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avatar-anna · 8 months

Note

I was thinking you could do a “5 times y/n told Harry she was pregnant” for the young!dad series !! That would be so interesting especially since in the last piece you mentioned that Harry already had a feeling she was pregnant before she even told him

The Thing About Having Six Kids

so i got this ask and a couple others that were kind of about the kids' birth/pregnancy a while ago, and went with five different instances about each kid in the youngdadrry universe. it's all surrounding their birth, finding out about pregnancies, etc. enjoy!

Young Dad! Harry x Young Mom! Reader

Simone

(a text conversation between Harry and Y/n)

Y/n: i'm pregnant

(one day later)

Y/n: Harry?

Harry: Are you sure?

Y/n: i'm sure

Y/n: i have four different pregnancy tests to prove it

Harry: I don't know what to say.

Y/n: the 24 hours it took you to respond kind of told me that

Harry: I'm sorry about that. It's just...a lot

Y/n: it's fine i guess. at least you finally responded.

Harry: Did you think I wouldn't?

Y/n: honestly? yeah. it's not like we're married or in love or anything. you don't even live in the same country as me

Harry: What are you going to do?

Harry: I know but I wouldn't just like disappear on you

Harry: I was just shocked that's all

Y/n: idk. i'm still trying to figure out a way to tell my parents

Harry: Shit my parents!

Y/n: that's kinda where i'm at right now

Y/n: but i think i want to keep it

Y/n: the baby

Y/n: fuck that sounds crazy to say. i have physics homework due tomorrow but let me stop and make a life altering decision really quick about whether i want to have a baby or not

Harry: I'm sorry. You know...

Y/n: for getting me pregnant? knocking me up? putting a bun in the oven?

Harry: It seems too early to joke about this

Y/n: it's keeping me from freaking the fuck out at the moment

(ten minutes later)

Harry: I want to talk about this properly and figure this whole thing out but I have to go

Y/n: please don't feel obligated or anything. this was just a courtesy

Y/n: i don't expect anything from you. i get it if your management wants you to delete my number and never see me again. i just thought you should know.

Harry: What are you talking about?

Harry: Y/n?

3 missed calls from Him <3

Collette

"Let's have another baby."

Y/n was close to nodding off, so it was very possible that she was dreaming. She looked behind her. It was dark in the bedroom, but Harry was close enough that she could see him, could see that his head was propped on his elbow so he could look down at her.

"What did you say?" she asked, because she needed to be sure.

"I...I want another baby," he said, voice soft even though they were the only two people in the room. Simone was fast asleep in her own bedroom, tuckered out after a long day of playing at the park and eating ice cream and fingerpainting with Harry. Now that One Direction was officially on hiatus, it was just the three of them—Y/n, Harry, and Simone. Y/n thought it would take some getting used to, living a relatively normal life. But their little family actually fell into it quite easily.

Perhaps a little too easily.

"Say something."

Y/n hadn't realized she failed to respond, but to be fair, that was a pretty big bomb her husband just dropped. Her husband. They'd been married for a few months now, but it still felt surreal, which was probably why the idea of having another baby felt too far from reality to comprehend.

"I just...I don't know what to say," Y/n said honestly. "I—I'm not sure we're ready for that."

"We weren't ready the first time," Harry said when Y/n finally flipped on her other side to face him. This seemed like a conversation he really wanted to have, so she thought facing him would probably be best. "I just think this might be the time, you know? I don't have an insane schedule anymore, there's no more management to say that we can't, and I've always thought about giving Simone a sibling. Don't tell me you've never thought about it."

"I...I have," Y/n said.

She did think about more kids. As young as she and Harry were and as impossible as their relationship seemed at times, Y/n couldn't help but think about wanting more. She loved Harry, and she'd been loving these moments they'd been able to share as a proper family recently. Harry was right, if they wanted to have another baby, now would be the time.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he said as she felt more than saw his hand push some hair away from her face.

"What happens when you start working again?" Y/n asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you, H," she said. "And I love you. Everything about you. And one of the parts that make you who you are is the music. This...this little bubble we're in, I love it too, but I know you'll want to go back to it someday. And then you'll go on tour for ten months, and I'll be alone to raise two kids by myself for a majority of the year."

It was harsh, but she trusted him enough to take it. This was the thought that always held her back. Y/n thought about the possibility of expanding their family on more than one occasion, especially in recent weeks when things have been practically perfect. But the reality was that Harry would want to go back to work. She knew, maybe better than anyone, the desire he had to make his own music, to create and write in ways he couldn't while in the band. And perform. Harry loved to perform live. Y/n knew that this time spent with just their family was fleeting, and she cherished every minute of it, the same way she knew Harry did. It was only a matter of time before he went back to work, and she wasn't sure she could raise Simone and a newborn without him.

"That's...That's all over now," Harry said. When Y/n tried to protest, he continued on. "What I meant to say was, the ridiculous schedules, the strict rules about when we can and can't spend time together, the separate hotel rooms. Mama, things can be different now."

"But management—"

"I bought out my contract," he said. "I haven't really given it much thought in a while because I just want to be present with you and Simone, but I've got a few people in mind for new managers. People who will prioritize our family."

This was certainly news to Y/n. It was hard to talk about Harry's management or the harsh thumb they pinned him under, so oftentimes it was a topic they avoided. Hearing him say this now, knowing how much money it would've taken to buy out his contract...that was a huge deal. As far as she knew, the other boys were just sticking with it until the contracts were finished. But Harry went and did what Y/n didn't even think was possible.

"Our family," Y/n repeated, and for a moment, she could see it. The three of them becoming four. It was crazy to think about, to think so far ahead into the future, but Y/n wasn't scared by it.

"Let's have another baby," Harry said again.

Looking at him, Y/n's heart squeezed in her chest. He'd been growing his hair out for a while now, and it was long enough that it reached just passed his shoulders. She loved it, thought it made him look older, more mature. And okay, hot. And Simone loved it too. She loved braiding it and putting bows and flowers in it or just twisting it around her finger. His shoulders were broad and lean, though he'd put on a little muscle in his arms from doing handiwork around the house, something he claimed he loved to do even though Y/n had heard him curse from another room while he worked on his latest project.

She looked at his face, the one that looked so different yet so similar to the one she'd met when she was seventeen. She wondered what those teenagers would think of the people they'd become, of the things they'd seen and experienced.

She thought about it. The baby-to-be. It would have Harry's eyes and smile, her nose and hair color. If it was a girl, she could wear matching outfits with Simone, if it was a boy...Well, they could maybe still match. Y/n thought about all the baby clothes—the adorable little onesies and shoes and mittens to keep the baby from scratching their face while they slept. She didn't let herself think of the late nights and sore boobs and dirty diapers. In this moment, she just thought about all the good feelings, every perfect moment that could be.

"You promise things will be different? I can't—I can't do it alone," she said, needing to hear him say it again.

Harry didn't try to kiss her, he didn't put his hands on her waist or pull her to his chest—all tactics he would normally use to distract her. This conversation was too serious, too important, and she loved him all the more for understanding that.

"I promise, Y/n," he said, taking her hand in his and squeezing it. "I will never make you regret living this life with me."

"That's not what I—"

"I know, but I just...I needed to say it."

He needed to make that promise to her, to himself. Life had not been easy, and Y/n knew Harry blamed himself for a lot of the hardships they faced.

"I don't," she said, kissing their joined hands. "And I won't. Ever. "

Harry grinned, and Y/n could tell even in the dark that his gaze was a little watery. Still, he inched forward and said, "So...?"

Y/n leaned forward and kissed him, her leg slotting between his. "Let's have another baby."

Maeve and Jules

"I'm sorry, did you just say twins?"

"I did. I'm seeing two heartbeats here. See?" The doctor said, pointing at the monitor she'd been observing closely the last five minutes.

Y/n couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. It was one thing to be pregnant (again), but an entirely different one to be pregnant with twins. "That's—"

"Amazing," Harry breathed.

Y/n turned her head away from the monitor to look at her husband, whose eyes were glued to the screen with a look of wonder in them. As she'd begun to process her own feelings about housing not one but two babies in her belly for nine months, she hadn't really considered how he might feel about it.

Looking at him now, she could tell he was ecstatic.

Y/n was still panicking a little, but seeing the elation on Harry's face was comforting. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it hard, needing to feel the warmth of his palm to ground her.

"Hey," he said softly, bending down to kiss the top of her head. "This is a good thing. Unexpected, but good."

"I know," Y/n said, letting out a shaky breath. "I know it's just...a lot. I mean...twins?"

"Nothing we can't handle," Harry said, kissing her cheek.

His confidence was reassuring. Maybe he was freaking out on the inside and not letting it show for her sake, but Y/n felt better about the situation at hand and was ready to continue with the appointment.

To the doctor, she said, "Are they healthy?"

The doctor smiled warmly. "They are. It looks like one of them is about a week behind, but that's nothing to worry about."

"Really? They're twins. That doesn't seem possible," Harry said, his brow furrowing adorably.

"It's rare, but it is possible. Fraternal twins can be conceived as much as twenty-four days apart," the doctor said.

Y/n understood perhaps a split-second before Harry, but when he did, he turned as beet red as she felt. The doctor didn't seem to mind their embarrassment, though she'd probably seen all sorts of couples and situations. Y/n imagined there wasn't much that the doctor hadn't seen before.

The appointment wrapped up pretty quickly after that. Harry snuck out of the hospital through a separate door while Y/n set up her next appointment. She met him in the staff parking lot, where he was standing by the passenger door to help her in. Harry gave her a quick kiss before closing her in and walking around to the driver's side. As he drove, Y/n was thinking about a number of things—twice the amount of clothes, twice the amount of crying, twice the amount of diaper changes. She was excited at the prospect of having a baby. It was a conversation she and Harry had before they started trying, but the idea of twins was a lot to wrap her head around.

She looked at Harry, wanting to ask how he felt now that they were alone, but she stopped herself.

Harry had one hand on the steering wheel, the other covering a wide grin. He was blushing a little too, and Y/n couldn't help but ask what had him smiling like an idiot.

"I'm trying to figure out which times," he said.

"What do you mean which—Are you kidding? Which times we conceived the twins?"

"Aren't you curious?" Harry asked. "Twice, babe. I put a baby in you twice. I mean, one of them had to be when we were on the yacht, right? I always feel good after we have sex, but I feel like we really outdid ourselves there. Clearly."

Y/n just looked at her husband in shock. "You are..."

"What? It's cool!" Harry insisted, but he was laughing too. "And it takes the edge off a little. Come on, you try."

So he was more nervous than he was letting on. That was comforting in its own way too, but Y/n appreciated his attempts to lighten the mood. They could have a serious conversation later, but for now it was fun to just forget all of that. Just for a moment.

Y/n gave him a dry look, trying to appear like she wasn't impressed until she eventually rolled her eyes and smiled. "Mm...I agree with the yacht, and...when you came back from London."

"Really?" Harry asked, more curious than surprised.

"Yeah," Y/n said with a little sigh as she remembered the night in question. "That was a good night."

It was one of those rare occurrences where Simone was in her own bed and Collette managed to sleep for more than a couple hours. They'd spent the whole night catching up and giggling like idiots and kissing and enjoying the pleasure of being truly alone with each other. Y/n loved those moments with Harry, where everything was just so simple and easy and it was just them having a little fun. They definitely should've been catching up on sleep while they could, but neither of them wanted to, so they stayed up with tired smiles and slurred movements until they heard Collette's cries through the baby monitor.

"It was. We should do that again sometime," Harry said. Taking Y/n's hand, he kissed the tops of her knuckles.

"You just want to go for triplets," Y/n teased, even though she knew that wasn't what he meant.

"I'm not that crazy," he said, but his smile told her he was thinking about the possibility. Maybe just a little. "I'm excited for this."

"Yeah? What do you think? Boys? Girls? A boy and a girl?"

Harry shrugged. "Our track record would suggest girls, but..."

"You never know," Y/n finished for him.

Geneva

"We have some pretty big news to share."

Once a month, the Styles family held a Zoom call with their friends and family who were scattered across the globe. Since lockdown began, there was a lot of adjusting—online school, not being able to go to the park to play, being at home all day. It was a lot for everyone, but Harry and Y/n did their best to make the adjustments smoother. And when they needed a break, they set up the monthly Zoom calls.

They were mostly just to catch up. Once all the children went to sleep, Harry and Y/n stayed up late talking to other adults about everything and nothing, maybe even played a different drinking game or two to round out the night before they went back to being parents. Tonight was a special night, though.

Multiple faces looked at Harry and Y/n expectantly through their computer screen. Both of them were sporting big smiles as Y/n leaned on Harry's side, one of his older sweatshirts covering her body and the almost imperceptible bump that was beginning to show now. Today was the first day she'd begun to show, and Harry nearly lost his mind with excitement. Finding out Y/n was pregnant had been somewhat of a surprise, but when she told him, he was over the moon. He's started to suspect, having recognized some of his wife's symptoms by now, but they'd been waiting for the right time to tell their families and friends, and tonight was the night.

"What's going on, darling?" Anne asked.

Neither Harry nor Y/n could barely contain their excitement, which probably gave away the news before they actually said anything. However, in their own eagerness to share the news, neither of them saw a few people on the call sporting knowing looks.

"We're having a baby!"

Cheers went all around as everyone congratulated the couple. Questions were asked about due dates and how far along they were and what they were going to do about the lockdown situation. Everything was just as Harry had hoped it would be.

And then things took an interesting turn.

"Who won?" Jeff asked.

"Won? What do you mean—"

"If my math is correct, which I'm pretty sure it is, I believe it goes to Gem," Sarah said, looking down at her phone. "She went with three and a half months. Glenne narrowly missed with three. No one had four so it goes to Gemma."

A collective groan went throughout the Zoom, leaving Harry and Y/n very confused.

"Did you place bets on us?" Y/n asked, sounding more astonished than offended.

"When lockdown became permanent, we knew it was a matter of when not if we would be getting the announcement," Jeff explained. "Someone has a physical copy of the pool somewhere."

"And all of you did this? Mum?" Harry said, brows raised higher than Y/n had ever seen them. When Anne nodded sheepishly, Y/n had to stifle a laugh. "So none of you were surprised?"

"I love you, dear, and I'm so so happy for you, but since you were seventeen, anytime you've come to me with big news, it's been about having a baby. For my own sanity, I've just come to expect it."

Harry looked down at Y/n, who was grinning behind her hand. For her husband's sake, her gaze softened as she reached up to kiss his cheek. "I mean, they have a point. Even you guessed it before I told you."

As the shock finally wore off, Harry smiled. He supposed it wasn't the worst thing in the world. So, he and Y/n were predictable, even though they hadn't really been trying this time around. They were in love and had a lot more time together currently. Things were finally back on track for them and their relationship troubles seemed behind them now. They were happy, and as long as his family was happy, some light teasing and bet placing seemed harmless.

He did pin everyone on the screen with a mock glare before moving on, though. "You guys made a whole pool. Really?"

"Yeah. Can you believe Jeff thought it would take eight months for you to get pregnant?"

"It was for the adjustment to lockdown period!"

"Eight months?"

And on and on it went. Harry just smiled and rested his hand over Y/n's belly, thinking about how much it would grow in just a few short weeks.

Natalia

"I want Mommy!"

Harry sighed and pulled his only son into his lap, pushing the curls away from his face and wiping the tears from his cheeks. "I know you do, JuJu."

Harry and the kids were waiting to hear from Y/n's mother, but he hadn't gotten so much as a text. He was anxious, worried that something was wrong, but Julian's crying served as a good distraction for the time being.

Julian continued to cry, still not understanding why he couldn't see his mother when he'd become so used to seeing her everyday. Harry would've been with Y/n had it not been for the little boy's crying, and he made the split-second decision to stay home while Y/n delivered the baby with her mother as support. He'd never missed any of his children's births, but for this, he could stay behind.

"She'll be back soon, bubba, I promise," Harry said, kissing Julian's cheeks and holding him close. "Should we go play with your Lego set? I know you've been excited to build it. Maybe we can build something to show Mummy when she gets home."

Julian shook his head and continued to cry into Harry's neck. Realizing his son was content to be miserable, Harry didn't ask again. He sat with Jules for a while, holding the boy to his chest and running a hand through his hair until his sobs turned into sniffles, and the sniffles into long, slow breaths. He waited a few extra minutes before taking Julian up to his room and setting him on his bed, making sure to place his favorite stuffed animal in his arms before leaving him to sleep off his troubles. As he walked away, Harry sort of wished he could do the same.

Every birth had been different. When Y/n had Simone, it hadn't been extraordinarily long, but it was extraordinarily stressful due to their young age. Collette was a fairly quick birth, perhaps a little too quick, seeing as Y/n barely made it to a hospital bed before the baby started crowning. The twins came early, which was apparently common for twins, but that didn't make it any less surprising to Harry and Y/n, especially because Harry was at the grocery store and Y/n was at the park with Simone and Collette and a nanny who was also there had to call an ambulance. Even still, Geneva's birth was probably the scariest, only because of all the rules and regulations brought on by Covid. Y/n's mother quarantined for two weeks so she could stay at the house while Harry and Y/n went to the hospital, as Y/n could only have one person in the room with her.

And now a year later, they were doing it all over again. Harry had been confident that this birth would go off without a hitch, that everything would be just fine, but the lack of word from his wife or mother-in-law made him nervous.

Later that day, Harry was still waiting. He'd gotten a text from Y/n's mother, which let him know that Y/n still wasn't ready to push but that they were getting close. That was an hour ago, and Harry had to believe that it was all happening now.

And he was missing it.

He knew being here with the rest of his children was important. That they were worried about their mother and probably found Harry's presence comforting. He just wished they could all be there in the waiting room instead of at home and fifteen minutes from the hospital. The not-knowing was killing him, and he was pretty sure his kids could sense it.

"Daddy?"

Harry's eyes flicked to where Collette was standing in the doorway of his bedroom. She was in her pajamas, a shirt and matching pair of bottoms with her favorite cartoon on them. Harry had been pacing around his room, his phone gripped tightly in his hand as he waited for someone to call him, but seeing his second daughter standing there, squinting at the light from his bedside table lamp told him he was up a little later than normal.

"Hi, peanut. What are you doing out of bed?" he asked.

Collette shrugged, her hair catching the light. She wiped at her nose and stepped further into the room until she stood in front of him. "Mommy always braids my hair before I go to sleep."

"She does, doesn't she?" Harry agreed. "She's kind of the best, huh?"

Nodding, Collette turned toward his bed and climbed up on it, looking at him expectantly. Even after having four daughters, Harry wasn't an expert at braiding hair. The girls always went to Y/n before school, and she did each of their braids or ponytails or pigtails happily. Harry always made sure to watch with a keen eye, and practiced on Y/n when she let him. He supposed now it was time to put all his practice to work.

The braiding didn't take long, and Harry didn't do half bad, in his humble opinion. Collette was just going to sleep in it anyway, so he wasn't too bummed by the few loose strands that he'd somehow missed.

He'd finished rather quickly, though Collette didn't slide off the bed to go back to her room. In fact, she nestled under the covers on Y/n's side of the bed, mumbling, "Night Daddy," before falling asleep. Harry didn't really mind. It wasn't the first time one of the kids stayed in his and Y/n's bed, and tonight, he figured he could use some company.

What he wasn't expecting was all of his children to stumble into his room. First it was Maeve, then Jules, then Simone, and finally Harry went to get Geneva, just so it was a proper sleepover. No one fought for space—which was a first. All the kids just found their spot and went back to sleep as if they were in their own rooms. Harry resisted the urge to take a picture so as not to wake anyone up with the flash of his phone's camera.

He hadn't planned on falling asleep. One moment he'd been watching a football game with the volume off, and the next he was blinking his eyes open as the sun began to stream in through the curtains. All of his little ones were still fast asleep, though Harry knew that would change soon. Maeve and Simone woke up early to watch morning cartoons, and Geneva would want her bottle within the hour.

Harry began to shuffle around and prepare for the usual morning routine—brush teeth, ok prepare the bottle, make breakfast for the early risers—when his phone rang. Startled, Harry rushed over to where his phone was plugged in, a huge grin splitting his face when he realized it was a video call from Y/n.

"Hi," Harry whispered, careful not to wake anyone up. "How are you? How's the baby? Is everything—"

"I'm fine, H. Everything's fine. Everything's perfect," Y/n said, a sleepy smile on her face.

Hearing that helped his heart stop racing, but only a little, as excitement flooded his veins. Y/n called him, which could only mean that—

"Wanna meet your daughter?" Y/n said, and even through the phone, Harry could see tears line her eyes.

Harry nodded, too overwhelmed with love and anticipation to form words. Quickly, he found an unoccupied spot on his bed and carefully sat down.

Y/n passed the phone to her mother who angled the phone so that Harry could see the baby, whose face was just barely visible through a pink blanket. He immediately felt tears well in his eyes, his throat going dry as he looked down at his daughter. Even through the phone, he felt every emotion he'd ever experienced when meeting his children for the first time. It was the most unique experience, Harry always thought. He'd seen and done so much, yet he still thought there was nothing like looking down at his newborn baby for the first time.

