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#again cos it’s. literally mind boggling to me

charmac · 1 month

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hey seth! i'm just a random guy that's been really into sunny for the past year, and i always love your tweets. you, loren, and anna have been on my fyp a lot the past weekend, and i know a lot of people are being assholes about it, but it's genuinely so heartwarming to see. you three definitely deserve it and are the best kind of people for this to happen to. you always come off as respectful of rcg. hope you can pass the message along to them both too! have a great day

Thank you for the kind message, I really really appreciate it and so do Anna and Loren! Glad you got into the show :)

Honestly I get people are lashing out/shit talking because it does seem kinda weird to witness through a screen how much we’ve been able to interact with them and the interactions we’ve had. I know people are jealous, too (as in have told me they are, and I was certainly jealous last year when Rob didn’t do any events in NYC bc he was sick but did them in Philly a few days later) and I totally get that. Whatever the reason for people being assholes is, I don’t really take it personally. They don’t know the full story of literally anything that happened, they’re just watching through a screen and making their own assumptions of before, after, and in between all these clips they’re seeing, and trying to find something to justify how they feel. The claims that I’ve been ‘stalking’ them or ‘overstepping boundaries’ are genuinely just funny to me when every place we’ve met them has been an event that was publicly posted to Instagram/Facebook well in advance.

(And I’m not gonna talk on Twitter about certain details of this, but I feel like I can probably disclose here that the Four Walls people approached me to tell me/give me things and not the other way around. Their socials dmed me, followed me, Rob followed me, etc. I had literally no sway in them choosing to do those things or introducing themselves to me in person and organically engaging in conversations with me.)

We want to share our interactions with RCG on social media because we think most people appreciate and enjoy their interactions with fans (and also the small amounts of Sunny info we got), and that’s it. I don’t need to share or brag about anything. I would be perfectly content keeping everything that happened this weekend to myself (I very much avoid otherwise sharing my face or voice on social media, so I genuinely have to overcome that insecurity to even be able to share these things), but we know the majority of fans like to see this stuff and that’s why we have been posting everything.

Your message (and others i’ve received) means a lot. I’m glad the majority of people are enjoying our interactions with them and I really appreciate the time you spend to send this ask, really! And I’ll be back to posting regularly scheduled actual Sunny content very shortly :)

#ask #like how do i explain #charlie literally walked right up to us #and had to be DRAGGED away #bc he didn’t want to stop talking to us #it sounds literally delusional and made up #like i gen wouldn’t believe that if it didn’t happen to me lol #same shit with my phone screen #ppl thinking i forced him to look at macdennis fanart #literally just comical #but i can’t explain the context #it all sounds made up bc it’s surreal it happened #so honestly ? anyone can feel however they want #about interactions and clips. cos yeah i would maybe be sus as well #like literally what is happening #but shittalking on my posts or in my mentions #or sending me weird shit on anonymous #i’m not gonna entertain or accept lol #nameless faceless people who don’t understand 5% of what happened this weekend #trying to tell me what happened to me is just funny #again cos it’s. literally mind boggling to me #so i accept a lot of ppl just. will be pissed cos it makes no sense #these are 47 year old ‘cishet’ men #with a certain public perception #and yeah you bet your ass i was shocked at how they interacted with us #but i know how it went #i know how they feel #and i think most of you do too :)

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thatbadadvice · 1 year

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Help! My Investment Advice Is Not Being Taken

Social Q's, New York Times, 1 February 2023:

I was advising my adult daughter on a great investment in a field we know well. I even offered financial assistance, but she told me she was afraid to proceed. So I shared a very personal story: When her father and I were engaged, he was offered a similar opportunity. I begged him to postpone our wedding and use the money to make the investment. But he didn’t; he was afraid, too. I told her that marrying her father, instead of making the investment, had been a poor financial decision I’ve regretted ever since. I urged her not to make the same mistake. She then forwarded our entire text exchange to my husband (her father)! It didn’t cause any trouble between us. But she didn’t know that it wouldn’t. How do I deal with such a betrayal? I will never trust her again. — MOTHER

Dear Mother,

On the scale of human betrayal, it is hard not to situate what your daughter did to you as one of the more egregious crimes that humans have yet committed against each other lo these 230,000 or so years. The Bad Advisor doesn't pretend to say that humans aren't capable of coming up with something worse than asking a man about some shit he was already well aware of, but it's hard to imagine what that might be, and the Bad Advisor daren't speculate for fear of what nightmares await.

You ask an age-old question: Who dares snitch to Daddy? Where does a child, who is an adult and allowed to do whatever the fuck she wants, get off doing whatever the fuck she wants, up to and including telling her dad that her mother said a thing that both of y'all already had a conversation about decades ago? A thing which your husband is by his own admission not at all concerned about? The gall boggles the mind.

You could have been in big trouble with a man who openly gives no fucks about a thing he was already well aware of! What if your daughter had exposed you as a person who had feelings about an investment decision you expressly and specifically told your husband you had feelings about and with regard to which he gives not the barest shit today, nor gave the barest shit about ages ago? The consequences of your daughter telling a man a thing he already knew are nigh life-or-death, and she wholly disregarded them.

But what if your husband, who has known since the dawn of your marriage that you disagree about investment opportunities because you told him so, didn't know that thirty years ago -- when you specifically said that you wanted him to invest money in Dot Com Stocks Dot Co Dot Crypto instead of paying for a nice reception at the VFW hall and he said "Nah fuck it let's buy a huge fucking cake instead" and then y'all literally did that -- that you were actually specifically saying that you would rather him spend money on Dot Com Stocks Dot Co Dot Crypto, and he said no let's not do that let's do the wedding instead, which is what happened? Imagine the horror that might have ensued if your disruptive daughter, who refuses to take your investment advice, had disclosed to this man a thing that would not have surprised him in the least because he actively participated in it?

Well, you needn't imagine the horror. It happened: your daughter told your husband a thing he already knew, and here you are bearing the brunt of the consequences: deep betrayal by a woman who not only is obligated to listen to and take your financial advice, but who dares communicate with someone else who decided not to take your financial advice about their shared hobby: not taking your financial advice.

So: we know what betrayal looks like. We know of the Trojan Horse. We know of Benedict Arnold. We know of Brutus stabbing Caesar. These stories have shaped Western history, and given us a means of understanding ourselves and others. But do we know of the daughter who expressed vague trepidation at her mother's investment counsel? We do not, and the whole of humanity is the worse for it. On behalf of the world, we thank you for sharing your awful tale so that others may learn from it.

How does a mother deal with such a betrayal? A mother can do what only a mother can do: invest deeply in crypto, and let the ~ gains ~ speak for themselves.

#advice #bad advice #social q's #new york times #financial advice #investment #crypto #ftx #sam bankman fried #mother knows best

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mirrorfalls · 4 months

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🔥dcmk

IDK, the last few months have been giving me the impression that “Masumi Sera is the only character in this godforsaken molasses worth watching anymore” is, in fact, an Unpopular opinion? 💦 (I don’t even mind Mary all that much, tbh, though that might just be because she did exactly what I wished Shinichi had done when she got APTX’d)

Anyway… this is an opinion I’ve expressed in a place I can no longer access, so lemme state it again: the idea that being Conan has taught Shinichi to be more humble may just be the single greatest piece of fanon in this entire fandom. And I mean that in both senses: it’s an undeniable improvement on Gosho’s characterization, used by some, probably all of the greatest fic and meta-writers we know… but the sheer number of fans who take it as the default canon state of things boggles me.

Conan may have taught Shinichi to be more cautious (paranoid, if you’re feeling less generous). He may have taught Shinichi to (however slightly) think more about others’ feelings. But he still looks down his nose at anyone even two seconds behind his thought process, and he’s worse about stringing anyone and everyone along when he wants something, be they strangers he met five minutes ago or his childhood best friend, literal girlfriend, and unwitting caretaker. I shouldn’t sound so condemning here - I like Conan as a little shit, especially when he deliberately uses the “I’m just a widdle guy!” act to taunt perps - but I’m just bemused at all the earnest arguments that this life somehow made him an underdog.

The APTX’ing changed absolutely nothing between him and Agasa, the actual safety net in his life. Hell, it’s only because of plot fiat he’s not just living at Agasa’s and hunting down leads on the Org full-time. Even if you accept that living at the Mouri Agency is a Must, it’s not like his life’s ever gonna get truly uncomfortable, considering his parents are paying Kogoro five figures a month. Ran cooks three square meals for him a day, his friends (and probably teachers!) at Teitan look on his wisdom like a God… Megure and co. not listening to him in the early eps was a welcomed hurdle, but it’s not like he can’t get “Shinichi” over the phone whenever he likes, and nowadays he can basically boss FBI agents around to their faces…

tl;dr temporarily embarrassed millionaire headlines this series, poor exploited traumatized underdog is A Departure from that. So please keep doing it ✊ Rise above the source material like the author probably never will.

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inventedfangirling · 11 months

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will i ever get over the bad buddy rooftop kiss?

short answer : no

long answer : after 30 consecutive days where i watched at least 2 bad buddy episodes per day i had decided to take a break for today, and a few more days to refresh my brain. but the forces that be had other plans cos idek from where i saw a snippet of their rooftop convo and i had to go back and watch episode 5 3/4 and 4/4 again and to no one's surprise i keep finding more and more things to appreciate about that episode.

this post isn't to analyze anything from that episode as people far more intelligent, eloquent and observant than me have done before 100 times of before.

i just wanted to do a (in awe) rant of the episode 5 of bad buddy. a true masterclass in story telling, directing, acting and emoting and ofc how can i forget using music as a narrative tool, especially in the scene where pran performs the song and pat now listens to it in the full context of his own feelings and then the patpran wai scene and most importantly in the rooftop scene where the music plays such an important role in building and then maintaining that tension!!

it's such an excellent piece of work because i've watched this already 10 times at least and i literally discovered the show just a month ago. i already know how everything is going to end. i literally just rewatched ep 11 and 12 yesterday. i know its all building upto something far more happy than sad in the end. AND YET.

And yet my heart was in my throat, my eyes were glued to their faces and their micro expressions, i was still in awe at their performance, at the words exchanged both audible and not, and the music behind adding to the' edge of the seat clutching of pillow' experience then the kiss happens and im as shook as the day i saw it.

I genuinely cannot remember the last time or if ever i had an experience of rewatching a (romantic) scene and it's impact gets reinforced and amplified each time i watch it in the way the bad buddy rooftop scene has done it.

that too the fact that i haven't given my brain time to forget the sheen of it, the brilliance of it, the impact of it, the fact that the kiss is a microcosm of their whole story, but even without all of that, that kiss by itself was to say the very least life changing.

my brain hasn't forgotten any of that. i havent allowed it to forget. so then me watching it again so close should not be having this effect on it. and yet.

and i just know that if i hit the replay button again this very instant i will feel all of those emotions all over again. that just boggles my mind, cos what is the explanation for it. logically i should be not this into it each time i watch it. why is hedonistic adaptation not doing its thing? it really do be making no sense to me. i guess this is once again a testament to how great of a show it is, how even beyond all the ingredients we can point out, the actors, the director, the writing , music everything, there has to be some unexplainable magic involved. the kind of magic that i highly doubt can be replicated anywhere. the kinda magic that makes even evolutionary responses bend to its will. solid stuff. 12/10 would recommend.

#nanon and ohm deserve all the awards for just this scene alone #bad buddy #pran x pat #patpran #rooftop kiss #episode 5

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tscritical · 1 year

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imo the 'i hate men' joke wasn't terrible? it might've been in poor taste, but it was a referential joke that was more attuned to a gay experience, not less

as a gay girl i feel like a lot of straight girls expect dating girls to be sunshines and rainbows and "so much more convenient than me dating men, i wish i liked women" that i feel like i have to remind them that i can still get personality clashes and dislike (completely normal) aspects of dating, even though we're the same gender. it doesn't magically make life / dating more convenient

if nothing else, it feels like a fun rip on 'expectations vs. reality' - even if you embrace yourself and your identity, there's still going to be hiccups and hardships. definitely could've worded it better - but it's not egregiously terrible in my mind. there are bigger issues at hand. the way you are jumping to call him a terrible person for it is mind-boggling

again, agreeing with some of the other anons that this blog is sometimes ridiculous. like genuine complaints regarding thomas' lack of communication mixed in with purity shock at an adult man deciding to twerk for comedic effect in a comedy video. not to mention commenting on how stupid he looks or how he should change a character's outfit because its "cringe" and "not appropriate for his age." i guess that's part of the brand, though. you can only complain about a man's silence and lack of videos for so long

well i just really hate the phrase “i hate men” and similar phrases. so when he said it i wanted to punch a wall. because there’s no positive connotation to that phrase lmao

i literally said “how do we feel about thomas twerking” and have responded to anons and have mostly been joking about it. i thought about posting it on my main ts blog but i wanted to revive this one a bit. which. clearly the best decision ive made all day cos watching y’all get so heated about it is lowkey hilarious akdjjdjdjf

and ya know, if it’s really that ridiculous, you can just… leave… the door is over there 🚪

#sorry if my responses have been lackluster im just drained of all my energy lmao #asks #is this crit? idk

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whatsinanalashead · 8 months

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Episode 2 -- An Explosive Birthday Party?!

