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waywardsalt · 2 months

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Can you please tell more about your redeemed Bellum that hangs around with the main cast in post-canon? Or, like, your hum!Bellum ideas in general?

Ooooh, I have a lot I could say about Bellum. I'll go a bit off this ask and just talk about him in the context of post-ph and some other aus, since he's fun and because most of them share the common thread of him being in human form often. This will probably be messy, but I'll divide it into sections to force myself to stick to one topic at once to keep this from devolving into what might as well be a transcript of a discord dms infodump.

(there should be a keep reading just under here- there are a few thousand words under the cut- if it's lower than it should be then idk, even while drafting this i had issues with it moving further down than i put it)

Human Bellum Basics (mostly design stuff)

It's less of a human Bellum au sort of thing, and more like a design for what if Bellum had a human form that he could change into. Kind of like Oshus having his human form while actually being a whale, it's the idea that Bellum can switch between his human form and his demon form at will, and I have spent... way, way too long trying to figure out this design.

I can't quite remember why I decided to give Bellum a human form (could've been anything from doing it for the hell of it to for shipping purposes) and it took AGES to decide on his final design.

Describing it would take a few paragraphs, so there's art! Commission pieces by @roskii specifically, he's great, he did great, check him out. (i dont know how to make these smaller :)))))) enjoy)

Half of it is directly taken from his demon design, he keeps the tentacles (not always present, he manifests them at will and tend to have much less reach when he's human), his eye, his teeth, his hair color (kind of), and half of it is more... brought in by ideas related to Bellum in general, with some vague references to that demon design; specifically him being scarred all over is a mixture of the idea of him as a violent and almost warlike creature, while also vaguely referencing the markings on his demon body (in the earliest drawing I ever did of a human Bellum design, he did just straight-up have those markings. That picture no longer exists, I'm sure).

As a basic reference, I suppose, in the second image, the character to the right of Bellum (Damien Fletcher) is an oc of mine, and therefore a character I designed (totally worth mentioning tho that with both Damien and Bellum while I did technically design them and gave roskii my notes for how they look, he also took some small liberties with their designs and... ugh theyre great im keeping them), so those two could provide some insight to my character design sensibilities, even if they're just a small fraction of the (mental) character designs I have.

Bellum is made up of pieces of his canonical design, pieces that I think make sense considering what we know about him, and just pieces of other character designs. He has more or less the same haircut as Joker/the protagonist from Persona 5. His hair has been like that for a while, but seeing Joker's hair helped me figure out specifically what I wanted.

It's been... hard, trying to give him a humanoid design, I've seen a bunch of other human Bellum designs, looked at other Zelda characters with both human and inhuman forms, took inspiration for what I could do and how and what parts could be carried over. His hair is easy to explain, it literally is meant to look like he does as a demon. Easy. It is absolutely directly inspired by that bitch from Tokyo Ghoul. I'm not looking up the character name I don't care about Tokyo Ghoul.

I keep him having sharp teeth, I've transposed those markings on his bodies as being scars (which I'll elaborate a little more on later), kept his eye and that he only has one main eye (there is nothing under the eyepatch. It's just smooth. If you've seen The Goonies, it's like what's going on with One-Eyed Willy. That's probably where I got it from tbh), the yellow and black color scheme is further kept with a yellow tank top-esque shirt and black pants and boots, and while they're not constantly present he still has access to his tentacles.

He's not human, just pretending to be.

Leading me to some other little details, such as his lack of ears. And nails. And. Other things not visible that he didn't bother with. He pretends to be human, but doesn't care enough to look truly human- though he can pass as human. When he does bother to actually look human, he does have nails and ears, and changes his eye to a human one, with a color of choice. He goes by 'Warren' when actually pretending to be human. It doesn't mean anything in particular it's just a play on how 'bellum' is latin for 'war'. But, most of the time, he's not really trying. A sense of lack of real care is something I try to communicate with his humanoid design, hence him having generally baggy and plain clothes.

The 'war' thing about his character I think is decently expressed in game with him having an army of sorts with the phantoms and him just coming off as sort of violent but strategic. He also seems very scrappy, mostly attacks with direct contact including just straight up running into Link, and seems to put a lot of stock into sheer force and just fucking killing you at any cost after a certain point, but seems genuinely wary and cornered once someone is shown to be capable of actually posing an actual threat. I like the idea of human Bellum being a bit of a brawler in a sense, fighting with his bare hands and just being incredibly violent when he fights like a human, really only breaking out his more supernatural abilities when he just wants to get shit over with.

Part of the fun with Bellum is that there isn't much to him, so I'm taking a lot of liberties with him. His loose clothes are something that won't really get in the way of him fighting and do the bare minimum, and the boots he wears have metal toes for just a bit of extra ways to hurt people. He's built but still soft in places, not intended to be a muscular as Damien, he's intentionally designed his own human form to be a bit unassuming, so I've kept that he's made of a lot of circular shapes, his face is meant to be a bit of a round shape, his hair gives a round shape, and though he's fairly tall (he and Damien are 6 feet tall btw Linebeck throws off every post-ph cast height comparison) I think of him being a bit... small? If that makes sense? His clothes help with that, they're slightly oversized, and his posture isn't great; He's a bit like a delinquent, starting fights intentionally for the sake of violence and putting little effort into his appearance.

His scars are technically cosmetic. They aren't results of injuries; technically nothing but the Phantom Sword and things like it can hurt him. His scars are references to the markings on his demon body, and just further reflection of him being a creature all about violence and conflict. They aren't totally consistent between the times he uses his human form, but some of the bigger ones are, most notably the scar across his face.

I'll be honest. My earliest human Bellum designs were some Tumblr sexyman shit and I've been trying to ditch that SO BAD ever since. I think I've done well. The scar across his face is a big one. An added imperfection, a massive facial blemish that isn't really conventionally great to look at. His nose specifically has been though some development stages, at first I kept switching between different full nose shapes, then brought in the facial scar and decided that he'd be missing a chunk of that nose, then, decided, fuck it! I can't decide on a nose shape, so he gets no nose at all. I think it works pretty well and I like it.

I really tried to get in a lot of his personality to the design, and I don't want to go into all of it in this section, so just keep in mind that a lot of his design has been influenced by the way I've decided to write him, and some stuff I've already mentioned might be made a little clearer when I get into that. As a quick aside, he's pale partially because I've intentionally made him look halfway similar to Link, and partially because I figure he does not get a lot of sun; you literally meet him in what is effectively a basement, and from the way he operates, probably hasn't made himself seen in a while by the time the events of the game happen. He can't get sunburns, but, as he cannot change a lot of extremely major things about his human form, he can't manually change his skin tone in a major way, and it's likely that when he was considerably younger and newer and spent time in the sun, his skin tone would be closer to Oshus's, so a bit more tan.

In the Context of Phantom Hourglass and Post-PH

Moving swiftly on, as there is pretty much no real info about Bellum's background, I have taken matters into my own hands and decided a lot of it for myself in headcanon; Bellum is technically Oshus's son. Not in the traditional sense, but he was created by Oshus and can very much be considered his child, and to an extent, Ciela, Leaf, and Neri are all also Oshus's kids due to them being created by him (yea even considering Ciela calling him 'grandpa', in her and my defense she lost her memories and he is old as a human), therefore making (in some terms) Bellum to be Oshus's son and the brother of the three spirits. I think it's an interesting dynamic, to have Oshus be the one responsible for Bellum's existence, and for the three spirits you travel with and help you defeat Bellum to be closely related to him.

Oshus himself (when you get the hourglass in ph) says that the sand of hours is made of force gems of the ocean king (whatever... that wording means)- which then suggests that at the end of the day, all sands of hours are derived from the power of the ocean king, and Bellum dissolves into that sand at the end of the game, and I am standing in front of a wild-looking conspiracy cork board trying to piece this all together. I find it interesting if Oshus was the one who created Bellum before he created the three spirits.

(This is a topic for another post/fic but Leaf and Neri were neglected so bad in ph and it would be interesting to see more of how they feel abt Ciela before she gets her memories back and how they feel abt... anything else ig. I think they're neat, too, and I like tying the spirits together with Bellum in this way)

In Phantom Hourglass, it's strongly suggested (mostly through dialogue) that it's been a decent amount of time since Bellum defeated Oshus and took over the Temple of the Ocean King and created the Ghost Ship (though I suppose it could be possible that the Ghost Ship's existence precedes Bellum taking over that temple and defeating Oshus), but things across that sea are relatively calm, despite the new influx of monsters and the Ghost Ship making most people too afraid to sail. No one knows it's Bellum, though, and people do know about the Ocean King, so I wonder if Bellum is known about at all by the general public, or is a being that's more or less completely unknown? My personal theory is that he's vaguely known in some sense, as an obscure deity, and that he was behind the collapse of the Cobble Kingdom, since they were aligned with the Ocean King and Bellum appears to be his direct enemy and would likely then target the allies of his enemy.

Bellum seems to do a lot of behind the scenes stuff, never been seen until the end of the game and not even being mentioned until halfway through. As I think I've said before, he's practically won by the time he comes across Link and Tetra, the Ghost Ship going out and collecting people for him while he sits at the bottom of the temple and drains anyone who might be heading directly for him. He doesn't even seem to concerned about hunting Oshus down for good, and I suspect he likely doesn't even know about Ciela being split apart, so (asides from my idea that gods/spirits/stuff like that only being able to be sealed away, only properly killed under certain circumstances) I bet there's a level of confidence that he's got things under tight enough wraps that he's good to do whatever he wants.

