journalist, you wanted to write about people who were changing the field. Instead, you were being tasked with writing some puff piece being used to save a wannabe rock star’s reputation. God forbid you gain the reputation of being a difficult woman–in a male-dominated industry no less–by turning down such a great opportunity.  

Even if that opportunity included spending a day with Eddie fucking Munson. 

You paid out of pocket for the cassette of Corroded Coffin’s debut album that was currently underscoring your drive to West Hollywood. You refused to meet the frontman without having listened to their music beforehand. They were good. A little rough around the edges, but it was to be expected. Outside of the occasional headlines, you hadn’t heard much about Eddie or his band. Corroded Coffin was making ripples, not waves. Of course, no one really cared about the music when they could be reading about who and what their lead vocalist was doing. 

Still, you find yourself parking outside of a humble ranch-style home in a neighborhood full of similar housing that likely cost a fortune to live in. The modest proceeds from Corroded Coffin’s tour have obviously paid off, considering that nice area and affordable don’t usually exist in the same sentence when talking about LA housing. The June sun is beating down on the empty street, and you’re thankful that you decided to wear a T-shirt and jeans. You tell yourself that the sweat collecting on your brow is from the heat and not nerves. 

Double-checking that you have the right address, you slam the door shut on your sedan and take a deep breath. The air feels cleaner here, less smoggy. You’re not sure if it’s because of the altitude or the tax bracket of the people who live here. Probably both. You reach into your purse and feel around for what you already know is inside. Pen. Notepad. Tape recorder. The holy trinity for a music journalist. 

There were very few topics that Eddie wasn’t willing to talk about. You guess that when you’ve had your insides strewn across the pavement for everyone to see, you don’t bother trying to uphold any semblance of mystique. Beginning the daunting trek toward your assignment, you remind yourself of two things:

1) Don’t ask about his father 

2) Don’t ask about what happened in Hawkins, Indiana in 1986

The first rule seemed simple enough. As far as the public was concerned, Eddie Munson came to Hawkins at the age of 12 to live with his Uncle Wayne like how a fully formed Venus sprang up from sea foam. He wasn’t and then he was. End of story. The fact that Eddie’s management went out of the way to make sure his father wasn’t brought up only made you more curious. 

The second rule was a little harder to accept. Anyone who knew anything about Eddie Munson wanted to know about 1986. Despite the fact that his highly publicized murder charges and subsequent exoneration are part of what caused Corroded Coffin to skyrocket to fame, he’s remained very tight-lipped about the whole situation. He plays off every question about it in interviews with a smirk and a sly comment. Just charming enough to get away without answering. Just vague enough to keep people guessing. Maybe his publicist wasn’t such a waste after all. 

Eddie Munson opens the door a few moments after you ring the bell. Using a ringed hand to shield his eyes from the midday sun, he squints at you. A pair of sweatpants hang low on his hips. He has a severe case of bedhead despite the fact that the time on your watch indicates that it’s nearly two in the afternoon. The confusion that draws his brows together also indicates that he has absolutely no idea who you are. Resisting the urge to roll your eyes, you state your name and purpose before realization graces his features. 

“It’s you! Shit, yeah! You’re here for the– the thing!” He tosses a careless look over both of his shoulders before widening the opening. “Come on in.”

Eddie closes the door behind you and rushes down the hallway in order to put some real clothes on, leaving you standing in the empty living room. The inside is surprisingly clean for someone who’s gained the reputation of being a hot mess. It smells like cigarettes, weed, and lemon pledge. The lemon scent is strongest as if someone was trying–and failing–to use it to cover up the previous two. A record player is tucked into a corner, the vinyl still spinning. A line of electric guitars is propped up against the back wall, each of them no doubt costing more than your monthly rent. One of the stands is noticeably empty and you glance to your left to see a beat-up acoustic resting on the couch. On the coffee table, there are piles and piles of scrap sheets of paper. For most of them, the handwriting is too illegible to read or it’s been crossed out. Eddie seems to write lyrics like he lives his life: fast and all over the place.

Stepping closer, something along the upper corner catches your eye. Slyly lifting up a pile of paper, being sure not to disturb the configuration, you find that your suspicions are correct. Eddie received the same copy of Sub Rosa as you did. Obviously, it didn’t go over well. He’s used a pen to black out his eyes. Much to your amusement, you see he’s also drawn horns and a tail. The hand that’s flipping off the camera is illustrated to be holding a pitchfork. 

That’s not the full extent of Eddie’s doodling, though. On the bottom right-hand corner of the magazine, there’s a smaller picture of him standing next to a certain brown-eyed beauty. You’re quick to note that he’s drawn a crude halo and angel wings on his long-legged companion. They’ve been scribbled out as an afterthought, making the halo look more like a crown of thorns. 

So, you think to yourself, he’s a little immature. You can work with immaturity. Immaturity means that he won’t be as guarded as some of the other celebrities your coworkers have had the misery of meeting. In fact, from what little you know about Eddie, you wonder if he even has any guard at all. He did leave you alone here with stacks of potential songs for his band’s next album. If you were a better journalist and a worse person, you would probably take the time to decipher his chicken scratch and see if you could glean any insights into his creative process. But you don’t. Instead, you release the stack of papers and wait. 