Presses the ‘KA-BOOM’ button on the soundboard. ~ Yuki

“WHOA, what was that?! It sounded like the explosive beginning to the second episode of Savannah’s number 1 budding podcast!” ~ Yuki

“Dude, we peaked at 10 listeners last week. What are you--” ~ Ana

“SHUSH! Shh, shh, shh! Ahem, what’s up, lovely listeners? Buddy cop duo AnaMickie and KazaYuki are back at it again with ‘What’s in Anala’s Head?!’” ~ Yuki

Presses the ‘thunderous applause’ button on the soundboard. ~ Ana

“In this episode, we’ll be discussing a recent dream AnaMickie had. Take a good look at this week’s art! Extreme, isn’t it?! Co-host, what in the hell are we seeing?” ~ Yuki

“I had this dream a couple of days ago, it’s… been bugging me ever since. You see, my 18th birthday just passed, and I ended up dreaming about a birthday cake sitting outside the front yard of a house. But the thing is, the house caught on fire and is in the process of burning down. So bizarre. To make matters worse, I literally felt the sensation of those flames. Like they were consuming me.” ~ Ana

Presses the ‘shocked gasp’ button on the soundboard. ~ Yuki

“Wowie, listeners! Could you imagine that? That’s mind-boggling for sure! And get this, it wasn’t even your house, was it?” ~ Yuki

“That’s the biggest mystery. We can connect the birthday cake to representing my birthday of course, but it definitely wasn’t my house burning down. Looks nothing like it.” ~ Ana

“What do you think it could have meant, AnaMickie? Did you have a bad birthday? Are you not hyped to turn 18 years old?” ~ Yuki

“My birthday was just fine, no issues there. But…if I had to be honest, adulthood is kind of scary. Dealing with a bunch of responsibilities and expectations being thrown onto you. It’s not something I was ever looking forward to.” ~ Ana

“Huh… I never would have guessed you felt that way. When you put it like that, it does seem pretty daunting, yeah. Maybe the cake represents those last remnants of childhood! Even if it’s not your house, that house could symbolize a haven you cling to.” ~ Yuki

“So, what does the fire mean?” ~ Ana

“Probably your ever-growing dread slowly engulfing you until you can’t take it anymore!” ~ Yuki

“Uh… that took a dark turn, KazaYuki.” ~ Ana

“It did, it did. But, hey! It’s just a dream, don’t worry about it! We’re ending things here for tonight. What do YOU think about this fiery dream of celebratory…ness? Until next time, we’ve been AnaMickie and KazaYuki! See ya!” ~ Yuki “…Right. Keep on dreaming.” ~ Ana

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inb4belphienaps · 3 years

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Wait did i miss something?

nah it's nothing specific but just me getting fed up with reading the same weird characterizations over n over again whenever i dip into the main tag 💀

RANT AHEAD !!

like don't get me wrong it's hilarious to see ppl run with the idea of lucifer being The Dom D*ddy in every situation imagineable but seeing him still be constantly reduced to nothing beyond that ever since the game came out makes me :/// (he's a dork!!! are we just going to ignore the antics he got up to in audio dramas n the anime???)

he might be the easiest example of this actually so lemme try talking about someone else who suffers at the hands of the om fandom like umm like satan

i don't know whether it's bcos the newer players don't actually bother to play thru the main story at all anymore or whether they're encouraged to think the way they do bcos of what they see becoming popular (i.e. certain headcanons, certain fics, etc.)

but satan has been made into this cold, sadistic, solely-defined-by-his-wrath caricature of what he actually is??? like??? i bet u anything it'll still be the same even after the scene we got in this current event where he was so incredibly upset at the mere possibility of having taken his anger out on mc while under the influence of the cursed mask (i literally wanted to reach thru the screen n give him a hug)

it boggles my mind to think that there are "satan enjoyers" who are running around with this idea n being like "hm yes that makes sense satan rly is a one-dimensional freak that'll snap at any lil ol' thing"

i would argue that he should be in fact the least likely to suffer from this out of all the brothers bcos if not due to how he is in the main story, then at least bcos of how he is in his devilgrams and the daily chats we get (he's anything but!!!!)

satan is an extremely likeable, very down-to-earth and incredibly sweet character (proper malewife material or whatever) who isn't afraid to be honest about his feelings particularly towards mc (his confession scene in season 1 still gets me to this day!!!), is also a dork (let me remind u that this is the same guy who earnestly learnt dance moves from levi so he could "properly enjoy the party" glowsticks n all) and looks out for his brothers a lot more than he lets on (going to wake belphie up cos he slept in again, going to buy more groceries after beel empties the fridge, going to ask mc for advice cos he wants to mend things with levi after an argument)

and it's a damn shame that i don't rly see more ppl writing about these sides to him!!! where is the satan that got extremely upset about a bunch of cats choosing to swarm around belphie instead of him!!! where is the satan that went to help asmo out after he got drunk n started crying bcos mc was leaving the devildom!!! where is the satan that despite all he feels, is able to separate himself from his sin entirely and focus his energy on books, research n finding new outlets!!!!! (the poor man rubbed his hands raw after discovering that cleaning was therapeautic for him!!!!!)

#sorry for going off anon omg #but this is smthin i've been thinking for like a rly long time lmao #and ofc all the characters suffer from this. being boxed in i mean #the injustice behind how ppl refer to asmo n write for him is damn infuriating #particularly when it's hidden behind a pathetic ''no offence'' or ''just my opinion'' that's followed by an immediate ''HE SUCKS''#n like ok we can argue that there isn't as much material for the undateables to go on compared to the brothers #but even then???? the snippets we do see r so so so interesting #again ik i'm taking an otome gacha game about dating literal demons way too srsly #but i hope i got my point across #asks.

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dynamicduoofstackie · 3 years

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I’m curious why SamBucky is so rare-ish in these streets when it comes to pairing Bucky with an MCU character? I get it, I get it, with the Stucky ‘end of the line’; we been teaming up since the comic book days spiel. I personally see Bucky and Steve as brothers after Captain America: The Winter Soldier cause it felt like Bucky was ready to adopt Steve after his mother, who was his only remaining family, died.

That’s me. I know everyone not going to see it in that light. But Bucky gives me big brother vibes whenever he has to save pipsqueak Steve in the MCU. Plus the original comics had Bucky as an adorable, little sidekick that would make you think reverse big brother and little brother, with Steve being the big brother and Bucky the little brother. I don’t read the comics so it might just me. No offense.

Is it really about the, Steve knew him longer thing? I mean other than possibly Natasha in the comics, Bucky has no clearly defined MCU love interests. Bucky was a flirt before he met Sarah Wilson, so him being able to flirt, just proves he’s coming into his own. I’m not saying he doesn’t like Sarah that way. But he also flirted with Peggy in the first Captain America movie because he’s a lady killer and was more than willing to take the two girls off Steve’s hand at the Stark Expo when Steve floundered. Steve/Tony I sorta get with the enemies to lover trope. The Bucky x Clint thing is really mind-boggling to me because there were no interaction between them in the MCU; so something must have happened in the comics. So okay... But the fact that Sam had more interaction with Bucky in the MCU and had a whole comic book series with him and Bucky shouldn’t have the ships OF SamBucky and Sam x Clint at a 700+ fanfic difference. Fandoms are so weird sometimes... anyway...

Sam and Steve are the only ones in the MCU who really interact with Bucky outside the strong and beautiful people of Wakanda. None of the Wakandians seem interested in Bucky, except in maybe a familial way. Like they found a stray cat, nursed and raised it; but the cat is still an outdoor cat that might visit from time to time, but is mostly out there doing its on thing. Just the feeling I get with how comfortable Bucky was interacting with Princess Shuri and/or the Dora Milaje. They respect him, fixed him, and let Bucky roam free.

Steve is somewhere on the moon or wherever, in The Falcon and Winter Soldier tv series and Sam is the only one willing to stay in contact with Bucky. Shoot in Endgame only Sam and Steve were Bucky’s only people because Steve protecting Bucky caused a rift between the Avengers. It was repaired, but Team Iron Man doesn’t know Bucky at all, and/or don’t seem interested. Team Captain America are either dead (Natasha), being with their family (Clint and Scott), or dealing with their own shit (Steve and Wanda). So that leaves Sam. That’s really no coincidence even though I’ll admit, Steve going to a support group to more Peggy instead of his two best friends that were recently missing was kind of shitty.

So again, getting back on track, why isn’t their more Sambucky love? We already know Stucky is default most popular in the fandom for Bucky pairing. But Sam, who has the enemies turn friends aspect about him and has been the only one, besides Steve, who openly tried to find Bucky. I mean what better love story is it for a man who went from thinking Bucky would be better off dead, to suddenly sacrificing his 9 to 5 and freedom to search for Bucky and help him escape the airport in Germany?

I mean SamBucky is one of the few ships that has a foundation of amazing content from Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan’s interactions with each other. Mackie and Sebastian literally went from play pretending like they couldn’t stand each other, to damn near needing someone to chaperone them in their interviews because they so random shit, flirt and love to be close. Sebastian has talked about Mackie more than any costar and Mackie has a wonderful knack for finding Sebastian on any red carpet event to compliment the hell out of him. They literally had a show created for the two characters because of that amazing chemistry and Sebastian even co-signed on it with this gem below.

The MCU was throwing Bucky and Sam together over and over again, way before they got their own tv series. They argued together, fought each other, tried to one up each other by ripping wings and dropkicking from the air. Even in the television show big-hearted Sam willingly allows Bucky to go on a top secret government mission with him. Checks in on him constantly to make sure he’s okay. The only one that defends Bucky against people like Zemo, Sharon and John Walker.

Sam really was the one person that helped put most of Bucky’s demons to rest in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He gave him the tough love he needed in the end. He gave him purpose. He teased him like he was a normal person and not a former, brain-washed assassin. Sam watched over Bucky because he wanted to. Steve never asked him to check on Bucky. Steve never asked Sam to help him find Bucky. Steve never asked for Sam to sacrifice his freedom and go to the raft just so Bucky and Steve could escape in the airport. Sam volunteered to do that all on his own because he saw how worthy Bucky was.

Why else would Sam have him on a top government mission? Why else would he try to bail out Bucky from jail or follow Steve and Bucky against his Avenger allies? Why else would he let Bucky talk him into let Zemo go? Or any of the other insane things they did together, unless he didn’t care?

And that’s what Bucky needs, someone to give a damn about him. Someone to text him and chase after him. Someone to defend him and remind him that he’s not the Winter Soldier anymore. Someone to offer him a place to stay and normalcy. Someone who isn’t afraid to introduce to his family or watch his six in a battle. Someone touch him because he knows Bucky’s been touch-starved or tease him because he’s not afraid to be next to him.

Sam knows this Bucky. The Bucky who was determined to give the Shield to Sam. The Bucky who dangled kids off his arm while talking to Sam’s sister. The Bucky who has trouble sleeping at night because he still has demons. The Bucky who tried to kill him because he didn’t have control of his own body The Bucky who was just as broken as Sam when Steve just Peggy over them. The Bucky who is trying to find purpose in a world that has forgotten about him. He doesn’t have to remake himself into the old Bucky for Steve because Sam only knows this Bucky. Bucky doesn’t have to be anybody, but himself around Sam and he is.

I mean maybe people don’t care to pair Bucky with Sam because he was against saving Bucky the first time; or didn’t pull up the car seat; or didn’t want to jump in believing Bucky after he threw him across the room by his chin; or maybe because Sam’s black... WHO KNOWS.

I just thought it was odd that the fandom doesn’t respect Anthony Mackie as a whole, too. Like the poor man has to insert himself into interviews with his white costars just to not be pretty arm candy. But that’s another rant for another post.

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babybirdling · 3 years

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Prompt: James trying to handle drunk Lily while Lily tries seducing him.

Thank you for the prompt, love!

Voldermort also does NOT exist in this AU, I’m not having any of it.

It’s nearly dawn when the roar of the party has dwindled to a mere fizzle, music still broadcasted from the wireless network and drunk Gryffindors hanging from varying places of the common room, moaning in self-pity.

It’s the summer of ‘78.

They’re all nostalgic and not ready to leave the comfort of Hogwarts.

They’re also going to regret downing the stack of butterbeers when they wake at noon to McGonagall’s furious shouts. Except him, tough that may have something to do with him being far from hammered.

It’s his last month in the place that has been his home for the past seven years, and he wants to see every second of the party instead of waking up with a pounding headache and sore throat with absolutely no memory of how he ended up on the roof of the castle. Of course, his fellow co-head had entirely different plans. Lily had to have taken in at least four mugs of butterbeer by now, considering the fact he had to stop her from joining Sirius on the table to dance to his singing--despite how much he wants to join them both.

A voice rings out through the fading party air, the same one which makes his heart stutter even though it's been years since he first heard it, and--not long after--the redhead appears before him, “James!”

He’s still not used to hearing his name roll off her tongue with ease, and such sweetness, too.

He smiles, “Hullo, Lils.”

“I’m tired.”

“Let’s get you to bed then.”

She perks up at the thought, but he’s not expecting what follows.

“Ooh, your bed? Yes, please! I’ve always wanted to sleep there, especially when your smell will be on the sheets”

Merlin, the things this woman did to him.

James chokes out a laugh, mouth opening and closing like fish gaping out of the water.

“Christ, Lily, no. You’re going to your own bed.”

She pouted, and he wondered if she ever took special classes on how to melt someone’s heart. It couldn’t all be pure talent.

“Please, James?”

“How many drinks have you had?”

“I—hmm. Thr...ee…..or maybe—four? I was supposed to be competing with Marlene, y’know. But, that little nitwit is off snogging Dorcas! Pure betrayal, I tell you.”

“Well, to be fair—”

“I want to snog someone.”

“I—what?”

Lily drops onto the couch next to him, absentmindedly fingering with the rings on her fingers, eyes unfocused on Sirius twirling Peter around the table that had been, just hours prior, a source for drinks.