Aaaand then he panics when he realizes how much of a wrench in his plans Link is, throwing two sea monsters at him and causing earthquakes, he's a procrastinator, I think. That, or he underestimated this kid. Both are very possible. Either way, it's interesting to look at what he's done and caused, hiding away the spirits and beating back the Ocean King, taking over his temple, creating the Ghost Ship to roam indefinitely, screwing with the Yook and wiping out pretty much all of the Isle of Ember, and likely being the reason behind the increased number of monsters. If you really look into it, while most characters don't really seem to realize, things are kind of fucked at the start of Phantom Hourglass, and it's interesting how Oshus himself seems powerless and even dissuades Link from giving it a shot, even if he secretly wants him to go and handle things.

With my idea of Bellum being a sort of technical relative to Oshus and the spirits, it opens up a handful of new avenues for motivation beyond just being after securing control and a steady stream of prey, I enjoy the idea of it being a matter of him becoming more and more ambitious, far beyond the station he was created for; going off of his name and ability to create phantoms, I imagine Oshus created him specifically to be warlike, perhaps initially with the intention of having him as a more violent protector of the realm, maybe to keep monsters in check or maybe just as a secondary deity for the world of the ocean king; I'll admit, I'm still a little foggy on what Bellum would've been initially created for, the spirits are easy to figure out, but I do figure it was something not as passive as just representing something, I imagine it as a deliberate opposite to Oshus himself to account for his weaknesses. Either way, I figure a part of Bellum's motivation involves him wanting more than he was given access to by Oshus, and deciding to fully wage war against him in a sense. The short and silly version is that Bellum is Oshus' shitty disowned son. Oshus isn't entirely innocent in whatever I decide caused Bellum to turn on him and the spirits, but Bellum does suck: that is important. The Cobble Kingdom looks like it's been destroyed for a while, I figure that was Bellum's first major target when he started outwardly going after Oshus and hunting the humans of the realm.

In Post-PH, he's the group's pet evil squid on a very very very short leash until he starts behaving himself and having a character arc.

Effectively, Bellum doesn't die at the end of Phantom Hourglass, instead being broken down into the sand of hours he's made of and being sealed inside the Phantom Sword- after all, after the final boss, the sand Bellum turns into goes into the Phantom Sword. I imagine that the Phantom Sword, after breaking and restoring Oshus, turns into the hourglass for Link to keep, while Oshus and the spirits keep the remaining sands, therefore keeping a hold of Bellum. (A bit like Oshus just being left alone after Bellum defeating him, they can't really kill Bellum so they just keep an eye on him while he's in a weakened state) They kind of just keep him prisoner at the bottom of the Temple for a bit, and Oshus finally decides to send him to Link's world as a punishment, since he's at his weakest and Oshus wants to get him to learn some lesson, it's a work in progress. Bellum is grounded in Post-PH.

It's basically that 'the villain when you unlock him as a playable character' bit, where he's quite a bit weaker than he is in Phantom Hourglass, though mostly for the sake of keeping things balanced, so Bellum can't break everything for everyone. He's still powerful, he still accesses his demon form, can't be conventionally killed or injured, and move through walls and turn people to stone, the whole deal, it's just that his demon form's size is impacted (i hc that the size of his demon form can be manipulated at will, but the largest size is dependent of how much power/stored life force he has. he's small at the start of post-ph, but his human form isnt impacted at all. i imagine that for beings like oshus and bellum, their human form is a like a 'low power mode' kinda thing) So Bellum is the Post-PH crew's fourth member, the swabbie on the ship and pet sea monster when they need it and when he has the energy for it.

Bellum is kept mostly in line by a vague fear of Link and his general fear, respect, and curiosity about Linebeck. Linebeck is usually the one holding onto Bellum's leash. Bellum is decently civil with the group from the start, since he's weak and unable to return home until Oshus permits it or he gathers enough power to make that trip, and works mostly as a fighter- when he wants to. The earliest limitation I came up for him, since he's the member with the highest chance of breaking things, is that he will just straight-up choose not to help. He decides he's busy, decides it's not his problem, or other limitations, such as his involvement likely to cause more problems that they solve, since he's rather destructive when fighting.

He's the least sociable most of the time, for obvious reasons, but can pretend, and has the least... casual skills to offer to the group, hence why he gets stuck as swabbie (also general disrespect/as a punishment for the ph thing) and it takes a while for him to properly warm up to the rest of the group. He and Linebeck start off on decent terms and get closer through them just initially trusting each other, he and Link take the longest to get used to each other for... obvious reasons, it takes a lot of fighting together and seeing that they can rely on each other and they learn to be decent with each other just by existing in the same space, and things with Damien start off half decent, Damien was not present during Phantom Hourglass (obviously) and doesn't have the full context of how much he sucks, but it starts decent, gets worse when he learns what happened, and then gets good again because Damien's kind of amiable in general and sees that Linebeck thinks he's fine.

SO! To actually address your question about him being 'redeemed'- he does have a bit of an arc that I'm still mentally workshopping. He isn't entirely redeemed, as the group's general morality is a big off-kilter when Link isn't looking or is willing to get a little gray with things, and there's not really a whooooole lot of atonement Bellum can do in terms of the volume of bullshit he pulled in the past. It's less him atoning or w/e for the bullshit he's done, that's not entirely feasible, it's more him just. being forced to Be Decent and learn some actual kindness and think about more than just his own survival, he's essentially forced to actually appreciate life and the world, it's more him actually... experiencing the world for a reason other than consumption and war and conflict and doing what he's been told, he's effectively just on this long voyage with Linebeck, Link, and Damien, going with them from island to island and seeing what's up. I'm going to try and keep empathy out of it, so he's not really relating on a visceral level, more just choosing to be kind and take gentler paths to solving problems and interacting with others. He's also the group gremlin.

The way I write Bellum is definitionally inspired by other characters, Power from Chainsaw Man comes to mind in how he has a kind of shitty brat attitude at times, he'd fling vegetables across the room because he's a piece of shit who likes live meat. He's got his shitty messy delinquent loser side, where he causes problems and acts like some asshole teenager, and he's got his more serious, calm, almost professional seeming side that reminds the group that he's a few centuries old at the least and practically a god in his own right; generally outside of Post-PH I would pick one of these two sides to focus on for aus, but in Post-PH I need to figure out how the two of them work with how Bellum generally operates.

He's interested in Linebeck and initially decides to go along because he wants to figure him out, but grows to enjoy the rest of the group and that curiosity expands to involve the world as a whole; he experiences things like art and music, where he can't just brute-force his way into a satisfactory outcome and has to learn and find his own style, he reads books and listens to stories and sees the different ways humans live on the seas and I want his arc to, in some part, be about him just finding meaning in the world beyond what he does to secure survival, and the other members of the group introduce him to those other facets of life that he has access to, has had access to. The other part is the group getting Bellum to see most living things as more than just prey for him to hunt and consume, but that generally goes hand in hand with the prior point, as he actually enjoys life and figures out what he likes beyond the basic things he was created for.

He can't fall back on just smashing through everything or creating phantoms, since he's far too weak to do either effectively at the start, and I intend to just force Bellum into basically just being a human character with some unusually powerful magic at his fingertips, first just wanting to build himself back up to what he was in Phantom Hourglass, then just getting to see things in a new light. I'm not sure how to explain it or even what I'll want to do when I get to it, but that's the general gist of his arc, I think.

Other than that, he's just the fourth members of the crew with a serious knowledge of... a lot of things as a centuries-old demon and the hardest hitter in the group who can't and won't cook for shit and kind of just learns to actually live without constantly gunning for those bare necessities long after he's gotten them. I don't want it to be 'he learns to be human' because he... isn't human, but just him appreciating life and seeing some value in it, especially as something with as much power as Bellum, it's a bit messy and I'm still figuring it out, but I've got the general direction figured out.

Bellum is effectively the ship's best defender, and ends up fitting into the group as a friend and with his own specific role with the other individual members of the group. Linebeck kind of kickstarts his arc for him and connects with him the most and Bellum generally stays the closest with him, but Damien and Link help him see other little corners of life, as well as other characters he has to interact with, and I think I want Bellum's side of the story to have the most outstanding mundane-ity to it- there's absolutely meant to be a slice-of-life aspect to Post-PH, but I want the biggest points of Bellum's arc to be comparably the most mundane. It's the little things with him. The others have little things, too, but... I'm not sure how to express the difference, but I promise there is a difference.

Outside of Post-PH, though, when Bellum is present in a big way, his arc either tackles a similar idea in a different way, is just about something entirely different, or he doesn't have an arc at all, either due to not being a big enough part of the story or just straight up not being present.

In the Context of AUs

Bellum is only present in a handful of aus, either fully present as a character, halfway present, or just being referenced. When he is present in an au, he's usually some kind of major character, and he's notable in the crimson king au, the space au, the murder mystery au, and the horror au and one of my 'ruined hyrule' aus. (the horror and ruined hyrule au will be put together for this bc bellum's role in both are very similar) (for reference, here's my au explanation post)

In the horror au and ruined hyrule au, Bellum serves juuuust about the same role, just with different capabilities, contexts, all of that, but it's more or less the same thing. He's frequently present, but usually not acknowledged, and is very close to Linebeck in both, and the two of them pretty much rely on each other to live due to circumstances out of their control; they didn't really go into this whole thing liking each other, but have been more or less forced to become each other's friends due to proximity and just. Needing the others' presence in order to survive. In both, Bellum usually is a character who knows more than the others, but doesn't bother sharing that information since it's either not totally relevant or he just doesn't want to, and he tends to be protective of Linebeck, half because he needs him in order to live, half just because he's ended up liking him. (there is. more to say. but since i may actually write one of these aus [likely ruined hyrule bc the horror one has to be visual and it is VERY plotless rn] i'm not gonna go into much more depth since it would require spoilers lol)

Can't say a whole lot about the space au, either, since the story of that one is still a work in progress, and Bellum isn't particularly a major character, though he is important to some B-plot stuff. Without digging up too much world building and background and general story stuff and important plot bits, he's got a fairly close relationship to Linebeck in this au, as a general beneficiary and friend, and he actually tends to mind his own business and just wants to hold his own position; he's not really antagonistic or anything, but definitionally morally dubious even if he doesn't really directly do a whole lot.

