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sneezypeasy · 2 months

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The Lightning Scene, How Azula Targeted Katara (of All People), and the Doylist Reason Why That Matters

Mention Zuko's sacrifice for Katara in Sozin's Comet Part 3 as part of a pro-Zutara talking point, and invariably you'll get a Pavlovian response of:

"But Zuko would have taken the lightning for anyone."

(Not to be confused with the similar-sounding Pavlovan response, which is "Zuko's sacrifice ain't shit compared to a mouth-watering, strawberry-topped meringue dessert"*, which is actually the only valid counter-argument to how the lightning scene is a bona fide Zutara treasure, but I digress.)

Now, I've talked in depth about how the lightning scene is framed far more romantically than it had any right to be, regardless of how you might interpret the subject on paper; this is an argument which I still stand by 100%. That Zuko would have gotten barbecued for anyone, and that he was at the stage of his arc where his royal kebab-ness represented his final act of redemption, doesn't change the fact that the animators/soundtrack artists decided to pull out all the stops with making this scene hit romantic film tropes bingo by the time it played out on screen.

(I mean, we stan.)

There's also a deeper level to this conundrum, a layer which creeps up on you when you're standing in your kitchen at night, the fridge door open in front of you, your hungry, sleep-deprived brain trying to decide on what to grab for a midnight snack, and quite inexcusably you're struck with the question: Okay, Zuko may indeed have taken the lightning for just anyone, but would Azula have shot the lightning at just anyone?

But there's yet a deeper layer to this question, that I don't recall ever seeing anyone discuss (though if somebody has, mea culpa). And that is: would you have written Zuko taking the lightning for anyone else?

Or in other words, who Zuko would have taken the lightning for is the wrong question to be asking; the question we ought to be asking is who Zuko should have taken the lightning for, instead.

Get your pens out, your Doylist hats on, and turn to page 394. It's time to think like an author for a hot minute.

(If you don't know what I mean by Watsonian vs. Doylist analyses, and/or if you need a refresher course, go have a skim of the first section of this 'ere post and then scoot your ass back to this one.)

So. You're the author. You've written almost the entirety of an animated series (look at you!!) and now you're at the climax, which you've decided is going to be an epic, hero-villain showdown. Classic. Unlike previous battles between these two characters, your hero is going to have a significant advantage in this fight - partly due to his own development as a hero at the height of his strength and moral conviction, and partly because your villain has gone through a bit of a Britney Spears 2007 fiasco, and isn't quite at the top of her game here. If things keep going at this pace, your hero is going to win the fight fairly easily - actually, maybe even too easily. That's okay though, you're a talented writer and you know just what will raise the stakes and give the audience a well-timed "oh shit" moment: you're going to have the villain suddenly switch targets and aim for somebody else. The hero will be thrown off his groove, the villain will gain the upper hand, the turns will have indubitably tabled. Villains playing dirty is the number 1 rule in every villain handbook after all, and each of the last two times your hero's braved this sort of fight he's faced an opponent who ended up fighting dishonourably, so you've got a lovely Rule of Three perfectly lined up for the taking. Impeccable. The warm glow of triumph shines upon you, cherubs sing, your English teachers clap and shed tears of pride. (Except for that one teacher you had in year 8 who hated everybody, but she's a right bitch and we're not talking about her today.)

Now here's the thing: your hero is a hero. Maybe he wasn't always a hero, but he certainly is one now. If the villain goes after an innocent third party, there's basically no-one your hero wouldn't sacrifice himself for. He's a hero! Heroes do be like that, it's kind of their thing. The villain could shoot a bolt of lightning at Bildad the Shuhite, and the only thing that'd stop our boy Redeemed Paladin Bravesoul McGee from shielding his foxy ass is the fact that Bildad the Shuhite has the audacity to exist in a totally different show (disgusten.)

But. You're holding the writer's pen. Minus crossover shenanigans you don't have the licensing or time-travel technology to achieve, you have full control over how this scene plays out. You get to decide which character to target to deliver the greatest emotional impact, the juiciest angst, the most powerful cinematic suspense. You get to decide whose life you'll put at risk, to make this scene the most intense spine-chilling heart-stopper it can possibly be.

This is the climax we're talking about, after all - now is not the time to go easy on the drama.

So.

Do you make the villain target just anyone?

Or do you make the villain target someone the hero cares about?

Perhaps, someone he cares about... a lot?

Maybe even, someone he cares about... more than anybody else?

You are the author. You are the God of this universe. You get to choose.

What would deliver the strongest punch?

If you happen to make the inadvisable decision of browsing through these tropes on TV tropes, aside from wasting the rest of your afternoon (you're welcome), you'll find that the examples listed are littered with threatened and dead love interests, and, well, there's a reason for that. For better or worse, romantic love is often portrayed by authors, and perceived by audiences, as a "true" form of love (often even, "the" true form of love). Which is responsible for the other is a chicken/egg situation, one I'm not going to go into for this post - and while I'm certainly not here to defend this perspective as objectively good, I do think it's worth acknowledging that it not only exists but is culturally rather ubiquitous. (If you're playing the love interest in a story with a hero v. a villain, you might wanna watch your back, is what I'm saying.)

Regardless of whether the vibe you're aiming for is romantic or platonic however, one thing is for certain: if you want maximum oomph, the way to achieve that is by making the villain go after the player whose death would hit the hero the hardest.

And like I said, this doesn't have to be played romantically (although it so often is). There are platonic examples in those trope pages, though it's also important to note that many of the platonic ones do show up in stories where a love interest isn't depicted/available/there's a strong "bromance" element/the hero is low-key ace - and keep in mind too that going that route sometimes runs a related risk of falling into queer-bait territory *coughJohnLockcough*

That said, if there is a canon love-interest available, one who's confessed her love for the hero, one who has since been imprisoned by the villain, one who can easily be written as being at the villain's disposal, and who could quite conveniently be whipped out for a mid-battle surprise round - you might find you have some explaining to do if you choose to wield your authorly powers to have the villain go after... idk, some other sheila instead.

(The fact that this ends up taking the hero out of the fight, and the person he sacrifices himself for subsequently throws herself into the arena risking life and limb to defeat the villain and rescue her saviour, also means the most satisfying way this plays out, narratively speaking, is if both of these characters happen to be the most important person in each other's lives - at least, as of that moment, anyway - but I think this post has gone on long enough, lol)

This is, by and large, a rebuttal post more than anything else, but the tl;dr here is - regardless of whether you want to read the scene as shippy or not, to downplay Zuko's sacrifice for Katara specifically as "not that deep™" because "Zuko would have taken the lightning for anyone anyway", suggests either that a) nobody should be reading into the implications of Katara being chosen as the person nearest and dearest to Zuko, so that putting her life in jeopardy can deliver the most powerful impact possible for an audience you'd bloody well hope are on the edge of their seats during the climax of your story or b) the writers made the inexplicable decision of having the villain threaten the life of... literally who the fuck ever, and ultimately landed on someone who's actually not all that important to the hero in the grand scheme of things - which is a cardinal writing sin if I ever saw one (even disregarding the Choice to then season it with mood lighting and sad violin music, on top of it all), and altogether something I'd be legitimately pissed about if my Zuko-OTP ship paired him with Mai, Sokka, or just about anybody else 😂

Most importantly c) I'm hungry, and I want snacks.

*The Aussies in the fandom will get this one. Everyone else can suffer in united confusion.

#zutara #anti anti zutara #lightning scene ramblings #meta #long post

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yawneneteyam · 1 year

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gorgeous (8) — so furious.

— GORGEOUS, an avatar smau ( by yawneneteyam ) masterlist

— gorgeous, so furious !

neteyam felt relieved as soon as he saw y/n. she seemed happier, less up-tight than she was the last time he saw her. he decided to ignore what kiri and lo'ak had been saying about her making him jealous, chalked it up to her having a bad day.

y/n sat closer to neteyam than she usually would, their chairs almost touching as they finished their assignment together.

"are you gonna miss me when we don't have to work together anymore?" neteyam asked her with a smirk on his lips.

"you wish," y/n scoffed.

"I'd like to think you'll miss me," he smiled, "I'll miss you,"

y/n had to stop herself from swooning then are there. there was something endearing about neteyam not knowing the effect he had on y/n. she thought it made him that much more attractive.

they sat together for way longer than they needed to. neither of them wanted to leave, creating excuses to stay with each other for longer. neteyam began to notice small things about y/n the more he saw her. the way she had a laugh when she was comfortable, one for when she wasn't. he felt almost honoured that she felt comfortable around him.

"oh shit," neteyam picked up his phone, a photo of his younger sister lit up his screen. "tuk is calling, do you mind?"

"answer the phone stupid," she laughed.

neteyam chuckled before answering the phone. y/n could hear tuk's voice through the phone.

"teyam!" she exclaimed.

"hey tuk, what's up?" he smiled as he spoke.

"will you be home tonight? I want to get ice cream with you"

"yes, I'll be home- not sure when, but we can get ice cream" he nodded. y/n's face lit up watching neteyam talk to his littlest sister. she knew he was a good brother, but he was so sweet with her. "I have a question for you,"

"yeah?"

"what are you doing on your phone at school when you're supposed to be grounded?" he smirked, putting his head down.

neteyam was met with silence and three quick beeps on the other line. tuk had hung up on him. he and y/n burst out in laughter. they weren't spared from dirty looks across the library.

"she is actually such a troublemaker," he shook his head.

"she sounds so cute," y/n chuckled.

"yeah, but she knows it!" he exclaimed, still whispering, "it's not a good combination"

"I can imagine,"

they forgot their work for a little while, talked about their families. y/n could tell that they were neteyam's greatest joy. he loved them so much. they eventually got back onto the topic of their work, but only for a few minutes before neteyam's phone rang again.

he flipped it over to look at who was calling before letting out a sigh.

it was a'korai.

"did you want to get that?" y/n asked, holding her breath, "I dont mind,"

"not really to be honest," neteyam laughed awkwardly, "shes been texting me all day,"

"oh really?" y/n didn't mean to sound too excited, but the sound of neteyam's distain at her calling and messaging him made her happy.

"yeah," he stretched his arms behind his head, the bottom of his t-shirt riding up- y/n tried to not let her gaze linger on his v-line, "one of the other guys in our class gave her my number and she's been messaging me all the time" he explained. "it's not that she's not nice, she is!" he jumbled, not wanting to sound like too much of a dick, "but.. I don't know, we're not really friends? so I'm not sure why she's texting me all the time and now she's calling me? like I don't know what I'll say to her, what are we even going to talk about?"

y/n started to laugh at neteyam. kiri was right, he was oblivious. "neteyam, did you ever think that she might have a little crush on you?"

it was like she was watching the cogs in his head turn, or watching a computer reboot. "no," he shook his head finally, "no way,"

"oh yeah," y/n laughed, nodding her head, "she likes you,"

"you think?" it was like he was shocked that a girl could possibly have feelings for him.

he was so stupidly gorgeous in this moment, y/n really was down bad. "definitely," she nodded.

"well.. I don't really like her like that," he shrugged.

"that's fine, you dont' have to"

"I should probably keep my distance then, yeah? don't wanna make her think anything of it," he asked.

the thought of saying 'yes, keep your distance' flashed across y/n's mind. sabotage, that's you're neteyam. as much as she wanted to, she knew that she couldn't. y/n wanted him to be happy. "I mean, do whatever feels right.. you know?" she shrugged.

he stared at y/n for a little while before speaking. it made her heart race. "thanks," he smiled.

"you're welcome?"

"come on," neteyam closed the lid of his laptop and began to pack away his things. y/n looked up at him in confusion.

"come on to where?" she asked with a soft laugh.

"we'll you're not gonna have lunch unless I make you, so we're going to get lunch" he shoved his car keys in his pocket. "let's go," he gestured to the door with his head.

"but-"

"nope! let's go," he cut her off, not letting her object.

y/n sighed before closing her laptop lid, "fine,"

"don't 'fine' me, young lady" neteyam began to pack away y/n's things for her, "now move it,"

— gorgeous, so furious ! new chapter! no angst between neteyam and y/n, this is a soft fic I promise. I also cannot handle writing angst, I am a fluff girl first! I hope you're all loving the story, the amount of people reading it is crazy to me- so thank you <3

#•°. * gorgeous smau #neteyam x reader #neteyam sully #neteyam x y/n #neteyam headcanons #avatar fanfiction #netyam smut #*࿐ neteyam #avatar x reader #avatar #avatar the way of water #avatar 2 #avatar 2022

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yournecessaryevil · 11 months

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Imagine...