“Preferably this bloke I fancy. I want to snog him so bad, but he just won’t bloody let me. A nitwit, that’s what he is. Arse.”

His heart stops, and then starts again—over and over, the vicious cycle nearly numbing his brain.

—this bloke I fancy.

Fuck.

“I’m sure—“

“And,” she starts again, frown tugging at the tips of her lips, “he’s a massive prat too, asking me out for years and then, and then he just stops without warning...because he’s moved on from me—and how can he tire, tire of me— because I’m…well, me!”

Was she pulling at his leg?

“Lily—“

“But he’s so cute and his hair—“ she wails, surprising James as she drops her head onto his lap, “—but he won’t ask me out to Hogsmeade! He’s literally asked me several times! What’s one more?”

“Who exactly are you talking about?”

“A bloke I fancy! Haven’t you been listening?”

She looks up, eyes wide to meet his with full force but the focus glazes as she frowns thoughtfully.

“No I know what you meant but who—“

“He’s really pretty.”

He chuckles, easing back into the comfort of the chair—no longer alarmed, because honestly it’s so bloody clear and he can’t believe it’s taken a drunk night for her to say it. He’s not sure, but he’s testing the theory.

“I know, you’ve said that several times now.”

Lily turns over and props herself on her elbows, resting her chin on the open palms, “Should I kiss him?”

He chokes and gapes at her, “You...I don’t—what?”

“Should I?”

“I don’t bloody know, Lily, you tell me!”

She pouts at him, sitting up straight and putting several feet of air between them—which really shouldn’t be there, but his sanity thanks the gods that it is.

“Not the answer I was looking for, but I’ll do it anyways.”

His hands reach out to grasp her shoulder from moving forward, his heartbeat loud enough to wake the entire common room. The words run in his head on repeat, thundering against his skull in rhythm with his pulse.

“Lily, now is not the time or place. You’ll regret this in the morning.”

Curse his mother for her values and curse him for proudly taking them in. He doesn’t want to be a bleeding gentleman.

She shakes her head furiously, trying to move forward despite his hand blocking her, “I don’t. I really won’t.”

They stare at each other, pools of hazel searching green irises. James opens his mouth without a sound coming out, and closes it again.

He wants to. So very badly. But it’s still not right.

But his resolve gives in when Lily bites her lip and pushes his arm away, lips meeting one another and breath mixing. The party dulls into the background and all he can think is—bloody fucking bleeding hell—over and over again, hands reaching out to pull her into his lap and fastening them around her waist, an embarrassing moan let out from his lips as her nails scarp the scalp and his hair tangles between her fingers—fuck, why hasn’t he done this before?

She’s doing mind boggling things to his neck with those fingers. She’s running him dry when her teeth tugs at his lips. She tastes wonderful. She’s amazing and—shit he fancies her so, so much.

They part, grasping for much needed air, and he realises that she fancies him too.

When the fuck did that even happen?

James decides that’s a question for another time as he smirks up at her, touching their noses, “Go out with me, Evans?”

An embarrassing pant breaks the sentence, but he doesn’t care.

Lily huffs, hitting his arm, but the upward turn of her lips ruin the effect, “Now, the git wants to ask me out.”

“I thought you would reject me again!”

“Am I right now?”

“You haven’t even said yes yet! I didn’t want to ruin...whatever this is,” he gestures between them, “we’ve built this past year.”

Lily smiles, pecking his cheek, “Neither do I. But still—“

James sighed, “Lily, will you go out with me on Hogsmeade?”

“I’m tempted to say no.”

“You won’t, though.”

She smiles, resting her forehead on his, “No, I won’t.”

He grins, leaning in for another snog, because he wants the sparks back and ingrained in his lips forever, but something stops him.

A smirk overtakes his lips, “You little minx. You’re not drunk, are you?”

Lily shrugs, laughing, “I needed a kiss somehow, James.”

“You could’ve asked.”

“Less talking, mor—“

He swallows the rest of the sentence.

When Lily Evans asks something of you, you can hardly disobey her.

#bb writes #hey hey hey i wrote something!#drunk lily #jily #lily evans #james potter #james #lily #fluff #prompt #ficlet #tw drinking #tw alcohol

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raimispiderman · 3 years

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From the booklet which comes with the Spider-Man Trilogy Limited Edition Collection blu-ray!

This talks about the making of Spider-Man 2, here’s the bit about the first Spider-Man movie.

Click for a transcript:

THE EVOLUTION OF A SUPERHERO

“It was truly gratifying and even a bit overwhelming to witness how strongly moviegoers around the world reacted to Spider-Man,” said director Sam Raimi. “As a filmmaker, I always want people to really enjoy my movies, and on that level, Spider-Man exceeded my expectations.”

After the triumph of the first Spider-Man, Raimi knew he had a responsibility to follow it up with a story that justified the fans’ enthusiasm and their built-in expectations for the next adventure. “There’s great interest in this movie, following the success of the first one,” he acknowledged. “For the kids who come to see it, Spider-Man is their hero. So while the job of making this movie is to provide entertainment, it is also to create a story that shows them a moral character, someone who has to make tough choices and the right decisions in order to continue to be worthy of their admiration.”

The wealth of detailed stories and characters in the Spider-Man comic book series provided a mother lode from which to cull the plot for Spider-Man 2. “The Marvel artists and writers have done a great job through the decades – I know, because I’m a big fan myself – so there’s a tremendous amount of good material to draw upon,” noted Raimi. “Finding a storyline wasn’t that difficult. It was finding the right story, the one that made for a proper follow-up installment, and provided a logical progression for the audience and a logical growth for the character. For the, I relied on the terrific storytelling instincts of my very fine producers Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad. Together with the contributions of our great writers, we found a plot line with ideas that reverberated.”

With the storyline of the new adventure locked, Arad looked forward to the reunion of the Spider-Man filmmaking family, not the least of which was Tobey Maguire. “Tobey was so happy to be Spider-Man again and to be Peter Parker,” said Arad. “As an actor Tobey relished deepening the audience’s understanding of who Peter Parker is and who is becoming,” added Ziskin. “Peter’s a man who is transition, someone who’s struggling with the choices he is making.”

Maguire added, “The theme ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ is never lost on Peter. It’s difficult to be a young man and have to sacrifice as much as he has – presumably for the greater good – and to neglect his personal desires. The struggle continues here and it’s quite complicated, because Peter’s searching desperately for a way to achieve some balance in his life.”

As Peter becomes more immersed in his dilemma, it creates a rift between him and the important people in his life. Though his love for MJ is stronger than ever, she has moved on with her life, pursuing an acting career, living in Manhattan and moving in new social circles. “In this film, Peter is off in his own world and not a reliable presence in MJ’s life,” explained Kirsten Dunst. “She still loves him a great deal, so it has become painful for her to be around him. Though they’ve both done a lot of growing up in the past two years, at the same time, they’ve drifted apart.”

Then, as if Peter’s life were not complicated enough, the situation moves from bad to worse – much worse. Enter Doc Ock.

Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) is a brilliant scientist whose life work has been dedicated to experiments utilizing fusion as a new source of energy. Charming, vibrant and energetic, Dr. Octavius is introduced to Peter by Harry Osborn.

“This movie is the story of Peter’s life, which is out of balance, and Dr. Octavius who, for Peter, represents someone who has achieved that balance,” explained Raimi.

“Peter sees Octavius as somebody who has mastered both his gifts – in this case science, through which he can serve the good of mankind, while also maintaining a personal life, a loving relationship with his wife Rosie (Donna Murphy). This leads Peter to the conclusion that it’s possible to have both.” Dr. Octavius, with the support of his wife, has been working diligently in his home laboratory, trying to perfect his groundbreaking fusion theory. But when a demonstration of his creation goes horribly wrong, Dr. Octavius undergoes a terrible transformation – evolving into the powerful, multi-tentacled Doc Ock.

In Spider-Man 2, the talented and versatile Molina brings this powerful adversary to terrifying life. “He is a formidable enemy for Spider-Man,” said Arad. “He can climb walls faster and better than Spider-Man. In fact, there’s nothing Spider-Man can do that Ock cannot counteract.”

Doc Ock, one of the most popular villains of the Spider-Man comic book series, first appeared in “The Amazing Spider-Man #3,” which was published in 1963. He immediately became one of Spider-Man’s most formidable foes. According to comic lore, each of Ock’s limbs can move at speeds of up to 90 feet per second and strike with the force of a jackhammer. The extremely powerful tentacles enable him to lift a vehicle off the ground, pulverize bricks, claw through concrete walls and hover above his victims by rising into the air.

The filmmakers were eager to attract Molina for the central role. “We needed someone who brought a palpable reality to the part, and who was also sincere, had a great sense of humor and personal warmth,” said Raimi. “Alfred is a brilliant actor, and what he’s brought so effectively to the character of Doc Ock is the sense of him as a misunderstood man who has turned into a beast.”

Molina confessed, “I’ve always been a Marvel Comic fan because their characters are so interesting. They have problems. They’re very realistic.” From him, the mechanics behind the role of Doc Ock was a true education. “It was mind-boggling, the breadth and the imagination that went into how each of my character’s actions – flying across the room, crashing through a plate glass window, smashing a taxicab – was to be executed. It’s a unique way of filming that’s not like anything most of us get to do really. It’s a very particular way of working, and absolutely fascinating.”

J.K. Simmons also returns in Spider-Man 2 as Peter’s gruff boss at the Daily Bugle, J Jonah Jameson. “I fire Peter several times in this movie. Every time I see him, I fire him,” laughed Simmons. “And then I re-hire him because there’s always some pressing need for his services.”

Principal photography on Spider-Man 2 began on April 12, 2003, in New York City, where the production spent approximately three weeks shooting at various locations in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, as well as on a Yonkers stage. From ground-level street shots to rooftops high above the city, the filmmakers efficiently utilized the time they spent in New York, giving them the opportunity to expand on the city’s unique environment, which had lent such vibrancy to the first Spider-Man.

“In the first film we established New York as a character in the movie. With Spider-Man 2, we went even further,” said production designer Neil Spisak. “We used a lot more of the city, including [photographic] plates of real buildings and real streets. Improvements in technology over the past three years enabled [visual effects designer] John Dykstra and I to marry existing buildings to scenery buildings to CG buildings even better than the first time around. It’s a much more complete experience.”

“We got more of a feeling of New York in this movie,” added Ziskin. “The movie is being shot in widescreen, which is appropriate because this is a different story, so it required a different approach.”

Production began on the campus of Columbia University in uptown Manhattan, which served as the university Peter Parker attends while he struggles with the responsibilities of his academic workload and his superhero duties. The rooftop of the Hotel Intercontinental, across from the Waldorf Astoria, was the location where Spider-Man contemplates his next move, while downtown, in the Wall Street area, another rooftop served as the “launch-pad” for the Spydercam camera, as it dipped and swooped over several blocks to replicate one of Spider-Man’s high-stakes aerial journeys through the city.

“We executed one of the longest wire shots the Spydercam has ever done,” said executive producer Joseph M. Maracciolo. “The Wall Street shot was around 2,400 feet. I’m an ex New Yorker, so I didn’t find the location shoot particularly daunting. But there are always difficulties when you’re doing wire work in New York, including the placement of the cranes on the buildings, the movement of the cast, crew and equipment, and of course, the crowds.”

“It was a challenge for us to move our production to the tops of buildings, but we couldn’t have been happier, because rooftops are Spider-Man’s world and that is his view of the city as he swings through it,” noted co-producer Grant Curtis. “It was breathtaking to see the world from 70 stories up – a world unto itself. You can’t fully really appreciate the beautiful architecture of New York’s skyscrapers from ground level. We showed some of that in the first film, but we wanted to show more of Spider-Man’s vertiginous world, and I think we really captured that with this film.”

In Spider-Man 2, Doc Ock sweeps Aunt May off her feet – literally – and takes her up several stories of a tall building. Rosemary Harris performed her stunts in a variety of harnesses, but only after she had managed to talk the filmmakers into letting her give her stunt double a rest. “I was a bit miffed at first, because my wonderful stunt double was going to do a lot of these harness maneuvers,” recalled Harris. “So I asked Sam and Laura, ‘Why not let me have a go at it?’ At first they were reluctant. But I begged them to at least let me try and they finally relented.”

Returning to Los Angeles, Spider-Man 2 shot on several stages on the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City. Stage 15 was home to the Daily Bugle offices, as well as Peter’s tiny apartment and Dr. Octavius’ elaborate home laboratory. On Stage 29, the Osborn mansion, where Harry Osborn now lives, was recreated. Stage 27 housed MJ’s apartment set, a giant spider web, the interior of the Planetarium, the massive clock tower set as well as various other set pieces. A series of elevated trains were built on Stage 14, where Spider-Man and Doc Ock match wits.

One of the most elaborate sets for Spider-Man 2 was the pier set, designed by Spisak and built over the course of 15 weeks on Soundstage 30. “In contrast to Dr. Octavius’ lab, which was part of his apartment – a streamlined, organized and clean space – the pier is a maniacal, decaying, decrepit space,” explained Spisak. “It follows his character development in terms of his becoming a wilder, more dangerous and more formidable adversary for Spider-Man.”

The set, approximately 60 feet wide by 120 feet long and 40 feet tall, was constructed over a water tank and enhanced by several different components, including CG/plate work and miniatures.

“Before we built the set, we created an exact ¾ scale model of it, about 7 feet long and 4 feet wide, from drawings and blueprints. The model was extremely useful to the carpenters, who could take measurements to help them construct the full-sized pier, as well as for the miniatures team, so they could ascertain the dimensions, textures and materials that were used,” explained art director Tom Wilkins. “We shot plates down in San Pedro, where we panned from a real pier to the water. In post-production a New York background was added. We also built a miniature pier – interiors and exteriors – to complete the composition on the East River.” The art department team designed a 136 foot by 40 foot-high vinyl backing to represent Ock’s view of Manhattan through a large window at the end of the pier set. Wave machines were rigged in the water to create movement under the pier.

