#I know they haven't any chemistry together

[utilitycaster]

i know you're getting a lot of asks recently, so feel free to ignore this, but I'm really curious on your thoughts on why Dorym (a ship where both characters were separated for most of the campaign) works and Imodna (a ship where the characters have actually interacted for hundreds of hours) doesn't. to be very clear, I agree with this assessment, but I haven't been able to articulate why. I did my best to search your blog, but I couldn't find any dorym meta you've written before- if you have, and I missed it, I'd love to be linked to it!

It feels like there are two separate parts to this so:

If I wrote Dorym meta it would be tagged Dorym. Off the top of my head I don't think I have; I enjoy Dorym but to be blunt this campaign and the character relationships within it, even the ones I enjoy, are insufficiently deep enough for meta. A lot of meta writers scaled back due to harassment, but also a lot of us have scaled back because there's not like, a lot to write about other than why the campaign isn't working.

In a hilarious twist of irony for the Number Bigger Means Ship More Good crowd, the main reason I think Dorym works is because they were separated for the majority of the campaign, and have had a number of meaningful conversations in both EXU Prime and after Dorian's return as well as nods to a sense of interest while they were split up, particularly on Orym's side (unsurprising as Liam is main cast and Orym has had much more time onscreen). The amount of time Imo/dna has had has actually worked against them, because they're physically present all the time and have known each other for two years prior and at no point does it ever feel like this is true. As a result, Dorian and Orym feel like they are making the most of limited time, and Imogen and Laudna feel like they are squandering an entire campaign of screentime. Also, I know chemistry is "you know it when you see it" and ultimately subjective but Imogen and Laudna fail to have it and Dorian and Orym do for me and it's that simple. I think this post also makes some good points about how in failing to ever challenge each other and in dropping every disagreement without resolution, Imogen and Laudna feel flat, whereas Dorian and Orym haven't resolved every disagreement but neither have they ignored them, which makes it a much more dynamic relationship to watch despite the decreased amount of time. I think had Imogen and Laudna's relationship been a slow burn, if any sense of the two years together was ever developed, or if any of their fights had actually come to something, this wouldn't be the case but as is more time actually hurts them because that time is about as interesting as sawdust.

[fandomfluffandfuck]

Hiya S! I was reading up on “evanstan history”. Chris said that he didn’t know Sebastian, while Seb said that he’d seen Chris here and there or something along those lines. And well this got me thinking: ‘What If…’

What if they met at a Halloween party and they were both dressed up, but Sebastian was able to recognize Chris, while Seb’s identity was ‘hidden’ (maybe his smushed eyeliner black war paint). Not really hidden, more like Chris didn’t realize who Sebastian was, just a random face. So imagine: Chris and Seb are both on their way to drunken wonderland and they get talking, Seb probably started the conversation. And because of reasons, they end up in a crappy bathroom with Sebastian on his knees, sloppily sucking dick. Their names got lost along the way, but who cares? It’s not like they see each other again. Sebastian remembers though, he knows who Chris is and what an amazing cock he has.

Years later, Chris and Seb got together. Time passes blah blah bla. Chris sees or reads the interview in which Seb said that he knew Chris. Chris confronts him and boom!

“Why did you say that you knew me before the first cap? We’d never met.” “Yeah, we met.” “When?” “Did you seriously forget?” “No, ‘s just that we never met before the chemistry read” “200X, it was a Halloween party, you were dressed as X, ringing any bells?” “Yeah, I remember, but we didn’t talk. There were so many people there. That doesn’t count.” “I sucked your dick in the bathroom, that counts as meeting.” “What?!” “What?!” “Th- that was you?”

Maybe I should write a fic, but I don’t really know how to end it? Bye!

If you haven't seen these two posts about intertwined fate theory and a similar anon idea from @musette22 's blog than you have to!!

I! fucking! love! this! idea!

The concept is so fucking golden!! And yes! It sooo plays into what we know about them 👀

If I can convince you, you so, so, so should write a fic based around this... and as far as how to end it, maybe Chris teases Seb that he should refresh his memory so he'll remember. Or, y'know, maybe Sebastian drags it out of an embarrassed, blushing Chris that he actually does remember that and, well... y'know, just, Jesus Christ, okay, fine, that was the hottest hookup he ever had, face burning as he admits it, and he thought about it (and jerked off to it) a lot he just didn't bring it up because he's polite, and Sebastian, since then, has, of course, far exceeded that first, rushed blow job.

In conclusion: Y-E-S.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this delicious concept 🤌🏻🤌🏻

[dragqueenstarscream]

hey, its me again, back with more Starscream thoughts, so you just know things are about to get uncomfortably real and introspective! Again, prefacing by saying that a lot of my analysis is based on my own eerily similar experiences to Starscream, so I'm not 100% sure how much of this actually rings true and what is just me projecting.

I have entirely fallen down the StarOp rabbit hole thanks to you, at a speed I never could have expected. When I first finished TFP and started browsing the tags, I'd see the occasional StarOp post and at best be like "alright, sure" and at worst a little confused on where it was coming from, given the infrequency of interactions between the two after like, early season 1. But since I sent that first ask in it just clicked and like.

Before, I was always of the opinion that Starscream joining the autobots was something that could never really work from a character perspective, not just because of his dependency on Megatron like I talked about last time, but like, even if Megatron was completely out of the picture I never felt like the full on redemption and becoming a functioning member of post-war society that becoming an Autobot would entail would particularly be desirable to Starscream (if even possible for reasons both in and out of his control.)

I sorta felt like any good ending for Starscream would have to entail him moreso escaping the narrative than anything else, given the extent to which he's stuck in this cycle almost on a cosmic level, with how he's unable to escape it in any universe, any continuity, which of course ties into wider thoughts on how this franchise seems uninterested in letting Starscream ever escape that cycle. A sort of El Camino style ending, where leaving behind everything you know and running away to Alaska is considered a good ending, all things considered. That naturally led to me shipping him with Knockout, given their chemistry and the fact that they were this close to running away together, it just felt like the most compelling option, narratively speaking.

But now that I've caught onto the StarOp agenda, I've sorta cracked the code and realized that you can make a compelling and believable path to Starscream becoming an Autobot by having him getting together with Optimus initially be on a subconscious level an outlet to recreate the cycle he was in with Megatron purely because he's used to it and doesn't know how to live without it.

Outside of the obvious ideological and moral differences, Optimus and Megatron have a lot in common, especially from the perspective of Starscream. They're both big, strong, masculine figures, and natural-born leaders that effortlessly compel those around them to fight for their respective causes. They both radiate power in a way that I imagine you can almost feel when around them (and in a way I know it, because that's often how it felt being around my personal Megatron, it's why it was so easy to fall back into his arms over and over.)

All this to say, when Starscream gets with Optimus, he's not escaping the cycle, he's changing his target. If he became an autobot he would instantly become the most dedicated autobot, not out of any ideological reasoning or particular desire to be good, but out of an intense loyalty he effortlessly placed in Optimus. But of course, the loyalty phase is only half of this cycle.

This next part I'm heavily basing on what I've realized about my own experiences, so bear with me for a second, (I also doesn't think it exactly applies to TFP as much as it does some other continuities, G1 maybe but I haven't seen much of G1 so idk for sure) but I feel like sometimes Starscream almost tests Megatron in a way when he feels like Megatron's priorities are drifting away from him, (since remember, he needs to be the most important bot in his life, Starscream is desperate for Megatron to be as obsessed with him as he is with Megatron.) so Starscream will sort of do something stupid, maybe he comes up with some harebrained scheme that's probably not gonna work, or he makes some tactical or administrative decision entirely based on what he's feeling on an emotional level, to see "will Megatron back me on this?"

because Megatron does stuff like that all the time, he's far from being a better tactician than Starscream, (notice how the moment Starscream leaves in season 1, the decepticons stop winning like, at all until he comes back?) and he makes rash decisions out of anger all the time, and Starscream goes along with all of it, every single time, so it's only fair that Megatron lets him get away with doing something kinda stupid this once. and when Megatron inevitably doesn't, either because it would work against the Decepticons own goals, or purely because he doesn't want Starscream to think he has power over him, (and despite how good he is at hiding it, Starscream does have power over him in a lot of ways, I might talk about that some other time.) Starscream lashes out, betrays Megatron, and leaves, because once again all the loyalty he gave to Megatron got him nothing in return.

and let's be clear, Starscream doing this is toxic as fuck, but at the same time of course it is, it's almost impossible not to become toxic in an environment like this. And that really comes back to bite you when you get out of that environment, but on a base level still have these habits and base level impulses that might have helped you survive back then but are terrible for the actually decent people you've surrounded yourself with now.

With that, we cut to today, where Starscream is an autobot and he tries to pull one of these "tests" on Optimus because the honeymoon phase is over and Starscream is instinctually ready for things to start getting worse, maybe they had like, one minor argument and Starscream instantly assumed the worst. and I imagine Optimus "fails" the test, says "no, I'm not backing you on this, I'm not gonna let you do that", but unlike Megatron who does so while prioritizing his own ends and his control over Starscream, Optimus is saying no for moral reasons. And I imagine he tries to explain that to Starscream, but that answer isn't hitting him properly because again, Starscream's only thinking in loyalty.

Everything Optimus thought was progress on Starscream's part in living up to autobot ideals was really just newfound intense loyalty to Optimus, his growth was really just him doing what he thinks Optimus would want him to do and what he thinks would gain him Optimus's loyalty in return. and, from Starscream's perspective, it didn't work, so he's thinking "obviously Optimus doesn't care about me at all, fuck him, I'm out of here." so he makes this big display of betraying the autobots and running away.

and from there, it's the question of if Optimus sees through what this is really about. The other autobots are probably no help in that regard, they all probably fall into one of two groups, the "At no point in time was I not 100% sure that this inevitably was going to happen" group, and the "I mean, I had hope for him, and it seemed like he was doing good, but I'm still not that surprised" group.