In the Crimson King au, though, Bellum is one of the main characters, and a bit different than in ph-related stuff. He spends a lot of time in his human form, only switching to his little demon form a handful of times, and usually just for fun. He plays the role of Linebeck's closest friend and beneficiary, practically being the reason why Linebeck is able to do any of the things he does in the story, helping him from behind the scenes at times and balancing that business with Linebeck with his more outward appearance as a mostly normal guy working for the person who runs his section of the city... who also happens to be him. The vague politics in this au would take a bit to explain in full, but Bellum in this au spends a lot of time keeping his actual identity under wraps, the basic premise being that he's decided to integrate himself into current mortal society like a normal person to see what trouble he can cause, how he could sustain himself while keeping things stable, and to see just how far he can go- essentially, the only danger he faces is if others figure out what he is, but even then, he knows he could very easily cut his losses and go back to what he's done best.

He's not very active in the main plot, mostly giving Linebeck assignments and pulling strings behind the scenes in order to help and keep him safe, but Bellum does occasionally meddle directly in Linebeck's situation whenever it relates to him, when he needs something extra done, or, later in the story, when he gets a bit worried about Linebeck. His general arc is essentially him owning up to the fact that he does, in fact, care about Linebeck's well-being. Crimson King Bellum is fun, because he can't really just be 'violent demon', and I just like the supporting role I've got him in. He's Linebeck's rich friend who hires him to kill people for him. It's fun.

How I Like to Write Him With Linebeck

Of course, Bellum is going to have stuff with Linebeck, both in aus and in post-ph. Bellum has interactions and relationships with other characters, but the dynamic(s) with Linebeck tend to be the most diverse and important.

With aus: There’s usually a general sense that Bellum is above Linebeck, both in the power sense and in the sense that he’s typically his boss or in charge of him, but in a handful they are on equal footing (specifically, the modern school one, where they’re just classmates.)- the most common dynamic is usually along the lines of Bellum hiring Linebeck to kill people for him. Bellum is typically someone that provides Linebeck with things like payment or equipment or safety- in the Crimson King au, he gives Linebeck a fair amount of money, and supplies his equipment and gives him a place to live when he does jobs for him.

I like to imagine there's a level of... recognition? Not empathy, trying to keep that to a minimum... He's almost gentle with Linebeck, and is uncharacteristically merciful towards him. In post-ph, Linebeck survives being possessed and this marks him as notable to Bellum, since most people he possess die very soon after being released, so he's initially motivated by curiosity and a desire to observe Linebeck when he acts less violently- that curiosity is the biggest reason why he's cordial with Linebeck across my aus as well.

With Phantom Hourglass-centric stuff (which is what I'll mostly just talk about here, since it's kind of the 'base' for all other Bellum and Linebeck stuff I do), Linebeck and Bellum start on halfway decent terms, I'm planning a Bellumbeck fic sometime in the future, which is a bit less focused on that actual fight and more on whatever's going on between Linebeck and Bellum. I'm still trying to pin down exactly what I want with Linebeck and Bellum's dynamic.

I’ve fallen back into shipping them, (Still iffy on ship name lmfao, Bellumbeck is taken by the game and ‘Linebellum’ is lame imo, so I’ve been sticking with just ‘bellum x linebeck’) but it’s not really typically romantic/sexual, though there are some aspects of both, it’s still kind of abstract and easier to define with example stuff rather than just trying to explain it in a concise paragraph.

They both go out of their way to effectively research each other before properly meeting, starting as just trying to find advantageous information, but eventually just doing research out of curiosity, especially on Linebeck’s end, hunting down any material that so much as alludes to Bellum while Oshus refuses to say anything extra on the topic. They have a mutual interest and curiosity about each other.

With Bellum, its a similar curiosity with how Linebeck survives being possessed, and a general interest in him as a person, as Bellum doesn't really care much about the world beyond how it can serve him, but felt the need to look into Linebeck. A lot of the time, Bellum starts with the intention of exploiting Linebeck in some way, then ends up actually caring about him, he usually goes through variations of the same arc regarding Linebeck. It works with Linebeck for me since I tend to read and write him as fairly morally gray, so he's more willing to reciprocate Bellum.

(There's also the whole bit with Linebeck being kind of a monsterfucker and having a thing for being tied up and just a handful of like. sexual stuff on Linebeck's end, but we're talking about Bellum's perspective here we can't be focusing on Linebeck)

Bellum primarily operates with survival on the mind, and at odds with anything that might get in his way, and secondarily treats mortal creatures as something to study. When his attempt to use Linebeck fails, he shifts to that studying, and therefore has some respect for him due to his survival. They both focus quite a lot on survival, and don't have the most interest in making connections, seeing most relationships as transactional. They understand each other; Bellum sees Linebeck's mind when possessing him, and therefore knows a great deal about him.

There are similarities between them; not-great relationships with their fathers, a strong desire for survival at any cost, generally low empathy and a habit of mostly viewing others for how they can be used, curiosity about anatomy, a higher tolerance for things like blood, gore, things that would likely make others squeamish, they both hate Ciela...

(As an aside to that last one, an idea I've decided to integrate into my ph stuff and may touch on in a future fic is that Linebeck calling Ciela 'sparkles' gives her a strong sense of deja-vu before she gets all of her memories back; it's something Bellum would call her, when he was more cordial with the other spirits)

Bellum hangs around on the ship, and he hangs around Linebeck the most, to the point of being annoying, but learns what boundaries are and ends up respecting them decently. I lean more into... things just working out, Bellum more or less being put in a situation where he chooses to change things up and be a bit kinder, starting with the guy he's decided was the catalyst for all of this.

He gets along well enough with Damien (damien ends up in that shipping, too, considering that he's already dating linebeck by the time bellum sorts his own feelings out, so in post-ph, bellum ends up being a sort of on-and-off polycule member), he is eventually friendly with Link, often because Linebeck likes him as well. It takes a very long time for he and Link to warm up to each other, so they'll likely end up in situations where they must rely on each other at the start of things.

Bellum is… very not used to social stuff or acting human, and isn’t even very used to his human form at the start, so he does spend that time with Linebeck while he figures things out, as well. Linebeck's not the best role model for decent social interaction, especially since he works on dismantling his own mask and figuring himself out for a bit at the start of post-ph, but he's the only person Bellum tolerates and respects at that start.

Bellum eventually gets roped into helping Linebeck cook, follows him around for ship maintenance, watches him patch up wounds, and just ends up as a crew member that can kind of fill any basic role, but he’s not making it much further than swabbie.

I haven’t actually written a ton of interaction between them yet, but what I have written always comes off as casual, almost humorous, they joke around with each other and Bellum is detached and unserious at times, but very capable of switching to dead seriousness. A lot of the time, Linebeck tends to take things more seriously at face value, but Bellum is more prone to joking around due to the fact that very few consequences mean anything to him.

He and Linebeck are typically close in one sense or another in most things where they're included, and I generally consider all dynamics between them to fall under the ship umbrella, because I don't consider it strictly romantic (though it usually ends up being vaguely like that), just more that there's some kind of intimacy between them at some point. It's a relationship whose dynamic I think is interesting given the... lack of actual interaction between them, but with just enough interesting conclusions that can be drawn.

I guess it's similar to the general stuff I have about Bellum, kind of just scraping ideas together from canon and then following whatever threads can be connected to them, while trying to make sure it still has roots in that canon. It's similar to my personal 'design philosophy' or whatever for my aus.

I've also considered making their relationship parasitic in someway, as a sort of homage/callback/reference to their canonical relationship, but it's not entirely a direction I really want to go in, and I feel like some aus get decently close.

Final Points

I think Bellum's really neat, so considering the general lack of information or depth to him, I've been playing with expanded ideas and building up my own ideas for him, specific within the context of Phantom Hourglass and a post-ph setting, while many of my other ideas with him tend to then derive from that.

His (human) design is one I've spent a very long time figuring out, trying to mix his demon design in with more human traits, trying to keep him distinctive without getting too complicated, and trying to have that design represent him decently with a fair bit of reasoning behind a lot of that design. It's something Bellum himself controls to a certain degree, so it's in a bit of a crossroads between portraying him based on his character, and being something he uses to come off as generally innocuous.

I've got a decent idea of what Bellum's whole deal is in Phantom Hourglass and afterwards, and I use him in a fair number of aus, often in tangent with Linebeck, whom I often give him some kind of intimate relationship, be it romantic or some other form of closeness, based off of ideas for ways they would interact and why.

Bellum's fun! He's fun as he is, and he's fun to build off of and develop further than what we see in the game. And giving him the ability to shift into a humanoid shape gives even more room to play around in. I don't know when I first came up with the idea, but I've had ideas for a human form Bellum for quite some time now, I've just only recently really started solidifying a lot of it. Even between the time when I got the ask and finished it, I came up with new ideas.

But for now, these are the broad strokes! Not just about post-ph humanoid Bellum, just about my ideas for him in general, though it all really relates back to that one in particular, honestly.

He's surprisingly fun to speculate about! I didn't really expect Bellum to end up as one of my favorite LoZ characters, but I guess any character can end up as your favorite if you spend enough time thinking about him. At the end of the day I think he's funky, and he's fun to use in a post-ph setting.