The production then moved to the Universal backlot for two weeks of shooting. Several city streets were transformed into a variety of New York neighborhoods including the exterior of the Lyric Theatre where MJ performances in an off-Broadway production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. Ari’s Village Deli and Bakery became the site of an extremely complex scene involving a quiet conversation between Peter and MJ, which is interrupted by Peter’s “spider sense” – and a car careening through the plate glass window, followed by the arrival of Doc Ock.

“It was a great luxury to be able to build that set from every aspect, so that we could do everything we needed for the scene,” said Spisak. “The walls were made of french plate so that when the car smashed through it, the buildings around it were protected. We were able to design what we thought it should look like visually, then as tricks, gags and stunts became clearer, we were able to add them to the set before it was completely finished.”

“The deli was a full, 360 degree set, with a kitchen, deli counters, pastries, ceiling fans and chandeliers,” added art director Steve Saklad, who worked closely with Spisak. “We dressed the exterior streets so that you could look out of the window and see the intersection of Lafayette Street and Astor Place. It required an enormous amount of signage, billboards, street dressing, trees and traffic lights.”

For Raimi, “The diner was a complex technical scene, because it brought together so many different departments, each relying on the other to fulfil their function and communicate with each other so that each individual shot would work. We utilized mechanical effects and the stunt department had to take an automobile, spin it and flip it through the deli window, with the prop department providing the breakaway items. What made it even more complex was that we had to fly Doc Ock in, using something we dubbed the “walk rig.”

The “walk rig” was created for Doc Ock, because the character not only moves himself, but his tentacles move him around as well. When he walks on the tentacles, they support his weight, so a device was constructed to harness him and move him through space as if the tentacles were supporting him. The visual effects department also created “virtual” tentacles where practical ones weren’t feasible.

When he was in full costume, Molina’s tentacles weighed between 75 to 100 pounds, depending upon the action required for the scene. Each of the tentacles was fully articulated. In their expanded, 13-foot length, each upper tentacle consisted of approximately 76 individual pieces Each vertabra was handmade, hand molded, sanded, individually hand painted, chromed, then painted again and assembled by hand. The entire collection of Doc Ock tentacles, bases, heads and wrists, if laid end to end, would be taller than a 20-story building.

Academy Award winning costume designer James Acheson welcomed the opportunity to further explore and improve upon the already classic Spider-Man costume for Spider-Man 2. “Creating the Spider-Man suit for the first film was a real challenge since we were designing for a kind of Cirque du Soleil acrobat, someone who had a unbelievable kinetic spiraling ability,” he said. “So the suit had to be extremely flexible. For the new installment we made several improvements, though you’d have to be a real enthusiast to spot them. The colors are slightly different, and we have made subtle changes in terms of the movement inside the costume’s hood. We also adjusted the eyepieces of Spider-Man’s mask as well as certain aspects of the spider design on the front and the back of the suit.”

For Spider-Man 2’s Doc Ock, Acheson and Raimi spent close to a year collaborating with Spisak and visual effects designer John Dykstra and working with Edge FX in what began as a series of “group think” sessions, according to Raimi. “I needed John Dykstra’s input, because it was John who was going to have to handle Doc Ock’s movements in CG, so he had to be involved in designing the character, along with Jim, who was going to determine the look of the character,” recalled Raimi. “Part of the look determined the movement, and what the arms look like began to govern how it functioned. Neil was involved because Ock had to be a part of Neil’s world in the film. A great interdependence developed among the department heads in order to achieve the complex nature and physicality of the character,”

“The challenge with Doc Ock is to visually create a believable world, focusing on a man with four tentacles growing out of his back,” said Spisak. “Now, that can be a tough swallow. So, in creating Ock and his world, we needed to design and play it so that everything was credible. Ove the course of several months, it became clear what was physically possible for Ock and what would have to be achieved via CG. We conceptualized the look and only then did we deal with the physical limitations, rather than letting them stop us at the beginning.”

Added Dykstra: “It was a huge challenge to make Doc Ock come to life. His tentacles had to meet several criteria. They had to be appropriate with regard to the world Neil had created for Spider-Man and Ock. The components of the costume – the texture and the weight – had to bed something an actor could actually wear. Since using the tentacles wasn’t always practical, we had to create ‘virtual’ versions with Edge FX. In the end, integrating the tentacles into the story was a marriage of all those components and the collaboration of everyone involved.”

Spisak and his team designed and dressed more than 100 sets and locations for Spider-Man 2. “There are probably 10 enormous sets, while some are simply street corners. We covered eleven blocks in downtown Los Angeles and used many rooftops, streets and buildings in New Yorj City,” noted Spisak. “This is certainly the biggest film I’ve ever done.”

Spisak worked with director of photography Bill Pope on the color palette for the sets, and they pored over research and location pictures to inspire them for the story’s lighting requirements. “In the first film, Peter Parker was younger, less aware and just beginning to discover his new powers. That was reflected in the overall look of the movie,” said Spisak. “With this film, he has been Spider-Man for a while, so his frustration over how to deal with his life versus his duty is more complex. That’s reflected in the color palette and the tone of this film – it’s a little more sophisticated, more complicated and deeper, in terms of color and look.”

Among the tools Dykstra and his team utilized to achieve the shots presenting Spider-Man’s point-of-view, while he is soaring over the city, was Earl Wiggins’ Spydercam. During the New York portion of the shoot, the specialized camera was launched using a remote-controlled computer suspended on a cable from a Wall Street-area rooftop more than 30 stories in the air, which recorded what DSpider-Man saw as he swung over the city. The camera traveled along a line suspended over four blocks, dipping down into the street and over the tops of several blocks of vehicles and background art that had been placed for the sequence.

“We were dropping the camera and moving it up and down over the course of the shot to follow Spider-Man’s trajectory as he swings through the arch, releasing a web, and shooting a new web as he swings into the traffic below,” explained Dykstra.

“One of the successes of the first film was the empathy the audience had for the main character. He was very sympathetic,” Dykstra said, “This movie explores the character in greater depth, and in terms of the visual effects, we’re hoping to give audiences an event more intimate sense of what it’s like to be Spider-Man. In the first film, we get to fly with him. The idea here is to make the flying sequences poetic enough and evocative enough that you will get an even stronger sense of what it’s like to fly like Spider-Man.”

That approach is reinforced by Raimi, said Ziskin, “One of the really striking aspects about Sam is that he is the audience for this film. He makes the movie for the audience, identifies with the characters and is always aware of the rhythms and how each sequence will play – both to him and the other members of the audience. That makes him the perfect director for this kind of material. Also, he’s at a point in his directing career where he’s at the top of his game. He is brilliant technically, but also works extraordinarily well with the actors. Ultimately, his personal connection to Peter Parker and the other main characters is a great gift to the audience.”

“These are tough, scary times and during such periods we look to heroic stories to give us hope,” noted Raimi. “Maybe that has something to do with why the audience was so taken with Spider-Man when he first appeared two years ago. With Spider-Man 2, I truly hope that audiences will feel that they’re seeing a love story, that they’re participating in another episode of Peter Parker’s life and are seeing the challenges and conflicts he faces and how he overcomes them. I hope it will leave them feeling uplifted and exhilarated.”

#spider-man #spider-man 2 #sam raimi #avi arad #laura ziskin #tobey maguire #kirsten dunst #alfred molina #rosemary harris #jk simmons #interviews #behind the scenes #concept art #peter parker #aunt may parker #mary jane watson #doc ock #j jonah jameson #set design

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templedragon · 3 years

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Supergirl 6x02 A Few Good Women

Do not let the title fool you. This episode is focused on men, Lex in particular. Unlike the film the title is based on, the man does not go to prison. What people think of you is more important than the truth.

This episode is full of problems. I don't know what the legal system is like on Earth Prime but it's nothing like the viewing audience. Murder cases take time. The idea that that was the only charge that initially stuck is mind boggling. There were numerous people Lex screwed over and used, like the people that built the satellites, Andrea for piggy backing Obsidian North, William for getting shot. Numerous people that could testify, like M'Gann and J'onn bringing the shards of satellites, and anyone who had a sudden change in how they perceived Lex - theoretically there were millions of witnesses to canvas to testify.

There's no indication as to how much time has passed between 6x01 and 6x02. Enough for William to have full functio in his arm. But the events of the episode happen in a day. You can't just call witnesses out of nowhere, and given Lena has testified against Lex before on Earth 38 and he tried to kill her (that was her introduction in season 2), she should want protection. Lex is also a smart man, and he apparently hasn't asked why Lena was building Non Nocere as any Supergirl link has been erased.

There's a huge issue of abuse survivors being triggered. At this point, the show itself is the Phantom Zone as characters relive the same events without progress. Lena is once again trying to get away from her family. She put both of them in prison in season 2, and it looks like she'll be getting rid of them again. Andrea and Lena were in the same room as their abuser, and the harmful message is that when a man says he's right and she's wrong, people believe the man despite the evidence against him. Men get away with everything is a message that the show should be against, but we've seen them say it before.

Another harmful message is bury your gays. Silas the vampire lost his husband to a corrupt legal system that caused mental disabilities in prison, and the surviving spouse is also traumatised. So we have a known villain avoid prison and a gay wrongly accused man likely be dead from the prison system.

In the third response to prison, we have the man (I'm thinking they are all white for easy comparison, but please correct me) who volunteered to be in prison. Kara's father must have believed in his spouse's job in the justice system as he was happy to go to the place all the criminals were sent rather than definitely die. I sincerely doubt that once he's reunited with Alura (I'm assuming this cis het pairing will reunite) he'll roast her for the culture's choice of prison. The show is doing an amazing job of avoiding all the important moments.

Important moment: Alex telling Kelly that Kara is Supergirl, much hyped last episode. Didn't happen on screen. In doing so, it's existence in 6x01 means it was another parallel between a canon romance and Supercorp. They really spent an entire season about Kara's identity fundamentally changing relationships. Now it doesn't get screentime.

Important Moment: Nia says love in relation to Kara. Alex said love to Kara last episode. Casual. Everyone had better say they love Kara this season.

Important Moment: The Tower group chat with the gay alien had two notable absences in Alex and Lena. Both of these would have had more impact in saying Nia's line of "save someone we love" and technological prowess. Literally last episode, Lena said she could modify the transmat portal she used in Crisis and Brainy didn't contradict the possibility, only that they needed co-ordinates for Kara's exact location. In this regard, this episode is pointless, so having a gay alien suffer because of losing his romantic partner indicates that the Superfriends are also suffering to get Kara back... for her romantic partner?

Alex (sister), J'onn (father figure), and Dreamer (mentee, friend, coworker), are all keen to get Kara back, to the point they are rushing and doubting their abilities. So unless there is about to be incest or poly am, something is amiss. Could it be the person who is absent from the Superfriends, despite Queller saying she'd be an integral part, the missing piece in Kara's life? Queller's lied before as she knows what the audience wants to hear in order to watch. Last season she said it would focus on Kara and Lena's relationship and they had 62 minutes of screen time together. Brainy is instantly forgiven and integral to the Tower, so where's Lena? I get that she can't talk about Kara because her blood don't know she's Supergirl, but she should be discussing with Alex that her best friend is reliving her worst nightmare. Why are none of the Superfriends offering to help Lena put her family behind bars with their testimony? Once again, Lena is isolated in the show, to deal with her family abuse alone.

Kara is also dealing with rubbish family alone, because we get parallel dialogue: "I would rather live through torture and do something, than just exist for the sake of it. The House of El is meant for more than that." - Kara "It's time for a Luthor to do some actual good instead of just pretending to." - Lena This is the man who agreed to yeeting his daughter to a strange planet on her own to be a single parent at 13, and all the trauma that's come from outliving her people and suppressing herself, and it's, "Oh hi, you were brave to stay behind. Here's a hope speech." There's a huge inconsistency in the memory she relived, as it's the season 3 finale. She says everyone she loved died, when it was Sam, Alura, and Mon-El. Another casual trauma mention is that she's only just gotten over that, and that was two years ago. Plus, she fixed it with time travel and technically got away with murder.

M'Gann is still here, deepening her romance. Andrea has become the new James, CEO of CatCo (AndCo? RoCo?) with a secret hero identity (and Lena's ex...). William continues to be useless, to the point he's tagged on to Nia's case and reacts to Lex's trial on TV. Nia has progressed in being Kara 2.0 in that she's rushing between workplaces and making excuses. Brainy's instant forgiveness by everyone means he can bring up better CGI, and clunky foreshadowing of the upcoming Midvale episodes. The Phantoms are Dementors and the Portal a Stargate. Alex assuming she'd get Kara back in a day and having an army of potstickers made me realise the true torture of the Phantom Zone is that she can't eat.

The actresses have another 20 episodes of this until they are free. Who is paying for the Tower's electricity bill? The trailer and teaser were released on day of broadcast, which sets a new low in promotion. I want to call Lex AJ.