But of course, Optimus isn't Megatron, he does care about Starscream and wants him to know that, so I imagine he actually tries tracking down Starscream to have an actual conversation with him to try and figure out where his mind has really been at these past few months, and if he catches on to even a little bit of the subtext of what I've been saying here, he's gonna be like "oh shit, there is a lot more we need to work on than I thought."

and yeah, Megatron fucked up Starscream in ways that its gonna take years to properly unpack, so Starscream is lucky to have found quite possibly the best person to help him through it in Optimus. It's gonna be a rocky road, but Optimus is in for the ride.

and I do think this relationship could eventually become healthy, and I like reading fics where they've managed to make it healthy, but I do think at first it really wouldn't be, and as someone with the autism that makes you obsessed with themes and motifs and subtext, the process of seeing it become better, of seeing Starscream have to unlearn these old harmful defense mechanisms, THAT is really what makes my brain vibrate, especially because I've had to go through that same process myself after finally getting away from my personal Megatron for what I'm thankfully certain now is the final time.

also kinda realizing a lot of this kinda sounds like borderline personality disorder, which. that might be something I have to look into in regards to myself, damn. anyways, yeah, thanks for letting me kill the vibe again, appreciate it! I'll probably try and keep these shorter in the future, I imagine it's kind of a lot to suddenly have 1500 words of deep character analysis with hints of traumadumping suddenly thrown in your askbox lol. If this actually was a bit too much then I'm sorry, you can tell me to dial it down a little if you want.

and this, right here, is why starop is my favorite transformers ship.

you really hit the nail on the head with this one. when done well, it's not only cute and fun to explore, but it's also a deep dive into starscream as a character and what could possibly lead to a redemption arc. sure, you don't need starscream to fall in love with optimus to redeem him, but how that would actually play out is so fascinating.

sure, i love aus where starscream is an autobot spy the whole time. yes, i love aus where they were in love in the past and got separated. but the idea of starscream replacing megatron with optimus in his mind fits him so well, because, as an abuse victim myself, it's easy to find yourself drawn to people who remind you of your abuser.

and that's where optimus' kindness sets him apart, because when starscream pushes back on him, optimus doesn't do what starscream expects. he doesn't lash out or hit him or verbally berate him. he responds with honest concern, trying to figure out what's wrong.

and that kindness, that sincerity, is something starscream doesn't even realize he's been missing the entire time.

i do believe they have the potential to be healthy, but the fight towards them actually becoming healthy and helping starscream get out of his toxic mindset is part of what makes these two so damn compelling.

always happy to have another starop fan.

(also you don't have to worry about toning it down lmao, gods know i ramble like a maniac about my favorite things. i'm not gonna be the one to judge)

[taurusvenusian]

common synastry aspects for romance and marriage 💍🤍

disclaimer: this is in no particular order and only what i noticed in my synastry readings + my personal relationship experiences. my explanations here are still quite general so you can book a reading with me if you want a specific and accurate analysis of your chart specifically and want to know about challenges and strengths of your relationship.

Sun conjunct/trine/sextile Moon

♡ there is almost an instant emotional understanding and find it easier than others to see eye to eye emotionally. please do not take this for granted! ♡ sometimes without even speaking, you guys already know what the other is feeling.

♡ you find that the Moon person naturally has the capability to offer the Sun person the space to express themselves or may even suggest effective ways for you to do so, could be vice versa.

♡ when you think about each other, there is just a softness that you feel inside. you are very dear to each other.

Ascendant conjunct Descendant

♡ you two are LITERALLY MADE FOR EACH OTHER.

♡ you have the qualities that they need in a partner and vice versa. if challenges present themselves, it may be due to other planets and aspects in individual natal charts.

♡ you balance each other really well. it may be challenging to decide on your own when the other is not around (co-dependency and feeling like your other half is gone)

♡ I have this with my current boyfriend and we just naturally fit into each other's lives like puzzle pieces. it feels like there was no adjustment stage and we just naturally knew what each other wanted by just being ourselves.

Venus conjunct/trine/sextile Mars

♡ very sexy and powerful aspect due to physical chemistry. Venus person balances out the somewhat aggressive or too energetic tendencies of Mars person.

♡ Mars person is captivated by Venus person's beauty and way of doing things, while Venus person is amused by Mars person's masculine energy.

♡ you naturally gravitate towards each other and make each other feel desired and loved.

Moon conjunct/trine/sextile Venus

♡ so much emotional assurance and safety. i envy you :"( hihi

♡ your connection feels meaningful and unlike any other connection you've experienced before. you feel safe to open up towards each other and have the capability to make each other feel seen and heard

♡ you may even entrust them with secrets you haven't told anybody else yet ♡ you express your love and care towards each other through many consistent ways

Sun conjunct/trine/sextile Venus

♡ mutual admiration, warmth, and affection

♡ Venus person gives sweetness and charm while Sun person adores that and makes the Venus person feel appreciated, sometimes it could be the other way around ♡ you both just genuinely enjoy spending time with each other and feel a sense of comfort together. you can be doing nothing but still feel happy and fulfilled together

Moon conjunct/trine/sextile Moon

♡ no explanations needed, they know what you feel just by looking at your reaction or even just listening to your tone when you speak.

♡ emotional compatibility and safety are so good as you have a similar way of processing your emotions.

♡ you are less likely to feel invalidated by them. they may make it a point to prioritize your emotions ♡ for Moon conjunct Moon ... because you have the same way of feeling your emotions, you may have the tendency to be stuck in old ways because no one is facilitating or sparking some change or sense of growth within your relationship, so just be cautious of that.

Juno conjunct or trine the Sun/Moon/Venus/Mars

♡ Juno is the asteroid of marriage and partnership and so, aspects to this show that the Juno person wants to pursue you/sees a chance for partnership or long-term commitment with you, or it could very much be mutual. ♡ you both value loyalty and may easily find the strength to work through any challenges together.

Venus or Sun conjunct/trine/sextile Saturn

♡ you may not be fully conscious of it, but you are deeply devoted and committed to one another. very good aspect for long-term partnerships.

♡ this is the kind of love that grows, matures, and deepens over time (ofc not without its delays/challenges in the early stages)

♡ it's giving the "grow old together" type of love. the notebook vibe!

North Node conjunct or trine Sun/Moon/Venus/Mars

♡ north node gives a fated quality to the partnership. feels like you were meant to meet and impact each other in that way. ♡ lots of growth!! and the feeling of being destined to meet doesn't really go away and adds to the lovey-dovey feeling. ♡ personal and spiritual goals may feel easier to reach when together.

Venus conjunct/trine/sextile Pluto

♡ this might be a hot take, but for me this often manifests as deep emotional bond and transformation (if relationship is taken care of consciously and both are aware of and can handle the power dynamics).

♡ very deep intimacy and emotional healing may be felt because of the partnership.

[doumadono]

Katsuki and Reader as Academic rivals/enemies during their college years but is actually messing around behind close doors. For sinful sunday!!<3

Warnings: smut w/o plot, smut, cunnilingus, fem!reader, rough oral (f receiving), fingering, pro hero Bakugo

A/N: this request got the second highest number of votes during the Sinful Sunday poll. Thank you to everyone who voted!

SINFUL SUNDAY MY HERO ACADEMIA & MY HERO ACADEMIA MASTERLIST - PART II

"You're late," Bakugo growls, his voice edged with impatience as he glares at you from the doorway.

You smirk, brushing past him. "Didn't know the great Dynamight had a bedtime like a preschooler."

"Shut up," he snaps as he closes the door behind you. "You know I don't like waiting."

"And yet here we are," you retort, throwing your bag on his couch with a casual toss. 

The apartment is spacious, minimalist in its decor, with a few hints of Bakugo's personality — trophies from his hero work, a stack of fitness magazines, and a well-worn punching bag in the corner.

"Still can't believe we're doing this," he mutters, following you into the living room.

"Which part?" you ask, raising an eyebrow. "The studying, or the fact that we're doing it together?"

Bakugo's scowl deepens. "Both."

You laugh, settling into the couch and pulling out your notes. "Just like old times, huh? Except now we're not stuck in that cramped library."

He huffs, flopping down beside you. "Yeah, but you still haven't gotten any less annoying."

"And you haven't gotten any less competitive," you shoot back, your eyes meeting his. There's a spark there, the same one that always flared when the two of you clashed in college. 

You and Bakugo had been academic rivals since your first year at UA High School. Both fiercely competitive and driven, you clashed in every class, constantly trying to outdo each other in hero training exercises and exams. The rivalry continued into college, where you found yourselves in the same courses, your mutual determination pushing you to excel. 

Despite the animosity, there was an undeniable chemistry between you, a spark that neither of you acknowledged but both felt deeply. 

Now, years later, with Bakugo as a top Pro Hero and you excelling in your own career, the competitive fire still burns. Especially when the Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight fails yet another mandatory training session assigned to him by the Hero Commission.

Bakugo grabs a stack of papers, his fingers brushing against yours accidentally. 

The contact sends a jolt through you, and you pull back, trying to focus on the task at hand. 

"So, where were we?" he asks, his voice a little rougher.

"Here," you say, pointing to a highlighted section. "The analysis of hero efficiency metrics. You were going to show me how you applied it to your latest mission."