For a moment, you don’t know what to do with yourself. You’ve never been inside of a famous person’s house before. You’re not sure if you should sit down and make yourself comfortable or if Eddie has something else planned for the two of you to do. The specifics of your assignment were intentionally vague, most likely to accommodate Eddie’s spontaneity. 

Venturing further into the living room, you come to stand in front of a shelf. Brushing your fingers across the collection of vinyl, you tilt your head to read the names along the spines. There are the usual suspects–Dio, Metallica, and Judas Priest–but what surprises you is that, in the midst of all the metal and hard rock, there’s an array of old-school country music. At the end of the lineup is the most surprising one of them all; Sentimentally Yours by Patsy Cline. It’s exceedingly worn, cracks and creases litter the empty sleeve. If you were a betting woman, you would say that the record is currently on the player across the room.

A muffled crash followed by a string of curse words breaks you out of your reverie. Eddie opens the bedroom door with the finesse of someone who is obviously used to being the center of attention. He’s traded his sweatpants and tank top for a pair of ripped black jeans and a v-neck. It felt reassuring to know that you hadn’t underdressed for the occasion. 

It also gives you a moment to drink in the blinding light that was Eddie Munson. He’s leaner in person. Though he always looked lithe in every photograph you saw of him, his frame seemed more imposing and large. Maybe all the stars just look that way when they’re so high above you. 

He was taller, too. The boots on his feet surely aided in that, given that the soles were at least an inch thick. Still, you didn’t anticipate how much you would have to tilt your head up just to look him in the eyes. 

There, standing in Eddie Munson’s rented living room, you realize something; You’re absolutely starstruck. 

Although you had turned up your nose at the prospect of interviewing him and regarded his reputation with the same disdain you reserved for bad drivers and shitty landlords, you were still a person after all. 

With all of the stars around, it’s easy to think of Los Angeles as the center of the universe. But you are not a star or anything even close to it. You’re some space debris, hopelessly floating and waiting for something bigger to come around and influence you with its gravitational pull. 

Eddie is a heavenly body. You can’t help being pulled into his orbit. 

“So, I see you’ve found my collection.” His voice is still rough with sleep. The sound makes you weak in the knees. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snoop.” You mumble, tucking Patsy Cline back into the shelf. “You’ve got some really good stuff here.”

“Don’t worry about it. Actually, that reminds me, I have something for you.” He swiftly turns and stalks back towards what seems to be his bedroom, motioning for you to follow him. 

The blood rushes out of your cheeks. The terms of your interview suggested that you would have a lot of access, but this was different. This was up close and personal. Your feet seem to have a mind of their own because while you’re still wrapped up in the fact that you’re gonna see Eddie Munson’s bedroom, you’re already following him down the hallway and through the open door. 

It’s about as messy as you would expect. The furniture is all pale wood and earth tones, fitting the mid-century modern stylings of the rest of the house. You suspect that Eddie took the time to clean up a little while you were rifling through the stacks of paper. The bed is haphazardly made. There’s an ashtray on his bedside table, filled with the remains of a few cigarettes. 

“I’m not supposed to smoke inside. Shh.” He brings his index finger to his mouth, pink lips barely brushing the skull ring he’s wearing. “Don’t tell anyone.”

You let out an airy laugh. Being reprimanded for smoking inside is the least of Eddie’s worries and you both know it. 

Eddie’s nimble fingers skim the top of the dresser, brushing aside even more sheets of scrap paper. A couple of guitar picks plummet to the floor, but he pays no mind. 

“I heard that metal isn’t usually your thing.” He remarks, still sifting through the clutter. 

That much is true. While you dabbled in a little bit of everything, not only as part of your job but also as part of your interest in music, metal wasn’t usually the genre you gravitated towards. In fact, the most metal album that you had listened to recently was written and produced by the man standing in front of you. 

“It’s not, but I’m open to everything.”

“Aha! Here it is.” Eddie holds up the cassette like it’s the key to the universe. Handing it to you, you can see that the writing on the sides is reminiscent of what you saw in the living room, though slightly neater. You’re familiar with some of the bands listed, but the songs don’t ring a bell. “I thought I would broaden your musical horizons.”

You gawk at him. For someone whose job is about words, you can’t find any. He took the time to make you a mixtape? 

“Track five is a personal favorite.” Eddie says, leaning towards you and tapping the tracklist, obviously unshaken by your inability to form a coherent thought. 

“Thanks. I’ll give it a listen.” You manage to choke out, tucking the cassette into the front pocket of your purse. 

Looking around the room, you see that there’s a battered copy of The Lord of the Rings on his bedside table. The corners are frayed, and you’re certain that you could accidentally tear the cover off of the paperback if you’re not careful. Cautiously, you trace the spine with your finger, waiting for Eddie to say something. To tell you that it’s the one thing that’s off limits. But he doesn’t. He just stands there, watching you. Opening it, you can see Property of Eddie A. Munson written underneath the title in a childish scrawl. 

“You like books? I mean–you’re a writer, so of course you like books–I mean, have you read that one?” Eddie is visibly flustered, the words coming out of his mouth at an alarming rate. It almost makes up for the way he rendered you speechless moments ago. 

“I’m more of a Dune girl myself. But, I love The Lord of the Rings. My dad used to read it to me before bed every night.”

“Yeah?” A small smile tugs at his lips before he practically whispers his next words. “Mine too.” 