#supergirl #supergirl season 6 #episode review #6x02 A Few Good Women #supercorp #dansen #brainia #M'gann M'orzz #identity reveal #andrea rojas #phantom zone #lgbtqia+#tw abuse

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staylavendertea · 3 years

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music, ya know

this is a complete impulse of lying in bed middle of the night thoughts that i don’t even know if anyone’s gonna see that have been stemmed off the experiences of the past couple days, topic of 1:41 am mind boggle:

music and it’s aesthetic and importance in literal every sense cause it’s just that important to me

first experience of realizing this, i’ve always loved film scores and listening to music and the orchestral pieces from movies and shows, but it really seemed to hit me recently, like the fact that this week’s new LOKI episode, no spoilers, has the most badass score and a badass scene with such a perfect mix and musical atmosphere. i literally had one of my best friends over, who has a very small interest in comics, cinema, marvel in general, especially a show about a norse comic god that they know nothing about, and whilst they sat there for my own regard, watching the show like a normal human being would, i sat there clinching their hand, watching in awe as our music is louder than actors talking tv speakers spurted out the most spine tightening world building story and just wandered “jesus that was good” and whilst i will always think about the superior acting, cgi, the amount of different people that just went into those few scenes and like what was physical set and what was computer image and what the hell did i just watch that has my brain running olympic marathon circles right now?

the thought that said brain kept going back to was that fucking score. it was literally tearing apart of every corner of my head and why was it doing that?

second experience, another marvel one, but i digress. black widow (no spoilers i promise), thursday night, movie theater for the first time in i can’t even remember how long now and we set through so many previews just for fucking boss baby to start playing and the reaction of the theater to make me burst out laughing.

however whatever works in that little projection box, gets fixed and the movie is pushed to just a little before it starts, a nice small pepsi ad, the regal rollercoaster intro (if you go to regal movie theaters ya know what i’m talking about), and then i hear it - the marvel studios logo - something so musically engraved into my head that my ass that can’t sing for anything, can harmonize with the sound and makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up around movie theater surround sound. but i can’t think of that now, i’m here to watch black widow, a movie on hiatus with the rest of the world for so long now, a character i didn’t know much about it or truly, didn’t have the most connection with in the first place. yet through that one movie, i seemed to build one of those.

ofc though scarlett johansson’s beautiful acting and world building, but it isn’t until the end of the movie that i even realize why. it was the fucking score again. when i think about it, the beginning of the movie felt like all of black widows scenes in the avengers movies for me, kinda just, there. not really emotionally tugging, not bad ofc either, but just, there. in the present, watching something cool in motion. but then it hits, what i can only describe as a theme that somehow tells the entire black widow movie in one singular composition. something so badass, story telling, but also just singularly black widow-esk. i can tell you that i walked out the movie theater rambling about the composition and looking up composers.

third experience, the most recent as it was literally like 20 minutes ago and sprung one train rail of a thought process that immediately tugged me into typing this brain vomit into a tumblr post. i have playlists. for everything. and when i say everything, i fucking mean everything. i’m a writer and a reader, i have playlists mostly for the young avengers, my most utter comfort characters, and their stories i’m writing. i also have playlists/genre/specific song for about every book i read.

when i read red white and royal blue when that came out, i noticed i listened to one of the drunks by panic at the disco the entirety of the ending of the book and the words and music fit together like puzzle pieces, not only did it make the reading experience better, but i was so fucking emerged in my over hyper-imagitive brain that when i finally actually finished the book, i still never left. rewind present day to the beginning of this past june, one last stop comes out, ofc i get it the day it comes out with my anticipation building like wildfire. i start reading that night and i put on my recents on my liked songs playlist (true to true spotify user) and i slowly over the next day as i read and finish the book, windle down to the genre, then the band, to the album, to the exact song that feels like the carbon copy of the words i’m reading. that song was only ones who know by the arctic monkeys. now go back to this past week, anyone who reads the carry on series knows, anyway the wind blows came out this past tuesday. i waited till wednesday to buy the ✨pretty special addition barnes and nobles copy✨ so that the dear friend that indulged me by watching loki that same day could buy it at the same time and make a cute book date or whateva. i started reading that night and something just felt ,,, off. i didn’t know what it was, but i was living off the pure joy that simon and co give me so i ignored the feeling. until i realized why it felt off this morning. i wasn’t listening to any fucking music, literally nothing, not even queen. motherfucking. queen.

i looked for the snowbaz playlist i made when i read carry on for the first time back in 2016/2017 when i was still a freshman in high school just to remember i deleted that literally forever ago. so i made a new one. like an hour and a half ago. very inspired on how i made the playlists for the young avengers and all their stories. letting the music talk.

the fact that all these rambling thoughts have led to this conclusion makes my head hurt, but for me at least in my own experiences. music talks. a two way conversation. a radio broadcast, turning the peg until you match the same frequency thats being put out and you can hear it and understand it. it’s like when you see comedians on stages or actors on panels, they talk, you have reactions, you talk back, and so forth the loop continues until the last voice, last note, rings out. music and songs and orchestral pieces and bands and composers and lyric writers are telling you the stories in reverse. they don’t know their doing it, obviously they meant something entirely different in their creations, but it’s like literature and any work of words and storytelling. interpretation. to me, the notes, pianos, violins, guitars, drums, singers, cellos, and anything that can make sound you can think of, is telling you something. whispering in your ear as you watch or read. facial features, emotions the characters dont say out loud, outfits, they way their standing or talking or moving or interacting with anything and everything.

when i just made that carry on playlist, i played it, decided to try read some good almost 2 am fan fic as you do, my hanging on by a thread sleep brain telling me words aren’t recognizable right now, and tighten myself into a blanket to see if i can sleep at all. the playlist still plays and my never shuts up head thinks it’s own daydreams, stresses out about anything it can, that is until the song plays. the one that just speaks the carry on trilogy language. the one that i found whilst i was reading wayward son and then would play whenever i re read carry on. the one that started this whole way too long ass post in the first place. cant be alone tonight by atlas. i heard just the first sound and i saw them, as if i were in the same room, like i never even put the book down in the first damn place because i’m actually terrified of finishing it. i could see simon in his oversized hoodies, baz in an outfit that was way too good just to be sitting inside, agatha looking as pleasantly pretty as ever, penelope poking fun at shepherd, and shepherd poking fun right back; bickering, laughing, saying the dialogues i try to remember so i can write them later, existing.

in a way music doesn’t just talk, but it lives. it lives and breaths. a three way conversation you could say. characters, stories, plot, and settings talk to the music, then the music delivers us listeners the message, so that we can send one back. this literally took me over an hour to write and i should point the important note that i do have synesthesia where colors and sounds and colors and words do the association so this entire thing might be me being entirely biased, but alas, i love sound so much and if there is anyone else that feels the same ways as i do as just a simple good film score and song makes anything ten times better, feel free to talk, i will totally be awkward, but i need some music freaks like myself around so feel free to hit me up, also if you love movies and cinema also feel free to hit me up as i need movie buddies and now it’s 3 am and i will be going to bed - peace out 🛸

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svtntntn · 4 years

Text

peace of mind

fake dating!au x co-workers!au

inspo: one of the sideplots from the kdrama 'romance is a bonus book' featuring lee nayoung and lee jongsuk

where taking work home has a greater meaning

——

"(y/n), honey. Answer your phone, you know better than to ignore your mother's calls, even after all this time. I wanted to let you know that Seungcheol is going to be in your neighborhood this weekend! He mentioned that he was visiting Joshua in preparation of the wedding and I think you two should catch up! If you would like, I can set a reservation at that one skyline restaurant for you both! Or I can set you up with someone—remember Kim Junmyeon? The doctor? He’s recently single! Call me, sweetie."

What was he doing here?

You're in the midst of laughing at some story Seungkwan and Seokmin were telling about the antics of their afternoon music class when you suddenly choke on your drink when your eyes catch on a pair of familiar brown ones across the room, the alcohol stinging your throat sourly.

You instantly dart around for your purse and your jacket, shoving them on quickly. Chungha pats your back in concern as you duck your head below the table, attempting to stay hidden from eye level.

"(y/n)? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm alright! I-I just dropped something! Oh where did it go?" You maneuver around Chungha while keeping your head down, "I'll be right back!"

Keeping your head low, you manage to get pretty deep into the crowded bar until you run directly into someone's stomach, their hands finding your shoulders and lifting you up, "Ow—what the? (y/n)? What are you doing? Never mind that, where is everyone else? I got sidetracked with grading papers—"

"Shhhhh!" You put your hand to his lips and peer around the room again, scanning the bar for one person you're avoiding. "Mingyu! Will you please—shush for one moment, Mingyu!"

He wrestles your hand off his lips with a disgruntled groan, "What for, (y/n)? Why are you acting all weird?"

You can see Seungcheol weaving his way through the crowded bar to get to you but your eyes focus on Mingyu in front of you. He narrows his eyes, "is someone following you? Oh wait—is it some wronged parent from our school? Some ex-boyfriend of yours? I got it! It's that one guy who picked you up after classes that one time! He wasn't that handsome, he was actually pretty ugly, sorr—"

The words tumble out of your mouth before you have a single moment to even think about it, "can you for one second—pretend to be my boyfriend?"

Mingyu wordlessly stares at you as you repeat your question, pulling on his arm as you turn to see Seungcheol coming closer and closer, "Will you please? Mingyu, please? Answer me!"

"Ok, I’ll think about it.... one second." You let out a breath of relief and close your eyes, preparing to face the lion ahead till you hear Mingyu scoff, "done."

Your eyes flash open at his literal taking of your word, "why you! Kim Mingyu, the one time I ask—"

He waves off the whole-name spiel and walks away from you, "I'll be back."

"Mingyu!" You call his name but he continues retreating into the crowd until you can't see his figure anymore. Curse words directed at your co-worker are mumbled under your breath, the filthiest expletives leaving your mouth in an angry rush before you feel a tap on your shoulder.

"(y/n)?"

You silently pray before slowly turning around and plastering on the brightest smile you can, "Seungcheol, I haven't seen you in awhile."

The lights shine over his hair in an angelic way, creating a faint halo along the crown of his head, almost making you forget the fact he's practically your mother's lackey. "Well, you haven't visited home in a long time."

"You know very well why I haven't visited in a long time." You remind him pointedly, "my mother is an insufferable woman and that already is an understatement."

Seungcheol raises an eyebrow at your words, "She's just looking out for you, you know that."

"By being completely unreasonable and forcing me to go on blind dates every other weekend?" You volley back towards him sarcastically, "sure, she's worried about me. She just wants to make sure her only daughter doesn't become a lonely, old spinster."

"(y/n), imagine when you have your own children. You'd want them to live comfortably, wouldn't you? To watch them live without worrying about money or about having a roof over their heads, right? Your mother just wants what's best for you—"

"But that's not what I want," you emphasize, "what's best for me is to actually live my life! To worry and struggle, and work till midnight, a-and sleep till two in the afternoon! And go out with who I want to go out with and marry whoever I want to marry. That's what I want out of life," Seungcheol makes a face at you but you continue on, "yes I want to be comfortable and stable but on my own terms, on my own efforts."

Seungcheol snorts, "and how is that going?"

"I'm doing just fine, thank you very much." If you weren't in a crowded bar, you would have ordered a fresh drink to pour on Seungcheol. "I'm actually here with my co-workers for some drinks," you nod in the direction of Chungha and the rest of your workmates in the corner, who are cheering merrily at the next round of shots.

If you didn't know any of them, you definitely wouldn't think they'd be a group of teachers—nonetheless teachers for elementary students. "What are you doing here?"

"I’m visiting Joshua, he’s finally back in town after coming back from the States. He’s getting married next month, remember? You got the invitation, didn’t you?"

You nod as you remember receiving a white and gold envelope in the mail a couple weeks ago, the elegant calligraphy remarking the wedding details in due time and the RSVP at the bottom was left unmarked as it mockingly reminded you of your relationship status.

You knew you had to go to Joshua's wedding, but alone?

"If you’re going, maybe we could... you know, go together?" Seungcheol proposes, "I know it’ll save Joshua—"

Where was a drink when you needed one?

"(y/n)! Baby, I got your drink." As if on command, Mingyu sets down two glasses for you and himself on the empty table next to you, beaming his charming smile usually saved for the children and parents at the school.

You hide your confusion with a faux smile back at him, staring into him intently to try and read his mind, "Oh, thank you… baby."

"Of course, anything for my girl." Mingyu says warmly, his expression changing when he notices Seungcheol standing in front of you, "and you are?" His voice is protective as he takes a step in between you both. You almost want to snort at Mingyu's defensive nature as your fake boyfriend but you hold it back.

The scowl on Seungcheol's lips morphs into a forced smile, "Seungcheol, a family friend of (y/n)'s." Mingyu steps forward and shakes Seungcheol's hand with a slick grin before easily wrapping his arm around your shoulders and the other casually holding his drink. "And who are you exactly?"

Seungcheol’s eyes look to yours expectantly and you feel small under his gaze, "Oh, this is Mingyu—"

"I'm (y/n)'s boyfriend." Mingyu pulls a confident smile on his lips as he watches Seungcheol's jaw drop, pure satisfaction running through his body.

You take a pull from the drink Mingyu—your now boyfriend—got you before setting it down, hesitantly curling up into his arms and relaxing as Mingyu leans into you, "Mingyu… babe," the foreign word makes Mingyu beam even harder at you. "Seungcheol is actually my mother's bodyguard, but moreso like the older brother I've never had. He's the only man that can put up with my mother and her incessant bullsh—"

Seungcheol corrects, "We've been family friends for a long time, she means to say." The patronizing tone in his voice makes you hide a scoff at his correction, "(y/n), how long have you and Mingi been together?"

Your boyfriend cuts in, "it's Mingyu."

"We've been together a couple months," you answer, counting your fingers and looking at Mingyu.

"Six months this weekend to be exact." Mingyu spits out with a proud tone, wrapping his hand around yours and letting them rest on your shoulder in plain sight. "(y/n)'s been working so hard, I planned for us to go out of town for a short vacation. I hear the beaches have been beautiful as of late."