He nods, leaning closer. The heat from his body is distracting, and you find it hard to concentrate as he explains the data. His voice is low, the words rolling over you as you watch the way his lips move, the intensity in his eyes.

"...and that's how I optimized the response time," he finishes, looking up at you expectantly.

You blink, realizing you've barely absorbed a word. "Right. Makes sense."

He narrows his eyes. "You're not even listening, are ya, Y/N?"

"I am!" you protest, but he doesn't buy it.

"Prove it," he challenges, leaning even closer. "Explain it back to me."

Your mind races, trying to piece together what he said, but all you can think about is how close he is, the smell of his cologne, the way his breath brushes against your skin. "I, um..."

His smirk is infuriating. "Thought so, smartass."

"You're impossible," you mutter, but there's no heat in your words.

"And you're distracted," he counters. "Wonder why that is."

You glare at him, but he's right. "Maybe it's because you're in my personal space," you say, but even as you say it, you don't move away.

"Maybe you like it," he shoots back, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

Your breath catches, and for a moment, neither of you moves. Then, before you can second-guess yourself, you close the gap, your lips crashing against his in a kiss that's more a battle than a caress. It's messy, desperate, and full of the same fire that always ignited when you were around each other.

Bakugo responds instantly, his hands tangling in your hair as he deepens the kiss. The taste of him, the feel of his body pressed against yours, it's everything you've been denying yourself for years. 

You break apart, both of you breathing hard. "This doesn't change anything," you whisper, more to yourself than to him. “I’m so sorry… I shouldn’t have…”

He smirks, brushing his thumb over your swollen lips. "No, it doesn't. But it sure as hell makes things more interesting."

You laugh, a breathless sound that turns into a moan as he captures your mouth again. 

This time, there's no hesitation, no holding back. The kiss is fierce, and you can feel the same hunger in him that burns in you.

Bakugo pulls you onto his lap, his hands roaming your back as he presses you closer. The feel of his hard muscles against you, the heat of his skin, it's all intoxicating. 

You grind against him, eliciting a low growl from his throat.

"God, you're so fucking impatient," he mutters against your lips, but his hands are gentle as they slip under your shirt, exploring the skin beneath.

"You love it," you tease, arching into his touch.

"Maybe I do," he admits, his voice rough with desire. "But don't think this means you've won."

"Wouldn't dream of it," you reply, your hands busy unbuttoning his shirt. 

His shirt comes off in a tangle of limbs and fabric, neither of you willing to break the kiss for more than a few seconds.  

You trail kisses down his neck, savoring the way he shudders beneath you.

Bakugo flips you onto your back, his eyes dark and hungry as he looks down at you. "You're still a pain in my ass," he growls. His body presses you into the mattress, the weight of him a delicious reminder of his strength and power. 

You feel his hands slide up your sides, pushing your shirt higher until he pulls it over your head and tosses it aside. His mouth is on you instantly, trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses down your neck, across your collarbone, and to the swell of your breasts.

"Fuck, you're gorgeous," he murmurs against your skin, his voice thick with desire. 

You arch into his touch, your fingers threading through his hair as you hold him close. 

He groans in response, the sound vibrating against your skin as he takes one of your nipples into his mouth, sucking and biting gently.

You can feel yourself growing wetter.

"Fuck," he mutters, releasing your nipple with a wet pop and moving to the other one. His free hand roams lower, tracing the curve of your waist, the dip of your hip, until he reaches the waistband of your pants. With a rough tug, he pulls them down.

“Bakugo,” you basically growl at him, demanding his attention.

"Patience," he murmurs, his breath hot against your ear. "Good things come to those who wait."

But you're beyond waiting. You need him now. You reach down and grab his hand, guiding it to where you're aching for him - right between the thighs you willingly part just for him.

Bakugo's fingers trace the outline of your pussy through your panties, watching as your eyes flutter closed in pleasure. He can feel the heat radiating off of you, and he knows you want him just as badly as he wants you.

"Do you like that, baby?" he growls in your ear, his voice low and husky.

You nod, biting your lip as he continues to rub you through the thin fabric. You’re so wet already, he can feel it seeping through your panties and onto his fingers.

Bakugo grins, his fingers hooking into the waistband of your underwear and pulling them down your parted legs. 

You lift your hips to help him, and soon you’re lying naked before him.

He takes a moment to admire the sight of you, spread out on the couch like a feast. Your skin is soft and smooth, your breasts are full and round, and your pussy is glistening with wetness, just for him.

His fingers slip inside you easily. You’re oh so tight, he can feel your muscles clenching around his digits as he moves them in and out. "Fuck, you feel so good," he praises, his thumb finding your clit and rubbing it in tight circles.

"Fuck," you breathe, your hips bucking involuntarily. "Yes, just like that."

Bakugo's fingers curl inside you, hitting all the right spots. 

You can feel yourself already getting closer, your body tensing with each stroke. And then, just as you think you can't take it any longer, he stops.

You whimper in protest, but he just smirks. 

"Not yet," he says. "I want to taste you first."

Before you can react, he's sliding down your body, his mouth hot and wet on your inner thigh. 

You moan as he kisses and licks his way closer to your mound, your whole body trembling with anticipation.

And then, finally, his tongue is on your clit, teasing and flicking in a way that makes your whole body shudder. You can hear the wet sounds of his mouth on you, the slick slide of his tongue. It's obscene and you can't get enough of it. You buck your hips, grinding against his face as he devours you.

"Oh god, Bakugo," you moan, your voice hoarse. "I'm going to come."

He just hums in response, his tongue working harder, faster. He uses his thumb to roll your clitty in a circle, pushing the upper portion of your outer lips aside. As Bakugo plays with your little, swollen pearl, your lower lips begin to glisten, then open, and after a longer moment of playing while your breathing quickens, a thin string of crystalized dew falls from your juicy pink slit.

“Just like that, just like that!” you are a moaning mess beneath him.

“Holy fucking shit,” he growls lowly, watching your body writhe, feeling the intense strain as his sweatpants become painfully tight. Bakugo doesn't stop, though. He keeps licking and sucking. He licks up through your soft folds like a dog, lapping at your cunny juices as if his life depends on it. He then curls and straightens his calloused fingers several times, petting the underside of your mound from within. “Cum for me, I wanna see you cumming hard for me,” Bakugo commands.

Your clit throbs in his mouth as he sucks the little pearl in, finger-fucking your slick, drenched pussy.

A high pitched whimper cuts off your words. Your stomach heaves, your ass shakes, and you feed Bakugo your muff with a sexy, up and down grinding motion that runs your pussy all over his slightly unshaven face. You tighten your grip on his ash-blonde hair and pull him against your pussy, mashing your clit between his tongue and your own pubic bone.

Finally, Katsuki pulls away, his face glistening with your juices.

"Fuck," you breathe, still reeling from the intensity of your orgasm. "That was incredible."

Bakugo just grins, clearly pleased with himself. "You're welcome," he says. Bakugo licks and kisses his way up your body, his touch sending shivers down your spine. When he reaches your lips, he kisses you deeply before pulling back. "You know this doesn't mean I'm ever going to go easy on you," he says, grinding his crotch against your slick folds.

The unmistakable hardness pressing against you is making you acutely aware of how hard he is — how hard you've made him just with your moans and pussy.

You wrap your arms around his neck. "Yeah, I know. But quit this shit now and fuck me like I know you've always wanted to."

[hotvintagepoll]

Peter Falk (The Great Race, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World)—JUST A SILLY MAN!! Sabotages four different cars (including his own, oopsie daisy) in the film The Great Race. Not film but TV, however, he is also known as the lovably silly little man Detective Columbo. Nobody knows what he's doing or where he's going at any time (even him).

Jack Lemmon (The Great Race, The Apartment, Some Like It Hot)—He's the everyman, he's clumsy, he's strange, in nearly every movie he finds himself in the oddest of circumstances because he's taken advantage of or because of... bad luck? You empathize with him, he's really a little guy. And yet... Why is he so hot? Why does he have this charm, this hidden fire, this weird kind of... elegance? You can't help but sense this magnetism he radiates. There is power in his charming eccentricity and clumsiness. He just really draws you in and you want to explore what it is that makes him so scrungly and so attractive at once.

This is round 3 of the contest. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. If you’re confused on what a scrungle is, or any of the rules of the contest, click here.

[additional submitted propaganda + scrungly videos under the cut]

Peter Falk:

He's a man who looks unshaven even when he's shaven. His soul is unshaven. The perpetual squint, the way his eyes don't always go in the same direction due to one being glass, the disheveled hair... I can only hope to look as scrungly as him someday.

Just look at him. Seriously. Just look at him. He's the scrungliest little guy. He out-scrungles them all.

Jack Lemmon:

his chemistry with judy holliday in their two movies together is ZOINKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but i couldn't find any clips of that so watch him have mad chemistry with peter falk instead in my favorite campiest film of all time instead

His character in Glengary Glen Ross is literally the archetype Pathetic Guy. Even if you haven't seen this film I PROMISE you have seen iterations of Jack Lemmon's character from it. His character in Days of Wine and Roses will break your heart and show what an amazing range he has. [editor's note: I haven't seen either of these films so don't consider them recs from me. Also please keep your propaganda within the 1910-1970 range. tw for alcoholism in the clip below.]

[michelle-is-writing]

Interview, Matthew Gray Gubler

He's so goofy, I love him

Word Count: 2.1k~

(C/n) : Character name for the show

I think even after all the years of doing acting, I will never be able to feel completely comfortable in an interview. Over time, it's gotten easier, but the lingering feeling of nervousness still creeps up into me. I always worry I'll say something that can be taken out of context, or I'll blurt out something I wasn't supposed to reveal just yet. However, if I'm with friends or co-workers during an interview, the anxiety isn't so prevalent.