...Chris doing a Skype call with you while he's away on tour, because he misses you...

• fluff; language; slight angst

"Come save me, please. These guys are driving me nuts."

"We love you toooo!" you heard someone yell back. You grinned, trying your hardest not to laugh as you stared back at Chris through the screen of your laptop.

He shook his head, an exasperated look on his face, though you could swear you saw the edges of his mouth pull up in a brief smile. "Seriously. Come save me?" he repeated, raising both brows at you.

You couldn't help but laugh, giving him a light shrug. "At least there's only a few weeks left of the tour? Then you get to come home," you answered. "Then I get to come home," Chris echoed, heaving a sigh.

He sounded exhausted, the poor man. You knew given the chance, he'd tour every day if he could. Music was one of his biggest passions, it had always been. But as much as he loved what he did, there were also those days where nothing could fully keep the exhaustion at bay.

"You sound tired, do you want me to let you go so you can get some rest?" you asked softly. "No!" came Chris's loud and immediate reply. "Er, no," he repeated, a little quieter, shaking his head at you. "I want to talk to my girlfriend, I haven't seen her in almost six months," he added.

You smirked, an idea suddenly creeping into the forefront of your mind. "Oh? Well, when you do finally see her, let me know how she is," you teased him. He stuck his tongue out at you in response, unable to keep from smiling as he laughed. God, how you'd missed that sound...

"Yeah, she's great! I should introduce the two of you sometime. You'd get along with each other really well," he teased back. "She's kind of a brat, though," he added with a wink, smirking at you through the laptop screen.

"Hey!" you protested, earning another laugh from Chris. "Nah, you're my good girl," he reassured you, waving you off with a smile. Leaning back in his chair, Chris ran a hand through his dark hair, letting out another soft sigh.

"Ugh, three more weeks. And then I can come home and see my beautiful girl. I miss you so much," he said softly. His words sent a little twinge of pain through you for a moment. It was never easy, those rare occasions where you had to stay home while Chris went on tour.

But with the different schedules you two shared, sometimes that was the only option. You were training to go into a career of makeup artistry, and while most of your job opportunities landed you a spot on tour with the boys, there were always those select few that had you staying a little closer to home.

These past six months had been one of those times, and you'd been missing Chris since the moment he and his bandmates had left on that bus. You swallowed hard, giving him the best smile you could manage. "I miss you too," you whispered.

Chris's gaze softened, a rueful smile pulling at one corner of his mouth. "Hey, no. No tears for me, okay? Three more weeks," he said gently, holding up three fingers as he spoke. "And then I'm home. To stay," he added.

Before you could answer him, you noticed Ricky pop into view of the camera from behind Chris; he leaned in with a smile on his face. "We'll take good care of him for you until then, we promise," he teased you, one eye closing in a wink.

"No we won't!" you heard Vinny call out from the background. The edges of your mouth twitched up into a flicker of a smile as you watched Ricky throw a quick glance over his shoulder, shaking his head at his bandmate, before turning back around to face the camera.

"Yes, we will. Don't listen to him. You'll get to see Chris again before you know it. In the meantime, trust us to know what we're doing?" he told you. You nodded, quickly blinking back the tears that had started to form in the corners of your eyes.

Ricky winked at you again, before disappearing from view of the camera. You trusted his bandmates more than they'd ever know; they had all been really sweet to you and so supportive of you and Chris when the news had broken of the two of you dating.

More than that, they had made you feel included, like you were part of their little tight-knit family. Vinny had taken an instant liking to you, the two of you constantly adding fuel to each other's antics, something the other guys in the band weren't always too keen on. But you knew that at the end of the day, if you had their backs, they'd always have yours...

"Hey. What are we thinking so hard about over there?"

Chris's voice broke through your thoughts, and you started a little, giving him a nervous smile. "No, I was just thinking about what Ricky had said..." you mused aloud. Chris grinned, sneaking a quick look over his shoulder before facing the camera again.

"He's right, you know. As much shit as we all give each other, we take care of our own. And hey," he said, offering you a conspiratorial smile, "maybe I can arrange for us to be home a week earlier than planned, we'll see."

You bit back a smile, nodding. "So... see you in two weeks then?" you asked. Chris grinned, shrugging. "If these guys don't mind, then yeah. See you in two weeks, Y/N. Hey, baby, I gotta go. We have rehearsal and then sound check in a few, so... talk to you soon?" he said.

You nodded again, blowing him a kiss through the camera. "You'd better. I love you, Chris, so much..." you told him. He blew you a kiss too, giving you that smile of his that had made you fall so hard for him in the first place.

"I will, I promise. I love you too, Y/N. See you when I get home," he answered. With that, the two of you hung up on the Skype call, but not before you could hear one of Chris's bandmates make some comment about how the two of you were "sappy as shit".

As you sat there with your laptop, a smile slowly made its way onto your face. He might be more than a thousand miles away right now, but you knew without a doubt that Chris was missing you just as much as you were missing him, and he'd be home before you knew it, just as he had always done...

🖤 TAGLIST: @synthetic-wasp-570 @darigyu @nixwolfe

#chris motionless #chris motionless imagine #motionless in white imagine #motionless in white fanfiction #motionless in white fandom #motionless in white #miw things #miw #chris cerulli imagine #chris cerulli #chris cerulli x reader #chris motionless x reader #ricky olson #vinny mauro #(if you squint)#missing you #SoundCloud

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rottenpumpkin13 · 3 months

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(giggles in H E H E)

*Zack's mother is in town to visit her son and have a bit of fun.*

"Still, I can't believe you and dad are getting divorced!" Zack said a bit upset, but overall happy to have his mother around.

"Oh, please, things were never perfect between me and your father. Besides, now that you're a big boy, with a big boy job and big boy responsibilities, I feel like we can move our separate ways. We raised you well, you're a good person that is entirely capable of doing plenty of stuff on your own. I know it hurts, but things will be alright, okay?" She said with a confident smile.

He grumbled. "Fine, I guess..." He looked away. "Just... Why?" He asked confused.

"Oh, Zackie... You always knew, didn't you? We talked over it so many times..."

"Yeah, but I thought things would change between you two!" He said nervously.

"Just because me and your father are not a couple anymore, doesn't mean we hate each other, honey. We're just doing what's best for both of us." She said with a smile while gently caressing her son's cheek. "We still love you lots, little hedgehog."

Zack chuckled. "I'm not little anymore." He scratched his head.

"You sure? With that head down I had my doubts." She playfully said as she put on some nice earrings.

"You're going out?"

"Yes, actually. I met someone online and—"

"MET SOMEONE?!"

"Oh, please, Zackary, I'm a grown woman AND your mother. I am divorced, I have the right to go on dates if I want to. You go out on dates with Aerith, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"No but. My life doesn't stop, hedgehog and I'm sorry, I know it's sudden, but trust me. He's a good guy and you'll see." She said with a bright smile he haven't seen in a decade.

Although he didn't like the idea, he decided that, for his mother sake, might as well be at least polite to him. If anything, he might scare the guy, he was still in his uniform, the guy must know what SOLDIER is, so he'll be sure his mother will be treated like the lady she is.

"Hi! I just want to introduce you to my son!" She said while pulling the mystery date inside her hotel room. "Angeal, I'd like to introduce you to Zackary, my son!"

An hour passed in Sephiroth's office, the atmosphere calm as he diligently tackled his work. Genesis sat in an armchair in the corner of the room halfway through a riveting novel while occasionally looking up to comment on the story's pacing to Sephiroth.

The phone rang shrilly, startling Genesis and tearing away Sephiroth's attention from the stack of papers. He answered, being met with Lazard's frantic voice on the other line.

"Director? What's going on?" Sephiroth inquired, a hint of concern in his voice.

Sephiroth exchanged a glance with Genesis that made the redhead instantly bookmark his novel and put it down.

Sephiroth sighed. "We're on our way," he replied dutifully, hanging up the phone.

Genesis stood up. "What happened?"

Sephiroth followed suit, pushing his chair back as he rose to his feet. "It appears Angeal and Zack are having a physical confrontation. We need to go break it up."

Genesis hummed, amused. "Why are they fighting?"

"Lazard didn't say," Sephiroth shrugged, making his way towards the door. "I suppose we'll be finding that out soon."

Another hour later, Infantryman Cloud Strife laid in his bunk. He was exhausted after a hard day's work and just wanted some rest, peace and quiet—

The shrill ring of his PHS in his pocket made him groan. He grabbed the device, seeing Lazard's name flashing on the screen. He flicked an eyebrow, amused, before answering him.

"Cloud speaking."

"..."

"They WHAT?"

"..."

"What do you mean Angeal is going out with Zack's mother? Zack kicked him where? Aw, man, that's gotta hurt. Did they manage to break up the fight, at least?"

"..."

Cloud's eyes widened. He gripped the PHS hard and leapt out of bed.

"YOU'RE TELLING ME SEPHIROTH SAW HER, BECAME INFATUATED, AND THEN VOWED TO FIGHT ANGEAL FOR HER AFFECTION? AND ZACK PUNCHED HIM, GENESIS GOT MAD AND NOW ZACK AND GENESIS ARE GOING AT IT?"

#ff7 #ffvii #sephiroth #zack fair #cloud strife #genesis rhapsodos #angeal hewley #ff7 crisis core #ffvii crisis core #writing

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toomuchracket · 1 year

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bday girl (birthday partyverse!matty)

day 2 of The Birthday Party Project, first birthday as a couple - yours! this is my og friends-to-lovers couple, who've already had a very successful time of it at a birthday party, trying to manage your big day a mere few months after getting together. very fluffy, and very suggestive (because this pair especially cannot keep their hands off each other). enjoy! p.s. the pic of matty isn't thematic to the story, other than being an indicator of the era it's set in, i just think it's very pretty lol <3

you're abruptly awoken by the tinny synthesised beeps emanating from your phone, informing you that someone wants to facetime you - something that should be illegal at this time in the morning (7am), you think. after flicking on the bedside lamp, you fumble to put your glasses on and pick up your phone, your irritation lessening rapidly when you see it's matty calling you. you tap the screen, and your boyfriend's handsome face fills it. he beams when he sees you, although you're sure you look ridiculous, all sleep-addled and askew. "happy birthday, darlin'! how'd you sleep?"

"terribly. s'not the same when you're not next to me. i miss you," you pout. "that, and i forgot how uncomfy this bed was. no wonder my back's fucked after sleeping on this for the entirety of my teenage years."

matty laughs as he wanders through what you recognise as his kitchen. "maybe you're just getting old. nah, i'm joking, babe, it's probably the bed."

"being mean to me on my birthday? you're evil, sweetheart," you say, rolling onto your front. "especially considering you couldn't make it up here with me today. but it's your loss, considering you didn't get to wake up to this, in a single bed."

at that, you balance the phone against the pillows and sit back on your knees, allowing your boyfriend an excellent view of your outfit - his mazzy star t-shirt, tight across your tits, and a pair of dark red panties. matty laughs then groans lightly, raking a hand through his curls. "fuck me, you're gorgeous. my fomo about not being with you just got a whole lot worse," he grins cheekily. "can i request you put on that exact outfit for me as soon as you get home?"

"yeah. but what about the eroticism of being pressed up against me wearing it in a single bed?"

"hmm, i suppose the couch will have to do. although i can't really spread you out there as i intend to, can i?"

"matthew."

your boyfriend giggles, although you both know he's being serious. his face softens, a wistfulness setting into those beautiful big brown eyes of his. "i really am sorry i couldn't come up to see your family with you, darlin'. s'shite that we're swamped with album promo right now. hate not being with my girl."

matty's words warm your aching heart (and "my girl" sends a burst of heat straight between your legs. muscle memory, you think - your boyfriend likes to say it when he's between them). "s'alright. what time d'you think you'll be done with work tonight? we could do phone sex!"

"i dunno, darlin', but i like the sound of that a lot. i'll text you," matty smiles. "and i expect texts from you today as well - wanna hear what you're up to celebrating, and you better send me outfit pics too. fuck knows i'll need to look at you being beautiful to get me through today."

you've known the man for the better part of a decade and been in a committed relationship with him for two full months; and yet, the constant casual compliments matty loves to shower you with never fail to both astound and arouse you. moving forward to lean on your stomach, you kick your legs back and forth behind you, giddy. "i can do that, yeah."