"Happy anniversary to you two," Seungcheol cheers tensely, his lips pulled into that one fake smile that you can recognize from a mile away. He fills the awkward gap with a glance at his phone, his eyes reading over a text message followed by missed call notifications, "if you excuse me, Jeonghan and Joshua are looking for me."

"Well," you unwrap your hand from Mingyu's. "See you Seungcheol. Tell them I say hello, my mother included." You add begrudgingly.

"I’ll see you, (y/n)." Seungcheol gives you a brief hug, whispering you're always welcome back home in your ear before locking eyes with your boyfriend, "Mingyu… nice to meet you."

As you step back into Mingyu's side, he returns a satisfied smirk to Seungcheol and raises his drink to him, "Seungcheol, it was a pleasure meeting you."

The moment he leaves your presence and walks outside of the bar, you untangle yourself from Mingyu's arms, a million thoughts in your head cascading all at once until you blurt out, "What was all that?"

"You asked me to be your boyfriend and I did it," Mingyu quips easily, "happy?"

"I actually am, thank you." You study his actions as he takes his glass and moves to a barstool at the counter, waving to the bartender for a round of shots for your co-workers in the corner. He acts normal this time, acting as if you and him weren't just all cuddled up with his arms and hands around you and calling you 'his girl.'

The juxtaposition is mind-boggling to say the least, but you have to ask, "why help me?"

"(y/n), we're co-workers. We help each other everyday, and tonight was no different. Your friend, mom's bodyguard, whatever he is—he was being a complete ass to you. I heard him talk to you; you don't disrespect someone's work or guilt them about their life choices, that's rude."

"Aw, look at you! All riled up, defending my honor. You should tell that to my mother, she’s always going on about me and my life choices," you muse out loud, a warm feeling spreading from your chest—was that the alcohol? "Who knew Kim Mingyu could transform into a knight in shining armor on command?"

Mingyu turns to you, "that and I know I'll never hear the end of it if I didn't help you and play along to fool Seunghyun."

"Seungcheol, his name is Seungcheol."

"I won't have to see him ever again, so what difference does it make?" Mingyu chortles, raising his beer to you. "Cheers, to the shortest, best fake relationship you've ever had."

You scoff at the sentiment but pause to clink your drink against his, "should I be offended?" You roll your eyes as he doesn't answer, waiting patiently for you, "fine, cheers."

"(y/n), baby, hi! It's your mother again. Answer the phone, as soon as you can. Seungcheol told me that he ran into you and he met your lovely boyfriend! Since when did you start dating again? And who is this man, Mingi? Mingyu? Minseok? I was getting worried when you stopped going on the dates I set up for you… Call me back."

Days pass by after your encounter with Seungcheol at the bar and your one time fling of asking Mingyu to be your boyfriend, and everything is normal. Lessons fly by, the children are more chaotic with every passing day, and you're wondering why lunch breaks can't be any longer.

Another fine day passes by when Mingyu's walking home to his apartment, carrying a pack of beers, essays to grade, and a fresh order of chicken for himself when a suited man stands in the middle of the sidewalk, halting him just before the entrance of his apartment. His dark brown eyes and icy stare slowly become familiar to him, the closer he gets to the blockade. "Uh, excuse me? May I pass through? I live here."

"Kim Mingyu, remember me?" The mystery man's brown eyes glare a deep, deep hole into Mingyu's brain and suddenly a laugh escapes his lips.

"Seunghyun, right? I met you at that bar not too long ago. You're (y/n)'s family friend, the bodyguard."

"It’s Seungcheol," he emphasizes with disdain, rolling his eyes at him, "and I have someone very important to introduce you to."

"So you’re the man dating my daughter." An eerily, eloquent figure rises from the bench next to Mingyu, a stern expression gracing her red lips while her neck and ears decorated with sparkling diamonds. Her eyes and nose are reminiscent of your own, leading Mingyu to the fact that this was your mother with the incessant, patronizing remarks and the endless string of blind dates set for you.

Mingyu nods just as she starts making a circle around him, coldly studying him with her lips in a thin, permanent line, "Kim Mingyu. Twenty-six years old. Elementary literature teacher alongside my daughter at the same institution. Graduated from university with top marks and honors. Spends his money buying his weight in food and yet he looks… lanky and unrefined. Resides alone at the same address for four years now?"

"Five years, actually." He mutters, gripping on to his bags tighter.

She clicks her tongue at him, her eagle eyes peering into his soul so deceitfully, "even though you seem to be a man of... tall stature and intelligence, I won't have you seeing my daughter. She deserves someone of her own status, her own class."

"Since when did you dictate (y/n)’s life?" Mingyu refutes, "(y/n) is her own person, she’s the only person who can make the choice to see me again, not you."

Your mother frowns before her lips curl into a cunning smirk, "what if I offered you something for your troubles? You could venture far and wide with this…" She pulls out a thick envelope from her purse and offers it to Mingyu, "like move out of this building? Out of this district? I wouldn't normally set the bar so high, but then again, it seems like you need it."

Mingyu curiously snatches the envelope from her hand, peeking past the flap to see a huge stack of crisp, clean bills. His eyes go wide at the sight of so much money in his hands alone, "oh—this is, this has to be more than a thousand."

"It's five to be exact." Your mother says unimpressively, "five hundred-thousand." Mingyu's eyes nearly fall out of their sockets as he drops the envelope, the stark white envelope falling from his hands and standing out against the gravel of the sidewalk.

"It's all yours if you agree to stay away from my daughter and never see her again." She callously smiles, the corners of lips raising a single inch.

Mingyu stares at the envelope with indignation, pure disbelief running through his mind. "You can't pay me to stay away from your daughter," he incredulously spits out as your mother's faux smile drops. "I-I'm in love with her and nothing you do or say is going to make me stop seeing her."

He can't believe the words coming from his own lips, but the charade must continue on.

At least your mother believes his bluff, because if his own mother had the very same expression yours did right now, he'd be on his knees repenting for his mistakes with a red mark on his cheek.

"You can't be serious."

"You can't be serious! What kind of mother pays to get rid of her daughter's boyfriend?" Mingyu rebukes, storming off past your mother and Seungcheol and up the steps to his apartment. He's alone listening to the quiet mechanisms of the elevator before thinking about what exactly just happened. "What in the world—"

txt msg to < (y/n) >

hey girlfriend

we need to talk

I met your mother

txt msg from < (y/n) >

huh?

can this wait till tomorrow?

wait my mother?

like MY ACTUAL MOTHER??

txt msg to < (y/n) >

tmrw at lunch

yes

my future mother in law

"(l/n) (y/n), pick up this phone right now. A teacher? Not a professor or a doctor? (y/n) please, did you not remember what I told you? And you work with him too? It is unprofessional and inappropriate to have a lover in the workplace. Answer me when you get this. Also, I set up a date for you this Sunday afternoon with Mr. and Mrs. Seo's son, Johnny! He's visiting from the States and he runs his own business! It's a Fortune 500 company so it's definitely reputable! Don't stand this one up."

"I'd be lying to you right now if I said I didn't see this coming." You mumble as you take a bite of your lunch, Mingyu sitting across you with crossed arms.

"You what? You knew she was going to do this?" He incredulously shouts, lowering his voice when the other teachers shush him. Lunchtime was the one time where all the faculty could get away from the loud commotion of their students. "She's crazy."

You glare at Mingyu slightly and he murmurs an apology, "sorry—she's kinda crazy."

"I didn't think she'd actually do it, it's been months since she's shown up in my life."

"What kind of mother does that?"

"She's done it before, and it worked on a couple of my past relationships." You sigh half-heartedly. Mingyu's temper flares at the mere thought of men—no, boys—who chose money over you. "I wouldn't put it past her to throw money at any problem or obstacle in her way again."

"She researched me too, she knew how old I was, my job, how long I've lived in the same building. How?"

"What can I say? My mother does her research." You swivel your spoon in your bowl before looking up at Mingyu. "She's the type of person who will not stop once she sets her sights on what she wants, especially if it concerns me. She hovers and nags and annoys you till you're frustrated and you give into what she wants."

"Oh, she's going to nag me to death? What fun." He deadpans, but when you don't laugh at his joke, he apologizes again.

"Mingyu, it's not funny. It's my life that's at stake here."

"The only thing at stake right now is our peace of mind," he glances at the clock on the wall, "which we only have ten minutes of until we have to go back to our classrooms and start lessons again. Just… when you're here at school, nothing else matters, alright? It's just you and the kids and… math." You giggle at his attempts of comforting words. "When the bell rings and classes are over, you can deal with the outside world, ok?"

"Isn't this just me pushing my problems away and avoiding them?"

"Nope," he quips with a wink. "This is you concentrating on one problem at a time, as it just so happens. Think of it as one of your worksheets: you have a whole sheet of math problems, right? You can't half-solve one problem and then go back to it, you have to focus and finish that one equation before moving onto the next. Simple."

You stifle a laugh as he leans back, his face in a grin over his smart thinking. "Actually, you can half-solve a problem and then go back to it. It's called being stuck, Mr. Kim."

"Well let's think of ways to get you unstuck then, Ms. (l/n)."

"Me unstuck? Mr. Kim, we are in a public place, mind you!" You exclaim in false shock, just as your co-workers Joohyun and Sooyoung from the science department stroll past your table.

"What? No, I-I mean—" Mingyu gives up when he notices their appalled expression and he groans, "I can't win, can I?"

"Nope," you remark with a wink, matching his same tone as before. "Better hurry Mr. Kim, you have five minutes left before your peace of mind is at stake."

"(y/n)! Pick up the phone! Don't ignore your mother. I was visiting your neighborhood and stopped by your apartment, but you weren't home. I'll be in town till Sunday—you'll be home Saturday, right? Don't tell me you're seriously dating that, that teacher from your work! (y/n), please he's… a stick and there's something wrong with his head... If you're wanting to see someone, I set up a date with Dr. Park's son, Jinyoung for you! You remember him, right? He used to go by Junior when you two were younger? Tall, handsome, and he's a doctor too! Call me back."

"Hello, my darling girlfriend." Mingyu emphasizes with a saccharinely sweet tone, setting his lunch bag next to you in the staff room. He pulls out the chair right next to yours and stretches in his seat. "What's for lunch?"

"Morning, Kim Mingyu." When Mingyu gives you a look, you roll your eyes. "Morning, my handsome boyfriend." He beams at you at the title while you shake your head. "All I'm eating today is this apple." You solemnly hold up a bright green apple in your hands before rubbing your head. "I barely woke up on time today, so I grabbed an apple on the way out."

"Take some of mine," he pulls out his prepped side dishes and nudges them over to you, offering you his fork. "Go ahead, (y/n). I have more than enough food." You frown as he pushes the dish towards you again. "Save some for me, yeah? Don't act so eager now."

You smile and give in, taking a bite of one of the dishes, "my knight in shining armor strikes again. How could I ever repay you?"

"Feed me?" He opens his mouth and you shovel a big bite of his food on the fork, aiming the fork towards his mouth but immediately redirecting it towards you and into your mouth.

"In your dreams," you say with the mouthful. Mingyu hides his smile and rolls his eyes at your childish nature before jumping into his half of his lunch. You two eat in peaceful silence as more teachers enter the staff room, complaining and conversing about the children and their antics.

"So my mother called me last night and left me a voicemail, she even remembered you!" You announce with a smirk, "not by name, but as 'that, that teacher from your work.'" You copy your mother's tone of voice and straighten your posture to embody her completely.

"I upgraded from being your inappropriate, unprofessional lover to 'that teacher,' not that bad in a week's work."

"She's still not keen on the idea of me dating you."

"I don't get it. Any mother would be happy—ecstatic even, for me to date their daughter!" He grumbles, "I’m tall, handsome, considerate, I can cook, I clean after myself, I work with children on a day to day basis—what’s so wrong about me dating you? I'm the whole package… am I not?"

"Are you a doctor, lawyer, or CEO of a multi-million dollar company? Or do you come from old money?" You ask although instantly knowing the answer, "you’re not from… money, Mingyu. That’s why my mother doesn't approve of you—or of any guy I choose to date."

You pause to think of the other reasons your mother mentioned in the voicemail, "and she said you're too like a stick, and something's off about your head."

"What?" Mingyu's cutlery rattles against the table, "my head is perfectly shaped, and I'm not a stick, thank you very much! I have muscles, I'm fit and in shape!"

You hide your snickers using a napkin to cover your mouth, glancing around the room to see Joohyun and Sooyoung from the science department raise their eyebrows at Mingyu.

He sits back down slowly and lowers his head in his lunch, mumbling under his breath, "my head is perfectly fine."

You try to suppress the smile on your face as Mingyu angrily pouts at you, patting his arm gently, "mhmm, your head is perfectly fine, yes."

"(y/n), it's Seungcheol. I'm warning you that your mom and I are at your apartment again. I know she said she was leaving last night but it's just to make sure you're home. She refuses to leave the town until she sees you in person. Call me back when you get this... Also, are you going to Joshua's wedding? Maybe we could carpool? Or meet up? Just as old friends... call me."

It's late and Mingyu's tiredly grading homework assignments when there's a knock on his apartment door, his face showing pure confusion when he sees you on the other side.

You're taken aback by how natural Mingyu looks, how plainly he looks in house clothes and yet he's still just as… handsome? "Uh hi, can I come in?"

"I don't think I have anywhere else to go tonight, except here." You pout, "I know Seungcheol and my mother are still at my apartment right now and I don't want to deal with all that. Not tonight."

Mingyu nods and opens the door wider for you to enter. "This is a cute set up."