Thankfully, right now, I'm in one of the rooms on set with four of my closest friends as a reporter from a nearby magazine publishing company interviews us. Kirsten, A.J., and Shamar sit along the largest sofa while Matthew and I share the loveseat in the room. It's fitting, actually.

Over time, Matthew and I have formed a relationship with each other outside of filming Criminal Minds. It wasn't planned, of course. We met on set knowing our characters would soon be forming a romantic relationship, and so, we started a friendship to better portray the chemistry on set. However, that chemistry went farther than I could've expected in such a short time, and now we sit as two lovers who can't reveal themselves to the world just yet.

In the show, my character, (C/n), and Spencer still haven't gotten together. They're perfect for each other, my character having been written specifically for Spencer's character, but they have issues like any other two people trying to get together. It's lead to a lot of ups and downs with many fans going online to tell us to just kiss already. Luckily for them, the next episode that's next to come finally breaks through that relationship barrier and our characters get together. Because of this, the producer has told us that it was alright Matthew and I could be together off-screen - however, we must keep our relationship secret and hidden away from the public to avoid any spoilers about the episode being released.

Due to the pressure of trying not to do any of the things I would usually do with Matthew, I'm a bit scared of this interview. I know the interviewer is going to ask us questions about our ever growing on-show relationship - that's a definite. With the increasing romantic tension between our two characters, I don't even think she has to ask any questions to get the answer she wants. It's happening, and it's obvious.

Once the interviewer enters the room, she introduces herself as Lacey and greets us all with a welcoming smile. Sitting down in the only arm chair in the room, she starts off by talking about the recent season to the camera while other cameras pan around to catch video of us all. With all of us being watched and recorded, Matthew waits until the cameras are pointing away from us before sliding his hand discreetly over to mine and linking our pinkies together. The simple action, makes me a bit calmer as a smile soon makes its way to my lips.

"So, JJ And Will," The interviewer starts, facing A.J. with the same smile as before, her arm draped against the arm rest while her leg is crossed over the other. "Are they thinking about having any more kids after this recent one? Maybe another boy, or a girl for change?"

At the question, A.J. smiles with a small laugh. "I think for now, Henry and Michael are enough for Jennifer," She explains, folding her hands together and placing them in her lap. "Plus, I think Mekhai and Phoenix are enough for me at the moment too," A.J. adds, causing all to laugh with her. The boys are wonderful, but with Phoenix barely six months old at the moment, I can understand why she would be apprehensive over thinking about another baby so soon.

"They are adorable kids, A.J.," Lacy tells her, earning a warm 'thank you' back. Turning toward Kirsten and Shemar, Lacey asks them her next question. "What about your characters?" She asks, "Are there anymore developing things to soon come along?"

"Just the same ol' incessant flirting from this old woman," Shemar jokes, earning a slap to his arm from Kirsten much to our amusement. However, Shemar quickly earns his friendship back from Kirsten with a hug as she struggles to keep her angry face. "But it's the flirting that I love! I love it! I'm glad it's incessant!" He further clarifies, taking Kirsten in his arms and swaying her as she laughs at him.

With that, our laughter grows until finally quieting down as Kirsten is back to wrapping her arms around Shemar's neck in a non-threatening gesture. This time, the interviewer turns toward Matthew and me with a smirk on her lips, his hand having already left mine moments ago as we felt the questions coming.

"Now," Lacey begins, her voice slow and calculated. I can't help but feel a bit anxious under her unmoving stare. "We have seen the relationship between (C/n) and Spencer grow and have breakthroughs on-screen, but, my question is..." She then pauses, her smirk turning into a grin. "What all do you have to say about yours and Matthew's relationship off-screen?"

Her question takes me by surprise. All of the questions we've been asked before were centered around the relationship between mine and Matthew's characters - never are they about me and Matthew in real life. We always chalked it up to the fact that we make sure we're careful in not revealing that we do have a relationship, but maybe Lacey just kind of sensed it. Although, how could she not?

"Oh, well," I start, looking over at Matthew as he smiles at me. To the others, it's just a plain, nonchalant smile, but to me, I can see the corner of his lips turning up into a smirk. "Our relationship is nothing more than friends," I lie, my voice calm as I continue lightly grinning. "We play around and joke around with each other constantly. We're very close," I add, being truthful for once. I know that Matthew desperately wants to stop hiding our relationship from the public, as do I, but we can't. At least, not for another week.

Lacey hums a response with the smirk back on her lips. "So, Matthew's arm around your shoulder was just a friend thing?" She can't help but ask.

"Okay, so, we're best friends!" I exclaim, rolling my eyes before letting out a small laugh. "Two friends can put their arms around each other without it meaning anything else. Right, Shemar?" I add, hearing the man in question agree with a 'I know that's right'. Meanwhile, Matthew has his own way of dealing with the unwanted questions.

"Whoah!" Matthew states, leaning back with a blank look, his hands help up in surprise. "Did you just friendzone me, babe?" He asks in a ridiculous voice, making me stifle a laugh. He's so goofy, but I guess he's trying to help me play it off all the while calming me down too. Like anything else he does for me, he's doing it successfully.

"You're lucky I even said 'best friend,' buddy," I add, crossing my arms with a smirk as I lean back against the couch rather than Matthew's arm like before. Meanwhile, Matthew just stares at me with his mouth agape, trying not to laugh at my words.

"Bu-buddy?!" He questions, purposely stuttering the word for a dramatic effect. "My heart!" He shouts, slapping a hand to his chest. This time, everyone begins laughing at our exchange as we smile at each other and slowly settle back down.

Thankfully, realizing that she won't get the answer she was wanting, Lacey doesn't question mine and Matthew's relationship again, nor does she ask anything more about Spencer and (C/n)'s growing relationship either. In fact, her attention is so far away from me and Matthew at this point that she doesn't even notice our new position with my back against Matthew's chest and his arm lazily strewn across my lap. Any other time, this wouldn't be happening, but with us establishing that we're just "friends" like Shemar and Kristen (funny enough, the only two that actually do know about our relationship), I feel as if we're in the clear.

After the interview is over and we're all released to head back to our dressing rooms, I make my way to mine with the intention of taking my makeup off before heading home and taking a nap. Of course, when I say 'home,' I mean mine and Matthew's apartment. Unfortunately, it's yet another thing we have to hide from everyone else.

Just as I toss my used makeup wipe into the trash bin, I hear my dressing room door open behind me before shortly closing afterward with a click. Turning around to see who walked in, I'm greeted by the person whom I want to see the most, and we can't help but smile at each other as soon as our eyes meet. Barely a few seconds pass before Matthew's arms are around me and my lips are on top of his.

Despite our touches being soft and sweet, they soon turn into something more as I find myself pressed against my dressing room counter with Matthew in between my legs and his hands planted firmly on my waist. "Matthew," I murmur in between kisses as his lips move down to my jaw. I know that if we don't stop now, there will be no stopping at all.

"Matthew, we can't," I whisper, pulling myself back to look at him. Staring back at me with lust blown eyes, I watch as he tries to catch his breath while I do the same. Having to hide our relationship everywhere we go builds up a certain passion that sometimes comes out in situations like now. Although, it's usually at home and not where practically anyone can catch us. "Not here."

"Why? No one's going to hear us," He quickly points out, shrugging as if it were nothing. Diving back into my neck, Matthew presses his lips onto the skin of my collarbone, prompting me to move a hand to his head and tug his hair back. Thankfully, this brings a halt to his actions, and instead of crying out in pain, Matthew jerks his head back into my hand and sighs through his nose, smirking. "Unless you keep that up."

Resisting the urge to laugh, I shake my head at him. "That's what I'm saying!" I almost exclaim, moving my hands to the sides of his smiling face. "Besides, we haven't come out as official yet. We were told to wait until next week's episode that way we don't give away our character's relationship at the same time," I remind him, feeling my heart slowly break as his smile falters.

Knowing that I'm right, Matthew sighs before laying his head against my chest in defeat. "I know, but I'm tired of waiting," He murmurs, his voice gentle and almost in-audible. Out of the two of us, I think Matthew's the one that this affects the most.

"Me too," I agree, my hand that had previously pulled at his hair now soothingly combing through the longer locks. "But, it's just another week, just one more," I point out, reminding us both that we don't have to wait that long anymore. "And then we can finally kiss and hold hands and hug without having a finger waved at us."

Nodding with a chuckle, Matthew continues resting against my chest as I massage his scalp. Although, a flip is switched within a matter of seconds and he's back to smirking. "You know, we could always just give them a sneak peek, nothing more," He suggests, turning his head to nuzzle further into the exposed skin from my v-neck blouse.

"Matthew, you are an animal!" I quietly exclaim, laughing as I have to once again push him away. With him grinning playfully, I move to stand back up in front of him, a similar grin making its way onto my face before I lean up and press my lips to his in a soft, but quick kiss. "I do love you though."

Smiling at my comment, Matthew tightens his arms around me and holds me close, my face now pressed into his chest for a change. "I love you too, (Y/n)," He murmurs, lowering his head as I feel him press a kiss to my hair. One more week is all we have to wait before revealing anything, and honestly, I don't know if this man is going to last that long.

And to be honest, I can't blame him.

[bo0tleg]

GEMS MY FRIEND SAID WATCHING TOP GUN (1986) FOR THE FIRST TIME:

"Look at those thighs! He's gotta be sitting on a dick, there ain't no way!" (about a random engineer in the opening sequence)

"This guy is too handsome to be a rando" (it was, indeed, a rando)

"Fifteen minutes in and I have no idea who the protagonist is." "Do you know what Tom Cruise looks like?" ".... No."