A flash of something you can’t quite decipher crosses Eddie’s face. 

“Right! Where are my manners? Would you like something to drink?” He shuffles out of the room like his life depends on it. You’re still reeling at the fact that he brought up his dad unprompted. Keeping a brisk pace, you put the book down and follow him into the kitchen.

“We have…” He trails off, opening the door to the refrigerator. “Nothing.”

He shuts the refrigerator and dashes to the table by the front door. He mumbles to himself before grabbing a few things, shrugging on a jacket, and finally turning to face you again. A pair of sunglasses covers the half of his face that isn’t plastered with a mischievous grin. From the tips of his fingers hangs a set of car keys.

“You hungry?”

–

You should’ve known that Eddie Munson would try to kill you within 20 minutes of meeting him. Lifting up the garage door, he reveals that the car keys were in fact, not car keys but keys to a motorcycle. The vehicle in question is an absolutely stunning deathtrap. It shines so beautifully that you can see your terrified face in the warped reflection. 

Putting his helmet on, Eddie straddles the bike and looks at you. 

“C’mon.” Eddie smiles wolfishly, tilting the spare helmet towards you. “I’m a safe driver. Promise.”

You’re still standing frozen. His wolfish grin melts into something more patient.

“Hey, if you don’t want to take the motorcycle, just say the word. I’m not gonna make you do anything you don’t wanna do.” 

Despite the sincerity in his voice, you can’t help but take the words as a challenge. 

“No, it’s fine. I’m fine.” You profess, though the shake in your voice is evident. Grabbing the helmet out of his hands, you ignore the way your face heats up when your fingers brush.

Eddie takes gross advantage of California’s lane-splitting laws, leaving you clinging to his leather-draped torso for dear life. Outside from the occasional shout of assurance that you can’t understand, the ride is quiet but for the roar of the bike and the wind in your ears. You’re vacillating between being absolutely terrified of crashing and secretly relieved at the fact that you didn’t have to make small talk on the drive from his place to wherever he was taking you. 

You were very close to liking Eddie Munson. Now, you were sure that he was sent as some kind of karmic punishment.

“Parking in L.A. is always a pain. That’s why I love this baby,” He gingerly pats the handles as he kicks the parking brake down. “She can fit basically anywhere.”

You hum in agreement, mostly just happy to have made it to your destination in one piece. While Eddie hops off the bike with ease, you have a little more trouble. Swinging your leg over, your toe catches on the fuel tank, causing you to stumble and nearly fall to the ground. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see that Eddie is biting back a smile. He offers a calloused hand out to you. You brush it away out of embarrassment, planting both feet firmly on the ground and taking in your surroundings. 

You had expected Eddie to take you to one of L.A.’s finer dining venues. Somewhere with fancy mood lighting and clientele with pockets so deep that they don’t even bother to put the prices on the menu. His management was footing the bill, after all. 

The building that sits before you is none of those things. The diner is old and slightly dilapidated. Graffiti mars the stucco that hasn’t already crumbled away. The neon sign that says Zazie’s! blinks drowsily, more of an eyesore than eye-catching. 

Eddie opens the door for you. As the bell above it jingles, you’re hit with a rush of conditioned air and canned nostalgia. The walls are covered in artifacts from a bygone era of poodle skirts and letterman jackets. A lonely jukebox sits in the corner, playing a soft hum to a Billie Holiday song you have long forgotten the name of. 

A plump woman sits behind the counter doing the crossword in the newspaper. Likely, the same one you were doing that morning. A thoughtful look is etched into her soft features, and you wonder if she’s also stuck on 57-down: Idle during the heist. The ten-letter space confounded you so much that you were almost late. Luckily, it doesn’t seem like Eddie is the type of person to care too much about punctuality.  At the sound of the bell, she looks up, squints, and smiles. 

“Is that you, Toto?” The glasses that sit on the tip of her nose are attached to a chain around her neck. She lets them fall to her chest, her voice bright and amiable. 

“You know it is, Dorothy!” Eddie gushed, an award-winning smile back on his face. 

They fall into easy conversation, making it obvious that he’s a regular here. You keep glancing at him trying to find hints of ingenuity but there are none. Eddie regards the woman with the warmth and respect that you would expect from a boy scout, not a rockstar. 

Sliding into a booth, Dorothy hands you both a menu and leaves to make a fresh pot of coffee. 

“You have to try the french toast, it’s divine.” Eddie barely steals a look at the laminated folder before folding it back up and putting it down on the table. 

“I’ve never really been a french toast person. I don’t know if I wanna risk it.”

Eddie gives you a pointed look, sunglasses slipping down the slope of his nose. “You rode a motorcycle. How much more risky is a plate of french toast?”

“Maybe that was all the risk-taking I had in me for one day.” You force yourself to shrug noncommittally. You don’t know why breakfast food is the hill you’ve chosen to die on, but you’re going down swinging.

“Well, you already trusted me with your life.” Eddie takes the sunglasses off and tucks his fist under his chin, forcing you to look into his deep brown eyes. “Think you can trust me with this?”

Suddenly, all of the fight in you disappears. There’s that sincerity in his voice again. You realize then that the best and worst thing about Eddie Munson is how genuine he always sounds.  

“Yeah, I do.”