"It's not cute, (y/n). It's simple." He emphasizes, his arms sweeping over the studio apartment's monochrome theme.

"It's both cute and simple." You tease with a grin, removing your shoes and coat respectfully by the door. "Were you grading essays?"

"Yeah, but not anymore." He tucks the papers into his work folder and takes off his glasses. "Take my bed, I'll be on the couch."

Your eyes widen at the request, glancing at the length of the couch and then back at Mingyu. "No, I couldn't—"

There's a tired rasp in his voice, "(y/n), my apartment, my rules. Just take the bed."

You shift in direction of his neatly, folded bed and set your bag next to his nightstand, "also I know beggars can't be choosers, but do you have an extra shi—" An extra t-shirt and sweatpants land on the bottom of the bed as Mingyu heads to the bathroom with a wink.

"If you wanted to get into my pants, (y/n), you could have said so." He shuts the door as soon as he says it, leaving you no time to come up with a reply back. Not that you could come up with a comeback with your face all tinged pink.

He exits the bathroom and heads to the couch, settling himself under a spare blanket. "Good night, (y/n)." Mingyu turns on the couch and faces the cushions, his knees awkwardly bent in order to fit on the furniture and under his blanket.

"Good night, Mingyu."

There's silence in the apartment, save for the ticking of the clock and your tossing and turning in Mingyu's bed, his pillows and mattress crinkling with your every motion. Mingyu holds in the urge to turn to stop the couch springs from sounding so he lets out a fake snore in place of it.

"Wow, for a moment that sounded really realistic." You comment out loud and Mingyu lets out a huff before stretching out his legs, his ankles dangling off the couch's arm. "Are you sure you don't want your bed?"

He lets out another fake snore that's louder than the first.

"You know, you’re eerily good at that?" Mingyu grunts in confusion and you elaborate, "acting, playing pretend, faking stuff. You really didn't have to pretend to be my boyfriend that night."

"Yeah, that wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to pretend to be someone’s boyfriend."

"Oh my goodness," you tsk disapprovingly as you sit up in his bed. "Kim Mingyu—you're a professional heartbreaker, aren't you? I should have known."

He turns on the couch to face in your direction, "and yet, you're still here, coming back for more." You can imagine Mingyu's wink aimed directly at you even in the dark.

"Oh shut up." You toss one of his pillows at him from across the space, "I knew I should have asked Wonwoo or Seokmin to be my boyfriend, not you. Maybe they'd be a better fake boyfriend."

"Hey! I'm a way better fake boyfriend—I'm letting you take my bed and my clothes! You'd be sneezing if you were in Wonwoo's apartment because of his cats and Seokmin would be too loud for you."

"How did you remember I was allergic to cats?" You remember bringing it up once early on in the school year, before you even were close as colleagues and friends with Mingyu. It was for an icebreaker at a summer staff gathering to integrate the new faculty (one of which was yourself) with the current roster.

That was over years ago and yet he remembered?

Mingyu hesitates, "I have a good memory."

You stare up at the ceiling and tap your fingers on the bed. "So Mingyu… what are you doing at the end of the month? More specifically on the last Saturday of the month?"

"It's not like I have that much planned ahead, so nothing right now. Why?"

"Uh, would you mind being my plus one to my friend's wedding? It's okay if not, I—"

"Yeah, I'd love to. I-I mean, no I don't mind." He stammers, shocked at his own clumsy response to you. He's a literature teacher for crying out loud—he was supposed to be good with words at the very least.

"Is Seungcheol going to be there? Isn't that the wedding you two were talking about the first time around?"

Damn his good memory, you frown. "I think so. He asked me if I wanted to carpool with him and be his date—I mean, plus one, but I'd rather not."

Why?

Mingyu admits it's too vague of a question to ask you, so he settles for something more specific. "You don't feel anything for Seungcheol, do you?" Mingyu carefully says, "like, you don't have feelings for him, right?"

"What? No no no," you sit up, vehemently shaking your head as if to explain yourself to him even though it's dark. "Seungcheol? No, I don't have any feelings for him."

"Like at all?"

You echo, "like at all. I don't really see him that way. He’s been my friend for so long, and I-I just don’t think of him in that light."

"He's not some ex-boyfriend, is he? Your mom hasn't tried setting you up with him?"

You fidget with the covers, tugging them close to your chin and inhaling the smell of the blanket. "No, you and Seungcheol are similar in that way, but with him, she wouldn't oppose it per say, but she'd rather me be with someone else."

"Who would you want to be with? Per say?"

There's a slight pause before you answer his question with another question, "Mingyu, are you asking me for my type?"

"Maybe," he hums.

"You just want me to say that you're my type, don't you?" You squint through the darkness to try and read him, but it's no use.

"If that's how you feel, then I wouldn't be upset." He responds cheekily, "are you saying I'm your type then?"

"Am I your type?"

"You can't keep answering my questions with more questions, (y/n)."

You flop back into the bed, dragging the blankets over your head. "Fine… what if I said yes?"

"That's still a question." Mingyu chimes.

"You didn't answer mine either!" You fight back, your voice muffled under the weight of the blankets. You lay there for what feels like ages, waiting for Mingyu's response but hearing nothing at all.

Maybe he actually fell asleep this time, you think, curling into a small ball and turning on your side.

"Yes." His voice is barely above a whisper, making you throw the blankets off yourself to ensure you heard him right. Mingyu clears his throat nervously, "what's yours?"

"So I'm Kim Mingyu's type, huh?" You muse out loud, just as he scoffs.

"You're doing it again."

"Good night Mingyu," you sing with a smile just as he complains again.

"(y/n). It's Seungcheol again… this time your mother and I left the city so you're fine to go back. Where have you been if you haven't been at your apartment for two weeks? Nearly three? Don't tell me you're living with what's his name, your mother's gonna have a heart attack if you are. She's already in denial after the PI's gave her the photos of you and him walking around and having dinner and going to his apartment building. See you at the wedding, I bet you're gonna look beautiful."

"(y/n)?"

You’re asleep on top of a mountain of papers on your desk, your arms neatly folded on top of the worksheets and tests you’re supposed to be grading. Your hair falls over your face and Mingyu delicately shifts the strands to see your closed eyes and rosy lips letting out a snore every minute or so.

He taps on your shoulder repeatedly before gently nudging you, successfully waking you, "(y/n)? Need help?"

"No, it’s fine." Your mind is still groggy and bogged down and you feel your dry eyes grasping for another minute of sleep. "I just need to go through these papers and grade them."

He chuckles at the sight of you closing your eyes for a single minute of sleep before haphazardly rising up and shaking your head. You blindly grab for your red pen and unclip the stack of papers, separating them by class period. The sound of a chair screeching against the linoleum startles you as you look up and see Mingyu drag a chair next to your desk.

"So, what do I need to look for?" Mingyu’s glasses are perched on his nose and his hand is clutching a red pen and you can’t help but fawn over the sight before you.

The dark night sky bleeds into the sunset as you and Mingyu grade your students’ worksheets, going through one period and onto another as the literature teacher asks you question after question to stifle the quiet.

"Why did you want to become a teacher?"

You rest the end of your pen between your teeth, biting it slightly, "why did you?" You volley back to him.

He quips childishly, "no answering questions with questions, remember?"

You smile before writing a letter grade at the top of the page. "Well, you may think this is very petty and cynical of me, but originally chose to become a teacher to spite my mother." Your pen rattles on the paper as you comment to study the times tables harder. "I told you how much money and financial security meant to her, and so she set me on the path to become a lawyer, to get my undergrad and then rush to law school to make money."

You set the pen and paper down on the table before standing up, stretching your limbs and circling around your desk as Mingyu stops grading to listen.

"But I didn’t want that, so I changed my major and completed a degree in education. All without her knowing until the very day I graduated. I chose this profession because helping children—as much as it wants to tear my hair out sometimes—it makes me happy, I'm happy to be teaching the next generation and making a decent pay out of it."

He sits against the edge of your desk next to you, rattling his red pen in between his fingers, "isn't it tiring? To keep on this petty fight with your mother? I mean, doesn't she just want what's best for you?"

You answer without hesitation, "yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes. It is tiring to fight my mother and yes, she does want the best for me." You murmur lightly, "but if I don't fight her, she will turn me into someone I'm not—she'll turn me into everything she would have wanted, all her hopes and dreams in a picture perfect daughter. A trophy wife on the arm of some rich man—but that's not my dream. I don't want to become some doll or a replica of her, I want to be my own person, and make my own way in life and fall in love and marry whoever I want—even if he's dirt poor and a fool."

"Well, as the lowly fool with a couple dollars to his name posing as your boyfriend, I think you're doing a great job." Mingyu nudges your arm tenderly.

"Hey, you're not some lowly fool… you're just a fool." Mingyu pretends to cry and faint at the revelation, falling on your shoulder, "I'm joking! Kim Mingyu, don't pull this with me! I was joking!"

Mingyu continues to fake cry on your shoulder as you playfully nudge him off, not feeling his head bob up and down until you feel him hit your shoulder. Mingyu immediately yelps in pain and you begin fretting over him, "Oh! Mingyu! I'm so sorry! Are you okay? I—"

"I'm f-fine. I don't think I'm bleeding, or am I?" You stand in front of Mingyu and have him carefully move his hands from his face but the moment he removes his hands, he grins without a speck of blood on him, wrapping his arms around you and lifting you from the ground. "Ha!"

"Kim Mingyu! You can't do that, put me down!" You sulk with a huff, a laugh escaping your lips as he twirls you around on his shoulder. After enough attempts of you hitting his back and cursing his name, he carefully sets you back down, his hands still on your hips and eyes locked on yours.

Your heart's beating so loud in your ears as you're stuck in place, entranced by the fragility of the moment, of how close you two are together. Your first thought is that he smells good, that he smells like clean soap, like laundry fresh and hot out of the dryer. His warmth radiates off his skin and wraps you up in your arms, pushing out the cold chill in the room and out the door.

It's warm—you're warm and content but you can't help but think that you shouldn't be doing this. Everything between you and Mingyu is supposed to be fake—from the dates around the city to the dinners to hiding out and staying over at his apartment for days on end to your daily lunches to your feelings.

You weren't supposed to fall for him, not like this—not when the lines are so blurred and muddled to the point you can't tell fiction from reality.

You should have known this was a terrible idea.

"Mingyu, I—" you don't finish your sentence as Mingyu's lips covers yours, the soft skin pressing against your own with passion and fervor as his hands wrap themselves around your waist. You're in pure shock—frozen in place as he kisses you and you can't help but have a million thoughts racing in your head, all fighting and arguing on what to do.

He realizes you're frozen in place and detangles himself as if you're an all-consuming fire. The hurt is evident on his face, the classroom's white lights reflecting the glassy stare in his eyes. "(y/n)... I thought—never mind." Mingyu quickly takes his jacket and bag and races out of the room, his footsteps fading away towards the exits. You're left all alone in the classroom as you crumple to the floor, leaning against your desk still just as shell-shocked as before and your heart now in shambles.

"(y/n), it's Seungcheol… I know that I'm the last person you want to see or talk to… but I'm grateful we caught up at Joshua's wedding together. Being with you there felt… nice, I was happy to be there with someone I knew for a long time, someone I cared deeply for. I shouldn't have tried what I did… I apologize for that and I promise to never try that again for as long as we remain friends… I hope you can forgive my actions and accept my apology… and (y/n), I wish you the best, with him, without him, in whatever you do."

"Thank goodness today is Friday!" Seungkwan shouts with a blissful sigh, wrapping his hands behind his head with a wide grin. "The kids were so active during music lessons!"

"Easy for you to say. Half of the children fell asleep during literature lessons in the morning. Try talking to snoring kids for an hour." Mingyu mumbles, weakly mixing his soup with his spoon. He's thisclose to becoming one of his own students in his literature class as he listens to Seungkwan and Seokmin drone on about their children in the music classes.

He couldn't catch a single second of sleep knowing he was bound to see you today. Mingyu's done all he could to avoid you, from waking up early to staying out late to not be home when you come around, to leaving all of your messages unopened, to not returning your calls, he's done so much.

He couldn't avoid you here though.

"At least they're quiet and not banging on the drums or beating a tamborine till it's broken or screaming the words out loud," Seokmin notes. "You're lucky, Mingyu. You get the kids to read and write out whatever their imagination desires."

The door suddenly opens and there's a noise Mingyu instantly recognizes: your laugh.

"You won't believe the mess that Lee Youngjoon caused today in class today." You follow Chungha into the staff room and set down your lunch next to hers, just as she pulls a chair at the same table with Mingyu and the guys. "He nearly incited a riot during art class and started a paint war against the girls in the classroom! Why are children so rowdy these days? Did I even mention he started it because of his crush on Kim Miso? Seriously!"

Seokmin helps pick out dried paint in Chungha's hair with a shrug, "well, it's an age old matter that boys pick on girls because they like them and they don't know how to express that."

"Mhmm," you agree, sneaking a glance at Mingyu as you open your lunch box, "maybe it's because boys don't know how to… communicate their feelings properly, so they just act rashly instead."

Mingyu raises an eyebrow, catching your stare, "oh I don't think it's that boys don't know how to communicate their feelings. They do, they do it all the time; I mean, actions speak louder than words."

"All the time now, huh?" You quip with curiosity. "Then what's the point of words if actions are supposedly enough? Words still matter. Do they not, mister literature teacher?"

He chuckles at your callout, "no you're right, words do matter. But the problem is that some words make everything too real and some people are scared of that reality… or might not even want it and act like they do. You can pretend all you want and do what you want, but at the end of the day, don't you want something real? Wouldn't you want to risk it for a chance at something like that?"