*Thought Cougar was gonna be the protagonist, was confused as hell when he left*

"The baldo is boring, but I think were gonna keep seeing him throughout the movie." "No, we're not." "We're not? Oh, thank god."

"Whoop, spotted the gay one. That wasn't even hard."

"That guy (Chipper) looks russian." "Nope." "No? What about that one (Slider)?" "It's the middle of the Cold War." "..... So?"

"A gay couple already? Wow."

"The blondie is trying to flirt while the other one is too concentrated on the rivalry."

"OH HELL NAH."

"Every old movie just feels the need for random straight romance– OH SHIT THAT'S HER? HE'S SO FUCKED." (In the scene where Charlie is 'officially' introduced)

"HOLD UP!" *Rewinds the scene* "What kind of flirting is that?" *Plays the scene again* "Did he just... Chomp? At him?"

"He has chemistry with her, but she doesn't want any chemistry with him. I mean, I can see she's attracted to him, but I think she just wants a quick lay." (Repeated this Every. Single. Time. Maverick and Charlie had a scene together.)

"Ah yes, the hetero scene that actually looks really gay." Later, remembering the scene: "How the fuck are you gonna play sports looking like a hot piece of ass without looking gay? You're not supposed to be hot! You're supposed to slap that fucking ball, not be like 'hahaha look at me, I'm so dainty and pretty.' THAT'S GAY!"

"It's cute, Goose treats him like a father would." "Don't you mean an older brother?" "No, he's too gentle for that. They'd be killing each other."

"See, Goose's wife treats him like an older sister would. By annoying him."

Charlie, on screen: "(...) Because I've fallen in love with you." "NO YOU FUCKING HAVEN'T, SHE'S JUST SAYING THAT FOR HIM TO STAY! SHE'S JUST SAYING WHAT HE WANTS TO HEAR TO KEEP HIM THERE!"

*Loud disgruntled noises I could hear from the kitchen over the sex scene*

"That's the one with the hard on!"

"I want more scenes of the blondie (Ice) and Maverick, I don't care about fucking planes."

"Did he die? Oh, no he's fine, the chute is there. Wait, he did die? NO!"

"Did he really need to be in his underwear for this conversation?"

"How cute, he's worried about Mavericks mental health. Shit."

*Screams*

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU IDIOT? SHE LEFT YOU AFTER YOUR BEST FRIEND DIED!" "And put on a song that reminds him of his parents." "AND PUT ON A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF YOUR DEAD PARENTS!"

[lizajane2]

I was scrolling through TikTok and watched a short edit of a fictional couple saying goodbye. He's begging her to stay—let me repeat that— HE'S the one begging her to stay!

Which led me to watching the first season of Midnight at the Pera Palace. Why had I never heard of it before? I adore that it's set during the 20s; I've always loved that era. But anyway, I've got to vent about the main couple, so this is gonna contain spoilers for those who haven't watched it.

The way Halit looked at Esra from across the room in the first episode, I was gone. I was a complete goner. That look was perfection. It wasn't just awe, it was "I know you. I've known you forever, and I want you, only you." SOMEONE LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!!

He is madly, passionately, and obsessively in love with her. And it drives me nuts. These two have altered my brain chemistry.

And I know he just killed another man, but the way Halit is holding her, his grip on her hand is even tight like he's desperate to keep her there.

The absolute yearning that is coming from him is so gut-wrenching in the best way possible.

And he said this, when he first met Esra in 1917:

Halit had me kicking my feet, giggling, and squealing like a little girl. Had me falling in love, too, damn. "You were made for me, weren't you?" WHAT?! That is insane behavior, good sir, and yet I melted like butter. And excuse me, but you don't need to look at her like that.

Prime example number 2:

They look at each other like they've been in love for years. And he doesn't even know her name! She never even told him. THEY MAKE ME SICK!!

But this, THIS RIGHT HERE:

For fuck's sake, kill me now!! How he grabs Esra to pull her close, leaving no space between them, is absolutely divine!! And then it gets so much better with his speech:

"I've been waiting for so long to see you again. I can't wait any more. Whoever you are, I don't care. Because the thing is we... we are meant to be with each other. You know it, too. I can see it in your eyes. I need you. And I'll do whatever I can to have you. And I can see that you need me, too. Destiny has brought us together."

I NEED THAT INJECTED INTO MY VEINS, TATTOOED ON MY SKIN!!

The soft caress of her cheek, how he tilts her chin up when he says "I need you. And I'll do whatever I can to have you." See, no, that's not... he's driving me absolutely wild!!

Halit: "But I'm in love with you."

Esra: "But I'm not in love with you."

She's stronger than me, cause girl why the fuck are you lying?!

And it's also insane behavior that Halit followed Esra through time when all he had to hang on to were fleeting moments. He even had a child on the way, but that didn't stop him. Nothing felt right without her. LUCKY FUCKING HER!!

His hand placement here:

IT MAKES ME WEAK IN THE FUCKING KNEES!!

"Don't leave me, then." "No. No. If you leave, my life will not be worth living, my love."

Who chooses to go back to their own time over him?!

Me:

[whoreforellieandabby]

Lego date

Loser ellie x loser r?

A/n: I haven't been posting bc my mental health has gone down the drain but i finally got the energy to write this little idea

You were in your apartment piecing together a new Lego set you had just bought. It was a big project, and you knew you wanted to have a night to dedicate to it. So while your friends are off partying on a friday night, you're indoors with your record player on and Lego on the table. Dina had tried to get you to go out with them, but this was too exciting to wait any longer for. But then you hear a knock on your door. You let out a frustrated sigh. You weren't expecting a package or anything, and you texted Dina and Jesse that you for sure were not going. You open the door, expecting Dina to see her best friend and your crush, Ellie. You froze a little, not expecting to see her. You weren't super close with her, only exchanging a few sentences between each other when you were with her.

"Hi Ellie...what are you doing here?" You said.

She took in your figure. You were wearing some pajama shorts and a tank top. Ellies face went red as she spoke.

"Dina wanted me to check on you." She said.

You looked down and quickly cross your arms in front of your chest.

"Why?" You asked.

"Normally, you don't pass on free weed"

You looked back at your table.

"Yeah... I'm just busy tonight."

"You don't look busy." She stated.

You sighed.

"I'm building a lego set."

Ellie immediately got excited. You two finally had a shared interest other than weed.

"Really?" She excitedly asked.

"Yeah," you saw that her reaction was good, and she wasn't going to tease you for it. "You wanna see it?"

She quickly nodded, and you let her in the house.

You showed her the lego set on the table.

"Whoa this one's cool I don't have this one!"

"I didn't know you built legos." You said

"Yeah, well, Dina and Jesse, don't build legos, and since I met you through them and you're like Dina, I expected you not to also"

"No I like them a lot" you said.

Ellie has never been in your apartment, so she looked around the room and saw a bunch of nerdy stuff she was into.

"You never talk about all of this stuff" she said.

You shrugged.

"Dina and Jesse aren't into it, so I don't really bring it up"

"This is awesome," Ellie said while looking into your eyes.

"Do you... want to stay here and help me build this? I know you're supposed to be out at a party with Dina and Jesse..."

Ellie immediately jumped at the chance to spend time with you. She has always wanted to but was to much of a pussy to ask.

"Yes, I'd like that" she said almost a little to enthusiastic.

"Ok" you nod.

You both spend the evening building the set, listening to music, and talking. The chemistry flowed between you both. But soon enough you were both tired and Ellie needed to get back to her place because she had plans with Joel the next day.

"Will you...go out with me?" She finally got the courage to ask. Her face turned bright red and she messed with her hands.

"I'd love to Ellie."

Ellie felt her body relax and she gave you a smile.

"Ok, I'll text you the details"

You walked her to the front door and opened it up letting her walk out your door into the chilly night until you made a quick impulsive decision.

"Ellie!"

She turned around and you gently grabbed her face and softly kissed her. You quickly pulled back from her freaking out and quickly went to close the door.

"Text me!" You yelled to her before closing the door.

Ellie quickly sprinted to her car and immediately pulled out her phone to text Dina about finally asking you out and the kiss.

[its-avalon-08]

why did you leave me (cl16)

part9!

multipart story! prev || next

✦ pairing - charles leclerc x female reader

summary : charles and y/n have always been best friends. but y/n has been in love with him forever. when charles starts dating a new girl, out of respect y/n distances herself. but how much is too much?

The club was buzzing with energy, the music pulsing through the air as the drivers and their friends celebrated together. Charles found himself in a corner, talking with Lando, Max, Carlos, and Pierre. They were all in high spirits, but their curiosity about his relationship with Y/N was palpable.

Lando was the first to bring it up, grinning mischievously. "So, Charles, what's the deal with you and Y/N? Are you finally together, or what?"

Charles shifted while smiling shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, it's… complicated you know. We spoke and I told her everything but-," he began, but the other drivers wouldn't let him off that easily.

Max raised an eyebrow. "Complicated? How so? You guys have been inseparable tonight."

Carlos nodded, taking a sip of his drink. "Yeah, we've all noticed. So, what's the story?"

Pierre leaned in, a smirk on his face. "Come on, Charles. Spill the beans. Are you two finally a couple?"

Charles sighed, feeling the weight of their questions. "We haven't really had a chance to talk about it yet. Everything happened so fast today. I know I want to be with her, but we haven't defined what we are."

Meanwhile, across the club, Y/N was having a similar conversation with Lewis and George. They were seated in a cozy booth, the club's lights casting a warm glow over them.

Lewis leaned forward, a teasing smile on his lips. "So, Y/N, what's going on with you and Charles? Are you two an item now?"