"Is that baby sister?"

Harry looked behind him to find Julian peering over his shoulder. Jules looked at the sleeping baby curiously, taking in his sister's little nose and tiny fingers and pouted lips. Then, he said, "Is Mommy there too?"

The camera panned up to Y/n, who was smiling and blowing kisses to Julian. "Hi JuJu, my love. I've missed you!"

"Mommy!"

"Mommy?"

"Mommy's home?"

Now everyone was up and crowding around Harry, taking turns talking to Y/n and baby sister, who had yet to be given a name. No one seemed to mind, though. If anything, they were more concerned about when Y/n and the baby would be coming home so they could have a party.

"Soon, my loves. The doctor wants me and the baby to stay one more night to make sure we're healthy. You think you can be good for Daddy?"

There was a chorus of yeses before everyone said their goodbyes, the novelty of a new baby sister wearing off when there were cartoons to be watched downstairs. Harry kept Y/n on the phone while he got Geneva's bottle ready, wanting to stay on the phone as long as possible.

"I know you must be tired," Harry said an hour later. He was in GiGi's nursery and watching her toddle around and play with her toys while talking to his wife.

"I'll hang up soon. I want you to get as much screen time as possible before I go," she said, turning the camera to where the baby was sleeping in the bassinet beside her hospital bed.

"Have you given her a name yet?" he asked.

Y/n shook her head. "I know we decided on one, but I wanted you to be with me when I said it for the first time."

"I love you," Harry said as his heart melted to mush.

"I love you too," Y/n said. She lifted the baby out of the bassinet, cradling her head with the expertise of someone who'd done it for years. Looking at Harry through the phone she said, "You wanna do the honors?"

Laughing out of pure bliss, he nodded. With all the tenderness and care he would've used if he'd been there in person, he said, "Welcome to this crazy, crazy world, Natalia Styles."

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pilfappreciator · 5 months

Text

ATTENTION TROLLS FANDOM!!

This is very important. Mostly to me but maybe you guys have been wondering this too idk but anyways:

How does troll reproduction work exactly?

Cuz I'm genuinely curious. I dont think anyone on the series production team has said anything and so far I've seen absolutely no one touch on this subject but as someone who's always had an interest in the habits of creatures (both fictional or otherwise), I kinda sorta maybe NEED to know this otherwise I'll never be able to sleep peacefully again

Full disclaimer that I'm specifically talking about the whole egg situation, I am NOT ASKING HOW THEY GET IT ON IF I WANTED THAT ANSWER I'D GO TO DEVIANT ART OR TWITTER OR WHATEVER LAWLESS PLATFORM GOD STEERS CLEAR OF. This discussion shall remain STRICTLY educational, thank you very much

But anywho. Let's dive in

So trolls come from eggs. This is basic knowledge. First instance of this phenomenon (as far as I know, I've only seen the movies) is from World Tour.

Egg pops out of Guy Diamond's hair, egg hatches and BOOM, (literal) baby. Now I understand that this whole sequence was probably just a gag and a way for DreamWorks to implement another (merchandisable) addition to the cast HOWEVER this sequence also raises a few questions

First off, as far as I know Guy Diamond has no partner (again: I haven't watched any of the spinoff shows). Either that or maybe the other troll was a sorta one-night-stand/no-longer-in-his-life kinda situation? Which is great either way cuz its shown he obviously cares for his son and we at Tumblr appreciate a loving single father no matter the circumstances, but if my former theory is correct than that would imply that trolls are capable of reproducing asexually. Like onions.

Now if that hypothesis is, as they call it, "cap" then that would mean that some sorta hanky panky has to go down before an egg comes into question. And if that's the case, does this mean that male trolls are traditionally the ones who carry the eggs?

But that can't be right, can it? Afterall, World Tour gave us yet ANOTHER egg scene later on in the movie

In Cooper's flashback, we clearly see Queen Essence being the one carrying the eggs meanwhile King Quincy is eggless. Now, as far as i see it, this could be explained either one of four ways:

1) Quincy was the one who actually produced the eggs and Essence is merely holding them for her husband (since her hair seems more fitting to be a makeshift nest compared to Quincy's)

2) Female trolls are the ones who produce the eggs. Guy Diamond is just a trans icon

3) Troll reproduction differs from genre to genre

4) There is a... *sighs* a/b/o type of dynamic among troll kind where certain trolls are capable of giving birth/siring children depending on a secondary gender

In regards to theory #3, this could also explain why Guy Diamond seems to reproduce and hatch an egg in such a short amount of time (like 5 seconds I'm pretty sure) as opposed to Queen Essence/King Quincy who's eggs presumably went a while longer before actually hatching.

Actually, speaking off eggs, are trolls the only species in their world that reproduce that way?

Because now that Band Together has officially been released, we now know for certain that it's possible for different species to crossbreed. Biggest example? Resident DILF Bruce and his giant muppet wife

(Credit to @captainunderkrupp )

When I saw these two... I swear...

And these two already have a shit ton of kids okay so like... either Brandi was the one giving birth or trollsona Daveed Digs was over here pumpin out eggs, which I mean-

DO YOU SEE HOW BIG THESE THINGS ARE COMPARED TO BRANCH AND POPPY?? Believe me I am PRAYING that Bruce gave himself some serious maternity/paternity leave because my guy is honestly a trooper

But yeah any thoughts? :))

#i made a whole nother tumblr account just to ask this question pls somebody gimme their thoughts PLS-#i want someone at dreamworks to make an educational encyclopedia about the different species of the Trolls Universe im not asking for much #Bruce and Brandi make me feel some sort way #i will not be specifeying what way #trolls #trolls band together #trolls world tour #poppy trolls #branch trolls #spruce trolls #bruce trolls #brandi trolls #guy diamond #tiny diamond #gueen essence #king quincy #but thats just a theory A TROLL THEORY #pilf post

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gerryrigged · 10 months

Note

wait wdym dc didn't stick with Red Robin for Tim [and the de-aging thing?] what are they calling him if not RR?

He's been Robin again since 2019 😬 it's a bit more complicated but that's the gist of it.

Okay so Tim became Red Robin in the 2009-2011 series of the same name, back in the post-Crisis timeline. He was supposedly 17 at the time, by official records, and I believe he was still supposed to be 17 when the universe was rebooted with Flashpoint in 2011? (Although this doesn't really make any sense with respect to jamming the huge number of events that happened while he was Robin into like four years, if he was supposed to have become Robin at 13; he should probably at least be 18 if not 19-20).

The Flashpoint reboot took us into the New 52 (much beloathed), where nearly everyone was de-aged to some extent to keep Bruce Wayne and his generation from getting ~too old~, and also Tim Drake was mangled into a completely different character who had never been "Robin"; he'd been "Red Robin" right from the start of his vigilante career. He was de-aged to 16 for the New 52 Teen Titans series.

Teen Titans (2011) #0; as you can see, this version of Red Robin kept a version of the bandoliers and gave Tim a fancy new functional wing cape that he could fly around with.

Next, Rebirth in 2016 was a partial reboot that brought back some aspects of the post-Crisis timeline; tbh I'm not an expert on this period. What I do know is that Tim mainly appears in James Tynion IV's run of Detective Comics that ran from 2016 to 2018. During this period Tim was still called Red Robin, but he'd basically reverted to a Robin costume, with only the silly doubled "RR" symbol identifying him as not ~actually~ Robin winkwink nudgenudge, and as I understand it he was mostly back to functioning as Bruce's partner.

Tynion's run ends in Detective Comics #981 with Tim telling Bruce that he's going off to Ivy University. (He's totally lying, as Tim Drake does; Alfred notices that his tracker is going off in the opposite direction of the university, but Bruce is like "I trust him" and turns the tracker off. Yay, I guess?)

Anyway the important bit is this revealing that Tim is 'going-off-to-college' age. Which could still reasonably be anywhere from 17-19, and DC being DC, they ~refuse to confirm~

Tim as Red Robin on the cover of Detective Comics #934 (2016); as you can see, he's pretty much Robin again lol

Detective Comics #968 (2018); another shot of his "basically Robin" Red Robin costume

In 2019 we got the actual return of Tim as Robin (no "Red") in Brian Michael Bendis's Young Justice run, re-uniting the Core Four from YJ 1998.

Young Justice (2019) #1

As you can see, he no longer has the doubled 'RR', and he confirms that he's Robin - "Well, one of them!" I think he's supposed to be filling in as the Gotham Robin while Damian is running around the world having adventures and presumably getting into trouble, as Robins do? idk.

Tim also chases down his erased post-Crisis past at the beginning of this arc, having Zatanna magically restore (most of) his memories of the previous timeline, and, crucially, his forgotten best friend Kon, kickstarting some plot.

Tim, and all of the Young Justice crew, are notably young-looking for almost the entirety of this run. It varies based on the artist, but uh, yeah for the most part they are really damn baby-faced. This is a trend that continues with Tim and his generation of friends from this point onward, so fans have basically thrown up their hands like "is he 17 forever???? is he Edward Cullen from Twilight???? is he aging backward????"

We Just Don't Know

In any case, Bendis makes DC's next attempt to give Tim his own identity in short order, giving us the hilarious, ill-fated, and rightfully short-lived "Drake" identity.

Young Justice (2019) #10

He's back to being Robin by issue #18, hilariously switching costumes from one page to the next, although some time has apparently passed during the scene transition.

Young Justice (2019) #18; Jinny: "Is Drake back to being Robin?" Kon: "I think Batman and Spoiler made him go back to Robin. Don't bring it up. And say thank you because we didn't have to have the Drake intervention we were planning."

And as of the current date (July 13, 2023), Tim is still in the Robin identity, sharing it with Damian ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ God knows how old he's supposed to be right now. I certainly don't.

Batman (2016) #136; the most recent issue out to date, with Tim suiting up as Robin while filling Bruce in after diving into a bunch of parallel dimensions to bring Bruce home.

As you can see, it's a Mess. The Tim Drake's Vigilante Identity question is of course a hotbed of wank and infighting, as people are torn between (a) wanting him to continue as Robin and (b) wanting him to move on and "grow up" into his own identity again (and, importantly, leave Damian as the sole Robin again, lol).

It feels like most people are for option (b), but then nobody can agree on what his next identity and costume should be. Red Robin again?? Some other bird-based identity that doesn't share a name with a major restaurant chain?? Something else entirely??

God only knows what DC is going to come up with, especially after the Drake fiasco.

And there you have it, Anon! Hope that was helpful.

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upon-a-starry-night · 6 months