"god, you're so cute," matty sighs. his eyes flick upwards slightly, presumably to check the time on his screen, and fill with slight... dread, you'd describe it. "fuck. i'm so sorry, sweetheart, but i need to head to work now."

your turn to sigh. "don't worry, baby, we'll talk later. have a good day, yeah? i love you."

"love you too, angel. i'll speak to you soon. bye!"

you say a goodbye in response, and the call ends. for a few minutes, you do nothing but stare at the ceiling of your teenage bedroom and think about how much you wish matty was with you, then you roll yourself out of bed and get ready to spend a "nice day with your family", as your mum put it.

and it is a nice day, despite the longing for your boyfriend veiling it all. you open your presents over a fry up breakfast, dancing around the kitchen in excitement at the vintage barbie t-shirt your brother bought you. when you and your mum go into town, you spend ages in the bookshop you practically lived in as a uni student, glowing with pride when the staff ask you to sign a few copies of your books, and spend even longer in the shopping centre that opened after you left for london, trying and buying shoes and dresses and makeup products you probably don't even have room for in your flat. you head to meet the rest of your family for dinner in your favourite restaurant, your mum ordering a bottle of red wine for she and you to get stuck into while you wait for the others to show up. it makes you think of matty, and the longing for him worsens. you excuse yourself from the table after greeting your just-arrived cousin, sneaking out the front door of the restaurant.

when you're outside in the still-warm early evening air, you pull your phone from your handbag and check your texts. nothing from matty since four hours ago, when he responded to your summer-dress shopping mirror selfie with a compliment so risqué that it made your cheeks go intensely crimson and had your mum asking if you were ill. lovesick, maybe, unable to cope without seeing your boyfriend for two days maximum. you're briefly reminded of those couples at school who used to make out in the corridors before having one single class apart; the thought you might be anything like them makes you shudder, and swap your phone for the pack of cigarettes and lighter also in your handbag.

you've no sooner placed the unlit cig in your mouth when you hear a familiar voice from further down the street. "don't you fucking dare light that, sweetheart."

your heart skips, and your legs go to copy them when you turn to see matty, looking tired but heartbreakingly handsome as ever, walking towards you with your brother in tow. cig in one hand and lighter in the other, you run to your boyfriend, throwing your arms around his neck and legs around his waist as he picks you up in a tight embrace and spins you round. "what the fuck?! i thought you were at work," you say, hugging matty tightly as he puts you gently on the ground. you lean over his shoulder, pulling one arm free to point accusingly at your brother. "and you! did you know this was happening? you might've told me, you little shit."

the two of them laugh at you, matty kissing your forehead before he answers. "i was meant to be working, yeah, but we wrapped promo yesterday morning. texted your bro here to organise coming up to surprise you, and drove up today - as soon as we hung up this morning, i was in the car."

"you drove?! babe, that's like a seven-hour journey!" you gasp, pulling matty into you again. "you must be exhausted. christ."

"worth it," comes the reply, muffled by your hair. "there was no way i was missing your first birthday as my girlfriend, not a chance."

you place a delicate, chaste kiss to the underside of matty's jaw. "you're so fucking cute."

your brother makes a retching sound. "i'm gonna go inside before you pair traumatise me. don't spend too long kissing out here, please, you'll hold the food up."

you roll your eyes, but matty chuckles and extends a hand to your brother. "thanks for all your help, mate."

"no problem," your brother replies, as they fist bump. "it's for my own benefit, really - the last thing i want to hear is this one whining about you all day."

he smiles as matty laughs, and then leaves the two of you alone. matty waits until the front door of the restaurant closes before he turns to you. "i, on the other hand, definitely want to hear you whining about me all day. well, more 'whining because of me', but you get the gist."

"oh my god, stop it."

"sorry, baby," matty grins, kissing you languidly. "can you blame me, though, after that outfit from this morning and the dress you tried on? it's taking everything in me not to drag you into that single bed right now."

you twirl your fingers into the curls at the nape of his neck just the way you know matty likes it, looking at him up through your eyelashes. "i think you should do that."

matty's breath hitches, before he takes a deep one and composes himself. "can't - there's a whole family of yours in there that i need to play 'wholesome, charming boyfriend' to, first. but after that, darlin', i'll take you home and be as dirty as you want me to be, alright?"

"i... i love you."

"i love you too, sweetheart. happy birthday."

#mads does writing #matty healy fic #matty healy fanfiction #matty healy x reader #matty healy fluff #matty healy #into the birthday partyverse #matty x reader

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astonmartingf · 8 days

Text

I FEEL THE RUSH. . . 🏁🍒🏎️

LICENSE TO DRIVE ; f1 driver!oc x platonic! f1 grid

. . . with no available seat in the f1 grid, and winning the formula w championship, katarina looks for different prospects and lands on a wec seat

amgf it's refreshing to update this, especially after finishing ybom, it's a palate cleanser for me and i love her sm, i have three drafts on ltd

"RED FLAG! WE HAVE RED FLAG— Four cars crashed into each other, reaching the barriers. All cars are pitted and the race comes to a halt."

Those were the exact words the commentators said, and before Katarina knew it the season was over before the race even began.

That was two months ago, 2015 is starting and despite winning the Formula 2 Championship, she wasn't exactly feeling like a "winner".

Sure she could appeal to join Formula 1 by now, but Katarina the mere 17 year old thought the chances were slim. Sure she's capable of pulling a Max Verstappen, but the female didn't like sharing the spotlight.

Especially not to Max, she'd rather start on a different track. Something in the same playing field, but of a different caliber. Something like the World Endurance Championship.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Her father, Alvize Lombardi bursts out from the kitchen, facing his daughter right in front of the computer desk.

"It's just testing and I already told Ma about it. She's okay." Katarina shrugs before sending emails to three different teams. One thing about Katarina is her persistence, her need to create a space for herself, and if it means personally emailing team principals and asking about open spots she will do it.

"Ay, of course your mama will say yes she's just like you! Always racing, always busy with the cars. Slow down piccolina, we both know you'll get back on the track before you know it."

Katarina blinks, realizing how much she's been clicking reload, waiting for a response in her mail. Turning around away from the screen Katarina catches her father busy in the kitchen preparing snacks.

"You know what, you're right. I will get that seat." Standing up, Katarina wraps her arms around her father from behind.

"Thank you papa." The older male rests his hands on the smaller pair engulfing his waist.

"Now. Go bring this to the garage, or else your mother will never leave under that car she's been fixing."

"I GOT A SEAT! MANTHEY RACING!" Her excitement can be heard throughout their whole house. Her father in the kitchen swerved through the kitchen island, grabbing the female's shoulders for support reading the email in front of the screen.

"There are only two drivers at the moment, and if they don't find anyone, they say they'll give the seat to me." Katarina stares at the screen, rereading the letter word for word in case she misses something.

Eyes locked on the screen, Katarina blinks, losing focus of the screen. Only then did the tears fall from her eyes.

"Piccolina... we're proud of you. You did this all on your own." Katarina shakes her head left and right, taking comfort in the arms of her father.

"I wouldn't go far without you two– you're always there even though you don't like to see me race. I'm sorry for racing all the time."

Alvize tuts in disagreement, "Piccolina, I'm sorry you think that way. Seeing you race reminds me of when I first met your mother... wild and free. And that scares me, have you seen your mother drive?"

"Talking behind my back to our daughter?"

Katarina turns around to see her mother, blonde hair sticking out in different directions. Katarina could guess that she spent her time under her kart, meticulously checking for upgrades.

"Ma, you don't need to repair my kart for a whole year." Eyes wide, beaming with enthusiasm as Katarina watches her mother realize what the excitement in the living room was all about.

"You're racing?"

She bobs her head repeatedly, "I got a seat in Porsche Manthey Racin–"

"NO!"

"What?" Her mother's outburst caught her off-guard. "But you said yes, I told you about it."

Her mother shakes her head, “I thought you’d end up in a Formula 1 Team, not Endurance Racing. Withdraw right now.”

“Ma?” Katarina keeps her eyes at her mother, looking for the answers, an explanation at least to her actions. But before the younger female could ask her more, she left the dining room leaving Katarina frozen in the living room.

KATARINA’S LEGS BOUNCE UP AND DOWN AS THE CLOCK TICKS DOWN, marking the end of the first race in 6 Hours of Silverstone. Beside Katarina are her teammates racing for Porsche Manthey Racing in the LTGME Pro Category after being cleared to join. It was all new for Katarina, and a little bit too much.

Especially after her mother’s disapproval— something she took to heart. Her mother had been the one supporting her since she began karting, her mother who shared the same hobbies and dreams with. Her mother whom she wanted to be like, the dream of racing all began with her. And when she expressed her disapproval in Katarina in Endurance Racing, it hit hard for the female.

But like her mother, Katarina didn’t stop and instead pursued racing for Porsche, spending her summer in Germany training and testing cars. It bothered her how her mother didn’t even explain as to why she doesn’t agree with her racing. And now, at Katarina’s long awaited debut, yet her mother is nowhere to be seen.

She managed to contribute two hours worth of driving in the Silverstone track, it was unlike the cars she drove before— despite the months of training nothing could compare to the actual race, fortunately she managed to complete two hours successfully before switching with a third driver.

As the clock ticks down to the last few seconds, Katarina keeps her eyes on the leaderboard screen, looking for their team position. Just finishing behind AF Course, in second place on her first race with the team. After receiving congratulations from the team, Katarina gets ready to leave, right outside the Porsche garage her father greets her, with her mother following beside him.

“Ma! You came!” The tiredness and sore feeling leaving her body as she wraps her arms around her parents. “I thought… you don’t hate me?” Katarina bursts into tears hearing her mother’s laughter, wiping the tears falling from her daughter’s eyes.

“How could I ever hate you? I was just scared— I raced to you know. Seeing you achieve these, and race, it only dawned to me then that this was no longer a hobby, or a sport to you. I’m so proud of you Katarina, I would never hate you. I want you to be safe first, and happy, we will always be here to support you wherever you go.”

“WE’D LIKE TO EXTEND OUR WARM REGARDS TO KATARINA ANNELI LOMBARDI. We've seen your prospects from World Endurance Racing and would like to offer you a seat in Williams Racing for the 2016 Season. Signed, Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal for Williams Racing.”

Katarina turned around, facing her parents with tears streaming down her face, “I got invited by Claire Williams.”

#f1 driver oc #f1 female driver #f1 x oc #f1 fem driver #formula 1 x oc #formula one x oc

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so2uv · 4 months

Text

@ so2uv's sappy time.

end of the year. ive survived and that's scary but you know what? it'll be fine. we'll all be fine and im promising that; whether it be this year, the next, or far in the future, we'll be ok :)) it's stupid how this platform, one that my friends teased me for using, left such an impact on me as a person.

AKA. MY END OF YEAR MUTUAL APPRECIATION POST. (warning: these got long and sort emotional for me to write. well, as emotional as i can get fjkdhgkjfd. sorry if my coherence gets lost later on. forgive me if you weren't mentioned specifically for something; i have more mutuals that expected. it's genuinely surprising.)

if you weren't mentioned specifically, there's still a note for you at the bottom. sorry for making you scroll for long to find it :'DD

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @tiredsleep . . . the mutual who has stuck through it all. oh tired. tired, tired, tired. i think im a little stupid for how happy i get when you like a post or send an ask or keyboard smash in my reblogs. a lot of what i said in my long ask to you a while back is what im trying to convey now. the way we met wasn't through much special; i followed you and eventually you followed back. it was slow going in the ways we interacted but the nicest things take time and im so glad we're the way we are now. we're strangers, two little guys on the internet, and i think it's beautiful how we have this. you're an amazing writer, an all around amazing creator of the worlds you build and the characters you create. i don't think you realized how envious i used to be of you; you made it seem like it was easy enough for you to connect with others, your writing was something id never achieve with mine, it was flat out jealousy. it was my fault we were distant to begin with. i soon figured out that praise was correct: you are among the most wonderful people ive had the pleasure of knowing and talking to you, even if it's just through a screen. there's so much more for me to say that i constantly struggle to put into the correct words to get the point across. just know that you have great things out there for you. have a great new year, tired. we'll make it. im so proud of you.

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @aelatus . . . the last standing mutual of all my og (close) mutuals. hello atlas! im not sure if you'll ever see this on tumblr since i know you don't log on much but you've been my mutual through three blog changes now; was there for my xstar-kidx era and kozmiixs stage. we've been through shit together, had banter about grammarly together, lost certain mutuals together, have changed blogs, changed themes, switched fandoms, fell out of love with fandoms. it's been a wild couple of years, huh? im so thankful we've met and got close in the ways that we did and that we're able to call each others close. your birthday is soon so in the case that i forget to say this on discord: happy birthday, the xiao to my albedo. live a life of freedom and joy, my love /p.