Y/N blushed, playing with the straw in her drink. "It's… well, it's kind of up in the air right now. We had a big talk today, and things are different, but we haven't labeled anything yet."

George chuckled, shaking his head. "You guys are adorable. Seriously, everyone can see the chemistry between you two. It's about time something happened."

Lewis nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's obvious you both care a lot about each other. So why not just go for it?"

Y/N sighed, looking down at her drink. "I want to, but I guess we're both a little scared. We've been friends for so long, and we don't want to mess that up."

Back in the corner, Charles was trying to articulate his feelings. "I care about her more than anything. I just… I want to make sure we're on the same page. I don't want to rush her or make her feel pressured."

Lando put a hand on Charles's shoulder, offering a reassuring smile. "Mate, it's clear you both have feelings for each other. Just talk to her. Be honest."

Max nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Charles. You two are perfect together. Don't overthink it."

Carlos grinned, raising his glass. "To Charles and Y/N, whatever they may be. Just make her happy, man."

Charles smiled, feeling a bit more at ease. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate it."

At the same time, Y/N was getting similar advice from Lewis and George.

"Just talk to him, Y/N," Lewis encouraged. "You both deserve to be happy."

George smiled warmly. "Yeah, and from what I've seen, you make each other happy. That's all that matters."

Y/N took a deep breath, feeling a surge of determination. "You're right. I need to talk to him."

As if on cue, both Y/N and Charles looked up, their eyes meeting across the club. With a shared understanding, they started making their way towards each other, hearts pounding with anticipation. The moment of truth was approaching, and neither of them wanted to wait any longer.

As Y/N and Charles walked towards each other through the crowded club, their eyes locked in silent communication, a sense of anticipation hung in the air. Just as they were about to close the distance, a sleazy man stepped in front of Y/N, blocking her path.

"Hey there, beautiful," the man said, his breath reeking of alcohol as he leaned in too close. "Why don't you and I go somewhere a bit more… private?"

Y/N took a step back, trying to maintain her composure. "No, thank you. I'm not interested."

The man chuckled, ignoring her clear discomfort. "Aw, come on baby. Don't be like that. I promise I'll show you a good time."

Y/N tried to move around him, but he stepped in her way again, his smile turning predatory. "What's the matter? Do you have a boyfriend or something?"

Before Y/N could respond, Charles was there, his eyes blazing with anger. He stepped between Y/N and the man, his voice cold and controlled. "Yes, she does. And you're going to leave her alone."

The sleazy man sneered, looking Charles up and down. "Oh, really? And who might you be?"

Charles squared his shoulders, his voice low and dangerous. "I'm her fucking boyfriend. Now back off."

The man hesitated, clearly sensing the seriousness in Charles's tone. But before he could make another move, a chorus of cheers and shouts erupted from the drivers nearby.

"That's right, Charles!" Lando called out, pumping his fist in the air.

"About time you stepped up!" Max added, laughing.

Carlos and Pierre joined in, raising their glasses. "To Charles and Y/N!"

The man's confidence wavered, and he finally took a step back. "Fine, whatever," he muttered, slinking away into the crowd.

Charles turned to Y/N, his expression softening immediately. "Are you okay?"

Y/N nodded, her heart pounding from both the encounter and Charles's declaration. "Yeah, I am now. Thank you, Charles."

He smiled, reaching out to gently brush a strand of hair from her face. "I'm sorry that happened. I should have been here sooner."

She shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. "It's okay. You were here when it mattered."

The drivers continued to cheer, their excitement filling the club. Charles pulled Y/N into his arms, holding her close as the world around them celebrated.

"I meant what I said," Charles whispered in her ear. "I am your boyfriend, if you'll have me."

Y/N looked up at him, her eyes shining with emotion. "Of course I will, Charlie. I've wanted this for so long. You beside me. That's all."

Charles leaned down, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. "Me too, Y/N. Me too."

The club erupted in even louder cheers, and as Charles and Y/N stood there, wrapped up in each other, they knew they had finally found their way to the happiness they both deserved.

As the cheers and applause of their friends and fellow drivers echoed through the club, Charles and Y/N stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, their hearts pounding in unison. The realization of their feelings and the joy of finally being together filled the air around them.

Charles gently cupped Y/N's face, his thumb brushing away a stray tear that had escaped down her cheek. "Y/N," he murmured, his voice filled with emotion, "I love you."

Y/N's breath hitched, her eyes locked onto his. "I love you too, Charles," she whispered, her voice trembling with the depth of her feelings.

Unable to hold back any longer, Charles leaned in, his lips capturing hers in a passionate kiss. The world around them seemed to blur and fade away, leaving just the two of them in that moment. His lips were warm and soft against hers, and she melted into his embrace, her hands tangling in his hair.

The kiss deepened, a rush of emotions and years of unspoken love pouring into it. Charles's hands slid to her waist, pulling her closer, as if afraid she might disappear. Y/N responded with equal fervor, her heart soaring with the realization that this was real, that they were finally together.

Around them, the club erupted in cheers once more, the drivers and their friends celebrating this long-awaited union. Lando whooped loudly, clapping his hands. "Finally!"

Max grinned, raising his drink in a toast. "To Charles and Y/N!"

Carlos and Pierre joined in, their smiles wide and genuine. "About time!"

But for Charles and Y/N, the world outside their kiss was just a distant hum. Their lips moved together in perfect harmony, a dance of love and promise. When they finally broke apart, breathless and smiling, their foreheads rested against each other, their eyes shining with tears and joy.

Charles pressed another gentle kiss to her lips, softer this time, filled with tenderness. "You're everything to me, Y/N. I promise to make you happy every single day."

Y/N smiled, her fingers tracing the line of his jaw. "You already do, Charles. Just by being you."

As they stood there, wrapped up in each other, the noise of the club and the celebration around them faded into a beautiful background melody. They had found their way to each other, and nothing else mattered. They were together, and that was all they needed.

[flyingwargle]

fics that changed my life in 2024

the movie sucked me back into the hq fandom and with that, fanfic. i read an obscene amount this year (as evidenced by my monthly recs, haha) and some of them have permanently changed my brain chemistry. here's my shoutout to these fics.

note: some fics are rated e!

general

With a little water (and a little bit of sunlight) t. 25.5k. 19/19. onigiri miya catches on fire and atsumu helps osamu in the aftermath. i revisit this from time to time for the brotherly bond, friendships, prose, and imagery. this fic proves that nothing is stronger than family.

sakuatsu

particularities t. 5.7k. everything about this fic is hilarious - the prose, premise, realization, confession - everything. the interaction with osamu lives rent-free in my head.

Watching You for Love t. 6.6k. the prose brings me to my knees. the imagery is vivid and incredibly connected to sakusa, and his pining for atsumu is so subtly displayed and beautiful.

Hall Pass t. 6.8k. i still don't know what a hall pass but i do know this fic is funny and one of my comfort fics. everyone needs to read saeko kissing atsumu. you're doing yourself a favor.

point of view t. 27.9k. 3/3. one of my first fics i read with insecure atsumu and sakusa wanting nothing more than to love him. i hold onto any fic that portrays mental health tightly because of the different ways it's portrayed, and this fic showed atsumu's insecure side vividly.

frankenstein's monster t. 83.6k. 10/10. one of skts' treasures that focuses on ocd. i love fics like these because of how writers are able to use their experiences to write deeply personal stories by knocking characters to their lowest and persevering through it.

easy to love t. 145.5k. 40/40. i love everything about this, from the prose, character development, slowburn romance, and side relationships. this fic made me like suna and sunaosa (they were portrayed so well) and pushed me deeper into skts. the confession scene is my favorite, of course.

terminal curiosity e. is there anything i need to say about this series that others haven't said already? it honestly changed my brain chemistry, like many others, and it's my comfort read, like many others (my poison is laid bare). honestly one of skts' best treasures.

sunaosa

a type of hunger m. 9.1k. this fic influenced how i view suna's character, with his desire and envy, self-doubt and struggle with identifying his relationship with osamu. it resonates deeply with how i want to write folded promises, which is why it sticks with me.

somewhere to lay the flowers t. 25.6k. trans suna is an icon we don't deserve. i love the mystery, the characters, the plot and conflict, and the web of interconnectedness between everyone involved.

iwaoi

Lost in Translation t. 9.6k. this fic is untagged but the summary gives you everything that you need to know. loved this for the humor and amazing ocs. it's one of my favorites for being a fun read.

we'll walk the mile and change it (if we can) t. 49.2k. 7/7. a devastating fic where oikawa undergoes a procedure to forget about ushijima and kageyama but forgets about iwa in the process. amazing prose, climax, and resolution.

bokuaka

in the same room, at the same time t. 22.1k. i read this in one sitting and did not regret any second of it. first: bokuaka proposal. second: it's just so tender and fluffy?? loved the setup and aftermath. it continues to live rent free in my mind.

truth is such a violent force t. 41k. 8/8. such delicate yet impactful writing on painful themes. i love how supportive fukurodani is to akaashi and the eventual getting together.

other pairings

Common side effects m. 89.9k. 16/16. kuroken. this captures the monotony and depression of adulthood so well, and delves into different kinds of relationships in a poignant way. beautiful character development and eventual getting together.

[cactus-cuddler]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 𝑺𝒑𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 // first part

Natasha Romanoff

x female reader

Word count: 2,1k

Plot: you and Natasha are two spies who have worked together for many years. During these years, a particular chemistry has arisen between you that will make something emerge that you couldn't have foreseen

Genre: Romantic Erotica

Warnings: this story contains descriptions of sexual activity

Author's Notes: English is not my first first language so I apologize for any errors! Let me know what you think!