Text

Number Neighbors Pt.8

Natasha Romanoff x Fem! reader

Natasha Masterlist Series Masterlist

Word Count: 1.6k

Summary: When you catch sight of the newest trend going around you know you’re all but bound to at least try it, it was harmless anyway. What could possibly stem from something so little?

~~~~

After four months of texting, you’d decided Nat was officially your new best friend of all time. You wondered if she’d ever be open to the option of meeting up but considering her initial hesitancy to even text you in the first place you figured that option was faaar off of the table…at least for now anyway.

You’d grown used to texting her at least once a day, and spamming her on days she’d go silent.

You didn’t know what she did for work but you understood a lot of jobs didn’t allow you to be on your phones, although she sometimes wouldn’t even respond during the night and it made you wonder if she worked some kind of occasional night job. It only helped solidify your theory that Nat was an FBI agent- or maybe a super spy.

It would give you exponential bragging rights if you got to say your best friend was a super spy- although she’d probably have to assassinate you for spilling her secret and that would not bode well for you considering you had plans to travel the world before you died.

Still- you had to admit the two of you were getting closer, and your conversations had become a wide range of you spilling your nonsensical thoughts and Nat growing increasingly more concerned for your mental health.

Nat🔪:

Y/n🍦:

Do you think because humans are full of water the same as cucumbers that we also have the potential to become pickled?

Nat🔪:

Your brain terrifies me

Y/n🍦:

When I die I don’t want to be cremated

I want to be pickled

Nat🔪:

Wow.

That’s…concerning

How have you survived this long?

You’d screenshotted the conversation and posted it on your story, to which your mother replied with apid curiosity about who you’d been texting. After explaining to your mother about your new budding friendship (leaving out the part where Nat was a complete and total stranger -your mother would freak) she expressed how excited she was for you to finally be reaching out and finding new friends.

She also expressed her relief that there was someone else in the world willing to put up with your otherworldly intrusive thoughts. So Nat was now mother-approved, you outwardly fist pumped the air in the middle of your kitchen, 'best friend status' has been upgraded

—----

Nat🔪:

Y/n🍦:

Natalee

I have a theory

Nat🔪:

If it’s about my name I’m

just going to debunk it right now

Y/n🍦:

What if the shit-tauri from the

Battle of shitstorm didn’t die

and they actually turned into the freakishly large

rats that live on the NYC subways?

Nat🔪:

Solid theory.

Any proof?

Y/n🍦:

Oh, lots.

But ya gotta earn it

Nat🔪:

…how so?

Y/n🍦:

Truth or dare…

Nat🔪:

No.

Y/n🍦:

To THE DEATH

Nat🔪:

I’m in.

Y/n🍦:

I’m just joking.

I knew you would enjoy that part

My cynical little raincloud friend

Nat🔪:

Oh I'm yours now am I?

Y/n🍦:

The thing is- I am also almost

Certain you are a result of my delusional &

Lonely mind- thus you are My delusional imaginary friend

Since no one else can experience MY delusions :)

Nat🔪:

I’m very real Y/n.

Y/n🍦:

I believe you delusional Nat

Nat🔪:

That implies you are calling ME delusion.

Y/n🍦:

maybe you are

Maybe I’M not even real!

Nat🔪:

How much have you had to drink?

Y/n🍦:

Nothing, why?

Nat🔪:

….

Seek professional help

Y/n🍦:

You should meet my therapist I think

you’d share the same sentiments.

Nat🔪:

Your therapist wants you

to seek professional help?

Y/n🍦:

My therapist needs a therapist because of me.

Anyways- do you want to earn the rat

theory proof or are you too soft for it

Nat🔪:

I don’t think anyone has ever called me

“Soft” before

Y/n🍦:

Pfft

Okay “The Rock”

Truth or dare?

Nat🔪:

…

dare

You took a second to think of a dare, getting up from the couch to make yourself a cup of your favorite tea. As you stirred the honey into the steaming liquid you thought of what you could suggest given you knew nothing about her environment. Finally, an idea came into your head and you snickered as you quickly typed out the message.

Y/n🍦:

I dare you to wear colors

Her response was immediate, a reaction you’d begun to get used to when texting Nat, it was a far cry from the hesitant hour-apart replies she used to give you.

Nat🔪:

What is with you and judging my

Choice of attire?

Y/n🍦:

The human eye can see 10 million colors

And you choose to wear black every day.

It’s absolutely outrageous.

I will not stand for it.

Nat🔪:

Jokes on you.

*image attached*

Much to your surprise the image Nat sent consisted of her viewpoint- the camera angled downwards- to show off the dark red t-shirt that Nat was pulling out to display to you to prove that she was in fact wearing color today.

The rest of the image only consisted of her black jeans, black sneakers, and a very boring glossy black flooring- unfortunately for you, it wasn’t shiny enough to give off any reflection of your online friend's face.

However, this was the first time Nat had sent you a photo of herself- and you felt honored that she’d grown comfortable enough to show you a glimpse of her skin along with her outfit.

You beamed at the photo even after staring at it for 5 minutes- the fact that she was sharing this part of herself and also wearing color did things to your stomach.

And maybe you made a little mental note in your head that she was wearing the color you said suited her best but you weren’t going to dive into that right now.

You got up and did a little pace around your small living room, biting your thumbnail and wondering if you should comment on it before deciding you’d be more likely to get more photos the less you pointed them out.

Eventually, you sat back down on your couch, tucked your feet under you, and tried to formulate a response that didn't show how much you were internally freaking out.

Y/n🍦:

God is real.

Nat🔪:

Ha ha.

Y/n🍦:

Wow It’s not even my birthday

But this is a gift.

Truly.

Nat🔪:

You’re overdoing it.

Y/n🍦:

I’m actually crying.

Nat🔪:

Finally some good news.

Y/n🍦:

Hey!

Fuck you darth vader

Nat🔪:

these attempts at guessing

My name are getting worse

Y/n🍦:

I’m beginning to think

You frustrate me

on purpose sometimes

Nat🔪:

Everything I do is on purpose.

Y/n🍦:

I wasn’t.

You blushed at the accidental insinuation that Nat had ‘done’ you and quickly changed the subject.

Y/n🍦:

Your turn smartass

Nat🔪:

Truth or dare Y/n?

After a few rounds of the two of you going back and forth daring each other to do ridiculous shit that may or may not have led to you chugging two full gulps of hot sauce (before and after evidence was provided) and you daring Nat to flirt with a random person in her contacts (Sorry to whoever ‘very old ice cube’ was in her phone, they seemed very flustered from the screenshots you received, another thing you were excited about but didn’t comment on). After all those dares you finally received the first truth proposition of the evening

Y/n🍦:

Truth or dare?

Nat🔪:

I think I’ve had enough of your

Unhinged dares.

Truth.

Y/n🍦:

You loved them-

Okay um…

Tell me something you’ve never told anyone before.

Nat didn’t respond for a while, whether she was thinking or busy you weren’t sure, you just watched as the typing bubble popped up and disappeared over and over again. You bit your thumbnail in anticipation. You thought it was an innocent enough question but the longer it took her to respond the more it felt like maybe such a simple question was more loaded than you’d anticipated

Maybe you should backtrack and ask another question…

Just as you were about to call off your previous message Nat’s response came through. It was shorter than you’d been expecting it to be after she’d taken so long.

Nat🔪:

I used to do Ballet… and there was a time when I guess I didn’t hate doing it even though I was forced to.

With a confession like that you have a feeling there’s more to it- most people were forced to do some kind of extracurricular in their youth, plenty of your coworkers were former band kids. You knew that a lot of the time though, those activities could lead to a lot of trauma, some underlying family trauma, some mommy issues, or ruined confidence but you don’t ask. It feels like she’s shared something deeply personal although it might not sound like it to most people.

And you’ll take anything new you can learn about her.

The more you learn about her the more you’re fascinated by her. Even the little crumbs of info she gives you- a film she watched the other night, her waffle topping preferences. You think if it were any other person you probably wouldn’t care that much.

But it’s Nat.

So you make a notes tab and you start keeping track of the little things she tells you about herself.

Because it’s Nat.

And fuck if that wasn’t the most obvious shit in the world.

You quickly shook your head and picked up your tea to take a sip, you weren’t going to let yourself think like that about someone you’ve never even met- and might never meet- you reminded yourself. You made a quiet noise of contemplation and shifted slightly on the couch before settling on a humorous response you hoped she understood as you acknowledging her loaded admission.

Y/n🍦:

Shit man, I used to do piano lessons

Nat sent back an unimpressed emoji and you barked out a laugh, having successfully eased whatever tension hung in the air- at least on your side.

Nat was a mystery that was slowly coming unraveled, a puzzle that revealed its pieces little by little. The more you learned about her the more you liked her.

You just wished you could really see her.

Pt.9

A/n: Y/n's personality is based on my shower thoughts~Starry

------

Taglist:

@marvelwomen-simp @cd-4848 @wandanatlov3r @rebeltombraider @ctrlamira @fxckmiup @aliherreraaa @natsxwife @la-douler-ne-finite-jamais @romanoffsgal @moistblobfish

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halfmoth-halfman · 6 months

Text

My MWIII Thoughts

I’ve finally taken the time to get all of my thoughts about the new campaign together and put them in a single post. There are no spoiler tags since the game is officially releasing today/tomorrow, but everything is under the cut with a warning. I have a lot of things to say here, so I’ve tried to organize it point by point. The points I think are most important are first, and I ask that you take the time to read through them. If you want to skip to the points about characters and that death, the beginning of those sections is marked with red, but be prepared to scroll.

I watched the custscenes, with gameplay, all the way through once and I’m not doing it again. I tried to go back to specific scenes to reference in this post, but even that was a lot for me, so if my timeline in here is a little screwy don't fault me too much.

If you just want my quick, overall thoughts: This campaign was two hours of egregiously incoherent, poorly written, shoddily thrown together military propaganda, even more than the cod games usually are, and your money would be much better spent donating to help Palestine - there are links to do so in this review, marked with green, as well as boycott information, and the same donations links are also provided on this shorter post if you want to go directly to them.

(There are spoilers below, and this is long. I'm not kidding. Do not click the readmore unless you are prepared to scroll.)

Military Propaganda/Islamophobia

I spoke about this some already here and here because I felt this was an important enough topic that deserved its own post.

Call of Duty has never been has never been the game where I expected to see proper representation of the Middle East or Middle Eastern politics. It is first and foremost military propaganda. More than that it is American military propaganda. Just like with every superhero and pro-military movie post-9/11, it should be expected that you’re not going to get any kind of meaningful insight or depth when it comes to Middle Eastern storylines and characters, but there is usually more of an effort to hide the Middle East = Terrorist subtext.

To say I was shocked at how overt and blatant the Islamophobia was in this game is an understatement. We get four deaths of named characters in this game. Two of whom are Middle Eastern women, Dena and Samara, from the country Urzikstan, the fictional combination of Syria and Afghanistan and home to terrorist group Al-Qatala (real subtle, right?). Both of these women are associated with the ULF, the Urzikstan Liberation Force, Farah’s group of freedom fighters whose goal is to free their country from foreign subjugation with Samara no longer being an active member. Both of these women are introduced in this game. Both of these women are minor characters. Both of these women, Samara in particular, are trying to live their lives peacefully now that their country has been freed.

Both of these women are given deaths more brutal and more shocking than the other two deaths of two main characters in the series.

We meet Dena at the beginning of the game when we’re first re-introduced to Alex and Farah. We see her have a heartfelt reunion with Farah, and the two have a conversation while driving where Dena expresses her concerns about wanting Urzikstan to remain peaceful but assures Farah that everyone will support her. After, Dena is suddenly shot in the chest, and Farah is forced to take control of the vehicle they’re in, which ultimately flips over and we get Farah’s first death fakeout.

It’s in this cutscene that we see a lingering shot on Dena as well as her corpse being thrashed in the car as Farah tries to take control and as it flips. We are given a Middle Eastern woman showing hope for her country that the peace she has fought for will be maintained only to then watch her die for shock value and a fakeout for another character, and watch her body fly across the car as it flips. We don’t get that with either of the other two gunshot deaths in this game. Soap’s is just as sudden, but we see it coming, and there are no shots of his body being thrown about, no closer views of his face like there are with Dena. Shepherd’s is entirely off-screen and all we’re left with is a shot of him lying face down on his desk - no blood or bullet wound in sight.

Notably, the only other person we see a comparable amount of blood on in this game is Makarov, the enemy of the series.

Samara, who gets the worst death in this game, in my opinion, is a retired ULF soldier we’re introduced to on a plane. I’ll start by saying I was under the assumption this may have been the reboot replacement for No Russian, the mission in which Makarov and Co. shot up Zakhaev International Airport to frame America for terrorism in the original series, and the mission that was teased after the credits in the MW2 reboot. We get the scene of Makarov and his men at the airport before boarding the plane, which could just be a nod to the original mission. However, until there is an official reboot of the No Russian mission, I’m going to assume this was Activision’s new take on it.

In this mission, we learn that Makarov plans to use this plane bombing to frame Urzikstan, Farah and the ULF specifically. The thing is, as Big Mak and friends are in the airport preparing to board, we are shown that the ULF is already being blamed for the missile attack on Arklov Military Base from the previous mission where their missiles were stolen, capped with Konni’s chemical gas, and one was detonated. There’s even a news sequence showing that the world already thinks of the ULF as a terrorist organization, and has not-so-quietly thought that for years. That makes this upcoming scene feel not only unnecessary but like a deliberate choice made by Activision to be extra cruel to a Middle Eastern character.

We see Samara text with her family and are shown a picture of her husband and children before the man next to her begins speaking to her in Arabic. He compliments her family and, I assume as we’re not directly shown, gets the No Russian text - a text, for those who have not played the original games, meaning to not speak Russian to not tie the terrorist act they’re about to commit back to the Russians. The Traveler, as he's called, then reveals that he knows who she is, knows her family, and knows that she is a former ULF soldier and fought the Russians. He then pulls a gun on her and Makarov and Konni take the plane hostage, purposely speaking Arabic and declaring this is for Urzikstan.

We are then forced to watch as Samara fights back, but is ultimately taken to Makarov where a bomb is strapped to her chest. He gives his usual cryptic speech, and over-explains to the audience what’s happening before diving out of the plane D.B. Cooper style.

Samara is then dragged to the back of the plane by a Hijacker, where the remaining passengers are, kicking and fighting and trying to reason with him to stop. He pauses and we then get this exchange:

Hijacker: Are you a terrorist?

Samara: No…

Hijacker: You look like one.

He then puts a gun in her hands, tosses the cellphone that will let her stop the bomb, and shoves her into a crowd where we have to watch her struggle to explain what’s happening to her and that she needs the phone to a crowd of people that are either afraid of or angry with her. She is shoved to the ground by a random man, forced to fight through people trying to tackle and beat her, and, when the phone is finally within reach in the hands of a scared passenger, the plane blows up.

I want to emphasize that most of this is a cutscene. There are a few button presses for the player to try and get the phone, and you are allowed to look around and try to fight back, but that is quickly stopped, and you are forced to sit and watch through Samara’s perspective. The end result? There’s an investigation for who may have done this, and you play as Farah collecting evidence from the crash site so Makarov can’t frame the ULF. The mission succeeds, because it’s a story mission and it has to, Makarov is unable to control the narrative so people can only suspect the ULF did it but can’t prove it, and Samara…died for nothing. All of that was so people could suspect the ULF was a terrorist organization, which the game has previously gone out of its way to establish was already happening before Makarov got on that flight. This entire sequence and the mission after added nothing to the storyline other than the brutal forcing of a Middle Eastern woman to hijack a plane 9/11 style and die a death worse than two of the series’s main characters.

Two side characters, two Middle Eastern women who have never existed before this game, are put in this game solely to die in ways where their deaths are more emphasized and graphic than a character we’ve played as since the series began, and one of the main villains.

There is a genocide happening in Palestine. Islamophobia in the United States, and the West as a whole, is rising to post-9/11 heights. There is already so much propaganda being spread in an attempt to dehumanize the men, women, and children who are being murdered by Israeli forces, to justify the actions - the war crimes - of the Israeli forces. Could this be a sloppy attempt at Activision trying to mirror real-life stereotypes and how quick the media is to jump to the Arab = Bad narrative? Possibly. I don’t think it is. I think this was a deliberate change from the original No Russian mission in which America is framed for terrorism, made by an American company that makes games meant to garner interest and support in the American military, during a time when the American government is being criticized for funding and aiding an ethnic cleansing.

As slapped together as this game was, I don’t believe they couldn’t have changed the campaign in the time since the situation in Palestine escalated to this level. I firmly believe it was a purposeful choice to write that scene, to film that scene, to keep that scene.

It is blatant, it is clear, it is as in-your-face as it can possibly be. It is not something this fandom gets to ignore because they don’t like the campaign. It is not something this fandom gets to overshadow with Soap’s death as poorly written as it was. It is not something this fandom gets to stay silent about while also posting about #freepalestine.

I have never expected the best when it comes to Islamophobia from the Call of Duty games or its fandom. I’ve never expected anything beyond mildly okay. Call of Duty is military propaganda, I know. The fandom is known for its racism and it’s not getting better, I know that especially. But I don’t see how anyone, in the times we’re living in right now, would be able to look at this and not acknowledge it for what it is.

It is the purposeful brutalization of Middle Eastern characters.

It is propaganda.

It is racism.

It is Islamophobia.

It is wrong.

Engaging Critically/Acknowledging Privilege

While I may be stepping back from the CoD fandom, I understand that not everyone is going to. For some people, these games are a comfort or an escape. I’m not here to call for a boycott of Call of Duty or Activision while there are more important boycotts to be focusing on - and you can find more info on them here & here.

What I am asking, particularly of those of us in the fandom that are not being directly affected by what’s happening in Palestine, is that there is more acknowledgment of the level of privilege that we have and that people learn to engage more critically with the media they consume.

It is a privilege to play a game like Call of Duty and not have to think about the propaganda. It is a privilege (and ignorant) to say “it’s not political”, “it’s just pixels”, or “it’s not real”. It is a privilege to be able to just turn the game off and never have to think about war, and the impact of the representation of the characters, and the real-life events that these games base themselves on. And this isn’t just a CoD issue, this is something that should be considered with every piece of media you engage with.

There is no such thing as a “politics-free” book/movie/game/show. Everything carries the biases - conscious or subconscious - of the person or people who created it. There is no such thing as media or fiction not having an effect on real life, especially in a fandom for what is essentially War Crimes: The Game.

I’m going to take a quote from this post by @yeyinde.

"It’s incredibly egregious to pretend that the media you consume isn’t based, in some part, on real life or has no repercussions outside of it just being fiction. And it’s especially dishonest to say this isn’t the case within the COD fandom when people have said that the erasure of Gaz from the fandom in favour of a white character is traumatising. The portrayal of the Middle East is traumatising. The portrayal of Makarov in fiction as an uwu-sympathetic babbie is traumatising. The portrayal of the military as heroes is traumatising. These are real people expressing real emotions and bringing up important matters that impact them long after they’ve logged out of tumblr. Just because they stop being relevant to you after that does not, and SHOULD NOT, matter. Their trauma, their feelings, and their interpretations shouldn’t be ignored in favour of some catch-all excuse to limit your responsibility as a consumer to think critically about the media you’re devouring just because it has no consequences for you."

Fiction mirrors real life whether you want to admit it or not. It shows real biases, and it affects real people. Participating in fiction and the surrounding culture does not magically absolve you of consequences. It does not suddenly mean you get a free pass at things like sexism, racism, ableism, colorism, romanticization of abuse and sexual assault, etc. just because your escapist fantasies are conveniently free of people who are different from you.

It may be your fiction, but it is someone else’s non-fiction, and you do not get to decide that it isn’t or that the impact doesn’t matter because it’s about fictional characters.

I'm going to link another post from @yeyinde with another quote here.

"It’s easy to get swept up into something when you have no tangible ties to the effects of what’s being portrayed, which can lead to making dismissive or hurtful statements out of pure ignorance. My biggest gripe was the excuses being laundered out and (either unintentionally or intentionally) giving the creators a pass for what they created and the harm they caused other people to experience. Just because they did not experience the same trauma, it does not diminish its impact on others. This is a very important distinction, which I think was being missed."

Does this mean you can’t ever write or read about traumatic things, or that you can’t enjoy the CoD games ever again? No.

But I need you all to understand that you can criticize the media you enjoy. You should criticize the media you enjoy. Criticism does not mean never letting yourself enjoy a piece of media again. Criticism does not mean trying to get a character or creator “cancelled”. Criticism does not automatically equal hate.

Criticism is an act of love, and it is necessary when deconstructing and confronting biases - both yours and other people's.

Resources To Support Palestine

The lovely @moondirti provided some organizations where you can donate to support the humanitarian aid in Gaza with the note:

It's important to acknowledge that, while limited aid is being allowed through, recent negotiations have allowed your charity to reach the people of Palestine.

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS

PALESTINE CHILDREN RELIEF FUND

UNITED MISSION FOR RELIEF – PALESTINE EMERGENCY

ANERA

Onto the actual game.

The 141

I don't know what happened during development between this game and MW2, but the relationship between the members of the 141 is severely lacking. We get the usual Soap and Ghost banter for one mission, because, let’s be real, that's what got a lot of people into the last game, but that's about it? There’s nothing new, nothing added to their relationships, and the game sticks to the same duos (Ghost/Soap & Price/Gaz) that we’ve had for the past two games. Even Soap and Ghost’s banter during the attack on Milena’s private island doesn’t have the same impact on the characters as their banter during the Alone mission in MW2. They get a few lines about Soap admiring Milena’s cars and Ghost taunting him about marrying an Oligarch, and…that’s it until the cutscene where they interrogate her.

There’s maybe a few quippy lines here and there, but overall the 141 gives off the same feeling as a group of semi-friendly co-workers that sometimes work on the same project rather than an actual team that has shed blood, sweat, and tears with each other.

This would’ve been such a great time to explore deeper into the team dynamics, show us pairings we don’t get to see as often and build on those relationships, make us really feel for these characters on a personal level. In the original series, you got a feel for every character and their team dynamics, and the player felt the impact of each death as they watched the other characters react (something I’ll talk about later). With this game, we get…what? Four men that desperately need a lozenge throwing a few sassy one-liners at each other and giving each other a harsh pat on the back like a bunch of dads at a barbecue?