You realize the weight of his words and hold back the urge to yell everything on your mind at him in front of the entire staffing of your school behind you, "yeah, that'd be nice."

"Wise words, Kim Mingyu, but how does this relate back to the children?" Chungha cries, almost in hysterics thinking of her classroom. Your eyes lock on him before you shift your gaze to the clock at the front of the room, watching the time slip by with every second. "I'm going back to my classroom, if anyone wants to help me clean, let me know."

"I'm going back to my classroom too." Mingyu packs his lunch away and rises from the table, avoiding your eyes and giving a tight smile to his friends.

You watch him leave the room before cleaning up your barely touched lunch, glancing at the time before rushing down the hall to the literature teacher's classroom, knocking on the door panel lightly.

"Mingyu, I want to talk to you."

"Well, I'm here," he grunts as he lifts stacks of textbooks from one side of the room to the other. You internally punch yourself as you blatantly stare at his arms, his stupid muscles contracting under the weight of the sets. "I'm listening."

"Are you really?" You pose back, watching him stride back and forth with the books as you lean in the doorway. He gives you a look and you listen to yourself, "okay, yes that was a terrible question. Umm, so I know I have a lot to explain—"

He stops, "I'm not asking you for an explanation. You don't owe me anything, (y/n). "

"I don't but I want to explain myself—I have a right to explain myself, don't I?"

He sets down the most recent stack of books on his desk and circles around to his chair, "you have ten minutes, before—"

"Your peace of mind is at stake, yeah yeah." You finish for him with a roll of your eyes, making him break his tough demeanor. You pause as he waits for you to begin, but you honestly didn't think you'd get this far. "I… you, uh—how do I even begin this?" You sigh, turning to the side and staring at the classroom's blank chalkboard.

"Okay, here!" You take hold of one of the chalk pieces and start writing down your name, Mingyu, Seungcheol, and your mother's names on the board, all in different corners. "Don't laugh." Mingyu hides his smile behind his hand as you write by the names.

"(y/n): teacher, daughter, Kim Mingyu's type, allergic to cats. Mom: mother, too much, desperately doesn't want (y/n) to be poor and alone. Seungcheol: bodyguard, older brother, too much #2, good intentions? And lastly, Mingyu: professional heartbreaker and expert level actor, teacher, (y/n)'s boyfriend?"

Mingyu's fingers tap on the desk impatiently, "(y/n), can you please get to the point—"

"Shhhh." You sternly quiet him with a pointed look, tapping on the chalkboard loudly. You quickly run through the story of your life, starting with your friendship with Seungcheol, your mother's endless string of blind dates, the rift of not contacting your mother for months, the night you recruited Mingyu to be your boyfriend, the dates, the lunches, the dinners, everything in between right to the moment Mingyu kissed you in your classroom.

"...and then you kissed me, and I didn't know what to do or say exactly because I was confused—none of this was to actually happen! I wasn't expecting any of it and because I didn't do or say anything, you left and started avoiding me." You circle Mingyu's name over and over again, the white chalk wearing thin. "You and I were supposed to go to Joshua's wedding that weekend, but with you avoiding me, I ended up going by myself and running into—"

"Seungcheol." Mingyu answers for you, a sour frown on his face at the sound of his name. "He kept asking you to be his date."

"His plus one."

"There's a difference." He gripes with contempt, his lower lip jutted out in annoyance.

"There is no difference," you huff, rolling your eyes at his impatient behavior and clutching an eraser in your hand. "Because he kissed me too and I didn't do anything about it."

"He what?" Mingyu rises from his seat furiously. "He kissed you? And you didn't do anything about it either? Why?"

"Why? Are you jealous?"

"Yes I am jealous." He confesses proudly, once again catching you off-guard.

"When Seungcheol kissed me, I realized a couple things." Mingyu's attention stays completely on you as you wipe Seungcheol and your mother's name from the chalkboard, "one, that weddings are not that fun when you're single and wishing you were there with your boyfriend... or is it your fake boyfriend? Or maybe it’s the guy who started off as your co-worker and then fake boyfriend and then you slowly realized that you wanted him to be your actual, real life boyfriend, regardless of what your mother thinks of him and his oddly shaped head."

Mingyu circles around you as you set down the eraser on the chalkboard's ledge, "and two, I realized that I should have done this the first time someone kissed me."

You grab Mingyu by the collar of his shirt and pull him to you, closing your eyes and pushing your lips to his messily. He tenses up from the sudden action but slowly melts into you, moving his lips against yours slowly and wrapping his arms around you.

The lunch bell rings over the intercom and you can hear the school doors open, the sound of shoes running against the linoleum squeaking and echoing in the hallway. You pull yourself away from Mingyu and bite your lip when you realize lunch is over.

"There goes our peace of mind."

"I think I found mine right here." He smiles into you, leaning in for another kiss whilst still wrapped in his arms.

#seventeen #mingyu scenarios #seventeen scenarios #seventeen au #kim mingyu scenarios #kim mingyu #kim mingyu imagines #mingyu au #kim mingyu au #mingyu imagines #seventeen imagines #my work #this is terribly long and I haven't written in ages

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johannstutt413 · 4 years

Text

(requested by calligomiles and me, johannstutt413)

It was the end of the day - almost time for Gummy to go home. Not that she really wanted to today; it seemed the Doctor needed everyone but her out in the field. Why couldn’t she go with them? Sure, she helped out in the kitchen, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t fight. All she wanted to do was help her friends…

Without people to cook for, the chef wasn’t sure what she wanted to do for dinner; while trying to decide for herself, someone else came into the room. “Excuse me, is anyone- Oh, hi, Gummy!”

“Blue?” She managed a smile. “You need the oven, I’m guessing?”

“Yeah, I do...Are you okay?”

Gummy weighed her options: lie and say she was, tell her the truth but not the reasoning, or tell her everything...She settled for the middle road. “I could be better, I guess.”

“Did something happen?” The Anura uncovered a bowl of purple dough, her eyes remaining on the Ursus. “Normally you would be making dinner right now...Are they out on a mission?”

“Yeah...The Doctor sent everyone out except me.” She figured it out for herself, but then again, would you expect anything less from someone like her?

Blue Poison thought for a moment while Gummy debated leaving to grab dinner for herself. “Would you like to eat with me tonight, then?”

“Huh?” The question caught her completely off-guard. “I-I don’t want to bother you-”

“No, it’s not a bother at all. Actually, it’d be nice to not eat alone for once.” She said it casually, but the chef knew someone hiding their demons when she saw it; after all, she had to look in the mirror every morning.

Agreeing also meant she could focus on someone else’s problems, which was a great distraction from her own, and she didn’t have to worry about what she was doing for dinner. Blue really had come to her rescue. “That makes two of us, then. Can I help with the cake while we’re here?”

“Keeping me company is already a real help.” Still, there were a couple things she could do if Gummy wanted to keep herself busy - which, the Anura supposed, was why she’d asked. “Could you help me with the fryer? I’ve never used one before.”

“Sure! Are you frying a cake?” Gummy immediately started working on that.

The Anura did a ‘sort of’ gesture with one hand before using it to punch her dough. “I decided to try making donuts; since most of our Operators drink coffee, I thought they might be better received.”

“Better received?” The idea boggled the mind. “Your desserts are amazing already!”

‘I’m glad you think so...Not many people eat them, though.“

The oil was ready for Blue now, so the chef wandered over to where she was working to watch. “Why not? They’re really missing out.”

“They’re worried about my toxicity.” She didn’t want to abuse the dough too much, so she dumped it onto the floured cutting board and frowned. “Still too bubbly. Could you help me? I might not be strong enough.”

“Sure! What’s this about toxicity?” Gummy took over, slapping the dough with the back of her hand. One, two, stop; one, two, stop.

Blue picked up on her strange rhythm, but simply filed it away for the moment. “The others worry that I might leech some of my toxin into my baked goods. You’ve never seemed bothered by the thought.”

“You wouldn’t poison your co-workers, Blue; you’re not that kind of person.” She didn’t quite stop herself before adding. “Besides, there’s a chance it might work.”

“...What might work, Gummy?”

Shit, she said that out loud. “Um, nothi- no, no, I promised myself I wouldn’t lie to you.” Crunch went the cutting board as she accidentally followed through with a third slap.

“Wow.” There was a good chance there were splinters in the dough now, but the Anura could care less about that at this point. “You’re really strong.”

“Sorry! I didn’t ruin it, did I?”

...Frankly, Blue wasn’t sure, but that wasn’t what mattered right now. “Don’t worry about that. What might work, Gummy?”

“The um...the poison bit.” The Ursus didn’t want to cry in front of her, even though she’d already seen past the mask. “I wouldn’t mind if...if it killed me.”

“...Oh, Gummy...”

She backed away from the counter. “I think the board splintered when I broke it-”

“How long have you felt like this?” The Anura’s brain was working overtime to connect the dots between this revelation and what she knew about Gummy and her history. “What...what happened in Chernobog?”

“...I don’t want to talk about it.”

Fair. “I know, and I won’t force you to, but- I’m sorry, I just didn’t know...”

“That’s how I was hoping it’d stay.” The chef sighed, leaning against a stovetop behind her. “If the other girls knew how I actually felt about...about what we did, then I wouldn’t be able to help them by making them smile. I need to be happy so they’ll be happy, you know?”

“If you really think that, then I would think you would want to be happy yourself rather than pretend, though...right?”

Gummy shrugged. “It doesn’t matter that much how I really feel.”

“It absolutely does!” For the first time in years, Blue raised her voice. “Your feelings matter!...You matter, Gummy.”

“Then why am I still here while they’re out risking their lives?” One, two punches on the stovetop.

She didn’t have a concrete answer for that, but a few options came to mind. “Did they go on a mission together, or did they get split between different operations?”

“That doesn’t matter! If they’re fighting, then I should be fighting! That’s how it was back then...I wasn’t strong enough then, but I’ve gotten stronger…” It was getting really difficult to hold back. “I...I just don’t want them to get hurt anymore...Even if we deserve it.”

“There’s nothing you could have done to-”

That was the last straw; Gummy hopped back to her feet, a nearby pan (not hers, but it’d do) suddenly in her hand as if she was back in Peterheim. She could practically smell it. “You don’t know that! I killed people, Blue! Other students! And then I cooked them, so my friends and I could have something to keep us fed so we could fend off the others who would’ve done the same thing to us! We were worse than animals, because at least an animal doesn’t kill its brother when there’s another meal in front of them!...And now, after damning myself - not that they’ll ever know that - I spend every day in this kitchen, smelling the steaks and sausage on the stove and remembering the nights I spent grinding long pork so they didn’t know...I’m a monster, and- why is there a pan in my hand?” She tossed it behind her as if it’d burned her and held that hand at arm’s length with her other, staring at it. Did...did she almost attack Blue?

“...You still don’t deserve to be hurt.” The Anura closed the distance between them, looking her in the eye, hers brimming with tears and empathy. “None of that justifies someone hurting you. Yourself included.”

“I wish I could believe that.” She let go of her own wrist, and her hands fell to her sides, limp, as she felt the weight of it all fresh again.

Blue, mustering every ounce of courage she had, hugged her. “Even if you don’t, I...I won’t let you carry this all by yourself. Not after all you’ve done for me.”

“Done for you?” Gummy’s brow furrowed as she tried to think of what she’d done for the Anura. “What...eat your food?”

“You said hi, and you asked me about my day, and you talked to me, and you let me bake for you, and...you let me hold your hand.”

The chef blushed. “That’s not much-”

“It’s everything, Gummy. You’ve given me so much happiness, so much hope...Let me try to give something back to you. Let me share the burden - your fears, your worries, your sins and your scars...I’ll carry them with you, like you did mine.” She sniffled. “Please. I can’t imagine my life here without you.”

“Is that...really true?”

Blue buried her face in Gummy’s jacket. “Really. I- I can’t even think about it without...without...” She squeezed her, trying to remove even millimeters of space between them as she absolutely soaked the chef’s shoulder with tears.

“...I trust you.” She finally lifted her arms again, settling them around Blue’s waist and her cheek against the Anura’s. “I don’t want you to be alone, either.”

“Thank you...you’re so warm.”

Gummy nodded. “You are, too...Do you still want dinner? I can make us something.”

“I think we should go somewhere and eat; you’ve worked hard enough today.” She managed to compose herself a little again. “It’s been so long since someone has let me hug them. What are you hungry for?”

“Burgers. I know a place...Blue?”

The Anura still wasn’t letting her go. “Yes?”

“Since you...you want to stay, you should know that I have a few...habits.”

“I do, too.” She pulled away so they could start walking to the restaurant. “We can talk about them at the resta-”

Gummy held onto her hand and remained motionless. “There’s one I need to tell you about right now.”

“Oh.” At this point, Blue literally could not let go, so she simply stepped back into her arms. “What is it?”

“When I hug someone, I have to kiss them on the cheek.”

The Anura, without even thinking, asked, “Does it have to be on the cheek?”

“I’ve never tried another way.” Gummy blushed. “But if you’d rather...” Even though the suggestion was accidental, neither of them stopped themselves as they turned to look at each other directly, slightly tilted their heads, closed their eyes...

Gummy, from that day forward, had a new habit: whenever she saw Blue Poison, she felt like she might feel happy someday.

#arknights #blue poison (arknights)#gummy (arknights)#ow ow ow ow ow #why did i do this to myself #feels like drinking my own poison...#and it tastes like pure sugar #gonna write some stuff i need to see done #give some operators who need some love exactly that #by the time you see this they will already be in the queue waiting to be posted #arknights fic

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