You and Natasha are the most famous spy couple in the world. There isn't a mission you haven't completed, and your lives revolve around espionage. You don't consider yourselves friends, and you don't think you ever will be; you only refer to each other as 'colleagues'. Nothing more and nothing less, but between you, outside of your work, there is a strange and deadly chemistry.

In the facility where you work, each of you has an apartment with everything that is yours. There are no rigid timetables to follow; you have total freedom of movement. From the outside, the building that houses you looks like a very normal condominium, and it is. Most of the people who live there are spies, but there are also ordinary people and children. No one is allowed to know the identity of others except within couples, so you don't know who is a spy and who is not inside the building.

Your apartment is furnished according to how you always dreamed your home would be when you moved out on your own. It has a bedroom, a guest bedroom, and a connected kitchen and living room; however, they are separated by a curtain. You have a cat sleeping on the armchair, occupying the place where you usually like to read and watch movies, so you are forced to sit on the soft sofa that you typically reserve for your guests.

It's a beautiful day outside. You notice as you adjust the curtains on the window that you live on the top floor, so you enjoy a spectacular view of your town. The doorbell rings unexpectedly, and you're alarmed since you're not expecting any visitors. It could be anyone! You shout, 'I'm coming!' and then put on a cardigan with pockets hiding weapons, just in case it's an attack—unlikely, but never say never. You open the door carefully, and there stands a redhead with a friendly smile on the threshold. You stare at her for a few moments. She's wearing a simple T-shirt that says 'I 🌵 cactus' and gray sweatpants. You don't even understand the effect she has on you. Every time she looks at you outside of a mission, you become like a broken record that only makes one sound: the 'tumtum' of your heart. She has never been in your apartment in all the years you've been working together, which is why you're very surprised.

"Haven't they taught you how to welcome guests?" she asks you sarcastically, and you snap out of your trance. She sits inside your apartment and looks around as if lost. "You have good taste," she compliments, and you smile shyly.

"How can I help you?" you ask her but she’s lost in petting your cat. You clear your throat as you cross your arms to remind her that you're there.

"I just wanted to see you," she says, looking at you with her penetrating gaze. You didn't expect such an answer, and you were absolutely not ready to receive it because your heart starts beating hastily, leaving you breathless. "What a beautiful cat! What's his name?" she asks you, but it doesn't have one yet. You found him yesterday, cold and hungry, and you couldn't leave him there!

“He doesn't have one yet" you reply, trying not to tremble.

“What do you think of Dymka? It’s a Russian name” you like it so you nod in approval. You ask her if there is something she wants to eat and she asks you for a beer but you don't have it in your fridge. You have only water, tea and fruit juice.

"Your fridge looks like a baby’s" teases you with a sarcastic voice. Pretend nothing and serve her a glass of orange juice and pour one for yourself while Dymka sits on Natasha’s legs.

"I have a favor to ask you. I have a problem with the water pipes, and I remember that," she starts talking, and before finishing the sentence, she lowers her voice, "during an old mission we had the same problem and you were able to solve it," she concludes. For a second there, you really thought she was just there to see you, and you feel stupid.

"Of course!" you answer, hiding your disappointment. After finishing your drink, you go to her apartment. She lives downstairs, in apartment 52. Her house is rather messy; she has dirty clothes around, including bras, beer bottles, and empty canned food.

She apologizes for the mess, but it doesn’t bother you; on the contrary, you are pleased that she also lives alone and has no traces of any partners. She takes you to the kitchen, which, unlike the living room, is clean and immaculate. You open the door under the sink and, once you understand the reason for the leak, you get to work, asking Natasha to help you by passing the necessary tools.

"Where did you learn?" she asks curiously. You smile softly, and while you wash your hands, you tell her that when you were little, your father forced you every time to keep the light on while he had to solve small problems. Every time you watched him, you learned how to fix things without having to call a plumber or an electrician.

She invites you to eat with her that night, she feels indebted to you so she decides to offer you a pizza. You take it easy.

You're sitting at the kitchen table. She refuses to let you stay in a dirty place like her living room, so you're sitting next to each other on the table. There's a particular tension in the air between you. It's not discomfort, but something that makes your heart beat timidly and makes it seem like there's nothing else around you. She looks at her phone silently, and you try to find topics to talk about, but she interrupts you, "I saw a movie start like that," she says with a seductive voice. You blush and wait for her to continue, hoping she doesn’t mean what you understand.

"How?" you ask.

"With one person fixing something for someone, the other one doesn’t know how to pay and so..." She starts talking and leaves the phrase hanging, stroking your thigh from under the table. "Do you think I haven’t noticed how you look at me?" she asks you and inside you begin to feel an unusual warmth.

"How do I look at you?" you ask with a tremble in your voice, while her grip on your thigh gets stronger and stronger.

"Every time you look at me, your eyes always tell me 'fuck me,' and you don’t know how hard it is for me every time to hold back," she whispers in your ear. Your body is literally on fire. Between your legs, you feel something pulsating, something that begs to be stimulated. You swallow, feeling petrified. You don’t know what to do, how to react, or what is going to happen. Your mind is a mix of emotions and feelings that you haven’t experienced in a while, and you didn’t think it could be caused by a woman. But the woman next to you is not just any woman. She is Natasha Romanoff, the one who can render you speechless with just one look.

"Am I wrong?" she asks you, moving a lock of your hair behind your ear. You say no with your head. You know it’s something you want even though there’s something in your head that tells you you’d regret it and that’s wrong.

"Tell me you want it," she says, curling a lock of your hair to her finger.

"I want," you say in a gentle whisper, normally a phrase like that would have embarrassed you, but right now you feel imposing in front of her.

"What do you want?" she continues teasing you, moving her hand from thigh to more internally.

"I want you to fuck me" you whispers and she takes your chin and kisses you passionately. You eat each other’s lips and it seems to come from a primal feeling that was secretly hiding inside you. During the kiss she lifts you up and makes you sit on the table without taking her lips off of yours. She explores your body by pressing her hands on your buttocks in a possessive way. As if she were afraid that someone might catch you and take you away from her. She begins to undress you carefully and admire your body like a painting. She likes every inch of your body. She eagerly inhales the scent of your skin and kisses every inch of it.

"You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen," she says before kissing you again. An avid, passionate kiss that screams "again".

You’re in your underwear, it’s uncoordinated, which is why you’re embarrassed. But it’s not your fault, how could you have imagined that this would happen? She caresses your breasts from under the bra teasing your nipples that become turgid to her touch then she loses it and looks at you enchanted by your body. With both hands she touches your breasts, squeezes them in her palm. Then, as she continues to massage one, she takes the other’s nipple in her mouth. First sucking it and then biting it between your teeth, paying attention to give you just pleasure. In the meantime, small sighs of pleasure emerge from your lips. Your mind is clouded by the sweet but tantalizing scent of the woman beneath you and you can’t process any thoughts other than what you’re feeling. Between your legs you feel an unbearable and heartbreaking sensation. You want that she touches you there, you want she looks at you there, and you want she fills you with her fingers. You would never be able to compose such a perverse sentence so you start slowly massaging yourself from the fabric of your briefs while she continues her perverse play with your breasts.

She starts undressing too with your help between stolen kisses. Her body in your eyes is just perfect and her curves make you crazy. You are afraid to touch her because you fear to hurt her, you see her as a crystal vase: beautiful but equally delicate. While you are still sitting on top of the table she ducks and with her teeth tries to remove the only garment you have left, inhaling your smell and admiring how wet you are just for her.

"Is this for me?" she asks and you nod shyly. She take off your panties and gently caress you, giving you a little taste of what you’re about to do. She take out her tongue and look straight at your eyes and then you feel a warm and pleasant feeling in your intimacy. She leaves you a kiss on your clit before she starts sucking and from your lips you start to make small moans. You put your hands on her head pushing it more towards you and when she finds the rhythm that makes you crazy, you caress her hair and your moans become stronger. It leaves you dissatisfied and gets up to take possession of your lips and you feel the taste of her mouth mixed with that of your liquids, it's a taste that turns you on even more. Meanwhile Natasha with her fingers looking for your sweet opening that penetrates first with one finger and then with two.

"Nat, you’re driving me crazy," you say between groans and the other, and you move your pelvis over her fingers until you come on them. Natasha licks her fingers satisfied for her work while you continue to sigh for the pleasure you have felt.

You move into her bedroom, you don’t notice how it is furnished because you wouldn’t even have time to admire it. She puts you on top of the bed and puts herself on top of you with the knee placed in the middle of your legs to be able to tease you again in the middle and you kiss again. Then she turns by placing her buttocks on your face to put herself again where she caused the fireworks inside you and starts to penetrate you again with just one finger going deep causing you a pleasant feeling while you focus on her and her own pleasure.

You are interrupted by the doorbell and quickly disconnect as if you were at a crime scene and she lends you a t-shirt of her pajamas while she puts on the first things she finds to open the door. She return to the room with a face with an expression of disappointment and surprise and announces: "we have a new mission".

Thanks for reading!

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 𝑺𝒑𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 // Second part

[drurrito]

Are You The One? - One

A/N: I've been sitting on this idea for a minute. Some quick background on AYTO: it's a gameshow -- there's usually 9 or 10 couples that are matched based on compatibility. They have about 10 weeks to figure it out by playing games and going on dates. They pair off at "matching ceremonies" to see how many light beams they get to clue them in on who might be a perfect match. Anyway, here goes nothing--all mistakes are mine of course.

Pairings: Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Warnings: Alcohol, cursing, Jerk!Vision lol

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

No match!