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @izukxnnie . . . hara :((( i don't think you'll ever come to read this message but that's alright; maybe it's for the better kdfgh. i know i sent you that long winded ask on your blog already but i miss talking and interacting with you, even with all my awkwardness. im still so regretful of that one time i sent a request to join your world but then you were busy and i didn't read your messages until later that day as in hours later bc i was at school and idk if i ever responded to them in the end. maybe i'll send you a message on discord later. maybe i won't bc i'll be too sentimental. i really hope you're doing more than well, that you're happy doing what you do.

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @ay-asterisms . . . the mutual who introduced me to so many others. i really have you to thank for what i have now, ay. truly. you brought me deeper into the hq fandom and introduced me to jennie, atlas, and others. we don't talk much but i'll say what ive mentioned before, you remind me so much of the sun. but not as the bringer of life and the ball we see every morning; a sun in the sense that you're a star closer to earth but still a star, still out there where there are multiple. the difference is that you just happen to bring a warmth that others can't provide for ones nearby.

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @cryo-locket / @lo-cinno . . . you. im not even sure how we became mutuals, and my memory is pretty good. we just spawned in each other's zones one day and went yeah, alright. honestly, ive never said this to anyone, but you were one of the reasons i decided to focus more heavily on chinese. our interactions reminded me of why i wanted to relearn the language for myself: for the social connections. i genuinely love talking to you and always find myself laughing at our conversations. mainly because our timezone dif is so odd so it's always late in the evening when im on. your ebg was so fun and with all the pain it brought / hj, im so happy to have been part of it. thank you for putting up with my 2 am rambles and crack, hope you found laugh or two with them.

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @pr3tty-jennie . . . you intimidated me when we first met. i still remember it actually: you had that kamninari theme and the most recent post on your blog was about how you couldn't remember the word for chandelier in english but knew it in french. you've been through so much, endured so much, and i respect you so much. always have, always will. your life story and the past don't define who you show as a person and im so amazed by that part of you. have a good day, good week, good rest of your life pretty girl :DD

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @june-again . . . it's crazy, you know? crazy how far we've both drifted off from the original fandom that brought us together? but that's character development. speaking of that, ive gotten the absolute pleasure of seeing you grow as a person and go through the motions of life. it's always chill talking to you, jokes come easy hah! you're an amazing musician, june. amazing person, amazing at writing, amazing at music; you're outstanding so in the words of Freddy fazbear from security break, way to go superstar! i knew you could do it and i know you still can.

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @junjiie . . . the seungmin to my minho, the other half of 2min, the self proclaimed jeno to my renjun (have yet to be a dreamzen my b :(() and the no. 1 solieber. i was serious when i said you're the reason my other blog exists; you've been the biggest hype person when it came down to me going out of my comfort zone and writing. i was so nervous going up to talk to you at first kjfdhgkj but now, you're just another silly guy in my phone screen :DD thank you for sending all your updates about life and putting up with mine even though they never get answered- seungmin to not only my minho, but hyunjin too, let's keep being #Silly, yeah?? it's already the actual new years day when you're receiving this so i hope the year is off to a good start.

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @sohyuki . . . MINT im hoarding the ask that you sent me on christmas day. im always so happy when you've shown up on dash and while im sad about how you've let tumblr mainly behind, i know it's for the better since well, interactions have been shit and probably will never get back up to the standard we held them to, even with all the effort put in. you are such an amazing all around person and like i said in my christmas note to you, keep writing. hoard it, feed into it, you have something wonderful going on with it.

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @kamiyatos . . . user kamiyatos!!! lee!!! HELLO!!! it's always such a pleasure to talk to you and i hope you know that i keep your ramble about malleus' character and your plot idea for him in the back of my mind constantly, even though that ask has been lost to my actions of deactivation on my old blog. you're the biggest ayato fan i know who supports my works about him vocally AND you understand my vision on his personality... it's truly touching, y'know? thank you for being there, even when we don't talk as much as we should. i hope this year has been kind on you and the next one is even kinder.

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @yinyinggie . . . yingyingyingyingerkjshkjfdg ok this may come as a shock, or maybe you already knew and were just playing along, but we used to be mutuals before the summer of last year. secret identity revealed ig?? eh im sure if you dig far enough into my dark past™️ you'll find smth about it so im not going to say anything about it :P but! one thing has stayed the same for sure: you are so easy and so fun to talk to and make conversation with. you know that ramble i left on the astro twerk form about feedback for the server? yeah. im 100% truthful. you've made something so inclusive and positive, have done to much to get tumblr active, please know that your efforts aren't wasted. im sure they feel like it at times but i appreciate it so much. and im sure others have the same sentiment.

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @mhiieee . . . MHIEEEEEEEE MY SCARA FAN !!!! i love and adore your works so much and not to mention your characterization of scaramouche is top tier. ive got a lot to learn from you, mhie; i don't think you realize how much there is to admire when it comes to you as a person. you find such meaning and connection in the words and the world, the sincerity that comes with it,,,,, it makes me want to sob and roll around while also simultaneously wanting to take your brain apart neuron by neuron and psychoanalyze you. not in the freudian way though. ive had the greatest honor of being able to interact with you on not just one, but two!!! servers!!! i think it's a little silly how much i smile when you reply to smth dumb ive said on disc. have a great new year :))

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @ryuryuryuyurboat . . . RYUUUUUU literally the most stunning person to walk the planet ever like. hello??? our first interactions came from that ebg funny enough. does a little ★🪽 anon ring a bell? i only ever got around to sending you one sabo during that time but i hope you did enjoy what i came up with on the spot, i never was very good when it came down to kaeya's character. you are so intelligent and such an amazing individual, please always remember that.

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @snobwaffles / @2nobwaffles . . . SNOB SNOB SNOB i always think of the pokemon when your name comes up. in my head, you will always be snom, the bug-ice type pokemon <33 IT'S SO FUN TALKING TO YOU and we haven't been mutuals for long either. im always thinking of the advice you left me when it came down to my rant about an irls party and there's something about the way you're able to appreciate and take note and find beauty int he smallest of things that get brought up. i wish you the complete best that 2024 has to off you. keep calm and snob on :DD

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @itaerae & @mins-fins . . . im putting the two of you together because well, i met you both at the same time through the server. while i can't consider it and, ive never really had such an inviting time in a server, much less a network, as ive had in zumblr. really, it's you two that i owe thanks to. our silly little convos are so fun and im forever thankful that ive found people to talk to on a server for once.

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @https-furina . . . the best server mother fr!!! omg it's so nice talking to you :((( i love the warmth of your words and how your emotions shine through text. it feels like i can practically envision the fond eyeball or the warm smile that you may or may not have on your face when messaging. i’ve had such a great time in the network and your pet names fjfbdjdbjdb have a great 2024 heh :DD

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @lethwal & @astrinityy . . . i don't think you guys realize how fun it was when we were all "debating" and accusing me of being a furry. honestly, i haven't had to stifle laughter like that in the middle of the night as hard as i did for a small while. not too long but long enough. it was a breath of fresh air and it was genuinely amazing to just be able to put the present on the back burner and play around like that. even though it was kind of late for me when that was happening- ignore that. it's always late for me when im online atp. i hope we can get past those baseless accusations you have both placed on me tehe. have a happy new years, you two. ALSO YIXIN!! GA-MING PROTECTION SQUAD RISEEEEE

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @/zumblr . . . there's so many of you and i can't find the proper words to express the welcome i felt when added to the server. it was nerve wracking, ive never really gotten around to talking to that many people or being that open on the internet before. it's funny how one summer can bring you out of your shell a little, eh? and all bc of some guys on screen lmao. thank you for the support and im happy to have met such wonderful people. thank you, again. @urielphix I AM. DETERMINED TO READ ADAD JUST YOU WAIT

𖣂 ┈ ⟡ ˒ @ everyone else, all my mutuals as of now and past, who weren't mentioned or mutuals who want to read something again . . . hello!! im sorry to disappoint by not adding you properly and for not giving a personalized thanks; it wasn't anything against it you at all. reason 1) i probably forgot as um. goldfish brain or 2) we just became mutuals pretty recently and haven't had the chance to really talk much / have been sort of long term but haven't talked much.

either way though, thanks for sticking around! im not the most. literate person. sometimes LMAO and im far from being a proud person of skill when it comes to the right words to say to people but im always happy when people find something worth it in my silly words. i hope we get to interact more in the future, as long as you can put up with my inconsistent (to say the least) replies and brain boggling posts that come from the depths of the midnight zone, that is. get ready for the ride that is this. clusterfuck of a blog place. LMAO,,,, if you haven't already scrolled through my stuff. if you have then um ready for more??? fkdjhgkjlghf

if you've made it to the end, thank you. and why?? im not that interesting or cool as everyone makes me out to be. if you had told 2019 me on tumblr that 4 years later, id be posting my works for everyone to see and also be proud of my own poetry, i would have laughed and called you absolutely insane. some of you have sat through me going through different gender and pronoun crises on dash back in 2020, and some of you ive only met this month.

whatever our situation is, i wish all the best for everyone . i’ll support you guys until the end of the earth and then some. have the happiest of happy new years, may your futures always be brighter than you say they are, and i’ll see you later 💛

sincerely — sol / jun

#🔎. navi !#// do not perceive me im going to go curl up in a corner now #// ive never been this sentimental or thought out a personal post quite as much as this one #// vulnerability isn't my strong suit ok???#// i wish these were more put together TwT