The smile on his face is so bright that you feel compelled to look away. Eddie orders for both of you. It’s enough food to feed a small army, but it seems that Dorothy is used to it because she leaves the table with a wink and says if y’all need anything just holler! 

“Do you mind?” You say, pulling out the notepad and pen from your purse. 

Eddie freezes for a fraction of a second. It’s almost imperceptible. Almost. In the small amount of time you’ve known him, it has become abundantly clear that Eddie wears his heart on his sleeve. Recovering quickly, he gives you the go-ahead and smiles. For the first time today, his grin doesn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“So,” You begin, clicking the button on your ballpoint. “I have to ask. Toto?”

Eddie barks out a laugh. He goes on a whole spiel about how he was having a terrible day and walked into the diner feeling homesick and hungry. When he first came to L.A. he felt like Dorothy stepping into the technicolor world of Oz. Once the novelty wore off, he found himself missing when the world used to be so black and white. Upon telling the wise waitress, aptly named Dorothy, she lovingly told him, Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. The nickname stuck ever since.

The story almost sounds rehearsed. A perfect sound bite that shows how you can take the boy out of the Midwest, but you can’t take the Midwest out of the boy. And yet, you feel inclined to believe him. Eddie just seems to have that effect on people. 

The food finally arrives and you’re amazed to find that Eddie’s eyes are not bigger than his stomach. He talks about music and his band in between bites of pancakes and hashbrowns, both of them drowned in an inch of syrup. He speaks of his friends back in Indiana with a certain fondness, but you can’t help but notice how avoids naming his hometown. He also never refers to Hawkins as back home, instead saying where I’m from.

Conversation between the two of you flows as easily as the never-ending coffee from Dorothy’s pot. It’s almost too easy to forget that this is an interview. Remembering yourself, you take a moment to ask Eddie one of the harder-hitting questions you have in your back pocket.

“What about Evelyn Chau?”

Eddie winces. The open book that was sitting before you shuts tight with a resilient slam. The mouthful of pancakes and syrup seems to turn to sludge as his chewing slows. Despite having no regard for table manners earlier, he points at his lips and holds up a finger to indicate that he needs a minute to swallow. 

After taking a sip of coffee and wiping his mouth with a paper napkin, he slouches in his seat and crosses his arms defensively. 

“What about Evelyn Chau?” He repeats your question back to you but with an unmistakable air of forced nonchalance. 

You want to crumble under his pointed gaze, but you don’t. You steel yourself with the reminder that asking uncomfortable questions is part of your job description. Besides, it would raise many more alarms if you didn’t ask about the raven-haired model spotted painting the town with him than if you did. 

“Everyone wants to know if you’re together.”

“Everyone.” He exaggerates the word, using his index finger to trace the lip of his coffee cup. “Does that include you?”

The smirk on his face indicates that he’s either messing with you or flirting with you. Maybe both. 

“Well,” you demure. “are you?”

“Evie is just a friend.” Eddie’s still perfectly composed, but the familiarity with which he says her nickname betrays him. His face twitches when he catches his slip-up. “A really close friend.”

It’s already too late. He couldn’t convince you that she was just a friend if he tried. A flash of a crossed-out halo and crooked angel wings comes to mind. 

You’re about to ask him another question, but Dorothy and her impeccable timing interrupts the moment by placing the check on the table. Eddie throws down a few bills from an old leather wallet, while you’re trying to figure out how you can spin a two-hour diner date into an entire article. 

Eddie stretches as he stands up, the hem of his black v-neck raises to expose a tattoo on his right hip that snakes down further than you’re supposed to look. On the other side, you catch a muddled array of purple and red scar tissue. Averting your eyes, you look up and are met with a stony gaze. He caught you staring.

“What do you say we get outta here?”

Because you’re a very stupid, stupid woman, you agree.

likes are appreciated, comments and reblogs are cherished ♥️

taglist: @twisted-wonderland-of-wren

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson one shot #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fic #stranger things #stranger things fic #stranger things fanfic #mimi wrote ✍️ #can i ask you a question?

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Hi Peach! Sorry if this is a weird ask, but can you please explain why you bias the rapline? What is it about them that makes you like them? I understand could be many known and unknown factors for why, so maybe just tell one? Your post for RM recently made me wonder. Thank you.

***

They are the best at what they do.

Whatever it is they choose to do that is solely their work, I know I'm guaranteed to be listening to the best possible iteration of it. All three of them - Yoongi, Hoseok, and Namjoon - are easily some of the best musicians alive. In my opinion. Like, I just cannot hear the music they make and not stan. I engaged with BTS first and foremost for the music, and don't have it in me to ignore skill like what they've shown since debut.

(He knows he's got the prettiest dragon eyes)

One of the biggest reasons BTS is the biggest group in the world today is because of the peerless ability of their rapline. The best rappers and performers in k-pop are in BTS. BTS holds some of the top songwriters, producers, and choreographers within their group, and you find all three within the rapline. They fundamentally understand the assignment.

Take for example, a song like HUH?! and the brilliance that is SOPE's verses. Drill is a very tricky genre because the instrumentation and grim lyrical delivery are supposed to be equally weighted. And despite the numerous attempts by Korean artists to master it, less than a handful have and only after several tries. But Yoongi and Hoseok's first song in this style immediately is one of the best I've heard, period. One reason is because SOPE immediately show an understanding of one key feature in Drill: balance.