I feel like so much of the heavy labor regarding the 141 in the reboot is done through fanfiction at this point because this game especially gives us barely anything to go on, and that’s such a missed opportunity on Activision’s part considering how so much of MW2’s popularity came from the relationship built between Soap and Ghost. It all just feels so hollow and surface-level; there’s no depth here, no attempt to build a connection from the player to this group as a team. In my opinion, Activision relies too heavily on the older fanbase’s connection to the original series, and the newer fanbase’s self-created characterizations, to fill in the blanks so they can leave these characters as empty and vanilla as possible in order to appeal to a broader audience.

And they’ve still somehow managed to fail at that. Speaking of failing...

Graves and Shepherd

Graves should’ve died in that fucking tank, and I will stand by that opinion even after I die. It was such a cop-out to have him live, and for him to suddenly come back with the excuse, “Well, I wasn’t in that tank, blah, blah, blah.”

This is supposed to be a game series where characters die and stay dead. The characters die. Some die heroically, some die horrifically, some die quickly, some die painfully slow, most die bloody, but they die. It’s a staple of the series, like Game of Thrones pre-season 5. I don’t know if Activision didn’t know what to do with his character, or if they realized he was semi-popular with the fans and decided to magically bring him back via deus ex remote-controlled tank, or if they were trying to “subvert expectations” and give us all a little surprise plot twist, but it sucked.

Also, no one checked the tank for a body? That seems to be something everyone has a problem doing in these games, and I don’t know what Activision thinks that does for the 141, but what it does do is make these elite military officials look incompetent as hell because their “dead” enemies keep coming back.

There was nothing different that Graves did in this game from what he did in the previous game. We get the same air support mission from him that we got last game, and really that’s it. Okay sure, he’s working with Farah now, that’s a little different, but what did he do in that mission? Give her vague instructions on where to find some GPS trackers and then give her more vague instructions on where to find the missile containers to slap the trackers on? He could’ve easily been replaced with one of Farah’s people who scouted ahead, or Alex, or a decorative cowboy hat, and the mission would have gone the exact same.

Other than that he spends the entire game hiding behind Shepherd like a scared child up until the end when he ultimately turns on Shepherd, and even that felt so blah. He faces no consequences for his (racist) actions in Las Almas other than Gaz refusing to shake his hand, he faces no consequences for betraying the 141, going so far as to lie that it even happened in front of Congress, and he gets off completely free as far as we know. There was no point to his character, no point to bringing him back, no point to him being in this game at all, and if I find the Activision employee who decided to keep him alive I will be throwing hands expeditiously.

Shepherd was…there, I guess? I’m sure he was meant to be a menacing, sly, back-stabbing character, but he came off as more irritating than anything. His rescue mission felt akin to being forced to babysit your annoying younger sibling who questions everything you do. They give you a cute little nod to the OG series with his cutscene with the 141 in the snow (because Activision has to rely on nostalgia and easter eggs since they know this game is emptier than the promises of an absentee father), but most of it is spent with Shepherd preaching about how great he is and threatening the 141 like he’s been doing the entire game. I’m sure he’s supposed to come off as clever, outsmarting the 141 and tricking them into rescuing him - this big, bad, battle-hardened General - but all of that is undercut by him getting captured to begin with.

The General Shepherd in the original series killed two of the player characters. How am I supposed to be intimidated by this nagging grandpa briskly jogging through the snow behind me in his ugly pajama jumpsuit? Even his ending is lackluster. He’s outwitted in front of Congress by Graves of all people, and then we get a cutscene where Price shoots him off-screen. That’s it. There was no satisfaction like in the original series, no triumph, no sense of vengeance, only a tired feeling of thank god I don’t have to deal with this anymore. This constant attempt at build-up in this reboot series of Shepherd being this looming figure over the 141 ends not with a bang, and not even with a whimper.

Makarov

I’m going to start this off by saying I mean absolutely no hate to Julian Kostov, Makarov’s actor, he definitely did his job.

Unfortunately, that job was playing a random Russian man that happened to have the same name as the Vladimir Makarov from the original series. He’s literally just a dude. There’s nothing particularly menacing about him, nothing that really screams Leader of an Ultranationalist group, nothing that would set him apart in a line-up of kind-of-gruff white men. I wasn’t expecting him to be some over-the-top supervillain, but he feels too normal, too regular, too everyday. Maybe that was the point Activision was trying to make - that having a villain with too-sharp features, eyebrows with in-your-face arches, and two-toned eyes is realistically too much - but it feels like they leaned too far in the opposite direction to compensate.

How am I supposed to take Makarov seriously when they gave him such big, brown, babygirl eyes? Though I realize this may be a character model issue because everyone in this game seemed to have huge doe eyes at one point or another (looking directly at you and those unblinking baby blues, Soap).

The first time we get a proper cutscene with Makarov, he shoots one of his own men – one who had questioned his plan in the rescue mission – and he gives some passionate Make Russia Great Again speech that involves a lot of big gestures, promises of showing the world “true power”, and him being weirdly touchy with one of his men. It’s not a bad scene, and I think Julian really shines here as Makarov. It’s a little in-your-face for me, but overall not a bad introduction to what is supposed to be the overarching big bad for the rest of the series. It gives you a good enough sense of danger, and just enough worry for the main crew as they get ready to go up against this guy.

Unfortunately, the rest of the game doesn’t really follow through on that. Makarov spends more time monologuing, asking his men “philosophical” questions about prisoners and guards, and cryptically foreshadowing at the 141 than he does doing…anything. We are told about all of the bad deeds he’s done. We are told how evil he is. We are told that Makarov needs to be stopped at all costs. The only problem is, we aren’t shown any of that. We see the aftermath of Verdansk, a distant explosion after Makarov has been captured, but we never see Makarov do any of that. When we do get to see Makarov, his men are doing all of the dirty work while he stands around and looks evil. It’s his men fighting and killing guards to get him out of prison, his men attacking Farah and her soldiers, his men launching missiles topped with biochemicals, his men forcing Samara to blow up a plane, his men guarding Milena and his finances. The most he does during any of these scenes is order his men around and give evil villain speeches to give the audience exposition about why he’s doing all this.

We probably see more of Makarov’s shirtless Tinder pic than we see him in action.

In the original series, we see Makarov being at the forefront of his movement, unafraid to get his hands dirty. He is part of the group that commits the massacre/terrorist attack on Zakhaev International Airport, he kills the two FSO agents protecting President Vorshevsky, he’s the one who shoots and kills Yuri, and that’s only part of what we see in-game. Sure, we’re told about his other crimes, but we’re shown enough to back up the claims that he is evil. In this game, he kills two people himself, one of them being his own soldier that I mentioned earlier, and the other being Soap (and we’ll get to that later). Two extremely lackluster deaths that are over before you get the chance to really digest them. Maybe he kills more people during the intro mission when you rescue him, but it’s during gameplay and easily missed when you’re too busy trying to fight your way out of this Arkham-esque prison. I think I could look past it if he wasn’t also present during some of the scenes where his men are carrying out his atrocities for him, but instead, Activision chose to have him in the background standing there…menacingly.

I don’t want to say Makarov was a bad villain; he was certainly better than Shepherd and Graves. I just think Activision made very strange choices with his character that resulted in him becoming this weird mishmash of an average monologuing movie villain and the micromanaging boss that stands over your shoulder, and it took a lot of the “oomph” out of his character for me.

Soap's Death

I hope whoever made this decision at Activision has to live the rest of their life constantly feeling like they have to sneeze and are never able to. What the fuck happened here? In what world did Soap’s death make any kind of sense here? This felt like they knew fans were expecting someone to die (and they already retconned the yeehaw war criminal) so they put a bunch of names in a hat and had some poor unpaid intern pick one out.

I have not been quiet about how much death I wanted in this game. I expected at least two deaths, with one of them preferably being Price. Going into this I was prepared to lose characters, and I was prepared to lose them to a heroic sacrifice, to an exhaustingly epic gunfight, to an explosion in a clocktower, to literally anything, but I was not prepared to lose a character to bad writing. And that’s what Soap’s death was. There is no build-up to it throughout the game other than a cryptic, “I’ll see you again, MacTavish.” from Makarov in a flashback scene. There’s no exploration of Soap’s character arc, his background, his family. There’s nothing.

Price and Soap try to defuse a bomb, Makarov shows up and his men overpower them, Makarov goes for the kill on Price, and instead shoots Soap when Soap tries to stop him. The entire cutscene can be summed up as A Series Of Conveniences. Makarov conveniently gets to Soap and Price just as they’re about to defuse the bomb, the officers they have with them are conveniently incompetent to stop any of Makarov’s men, Makarov’s men conveniently don’t notice Soap getting up to stop him from shooting Price, Ghost and Gaz are conveniently one second too late save Soap, and a train conveniently passes by to let Makarov make his escape. It’s over in less than a minute, and there’s little to no reaction from the surviving 141 members before the game starts shoving in your face that there’s a bomb you have to defuse that has conveniently not gone off yet and was conveniently missed in all of the gunfire.

Aside from the bullshit way it happened, the most disappointing thing here was the cutting of Soap’s arc and the lack of reaction from Price, Ghost, and Gaz. There was no growth for Soap in this game, no building of his story that would make his death feel like a satisfying conclusion. We just got the same Soap we’ve had in the rest of the series, and then he was gone. And the fact that we got absolutely nothing from the team in that moment was so…frustrating. Yeah, Ghost kneels by his body, and gives a brief, “Johnny!” but that’s…it? Price says nothing. Gaz rushes to the bomb and says nothing. After that moment in the cutscene, Ghost says and does nothing. There’s not even a hitch in their voices as they finish disarming the bomb. In Soap’s original death, we got Price screaming and begging over his body. We got to see his grief and pain and hurt at losing someone so close to him. Here we get…them standing over the body, a cut to black, and then a funeral cutscene that doesn’t feel earned full of commiserations that feel empty, hollow, and generic.

Maybe I’m too nostalgic for the Captain MacTavish we had in the original series, and the death they gave him that was impactful enough that people still talk about it to this day. Maybe there’s something meaningful here that I’m not seeing. Or maybe Activision can’t write for shit and rushed Soap’s death without a care just like they rushed this game as a quick cash grab to ride the hype of MW2.

Whatever the reason, these characters deserved far better.

Soap deserved better.

And I deserved to see a rebooted Captain MacTavish.

Gameplay

This section is going to be short because I didn’t spend money on this game to actually play it, I only watched gameplay. The general consensus seems to be that this game is nothing but glorified DMZ, and I can’t disagree with that. Supposedly, at least two of the campaign settings were ripped straight from Warzone, the Gulag and Verdansk Stadium, and I think that really shows how much of this game was slapped together because Activision wanted to hurry to release so they could capitalize off the CoD hype as much as possible. The combat is the same in every mission, the air support mission is as boring as ever, the NPC AI is all over the place, and the character models constantly shift from being really good to mobile game bad within the same cutscene.

I’m not saying I could do better, but I don’t think I could do worse. You can take that however you’d like.

The Writing/Storyline

Starting off, I’m going to say this with my whole chest:

Main story content should be in the main story, and not in optional or additional content.

Look, I don’t mind an easter egg here and there in DLC. I don’t mind the mention of a big bad in an extra, paid quest to build up hype. What I do mind is when the understanding of the main storyline of your game is dependent on things that happen in content that players are required to complete outside of the main game.

Do you know how we found out Alex was alive? An optional Raid.

Do you know how we learned Graves was a little bitch and wasn’t in the tank? An optional Raid.

Do you know how we–

You get my point. These kinds of reveals should have been in the main storyline because they pertain to the main storyline. Otherwise, you have people reacting with confusion because the main campaign was all they played, and they were left under the assumption that Alex may or may not be dead, that Graves burned in that tank in Las Almas, that Farah’s brother (Remember him? Activision doesn’t.) was alive and out there somewhere, etc, etc. It feels like they’re trying to do what Marvel does when they interweave their cinematic universe with their television shows: leave references to things only the more committed audience - the audience who will watch every show, play every game, see every movie, buy every DLC - would understand while punishing everyone else. It feels lazy on Activision’s end, and cheapens any kind of suspense they may leave us with going forward.

I wouldn’t even be surprised to see something like “Oh, Soap died and Makarov escaped at the end of the main campaign? Just kidding! They revealed in the newest Raid that Soap actually survived, and Makarov got hit by that train at the end.”

Outside of that, the whole storyline just feels unnecessary. This whole game feels unnecessary. I know there are rumors that this was meant to be a DLC for MW2 that got extended into a full game because Activision wanted more money, and if I didn’t already believe that, the writing would confirm it for me. Nothing feels fleshed out. Not the story, not the plot, not the characters. It all feels very surface-level and shallow, like more of the exact same thing we got in the last game, but somehow worse. The banter between the 141 is just not there, the tell don’t show when it comes to Makarov, the rapid POV switching, it all feels so thrown together, so last minute, like the writers had no idea what they wanted to do up until release.

One thing that really bothered me was the constant death fakeouts. It felt like every mission something awful would happen and one character would be left with their fate unknown in a dramatic cut to black as a cheap way to build suspense…only for that suspense to be immediately undercut by showing them alive in the very next cutscene. This happens with Farah (twice), Price, Alex (partially, there’s no cut to black, but there is a fakeout that he has been captured), and Laswell all within the first half of the game. At some point, it starts to get irritating and kills any and all suspense going forward. I was spoiled on Soap’s death, I knew it was coming before I watched the cutscenes, but by the time I got there, I was almost expecting Soap to show up in the next sequence without a scratch on him. Up until that point, I had stopped caring when characters were in danger because the writing led me to believe everyone was safe. There’s a way to build suspense, and every writer understands that, a majority of the time, less is more, so I don’t get how this went so unbelievably wrong.

The characterization is also so weirdly off. In what world would John “Somebody has to make the enemy scared of the dark. We get dirty, and the world stays clean.” Price not immediately take a kill shot when he has Makarov in custody? Soap was ready to kill every person he talked to in this game, so why did he let Makarov live? Why would Gaz advocate for giving Shepherd a gun after his multiple betrayals that he shows no remorse for? Why would Farah continue to begrudgingly work with Graves after learning about Las Almas? Why is Makarov over-explaining his plans to his victims?

I’m not saying I expect Shakespeare-level writing from a Call of Duty game, but I expect something better than whatever this is.

I don’t know who Activision hired for their writing team, but there are so many instances here where I almost have to believe that they may not have hired one at all.

Overall Thoughts

I wish I had a time machine so I could go back to who I was before I watched this campaign. This whole game was nothing but a DLC lazily stretched to two hours with assets taken from other games and a storyline that was slapped together using blindfolds, a dartboard, and too much alcohol. Please do not use your money to buy this game. Your money would be much better spent donating to help Palestine.

#moth talks #game got me so heated i'm using proper grammar and punctuation and shit #call of duty #modern warfare #call of duty modern warfare #modern warfare 3 #modern warfare iii #call of duty mw3 #call of duty mwiii #cod mwiii #tw: racism #tw: islamophobia

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crazyk-imagine · 8 months

Text

Gym Crush

Pairing: Benny Miller x Gym crush!reader

Characters: Benny Miller, William "Ironhead" Miller, Francisco "Catfish" "Frankie" Morales, Santiago "Pope" Garcia, Gym Crush!reader, Samantha (reader's friend)

Warnings: Fluff, cursing (briefly), gym, gym things, reader is a trainer and trains with her friend, I'm sad, I know gym things because of work, Benny is like horny but also not, Frankie is a tired old man, Santi a big flirty hoe, I feel like Will feels like he has no personality :(

Word Count: 1,959

A/N: Not gonna lie, while writing this... I had a thought. This is the first part of the non-official series/ universe for the TF boys called (in my mind) "Gym World"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The boys, Will, Santiago, and Frankie have always known when something’s up with the baby of the bunch. It’s hard not to.

It consumes him until he barely has anything left to offer. That’s why they knew this was something different.

Instead of running to the woman (he deems to be the woman of his dreams) he, instead, runs from her. Or, in better words, avoids her entirely.

Ever since they came home after their last mission, they’ve been living their lives the way they want to… or at least Frankie and Santiago are.

Will is slowly working a little more on himself, not wanting to scare off anyone else in his life like he did with his ex-fiancée.

And now, Benny’s life mainly consists of working out, preparing for his fights while working at his annoying side job as a convenient store clerk.

Today was no different for him, train and then go out for a celebratory drink.

Usually with the way he acts when he sees you, none of the guys want to come with him anymore and it makes sense since he’ll either stare while you work out and he thinks you don’t notice (you do) or glance in your direction and check to see if you’re getting closer, wanting to try and ask you out (never happens).

Will shakes his head, “you’re shameless.”

Benny hangs from the pull bar, smirking at his brother. “Better to be shameless.”

“Then?” Frankie chimes, finding himself intrigued.

“Nothing, just better to be shameless.”

"He's back." You move your headphones over your ear to hear your friend, Samantha better. "What'd you say?"

She purses her lips, "you know exactly what I said."

You smirk, "no I don't."

She groans and throws her head back. "Why are you like this?"

"Like what?"

"Next is the rower."

Your cheeky attitude quickly falls from your face.

Samantha points at your fallen expression and starts laughing.

Benny hides his humor when he sees you stomping over towards the rower.

You pout, strapping your feet in, “I hate this!”

She smirks, “I know! But we’re gonna do,” Samantha pauses, thinking about how bad she should torture you. “Three reps for five minutes with wall sits as your forty second break.”

Your eyes widen at her words. “No.” You shake your head, “nuh uh. No way.” You start to remove the straps.

“I have four back-to-back clients in an hour, and I need to be able to crawl and not walk.”

He drops down from the bar, wiping himself dry with the towel he keeps nearby (curtesy of Will).

Frankie nods to the older Miller, “you go get him, I’ll deal with Benny.”

Will sighs and runs after Santiago who’s trying to flirt with some of the other girls around. They’re not going for it, and he doesn’t want to have to talk to another security guard because his friends an idiot.

The younger Miller takes a step forward only to be stopped. “Ben, your fights in three hours we need to go.”

“I-” he sighs, glancing back at you. “Yeah, alright. Let’s go.”

The next couple of days are quiet and you don't see much of “your” mystery guy, it makes you a little sad to be honest.

And then, there he is, as if he was reading your mind, he shows up with the other guys he’s almost always with.

"Guess who's back to cure you of your depression?"

You roll your eyes and shake your head, shoving Samantha away from you. “Stop it.”

She chuckles as you head out of the employee office, grabbing your phone on the way out. “I’m going to work out while I wait for my next client to arrive.”

She nods before heading out.

‘Maybe today’s the day.’ You can feel his eyes on you. You continue to think about what to do while stretching. You catch his gaze in the mirror and a decision’s been made.

Santiago smacks Frankie’s shoulder when he sees you coming closer. “What?”

The latter turns, “oh shit.”

“What’s going on with you two?” Will asks, glancing between the two of them, waiting for an answer.

Santiago points to the space in front of Benny.

He doesn’t see you there at first, focusing on finishing his last set before getting off the machine he was using. “Oh shi-”

You chuckle, crossing your arms. “Hey, there.”

“Hey.”

“I noticed you’ve been staring at me for a bit. You got something you want to say?”

If he were a cartoon, his eyes would be as wide as his head followed by a nosebleed. “It’s- it’s not like that.”

“Then what’s it like?” You cross your arms. “I’m thinking you’re planning something hinky and quite frankly it worries me-”

His eyes widen even more. “No, no. I mean- I just- I didn’t mean to…” He pauses when he sees the way you try to hide your laughter. “Oh, you’re messing with me. Awesome.”

“Sorry, it was just too easy not to. But seriously, about the staring. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, sorry. I- you’re really,” he gulps, “good.”

You raise a brow.

“I’m just saying, I don’t normally see people pushing themselves as hard as you do… or when your friend does.”

You chuckle, “that’s true. But it’s not really anything worth admiring, it’s your average trainer workout”

“Well, I can tell you that you do a damn good job. I’m impressed.”

“Well, consider me flattered. A handsome guy like yourself, commenting on my workouts, kind of makes a girl want to ask said guy for his number and make him her workout partner.”

He glances behind him before pointing at himself, earning a nod from you. “You’re serious?”

“I don’t joke about these kinds of things,” you pull yourself up on the pullup bar, something you’ve noticed he goes on more than anything here. “Which is something you’ll learn about, the more we talk.”

He’s never pulled his phone out of his pocket faster than he did right now. “You want to hand me your phone?”

“You’re gonna do this one handed?”

“No, I just wanted to try and impress you.” You jump down and smile at him.

He is more than willing to offer his phone to you. “I sent a text to my phone so now you have my number.”

“Great.”

“If I don’t hear from you before nine tonight, I can’t promise I’ll be as speedy with my responses.”

“So, I should text you now?” He jokes.

You shrug, “whatever you think is the smartest decision.”

The dopey smile on his face never leaves even after Santiago starts teasing him again. “Wow, I never thought you’d ever talk to her and look at you, you didn’t burst into a puddle of desperation.”

“Can I hit him?”

“No,” Will shakes his head, “you can’t, Ben. You know that.”

“She’s coming back.”

“What?” He whips around and almost bumps into you. “Hey, you’re back.”

“I am. I’m impatient and I want to go out with you.”

He owlishly blinks, trying to get his brain to move faster so he can understand. “Really?”

“Yeah. My friend would say I’m acting desperate and insane for asking the weird guy with a staring problem out.”

He scratches the back of his head, “you guys caught that, huh?”

You pinch your fingers together. “Little bit.”

“And you still want to go out with me?”

“Don’t read too much into it. Text me when you’re done here and when you’re free later.”

You turn around and walk away, leaving the Miller, Santiago, and Frankie speechless.

“I never thought I’d say this this,” Santiago pats the younger Miller’s shoulder. “Can you teach me how you- show me your ways, wise one.”

Benny shrugs him off, pushing him away from him. “Shut up.”

“Guess we’re done here?”

Frankie glances at Will. “What makes you say that?”