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bumblesimagines · 10 months

Text

Midnight Beach

Part 5

Request: Yes or No

not very pleased with this part

~~~

"Hey, you've reached Rachel (L/N). Leave a message and I'll get back to you soon."

"Hi, Mom... I-I was wondering if you had plans to come home. School's going to start up again next month and I was wondering if you'd be here for graduation. I already called Dad. He, uhm... He didn't pick up either. I don't know if you'll even listen to this but I just... I hope you at least come for a day. Just one day. You probably don't think it's a big deal, but it is to me. My counselor says I'm en route to be valedictorian, just like Dad. So, I wanted to call and ask what your plans were. Anyways, hope you're having fun. Bye."

Setting the phone down on the kitchen island, (Y/N) bit down on his bottom lip, pressing two fingers to his forehead. He tilted his head to look at the pictures on the small table pressed against the wall. The family pictures on the table always stared holes at him when he ate. A taunting reminder his parents were never around. A reminder he'd spent his high school years alone in a big house cause his parents couldn't stand the sight of each other, let alone want to be around the child they created together.

His phone vibrated and a shot of hope ran through his veins, but when he looked at the contact, he was only met with disappointment. Sighing softly, he answered the call and held the phone to his ear. "What's up, Rafe?"

"H-Hey, man, uh... I..."

"Rafe? What's wrong? You okay? Did Barry-"

"No, no, no... It's just... Uhm, Sarah's not going to the Bahamas with Dad anymore. T-There was an accident at the tracks and uhm... Sherriff Peterkin got hurt. It was that Pogue. That Pogue did it, yeah. John B. He, uh, he shot her."

(Y/N) stared down at the marbled island, letting the information settle in. Sherriff Peterkin? Shot by John Booker Routledge? The same guy who couldn't even beat Topper Thornton in a fight? And Sarah, fuck, Sarah had been there. "Shit, Jesus, do you need me to go over there? Is Sarah okay? Is Ward?"

"No, stay home, (Y/N). We're fine. I'll... I'll call you if I need anything but listen, Sarah isn't in the right state of mind right now. If she calls or says anything... Don't trust her. She, uh... She's been saying, uhm... strange things. Dad says it's the shock talking, alright? If she says anything to you, tell me, 'kay? I'll see you tomorrow. I gotta go."

"Rafe-" The phone beeped signaling Rafe had hung up. (Y/N) pulled his phone from his ear and held it, looking down at his confused reflection on the black screen. It'd only been that morning Rafe had told him all about John B attacking Ward and Ward deciding to take Sarah to the Bahamas for her own safety. What a hell of a day for the Cameron family.

Sliding off the barstool, (Y/N) shut the kitchen lights off, plunging the house into darkness. He made his way up the stairs and into his room, plugging his phone into the charger and collapsing into bed. He stared up at the ceiling, fingers toying with the waistband of his sweats. His head turned to the side, gazing at his phone in. He thought about texting Sarah, asking her if she were okay. But Rafe's words kept him still. She needed space, he decided. She needed to process things. He'd go by their place in the morning.

Sleep didn't come easy to him, with everything going on how could it? But he'd found it after laying in bed for two hours. The morning shone brightly through his thin curtains, gently pulling him out of his sleep and encouraging him to start his day. He did his typical morning routine before heading downstairs to grab some crackers and head out. He drove down to the Cameron Residence, listening to the radio talk about the warrant out for John B and the 25k price reward for bringing him in. He shoved another cracker in his mouth and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, pulling into the driveway and parking. Dusting his shirt off, he climbed out and walked toward the front doors, tapping the glass lightly with his knuckles.

Ward appeared moments later, greeting him with a tired smile. "Hey, son. Now's not really a good time."

"I wanted to check on Rafe and Sarah is all. The radio's talking about what happened to Sherriff Peterkin." (Y/N) explained softly. Ward sighed, running a hand over his face and shaking his head.

"Horrible... It was horrible. Sarah saw it happen. She's real shaken up right now, (Y/N). She's not in the headspace to be getting visitors. I know you care a lot about her but just... Now's not the right time. I'm sure when she's feeling better, she'll give you a call." Ward told him, a small thankful yet apologetic smile on his lips. He placed a warm hand on his shoulder and lightly squeezed it. "Thank you. I'll let her know you came by. And as for Rafe-"

"I've got it handled, Dad." Ward's grip tightened briefly and he inhaled deeply, releasing (Y/N) and turning around to face his son.

"Are you sure-"

"Yes, Dad, I'm sure." Rafe brushed past Ward with a backpack slung over his shoulder. He appeared awfully calm about everything. Rafe slithered his arm around (Y/N), turning him around and walking back toward his jeep.

"What's in the backpack?"

"John B's things. I'm gonna dump 'em somewhere or burn 'em. I haven't decided yet." Rafe responded casually, opening the door to the jeep and getting inside. Ward watched them from his stop in the doorway, hands resting on his hips and a worried frown on his face. (Y/N) sat inside and eyed the green backpack.

"You could always donate them."

"Who's going to take a murderer's clothes?" Rafe laughed, propping his leg up against the door and turning on the radio. (Y/N) stared at him, slowly turning the key to the ignition and stepping on the gas pedal. His father and sister had witnessed a murder and he looked... gleeful. Satisfied, even. Rafe reached forward and turned on the radio, fiddling with it until he got to a station he liked and hummed along to the song playing. (Y/N) silently drove through and out of the neighborhood, glancing at the cop cars that would occasionally speed by with their sirens blaring. He drove into town, finding a place they could donate the clothes to.

"Come on, Rafe."

"Seriously? Dude, nobody wants these." Rafe groaned, tossing the door open and getting out of the car. (Y/N) stepped out and ensured the car locked before stepping onto the sidewalk and nodding for Rafe to head inside. The blonde rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath, heading inside the store. (Y/N) went to follow but a paper stabled to a wooden electric pole caught his eye and he walked toward it. A wanted poster for John B.

"Jesus.." (Y/N) whispered, tugging the paper from the pole and staring down at it. Sherriff Peterkin was truly dead. Killed by a teenager she'd spent months trying to keep afloat. A heaviness loomed over his shoulders. The few times they'd interacted she'd been kind and motherly. The sound of more sirens blaring pulled his gaze away from the paper, watching three cop cars race down the street. Rafe stepped out of the shop with the empty backpack, brows furrowing at the sight of the cop cars. He spotted someone running down the sidewalk and caught their arm.

"The hell's goin' on?"

"They found him! They found John B but he ran off before they could arrest him. They're lookin' for him now." The girl explained, tugging her arm free and continuing running down the sidewalk, presumably following the sirens. Rafe turned to look at (Y/N) and nodded toward his car. (Y/N) sighed and crumbled up the paper in his hand, tossing it into the trash can and unlocking his car. He got inside and turned it back on, stepping on the pedal and following the cop cars.

"Should we really be doing this, Rafe?"

"Look, (Y/N), he's a murderer. What if he comes after my family next? What if he comes after Sarah? We need to find him now." Rafe said, hooking his fingers around the assist handle and straightening up. (Y/N) cursed softly, pressing down on the gas. The cop cars led them into a neighborhood littered with more cops. They searched backyards and spoke to residents, frantically writing things down on notepads and calling out to each other. Rafe pressed himself against the door, scanning the area.

"Doesn't Kelce live around here?"

"Yeah, he does," Rafe answered quietly, whirling around when officers got into their cars and drove down the street. Rafe only had to give (Y/N) a look for him to catch the hint and speed off after them. The cops drove up the driveway of a house and got out, forcing (Y/N) to park in the street. Craning his neck, he spotted Kelce speaking to two officers while another instructed the rest. One final cop pulled up and out got Shoupe. He approached Kelce and the other officers as neighbors crawled up and down the street hoping to catch a glimpse of John B's arrest.

Rafe hopped out of the car, slamming the door shut and walking up to the house. (Y/N) groaned, tossing off his seatbelt and following Rafe. Other cops lingered by the cars, stopping anyone from getting too close. Shoupe called out to John B using the megaphone and began heading up toward the house. "Remember the fallen, Sheriff!" Rafe called out, getting shouts of agreement from others and calls for John B's blood to be spilled. Shoupe entered the house, followed by two other cops. (Y/N) watched the front door, waiting for Shoupe and John B to make an appearance or the sound of gunshots but instead Shoupe ran back out.

"He ran out the back! I want three deputies to hit the backyard now! He can't be far." Shoupe called out. "The suspect is unarmed!"

"We'll get him for you, Sheriff!"

"The hell you doin', Rafe?" (Y/N) grabbed his arm, tugging his friend closer and furrowing his brows. Rafe leaned in with an almost crazed look in his vibrant blue eyes.

"I'm protectin' my family, (Y/N). Protectin' the homeland." Rafe answered lowly, lifting his head and continuing to egg on the crowd by encouraging them to go looking for John B. He pulled his arm free from (Y/N)'s hold and lightly patted his cheek before leading a small group of people down the sidewalk. (Y/N) pressed his lips together and followed the group, feeling a mixture of emotions bubbling in his stomach.

Rafe called out instructions, leading some people off the sidewalk but they stopped abruptly when a church bell rang out. The sound attracted everyone and Rafe and Kelce quickly took off in the direction of it, prompting (Y/N) to do the same. (Y/N) paused and looked up at the old abandoned church, spotting Rafe and Kelce slipping inside. Cars pulled up and cops rushed out, one of them grabbing (Y/N) and pulling him back when the church suddenly began to smoke. Rafe and Kelce ran out of it and went back into the crowd, turning around to watch the fire spread through the church. The doors of the church pulled open and someone stepped out in a faded red hoodie. The cops whipped out their guns and pointed it at the man, shouting orders for him. Shoupe ripped the hoodie off him, only for everyone to see Topper's face. One of the cops put handcuffs on him and dragged him to the car, shoving him inside.

"Come on-"

"I'm going home, Rafe. I didn't sign up for a goddamn manhunt. You wanna go find him? Fine. I'm not in the mood to watch some guy get shot down or beaten by an angry crowd."

"You serious?! This isn't the time to play the good guy, (Y/N). There's a murderer on the loose, don't you get that?" Rafe hissed, snatching (Y/N) by the arms and squeezing him tight enough his skin began to sting.

"He's sixteen, Rafe. And this is a small island." (Y/N) reminded him, wincing when Rafe's grip tightened further. The blonde stared at him and clicked his tongue, relaxing his hold and rubbing his reddening skin.

"Fine, go home," Rafe grunted, hand grasping the base of (Y/N)'s neck and pulling him into his chest, cheek nuzzling gently against his hair. "We'll talk later."

"Yeah, alright." (Y/N) breathed, tearing himself away from Rafe and bringing a hand to his warm forearm. He walked through the grass until he reached the sidewalk again, heading down the street and finding his car. He got in and slumped back against the seat, peering down at his arms and barely making out the red outline of Rafe's thumb. Sighing, (Y/N) turned the car on and drove home.

✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽

"Thank you." (Y/N) murmured, taking the Pepsi bottle and bag of chips into his hands. He pushed the door of the convenience store and walked out, tucking the bottle under his armpit and opening the bag. Sticking his hand inside and walking toward his car, he fished out the potato chip and popped it in his mouth.

"Are you (Y/N) (L/N)?" (Y/N) looked over his shoulder, feet coming to a stop when he noticed the two officers watching him expectantly. He glanced between them and nodded, shifting to face them completely.

"Yeah..." He slowly chewed on the chip.

"I'm Officer Goff and this is Officer Levy. We have some questions regarding your ex-girlfriend, Sarah Cameron. Her father reported her missing this morning and since she's connected to Routledge, we'd like for you to come with us. Any information is valuable at this time." Officer Goff explained, nodding toward the cop car parked across the street. This month truly couldn't get any worse.

"What about my car?"

"You can give Officer Levy the keys and he'll-"

"Hell no." The officers raised their brows at him and he swallowed, muttering an apology under his breath. "It's just... It's the only gift my dad's ever given me. I don't let anyone drive it." His words made Officer Levy's hard features soften considerably and he turned to look at his partner. Officer Goff grunted softly and nodded, waving him off. (Y/N) turned and continued to his car, getting inside and muttering quietly under his breath as he set the bottle down in the cup holder. Turning on the car, he waited for the officers to drive out first before following behind them.

They took him to the lighthouse overlooking the ocean ahead where tents at been set up at its base. (Y/N) got out of his car, finishing the rest of the chips and tossing the crumbled bag away. He glanced around at the reporters and officers walking around, some in local uniforms while others in black uniforms with the letters SBI written on them. Shoupe approached him, nodding to the two officers and giving him a small smile.

"Sorry for all this, (Y/N). We have a procedure and we just need to be thorough." He told him, taking out his notepad and clicking his pen. "Could you confirm your relationship with Sarah Cameron?"

"Okay, uh, she's my ex-girlfriend. I last saw her like three or four days ago with John B and haven't seen her since. No, I don't know John B closely. We've only ever really spoken in passing. Is that it? Can I go now?" Shoupe paused his writing and lifted his eyes, studying (Y/N)'s face and tilting his head with a small frown.

"Sarah was here some time ago, (Y/N). She came in and tried to blame this all on Rafe Cameron, her own brother and your buddy. We can't have her going around lying to residents and confusing people. We need to find her before she gets herself or somebody else hurt, alright? I know this is all new and bizarre but we need cooperation. Do you have any idea where she could be?"

"She said Rafe did it?" (Y/N) asked quietly, the bizarre behavior of his friend replaying in his mind like a broken record. The grins and laughter, the worried look on Ward's face, the fact he wasn't allowed to even see her.

"Her father says she's unwell at the moment and John B manipulated her to believe something else. I'm sure with time, she'll come to accept the truth, alright?" Shoupe closed his notepad and tucked it away, lifting his hand to pat his forearm and nodding to someone behind him. (Y/N) looked over his shoulder, spotting Ward approaching him with a small smile.