#asks #goopi-e #bellum #long post #salty talks #linebeck #he's important <3 #phantom hourglass #post ph #i have like no excuse for why this took so long. initially it was bc i was waiting on that bellum commission but then like #the day i wrote this (+ the prior) tag i bought and played fallout new vegas for a few hours. it fell in with my other writing projects lol #i think rn myb iggest issue w/ post ph is that everyone seems to revolve around linebeck a bit much #idk if thats. terrible a breaker i mean hes their captain hes kinda the main character he's the one link (heh) between all of them #bellum probably has the biggest arc bc hes the shittiest at the start and everyone is already kinda partway through one #like i think links is gonna be abt him disconnecting from being a hero and just enjoying life on his own terms and doing non hero things #linebecks is uh. trauma recovery. among other things. like everyone has trauma recovery as a part of it but linebecks is the big one #damiens is... man idk hes just There i think his is gonna have smth to do with his relationship w/ linebeck and the others #damien is just some fucking dude hes not too terribly traumatized or has this huge place in the world he's jsut some trans guy #it kinda sucks that a lot of the stuff i think up for him relates to linebeck like i want him to have his own thing but i made him too...#hes too ok with things!!!!! hes just some fucking guy!!!! maybe i can have him just figure out his place in this larger world hes exploring #anyways bellum needs to be nerfed in a handful of different ways bc otherwise hes a get out of jail free card in a lot of contexts #ughhh this took too long im sorry but i just kept coming up with new stuff id practically classify this as a fic #this took a while to plan and this fucking thing is also so long and it still doesnt really cover everything #not even bc i havent fully figured out what i want to do with him like theres just stuff im uncertain on how to explain in a concise manner #the whole thing between link n bellum is kinda simple. they hate each other and then have to work together and decide that theyre decent #damien is just. pleasant most of the time. so hes kinda chill with bellum. he's had experience with minor gods n deities #his weird thing is that he is technically normal but he is on good terms with a lot of supernatural/godly beings #theres def a lot of random minor gods n spirits n supernatural creatures all over the great sea with the absence of larger gods' influence #kinda lost the point of the og ask so i hope thats ok

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twelverriver · 8 months

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just wrote a fic where ilsa doesn't die or is reduced to being ethan's love interest because actually, it IS that easy :) sad that I, a simple ao3 user can figure that out but a literal award winning screenwriter & director can't :))

#yes everyone who likes mcq look away this isnt ur post #i am Mad and i am Angry #anyway wrote dic out of SPITE #jana.txt #it'll be up in a few hours (after i slept lol)

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munch-mumbles · 28 days

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ive been a little upset about it all night so i need to write out all the things that happened at work today and are bugging me so i can TRY to get it out of my head and actually RELAX bc i just keep pacing in circles around it instead of just accepting it and moving on

#for context i was working frying chicken today. ok so i arrive and literally all the chicken out expires within ten minutes of each other #meanwhile to remake everything takes about an hour 20 #tried my best to get everything out and replaced and make sure i have enough of everything and then take my break bc with chicken there are #few narrow windows to take your break in you have very little control over when it is #get back and while im getting ready for my next fry one of the assistant leaders comes back and passive aggressively asks 'everything ok?'#and when i say yeah shes starts saying how shes 'just checking' because apparently i didnt have enough chicken out for her liking and went #on about how we're in a chicken drive (I KNOW. I WORK CHICKEN SHE NEVER HAS.)#etc etc. i just say ok and she leaves #like 20 minutes later she comes fucking back to rag on me again about how i need to choose my break times better and i need to have more #chicken out there as back up (extremely difficult bc there is literally only so much room in the fryers. the batches i usually make already #nearly completely fill them up) blah blah and then when i try to explain how i WAS making pretty big batches people are just snatching them #up fast she keeps trying to walk out the door right away and keeps stopping and looking over her shoulder to just stare at me while i try t #finish my sentence #and she just. doesnt say anything in response when i do finish she just leaves #so clearly she didnt want a conversation she just wanted to rag on me #then later for cleanup the timing of everything just kept lining up inconveniently so i kept having to get in and out of raw cleaning gear #and slowing myself down and i end up having to stay almost 15 minutes late to finish cleaning #during cleaning i have to go grab a key to the back door to take out my trash and this one coworker i have was standing in the way of the #door. i say excuse me and she just stares at me and goes huh?#and i say i need a key and she barely moves out of the way without responding and she has a look like im bothering her #why are you acting like im being douchey. i just need a key. thats something she does a lot she acts like im inconveniencing her by asking #basic favors . ive stopped asking her to help me open the back door (sometimes needed if i also have raw garbage to take out and therefore #cant touch the key myself) for some reason she takes it upon herself to almost completely close the door after i walk out so when i come #back i have to awkwardly use my foot to reach around and pull the door open #ive asked her before not to do it and she just ignored me #GRAH GRAH. and then like i said in my last rb i realized while i was drivign home i forgot to wash a damn pan #im mostly worried about it because ive forgotten a couple times in the past too . in my defense its a pan i personally dont use but it just #gets left behind from first shift sometimes and then second shifters end up having to make sure its clean #im just irritateddd and im mad im worried about it all. its all little things piling up on each other #LOL I WROTE A LOT MORE BUT THE REST GOT CUT OUT IG I HIT A TAG LIMIT. tumblr voice ok dude quit your bitching !!

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unproduciblesmackdown · 11 months

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NOTE: THIS ITEM IS CURRENTLY IN PREORDER. IT WILL SHIP IN JUNE-JULY 2023. We will be printing based on preorder size, so grab one now if you want one!

More than 40 trans writers and artists have joined forces to explore the deeper meanings of the Fast & Furious franchise (and also gender). There's really no way to know why this exists, but it does, and you can own it! Suitable for F&F fans and newcomers alike. Contributions include:

- A new short story by Manhunt author Gretchen Felker-Martin - A demolition derby driver’s perspective on 2 Fast 2 Furious’s derby scene - An essay contemplating the queer symbolism of Cipher’s bowl cut - The scoop on the franchise’s only canonically nonbinary character - Instructions for an F&F-themed tabletop roleplaying game - A contemplation of which Taylor Swift album represents each F&F character - Plus: Bingo cards! Comics! Haiku! And, of course, hot gay erotica…

2 Trans 2 Furious is edited by Tuck Woodstock & Niko Stratis, with cover art by Mattie Lubchansky and zine design by Shay Mirk.

This zine is 8.5" x 5.5" and perfect-bound like a real book — fancy! Interior pages are black & white. We're guessing this baby is like 100 pages long but we'll get back to you on that.

Currently only shipping to the United States, sorry! We're hoping to at least expand to Canada soon, and also plan to add a PDF ebook option, so keep an eye out!

(that "the scoop on the franchise's only canonically nonbinary character" is the page i contributed about our one & only beloved akd-acted cam stone!! plus also if you're interested in preordering a fancy printed copy of a zine about fast & furious, which you don't have to even know about or like, with all trans contributors. including me)

#and i don't even hardly know about it or like it. proof positive #cam stone #i even looked up typical pixel to dpi ratios so my art would be high res enough for printing. Canvas Big & my laptop hated it lol....#but indeed there's three cam pics including an effort at a kind of pinup adjacent Ooh Cam Stone one lol. carefully placed torque wrenches #anyone look up f&f posting on this site....there's gotta be; right. this whole zine is an ode to that. well here goes a few tags:#fast & furious #f&f #2 fast 2 furious #gets a special shoutout. inspiring us all well beyond [even seeing any f&f related stuff. tfatf....#also would be one less contributer if not scholar nothingunrealistic.tumblr.com; also the source of my knowing abt cam stone in general;#being the one to know of this project & go ''perfect cam stone opportunity'' like it Really is isn't it #and thus; against all odds but also appropriately; Racing to actually create a page abt them to spread the good news #in that there was like a month & a half's heads up but i still exponentially did most of the actual execution days before the deadline #ran into some technical difficulties in the final hours lol but then seized a Post Submission Editing Opportunity to amend that w/more time #and to go ''i wrote it as fast & furious: crossroads which is what many sources format it as But official materials write it like #fast & furious crossroads without the colon & it's nbd but i would prefer to change it =('' getting a yeah no prob lol....#fixed up some very minor visual errors & changed one instance of word ordering so that it had some more Prosody imo. didn't mention that lo #plus going ''yeah there can/should be an editor's note to emphasize This Is Really Real Not An OC b/c that's clearer And funnier''#fast & furious extended universe really has a nonbinary character & if they're for real abt this finale Trilogy call akd up please....#let's get that cam & vienna cameo it's fast(tm) easy & free (it's not free....might not even be easy but it's more than worth it)#fast & furious crossroads #anyone looking That up has gotta get in on this #pdf / virtual option tba as mentioned....but physical copy rules too. i forget if i sent them my mailing address but i think i did lol #the ideal of being Gifted one like yeah i Will take this around with me then thank you #truly the most formal publishing my Work has ever seen. besides ''online'' or ''once i did a painting that i think was on the wapo site''#and a very appropriate way to achieve that....but fr what's great is So Many More Ppl Can Now Learn Cam Stone Exists #we've got The Scoop as attested babey!!! 🍨#and in turn we owe it all to akd everyone say thank you akd for acting that pwns & a je ne sais quoi to boot #which; in turn; thank you kompenso; thank you will roland's pwning acting/je ne sais quoi; thank you michael greif What Works understander.#i have remembered that pixels are implicit in the term ''dpi''....but it's a wash on clarity yet funnier to leave it as i wrote it

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brokenstar-s · 2 years

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Burn

This is a little poem/comic based off of a paragraph from @wutheringmights story call them brothers! It's a fantastic read and I highly suggest!