“He’s going home to shower and then call her so he can finally go out with her.”

Santiago shrugs, “I mean, I guess.”

“He’s right. If you two aren’t done, you’re on your own.” Benny throws his bag over his shoulder. “Come on, Will.”

You hit the call button, “Sammy!”

“What?”

“I did it.”

“I know you did; I was there.”

“I don’t know what outfit to pick you bitch.”

“How do you even know he’s going to call? Stupid question, I know. Moving on. Do you want to look slutty or a little conservative?”

“What makes me look better? Slutty or not slutty?”

“Where’s he taking you?”

“I don’t know.”

“How am I supposed to help you pick an outfit when you don’t even know where you’re going. I’m hanging up.”

“Wait- no.” You groan and are about to toss your phone down onto your bed when you get a text from Benny.

Hot Gym Guy

‘Wear something comfortable I don’t know if I already told you where I plan on taking you it's not gonna be some anything too crazy’ 4:36pm Sent Read

You smile holding your phone just a little closer to you.

Eye Candy

‘It’s like you knew what I was thinking’ 4:38pm Sent Read

‘Makes sense seeing as you’ve been watching me over the last few months every time you were in the gym’ 4:38pm Sent Read

He chuckles hoping this is going to be a good start to the date. He’s happy he kicked Santiago and Frankie out of the house now and thankfully Will had other plans.

Now he's debating calling you to invite you over or take you out to a restaurant followed by you coming over, not for anything that would be normal for his past self (as the other guys would say).

Hot Gym Guy

‘Would you rather do something fun and casual at my place or something new and different at a restaurant?’ 4:41pm Sent Read

You don’t think he has an ulterior motive because you know that he’s being genuine and asking you so you’re not uncomfortable.

Eye Candy

‘Are you a good cook because if not I think should go to a restaurant’ 4:43pm Sent Read

‘Not to offend you, I’d like to not have food poisoning tonight’ 4:44pm Sent Read

‘We should*’ 4:45pm Sent Read

Hot Gym Guy

‘I could whip up something decent and if it’s not up to your standards then we can either go out to a restaurant or have something delivered’ 4:46pm Sent Read

‘It’s up to you.’ 4:46pm Sent Read

You shake your head, even though Sammy really thought that he was creepy; turns out he’s really the sweetest guy you've ever talked to.

Eye Candy

‘Send me your address and I’ll tell you in person’ 4:51pm Sent Read

You knock on the door and wait.

The door opens less than a minute later. “Hey.”

You smile. “Hey.”

“Have you,” he clears his throat. “Have you made a decision?”

“I hope you're as good a cook as you are handsome.”

“Oh, baby. You have no idea.”

And let’s just say the next time you guys went to the gym (together, of course) everyone you knew was thanking all the gods that you two finally got together, until they realized that your guy's fawning was going to be ten million times worse because you’re together.

"Another day of him staring at her," Frankie comments, watching you two.

"How long are we going to see this?" Will asks, working on his bicep curls.

“I don't want to see him drool again; I'm going over towards the smoothie bar." Santiago walks away.

“I don’t know but I think we need to go back and grab Santi before he does something stupid,” the ex-pilot tells the older Miller.

“For fucks sake,” Will grumbles, putting the weights back in its place. “Let’s go.”

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@casa-boiardi

#triple frontier imagine #triple frontier imagines #triple frontier fanfiction #triple frontier fanfic #triple frontier #benny miller imagines #benny miller imagine #benny miller fic #benny miller x reader #benny miller fanfic #benny miller fanfiction #benny miller x you #benny miller x female reader #benny miller x fem reader #benny miller x fem!reader #crazyk-imagine

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jodjuya · 1 month

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I'm officially a hater. Every Halo game since the very first one is full of bullshit.

My many problems with Halo 4, as I experience them:

FOUR VIDEO GAMES IN A SERIES! FOUR DIFFERENT CONTROLLER MAPPINGS!!! MICROSOFT WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU???

What is the compass needle even pointing to on 117's assault rifle? we're adrift in open space...

WHY ARE THERE MOTHERFUCKING QUICK TIME EVENTS IN THIS GAME? FUCK YOU!

"these Covenant seem more fanatical than the ones we've fought before" - how the fuck can you tell??

Why did they give Cortana baby-face and big tits?? Pick a direction, Microsoft!! She can be prepubescent or postpubescent but not both of them simultaneously!

Why am I supposed to feel any sort of emotional attachment to Cortana anyway? She's just a Microsoft Clippy with blue boobs stuck on 🙄

"I'm the only AI generated from a clone" I'm vibrating with rage at how goddamn stupid that is.

I THINK YOU LITERALLY HAVE MORE PRESSING PROBLEMS THAN RETURNING TO HALSEY TO FACTORY-RESET YOUR AI WAIFU, MASTER CHIEF! YOU ARE EVADING HOSTILE ALIEN FORCES ON A RANDOM PLANET GOD KNOWS WHERE! JUST GET A NEW AI WAIFU WHEN YOU GET HOME! FUCK

"[Unknown alien transmission]'s behaviour is odd!" - how the fuck do you know that Cortana??? This is your first time encountering this transmission, how do you know it's not supposed to be like that?

Maybe the reason all these aliens are so hostile to you, Master Chief, is because the very first guy you saw you punched in the jaw and threw down an elevator shaft! Would it kill you to just try saying "hello" first?

Lmfao @ Cortana calling out the Chief for the exact same thing literally seconds later

"Requiem! At least we know where we are now!" - my guy you have no fucking idea where you are

WHY THE FUCK DOES HALO HAVE CINEMATIC 3RD-PERSON MELEE ATTACKS NOW?! JUST CLOBBER THE FUCKING GUY AND MOVE ON!

This is something I really disliked in Halo 3 too, but those invisible barriers that hard block you from taking vehicles indoors, even if you do manage to scrape them past the non-invisible barriers. Let me drive a Ghost indoors!

Why can't they maintain my weapon loadout on either side of a cutscene? Halo 3 handled this really well.

But here in Halo 4 I take my lovely SAW and my lovely Fuel-Rod Cannon into a cutscene and come back out of it with an assault rifle and pistol. 😒😒😒

• Seriously, why does Cortana have the face of a nine year old child and the body of a twenty-nine year old woman?! Am I taking fucking crazy pills here??

I can forgive video game developers being horny, but not when it's this gratuitously bullshit

(and the voice of a 59 year old woman, going by the game's opening cutscene of Dr Eugenics' interrogation lmao)

The new forerunner enemies are cool enough, but it really feels like they copied Borderlands' homework with their design.

Why is Cortana so blithely confident with all her info-dumping about these random alien creatures she's never seen before in her damn life? And why is master chief taking anything she says seriously when he knows she's going through AI-Alzheimer's???

The Didact is bullshit. Who the fuck is this guy? why does he call himself a "Forerunner" when that's 'our' word for them? and how does he indentify us as "human"? Also why's he so mad at us for freeing him? This is all so very stupid.

Wow. ANOTHER escape sequence involving driving fast through some exploding superstructure? Come on, Microsoft, it's all very well and good to rest on your laurels but this is just masturbating with them... I swear to you on my mother's life that having an original idea isn't nearly as painful as you seem to think it might be...

Even more being stripped of my good weapons and reset back to basic bitch assault rifle + handgun

"the greatest enemy ever faced by the forerunners: you" - bitch you've been extinct for like 100,000 years what the fuck are you even talking about???

"the Prometheans, they're human" what the fuck are you even talking about?? Who the fuck are the Prometheans??

Genesong, evolutionary acceleration, thousands of lifetimes' worth of planning? What in the flying fuck is all this nonsense? When and why did Halo become "What If Star Trek Was About Using The Power Of Friendship To Kill God"?!

Look, Microsoft, this shit isn't fucking rocket science. I shouldn't have to take an undergraduate degree in Halology to understand the fucking story of a video game. I shouldn't have to go read god knows how fucking many spin-off novels there are just to know basic facts about your game like who in the flying fuck are all these goddamn Elder God alien species you're name-dropping. I should just play the game and have knowledge of the game from playing the fucking game. Jesus fucking christ pull your head out of your arse and stop jerking yourself off and start making some goddamn sense!!

Why can this Space Orc Big Bad use The Force like Darth Vader anyhow??

Why is defeating Space Orc Big Bad a fucking quicktime event???

Lol get vaporised, idiot

Why was nuking his spaceship another quicktime event? Just make the whole thing a cutscene, christ 🙄

Master Chief finally makes it to The Waifu Dimension (via nuclear bomb?????) and his first thought is "how do I escape from here?" instead of "oh cool I can finally kiss my holographic waifu"

And now he's just, like, chilling out in orbit around earth, perfectly fine and unharmed?? after setting off a nuclear bomb in his lap with his own two hands?????

Hey, so why was I fighting digi-struct robots for the entire back-half of this game anyway? Isn't Halo supposed to be about fighting The Covenant and The Flood?? 😒

Also, didn't the Covenant have an internal schism/civil war last game?? Like, that was the whole plot of the whole game. Why are the Elites back in the Covenant again; are we just not going to bother with explaining that?

Holy fuck I hate this fucking game. Really glad I only paid seven bucks for it.

Things I liked about Halo 4:

It looks pretty

No more dual-wielding. Fun concept, sure, but it made the games' control scheme fucked to shit. Really felt like Bungie made all of the enemies into utterly gratuitous damage-sponges to compensate for MC's higher DPS too, and that sucked.

The weapon rebalancing, in general. The new Needler kicks ass.

No more dragging around a giant posse of allies with me everywhere. I feel like that was another big contributor to the enemies needing to be so heavily-buffed with sponginess.

Really glad the Brutes aren't in this game. Those guys were the fucking worst.

The items from Halo 3 were mostly useless and just served to clutter up the game. Forgot they were there most of the time, and kept activating them by accident when trying to reload. Glad to see they've been fucked off/heavily retooled. The new active-camo gadget is useful and fun without being overpowered; I really like how well they've balanced it. All of the other gadgets are fairly middling though.

The new machine gun is great! (SURE WOULD BE NICE IF I WAS ABLE TO KEEP IT FOR MORE THAN HALF OF ONE LEVEL THOUGH)

I laughed when I saw a grunt sprinting at my Ghost with a lit grenade in each hand. Some real Serious-Sam-type nonsense right there 😂

Stomping around in the Mantis mech was extremely fun

The sticky-bomb handgun was pretty fun.

Final verdict: Microwaved Slop.

I'll eat it if I'm hungry enough, but I won't enjoy it.

#Halo 4 #jodjuyas video game reviews

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thebroccolination · 1 year

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- WinTeam Supercut -

To support the series, watch Between Us on Studio Wabi Sabi's official playlist (free cut version), their membership channel (subscription-based uncut version), and iQiYi (subscription-based uncut version).

A while back, I decided to make a WinTeam supercut for myself, and I made a post talking about why. I enjoyed the series overall, but I think there were some aspects that really suffered from the editing decisions, so I'll go through how this edit will differ from the main series.

Couples: This cut only has WinTeam, WanTul, and DeanPharm, since ManaowPruk and BeePrince are unrelated to the main storyline. Flashbacks: I'm a devoted enemy of the flashback, especially when the scene we're flashing back to was fourteen seconds ago. Flashbacks are shorter or removed entirely. Music: I've found an AI tool that separates the vocal and music tracks so I can either isolate the dialogue completely and make the scene quiet or replace the music with something different. Subtitles: I adjusted these only to make them more readable with some native English nuances – I tried to keep them mostly intact because I don't speak Thai, so these are mostly linguistically cosmetic adjustments.

Example: Below is a clip from episode one of the supercut. First, I edited the initial audio when Team approaches Pharm. In the original, when Team walks up, his voice is just as loud both times he calls Pharm's name, but since the scene begins from Pharm's perspective, I wanted to help the transition to Team's perspective by putting a fade-in effect over his first "Pharm?" so it shows how disconnected Pharm feels until Team shows up and calls him back. Also in the original, after Team gets the call from Pharm, there's a long stretch of Pharm having a breakdown intercut with flashbacks to InKorn. I removed all of this as well as the original background music. While searching for a different instrumental track to use, I realized that I'd shortened the scene enough that I could extend the previous scene's instrumental from Until We Meet Again throughout Team and Pharm's scene as well. I cut just enough from the top of the scene that the music swells just as Pharm puts his head on Team's shoulder, emphasizing this sweet moment early in their friendship. To me, the UWMA music felt more thematic than the music in BU, since the scene is about DeanPharm. Like this, it's a fond callback to the original series where most of us were first introduced to these characters. And as a bonus, I was able to place the track just right so that the music gets softer when the camera pans to Win, switching our attention to his perspective right before the scene ends. And that's it! A few simple edits and we have all four characters covered by one of the most iconic tracks from the series that launched them all!

Note: This project is above all a labor of love. I don't want to take views away from the original series, so please support the official versions where you can.

Enjoy! \o/

Episode List **updated when time permits**

• Episode 1 • Episode 2 • Episode 3 • Episode 4 • Episode 5 • Episode 6 • Episode 7 • Episode 8 • Episode 9 • Episode 10 • Episode 11 • Episode 12

#between us the series #between us #winteam #teamwin #bounprem #premboun #boun noppanut #prem warut #winteam supercut #keycuts

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telomeke-bbs · 11 months

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OUR SKYY 2 x BAD BUDDY x A TALE OF THOUSAND STARS – INTO THE WOODS, AND WHO CAN TELL WHAT'S WAITING ON THE JOURNEY?

We're now at the halfway point of OS2xBBSxATOTS's four-episode arc, looking backward as much as forward. 😍

Because it's Khun Noppharnach in the director's seat, I think an uplifting ending for this little mini-series is a given (OS2 is ultimately a feelgood vehicle, after all). If he keeps to form he'll probably undercut it with something wistful and/or bittersweet at the end though (remembering how he closed off He's Coming to Me, Bad Buddy and Moonlight Chicken).

So with some reservation (caveat here: all predictions so far have been off the mark by varying degrees; you can never fully trust clues planted by Director Aof, as we all know) I think the following are likely:

There will be a play (I just don't know in what form); and

Tian will get Phupha down from Pha Pun Dao to meet his parents.

There are two tiny clips in the OS2 trailer that point to this.

The first, at timestamp 1.22, shows the red curtains opening and confirms in my mind that the play will have its premiere (unless this is from some OS2 eps that I didn't watch):

I'm not ruling out the possibility though that Tian will give in to Phupha and withdraw permission for Pran to use their story, because that would be a nice comment on how there should be limits around the way the BL industry packages and commodifies queer romances for public entertainment. But that might mean we get to see Korn in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, instead of a university version of ATOTS, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that! 😂

The episode slated for 7 June 2023 (I'm calling it Ep.3, though that may not be the official numbering) looks like it's going to be played around the "emotional growth in the wilderness" trope for both couples PatPran and PhuTian, with their struggles to find each other in the forest a metaphor for each couple's struggles to come together in agreement whenever conflict forces them apart, as they grow in their respective relationships.

PhuTian were arguing for most of Ep.2, and PatPran's mountain quest for signatures began in disagreement as well. So that's why they split up PatPran and PhuTian at the end of Ep.2 – it's going to be both a physical and figurative journey in Ep.3 to reunite these clashing personalities and move them to safer ground, both in Pha Pun Dao and within the context of their couplehoods. (And we the lucky viewers will get to see some of their relationship growth that wasn't in the original series. 😍)

Because of this, I'm convinced Phupha will relent and meet up with Tian's parents again. They're going to Bangkok for sure (or maybe Chiang Mai at least), since we see them in a clothing store (i.e., they're bound for an urban setting) at timestamp 0.27 of the trailer:

It looks like Tian and his mountain man have gone shopping for outfits to get prepped and presentable either for the stage premiere of their story at South Technology University, or for Phupha's meeting with Tian's parents as his official partner (or maybe both?). Though Phupha would have looked just as fine if they left him in his ranger uniform, in my opinion. 😍

As usual, nothing is confirmed so I'm not holding out too much hope that the above will actually materialize in said form. I'm also still sending out psychic entreaties to the universe for there to be a cameo from Director Aof and for Rang to appear. There's still time for these pleas to be heard! 😂💖

‌

#bad buddy #our skyy 2 #our skyy 2 x bad buddy #patpran #our skyy 2 x bad buddy x a tale of thousand stars #os2 x bbs x atots

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itsgoghtime · 16 days

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World in Color

Chapter VIII

Words : 2659

CW : good things. sad things. all the things. been waiting for the events of this chapter since I began the series and it took me a long time to finish because it hurts 🥺 - so buckle up, buttercup, it will hurt

taglist : @valmare @permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88 @horserad-ish

"Will, baby, did you buy celery at the grocery store?"

"I did, my love. It's probably buried in the right hand drawer underneath all the sticks of butter you pulled out of the freezer for rolls and pie crust."

Dinner preparation was in full swing at Pumpkin's house. Pots and pans were used, washed, then used again.

"I really hope I didn't burden Erin too much, the turkey and mashed potatoes are a big de-AL!" She squeaked as Will spun her around and lifted her to sit on the counter. "William! We don't have..."

His lips met hers softly, hands resting on her thighs before he responded. "You worry too much."

"She has stage four cancer. I'm worried."

"Erin is strong. She'll..." Will went quiet. Erin was strong, that much was true. But she had been declining so rapidly since she called that hot August afternoon that he couldn't deny the future possibilities.

Pumpkin held his face in her hands.

"She is strong. And we'll help her enjoy today as much as we can." Her kiss was light on his lips, and he moved to cut the celery for her stuffing mix as she slid off the counter, wiping it down.

Noticing his demeanor had dampened, she leaned against him.

"Hey."

Will turned to look at her, taking her hands in his and rubbing his thumbs along the backs of her fingers, she gave him a soft smile.

"It's gonna be a good day. She said she was feeling a little better today."

He leaned into the kiss she pressed on his cheek, turning back to the celery.

"Oh, and another thing..."

This time, as Will turned, his nose was covered in flour. Her giggles brought a smile to his face.

"Oh, you're going to get it." She barely missed his arms trying to sweep her up, running out of the kitchen.

"Don't try and run from me, you little trouble maker!" He laughed, trying to figure out how to corner her. She seemed to be able to read his every move, even while her eyes were practically shut from laughing so hard.

"You can't catch me, Spooky." She bit her lip.

Will smirked, and he noticed her expression shift slightly.

"What's that look?"

"It means..." He lunged forward, tackling her to her couch, beginning to tickle her sides. She squirmed underneath him, giggling uncontrollably. "...that I've got you."

"No! Please! Stop! You can't... do this to meeeee!" Her giggles only continued.

Will did pause, leaning in to kiss her neck. After she had caught her breath, she leaned into his touch.

"Feel any better?"

"A little." He smirked against her warm skin. "I think you're right - today is going to be a good day."

♡ ♡ ♡

"Just a minute, hun, doing a last minute check to make sure I got everything!"

It was almost deja vu. Almost six years ago now, he had been looking at a similar ring box before his deployment that early morning in March. He had taken the ring out and put it into his pocket.

This time, the ring would stay in the box. It would travel with them to Erin's house. He'd have to be as discreet as he could, since Pumpkin recognized the smallest of details that were subject to change. But that didn't matter. She'd be his soon - they would finally be official. This had been waiting long enough.

The next time the ring came out of it's box, it would be on her finger.

"Got everything?" Her soft voice came from the doorway, and he jumped slightly, thankful that the box was already in the bottom pocket of his cargo pants.

"Goodness, love. Didn't think I'd scare you." She chuckled.

"It's alright. I have everything." His lips met her forehead, warm as usual even with the cool air blowing outside in the early spring sunshine. "I had promised I'd bring something from my time as a Marine to show the kids, since they've been asking so much about military life."

"You feel okay about that? I know you don't love reminiscing on your time in the military."

"I think so. I'm not a Marine anymore, Pumpkin. I'm..." His brain short circuited. In just a slip of the tongue, he had almost called himself her husband. But he caught it early enough that instead, he continued, "... just an Arizona rancher."

Her eyes flickered with curiosity, studying his facial features in the same manner that she did when she'd question his tone. Will wasn't certain if he could hide the surprise if she asked, even knowing that Erin was waiting and wanted to be there, he couldn't keep this from Pumpkin if she asked.

But, she just chuckled, putting him at ease. "That is true. Well, you will be. Got to get someone to buy this house first."

"You are correct there, my darling." His lips met her temple. "We got all the dishes into the back of your car?"

♡ ♡ ♡

"Isn't it my favorite couple in all the world! Hello!" Erin smiled from her armchair in the living room.

"Erin, you're looking lively today. How are you feeling?" Pumpkin sat next to her, taking her outstretched hand as Will directed his nephews to put the food he had brought in onto the counter.

"Lively. Today is a good day. Thank you for doing so much, I feel like my husband needed more to be doing, he seemed to get bored." At her husband giving her a teasingly annoyed look, Erin chuckled. "But really, thank you. It helped a lot."

"Of course."

"I think we'll just serve everything buffet style, you can get your plate and come right through... boys! Stop fighting and get ready to say Grace. It's Easter, heaven forbid." Erin chuckled. She had been in the middle of some intense treatment and an extended hospital stay during Thanksgiving, so she had requested they do that traditional dinner on Easter instead.

Since her rediagnosis in July, Will and Pumpkin had flown up to Wisconsin a few times, for Christmas mainly, and had watched her decline. This trip would be different, their time would be extended by a few weeks, and as dinner began, they realized how beneficial their stay would be.

♡ ♡ ♡

Will was pleased with how well Pumpkin continued to mesh with his sister's family. She loved the kids, she was considerate of Erin and her every need, and made sure everyone had eaten and was taken care of.

The evening began to slow, and the kids set a movie onto the television softly as Pumpkin moved to the sink to begin doing dishes, even at Erin's insistence that her family could take care of it.

"Hey Pumpkin." Spooky kissed her cheek, beginning to rinse and dry the dishes.

"Hey, love." Her voice was soft and affectionate as she smiled at him.

A few minutes later, Will had turned around to put something away, and Erin nodded softly.

The dishes were almost done. He was running out of time.

But as the silverware came through, it all became clear. His hand 'slipped' and dropped a fork, and it made her chuckle.

This was it. This was his moment as his knee hit the floor. He took her hand in his after he had pulled the box out of his pocket.

It was only a matter of moments before she noticed he didn't need her hand for balance.

The gasp that escaped her throat as her eyes darted between his stance and the box in his hands was everything Will could have wanted and more.

"Pumpkin, sweetheart, I have been waiting an eternity for you. You have painted my world in color and I cannot imagine life without you by my side." He opened the ring box, provoking her tears. "Will you do the honor of marrying me?"

"I will." She smiled, watching as Will put the ring on her finger. Her forehead met his the moment he stood to take her into his arms, and as their lips met, Erin and her family clapped from the living room.

"I knew waiting for you was worth a million heartaches." Pumpkin whispered.

"We'll never be parted again." Will whispered back.

After another few moments to themselves, Erin's children were insistent on seeing their new aunt's ring, asking if they could help with wedding planning, asking if they could come and stay in Arizona. It made Will's heart soar with pride as he watched her interact with his nieces and nephews.

Mrs. MacPherson. It was written in the way she moved, the flicker of light in her eyes every time they landed on him, the sparkle of the ring on her finger that looked so at home there. It was in way she held him like there was no other thing on the earth more precious to her. Yes, this was the right decision.