(You can see and smell and feel the massive pools of rizz wafting off him through the screen)

Contrasted to many other hip hop styles, in drill the violence is explicitly the point of the song, the instrumentation mimics a gun-down, and the way you’re supposed to show it is to allow the sparse but gritty beat breathe alongside lyrics that promise nothing but pain, violence and death. Said as matter of factly as possible. And my God the way Hobi did that on HUH?! gave me chills. Yoongi meanwhile just hacked away with no hesitation or concern like the animal he is.

It’s an excellent song that can hold its own against works by many American rappers, and SOPE made it. HUH?! is in the ranking of my top 20 tracks released in 2023, across all genres.

Snooze still makes constant rotation, Dawn, Amygdala, Haegeum, D-DAY, Life Goes On... I'm still streaming Yoongi’s album from top to bottom. Same with On the Street, Rush Hour, and Jack in the Box, same deal with Indigo and sometimes Sexy Nukim and Joon's other collabs. Like, these guys make music I actually look forward to listening to everyday, music that when it comes up on shuffle, a smile comes on my face.

With the BTS rapline, I just feel so certain and assured that the product will be of outstanding quality, practically every time.

I mean, the D-DAY tour still feels like a fever dream. It was the first solo tour by a BTS member, Yoongi's this time, and nearly every reviewer and professional critic has called it one of the best concert experiences they've had this decade. And anyone who themselves attended his concerts, can attest to this being true for them. Because the fact is, Min Yoongi is a consummate performer and one of the best storytellers of his generation.

(He just looks like someone who got a personal cosign from Ryuichi Sakamoto)

*

These guys are just good. It's like there's a fire within them to express themselves so thoroughly through their craft. There's other things about them that I relate enough to, to feel so drawn to them that I bias them, but that right there is one reason.

#bts rapline #yoongi #min yoongi #hoseok #jung hoseok #namjoon #kim namjoon #bts #rapline bias

[eumppattv]

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐘𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐇

four 𖦹 why korean dispatch, why?

I walked up the stairs, making my way to the small coffee shop located on the third floor of the Music Bank building. At first I had been angry at Chaeryeong for setting up this “meeting” with Gunwook, but as the shop comes into view, and the smell of coffee and sweets seeps it’s way through my nose; I start to feel at ease. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, and from what I had seen that cursed day on Weekly Idol, Gunwook was a sweet guy.

My thoughts were interrupted as my name was called. “Y/n over here!”, I glanced in his direction, seeing him already sitting at a small table near the corner of the room. He was smiling, and I found his oddly cute. He kept signaling me to come sit down, and so I obeyed. If I had to meet with the guy whose fans bullied me, I would at least try and have a good time. Plus, we had to go onstage later in the day for awards, so I could take this as a chance to squash any awkwardness between us.

The next twenty minutes consisted of us talking about our rise to debut, and sharing our concerns for the future. I found the boy to be easy going, and extremely nice. Despite his bigger build, he was cute, and it made more sense when I found out we were the same age. While we talked and drank our coffee’s, I envied that he could have so much fun, while I had so much pressure from my company to deliver. He seemed at peace with his fame, and while he spoke about his tight schedule, his appearance remained relaxed.

“You know Gunwook” I took the last sip of my coffee before continuing, his full attention on me. “I wish I could be more like you. Free of responsibility, fun and just overall alive. It’s hard for me, with us being only four members. It means any mistake is highlighted. And of course you know how that goes for me”.

He stayed silent for a couple seconds, lost in thought before he gave me a serious look. “I’m honored you think I’m all those things. Not to burst your bubble but, I worry so much I think my head is going to explode. I worry that I get overshadowed by my members, or that I’m not talented enough to keep up with them. I worry that I’m not enough physically and that it will affect the opportunities I get. And I especially worried when you went through a rough time because of me. But I will say, I’ve had much more fun here with you then in the last couple months”.

Could he see my blush? God I hoped not. I looked away, suddenly interested in whatever was outside the window. He chuckled, leaning forward into the table. “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable. I just meant I liked hanging out with you, and maybe we could do this again.” I dares to look back at him, feeling my heart beat faster and faster. He was charismatic, too charismatic. “I would love to. I’ll let you know when I’m free”. I returned his smile, still hoping my cheeks weren’t too red. As if on cue, my phone dinged showing a message from the members. “I guess it’s time to go back” he said, also looking down at his own device. “Yeah..” To be honest, I didn’t want to go just yet- but I would never admit that. Still, it was time to return to the real world, where I don’t get my way.

“So, where were you?” Yuqi asked, raising her eyebrows. “I went to the downstairs store to get a drink” I lied, trying hard to keep my composure. “Hmm okay. Our stylist is waiting in your dressing room, so be quick.” I let out a sigh of relief as she walked away, feeling proud of my lying skills.

As I walked into the room, I wondered if I would see Gunwook on stage. Would he acknowledge me? I hoped he would, but then again I knew he wouldn’t dare to after his scandal. What was I even saying? I needed to focus on my job, not some boy I just met. I didn’t even know him, I had to be realistic. I just need to get him out of my mind, and get through the night.

𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 | 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 | 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭୧ ‧₊˚

> 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 (closed) ꒰ bold cant be tagged

@avocarua @annoyingbitch83 @sunlisstuff @haesunflower @wonyofanclub @pansies-garden @crazyflowerpizza @sparklingsjy @partiallyderived @mgumii @rosabella1009 @haechan-nahceah @bobariki @tzuberry dumb-@cxm-slxt @chaeryvips @ilovechanhee @saintriots @aesthetic-aryavartik @nichoswag @missuszabini @koalajjun

#⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ eumppattv #⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ theinkigayosandwich #zb1 smau #park gunwook #zb1 scenarios #park gunwook smau #zb1 gunwook #zb1 x reader #zb1 #park gunwook x reader

[spadesolace]

polaroid love - 10. they're real (written)

previous | masterlist | next

the cold air in the building of hybe entertainment was what first greeted y/n, having to do the face detection multiple times to get inside. luckily, jake was there to pick her up and let her in.

“was it always this cold here?” y/n walked side by side with her brother, hands shivering from the sheer coldness. she understood that it was summer but there was no need for the entire building to be freezing cold, despite it feeling nice after walking under the blazing sun.

“no, they usually leave it on a higher temperature but its been hot outside that they blasted it today.”

“on the day that i plan on visiting you and my unnies… anywho, bring me to enhypen first.” 

jake could only judge his little sister as they walked past rows of studios, some of which being filled by trainees, others are empty, and some back up dancers. he knew she was  planning something, there was no reason for her to visit enhypen unless it was to set him up with his crush.

“how about no? as much as the boys would want to see you again-”

“i’m not going to set you up. just want to say hi then head towards lesserafim’s.”

jake is easily persuaded as they went to enhypen’s studio, he couldn’t say no to his little sister even if he wanted to. going inside, they were met with the chaos of the boys running around while jungwon was nowhere to be found. y/n knew how chaotic it gets but she didn’t expect it to be like that.

“well, where’s jungwon when you need him.” jake laughed at y/n’s statement, knowing fully well that within the group, jungwon is the closest member to her. the group stopped as they waved at y/n, greeting her and talking about whatever they could, watching closely as jake stood next to sunghoon who nudged his shoulders. and to think he was scared that i’ll set him up… bitch can handle his own.

y/n didn’t stay much longer in enhypen’s studio only to be dragged out of it when eunchae had walked past. shouting a quick apology to the group as they walked together to lesserafim’s studio where chaewon and sakura was. the two oldest of the group could only hug their original youngest who somehow grew significantly taller than they remembered but still, loved wholeheartedly. chaewon couldn’t stop gushing how much she missed y/n despite talking everyday and sometimes hanging out when they’re both free. sakura, on the other hand, was talking about nmixx’s debut and y/n’s solo performance for the qualifying. the three chatted away as eunchae did what she’s known for, chaos.

in the span of ten minutes, there were now 5 more people in lesserafim’s studio. y/n looked concerned for a second, the sudden barging into the room, one of them holding stacks of albums, and two of them holding their phones close, although two of the girls immediately caught y/n’s eyes.

“wow… they’re prettier in person.” sakura and chaewon followed her gaze only to lead onto the two oldest members of the group, minji and hanni.

“SHE’S REAL?!” hyein broke the silence as her thought finally processed that her ult bias was in front of her. y/n was on the same boat as her; they’re real.

synopsis: y/n did not intend to join the kpop industry but after her brother had convinced her, she's taken the industry by storm. what happens when she unintentionally catches the attention and heart for two members of the rookie group that's taking everyone by storm, newjeans?

taglist:

@lesbianslovesminji @sserajeans @trsrina @invusblog @haerinstolemyhrt @txtbrainrot @ddenoudepression @cfvgbhndun-new-blog @lcv3lies @rd0265667 @somsomishy @dream-chasers-things @captivq @limbforalimb @dmndtears @buuhsworld @oshyci @ksnu @falling-intoo-deep @sserafimez @hyukasverse @forever-in-the-sky2 @cixl-writes

spade speaks: IM BACK BB FOR A SHORT WHILE

#newjeans #newjeans x reader #newjeans imagines #newjeans smau #minji x reader #kim minji x reader #kim minji #kim minji newjeans #newjeans minji #hanni #hanni newjeans #newjeans hanni #pham hanni #hanni x reader #polaroid love smau

[vivziepopwhatthehell]

Ep 4 Review

There are mentions of SA in this document. Reader discretion is advised.

Introduction

There’s so many things that I want to say about Hazbin Hotel but for now, I’m only going to keep my thoughts relevant to episode four. It’s the episode that everyone is talking about, after all. I’d love to hear everyone else’s thoughts too. 

The Positives

- I was expecting Blake Roman's voice acting to be subpar, and initially, it fell short of my expectations. The first episode featured what I believe is his weakest voice direction among all the released episodes. However, my initial concerns were proven wrong as the series progressed. In this episode, Blake's performance truly stood out and showcased his considerable talent. He skillfully conveyed emotions that he wasn't given an opportunity to show in the earlier episodes. Despite this improvement, he still faces the challenges with maintaining the Angel Dust accent. Blake Roman would definitely shine if he was given a role that wasn't previously defined by another talented voice actor like Michael Kovach. That being said, I'm really excited to see more from Blake Roman in future episodes.