#took a few hours but i have something i am sort of proud of!#don't have time for a 30+ hour long animatic but i was inspired #by fire #wild would be proud #made a whole story board for it and wrote it in class xD #hope you guys like!#still trying to figure out digital art lol #linked universe #linked universe fanfic #lu #linked universe fanart #my art #arson <3 #lu warriors #linkeduniverse #CTB #call them brothers #fanart #i tried my best i hope its okay

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goldenhypen · 11 months

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i have a post prepared for you guys today 🫶🏻

#i’ll post it in a few hours lol #i haven’t actually written smth in so long tho #like this one was actually written a while ago and just been sitting in my drafts this whole time 😭#so i think it’s time for it to see the light of day T-T #also!#i may or may not be starting on a long story soon omg????#i wrote a 2k+ word outline last night 😭#and it’s not even done 😭#so i think we’re getting somewhere 👀#em speaks

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danieyells · 1 year

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Random, but you did great writing, in my opinion. Just from the bit of Housmao work you did, I think your old askblog confessional and that old spicy bit of Gabriel work is great.

🥹 thank you, anon!! I'd like to write more but. I don't have the right environment or any ideas atm, really. I'd like to resume Azazel's blog too, but I can't do it without my laptop so. . . eventually maybe I'll pick it up again hahaha.

I'm super out of practice but hopefully I'll be able to write again eventually, one way or another. It may not be as good as it used to be, but I'll get back there. Thank you again!!! I'm glad you could enjoy some of my work!!!

#you know that old comic where someone tells the i think dogperson #that they did a good job #and then it showw them thinking/remembering they were told that all throughout their whole day #that's how i felt when i saw the notification for this ask a few hours ago lmao #i'm just like 'i wrote good! i wrote good! :'D'#like i know i'm a good writer it's like my only coherent skill but #it still feels good to hear it lol #danie yells with anons #danie yells answers

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fratboykate · 1 year

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Hi, So since you're a writer, how do you feel about the whole Jenna Ortega situation? I've seen a lot of writers taking a dig at and I don't necessarily agree especially in such important moment like now , but Idk, thought?

She deserves every bit of it. You'd be hard pressed to find a writer who isn't rightfully fucking pissed at her horrible attitude and straight up disrespectful comments so unless she's planning on writing every script for the rest of her career I can guarantee you she's going to have a tough time, at least behind the scenes. And I know her stans love to say "Oh but the showrunners haven't said anything bad about her!" Yeah, because unlike her they're professionals 🤷🏽‍♀️

#truly no writer is having it and I'm so happy they're putting her on blast #she evidently has no respect for us or the work we do so why shouldn't we be allowed to make a few jokes???#if she doesn't like them then she can rewrite them 😊 she wrote the entire show anyway basically #at least according to her lol #you have NO idea the amount of extra work she made for the already underpaid overwork and abused writers in that room by refusing to do job #you guys think scripts are pulled out of thin air #TV is a medium that takes MONTHS #every script takes MONTHS and dozens of layers of approval form different people #from the showrunner to studio execs to the network to legal to...everything #sometimes one line of dialogue may seem insignificant but it is the thing that later triggers an entire storyline.#and we spend months crafting that in rooms #painstakingly going through rounds of notes from every department and level until you FINALLYYYY get a script approved #after 5 or 50 drafts.#and after all that work from literally dozens upon dozens of people for the actor to not only blatantly refuse to read what was written #but turn flippantly change it and BRAG ABOUT IT IN THE MOST DISRESPECTFUL WAY?!#it's immaturity and entitlement at its finest #the idea that the people who spent years and hours on end developing this show knew less about the character than her is...PHEWWWW #anyway...I hope we see MORE signs #if I wasn't immunocompromised and could safely be at the picket lines one of my signs would probably be a joke about her now lol #at least a dozen people have already tested covid positive so I can't go until people start wearing masks and being safe #but I'm sure she's been talked about plenty at one point or another at every line that there's a sign about this #the idea that we should brush off this level of disrespect or consider it unimportant when we're in this position #exactly because so many people seem to think what we do is unimportant and either AI or actors who 'know better' could replace us #or do a better job is...something #anyway...your faves are nothing with writers #give us the credit we deserve #jortega #anonymous #answers #rants

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carmenlire · 1 year

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Enough to Be Loved

read on ao3

Huijae enters the code to their apartment, drinking the last of the water he’d brought with him to the gym. He’s found a new appreciation for being out lately– working out at the gym, going for long walks in the morning, finally living.

It’s nice, he finds. He has a part time job at a bakery around the block and that’s helped him move on from things as well. He enjoys the calmness of the bakery, the ritual of mixing cookie dough and rolling out puff pastry.

He’s healing. His family is healing.

Opening the door, Huijae hears the television from the entryway. He toes off his shoes, drops his bag down in the foyer, too– his arms feel like jello and he doesn’t want to lug it all the way to his room right now.

Rounding the corner into the living room, Huijae sees that his brother is in the middle of watching a movie with one of his friends. Geonhu has become a staple in their house over the past few months and so it’s not the presence of Sunjae’s friend that makes Huijae raise a very subtle brow.

No, instead it’s the way his brother and his friend are sitting. Huijae stands at the edge of the living room, hardly daring to breathe lest the two realize that they’re not alone anymore. Though with the volume of the television, Huijae reflects wryly, a bomb could probably detonate behind them and they wouldn’t notice.

Sunjae relaxes back against the couch, arm across the back. Geonhu is sitting so close to his little brother that Huijae can’t see a sliver of couch between them. Huddled under Sunjae’s arm and looking just as relaxed and carefree, Geonhu’s focus is totally on the television in front of them.

Or at least that’s what Huijae thought, but he’s proven wrong when– without looking away from the action scene on the screen– Geonhu reaches up and intertwines his hand with Sunjae’s, tugging it down while lacing their fingers together so that Sunjae’s arm is now resting over Geonhu’s shoulders properly.

Geonhu cuddles closer and Huijae feels something light and sharp pinch beneath his breastbone at the way Geonhu brings Sunjae’s hand closer still, until he gently runs the back of the hands along his jaw.

The pinch becomes a little more insistent when he sees the way his brother is no longer watching whatever’s on the television. No, instead Huijae’s filled with a mix of fondness and joy at the way his little brother now seems so totally absorbed in watching Geonhu instead. Standing far enough back to not be visible while still being able to see the scene play out in front of him, Huijae thinks that he’s never seen Sunjae look so happy and calm ever.

Huijae finds that there’s no shock and barely any surprise. He’d never heard his brother talk seriously about anyone– and all of a sudden, Huijae remembers when Geonhu first started coming around.

Sunjae was annoyed at another guy showing up and disrupting his relationship with Hae-e. Huijae remembers that in between all the drama of those days, he overheard Sunjae talking to himself while he made breakfast one morning. It was all can you believe the nerve of this guy? He thinks he’s got it all, doesn’t he and I mean he is decent. I’ll never admit it but he is funny and smart when he applies himself. And when he punched that asshole that was talking shit about Hae-e? That was so cool.

There was a point in the conversation where Huijae finally just walked in, stomach growling and tired of waiting for Sunjae to wind down just for his brother to turn to him and ask, outraged, "I mean who wouldn’t want to be with Geonhu? Can you believe this, hyung, this guy told our entire class that he wants to go out with Hae-e. How do you even compete with that?"

At the time, Huijae just thought that it was the typical case of two guys wanting a girl’s attention. But in an instant, everything’s snapped into place and he feels both annoyed and amused that his little brother had so obviously been crushing on Geonhu this entire time.

And now, Huijae clocks the way his little brother is staring at Geonhu’s profile, mesmerized by his– boyfriend’s?-- face.

It’s not only Huijae who startles a bit at the teasing voice that speaks over the movie. “You know you just missed the most important scene, right? I mean I know I’m handsome, but surely I’m not that distracting, Sunjae-ah.”

Sunjae’s eyes widen a little at being caught but he doesn’t shy away from Geonhu’s teasing. Instead, he engages and it feels like an entirely new side of his little brother that Huijae’s privileged enough to witness– a side that doesn’t seem to carry the weight of the world or parental expectation, a side that seems like a twenty one year old boy who likes someone and is having fun with it.

It’s everything Huijae’s ever wanted for Sunjae.

Sunjae just leans close and maybe he says something in response but Huijae can’t hear it over the volume of the television. Instead, he sees the way Geonhu’s ears turn red, fairly glowing in the afternoon light of the apartment, and he decides that it’s time to make his presence known.

Huijae takes a few steps, entering the living room fully. He’s frankly impressed with the speed in which the two of them spring apart. Geonhu reaches for the remote, turning the volume down and, by far, looks much less guilty than Sunjae.

His little brother, Huijae sees, is busy looking at everything except the other two people in the room. His entire face is almost glowing it’s so warm and Huijae is endeared and incredulous that Sunjae is doing such a piss-poor job at appearing nonchalant.

“Hey, hyung,” Sunjae greets and Huijae will give him credit– he only stumbled over both syllables.

Huijae sees the way his brother’s hand twitches, no doubt an aborted effort to reach out to Geonhu’s hand that lays just millimeters away.

Geonhu, for his part, just throws out his usual nod towards Huijae, lips so clearly fighting a smile. Whether at his disaster of a boyfriend or at the situation, Huijae doesn’t know.

Huijae lifts a brow and thinks about how he wants to go about this. He could be the teasing big brother or the intimidating, protective one that gives a thinly-veiled shovel talk. He could pretend to be completely oblivious to what is happening right in front of him.

Deciding that he really just wants this over with– he needs a shower and he can feel his post-workout hunger steadily rising, Huijae just smiles.

His smiles these days are definitely more frequent for all that they’re still carefully contained. He doesn’t grin so much as let the corner of his mouth tilt up in good humor.

“Don’t let me interrupt,” Huijae says as he continues walking towards their bathroom. “I just got back from the gym and need to get a shower before ordering dinner.”

“Do you want us to order something, hyung,” Sunjae asks and something in Huijae’s heart blooms at the care his brother always, without fail, shows towards him.