Pumpkin moved to hug Erin, wiping her tears.

"I've been waiting so long." Erin chuckled, trying to blink away the emotion spilling from her eyes. "William has always looked for someone he could feel safe with. I'm just lucky it ended up being someone who I consider a sister. I can see how much he loves you - and how well you take care of him and treat him with the respect and tenderness he's needed since we were kids."

"He's my everything. And you have been there for me since the beginning, Erin. I don't know what I would have done without you." Pumpkin squeezed her hand.

"We have waited a long time. But now, I get to call you my sister. And that brings a peace to me I don't think I've ever known before. I know you'll take such good care of him." Erin chuckled, her knuckle running along her bottom eyelids again. "Feels like I'm finally able to give him away to someone who knows how to handle his heart."

"I promise, Erin, I'll take care of him. And we'll come and see you often, even after we're married."

Erin gave her a soft smile, fingers tightening softly around hers. "I know you will. I trust you. And I love you."

♡ ♡ ♡

Three days. Three days of peace, tentative wedding planning, and packing up more of Pumpkin's house into a moving truck.

That's all it had taken.

"I wish it wasn't snowing, it's the beginning of April, and we don't even get to enjoy the sunshine!" Pumpkin's fingers were soft on Spooky’s cheek as he swayed them to some music from her record player.

"It does feel unfair. But..." He chuckled, humming the tune of a Christmas song.

"No, don't you dare. It'll make the snow want to stay!" She giggled.

Will's phone began to ring on the counter, and after pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, released her from his arms to answer.

Erin's husband's voice immediately wiped the smile from his face.

He had never expected his life to be completely changed within a sentence.

The words coming over the telephone made his ears ring. Made him numb, tired, confused.

No. No she wasn't. She couldn't be.

"Will, what's happening?" Pumpkin asked again, concern filling her gaze.

Spooky shook his head, setting the phone onto the counter and turning away. When she picked up the phone with her usual ginger touch, he waited. Waited for the moment she'd know too.

The gasp that left her throat was enough to pull the pooling tears from his eyes, and his shoulders shook with the effort of expelling them.

"Thank you. We'll be right over." Her constricted throat barely let out a tone as she hung up the phone.

Wrapping her arms around him from behind, she nuzzled into his back and sobbed.

A symphony of sadness, their cries reached what felt like a sky of cold stone - no astronomical amount of grief could bring Erin back.

She was gone.

♡ ♡ ♡

The following Saturday was a blur, gloomy and devoid of any light that hope could bring. No, nothing could change things now. The cold was only amplified with the snow falling on top of everyone who had gathered at the cemetery.

After the service, Will went and knelt in front of the stone Erin had apparently already prepared for several months. The carved stone served as yet another twist in his stomach that she had known this was coming for such a long time, and hadn't said a word.

And, perhaps, it was his engagement to Pumpkin that she had been holding on for, as the state of her illness could have taken her much earlier than an early morning in April. Maybe the reason she had lived so long was because she had wanted Will to be taken care of.

Maybe if he hadn't proposed to Pumpkin, she would still be around.

His fiancée came and put a hand on his shoulder, her words not registering in his ears as emotions flooded his mind.

"Please, just..." Will shrugged her hand from his shoulder. "...let me be."

Pumpkin stood there for just another moment, her own tears of grief still falling, before standing and taking a few steps away from Will. "I'll be in the car."

The rest of the crowd had dispersed, leaving Will alone, crouched in the snow. He cried for what felt like a forever.

"You weren't supposed to go, Erin. You were supposed to stay... why didn't you stay?" He whispered, his hand touching the cold stone that held her name - the only physical thing in the cemetery that would lead him to her.

"I love you, Erin. Thank you." His forehead touched the stone, wishing he could have instead wrapped his arms around her one more time, instead of talking to carved rock.

Will was there for a long time. He had almost expected to have to take a bus home when he had decided he was finished - but there Pumpkin was, faithful as she had ever been, the exhaust steaming out the back of the running car. It would be warm, and that sounded lovely after freezing in the snow.

But Will would freeze in the snow any day for much longer, if he could just have his sister back.

The door unlocked as he drew closer, and he opened it to find a blanket draped over the heaters.

"I thought it might warm you up. Get in, let's go home." Pumpkin said carefully. Will noticed her tone was even more gentle than usual.

He sat in the passenger seat without a word, and she tried to move the blanket.

"I've got it." Will's tone came as more of a snap than he intended, and he noticed how fast her hand moved back to her half of the cab. Before he could apologize, she was speaking again.

"Buckle up. It's icy." The car slowly maneuvered out of the cemetery, and after his last glance at Erin's spot on the hill, his gaze watched Pumpkin as she drove them home.

He knew she was hurting - it was in the way her shoulders tensed, the way her eyes hadn't been anything but red since the early morning they had found out about Erin's passing. Her usual tapping of the steering wheel had stopped, and she didn't turn the radio on for the full half an hour drive home.

The blanket did help Will warm up, although even with her consideration of his temperature, the air in the cab of the car was heavy. Tangibly melancholy.

Will didn't try to talk to her as they pulled into her driveway. His eyes wandered to the for sale sign out front, but even the thought of their future together wasn't enough to help him feel better.

Pumpkin made him tea, warmed up a quilt or two in the dryer, and had set a sandwich on the nightstand of his preferred side of the bed while he showered. But the moment he came out, finally feeling like he could maybe have a conversation, she closed the door to the bedroom and went out into the main living area.

Healing wasn't going to be linear.

♡ ♡ ♡

previous chapter ♡ next chapter

series masterlist

#world in color #val kilmer #william macpherson #will macpherson #will ‘spooky’ macpherson #spooky #spooky and pumpkin #conspiracy #conspiracy 2008 #spooky x pumpkin #spooky x reader

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halliescomut · 1 year

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Payu & Rain Conspiracy Theory

So...I'm avoiding doing anything I actually suggested on here by coming to you with a conspiracy theory regarding Boss and Noeul and their casting as Payu and Rain. So I will provide confirmable facts that could realistically support my theory, but I have no definitive proof that I am correct (which is what make is a conspiracy THEORY).

My Theory: Boss and Noeul were not the original choices for Payu and Rain

So, the facts:

There is no official announcement on the MMY Instagram regarding casting for LITA (or any of the other names like Love Sky, or Love Storm). It is possible they were deleted, but since other open casting announcements were left up...it seems weird to remove them.

The last known casting call on MMY's page prior to LITA casting announcements was held on November 21, 2021

First Instagram post confirming LITA as the next MMY show was posted February 10th (with little teasers for a couple days prior)

Fort and Peat were announced as Prapai and Sky on February 11th with a small teaser reel with them in costume.

February 11, 2022 is also the day that Boss & Noeul met for the first time at the casting for Payu and Rain.

March 16th is the reveal reel of Payu and Rain in costume.

Now to explain my thought process (hopefully)...

Fort and Peat were most likely found and cast at the November casting call. Due to holidays and such, I think that they did the teaser reel shoot and little photo-shoot with them 'in costume' sometime in mid to late January. The post revealing Peat & Fort as Sky & Prapai was posted THE SAME DAY that Boss & Noeul auditioned for Payu & Rain. This means that at the time the show was announced and the casting of Fort & Peat, they had NO Rain and Payu (?). Seems a bit strange. I think it's far more likely that they cast a Rain and Payu, and over the course of the month and a half to two months prior to officially announcing the show, those actors left. Maybe had a scheduling conflict, maybe Mame decided they didn't fully fit the roles, maybe there was a breakdown over contracts, who's to say. I have no idea why they would have left or been dropped from the project. But it doesn't make sense that HALF of the leads for this show, specifically the ones that were going to be the focus of the ENTIRE first half of the series, would not have been cast at the time it was announced, especially when they already had Fort & Peat. MAYBE (a big maybe) they would have announced the show itself without having every cast member for the main four finalized, but I don't think they would have announced and filmed teaser reels for Prapai & Sky. I think the plan was to film reels for both couples, even if they planned to release them over a few weeks, because setting up and filming even for something so short (especially when they're adding the rain effect) would be expensive, especially to a small company. So why would they do it twice?? Because the original actors dropped out/or were dropped.

Now in the end we got a better part of all of it because Boss and Noeul are PERFECT as Payu and Rain, but that doesn't mean that my little theory doesn't have some possibility of truth.

#Love in the Air #Love in the Air series #Love Storm #Love Sky #PayuRain #BossNoeul #Boss Chaikamon #Noeul Nuttarat #FortPeat #Fort Thitipong #Peat Wasuthorn #BL conspiracy #LITA conspiracy #This is just some silly fun #but some of the facts do add up

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warmaidensrevenge · 1 year

Text

Always seen you.

Pairings: Eddie x Insecure! Plus size reader x friend! Elio x friend Billy

If you want to read my other work you can find it HERE

A/n: Hello loves. Welcome back to my series. This is part 18. If you would like to read the parts before. You can access them in the link above. I updated it with every post. I would like to give a special thank you to @salenorona23 for helping me with this next part of the series. I was inspired by the song Sad! by xxxtentacion. I would Also like to point out that this official became my longest fic since I started on Tumblr. So yay!! Maybe it's going on a little too long. But I still love it. And I hope you do too. Anywho, thanks for reading. As always feedback is greatly appreciated. Comments and asks are always welcome. Kay love ya byeeee.

P.s. this part was actually too long. That Tumblr said I hit the maximum words. So I cut it in half. I will post the second part immediately.

Warnings: 18+ language, fluff, angst, heartache, sexual situations, mentions of eating disorder, slow burn and not proof read and no word count.

Summary: You finally got your guy. But something always gets in the way. Does true love conquer all?

Part 18

🖤☺️

The moment Eddie saw and heard Ava call him that he covered up the receiver.

" How many FUCKING times do I have to tell you to not call me that?! You know my girlfriend is the only one who's allowed to. And what are you doing in my room?!"

" I'm sorry Eddie baby. I forgot."

" Seriously Ava. I've had it up to here with you."

" Aww don't be that way. I just wanted to ask again if you wanted to come to dinner with us."

" GET THE HELL OUT!"

" You don't have to be rude!"

"AVA!" Jan yelled. "LEAVE EDDIE ALONE!"

Ava scoffed. " I was just asking-"

" IF YOU DON'T LEAVE RIGHT NOW, SO HELP ME?" Eddie shouted again.

" FINE! Be that way." Ava shouted back, stomping away.

" Baby?"

When Eddie didn't get a response. He called out again.

" Y/n...Angel, are you there?" He clicked the button on the base of the phone to see if it was the connection. But then he heard that beeping when someone hangs up.

" Shit!"

Eddie dialed you again but all he got was a busy tone.

"FUCK!"

He tried four more times and still nothing.

" Baby please." He said to himself.

He tried you all night. But all he was met with was that stupid fucking beeping.

The next morning he finally got the voicemail.

" Baby, please. I can explain. Just call me back. I swear that was nothing. I love you okay."

When you didn't call him back he left another message.

" Angel. Look. Please call me back. I really need to talk to you. Please."

A couple of days passed and you still didn't talk to him. He worried that the relationship was over. And there was no way in hell he was going to let that happen. So he left the tour and got on a plane.

It was just a few days before your anniversary and all you could do was lay in bed. You took the phone off the hook when Eddie kept calling.

You couldn't talk to him yet. You needed time to think. He couldn't be cheating on you with Ava. Could he? He promised to never be alone with her. But then why was she there? And why the hell did he let her call him Eds?

Elio tried to comfort you by saying it was probably just a misunderstanding. But all you could hear was Ava calling him baby. And asking if he was gonna come.

The day before your anniversary Elio came into the room and hit you in the head with a pillow.

" Ouch! What was that for?!"

" Get up and get dressed. We're going out."

" Ugh. No, I just want to sleep."

He hit you again. " Nope. You've been sleeping for the past two days. It's time to get up now."

You pointed a finger at him." If you hit me one more time. I swear I'm gonna kick your ass."

" Ohhh you're sexy when you're angry."

You rolled your eyes.

" Common. Seriously. Get up. Let's go get a drink and dance."

" E, I don't want to. Can we just order Chinese and watch a movie or something?"

" No. You need this. You need to dance the sadness away."

" I don't want to dance."

Elio pouted knowing full well that you would never say no to a pout.

" Fine!" You said standing up and heading for the closet.

Elio smiled. " Great. Now wear something sexy."

You whipped your head towards him. " Umm no. That wasn't a requirement."

" It is now. Just dress in your prettiest dress and let your hair down."

" Uhh do I have to?"

" Yes. If you look good. You'll feel good."

" Uhhh can't argue with that logic." You said sarcastically.

Elio pushed you slightly " Just get dressed and let's go."

" Okay…okay. No need to get violent."

" Oh you want violence. I'll show you violence." He said putting you in a headlock.

You quickly put your leg behind his and pushed him down.

" Don't try me E. I have an older brother who used to wrestle with me all the time. And Eddie showed me a few moves."

Elio gave you a thin lip smile when you said his name.

When you realized what you said you cleared your throat. You held out your hand to help him to his feet. You felt like you were gonna cry again so you turned around and went to change.

When you came out of the restroom you were wearing a powder blue dress with little red flowers on the skirt part.

" Wow. You look great."

You gave Elio a small smile and followed him out the room.

…

" Oh my God! Did you see that one guy in the suit?"

You laughed. " E, he was totally hitting on you."

" No thank you. I prefer them with a full head of hair."

You laughed again shoulder bumping him.

" Thank you for dragging me out of bed. I had a really great time."

" You can thank me later."

You turned your head to look at him.

" What?"

You guys rounded the corner of the dorm building and Elio pointed to the front steps.

Your heart fell to your ass. Eddie fucking Munson was sitting on the steps holding a bouquet of flowers.

You stopped and Elio whispered in your ear.

" You love him. So go talk to him."

" What? How?"

" I talked to him the other day."

" You did?"

" Yeah. I explained everything."

You looked at Eddie and felt tears coming.

" Go talk to him."

" I…"

"Go."

You nodded.

" I'll be back tomorrow."

" And where are you going?"

" Oh me?" He leaned back. " I have a date."

He gave you a smirk and walked away.

You took a deep breath before you went to Eddie. Just seeing him had butterflies fluttering in your stomach. Your palms all sweaty and your face feeling hot.

" Hi Eddie."

He looked up and for a split second you caught a glimpse of sadness in his eyes. But then he gave you such a sweet smile. That you forgot why you even stopped talking to him.

He stood up and jogged the few steps to you.

" Hey Angel. You look beautiful."

" No you."

He chuckled a little and started rubbing the back of his neck. " I uhhh these are for you."

He held out the flowers. It was a mixture of roses and sunflowers.

" Thank you. " You said just above a whisper.

You brought the flowers up to your nose and smelled them.

" They're erm I'm sorry/ I've missed you/ I love you flowers."

You looked at Eddie and his smile was gone. He ran his fingers through his hair then rubbed his chin. He was growing a full on beard.

" What are you doing here?" You asked.

He put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground.

" I…I was supposed to come tomorrow and surprise you for our anniversary. But umm…well I needed to see you."

You were quiet. You didn't know what to say. A part of you wanted to just jump in his arms. But the other part was telling you to wait. To listen to what he had to say.

" Baby." He sighed. " Why didn't you tell me Elio was gay?"

You shook your head and looked away. " I was going to. There's a lot I wanted to tell you. But…you were busy."

Eddie reached for your chin to make you look at him.

" I-I should have believed you when you said nothing was going on…I'm sorry for everything."

" Me too. I'm really sorry for not being honest with you from the start. But Eddie…what is going on with you and Ava?"

Eddie let go of your chin when he saw tears in your eyes. " Angel, I know how what happened seemed like something it wasn't. And I get it if you're still pissed at me. " He took a step towards you.

" Y/n I swear to you. Nothing-"

You cut him off by landing a kiss on his lips. His hands shot up to cup your face as he kissed you back.

You pulled away first but Eddie wrapped his long arms around you so you wouldn't go anywhere.

You looked at his beard and smiled.

Eddie smirked when he saw you bite your lip.

" You like it?"

You met his beautiful big eyes and nodded.

He let out a nose laugh. " I knew you would."

" Do…do you want to come up?"

" I would love to. But what about Elio?"

" He said he has a date. He won't be back tonight."

Eddie smiled to himself and ran his finger over your bottom lip. "I missed these lips."

" Then kiss me and don't stop."

He chuckled. " Anything my queen commands."

He kissed you deeply and with such tenderness you just melted right into him.

When things got heated you pulled away again and grabbed his hand leading him to the room.

As you changed you got sad again. You needed to ask Eddie something

Eddie sat on your bed looking at all the pictures you had of you two. He took off his leather jacket and boots. You came out of the bathroom in baggie clothes and your hair in a high bun. Eddie missed seeing you like this. In your glasses, completely comfortable.

You went to sit with him and started fidgeting with your fingers.

" Eddie?"

Eddie got sad too. You hadn't called him Ed's at all.

"Yeah?"

You swallowed the lump in your throat. " Why was Ava in your room? And why did she call you what I call you?"

Eddie put his big hand on yours. " She uhh she came in to ask if I wanted to go to dinner with her and the others…and she's been trying to call me that for a while. But I ripped her a new one for it. I've been telling her to stop. But she keeps on doing it…I don't know what to do anymore."

You nodded but didn't say anything.

" You believe me right?"

" I...Yes. I just can't shake the feeling she's going to try something."

"Y/n look at me."

You took a deep breath and met his brown hues.

" I don't know what I can say to convince you other than I won't let that happen. You're the one for me. The only one I want to be with…that's why I came. I came here for you. I cancelled two shows to be here with you."

Eddie put one of your hands over his heart. " This is yours. And it beats just for you."

You closed your eyes and hung your head.

Why did you have to say that?

When Eddie saw that. He was confused. Was that not what you wanted to hear?

" Do you not feel the same?"

You sniffled and pressed your lips together.

" I do."

"Then what's wrong baby?"

You shook your head. " I'm tired of this. I'm tired of fighting with you when we're not together. I'm tired of getting hurt so often. I'm tired of worrying if I'm still enough for you."

Eddie let go of your hand and tried to look you in the eye.

" Why does it sound like you're breaking up with me?"

Your eyes shot up. " What?! No Eddie. I don't want to break up."

" Then what are you saying?"

You reached for his face. But pulled away before you touched him.

" Eddie, I love you. But if we're gonna stay together. Something has to change."

" Do you want me to quit the band? Because I will."

You laughed a little. " Eddieee. No. What I want us to do is communicate. I know I screwed up by not telling you about Elio as soon as I found out. Then that would have saved us two arguments. Also I apologize for not talking to you when I should've. You're just as important to me as I am to you. "

You stood up and kneeled in front of him. You grabbed both his hands and kissed each one before looking up at him.

" Eds. I can't imagine my life without you."

" Promise?"

You laughed again and sniffled holding up your pinky.

Instead of hooking your finger with his, Eddie kissed you. He pulled you to your feet without moving his lips from yours. You held onto his narrow hips as he gently tugged at your hair tie.

He pulled away and looked down at you. Lips all pink and swollen, trying to catch his breath.

You looked down and went for his belt. He leaned back and took off his shirt.

Once he was in his boxers, he took off your shirt and kissed down your neck. All the way down to your plush belly. He got down on his knees and went for the hem of your bottoms. While sliding them down your thick thighs he kissed every inch he could.

His voice was soft but deep. " Hold onto me baby."

Your hands went to his shoulders so he could give you support when you stepped out of your undergarments.

Eddie's fingers ran up and down your legs, causing goosebumps in their wake.

"My beautiful Angel."

Your head fell back feeling his lips and hands everywhere. He hadn't even touched you between your legs yet and he had you almost there.

Eddie watched your every move. He listened to every whimper. He didn't know how badly he needed to hear and see that. And from the only person he wanted it with.

He stood up and put a hand behind your head. Pulling you softly into another kiss.

He felt your warm soft hands on his chest. Slowly going down to his boxers.

When your fingers hooked the elastic Eddie kissed you harder. Swirling his tongue against yours. Tugging at your bottom lip gently. Sucking on it before letting it go. You pulled your lip in and sucked it.

His boxers dropped to the ground and he kicked them away.

Your hands found his curls as he moved backwards to sit on the bed.

You didn't straddle him immediately. You just continued to play with his hair and beard. As his hands and lips went all over your body.

" Eds?"

Eddie hummed.

" Please don't hurt me with Ava."

His lips left your tummy and he looked up at you with sadness in his eyes again.

" Never."

You held up your pinky.

With his eyes never leaving yours. Eddie hooked his pinky with yours.

" I pinky promise….I only want you Angel. Just you…always."

You bent over a little and kissed him with all the love you could find. And Eddie did too.

He scooted higher on the bed so that his back was against the headboard of the bed, holding out his arms for you.

You climbed into his lap and kissed him again. This time with much more heat than the last one. Tongues massaging each other. Bottom lips being tugged on and soothed.

Eddie held onto your bottom as you got to your knees, spreading yourself for him.

He grabbed his aching cock and aligned himself with your entrance, that was already soaking wet for him.

You sighed deeply as you sank down to his lap. Eddie's fingers dug deep into the flesh of your hips. He groaned feeling your warm velvet walls hug him. Feeling them contract around him was ecstasy.

" God." He moaned.

Your soft whimpers drove him crazy. Your warm soft body was a blanket to him. One that he loved to dawn on every chance he got.

You started rolling your hips against his. Searching for bliss that only he could provide.

" I'm yours baby. Only yours."

You moaned at his words. Breathless whines left your lips as you got close.

" And I'm yours Eds. All-all of me. My-my heart...my mind...my body...it's yours."

" I love you. I love you so much."

You slowed your movements feeling Eddie fill you to the brim. Mixing with your love.

You rolled off once you caught your breath. With him pulling you into his arms.

" I love you y/n."

" Always?"

Eddie kissed your forehead. " Always and forever."

…

The few days Eddie spent with you were perfect like always. Then he had to leave you again. You would never admit it. But everytime he left, it broke your heart in ways that couldn't be repaired. So you slapped a bandaid on it and focus on school

A week after he left you got a call that the van's tires came in. Elio smiled when he talked to Billy.

" He sounds hot."

" Umm. Yeah. He's pretty cute. He's definitely your type."

" Is that so?" He smirked. " Well let's go see if I can get a date for tonight's party."

You giggled and grabbed the keys.

When you guys got to the shop, Billy was outside smoking. Greeting you with a gorgeous smile.

" Hey sweets."

Elio looked at you and frowned.

" Umm hi."

" Who's this? Your boyfriend?" Billy asked, giving Ellio a handshake.

" No. No. she's my friend…I'm single." Elio winked.

Billy chuckled and looked at you. " You look nice today."

You furrowed your brow and looked at your pajama bottoms and oversized shirt.

" Uhh thanks."

You met his gaze again and he was giving you a beautiful smile.

" So umm ready for some new tires?"

You nodded.

" Great. Pull her in."

As soon as Billy turned around, Elio nudged you.

" What?" You said walking back to the van.

" Well he's not gay."

" How do you know that?"

" We who prefer the same sex can always tell if someone is or isn't. Besides he was totally eye fucking you."

" No he wasn't. He was just being pleasant."

" Yeah…okay."

You rolled your eyes and drove the van in.