"It's good seeing you here, son. I'd appreciate it if you stuck around in case Sarah reaches out to you." Ward told him, reaching out to place his hands on (Y/N)'s shoulders.

"Why does Sarah think Rafe had something to do with this?" (Y/N) peered up at the older man, hearing the distant sound of thunder roaring. Ward stared down at him with parted lips, a mixture of emotions passing over his face. Shock, hurt, guilt, and finally reassurance. His hands kept him in place, tightening ever so slightly when (Y/N) tried to step back.

"Sarah's being manipulated by a very dangerous person, (Y/N). She's still in shock and she's having a hard time processing that the boy she cares about did something so horrific. John B's twisted her mind and made her believe Rafe had something to do with it. But you know him. Rafe can be quick to anger but he'd never hurt anybody, right? He's a good boy. He just needs some guidance, that's all. He needs you. You can help set him straight. You can help Sarah too once she feels better, alright? But right now, you should stay here. For Sarah. For me. Can you do that for me, son?" Ward tilted his head, lightly squeezing him and smiling. (Y/N) swallowed and nodded, the smile on Ward's face widening. "You're a good kid, (Y/N). I see you as my own. I know you won't disappoint me."

"I won't." (Y/N) assured him softly. "I promise."

"Good." Ward's face brightened and he released him. "Go on, take a seat. I'll get some water for you while we wait."

(Y/N) wrapped his arms around himself and found a seat near one of the tents. Inside, detectives and officers typed away on their laptops, talking over each other and shuffling around notebooks and pieces of paper. Shoupe called for another officer and stepped out of the tent, heading to one of the SUVs and driving off with the sirens blaring. (Y/N) leaned back in his seat and looked forward, spotting the gray clouds slowly drifting closer and closer. Cracks of lightning lit them up occasionally with the wind beginning to pick up significantly. His stomach twisted and turned, leg bouncing lightly as he watched the storm grow closer and closer.

After half an hour, some officers abruptly took off, shouting orders and locations as the sky darkened and night fell. (Y/N) could hear Ward angrily speaking to an agent, shouting about his daughter and her wellbeing. (Y/N) bit the inside of his cheek and gazed toward the parking lot, hand pressing against his pocket where his keys sat. He wanted to move. He wanted to leave. Leave the tent, leave the town, leave the island completely. His eyes flickered toward the officers pulling back up, dragging three familiar faces out. Kiara, Pope, and JJ. Shoupe escorted the three into the tent, sitting down near (Y/N).

"What are you doing here?" JJ asked, leaning forward in his seat and glancing at the officer tasked with keeping an eye on them.

"They were asking about Sarah. You?" (Y/N) quirked a brow but the three exchanged glances, falling silent and looking away from him. (Y/N) hummed softly, crossing his arms over his chest and going back to watching the officers work. The sound of a generator whirling to life reached his ears, and the lighthouse above them flickered on. The moment it did, officers began shouting outside and orders were called out. Leaning over and looking through the flapping of the tent, he spotted a white boat on the water, heading directly for the storm as rain poured over the tent.

"What the hell's goin' on?" JJ tried getting to his feet, only to get shoved back down into his seat by the officer. The Pogues began frantically speaking, ranging from protests to pleas for information. (Y/N) only sunk deeper into his chair, leaning his head and staring upward. After a few minutes, Shoupe entered the tent and pulled off the hood to his raincoat, a grimace on his face when the Pogues jumped to their feet and approached him.

"Did you find them?"

"No," Shoupe answered, eyes falling down onto the ground. Kiara swallowed, glancing between JJ and Pope, a twinkle of hope in her eye.

"They got away?" She asked softly.

"We, uh... we lost them. I'm sorry."

"You lost them?" Pope repeated, stepping forward, panic seeping into his voice. "Wha- What do you mean you lost them? Like, they're gone? What are you talking about? Are they dead?"

Shoupe's frown deepened, shoulders lowering with grief. "We don't know." He answered honestly. (Y/N) squeezed his eyes shut, hearing JJ and Pope's angered shouts and Kiara's desperate cries. He opened his eyes and stood up on his feet, his eyes begin to fill with fresh tears. The parents of the teens rushed into the tent, embracing their children and letting them cry on their shoulders. (Y/N) watched Pope's father embrace his son and wife, even pulling JJ into the hug and comforting him. (Y/N) turned away, leaving the tent and stepping through the mushy, wet grass in search of his car.

Sarah Cameron and John Booker Routledge were... dead.

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letmeshouyouhowitsdone · 10 months

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𝕚 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕪𝕠𝕦'𝕣𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕔𝕠𝕠𝕝 | 008.

haikyuu x m!reader

masterlist

"so you got kicked out?" [name] sighed heavily into the phone. despite the absurdity of the situation he can't say he was entirely surprised.

hinata whined, trying to deny it. "no! we just have to work together to get in! the captain is scary but we can do it"

"so you got kicked out?" [name] raised an eyebrow, sidestepping a few other students as he made his own way home after his own volleyball practice.

hinata's silence was enough of an answer. "we're going to practice right now! you'll see! we'll beat you"

he felt his chest swell with pride and arrogance. he was happy for hinata, he always would be but he would never put his team down. they weren't going to be beaten. he felt the evil smile on his face as he cheered hinata on, "ganbare!"

the complaint he heard in response made him pull his phone away from his ear, earning weird looks from other students at the shrieking. he bowed his head in response, ignoring them and turning down a separate corridor.

"when you say 'we', are you talking about kageyama-kun?" he changed the conversation in order to draw hinata's attention away from his taunt. hinata hummed in confirmation. [name] paused, thinking back to the events of last year's middle school tournament. he hadn't been there in person, having his own school commitments but satori and eita had told him all about kageyama's fall from the top. in short, it was not gracious at all.

the h/c haired libero felt bad for him but he wasn't sure he would be able to deal with a player like him either. still, to have your dreams crushed like that so quickly.. he couldn't imagine. he shook his head, remembering that he was still talking to hinata.

"i heard about his game last year, is he doing okay?"

hinata's response almost made him snort, "i don't know about that but he's a real broody guy!"

"i'm sure he is" he nodded along to the first year's rant about the black haired teen. it wasn't long, however, before he was interrupted by the said boy. [name] could hear his voice cut through hinata's excited tangent.

"hey boke, who are you talking to you? you need to be practicing"

the volume of their voices wavered as he seemed to be shaking his phone. "we just got here!"

"and we're already wasting time!"

"sorry [name]-kun! i have to go! i'll text you later" hinata spoke quickly, words stringing together and almost incomprehensible. he heard the last remnants of an argument happening before he was hung up on.

"bye shoyo" he rolled his eyes to the blank screen, shoving his phone back into his pocket, hands burying into them as he sulkily walked home.

a small smile graced his face at the thought of meeting hinata at nationals. he'd love to see his friend reach the top but he'd have to get past him first.

—

"first things first" seiichi clasped his hands together, cheerfully standing tall in front of the official team. they had gained three first years who fiddled nervously to the side. "proper introductions are in order"

"get in line, seiichi-senpai" [name] came up behind him, slapping him square in the back. the smile on his face silenced all arguments from the dark brown haired ace. "just because taicho is away today doesn't mean you're in charge"

he spluttered, beginning to protest as he got in line regardless. "i'm the oldest! and why does that make you in charge?"

"because he's vice-captain, dummy" susumu grinned slyly from beside him. yuuma cringed, leaning away from his other side as seiichi swung his arms around in his fit.

[name] frowned, eyes landing on the nervous first years. the three were glued to each others sides, unsure of what to do with the commotion. the boy glanced at coach omoikane who merely stood offside, watching the chaos unfold with a slightly amused smile.

he tended to encourage the boys to lead themselves most of the time. he was a good coach, always ready to step in but it was the point of having the captain duo. the best team needed captains they could trust in, rely on. that was why they, themselves, passed the baton on each year.

"me?" [name] froze, not moving an inch from his place in the line-up. every year the third years would have a send off, it was takumashii tradition as omoikane had excitedly informed them. at the send off the team's captain and vice-captain would name there successor of sorts.

takumi had handed his captain jersey over to kousei, as expected. the tradition included picking a vice-captain who would then become captain in their third year.

but [name] didn't think it was going to be him. kousei smiled softly at his surprise, patiently waiting with his jersey held in the h/c haired boy's direction. yuichi and jun grinned at each other, hands landing heavily on the short boy's back, shoving him forwards.

"take the jersey, heiwa-kun!" itsuki hollered, a large smile on his face. the team had been in on this, he realised, frowning as he gingerly took the jersey into his hands.

"are you sure?" [name] glanced up to their smiling faces. "i'm not allowed to be captain"

it was true, as a libero he wasn't allowed to captain a team. takumi reached over to ruffle his hair, "that doesn't mean you can't be vice-captain, we pick that"

[name]'s eyes widened, stinging slightly as he quickly blinked away the tears. even with the harsh loss they had taken earlier in the year they still trusted in him to lead the team.

his fingers clutched the shirt closely to his chest. the team could see the way he buzzed with energy as he stepped up beside kousei, ready for all to come.

"seiichi-senpai, as annoying as he is, is right. we should introduce ourselves" [name]'s mouth twitched slightly in amusement as the said ace kicked up a fuss again.

yuuma rolled his eyes, elbowing seiichi in the stomach, "you're going to scare off the first years, boke"

"so rude" seiichi mumbled, rubbing his side, eyeing yuuma disdainfully. the blonde boy snickered, a slight smirk on his face at the ace's pain.

"behave" [name] sent them his best hardened stare, immediately they stood straighter, shutting up. "alright, as we were saying; welcome" he turned to the first years, expression not really changing much as he gestured to them with his hands. "we've tested your skills so today we'll get you used to our usual training schedule. introduce yourselves and your position"

"oh um! i'm matsuura eiji and i'm a middle blocker" the black haired boy grinned, obviously buzzing with excitement as he shifted from foot to foot.

the tallest boy fiddled with his fingers, nervously stuttering out his introduction, "i'm um.. my name is higashi rin and i also play as a middle blocker"

the last boy, the shortest of the three spoke softly, almost unheard as his brown bangs dropped over his eyes, "ikehara tomio, i'm a setter"

[name] nodded contently, they were going to be a great addition to the group once they were used to how the team functioned. he lead the team in beginning warm ups before they split in smaller groups to practice receives. takumashii saw it as highly important that the whole team learnt from each other. they created many allrounders over the years but everyone still had their own skills.

the team worked best when everyone could work together seamlessly. that's why they practiced together. omoikane hummed, pleased as he watched [name] lead the first years through proper receives while the others set up their other drills. he was a great teacher and an even better leader, he just didn't know it yet.

—

"you wouldn't believe this guy!" hinata's energy radiated through the phone, his obvious stomping visible despite not being able to see him. [name] felt amusement creep into his expression, hinata always had that affect on him.

[name] listened quietly, shuffling around the changeroom to pack up his things. he was always the last one in the club rooms, always staying later to work on something the team tried to reassure him was already perfect. it never worked. he slid his shoes into the bag, school uniform going in next.

hinata went on to rant about how rude this 'tsukishima' person was. at least, he thought he was trying to say tsukishima, hinata wasn't very clear on his name. he then complained about kageyama and how grumpy he always seemed. [name] just smiled softly, the small turn of his lips fond as hinata talked. he missed his best friend sometimes.

"you know that underestimation is good for you, right?" [name] interrupted when hinata whined again about the lack of belief in his abilities. "it means they won't expect you to play well, then you just have to prove them wrong"

"i know" hinata deflated, a huff of air loud over the phone speaker. "i just want to be good like you! i could beat anyone!"

[name] ignored the heat lighting up his face, chewing on his lip. "you'll get there, there's steps before that, shoyo-kun"

"i know that too"

"good, then you're already on track" [name] laughed softly, immediately improving hinata's mood. "when we meet at nationals i better see some good receives though" or not.

"aghhhh why?" hinata loudly complained, a touchy subject [name] knew would set him off. he swung his bag over his head, pulling the club room keys out of his pocket to lock the door behind him.

"because" [name] begun over the groaning, "you have to have a good foundation otherwise you're attacks are going to mean nothing. that's why the libero is so important, they're there for the team so that you can hit the ball again and again"

hinata went silent for a moment, calming in his best friend's presence. they took a moment to just listen to the other breath before [name] softly spoke up again. "your match is tomorrow morning, right?"

"yeah" hinata's voice was much lower in volume, reminding the libero of the times they would lay on hinata's floor just dreaming of the future, quietly sharing little stories into the late hours of the night.

"show them what you've got and you'll be fine. you're team is there to teach you everything else you need to know" he hummed gently, unsure of what else to say but good luck. he knew hinata would be fine either way, kageyama couldn't afford to lose this match either.

hinata only made a small noise of acknowledgement before excitedly beginning to talk [name]'s ear off about the senpai he had met so far. it was refreshing to hear how well he was doing despite the mishap. hinata always had a way to find the good in a situation. [name] just hoped he kept up the optimism. for now, though, he would enjoy the moment.