Pausing on the edge between the living room and the short hallway where their bedrooms and bathroom are located, Huijae looks back. He raises a brow. “What were you thinking?”

It’s Geonhu who answers. “We were just talking about grabbing some chicken and beer when the movie’s over?”

Huijae nods, lets his smile curve just a little more. “Sounds good. I like the spicy mix.”

Geonhu grumbles and, without seeming to realize it, lets his hand knock against Sunjae’s before resting there. “You and your brother are both trying to kill me. I see how it is.”

Sunjae laughs, turning towards Geonhu. “Jagi–” he cuts off abruptly, shooting a panicked look at Huijae.

Huijae’s expression doesn’t shift, though there’s a part of him that’s pleased that his brother evidently feels comfortable enough with him to almost let something slip.

Clearing his throat, Sunjae looks back over to Geonhu. “Most people like spice, Geonhu-ah. Just because you’re a baby about it–”

“A baby,” Geonhu repeats incredulously. His eyes narrow to slits. “I’ll show you–”

Watching the chaos before him, Huijae shakes his head. Raising his voice over them, he announces, “I’m taking a shower. Thanks for ordering the food,” and promptly turns on his heel and disappears into the bathroom.

He definitely does not hear his little brother say, “My baby,” right before the door shuts.

---

The evening sun is just starting to drop over Seoul when the food arrives. Huijae, of course, ends up paying for the food as the hyung and as he turns back to take the bags to the dining table, he’s a little surprised to see Geonhu at their silverware drawer, clearly familiar with the space.

As he sets the food down, Huijae watches as his little brother and Geonhu navigate around each other in the kitchen, Sunjae grabbing plates, before the two of them set the table together.

It’s another piece of the puzzle, the obvious-in-hindsight realization that the two of them are so close. Huijae wonders just how much time the two of them spend in this space, alone– when he’s at work or on one of his long walks, when their mother is traveling in another country trying to find her humanity again. It’s a relief to know that Sunjae and Geonhu have this space, that they might just be carving homes into each other.

The beer is open and the chicken plated, when Sunjae clears his throat. Huijae looks up from where he’d just set his bottle down after taking a quick first sip.

The atmosphere is suddenly tense and Huijae doesn’t know if it’s the expectant silence or the way the two boys in front of him suddenly seem like livewires of nerves. Geonhu has a small smile on his face– Huijae wonders if his dongsaeng doesn’t always carry a smile. It's obvious in this case that it's something that’s both a challenge and a preemptive defense.

“Hyung,” Sunjae breaks off, looking studiously down at the table and suddenly Huijae thinks he knows where this is headed.

There’s a part of him that wonders if he shouldn’t just acknowledge it first, beat Sunjae to it so that they can go back to the relaxed, lighthearted scene from just moments before. He wants to curtail any uncertainty or anxiety that Sunjae might be feeling before it even has a chance to land. He never could stand to see his little brother unhappy or sad but–

Well, he thinks that maybe this is just something both of them have to go through, that maybe Sunjae needs to be the one to bring it up, the one to say the words first.

It’s difficult to stay silent, to let Sunjae struggle even if it will only be for a few moments.

Maybe they’re both growing, Huijae thinks.

Huijae is careful not to let his face betray anything, keeping it carefully expressionless. He does let a small smile cross his face as Geonhu carefully– deliberately– reaches out and lays his hand over Sunjae’s, squeezing slightly.

Taking a deep breath, Sunjae flips his hand over so that he can intertwine his fingers with Geonhu’s. Tension noticeably drains out of him at the gesture.

“Hyung,” Sunjae starts again, and this time his voice is soft with a steel undercurrent. It’s the voice he used when he admitted to cheating last year, the tone he slips into whenever all he has to fall back on is sheer courage and strength of character.

Huijae stays silent while at the same time, trying to radiant pure openness. He always thought it was such a silly concept, trying to lift a mood without words but now finds himself wishing he possessed a presence that innately put people at ease. He never wants Sunjae to be uncomfortable to share anything with him, good or bad or anything in between.

He knows he dropped the ball on that more often than not after he dropped out of school. He knows he’ll spend the foreseeable future making amends. It’s a thought that brings with it a certain reassurance– he has the time to do so.

Sunjae looks up, hand still holding Geonhu’s tightly, as thought all of his determination might dissolve if he lets go for an instant. He meets Huijae’s eyes and Huijae is, for the hundredth time, impressed at the man his little brother is becoming.

“I have something to tell you, hyung,” Sunjae starts. “You’re important to me and I want you to know. I want you to know that–” and here, he breaks off, courage faltering.

Huijae leans forward a little, trying to look welcoming while he knows his concern has to be bleeding into his posture. “You’re important to me too, Sunjae-ah,” he says quietly.

He takes a chance here. Huijae reaches out and covers Sunjae’s free hand, the one his little brother had laid on the dining table. He feels the tremble in his brother’s hands and pats it, twice, both a comfort and an invitation.

Taking one last breath, Sunjae continues, “I’m bisexual.”

As soon as the words fall between them, Sunjae’s shoulders lose much of their tension. It’s one part relief, one part inevitability, Huijae thinks.

Words have power. Once they’re said, all that’s ever left is to deal with the fallout.

Huijae can’t help it. He starts smiling and it spreads over his face until it's a wide grin. He’s just so proud to see his brother be so brave– to have the courage to be himself and be defiant with it. It warms his heart to acknowledge that he is a trusted person in Sunjae’s life; someone who is privileged enough to be let in.

He’s just opening his mouth to respond when it becomes clear that Sunjae isn’t quite done. Taking the hint that there’s more his little brother wants to say, Huijae settles back down though the smile doesn’t falter in the slightest.

It’s at this point that Sunjae moves his hand out from underneath his, instead using his now free hand to cover Geonhu’s, moving their hands right in front of Huijae.

Huijae chances a look over at Geonhu, who’s not paying him the slightest bit of attention. No, instead he is totally focused on Sunjae, eyes warm and smile curved into something softer, more genuine than it had been at the onset of dinner.

“I’m dating Geonhu. I’m in love with him,” Sunjae says this last part softly, and only now does his shyness peak through.

Geonhu looks across the table at Huijae. Instead of the challenge from earlier, Huijae can only see the same shy happiness on his face. “And I’m in love with him,” Geonhu says boldly, tone full of warm pride.

Even though he’s had all afternoon to think about it, Huijae still takes a moment to collect his thoughts. The smile doesn’t leave his face, though, and he hopes that serves as enough reassurance in itself.

He knows he only has one chance at this and that while Sunjae’s family is small, he is undoubtedly the first member he has told. He’s determined to set a glowing precedent.

“Thank you for telling me, Sunjae-ah,” he starts. “You two were probably deafened from the TV earlier but I saw a little bit of you, before you knew I was there. It was pretty obvious,” he teases and is endeared as his little brother and his boyfriend both blush. “I know that you were nervous to tell me and I don’t pretend to not know why. But I’m proud of you for telling me and for being yourself. I’m also very happy that you trust me enough to be honest.”

It’s here that Huijae feels tears burn just a touch. “I love you, Sunjae-ah, and I support you. I’m very proud of the person you are and that will never change. I’ll always be your big brother.”

Feeling that he’s said his piece, Huijae nods once, as though to make sure that Sunjae knows that he’s meant what he said, that every words rings with a promise.

The quiet scene in the apartment is shattered as Sunjae lets out an aborted sob. And while Huijae is sure it’s half in sheer relief, he thinks that maybe the other half could be that while the words Huijae said have always been stitched onto his heart– ever since his mom placed a newborn into arms when he was just a toddler himself– it isn’t very often that Huijae vocalizes them.

Words have power, Huijae realizes anew.

Sunjae suddenly stands up, rounding the dining table just to pull Huijae out of his seat.

As soon as he’s standing, Sunjae is wrapping him up in a hug that threatens to crack his ribs. It’s strangely comforting, the uncompromising strength in the gesture.

“Thank you, hyung,” Sunjae chokes out. “I love you, too.”

Huijae’s voice is gruff as he squeezes his little brother, patting his back probably a little too hard. “You don’t need to ever thank me for this, Sunjae-ah.”

It’s quiet in the apartment as the two of them hug tightly for a few more minutes. Even then, Huijae is reasonably sure that the only reason they break apart after all is because his stomach growls loud enough to wake the dead.

It serves to dispel any remaining tension and the three of them laugh. Geonhu’s expression is even more carefree than it usually is and once Huijae and Sunjae wipe their eyes, the apartment feels so light that Huijae wonders if he shouldn’t see pure sunshine outside instead of impending twilight of evening.

Dinner is a comfortable affair, the three of them talking easily– more easily than Huijae might’ve assumed. It’s refreshing, galvanizing. While Huijae and Geonhu have always been polite and welcoming, it’s only now– that he allows himself too? That this final truth lays between them– that Huijae finds himself in such good company.

He discovers a shared hobby with Geonhu– French poetry, of all things– and is surprised but pleased when Geonhu has him add his kakao name to his phone and they set up a date to go to this tiny bookstore in Gangnam that specializes in French literature.

After dinner, Sunjae offers for the three of them to start another movie but Huijae declines. He’s sure that the two of them want a little time to themselves and he knows that, for his part, he could definitely do with some alone time.

This is the longest he’s spent fully engaged with people– not just baking with occasional stints at the cash register– since his school days, probably. That combined with the emotional conversation has Huijae feeling absolutely exhausted.

Closing the dishwasher, Huijae swallows the last bit of beer in his bottle before tossing it in the recycling bin.

Hearing chaos behind him, he turns around and sees Huijae and Gueonhu– wrestling? It takes just a moment to realize that Geonhu is trying to tickle Sunjae, who is desperately trying to wiggle away and stop his boyfriend’s antics.