When Billy was working you and Ellio went to get ice cream. He suggested you get Billy some too. To see how he reacts. You didn't think it was a good idea. But Ellio bought him a vanilla cone anyway.

When you guys got back Billy had his shirt off and was lighting another cigarette.

" Hey you. Umm we got you an ice cream. Thought you might want something to cool you down."

" Thanks bud."

Billy took the cone and started licking it. Making eye contact with you.

You looked away and felt the heat rise from your chest to your cheeks.

When Billy saw that he tilted his head back and laughed to himself.

" Ready to go."

" Hmm?" You said looking at him again.

" Your van… she's ready."

" Oh- okay. Thank you."

When he handed you the keys his fingers touched yours. Giving you a shock of static electricity. You jumped and dropped the keys.

" Shit. Sorry sweets."

Billy squatted down and picked them up. When he looked up at you he licked the ice cream again. The way he did it. You could tell he was trying to seduce you.

When he handed them back you cleared your throat.

" Can't lose these. My boyfriend would have a fit."

Billy stood up and changed his demeanor. " So you do have a boyfriend?"

You nodded.

There was an awkward silence until Ellio decided he didn't like it.

" Yeah. He's in a band."

Billy looked away from you to Ellio. " Really?"

" Yeah. He's on tour right now."

" Huh. Would I know them?" Billy asked looking back at you.

You smiled thinking of Eddie and the guys. " Not yet. But you will soon. I can feel it. They're close to having the world hear them."

Billy liked that. Like the way your face lit up with enthusiasm talking about them. His only wish was that you didn't have a boyfriend. Even with that knowledge. He still wanted to get to know you.

" Well if they're metal I'm sure I'll like them."

Your smile got bigger. " They are."

Billy couldn't help the smile that grew on him seeing you happy. He didn't even know you but he knew he loved seeing you like that.

" So…Bily is it." Elio interrupted the little moment you and Billy had.

" Yeah man?"

Elio laughed. " So I'm throwing a dorm party tonight. You should come."

" Yeah? Will you be there?" He directed his question to you.

"She better. She lives with me."

" That's cool. So it's not gonna be a sausage fest?"

Elio laughed again. " No. But if that's what you're interested in, I can definitely change the invite list."

Billy chuckled nervously. " Uhh no. Coed parties are cool with me."

" Great! See you there."

Elio grabbed your arm and pulled you towards the van.

" Hold on E. I have to pay him. And he doesn't have the address."

" Damn. I was trying to build suspense."

You shook your head and went back to Billy.

" Umm do you have something I can write on?"

Billy pulled a pencil from behind his ear and grabbed the clipboard with your receipt on it. You quickly jotted down the address and pulled out your wallet.

You gave him the money and pulled off your copy of the receipt.

" See you later."

" Looking forward to it sweets."

You felt yourself blush as you walked away.

Maybe that wasn't a good idea.

That night your room was filled with people that you never met. You had no idea Elio had so many friends.

It got to the point where even the hallway was crowded. The music coupled with all the drunk coeds, it became a lot to absorb. You even had to kick out a couple making out in your bathroom so you could go. When you came back out there were people on your side of the room touching your pictures. You pushed through the crowd and snatched the frame out of their hands. When you looked over your things you saw that someone had knocked over and broke the snow globe Eddie got you from Arizona.

Tears filled your eyes. Sure it was just a snow globe. But Eddie knew you liked them so he bought you one when he could.

You picked up the broken glass and globe. You looked at it for a second then went outside. You sat on the steps and silently cried.

" Hey sweets. What's wrong?"

You looked up and Billy was coming towards you with a concerned look on his face.

" Oh ummm." You wiped away your tears. " It's nothing."

He sat down next to you. " If it's nothing. Then why are you crying?"

You sighed. " It's just." You showed him the broken globe. " It was a gift from my boyfriend."

" I'm sorry."

Billy was actually very sorry. He found out that night that he never wanted to see you sad.

" You know you can now make it into an ornament. You can just add some string around the cactus and hang it on the rearview mirror. Or on your Christmas tree when you put one up."

You smiled. " Yeah. That's a good idea."

" There she is…you're really beautiful when you smile."

You laughed knowing you looked like shit with mascara running down your face.

" Liar. But thanks for trying."

Billy shook his head and laughed too.

" So uhhh you want to go back to the party? Your friend might get suspicious."

" Yeah. He's probably dancing up a storm right now. Wondering where his dance partner is."

" Well let's not keep you away."

Billy stood up and held out his hand. You put all the pieces of the broken snow globe on one hand and took it. When you guys went back inside you broke off the remaining glass still attached to it and threw it in the garbage.

Still smiling at the cactus, you and Billy went up the stairs to the party.

Elio saw you with Billy and grinned. It was nice seeing you with him. Not that Ellio didn't like Eddie. He liked him a lot actually. The way he treated you when he was there was something Elio only saw with his parents. He knew Eddie loved you with all his heart. And he knew Eddie made you happy. So if you loved him, he loved him too. But he couldn't help but think that you and Billy would make some super cute babies.

When you guys finally got to one another, Elio pulled you to start dancing with him. You giggled when he spun you around. He grabbed Billy's hand after and made him dance too.

Billy was glad he came. Seeing you and Elio messing around was nice. Seeing you was nice.

Billy had to admit. He liked you. But you had a boyfriend. So he had to settle being your friend.

Over the next few weeks. Billy hung out with you and Elio nearly every day. He always brought with him two flowers. One for Elio and one for you.

You told Eddie all about how Billy helped with the van and asked if it was okay that you could be his friend. Eddie replied that you don't have to ask his permission. And that he trusted you completely.

One day you had asked Eddie if he could make it to an award banquet that you had to attend. You were receiving an award for your role in developing a disposable camera called The Fling. It was a great achievement for a freshman. So you and the other members of the team were being honored for the night. Include a few other engineers. But this was the first time an award came with money. Not that it mattered. You were doing just fine. But it was nice to put something in your savings.

Eddie was really sorry he couldn't come. He really was so proud of you. He always was. And he felt bad for missing the night. So he suggested you ask Elio or Billy.

Elio wanted to go too but he had a swim meet that day. And he wouldn't be back in time. Leaving you to ask your other friend.

Billy was happy to escort you to the dinner. More than that. It was the first time you and he spent time alone. Well kinda alone.

Billy had been holding his tongue for a while now. He really wanted to tell you that he had feelings for you. And there were so many times he found a small amount of courage to do so. But then you would bring up Eddie. Or Elio would. Making him change his mind.

It got harder and harder not to tell you that he was falling for you. But he always told himself that if he was your boyfriend and Eddie wanted to tell you he loved you. He would kill him. So he pushed his feelings for you deep down. He even started going on dates. Just to try and find a girl to distract him from you. But what he was searching for in all of them he could never find. That was because what he was looking for they didn't have.

They didn't have the smile that made him smile. They didn't have a laugh that sounded like music. They didn't have grace or humor. They weren't brilliant or geeky like you were. He just had to admit that what he was seeking was the stuff that made you, you.

Though it hurt him being around you. He couldn't not be.

When he arrived to pick you up you were wearing this beautiful off the shoulder burgundy cocktail dress. That was hugging you just right.

" Damn sweets! You clean up nice."

You smiled. " So do you. Where the hell did you find a suit so fast?"

" Borrowed my old man's. But I made it my own."

You looked at his outfit. With his Chuck Taylors and shirt that was showing most of his chest. " I see."

He laughed and opened your door for you. He of course had a flower for you.

" Thank you."

" You're welcome sweets."

Billy closed the door and walked over to the driver's side. When he got in he gave you a smirk.

"Ready?"

" No. But let's do this."

Billy nodded and took off.

…

" Did you get enough to eat?" Billy asked as soon as you guys got back in the car.

" Ugh. No. I don't understand rich people. Like no, this cracker and fish eggs is not enough. And a baked potato?! A potato and butter is not a meal….where's the salt and pepper? What about chives?"

Billy laughed while you shook your head.

"Okay. I was gonna say if you did. There's something wrong with you."

" Please. I like to eat. Obviously." You said gesturing at your large tummy.

" Stop it. You're beautiful. "

You raised a brow at him" I didn't say I wasn't. Just said I like to eat."

" Oh…confident are we?"

You gave him a toothy smile. " Sometimes."

" Well it works."

You gave him a playful push and laughed.

" Let me buy you pizza William."

He turned to look at you when you said his legal name.

" How did-"

" I know your name? Common. Billy is a nickname, sometimes it can be Bill, Will, Willie. Whatever you choose. But it's all short for William."

Billy grinned.

" So pizza?"

" Sure."

" Great! I hope you like extra pepperoni."

" That's all I ever get."

" Well that's perfect. Because I love pepperoni." You said with a smile

When you guys got the pizza you and Billy sat in the parking lot eating and talking.

" Okay okay. I got one. Gandalf versus the Scarlet witch. Annndd go."

" Oh shit….okay." you covered your mouth that was full of pizza.

You chewed vigorously so you could answer.

" Okay. Umm. I have to say. Gandalf."

" Why?" Billy said with one of his cheeks filled with pizza.

" Well let's look at the stats. Gandalf is higher in pretty much everything. Intelligence, strength, durability, and combat. Sure, Scarlett Witch is powerful. But, Gandalf is stronger and older."

Billy laughed. " Okay I agree with that."

You guys sat for a while going back and forth with hero vs hero.

" You know I think you and Eddie would get along."

"You think so?"

" Definitely."

There was a moment of silence.

" Can I ask you a question sweets?"

" Sure."

" Is it hard? Being in a relationship with someone you barely see."

You looked down at your lap. " Yes."

" Do… Do you ever want out?"

" No. What I want is for us to see each other more. But I've accepted that this is how it's going to be."

" Why settle for just that?"

" It's not settling. It's making the best of the situation. See I have loved Eddie for a long time. He was the only person I've ever really wanted to be with. He showed me what it's like to actually be seen. To be desired…Eddie has been everything I wanted in a person. I never believed in soul mates or anything like that. But when I look at him I see my other half."

Billy nodded. He wanted someone like that. Someone who sees him the way you saw Eddie.

" Eddie is a lucky guy."

You smiled. " I like to think I'm the lucky one. Everyone wants to find the one person who feels like home to them. And I was lucky enough to find mine."

Billy's heart sank. He felt that way about you. But he couldn't let himself say that. You were in love with Eddie. And he couldn't get between you two. No matter how he felt about you.

…

Eddie's birthday came up so fast. He was on the road again so you couldn't call him. But he did receive a package. He opened it and found a birthday card and a video tape.

He smiled and popped it in the vcr.

He was immediately met with Elio's face. He was setting up the camera. Elio made a funny face and stood back. Eddie watched as Elio sat on the bed with you.

" Happy birthday Eddieeee!" You both said with a smile.

He laughed.

You looked directly into the camera and gave him a big smile.

" I hope you have the best day Eds. I wish I could be there with you."

Me too. Eddie thought.

Elio got up and stepped out of frame.

" Eds, I can't wait to see you. I love you so much."

I love you too.

" So I really don't think I can top last year's birthday gift. But I'm gonna try…I've been working on a little something. Thanks to Billy I learned a new trick."

Eddie watched you get up and grab something. He grinned when you came back with an acoustic guitar.

"So this baby doesn't slay dragons. But I love her anyway. Her name is Shelia."

Eddie laughed.

He leaned forward on the bed when you started to pluck the guitar strings.

Eddie couldn't figure out what you were playing until you started to sing. You did your own slower acoustic version of Caught Up In You.

🎵

I never knew there'd come a day

When I'd be sayin' to you

"Don't let this good love slip away

Now that we know that it's true"

Don't, don't you know the kind of girl I am

No, said I'd never fall in love again

But it's real and the feeling comes shining through

So caught up in you, oh boy

And I never did suspect a thing

So caught up in you, ohh boy

That I never want to get myself free

And baby it's true

You're the one

Who caught me baby you taught me

How good it could be

🎵

Eddie started tearing up listening to you. And when you kept going, he fell in love all over again. When the song came to an end you looked back into the camera.

" I hope you liked it Eds. Happy birthday my love."

You got up and got closer to the camera.

" I miss you." You blew him a kiss. " Oh and have one for me."

Eddie looked up and saw Gareth in the door way with cupcakes.

Eddie looked back at the screen and you were smiling. The tape cut off and Eddie hung his head and laughed. With tears of happiness rolling down his cheeks.

I love you baby.

...

@chloe-6123 @irishhappiness @idkidknemore @hiscrimsonangel @hellv1ra @browneyes528 @b-irock @erinsingalong @salenorona23 @eddie-is-a-god @screaming-blue-bagel

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sugarushsuga · 2 years

Text

In Your Own Words - CH. 19

Genre/Au's: Rom-Com, fluff with bits of angst - Coworkers!AU; enemies to lovers; Journalist!AU

Paring: RM x Reader

Words count: 7.051

Rating: 18+

Warnings: Cursing; Angry Namjoon; Mentions of cheating; Accusations; Namjoon and OC are just stupid when arguing;

Synopsis: After graduating your dream was to become a journalist and work to one of the biggest magazines in the country. But that pretty dream does not translate perfectly to reality. The magazine is on verge of bankruptcy, great journalists are moving the rival magazines and not being replaced, your boss is a jerk who doesn't even know your name. Fate seems to be toying you around to its own pleasure, can you take control of your life and achieve your dreams, or you are going to be carried away by fate's plans?

Author note: This fanfic follows the world of the Brazilian production Procura-se um marido series. I do not own the series or original content.

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When you arrived at TopNews magazine, you are greeted by a dark-haired young man of little over twenty.

"Wait a moment, Jessy will come to you," he warns, indicating for you to sit in one of the comfortable white leather armchairs.

Officially unemployed for four days, your first reaction was to refuse when Jessy called to set up that meeting, but then you thought better, remembering lunch and the doubts that are bothering you, you had some time, and decided to accept the invitation. Sabrina thought you sensible, but she knows nothing about your suspicions nor that you intend to go to the enemy's territory for an investigation.

Their writing is very different from Just Facts. Everything seems rigidly ordered and sterilized in its shades of white and chrome, state-of-the-art computers, busy journalists who don't waste time making bets, and they even have an espresso machine instead of an old coffee maker. You look for Yoongi or Hani around the well-distributed room, but you just find the redhead. She gives you a pitiful smile, and you have the impression that something is wrong with the new job.

"This way, please," the boy says five minutes later.

You are taken to a room twice the size of Namjoon's, a dozen portraits hung on the walls, rivaling the many frames on the covers of success of TopNews. One of the portraits, is one of those of a college class, calls your attention right away, but you try to disguise your interest. Jessy stands up and extend her hand to you in formal greeting.

"Good morning, Y/n. I appreciate your punctuality." She smiles kindly and warm, despite the stark black suit. "What did you think of our facilities?" And indicates the chair for you to sit.

"Quite impressive."

“They are." She settles herself elegantly into her seat. "It's good to work with ease at the cashier. My love, you left so suddenly from our lunch last week that got me worried." And blinks a few times, as if showing concern.

“It was an indisposition. I'm better."

"That's great. Well, Y/n, I imagine you already know the reason for this meeting."

You nod. “You want an answer to your offer. And I already have one, but if you don't mind, I'd like to ask a question before answering?"

She frowns in surprise and can't hide her displeasure. "About what?"

“About that photo over there." You point to the portrait hanging on the white wall behind her.

She turns her head and smiles. “Oh yes, my journalism class."

Exactly what you thought.

"I didn't know you and Namjoon went to school together," you say, trying to appear calm.

“We graduated on the same year."

"Hmm… how boring. I mean, if he was like he is then, they must have been very difficult years. Namjoon is complicated.” You let go and watch her reaction.

Her brow twitches slightly. “He hasn't changed much since then, I think. We weren't very close. We argued a few times, for having different points of view."

"Oh! Then that's it! Now I understand the way he refers to you," you let out, praying you are doing this right.

"What way?" She straightens up in her chair, and you have to dig your nails in the palm of your hand, so you don't smile.

“He's not much of a fan of yours, but I think you already know."

"Yes I know. But what exactly does he say about me?" She asks, impatient.

You lower your eyes. “I don't want to gossip. It is neither right nor ethical to speak ill of an employer. I hope you understand."

She's silent for a full minute, and you think you lost her, but, you know, she's a woman after all. And what woman would leave such a thing

be over like this?

“I understand, honey,” She comments in that honeyed voice. "Don't worry, I won't say anything to him, and I won't be offended. Namjoon and I never really got along. So, you must not believe what he says about me. He resents my success. I turned TopNews into a sales record while Mr. Kim struggles not to close the doors."

"It's true," You sigh, looking at her. "Just Facts is doing very poorly."

"What a pity." One of the corners of her lips turn up, her eyes take on a joyful glow. "But does he talk a lot about me? By chance he..."

Someone knocks on the door. The reception guy.

"Sorry to interrupt, Jessy, but Senator Augustos has just arrived and want to you her right away. I've already accommodated him in the conference room."

She jumps to her feet.

"Did he bother to come in person? Fantastic!" So as if remembering your existence, she says, "I need to have a word with the Senator, but I'll be back in a second, my love."

“Alright, I'll wait."

She goes to meet the senator who, weeks earlier, had given an exclusive to Yoongi, but that Veiga, owner of Just Facts, had vetoed, leaving Namjoon furious and Yoongi frustrated. Was he there for another interview with your ex-coworker, now without having a rich businessman to veto the article?

You take advantage of the fact that you are alone and get up to examine the graduation photo closer. Namjoon haven't changed much since then. He's stronger now, hair shorter, but the strands still messy over the head. And the glasses were exactly the same. You smile without wanting to. You avoided thinking about him at all costs since you left Just Facts building on Monday. The problem is, a lot of things remind you of Namjoon; a toasted bread, a steaming cup of coffee, pizza, dogs on the street, your bedroom, your bed, your bathroom, your couch, your messy hair in the morning, your neighbor...

Unemployed, with a full head and a paralyzed heart, you tried to keep busy. So, you killed time by spending the afternoons at your brother's house, helping Lorena take care of him, but there isn't much to do. Hoseok is recovering quickly, the only snag is the cage around his calf.

He and his fiancée are happy and in love and make a point of expressing it, which is embarrassing and irritating on so many levels. Unfortunately, in one of these visits you walked in without knocking, and it was the worst idea you ever had, because you ended up meeting the two in a very embarrassing moment. They were... uh... celebrating something in a way that dispensed the use of clothes, for so to speak.

Shaking your head and returning your attention to the portrait, you search for Jessy's face. It takes you a while to recognize her. She has changed a lot over the years. She has lost weight, has dyed her brown hair blonde and her eyes have hardened.

Something tells you that you have found the answer, although you still don't know the question.

You take out your phone and take pictures of the portrait, then put it back in your bag and you sneak out of Jessy's office and the aseptic writing room, without looking around.

“My God, what a day!" Bea grumbles, throwing herself into the chair's restaurant in the city center. “That's why I can't go on vacation. Have accumulated work of at least two weeks!"

You have been avoiding Beatriz, afraid that she might tell you what you already know what has happened: her brother has gotten back together with his ex. But for the moment, you face your fears, following Namjoon's own advice and leaving your personal life aside, as you feel that something big, much bigger than you had supposed is happening.

"I'm sorry I called you in the middle of the day, Bea, but I needed to talk to you."

After leaving TopNews building, you called Bia and she had agreed to meet you at the restaurant, just three blocks from her work. The room is small, almost familiar, with plaid tablecloths and natural flowers on the tables. The windows are tall and narrow, lace curtains hanging on the lower half of the panes protecting customers from curious on the sidewalk.

"No problem," Bea replies, scanning the menu.

You waited for her to order and your fettuccine al pesto arrive to get into the subject.

"Did you meet your brother's college friends?"

She frowns, swallowing her food. “My brother was never one to have many friends, but I did meet some."

You take out your phone and show her pictures of Jessy.

“Oh, I remember her! She was crazy about Namjoon. Where did you find this picture?"

“Don't ask me, Bea."

"All right. What's up with Jessy?"

"Well..." You blush. What a fucking journalist you are. "I expected you tell me."

“Oh, Y/n, I don't know much about her other than what Namjoon told me. That girl lived at his feet, she even sent gifts. But he didn't want anything with her. He was dating a girl in senior year of chemistry, I think. My brother was never much of a womanizer...” She smiles smugly. "Jessy doesn't tolerate rejection very well and ruined his car paint with a wrench slit. She wrote "I hate you, asshole" inside a heart."

"My God! A bit extreme reaction."

“I think it was her idea of romanticism. It all ended in the police station. Namjoon can't even bear to hear her name spoken. Why are you so interested in my brother's life?"

You put your phone in your bag to take your eyes off hers. "I... uh... Because he and I work together," you say at last.

"Really?" she asks excitedly. “Why didn't you ever tell me this?"

“You never mentioned who your brother was. And I only knew about the kinship after you've traveled."

“Damn, what a small world! I never imagined that..." Her phone vibrates. Beatriz glanced at the screen and rolls her eyes. "Jesus! I need to breathe!" She mutters into the device. "Y/n, I'm going to have to go back to work. Stop by my house later so we can talk better. Tae is going to cook. Only vegetables, I think this time everything will be fine." You laugh, nodding your head. “Until night." And she hurries off, without even finishing the fettuccine.

You paid the bill and leave the restaurant feeling tense and excited. You haven't discovered a lot, but at least you have a starting point. Jessy loved Namjoon and had been rejected. Did she still harbor a grudge against him? You can bet that she does.

You go to the car parked at the end of the block and start it, putting the car in gear and turning the steering wheel. You are ready to leave the spot when a car the size of a tank stops in front of you, blocking the exit. You glared at the huge black BMW and by little you don't accelerate and destroy its rear end — okay, the likelihood that your car wouldn't surviving the collision, that's what stop you.

The middle-aged man with voluminous gray hair walks down and around the vehicle to open the passenger door. You know that man. You saw him once in a while in the newsroom yelling at Namjoon. Veiga is not the fifties hot, but he has the size and elegance to supply the excess of the abdominal fat.

A pair of long legs in a black pencil skirt follow. Veiga reaches out his hand to help her down, and when the woman straightens up on her jumping, he pulls her to him, planting a lingering kiss on her lips.

"Holy crap!"

With trembling fingers, you hurriedly open your bag. You take your cell phone and open the camera, capturing the exact moment the woman throws her head back, laughing, wrapped around the neck of the owner of Just Facts. You take some more pictures of the couple until they disappear from view.

Your thoughts are racing, but the enigmatic puzzle has begun to take shape, the pieces finally falling into place and making sense. You close your eyes and lean your head back against the backrest when you understand what's happening. As you left the house to meet Jessy that morning, you only intended to satisfy your curiosity, but at no time did you imagine who could discover the real reason Just Facts is going to the

hole.

Namjoon is right. He's being sabotaged.

"Mother fucker!"