- Valentino's character is now effectively portrayed with the menacing demeanor befitting his role, a notable departure from his initial appearance in episode two. The shift in his portrayal makes it more evident why Angel Dust fears him. To enhance the impact of Valentino's introduction in this episode, a strategic adjustment in episode two's writing could have been beneficial. Specifically, focusing more on Vox and Alastor, and introducing Valentino through Angel Dust's voicemail instead. This approach would have spared Valentino from the perception of being pathetic and whiny in previous showcases, ensuring a more powerful debut. However, it's worth noting that episode four rectifies this mistake to a significant extent, making the suggestion to rewrite episode two more of a reflection on what could have been done differently rather than a critique of the current narrative.

- The animation is a lot smoother in this episode compared to two and three. The characters are also a lot more expressive and the art is overall pretty to look at. That's my overall opinion on the art direction. The storyboard is great in several areas, too. I loved the visuals when Husk talks about how he signed his contract with Alastor. 

- The beginning of the episode actually had a few jokes that made me laugh.

The Negatives

- Hazbin Hotel has huge pacing problems present in all of the episodes. Because the show only has 23 minutes and 10 episodes to tell its story, a bunch of minor inconveniences need to be escalated unrealistically either to change a scene or develop character relationships (this one is mainly in relation to Charlie and Vaggie). In this episode, Charlie's tiny stumble over a plug must hastily snowball into a fire to justify the subsequent escalation of tension with Valentino. But how does that even start a fire? Charlie could instead accidentally knock over a lit candle on the bedside table in the set. Following this mishap, the employees, who are off exploring Charlie's hotel idea after their conversation during the shoot, are absent when the fire starts, causing it to spread. This change is still stupid, but it maintains the same elements while offering a more believable catalyst for the escalating tension. Another area that could have been improved was the ending, because I feel like Angel Dust forgave Charlie way too easily.

- Hazbin Hotel often relies heavily on exposition dumps and tends to tell rather than show. Husker's dialogue in the beginning of the episode serves as a means to spoon-feed the audience information about each character's struggle, which is a really boring way to storytell. Husker also seems to have such an intimate understanding of every character that he should be the one to run the hotel at this point. I am hoping that we get a Husker and Charlie episode, where Husker tells her to listen to her friends more. Maybe then she’d have a better understanding on how to help them out with their problems.

- Valentino's powers are confusing me. In "Addict," the red smoke from Valentino and Angel Dust's cigarettes, initially symbolic, seems to become literal in episode four. For instance, Valentino uses the smoke to create chains around Angel Dust's throat and pulls him upwards to focus on the contract he signed. The smoke should not have been made a physical entity that can control the characters this way, because now it completely devalues its presence in the music video (even if the music video is no longer canon). 

- Regrettably, the episode has become difficult for me to view objectively due to some storyboard artists openly sharing their personal bedroom preferences. I'm making a concerted effort to distinguish the artists from their work, but it is hard to not view this as just another fuel for fetish. To illustrate, consider the smoke chain scene preceding "Poison," where Valentino employs a chain around Angel's neck to compel him to review the contract. It's notable that Valentino could have achieved the same effect by grabbing Angel's hair, but the inclusion of the chain appears to be a direct reference to the storyboard artist's leash kink.

- There’s too many songs. When the song title leaks came out for Hazbin Hotel, I thought that most of them were just the names of the instrumentals. They are all actually two-four minute length songs. When these songs do come onto the screen, none of them have build-up. The song just randomly starts, and many times, the song replaces moments that are crucial to have dialogue in. Just because you have Broadway stars doesn’t mean that you need to have three songs per episode. Cap it to one to leave a good impression on your audience, because most of these songs left me REALLY bored not even halfway through them. The lyrics and how they are sung are also offensive at times, specifically in “Loser Baby”. 

- Charlie's fixation on the hotel has reached an alarming level of insensitivity in this episode. While the hotel's success remains crucial, her approach comes off as callous and indifferent to the people around her. The episode kicks off with what seems like a thoughtful gesture toward Angel Dust, trying to help him get a day off work. But her motivation is solely to ensure he can continue his daily redeemer exercises at the hotel. Then, when Angel Dust begs her to leave (while sounding completely terrified in the process), Charlie overstays her welcome and actively disrupts the employees during the shoot to advertise her hotel. There’s a time and place, Charlie! In my ideal version of the episode, Charlie remains determined to secure a day off for Angel Dust (just to spend time with him). Charlie doesn’t get to speak to Angel Dust before she proposes the idea to Valentino. Valentino responds nicely to her, but we see a bunch of subtle cues to his anger about Angel Dust trying to “escape” before he glares at Angel Dust and brings him into the other room.

-  Keith David is talented, but his voice for Husker just isn’t doing it for me. Sorry, Keith. It isn’t as rough and gravelly as it should be, but you were obviously just miscast. The same applies to Stephanie Beatriz as Vaggie. 

- A trigger warning is absent from the episode. The warning wouldn't have benefited the narrative in any way, but it would have definitely aided the members of the audience that it is meant to represent.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the episode is overall “okay”. It still suffers a lot of the same problems as the other episodes. Though, episode four does have its own improvements as well. I am hoping that the show continues to get better from here.

Edit: accidentally deleted one of my points before publishing + added a tag.

#hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel

[jaestrz]

𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 - 𝐧𝐚 𝐣𝐚𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧 나재민

*ೃ༄. *ੈ✩‧₊˚

𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: fluff | slight angst | established relationship | hurt comfort

𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: jaemin x afab reader

𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: mentioned of jealousy

≡;- ꒰ ° you didn’t have the courage to confront about the event that happened at work. ꒱

⋆.ೃ࿔* a/n: this would be my first nct content in this account. a bit excited and scared if it isn’t good. Enjoy! (The title doesn’t have anything related to the actual writing, i just ran out of ideas lol

Both of you had acknowledged the consequences when it comes to falling in love while working the same job. A job that requires you to work harder for people to like you, a job that requires so much communication or else the world could turn a blind eye and sees you differently. It could turn the unconditional love into pure hatred in a blink of an eye.

Jaemin was the most sweetest human you had met since debut, until now. He would be sweet to anyone he bumped into. Although sometimes that sweet behaviour of his could really made you feel a bit downgraded, maybe it was just a you problem. You should start shoving the jealousy thought at the back of your head each time award events comes around. A bad image won’t do any good and that’s the last thing you wanted to do before you die.

This subject was brought up a few months ago. You can’t really remember when, maybe it was a small peep talk with Jaemin alone.

He was okay with it. Jaemin didn’t have any intentions to make you feel bad. He knows your limit and the opposite same goes to you. If he has to pull away from someone he would. He had understood you too much, you wish you could do the same.

Now when you sit back, alone while reflecting yourself, maybe you were the problem.

The sound of Jaemin calling your name echoed, grabbing your attention and your eyes searched for the male that was sitting in front of a vanity. “Does your wound still hurts love? You don’t have to force yourself. I don’t want your injury to get worse.” He wasn’t turning his back but he managed to see you through the mirror reflection. Of course you looked at him, except- something was a bit off.

This would be the first full (even though it’s short) conversation you had with jaemin throughout the day. He had been talking more with the temporary stylist. The previous stylist went on maternity leave, more like his stylist since she was in charged of Jaemin. No one really knew anything about the new temporary staff. She looked a bit younger than most of the people here. But mostly Jaemin had been the only person she talks to a lot today. It went from exchanging laughters to getting closer. Maybe a bit too close. Yet you didn’t want to sound like you’re possessive about it.

So you deny the thoughts in your head and ignored it.

“I’m good.” You replied dryly.

There was a concerned look on Jaemin’s face but it soon faded away when he starts getting back in conversations with the staff.

It definitely stung a little more than your wound. But who were you to tell him what to do?

“talk to him y/n. You’re hurting yourself even more.” Mark told you.

-

Jaemin had never felt more unease in his life. Feeling like something had gone wrong that made you upset. Because even if you were, you would’ve confessed and settled it on spot. He had practically asked all of the members why were you were acting this way and asked a million times if there was something going on that he didn’t caught up.

Sadly the members turned a blind eye and just shrugged. Repeating the word ‘I don’t know, just go and ask her’.

You were nowhere to be seen except for the award ceremony. It was the last time he had saw you before you disappear somewhere. Jaemin didn’t get the chance to ask you about it.

It did weirded him out since you were the most calmest person that rarely gets annoyed or upset. It takes a lot for it to happened. Maybe there was something big that had happened that made you uncomfortable? That was what Jaemin had set in his mindset.

After the events ended, everyone returned to their respective hotel rooms while Jaemin managed to catch you at the private lobby room, alone while cuddle yourself by the sofa, the oversized hoodie was a replacement of a blanket, snoozing with earphones in. You probably didn’t acknowledged his presence but your eyes fluttered open when you realised he was stroking your cheekbone.

“Why didn’t you nap in our bed baby?” His tone has soften. You didn’t answer, a loud sigh left your lips as you tried to stand up and walk away only for it to be blocked by him. There was a hurt expression in his eyes. “why are you ignoring me love. Did I do something wrong?”

The silence you gave him was making it uncomfortable for the both of you. He was looking at you, but you didn’t even look at him back. Maybe Jaemin had thought about a thousands time about what he did today just to think of what he did to make you upset.

Until he finally remembered.

“i stopped talking to her. I didn’t realise she was so close to me until a few minutes when she asked me out.” Jaemin said.

“go and have fun with her, she was practically all over you and you didn’t stop-”

“all I could think on my mind was when will haejin return so I could stop worrying about what you were thinking. I didn’t mean to make you feel low love but still, I’m sorry.” his hand brought up to brush away the few strands of hair and planted a kiss on your forehead. It did soften your tensed heart, your eyes caught on his and he smiled at you.

“You’re the only woman that I want by my side y/n. Will you forgive me baby?”

Jaemin stared at you and waiting for your answer. You aren’t the type of person to hold grudges for long. The faster the problem is solved, the easier it gets.

“Just once.” You replied and Jaemin nodded. His hand intertwined with yours and you buried your face in his chest as he hugs you.

#ao3 #love #fanfic #imagines #jaemin #na jaemin #jaemin x y/n #jaemin x reader #nct dream #nct dream x reader #재민 #나재민 #nct fluff #nct x reader #nct #nct imagines #nct fanfic #nct drabbles #drabbles #jaemin drabbles #nct dream fanfic #kpop fluff #kpop boys #kpop #writers on tumblr #nctzen