In that effort, Sunjae darts forward, quick as a flash, to plant a smacking kiss on Geonhu’s mouth. The move works well for Geonhu freezes for a quick moment, something warm and pleased shifting over his face and Sunjae is able to back away and throw himself onto the couch, landing with limbs sprawled out.

Deciding that’s his cue to leave the kids alone, Huijae calls out a quick, “Goodnight,” as he turns toward his bedroom.

His little brother and his boyfriend echo his goodnight and just before he exits the kitchen, Huijae sees Geonhu drop down on top of Sunjae on the couch, Sunjae groaning at the impact while Geonhu snickers.

Still, the two of them settle down quickly as the movie starts, something considerably less action-packed than earlier today.

The last thing Huijae sees is his little brother kissing the top of Geonhu’s head where it rests on his chest, Geonhu melting into his brother, the two of them completely relaxed and already in their own little world.

They look comfortable, Huijae thinks as he opens his bedroom door. They look settled, content.

It’s enough for his brother to have found a love like that, Huijae knows. He can’t help but think, though, that he might like something like that for himself, one day. Maybe. If he’s lucky.

#this ended up being completely different to the little thing i wrote a few days ago lol #this was so much fun to write! I love geonhu and sunjae so much!!#and i really like huijae too i think he's an interesting character and a good guy #and i enjoyed the little peaks we got at his being a big brother to sunjae #idk who will read this but i hope if anyone else is suffering from #geonhu/sunjae brainrot that this helps :)#crash course in romance #ccir #lee sunjae x seo geonhu #lee sunjae #seo geonhu #ccir fic #my writing #enough to be loved #yes that is a lyric from people pt 2!!! d-day comes out in 3 hours!!!

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inkstaindusk · 1 year

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Me emerging from my cavern bloodied and shaking: how the fuck did this fic go from being finished at 7k to being finished at 21k

#it was so lighthearted.... so fun......#and then i scrapped it all and started over and mc ends the fic traumatized #and this BEFORE editing im not looking at this fic again for at least another weeks #bc i know there are scenes im gonna wanna rewrite entirely and i need to let my brain rest from this fic for a while #guess i should decide on a different fic to work on now....#maybe i'll make another poll lol #writing rambling #oc tag #also i meant to sleep an hour ago but i said ok just a few hundred words. i wrote like 1k.#chit chattery

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doctorwhoisadhd · 1 year

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expressing my appreciation for other people is great actually why dont i do this all the time

#ari opinion hour #went to my friends recital and wrote out a whole thing for him #found him after the concert and told him it ruled and then gave him the letter and Immediately dipped #(i knew he wasnt gonna read it right then but i was still flustered lol)#few hours later he texted me about it #and like. <3 #i see him tomorrow too

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ibyul · 3 months

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#ew not me finding disgustingly cheesy stuff I wrote #in the DRAFTS of this blog #right infront of my salad #like. a zombie(?) with no heart and a doctor who the zombie goes to once a day to have his heart checked lol #god i gotta delete these i swear #the thought of anyone receiving my laptop if god forbid something happens to me and then reading these is so mortifying to me #i rlly gotta delete these #do you want to hear the menu of these nonsense posts:#1. we got mr. no heart zombie w/ high body temp and his anemic heart doctor #2. miss palace botanist/healer and her annoying student who ends up being the second prince lol #3. cheerful oblivious guy and some one who views him from far as a thorn that causes hemorrhage #i think i just combined all my fears and horrors into dumb tragedies. fears: unwise relationships. the medical field. unrequited love #sorry to 2016-2019-me... i am deleting ur stuff. i mean. im glad u found some place to project your fear and sadness into.#What better coping method than to turn the story of you and your love for science into an unrequited love tragedy and personifying medicine #listing them here as I delete them because. I want to hold on to them for a few more seconds #4. a stupid long poem that makes it sound like I had a secret relationship but in actuality this is abt how in college-#-my physics lab professor used to abandon us in the lab without giving us instructions so we had to spend hours figuring everything out #honestly im gonna let go of these #they're all from a rough time in my life of studying and feeling like a failure and like I couldn't do anything right #there's no use in revisiting them and feeling bad abt it #delete later

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yandereshingeki · 5 months

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work was. interesting today

#i just got home… and i have a free day tomorrow which means finally in the right headspace to write #i wrote some last night but i wanna finish the mini fic i got the ask for tonight and keep working on other stuff tmrrw….#big tag ramble sorry lol ->#anyways…. at work? tw for emetaphobia but first like…. 30 minutes into my shift #i had to run to the bathroom to puke because I got nauseous from moving around so much which doesnt usually happen but??? im not used to #morning shifts so thats probably why #and my stomach just hurt after that.. so bad #and then I vibed until a few hours later…… when an old guy fell over in the parking lot and we had to call 911 because he was incoherent and #could barely get up #but he was embarrassed about it so he was trying to drive away when he was clearly unwell and after i got my manager he tried to pull out of #the parking spot and almost ran him over #parameds got there and it was basically a big fight with him trying to leave and them just trying to make sure he was ok #and eventually he was checked and stuff and let go but 3 of my managers almost got run over in the process lol #and it was also so SO BUSY from like 7 am onward #i couldn’t round carts up to put back inside because there were almost NO CARTS IN THE PARKING LOT which means nearly all of them were being #used by customers INSIDE… so hard to keep up when that happens #anyways….. im going to relax now in the shower

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candlewaxandp0lar0ids · 4 months

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hoodie season || Chan x Reader

Summary: You're not stealing Chan's hoodies. He's not happy about it.

Word count: 1.4k

Warnings & Tags: Tooth-rutting fluff, established relationship, that should be it.

A/N: Wrote a silly lil one-shot for an idea I got tonight! This was literally written in under two hours, so, uh, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did lol and I apologize for any typos.

Reblogs, feedback and comments are welcome and encouraged!

It starts, without you being aware of it, on a July evening. You and Chan have only been dating for a couple weeks then, and you feel like you’re on cloud nine. For the better half of the night, which you’re spending with his friend group, you’re in his arms, your back against his chest, his chin comfortably resting on your shoulder. Changbin and Jisung tease him about it, but he shrugs it off like it means nothing. He’s got you now, and he likes showing you off, so why wouldn’t he?

It does take you aback when he lets go of you and the cold hits you. It was hot outside all day, and you hadn’t realized that the temperature had dropped by this much. A shiver shakes you to your core, which Chan doesn’t miss, even if he’s being called away to play the guitar.

“You want my hoodie?” he asks, eyes filled with concern.

“No, I’m okay, babe,” you say with a smile. “I’ve brought a jacket.”

He nods, and that’s all there is to it.

It comes back on a night the two of you are spending out. Chan takes you out to this fancy restaurant, and you dress accordingly, always pleased when you get a chance to impress him — and impress him you do. He does that thing that you think is adorable, where he keeps giggling throughout the meal. Under the table, your knees keep touching, and every time, without fail, his ears turn bright red. You love that you still have that effect on your boyfriend of three months.

After that, because you’re near a park, you decide to go for a walk in the night air. It doesn’t take long before you’re shivering in your small, tight dress.

“I’ve got a hoodie in my car,” Chan says, ever the gentleman. “Want me to go get it for you?”

You’re not keen on being left alone in the dark, and your high heels mean that if you go with him, it’ll take much longer than it should. Plus, it would ruin your outfit.

“It’s fine,” you say, arranging your scarf so it wraps around your shoulders. “We’ll be heading home soon anyway, right?”

“Sure,” he nods quickly, and it’s your turn to giggle, because it’s so cute, how Chan always indulges you.

He ends up picking you up when you’re walking back too slowly for his taste, and you protest, but you’re no longer cold when you get to his car.

The subject — which, by the way, you still haven’t realized is a subject — comes back yet again on a night you’re spending in his apartment. You’re coming out of the shower, a towel wrapped around you, and you’re going through your bag to find the clothes you’d planned on wearing for the night when something lands on the bed in front of you. You glance up to find Chan looking at you, leaning against the door frame.

“Just in case you get cold.”

You have, slowly but surely, made your way into November, but Chan’s place is warm, and you know you’ll have a human radiator, so you grin at him.

“I have a feeling I won’t be needing it tonight.”

Chan grins — but his ears turn red, even now.

You do a Secret Santa, a few days before Christmas, with Chan and his friend group, at Changbin’s place. It’s an incredibly nice house, but it’s big and it’s old, and you soon find yourself huddling against Chan for warm. It makes him laugh at first, and he presses a kiss into your hair, arm solidly wrapped around you as he rubs your arm. When you don’t appear to warm up as the night keeps going, he disappears for a few minutes, ignoring your protests.

He comes back from his car and hands you one of his signature black hoodies.

“You’re my savior, babe,” you sigh as you pull it over your head.

Chan beams.

His victory is short-lived, though, because you pull away from him after that — with the hoodie, cuddling makes you too hot.

You leave the hoodie neatly folded in his car when you both go back to your place for the night.

It’s just a few days later that you meet Chan’s family for the first time. You’re all dressed-up, determined to do your best so that they’ll like you, even if Chan’s promised you that they would, no matter what, because he loves you, and that’s all they care about.

He dropped the word so easily, and you were left speechless. You haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

Even now, when you’re sitting next to him, making small talk with his mom and listening to his sister tease him playfully, you have butterflies in your stomach. The hand he’s placed over yours on the table, again making it look so natural, so easy for him, isn’t helping.

“Wanna go for a midnight walk?” he offers, later that night. “It’s kind of a family tradition.”

“Sure,” you say, voice squeakier than usual, and he tilts his head as he studies you, but he doesn’t comment on it.

“You’re not dressed warm enough,” he warns you, and before you can say that you’ve brought appropriate clothing, he’s taking off his hoodie and pulling it down over your head. “There. All good.”