he was going to be fine, [name] nodded to himself, his body relaxing in relief. they both were.

—

"hirabayashi-senpai?" [name] stood from the dive he just made, sending the ball across the court to kousei's usual spot. he raised an eyebrow at the first year boy who shuffled slightly under his gaze. ikehara tomio had caught [name]'s eye immediately as he played. the boy reminded him specifically of a younger kageyama, the nervous energy and striking talent for the sport making him stand out amongst the team.

"yes, ikehara-kun?" he lead the pair away from where they were playing drills.

"koizumi-senpai mentioned that you would be the best person to ask about strategy and i was wondering if you could help me" he stumbled slightly over his words, fingers twiddling and eyes flittering around the room.

it had become immediately apparent that the vice-captain scared the first years as the weeks went on. it was a little disappointing as [name] had wanted them to feel comfortable around him but kousei reminded him he needed to give them time to loosen up and get used to him.

he felt himself fill with pride at the thought that tomio was coming to him for advice. "sure" he nodded, a little too easygoing as he couldn't contain his excitement to teach something he was so passionate about, "what is it you want me to help with exactly?"

"um, i want to be able to read the court like you do" the blonde boy begun, eyes shining with determination, "i want to predict the other teams moves"

[name] hummed, thinking over ways to help him out, "it's more a reflex but we can work on it. we'll start with watching the team, okay?"

tomio's eyes lit up at the confirmation. [name] held back the urge to hug the boy, knowing it would be a little weird. his heart sped up, overly excited to help his team improve. they were his passion, his yearning to see them succeed, to help them succeed only growing stronger the more they were together.

they were going to be amazing.

—

the team joined up again at the end of their training session, ready for their last announcements before they headed home for the night

"this year we're going try some new strategies to build up our team" omoikane begun, kousei nodding beside him. the rest of the team were standing in front of them, awaiting the news. "that's why we're going to be organising regular practice matches and training sessions with our fellow national-level school, inarizaki"

the team held back their laughter at the look on their vice-captains face, hands raising to cover their mouths, forcing down smiles. they had all heard the stories of his run-in with inarizaki's setter last year. the h/c haired boy held a deadpan expression, gaze almost dead looking at the news.

"what?"

previous | next

a/n: i really need to update more consistently :/ anyways here's another chapter!!

#haikyuu x male reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu #hinata x reader #inarizaki x reader #inarizaki #nekoma x reader #nekoma #fukurodani x reader #fukurodani #shiratorizawa #shiratorizawa x reader #aoba johsai x reader #aoba johsai #karasuno x reader #karasuno

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wisdomssdaughterr · 2 years

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PURE HEROINE by LORDE - STRANGER THINGS SEASONS

400 Lux - Pre season 1: (And I like you) / I love these roads where the houses don't change / (And I like you) / Where we can talk like there's something to say / (And I like you) / I'm glad that we stopped kissing the tar on the highway / (And I like you) / We move in the tree streets / I'd like it if you stayed

ribs - season 1: The drink you spilt all over me / “Lover's Spit" left on repeat / My mum and dad let me stay home / It drives you crazy, getting old / This dream isn't feeling sweet / We're reeling through the midnight streets / And I've never felt more alone / It feels so scary, getting old

glory and gore - season 2: We gladiate, but I guess we're really fighting ourselves / Roughin' up our minds so we're ready when the killtime comes / Wide awake in bed, words in my brain / “Secretly you love this, do you even wanna go free?" / Let me in the ring, I'll show you what that big word means

white teeth teens - season 3: We wouldn't be seen dead here in the day / I guess you're lucky that it's dark now / And if I like it, then we'll stay / Impress the empress, take your shot now / We got the glow in our mouths / White teeth teens are out / White teeth teens are up for it / I know you love it when the hairpins start to drop / I like your reckoning / But we got our methods, and there's nothing here to stop / To stop this

a world alone - season 3: All the double-edged people and schemes / They make a mess then go home and get clean / You're my best friend, and we're dancing in a world alone / We're all alone / We're all alone / I know we're not everlasting / We're a train wreck waiting to happen / One day the blood won't flow so gladly / One day we're all get still / When people are talking, people are talking

buzzcut season - season 4: The men up on the news / They try to tell us all that we will lose / But it's so easy in this blue / Where everything is good / And I'll never go home again / (Place the call, feel it start) / Favorite friend (And nothing's wrong when nothing's true) / I live in a hologram with you

the love club - season 4: Your clothes are soaked and you don't know where to go / So drop your chin and take yourself back home / And roll out your maps and papers / Find out your hiding places again / The only problem that I got with the club / Is how you're severed from the people who watched you grow up / When you're a member go on your great adventure again / They will be waiting at the end

team - post season 4: We live in cities you'll never see on-screen / Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things / Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams / And you know, we're on each other's team

#stranger things #Max Mayfield #el hopper #mike wheeler #will byers #lucas sinclair #dustin henderson #jonathan byers #Nancy Wheeler #steve harrington #robin buckley #stranger things moodboard #lorde #lorde pure heroine #izzy's collections #lorde mb #st moodboard collection

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elfqueen006 · 12 days

Text

Cruel Intentions

Girlxgirl, breakup, toxic, in the sdj universe but not explicitly.

The mean girl Shannon Willis, belongs to the very cool writer friend of mine, @ammolitestone ~. Wrote this on the fly in my notes.

May had half a mind to hang up the phone. But she was curious, honestly, curious to hear what type of bullshit Shannon would come up with next. She was pretty sure the girl had a mental problem, much like the girl on the screen - the wicked and sociopathic Kathyrn Muertil.

Feeling and had no other option, she pushed *answer*.

"Yeah."

"May!" Shannon's shrill voice answered. "Why'd you storm out like that?"

"Who you with?" May asked.

"What- what are you talking about? Who am I with?"

"Yes." She said, "I want to know who you're playing in front of."

Shannon looked tentatively at her parents, who each gave a worried expression. She mentally cursed the woman, making her embarrassed like this.

Shannon turned away, "I-I'm at my parents."

May simply hummed. "Goodbye."

"No, no, no! Wait!" Shannon said.

"I don't wanna hear you give automatic messages to me. You better use your real voice or find somewhere private."

Shannon pursed her lips before putting a hand over her phone screen, looking back at her parents. "We need a moment..."

They nodded in understanding, walking into another room, when she was sure they were far enough away she hissed over the phone. "What the fuck is wrong with you, huh!?"

"There she is."

"You embarrassed me at the party, did you know that?"

"By what? Walking away?" May asked.

"Um, YES! You were a plus one for me as V.I.P and are my girlfriend. If you thought we weren't being watched, you're dead wrong!" Shannon said, "The internet is now swarming with clips of you leaving the ballroom! Within the final three hours of the day, it'll be in print on magazines."

May was grinning, "That's crazy." She said, her glee peeking through.

"And because of *what*? Something an old fart said? About something he *supposedly* heard from me?" She said.

"You think I don't know how you are, Shannon?" May asked blandly, "I knew you'd burn me eventually. I just didn't know I'd have to hear it out of another person's mouth... but you weren't exactly the secretive were you? No, even those need attention."

Shannon started to curse, then made a noise of frustration. May could practically see her ivory cheeks turning a blotchy pink.

The woman then let out a low growl, "You know...what just *gets* me about you? You think that you're just so above it all!" She spat, "You got with me so you could get revenge on your ex, right? You think I didn't know you were trying to *use* me?!"

"It's only because you could use me. It was basically a transaction, Shannon." On the other end, she made another indignant sound. "You wanted the cute goth trophy girlfriend with the cute poor job so everyone could praise you on being such a 'fluid queen' and you could call out the naysayers in your instagram comments like a white knight."

Shannon was quiet. And May almost hated herself thinking about her familiar pink lipped pout.

"We're both users, Shannon." May continued, "You're just upset you aren't the only one with the cards."

"...I could ruin your life you know. Blackmail, slander, you name it. You'll be blacklisted everywhere not only in jobs but in *life* too."

That sparked real upset in May. How *dare* she threaten her? "What do you even want from me, Shannon?" She hissed, "You could have anyone you want. Rich or poor. Do you get off from having peons around or what?"

"What if I do? Then what? You think you're *better* than me? You were *nothing* before I came forth. Ian too!" She spat, "You would've just been some instathot everyone pitied and talked about your cow udders to make you feel better!"

"You used to like them, *baby* girl."

Shannon sputtered over the line, "Sh-shut up!"

"Careful, or mommy and daddy will hear you."

She made and indignant sound, and something that resembled a sob. May actually *laughed*, which made it worse.

"Don't tell me you're crying!"

"...I hate you! I hate you, I HATE YOU!"

She didn't even register the rampant footsteps of her parents coming behind her.

"I guess that's it then." May sighed. And it really was. It could mean waking up to her DMs full of hate mail, or the gun of a crazed fan to her face. But anything would've been better than being attached to this headcase.

On the screen, Kathyrn's eulogy for Sebastian was interrupted. Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve rose triumphantly over the slow motion scene. There was no other dialogue but the speaking looks on Meurtil's person, who frowned and shed a tear as everyone silently reprimanded her.

Over the receiver, Shannon's sobs along with the consoling whispers of her parents could be heard.

"Goodbye, Shannon."

#original character #black!oc #fem oc #Ch: May-Rose #guest oc #ammolitestone #sunny day jack fanfiction #original fiction #black writers #angst #my fics

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goldenlaquer · 1 year

Note

You ocs + the final??? What were they doing 🥺🤲🤲🤲

OOO THANK YOU FOR ASKING 🥹❤️❤️❤️❤️

(POTENTIAL SPOILER AHEAD)

Yan is there on the defensive position against the amanto hordes outside the terminal, alongside with the rest of the 7th division, and at the same time, trying to not get hit by all the amanto Kamui's tossing around (and Abuto exasperatedly going, cut it out! we're on the same side as you, you know! in the background). I would've LOVED to see one last action sequence from our friendly neighborhood yatos but alas 😞

And of course, Teito is fighting inside the terminal back-to-back with Hijikata, Sougo, Kondo, Robozaki, and the other Shinsengumi members. At one point in the battle, he has to play mediator between Hijikata and Sougo, encouraging them to talk their feelings out (oh they talk their feelings out alright; hijikata with his potty mouth and sougo with his bazooka) like they're not currently in the middle of an important fight to protect Earth (Kondo going, uh guys!? please focus on the fight?!)

Scenes later, Takasugi has finally gone still in Gintoki's arms. And Gintoki's head is lowering, permed hair covering to shield his eyes—

until a foot breaks across the screen and smashes into Gintoki's face.

Get off my patient. You can have yer boy love scene later.

(There's a small cut before, where you see Seiji's back swiftly running through the injured, calling out some helpful-entirely-unhelpful medical advice free-of-charge from the goodness of his heart along the way; 'better some pressure on that or you'll be eating yer taiyaki with one hand' (isn't taiyaki usually eaten with one hand anyway though?!) or 'call yer girlfriend and let her know she'll be mourning your loss in looks' (that's not an injury, that's just the way he naturally looks like— you're just insulting him!). Snaps open his justaway watch, saying "My, look at the time! The main character [referring to himself 🙄] can't be late to the most important scene in the show!")

Seiji's involvement with Takasugi is revealed, their connection going back to the fight between Oboro and Takasugi— well no, you could say it started even longer before any of them had a clue about each other... but that's not really important right now is it? You have some brats to protect doncha, Gintoki? Get going already.

Thank you... Seiji.

#and then after everything is over gintoki receives an exorbitant bill in the mail #gintama oc #spoilers

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pavo-ocxllus · 11 months

Text

« rewind. / pause. / fast forward. »

TARTAGLIA's strength be damned—you might be a rookie, but you weren't about to take this blatant show of disrespect!

"i think you heard me alright," he chuckled, taking one of his cuffed hands and resting his cheek against it.

"well, i don't know what's going on through your mind, but the less time you spend wasting both of our time, the moretime you'll get to spend with me."

it made less sense than it didn't in your head, but you weren't about to spend more time with him than necessary!

"is that proposition...?"

"that depends."

he laughed heartily, placing his hand on his stomach like an old man. "cute."

you clenched your mouth, as if that would stop the red from rushing into your cheeks. surprisingly, for a fatui harbinger, he acted more... younger than you anticipated. though, it's more of a detriment than a benefit now...

you stayed silent, seeing if he was going to make any more remarks. much to your surprise, he only stared at you from the plexiglass, a small smile coating his lips.

"please cooperate."

"not planning on anything else."

that was easy.

there wasn't any sense of malice you got from just looking at him... he may not be an a-list actor (though, by the looks of him, he might as well be one), but if mob movies are anything to go off of, he's good enough to be deceiving you at this instant.

"you didn't cause mr. ragnvindr's car crash?"

"wouldn't even dream of it," he put his arms behind his head and interlocked his hands together. "you're familiar with my handiwork, yeah?"

"uh, sure..." it was slightly an understatement, but you can only think how concerning it was that he was talking about his crimes as if they were an artisan's work.