Sabrina comes home from the office and finds you on the couch with your face buried in the computer and in the dozens of photos of the unlikely couple printed on paper.

"Did you take the job?" she wants to know excitedly.

“No, far from it, but I found something better."

She looks at one of the photographs, tilting her head.

"An article?"

“It's more like a dossier. You have no idea what I discovered."

"Who is this guy?"

"The owner of Just Facts. Let me just finish this text and I'll explain calmly. Can you fix it for me later? Sometimes I change some letters and

I don't realize,” You ask, grimacing. "Oh, and Bea invited us to dinner."

She shivers, dropping her bag on the couch.

“My goodness, better keep the antacid handy. I'm going to take a shower while you finish, and then you'll tell me what kind of intrigues you discovered over the potbellied crown."

You are so focused on what you are writing, absorbed in the evil plot that Jessy has created that Namjoon had no idea about, which you finish before Sabrina finishes the shower. You printed the three-page document so your friend, can correct and you are checking in when a commotion at the front door distracts you. Someone intending to break into the house by force.

“Hey, if you knock the door down, you'll pay for the repairs,” You warn when you open it.

A tall man in a well-tailored shirt is punching the door without pity. He is handsome despite his exhausted appearance. Slim, straight features and classic. The broad to no end shoulders reveals who he's.

You lean back against the doorjamb, wrapping the mound of papers in your hands until it turns into a cone — in case you need a weapon — and you cross your arms.

"What's your problem, huh? Besides breaking my friend's heart, you also intend to break the door?"

“You must be Y/n. I'm Seokjin. And I just want to talk to Sabrina. But she doesn't answer my calls!" He says, distressed.

"And wasn't that clear enough? She doesn't want to talk to you!"

“I love Sabrina,” he murmurs. "You need to understand that..."

"What, what?" You interrupt him. "You love her so much that you decided to make her your lover?"

"It's not that." He shakes his head, tortured. You almost feel sorry for him.

“I didn't want to get involved, but Sabrina is so…lovely, so unique, and perfect and... I found myself in love before I knew it."

"People who are engaged should not find others lovely, unique, perfect people,” you snap.

“And that's what I finally understood. And that's what I need to tell her. I just want a chance to explain myself. Just one chance to make her understand that I meant no harm, that things got out of hand! I just want her to listen to me."

You frown. You know what it's like. Want to tell someone what really happened and that someone doesn't give a damn about you. In addition, the anguish in Seokjin's eyes is visible. Too visible and familiar. And, who knows? You remember your grandmother reading Sabrina's fortunes. the right man on the wrong time.

Shit. Grandma always gets it right.

You shake your head, sighing.

“Sabrina is going to kill me,” you mutter, pulling away to give him space. He doesn't hesitate and gives you a grateful look as he enters.

Sabrina is walking back into the room at that moment in a flowery knit dress, hair still dripping. She freezes at the sight of the anxious man in front of her. Then looks at you, and the word “traitor” flashing across her forehead.

"Remember what my grandmother told you?" You ask and get no answer though something flashes in her eyes. "Just listen to what he has to say. Talk, okay? Maybe he's not the asshole we thought he is."

She averts her eyes but makes no move to lock herself in her room, which Seokjin takes it as encouragement.

“I'm done with Sohee,” he announces hastily.

You friend slowly raises her head.

“And what do you want me to do, celebrate? Stay where you are, Y/n!" She yells, preventing you from leaving the room. "You're going to stay here and listen to everything this asshole has to say."

You nod, keeping quiet to listen to Seokjin's explanation.

"You're absolutely right to hate me," he says. "I don't have much respect for myself either at this point. But Sabrina, I didn't do anything in case thought. Me and Sohee were together since high school. We always got along well, and I thought passion was that. Then I met you. I didn't choose to fall in love with you, but I did, and I'm sorry I put you in a difficult position."

"I really realized how sorry you were that day at the farm, pretending that I was nothing more than an unimportant architect."

'What did you want me to do? Sohee is a wonderful person, she doesn’t deserve what I did to her. I didn't want to hurt her even more."

"What about me, Seokjin? Do I deserve? Did you think about how all this made me wounded? Hold still, Y/n!"

"I was just going to..."

"Stay there!" And, turning to Seokjin, she adds: "You didn't stop to think about how I was feeling!"

"I didn't have time!" he counters. “But I've been thinking, a lot. Per that I opened the game for Sohee. She knows everything."

"And after she kicked you, you decided to come to me so I could lick your wounds?" Sabrina put her hands on her hips. Hmm. Seokjin should be careful from now on.

"No. It's not like that at all," he grumbles wearily, opening his arms. "She was even understanding, which made me even more disgusted with myself. I was the one who broke the engagement, Sabrina. I could not marry a woman loving another. I love you."

She swallows hard, and you hold your breath.

"If you think I'm going to want you back for this..." But she doesn't continue.

"I was hoping you'd want me back for not being able to live without me, just as I can no longer live without you. I was wrong, I admit, I am human and weak, a complete imbecile. But have you never been wrong? Never wanted to be able to go back in time and undo a bullshit? I would give anything to change our story, Sabrina, but I don't have that power. Only you have. If you give me a chance, I will prove to you that I am worthy to deserve your love. I will spend the rest of my days proving that I love you. Just... give me a chance. It's all I ask. A new chance."

All your friend does is stand still, looking at Seokjin with heavy breathing.

You take a step back toward the exit, and then another, and yet another, until you reach the door of the room. You smile as you close it noiselessly. Sabrina is reluctant, but she will end up giving Seokjin a second chance. It's written in her eyes. Does he deserve it? You aren't sure but who are you to judge someone who has fallen in love with the wrong person?

You knock on the apartment opposite and Beatriz answers at the same time, still in her work clothes, a glass of wine in her hands.

"Right on time!"

Yeotan jumps on your leg, and you can't resist and picked him up. Because of the new grooming, he has been given a collar decorated with shiny blue pebbles.

"Hey boy." You laugh as he starts licking your face. "I miss you too."

Tae is in the kitchen, absorbed in his pots, a terry cloth hanging over the shoulder. You greet him from afar.

"Good night, Y/n," he replies. "I hope you like ratatouille."

"Uh... me too," you say awkwardly, and right behind you, Bea laughs.

You shove the papers in your hand into your jeans pocket, offering to help Bea set the table. You explain to her that Sabrina might not show up and that you didn't have time to get anything for dessert.

"Do not worry. I bought lemon pie."

You take a quick look at the kitchen and lean over to Bea.

"What is ratatouille?" You ask in a whisper.

"A French vegetable-based dish. The eggplant is the only thing that worries me,” she confessed, arching her well-shaped brows.

You watch her features for a moment and realized that she and Namjoon don't look like at all. Bea has Tereza's delicate beauty, but the look... that somewhat authoritarian and irreverent manner is identical to that of her father and brother. You avert your eyes from hers, contemplating the table set.

“Sabrina isn't coming.” you point to the four services.

"I know. It's for my—” The doorbell rings. “Oh, he's here."

Oh please, please, please! Let it be Sabrina. Let it be Sabrina!

“You're ten minutes late!" Bea says as she opens the door.

"It took me a while to park the bike."

You close your eyes and takes a deep breath. Would you ever have your prayers answered?

Namjoon is smiling at his sister, his hair standing on end, as you loved him, his helmet hanging from his elbow, a black Led Zeppelin T-shirt in stylish letters, the basic jeans ever. A nerd who likes old school rock and speed. Although strange, the combination is perfect, making him irresistible.

“I brought wine,” he warns, giving his sister a quick kiss on the cheek when entering.

Then he sees you there, standing by the dining table, at which not long before you had spent the night building planes. His jaw tightens and his eyes take on that oppressive opacity.

"I found out today that you and Y/n work together" Bea comments, not noticing the tension that suddenly takes over the room and leaves you breathless.

He doesn't say anything, just watch you. You gut contracts, and you aren't sure if what you are feeling is fear or longing.

You bet on the last one.

"Hmm… yeah… So, Bia, I just stopped by. I can't stay for dinner."

He turns his eyes to his sister.

"Like this?" she snaps. "I've barely seen you since I got back from my trip."

“I'm sorry, but I have an appointment."

"I don't believe it, Jonnie. What do you have to do now that you can't wait an hour or two?"

He glances at you out of the corner of his eye, looking tense, when his sister calls out to him by the nickname.

"I…" he begins.

“Stay, Namjoon,” You interrupt him. He doesn't bother to look at you. "I'll have to... meet my brother in half an hour, and Taehyung made a lot of food. It would be wasteful."

"Oh no, Y/n," objects Bea. “You promised me first."

“Bea,” Namjoon and you said in unison.

He stares at you for a moment and, for once, doesn't look furious with you. You look away, blushing.

“Bea,” he begins again, less irritated now. "I'll come here another time, okay?"

"All right. Go there and take care of your super important business and leave your only sister here. A sister, by the way, who had her dog mutilated and still hasn't heard a single word on the subject."

"Stop the drama. Hair grows back,” he grumbles.

“But I liked them the way they were. And what is that blue stain in Yeotan's jaw?"

"Done!" Announces Taehyung, entering the room with a plate of something that smells really good. "Hey, how are you, Namjoon?"

He just gives his brother-in-law a nod.

“Please, Namjoon, stay!" Whispers Bea.

But his attention is on you. He looks at you with contempt again, and that's why you are so surprised when he says: “I think this dinner might be interesting." And joins Taehyung.

Bea chats about pleasantries with you, and you respond automatically, attentive to Namjoon's every move out of the corner of your eye. Alexia didn't come with him, but you are familiar with Beatriz's dislike of her sister-in-law, so it's not like he's taking a break from his girlfriend.

Shortly after, you sit down at the table, you are between Namjoon and Taehyung, who, very kind, serves you a generous plate, something alarming given his history in culinary. Not that you would be able to swallow anything but wine. Your stomach is collapsing, and you dread throwing up on the linen towel at any moment.

"Isn't it incredible that my neighbor works with my brother, and I don't know that?" Bea comments, taking a bold bite of a slice of tomato.

"Not so much if you knew the whole story," Namjoon grumbles, eyes on dish.

"How so?" she wants to know.

"Nothing."

Bea glances from you to Namjoon, her brow furrows. Taehyung notices the tension that surrounds you and changed the subject, talking about the many places that he has shown Bea in his homeland. It's a blessing, as you can stare at him, and pretend Namjoon doesn't exist.

"More wine?" Taehyung offers you in the middle of the conversation.

"Yes please."

"Aren't you going to taste the food?" And he fills your glass.

“Of course, Tae." You force yourself to spear a vegetable and chew it.

Shit, it's delicious!

"What do you think?" Tae speculates anxiously.

You take a few sips of wine before answering, but...

“Your track record isn't the best, Y/n. I don't think I should drink so much" Namjoon warns. "Since you're with a committed man."

His words dig into your chest and lodge there, killing everything around at once. But hearing it confirm what you already suspected makes something bubble inside of you.

"When did I really give you permission to meddle in my life? I can't remember..."

"It was just a warning," he counters in a low voice.

“I don't need your warnings. Save it for someone who really listens to them."

He snorts. “You know, I still don't understand how I could have been so wrong with you. Just needs to pay a little more attention to realize what kind of person you are."

“Maybe it's the cataract's fault." You skewered a slice of eggplant. "Old men suffer a lot from this. Especially senile ones like you."

One of the corners of his lips curled up slightly, but the smile doesn't come to fruition."

"And the ratatouille, Y/n?" Tae asks.

"And they suffer from the loss of lucidity too, don't forget," Namjoon adds.

"That too," You agree. “And hair loss, although a lot of people don't mind it. And teeth. Do you already wear dentures, Jonnie?"

He squares his shoulders, growing taller and more imposing in the chair by your side.

"Why are you here?" He asks bluntly.

"Because Bea invited me."

"Did you know I was coming? You're chasing me, is that it?"

You laugh, though nothing there amuses you. “Look, I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but you're already a little senile."

He narrows his eyes, and for a second you think he's going to yell at you, which, on second thought, would be much better than that studied indifference.

“In case you haven't noticed,” You go on, “I'm home. Well, I'm in my building. It was you who showed up in my territory."

“I think I finally got the seasoning right,” Tae says anxiously. "Or not?"

Namjoon smiles in that cynical way you hate. “I had forgotten what a good actress that you are."

“And I'd forgotten what an asshole you are." You swallowed the rest of your wine and turns to Taehyung. "More please."

"Yes sure. But please tell me if I got the recipe right. It seems that for the first time I managed to cook something decent."

You are ready to tell Tae that he has cooked something really tasty this time, but Namjoon opens his mouth, diverting your attention.

“I sincerely hope this is the last time I have to put up with your presence."

"I say the same," You counter. "Maybe I'm the crazy one here, at the end of the day you are arrogant, rude, grumpy, bad neighbor, a cretin boss and a complete imbecile without a drop of discernment. I don't know where I was with my head when I thought I loved you."

"What?" Bea asks, dropping the silverware.

"Yeah, you described me right," Namjoon scoffs. "I'm all that, but you know what I'm not, Y/n? An idiot who believes the sweet words that

come out of the mouth of a traitor."

"Wait a second! What conversation is this? Did you get involved?" Bea demands.

"No!" Namjoon and you answer at the same time.

“Just being crazy to get involved with your brother." You turn to him. "I could stay here talking all night that nothing is going to get into that big head of yours, so I won't waste my time justifying myself. By the way, never again I will waste time with you. Today was the last time. Are you happy with your life, isn't it? I must not get involved in it. And I won't! I hope that one day you will discover the truth and repent of everything you said."

He's looking at you with a dangerous glint in his brown eyes, which you prefer to ignore.

"I've found out the truth!" He says through clenched teeth.

"Oh, you didn't even come close!" You retaliate. "For starters, you need to point that snobbish finger of yours at the right people. You were right in one thing, they are really sabotaging your magazine, but you suspected the wrong person."

You stand up, your pants pocket tangles up against the back of the chair, hindering your majestic exit. Shit! “Thanks for dinner, Bea. Taehyung, everything was wonderful." But the praise does not seem to be heard, because the couple stares at you open-mouthed. "Goodnight."

You march towards the door but turn around before leaving. Namjoon stares at you without moving a single muscle.

“Oh, and you were wrong about one more thing, Namjoon. Captain America easily blasts Iron Man. I searched. There is a HQ with the fight of the two. It's old, but you should know where to get one if you don't believe me."

He arches his eyebrows in surprise. Okay, you don't know why you bring up that silly subject. You guess you just wanted to make it clear how his assumptions are wrong. Or maybe you just want to invoke the memory of that perfect weekend in his teenage bedroom. Or you simply wish you were as powerful as Captain America and have a super-powerful shield that would protect you from his aggression.

You go home but stop with your hand on the doorknob as you hear the hoarse groans that come from inside the apartment. You roll your eyes and pat your pockets, finding your phone and car keys. You aren't going to stand there waiting for Sabrina and Seokjin to finish what they are doing. Namjoon could see you there in the hallway and think that you are “chasing” him, as he accused a little earlier.

A committed man. His voice ricochets through your head like a pinball, making you nauseous.

On the street, you decide that you'll go to the only place that at that moment feels like home.

"Hobi, are you naked?" You ask over the phone, starting at your car.

"What? No! But what kind of question is this?"

"Can I spend the night there…please?"

"Sure, why?"

“I just…want to be close to you."

Because at that moment, all you need is someone who really loves you.

At times like these, do you feel grateful to have a family, even if it's weird. You don't tell your brother anything about recent events —no there's no point in inciting him to beat up Namjoon, if only because you suspect that Namjoon would be the one to beat Hobi— but somehow, he noticed that something is wrong and does everything to cheer you up. Of course, he tries to find out what made you ask for a lap, and you tell only part of the truth: Sabrina is at home, getting back together with her boyfriend, and you want to give some privacy to the couple.

“What about my privacy? You do not care?" he asks, scratching the injured elbow.

"Of course, I do! So, I called to let you know I was coming. I don't want to see you naked ever again. yuck! I started having nightmares."

He laughs out loud, making Lorena blush at the embarrassing memory and rush to the kitchen to get more drinks.

Later, you make yourself comfortable on the sofa bed in the living room, and it isn't even as bad as it seems. But you can't sleep a wink. You hope Namjoon would listen to you and investigate the sabotage. He's a much better journalist than you are, and if he knew where to look, he would find what he needs to get the magazine out of the choke at once. It's all you want from him, to listen to you and save his job and the ones of your former colleagues.

Well, at least that's what you try to tell yourself. He hurt you in so many levels that you don't know what to feel anymore. Pain, hate, rancor and what makes you very angry, is that you miss him. You head is just a mess. Why the hell could you still not erase him from your heart? Why did you let he come in there in the first place?

Hoseok and Lorena are happy. Sabrina at this point is much more than happy. Apparently, everyone has their happy ending in sight. Except you. This must be what Vanda had been referring to when she said something worse could happen. Seeing everyone happy and being the only one to fall apart is a curse. And pretending it is nothing for Hobi has never worked, so in the morning, before he can pressure you to find out what really happened, you help Lorena prepare breakfast and get out of there quickly.

Your phone vibrates in your jeans pocket as you enter a busy Avenue.

"Darling, are you okay?" asks Grandma Cecilia's distressed voice.

"I am, grandma. Good morning."

“Don't lie to me, Y/n."

“Sometimes I wonder if anyone has ever managed to lie to you."

“Your mother and you always try. You have so much of her, so much of me also... Now tell me what's going on."

"Did you see in the cards that I'm in trouble?"

Okay, after everything that has happened, you ended up changing your ways to face certain things, especially mysticism.

“Troubled isn't quite the word. But I saw problems, darling. Big and dangerous. Where are you?"

"In the car. I'm going home." You stop at the traffic light and adjusts the phone between the ear and the shoulder.

"I saw your magazine. I was a little weirded out by your last zodiac reading."

"Yeah... I decided to follow your advice. I ended up with what I started without wanting. I undid the zodiac spell. But in the process, I lost my job, trust of the man I love... and the man himself."

"What do you mean 'undo the spell'?"

You tell her how you had managed to end the magic, how you had managed to make everything go back to the way it was before and the whole fight with Namjoon after that.

"Y/n! Why did you do such a stupid thing?" She scolds, annoyed, and you almost dropped the phone on the floor. "I knew you were going to ruin everything! I saw it happen. Someone should forbid you to control your own life. You don't know what to do with it."

You roll your eyes, the traffic light opens, and you accelerate, putting the car in movement.

"Oh, grandma, that's not possible. When I was messing with all that magic, you were mad at me, now that I fixed things you are mad with me. What do you expect from me anyway?"

"A little common sense! Do you really believe an old deck have the power to manipulate people's fate?"

You blink once. You almost hit the back of a glistening Range Rover so new.

"Don't you?" You manage to ask.

"Of course not! This story of Romani Magdalena is nothing but legend. How could you fall into such talk? I always warned you about charlatans. Never believe someone who charges for the service."

"But, grandma, I changed people's lives!"

"Maybe, but not because of the deck, but because these people heard what you said, followed your advice. There's nothing of sorcery about listening to advice."

“You didn't understand. Everything I wrote there really happened and..."

"Don't be silly!" She cuts you. "I'll ask Vladimir to take me to your house. Wait for me there. We'll have a serious talk, young lady!"

You must be really in trouble if Grandma Cecilia intends to leave her place. She almost never comes to town.

“Uh… it's fine."

“And Y/n, be careful. I don't like what I saw in the cards this morning."

"I'll be," You mutter, flustered.

"See? That's how it works! What are you going to do from now on it's your decision. Only yours. I just advise and say what I see. Understand the difference?"

"I- I..."

“Be careful,” She warns again, before hanging up.

Oh my God, can it be possible? Did you do it all wrong again? All right, no panic. What Grandma said makes sense, a lot more than to believe your zodiac is bewitched. But what about all those people? And Sabrina? And your story with Namjoon? A little confused, you decide to stop at the gas station, so you won't risk running over anyone. You go to the convenience store and order a latte. The little shop is small and not full. The freezers full of drinks, the shelves in the center are a jumble of snacks and sweets.

Grandma's words—and Jungkook's—scream through your mind, and you try to ignore them as best as you can. You drum your fingers on the counter as you wait, until reason win you over and you pick up the phone.

She answers on the third ring.

"Yeah! Sorry to disturb. Is everything ok there?"

"Everything. I was worried. Where did you spend the night?"

"At Hobi's. I thought you two needed some privacy. Everything worked out?"

“More than right. I mean, for now. I still haven't fully forgiven Seokjin. I'll make him break out in a cold sweat for a few days. Ah, Namjoon knocked here last night."

"He did?! What did he want?"

"To talk to you. Said he'll be here another time, or else he'll call you."

Oh my God! What did that visit mean? Did he want to apologize? Is there a possibility that something you have said at dinner has turned out to have some effect and is he willing to listen to you at all? Or did he just want to interrogate you to find out who's setting him up?

You shake your head, returning to the more immediate problem.

"Sa, I was here thinking about last Saturday, when you came back home... It was because of the last zodiac, wasn't it? From what it said in the magazine?"

“I didn't get to read this one. I have decided that I will never read a zodiac again in my life."

OH. My. GOD!

"So... so... why did you come home?"

“Because I realized how foolish I was to believe that a zodiac could have changed my life. Bewitched or not, it wasn't your fault."

You sink down onto the stool, closing your eyes.

Shit! What did you do?!

You tricked Namjoon into thinking you're a traitor, and why? Consequence, allowing him to get back together with his ex-girlfriend. You lost your job for the frame's fault. You believed that magic really existed. You couldn't be dumber even if you even tried.

"Are you okay, Y/n?" Her voice sounds distant in your ear.

"No, Sa," You moan helplessly. "I think I made the biggest mistake of my life!"

"All right. I don't understand anything but calm down. Where are you?"

"At a gas station downtown."

“Come home and tell me what's going on. Who knows I can help you with something, Seokjin is still sleeping, but I made him breakfast. Very golden toasted bread, as you love."

"OK. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

At least you thought you would.

You go to the cashier, still anesthetized, wanting to kick your ass for having been so stupid and irreversibly ruining the best relationship you ever had, throwing the man you love right into the arms of his ex. You lost your confidence, his admiration, and knowing that hurts almost as much as thinking that Namjoon might have really loved you at some point.

And you still managed to get fired without ever writing a story. You really doubt Namjoon would give you a letter of recommendation, which it would be very difficult to find a new position. You have little money in the bank, and it has to cover the car repair checks, the day-to-day expenses. And your grandmother is coming to town with the sole purpose of talking to you.

Misfortunes always come in pairs, that's what they say.

That's why, all that whirlwind of information in your mind that you don't see the danger approaching. You didn't know you were about to cover your first real news story. Nor that, contrary to all rules of the profession, you would be the protagonist.

Author note: I really have so much fun writing their arguments.

Feedback is always appreciated.

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