It’s late when you come back, so you both wish his parents a goodnight before Chan drives you back to your apartment. You wait until you’ve made it up the stairs and you’ve opened the door to put your arms around him and pull him down for a kiss. It’s soft, slow, and filled with all of your emotions.

“What’s that for?” Chan whispers against your lips. He’s warm against you, his hands on your hips, and you feel so grounded by him. You always do.

“I love you too,” you whisper back.

The hoodie ends up forgotten on the floor.

You celebrate New Year’s Day with Chan’s friends, again, but really, they’re your friends by now. You get at Changbin’s house early so you can help with the cooking and decorating the place, and end up teaming up with Felix and Minho in the cooking department, while Hyunjin takes over the decorations and forbids everyone from approaching him while he works.

It’s not because he’s shy. It’s because he thinks you’re all terrible.

Chan arrives kind of late minute, busy working on songs, as always, while you’re putting out the drinks you’d brought with you. You greet him with a quick kiss. You still have a million things to do.

“I’ve got your hoodie in my bag, you should put it back in your car,” you just tell him as you rush back into the kitchen.

You miss the way he pouts at you.

It’s later that night, but still with a couple hours to go until midnight, that he approaches you while you’re outside, staring up at the night sky and enjoying the fresh air after hours cooped up inside. He wraps his arms around your waist, buries his head in your neck. You lean back into the familiar touch with a satisfied sigh — until he mumbles something unintelligible.

“What was that?” you ask with a frown.

Even with the only light coming through the windows of Changbin’s house, you can tell he’s blushing when he pulls away from you.

“Why aren’t you keeping my hoodies?”

You blink at him.

“…because they’re your hoodies?”

He opens his mouth, closes it.

“Yeah, but they’re kinda… your hoodies too, y’know?”

You tilt your head slowly, and soon, you’re unable to fight the grin that’s spreading on your lips as you watch him get increasingly pouty.

“Do you want me to steal your hoodies?”

The blush spreads.

“Do you like it when I wear them?”

You’re just having fun now.

“Yeah,” he answers, before cocking an eyebrow at you. “Think it’s hot, by the way.”

You burst out laughing, and he tightens his hold around you when that takes you away from him. God, do you love that man. Once you’ve collected yourself, you reach a hand up to gently cup his cheek.

“Okay, I’ll steal your hoodies. Anything for you, love.”

He smiles, satisfied, and kisses you softly. He brings a hand to cover yours, entangles his fingers with yours.

You don’t tell him, but the truth is, you feel warm and fuzzy all over inside whenever he’s around.

So you don’t see the point in having a hoodie when you can have him instead.

taglist: @lethallyprotected @jisuperboard

Masterlist

#stray kids #bang chan #chan #skz #skz fluff #stray kids fluff #bang chan fluff #chan fluff #bang chan x reader #chan x reader #skz x reader #stray kids x reader #stray kids imagine #skz imagine #chan imagine #bang chan imagine #candywrites

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wh0reforcoriolanussnow · 5 months

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WHAT IF... Tom and reader being sweet during behind the scene like you can see them hugging and just spreading love around the set lovebirds

Lovebirds || Tom Blyth x Actress!reader

A/n: thank you for this request anon :)

Warnings: swearing (literally once lol)

Wc:

actress!reader au masterlist

Divider by @pommecita

“I’ve always done what’s best for you, you have to understand that!” His grip on your wrist was painful as you wince. “You’re hurting me Coryo,” You struggle as a single tear drops from your eyes. Coriolanus smiles in satisfaction, wiping away the tear with the pad of his thumb.

“Now get fucking dressed,” He throws your clothes as you as you flinch and scramble. “Hurry up!” Coriolanus yells as your hands frantically pull your clothes onto your half naked body. “AND CUT!” The director calls out.

Tom immediately grabs a robe and rushes over to you on the bed, covering your slightly naked body as you thank him. “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you too much did I?” He asks, worried that his grip on you was too harsh.

“No, of course not. And I’m okay,” You chuckle, your hand on the side of his face as he looks relieved. His arms latch around your waist as he picks you up bridal style. “Tom!” You let out a hearty laugh as he carries you out of set and into your shared trailer.

You two chose to ate lunch in the comfort of each other’s arms as you talk about everything and anything. Soon enough, hair and makeup stylists come knocking in as they get you two ready for the next scene.

Your makeup and hair took the longest but Tom entertained you the entire time, sometimes even making you cry out in laughter which probably annoyed the makeup artist who was doing your eye makeup.

Eventually you two were done and you still had an hour spare. You crawled onto Tom’s lap as his arms securely wrapped around themselves around you, your face in the crook of his neck. Exhaustion from the couple of days of filming caught up to you as you fall into slumber in Tom’s arms.

Tom’s assistant chuckles and snaps a few pictures of you fast asleep in his arms as he poses. Then, a knock came from the door and in walked Josh and Rachel. “Hey-“ Rachel pauses when seeing you asleep. A filming camera in her hand pointed at the two of you.

Tom raises an eyebrow at her, wondering what she was doing with the camera. “I’m filming a tour of the set,” Rachel giggles as she comes closer to the two. “And here we have the two lovebirds of the set, y/n fast asleep in her lovers arms.” Rachel whispers, directing the camera to your curled up body Tom’s lap.

You had no idea that Rachel had recorded you while you were dozed off until you found out at one of the interviews in London. “Who in the cast was most sleepiest?” The interviewer asks. You think about it, making your decision as you settle on writing Rachel’s name.

“In 3, 2, 1.” You all flipped your boards as your mouth drops open. “Me?” You gasp as Tom, Rachel, Hunter, and Josh all wrote your name. They all burst out laughing as you look at them disbelief. “We actually have proof,” Rachel says with a snicker as you raise an eyebrow at her. “Proof? Are we able to see it?” The interviewer chuckles as you look at Rachel.

“Yeah, Rachel I’d really like to see this proof” You cross a leg over your knee as they start playing a video that you weren’t familiar with. Your eyes widen as the camera comes up to you and Tom, you were fast asleep in his lap. Photos were also shown of Tom posing and you asleep.

Everyone starts laughing as you cover your mouth, refraining yourself from laughing aswell. “Y/n also sleeps a lot while getting her hair and makeup done, honestly she sleeps everywhere and anywhere!” Tom chuckles, rubbing your thigh as you look at him with a smile on your face.

“Yeah I can sleep anywhere honestly, I remember this one time we were in the zoo cage and I literally dozed off on one of the rocks.” You reminisce, “You actually slept on one of the rocks?” Hunter says in disbelief as she places her hand on your shoulder. “Yup. I did.” You nod your head with a wide grin as the others laugh.

“Tom, Y/n, what was the most least glamorous day on set?” The two of you were asked as you look to Tom, thinking about an answer. “We had a few. We had a few gnarly days,” “Yeah, there were a few rainy days-“ “Y/n drowned me,” Tom interrupts, looking at you as you break into laughter. “I did.”

“You drowned me one day,” He continues as you throw your head back in laughter, “I was clinging to Tom for dear life in that lake,” You chuckle. “Oh right, there’s a bit where your properly on Tom’s shoulders!” The interviewer points out. “Yeah and they made it look romantic in the movie,”

“In reality, I was choking for my life cause Y/n isn’t the strongest swimmer in the relationship,” You lean your head against his shoulder in embarrassment as you laugh. “No- I can swim, only if somebody is chasing me,” You sheepishly say as Tom throws his arm around your shoulder, laughing as you could feel your whole body vibrate from his laughter.

“Oh and it was absolutely freezing in that water!” You shake your head as Tom agrees. “There’s actually footage of me wrapped in like three blankets after getting out, Tom included as a blanket” You remember as your mind goes back to that day where you were shooting at the lake.

“I’m so cold,” You squeak as you quickly walk out of the lake, Tom behind you ready to wrap you his arms around your frame “C’mere”. The filming team give you two blankets as you wrap it around your frame, your wet hair sticking to your forehead.

Tom’s body added to the warmth as he rocked you side to side. “Tom, Y/n, smile!” Rachel says, holding her film camera as you pull an awkward face as Tom does the same. You both laugh at the face expressions you made finding it hilarious.

“What was the most memorable day that you remember while on set?” The interviewer asks as you ponder. “My most memorable day was probably the day we finished shooting. Not many people know this but I originally turned down this role because it was back to back with my other project that I was working on.”

“And you know I had just arrived back in London from filming it for about 8 months I think?” You look to Tom as he nods, “Yeah 8 months hardly being able to see family and friends. But when Tom got the role as Coriolanus he sort of convinced me to take this role on and I’m so glad I listened to him.” You grip his hands in yours.

“That last day on set was quite emotional for me in many ways. I was of course sad that filming with these incredible people were over and also I think just remembering that I’ve gone so so long without my family really hit hard that day.” Tom nods and smiles as he admires your side profile as you talk.

“And Tom was there on set with me and I was just so relieved seeing him after finishing that when I gave him a hug I started crying.” You conclude make eye contact with Tom. “Speaking about you and Tom, can you tell us how you two met?” A smile immediately made it your lips as Tom chuckles, scratching his neck.

“You can tell them this one,” You nudge him with a cheeky smile. “I met Y/n on the set of Billy the Kid late 2021 when we started filming. Y/n’s dad was the producer of the film and I was introduced to her by him and then yeah,” He says giddily as you smile.

You still remember that day like it was yesterday. “I came to set on the second week Tom started filming and let me tell you, he looked really good in his outfit. Like really good,” You shyly say as Tom and interviewer laugh.

“I don’t think you’ve ever told me this,” Your boyfriend looks down at you with a slight smirk, “didn’t want you to think I was head over heels for you,” You wink playfully at him as he chuckles and kisses the back of your hand.

tomblyth