"hmm... i can catch you up to speed, if you'd like?" tartaglia clearly implied something else, but you can only sigh before motioning for him to continue. it hasn't been that long, but you were tired of his antics. "i don't exactly hide what i do—it's not for whoever the hell likes to watch me do what others may consider as crimes against humanity—"

"those are crimes against humanity, sir."

"whatever. anyway, what i'm saying is that i like to, say, face my targets head on."

"you're more of a straightforward person?"

"precisely."

you noted it down and in the back of your mind. this was a pattern for tartaglia, to the point where many political figures are heavily guarded when in public spaces and apparently in their homes as well.

"another thing you're known for, ironically, is how erratic—"

"i think inconsistent is a better word."

"inconsistent... your work is. how would i know that you aren't using what you tend to do to cover up your alleged crimes?"

"alright, here's the sitch," tartaglia was quick to answer, as well as change his tone of voice. noticing that he came off as he was about to shake you down, he cleared his throat. "sorry. here's the thing: i'm what you may call... ah, a human weapon. a pawn."

"how noble of you," you remarked.

"i know right?" you couldn't tell if he understood your sarcasm or not. "anyways, for the exception of one person, the fatui harbingers don't act alone. we're given orders from the tsaritsa, and we always see it through."

"backpedal a bit, if you would."

"of course," he grinned. "y'know, i have a feeling that if we got to know each other better, my loyalties won't only lie with the tsaritsa."

you ignored his statement, trying to focus. "you've mentioned that there's a person who's an exception. what do you mean by that?"

"the balladeer more of a loose cannon, if i'm honest," tartaglia's face twisted up as if just talking about this mysterious person left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"the balladeer?!"

newspaper headlines and television news screenings flashed through your mind. no. 6 of the fatui's righthands, he was—oddly enough—one the harbingers that had the least media appearances. even so, you can remember his mean, dull eyes from when he first showed up in the news years ago.

"the one and only."

"so... if you say he disregards the tsaritsa's orders, how much are you betting that he had something to do with mr. ragnvindr's crash?"

"archons', my whole fortune! that guy has serious issues... i wouldn't be surprised at all if he ends up involved in this."

"interesting..." you jot 'the balladeer' into your notes with all caps, circling it twice for good measure. "would he have a motive to do so?"

"i wouldn't doubt it... though before you ask, i don't know anything about it. he's kinda the loner type, as well."

quietly, you wrote his information (you couldn't help but fell his blue-eyes gaze on the top of your head), then circling it again so you can remember it later. "and we have a lead!"

that was easier than you imagined!

"thank you so much for cooperating, tartaglia."

"i'm surprised you're still in the same room as me," he laughed. for some reason, you had the feeling he doesn't always do this the way he did. "most interrogators don't even last five minutes."

"well, i guess i'm not 'most interrogators,'" you replied simply. "i am an attorney, after all."

"i guess so."

just then, the two of you heard a 'click' from the door opening behind you, revealing a group of officers—undoubtedly tartaglia's 'entourage'.

"time for me to get back..." he trailed off, glancing at the officers behind you before looking back into your eyes. "say... i've been good haven't i? when am i gonna get some my more time with you?"

you chuckled at his shamelessness, shaking your head in disbelief. "i have a feeling it'll be very soon."

↳ continue.

𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫? 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞! <𝟑

#𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞.!#𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠: [𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐲! 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭...!].!#tartaglia x reader #childe x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader

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coffeecat1983 · 11 months

Text

Down the Road pt 7 (Mario movie fanfic)

"I'll try again tonight to talk with him, and I'll call you the minute he agrees to talk." Marianna said. "Marie, this might get ugly again, and I really don't want Papa involved, he doesn't need the stress, feisty as he is. Do you think you and Arthur could-?"

Marie smiled. "Call me when you're ready and I'll take him and Bria to get ice cream and have an evening out. I know Arthur won't leave the apartment right now though, he's going to hang around in case he's needed." "Damn right I'm not leaving." Arthur muttered. Marianna sighed with relief. "I can't thank you all enough for what you've done." "That's what we're here for." Tony chimed in. He clapped his hands together. "Now, we got a bit of a wait, and things are tense, so Art, how about a movie? Say, Young Frankenstein?" Marianna and Marie both groaned, excusing themselves to the kitchen for coffee. Mario and Luigi looked at each other and then their uncles. "What's Young Frankenstein?" Mario asked. Arthur and Tony just grinned at each other.

That evening, after another two movies, Mario was camped on the couch, showing Arthur how to play the new game system on the TV, with Tony and Luigi egging them on as they played. In the middle of their fun, Tony's phone beeped. He glanced at the screen. "Guys…" his tone cut through the laughter and chatter. He held up the phone. "Giovanni's ready to see us." Luigi grew tense, his breathing speeding up. Mario took his hand and gave it a squeeze. Arthur stood along with Tony. "You need me, just say so." he said. "Anything goes wrong, you come right back here, got it?" "Thanks Art." Tony looked at the boys and put a hand out to Luigi. "C'mon kiddo, your bro and I will be right beside you."

The mood in the dining room hadn't changed from that first night. It still felt incredibly tight and tense. Luigi was sitting in his usual chair, pulled away from the table. Mario and Tony were beside him like guards. Marianna was nearby and Giovanni was at the head of the table, arms folded and brow creased. Whether from thought or from anger, Tony couldn't tell. Marianna stepped forward. "Giovanni, don't you have something to say?" she prompted. Giovanni's gaze settled on Luigi. "I wanna know something. When did you decide you were like this?" "I-I didn't decide… I've always been like this." Luigi replied softly. The mood in the room shifted, somehow becoming tighter. "So you've been lying to me? I thought you liked that Destiny girl." Mario's hands clenched into fists. "Lu never lied to you! I was the one who liked Destiny, he never said he did!" "You stay outta this, Mario." Giovanni's tone was low again. "I don't need your mouth right now. Luigi, your mom has been on me about this, that we need to talk, but I don't see what about. What am I supposed to say? That it's 'fine' and go on like nothing has changed?" Luigi recoiled, letting out a sob. Mario immediately pulled him into a protective hug and Marianna rushed to his side, keeping an arm around her boys. Seeing his nephew cowering and in tears, combined with everything that had happened, Tony felt something snap. He stepped in front of them, facing Giovanni. "'What are you supposed to say'?" His heart started pounding as tears stung his eyes. "He's your family! Tell him you love him; you'll be there for him! That you don't hate him!" "And how do you know what I should say? You suddenly an expert on all this?!" "I know because it's what I've wanted you to say to me!" The anger and hurt in his voice hit Giovanni like a knife. He was stunned for a moment as it sank in. "Tony, what are you talking about?" "I'm telling you I'm done hiding! I promised Luigi I'd tell you about me when he told you, and I'm keeping my promise. I have been hiding who I am from you for years, terrified that you'd do to me what you just did to your own kid!" The room fell quiet, the only sounds were Luigi's soft sniffles and the ticking of the clock on the mantel. Marianna and Mario both held onto Luigi, with Mario focused on his little brother while Marianna kept an eye on her husband, her steely gaze never wavering. "I don't hate you," Giovanni finally said, "either of you." He looked up at Tony, and then to Luigi. "Luigi," Luigi glanced up, wiping at his eyes. "You're my son, you always will be. As for you," he turned to Tony. "I'm hurt you thought you had to hid from me all this time." Tony folded his arms and stared at the floor. "You're hurt?" It was Mario who spoke up. Tony moved aside but still stayed protectively in front of the boys, ready to keep Mario back if he needed to. He had never seen him look so angry, tears gathering in the teen's eyes. "You kick Lu out," Mario was shaking now, "tell him to leave, and you're the one hurt?! No wonder Uncle Tony never told you anything!" Tony and Marianna braced for the reply, but instead of a sharp response, Giovanni collapsed onto one of the dining chairs with a heavy sigh, looking like he had been dealt a strong blow. "You're right. What I did the other night was a mistake. I should have just taken a walk to cool my head." He looked at his sons. "I don't expect either of you to ever forgive me for that." Mario let out a soft sound of protest as Luigi pulled away from him and standing, took a few shaking steps towards Giovanni. His voice was low. "Dad, I'm sorry I'm not what you wanted for a kid." His soft words delivered the final hit. Giovanni broke. Standing, he put a hand on Luigi's shoulder. "Luigi, I… Look, it'll take me a little getting used to, but I will always love you." Luigi hugged him and Giovanni put an arm out towards Tony. "Get over here." Wiping away a few tears of his own, Tony joined them.

Finale coming soon!

By "CC"

#luigi #fanfic #mario #mario bros #mario movie #super mario bros #mario fanfic #lgbtq #uncle arthur #uncle tony #angst #hurt/comfort #possible triggers #emotional triggers

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mdhwrites · 10 months

Note

This might be a bit of a broad question, but what do you think makes a piece a media Timeless?

Is the sum of its parts or do you think its something in particular

So this is a subject that is both really simple and the answer sounds obvious but also is one of those things that can get lost in being pedantic. Worse yet, I feel like you might be asking this with the mindset of how most people talk about timeless works in that they're also commonly considered classics.

These two are not synonymous. The sum of somethings parts usually being greater than the whole while every individual piece is great is what commonly makes something a classic. Spiderverse, the first one and potentially the whole trilogy if it sticks its landing, will be considered classics because those movies are great in each part but combined together they're absolutely incredible.

This also makes what is a classic or not up for debate. If you don't like Shakespeare, you won't consider Romeo and Juliet a classic. You'll see it as over dramatic pedophilia potentially. (Not my opinion but I've seen more than one person like to do the modern 'criticism' angle towards Romeo and Juliet because of the ages of the two leads, not taking into account that that was probably pretty common back then.)

They're timeless however because of one thing: Audience resonance. Or, in other words, themes, and commonly how universal they are. This makes them much less up for debate.

After all, there are fantasy works that are timeless. That shouldn't be possible, right? I mean, they're set in medieval times for many works so the technology, social structure and even priorities of those characters shouldn't function for a modern society, right? Or hell, for something less bluntly absurd, just look at It's a Wonderful Life. The main character in that movie runs a successful business, has a wife and two kids and a full group of friends and allies and he's considered as just doing alright. To a modern millennial, that is an INSANE amount of wealth and could make the main character much less likable.

But to most, he truly is the good every man. Not just in that he does good things but in the doubting. In the jealousy. Mr. Bailey is by no means a perfect soul, but his soul does indeed shine bright. It's so easy to compare ourselves to others though. To always think we're not doing enough or not see the good we're putting into the world. The idea that all we make is mistakes and even if we're not literally worth more dead, we would do less harm if we were dead.

To any empathetic soul, this makes It's a Wonderful Life easily a timeless movie. It doesn't matter if what George Bailey faces is different from our modern context, what matters is that he is going through life, just like we all are.

This is actually something that a lot of bigots close a blind eye to. "How am I supposed to relate to this if the character is gay/black/a jew, trans, etc.? I'm not any of those things so it must be impossible for me to connect to this work!" They believe that racial background is everything. That you must have lived those experiences in order to connect with them.

We are all human though. No amount of time will ever change that what beats in our very beings is the same. How that manifests in personality, skin, gender, religion, etc. like that doesn't matter. We all face fear, anxiety, anger, joy, passion, etc. A common laborer with no ambitions can still connect to a mad scientist on the screen because the same feeling that scientist feels when he screams "IT'S ALIVE!" is the same joy of success and passion that that office worker gets when he puts down the last piece of a ten thousand piece jigsaw puzzle.

And while I say whether something is or isn't timeless isn't really up for debate, what is is whether it connects to you. I have two relatives who don't like It's a Wonderful Life. They are some of the most financially motivated and petty people I know, at least that are close to me. And neither are my brother shockingly enough, who loves the movie too.

I won't say that just because I try to have a universal outlook on things that I could connect to a story that is strictly that of an African American. I didn't have to live through the prejudice many of them face because of the color of my own skin. I can try my best to empathize though. That when they tell their stories and let their anger and frustration be known, I can try to connect with those emotions so I can better attempt to see the world through their eyes, if even briefly.

This is much of why while I write a lot of sapphic fiction, I root a lot of those elements in emotions like love, anxiety, fear, shame, etc. because I understand those emotions. I lack the specifics to make it resonate 100% with a sapphic reader, which is why I do recommend people check out proper sapphic writers if that's what they're wanting most of my works, but I can try to make it emotionally honest enough that they can see some part of themselves in the work.

Honestly, to me, what makes a work timeless actually makes anything that's emotionally earnest, and at least a 6 or7/10, hard NOT to be timeless. It also makes it damn near impossible for a work to have NO ONE who considers it timeless.

It just needs to be able to resonate and if you're worth anything as a writer, that resonance should simply be a part of your process. After all, your work should at least resonate with one person: You. Because if you don't enjoy it, why are you writing it?

#Timeless #writing analysis

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