Wanda stares at the screen, mouth agape and mind racing. Vis squeezes her hand.

"Wanda-"

"You're not my match," Wanda whispered, "you're not my match and we only have two matching ceremonies to figure everything out."

"That doesn't change what we have," he turns to her, taking both her hands into his.

"It changes everything," Wanda bites, "I wasted so much time with you," she runs a frustrated hand through her hair. Vis just stands there, arms stupidly hanging by his sides. Wanda thought she was winning this game by sticking with him. She ignored everyone's pleads for her to pick someone else the last few matching ceremonies. That one beam of light was her and Vis without a doubt.

Until now.

"My match is still here," she's quiet again. Vis looks like he's still processing. He's been extremely persuasive up until this point. Vis would just talk Wanda out of actually playing the game every time she mentioned talking with anyone else. To the rest of the house, he sounded like a broken record, but to Wanda--he sounded like her favorite song.

"So, that's it?" Vis mumbles, his face contorts into something like disbelief, he looks foolish.

"That's the point, Vis," Wanda doesn't spare a second glance at him as she leaves.

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

The house buzzes with conversation. Wanda is sitting on the patio alone, twirling her glass in her hand.

"Hey," Shuri slowly approaches the seat across from Wanda. After the Truth Booth, everyone gave Wanda some kind of sympathy. A hug, some words, tight smiles and other gestures that did nothing to stop Wanda's stomach from churning something awful. The guilt has been making her shoulders sag heavily since coming back.

"We've been crunching the numbers," Shuri starts again, Wanda keeps her eyes on the dancing glass in her hand.

"We think your match could be y/n."

That gets a side glance and cocked eyebrow from Wanda, "she barely talks."

"Because she makes you do all the talking," Shuri shoots Wanda a knowing look who only rolls her eyes in response. You were good at getting Wanda to talk on your group dates. It only took a few questions to spark a conversation among the whole group, actually. Sometimes you just shared a comfortable silence, it threw Wanda off so bad. How can you connect with someone without a conversation?

"Look, y/n has won two dates in a row with you, that's two more dates than Vis ever won. Plus, you guys haven't sat together at a matching ceremony yet. If it's not you, then it has to be Carol--but we don't have any more time left to figure this out. If some of our guesses end up being correct this week, then we can figure out the rest of the matches from there."

"So you want me to sit with someone that I have no chemistry with?" Wanda asks, trying not to sound less than amused with the plan.

"Technically, you don't have chemistry with anyone," Shuri says without missing a beat, it makes Wanda flinch.

"But," Shuri drawls, "now that Vis isn't helicoptering over you, there are a few days to see if something sparks between you and y/n before the ceremony."

Wanda shifts in her seat with a heavy sigh that all but burns her nose. Outside the island, finding love is hardly ever a team effort. But in this game, teamwork is key. While getting a blackout would have costed money from the prize fund, it would have crossed off a lot of potential couples. That one beam belongs to someone, just not to Wanda and Vis.

"Have you talked to y/n about this?"

"Told her before your Truth Booth," Shuri flashes a nervous smile, "if it's any consolation, she was also hesitant at first."

Wanda can't help but look puzzled. She chews on her bottom lip for a few moments before nodding slowly.

"Alright, I'm in."

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

Wanda walks back into the house with Shuri. Everyone is sitting around in the living room, half of the group is gossiping about Bruce and Natasha sneaking off into the boom boom room for one last time. Shuri gives Wanda a parting glance before sitting down next to Namor. Half the room has paired off into new couples, Wanda realizes. Vis is nursing a bottle between Tony and Steve, Wanda doesn't look at him as she makes her way over to you. You're busy nodding along to whatever Thor is talking about, while Carol is leaning against you as she talks to Maria. Your eyes are on Wanda as soon as she fills in the space between you and Thor.

"Hey," you give a warm smile that Wanda barely notices over the burn of the alcohol in her throat.

"Hey," she rasps back to you.

"I'm sorry about today," you look frustratingly genuine as Wanda searches your eyes for a few beats, looking for a reason to be mad at you. She gives up, turning back to her glass to down the rest in one gulp.

"Yeah, me too."

---------

As it turns out, you're also good at having conversations. It only took one "and what about you?" from Wanda to get you to actually participate. Vis was seething from his spot on the couch until Tony tugged him away to talk with another group. Maria had to do the same against Carol's protests when she realized you and Wanda were trying to hit it off. Your housemates continued to leave until it was just the both of you sitting on the couch. Wanda never noticed. She figured the two of you were alone this whole time with the way you looked at her.

Wanda is listening to you talk about your favorite movie when she fails to stifle a yawn.

"Shit, it's late," you watch the clock in the kitchen, realizing that you can hear it's ticking now. The rest of the house is dead silent. Wanda thumbs at the ring on her index finger. Shit, where is she supposed to sleep now? All the beds are likely taken.

Except for one.

"Hey," your voice is gentle, "I can sleep on the couch, you take the bed."

"I'm not going to ask you to do that-"

"You don't have to," you take a breath, "I just want to give you space, if you want it."

Wanda's brows furrow, space? She thinks back to the night when Vis made out with Hope and insisted on sleeping splayed on top of Wanda afterward. Space was never an option with Vis, that's why she's looking at you like you just grew a second head. You wordlessly grab Wanda's glass to wash, your way of giving her some time to think it over. You're drying off your hands when Wanda walks up to the bar.

"What side of the bed do you sleep on?"

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

Wanda tries not to think about the fact that you like to sleep on the left side while she tries to fall asleep on the right, the side she prefers.

[twig-tea]

GL odds and ends 6 October 2024

I haven't been as good at posting about shows as I wanted to be, so I'm trying a round-up format instead because it feels like a lot of GLs skirt under the radar. It's exciting that we're in a time when there's enough GL airing that it's worth doing a round-up! This was a great week for the lesbians to figure themselves out, so it feels like a good week to start. No idea how regularly I'll do this, need to figure out a cadence that makes sense.

Currently airing (with thoughts up to Oct 6):

Reverse 4 U 5/8 (Thai, Tuesdays 1:00 PM EDT, Netflix / YouTube) This week the girls finally sorted themselves and we got set up for the main plot to start next week. I was initially really stoked about this one and then a little bummed that it's not taking it's very cool premise and the stakes it establishes as seriously as it could be, but I'm still hoping it will start to have real stakes in the main plot stretch.

The Two of Us s2 ep 6/6 END (Thai, 29 Aug-3 Oct 2024, YouTube) It was so great seeing women in their 40s being romantic together but I did not love the plot of this one; I find their romantic conflicts too juvenile (lots of easily-triggered jealousy). The moments they're being sweet are great though.

Unlock Your Love ep 4/8 (Thai, Wednesdays, GagaOOLala / YouTube [cut version]) This is the first episode that this series felt a little more assured; I liked the series this production company produced with a short run time, it feels like this series has been worse off for its longer episodes. That being said, when these couples get to do their thing like in this episode, they have good chemistry.

Chaser Game W s2 ep 3/8 (Japanese, Thursdays 12:30 PM EDT, GagaOOLala) @lurkingshan is already doing a great summary of this week to week in her JQL weekly round-up!

Affair the series ep 6/8 (Thai, Fridays 11:15 AM EDT, iQIYI/ YouTube) Finally! I liked that it was Ek pointing out that Wan was unhappy the entire time she was gone that finally got Pleng to give in to her desire to be with Wan. This show is so melodramatic but the emotional threads follow and the character motivations are clear and consistent; I'm enjoying it in spite of not loving melodramatic storylines in general. It helps that the acting in this one is excellent.

The Loyal Pin ep 10/16 (Thai, Sundays 12:15 PM EDT, YouTube) Glad we finally got confirmation of Patt's history! And I'm relieved Anin knows she has an ally, though I feel like it's given her false confidence that worries me. These two are stressing me out by how bad they are at being careful but I do love how desperate they are for each other, as well as how beautiful this show is.

Red Whisper ep 2/8 (Korea, Wednesdays and Sundays, YouTube) Starting with cheating is not my fave but is par for the course with these SukFilm short series; my fave so far has been their first GL so if you haven't seen that yet I'd honestly recommend that instead.

Recent One-offs

Out of Breath (re-release in a bingeable version; Korean, YouTube) Highly recommended! Also the creator, Soo not Sue, announced she's working on another series to hopefully air before the end of the year, which I am super stoked about.

The Suffering of Xiqing Mountain (Chinese (censored), YouTube)

Sastra film app YouTube channel has several short Cambodian GL series that come out weekly Honestly they are not to my taste but I don't like gatekeeping GL especially from smaller markets. I check in on these time to time and if there are any that I think are great I'll give them a shout-out

Ditto above with JPC media YouTube channel for Thai GL shorts if there are any that stand out to me I'll say so

Recently ended that I haven't had the wherewithal to write about:

Hoshikuzu Telepath (fansub) Thank you to @yuiyuihan for your hard work making it possible to watch this series! I I haven't read the original manga but I do know they changed the kiss communication to a forehead rest; Unsurprised that this adaptation, starring idols in the same group, would be left ambiguous in terms of whether their feelings are friendly or romantic. I liked what this series was trying to say, but in all honestly didn't love the execution. It's too bad because I absolutely love the concept of an alien being helped by girls obsessed with building rockets.

The Secret of Us 8 eps [complete] (24 Jun-15 Aug 2024, YouTube) I first included this in my recommendations from the summer and then retracted, but I ended up liking this series and then never updated again. So to set the record straight: Though it lost me in the middle, the ending on this series won be back over. I really appreciated the way this series handled filial piety and balancing that against personal happiness. I appreciated SO MUCH that the main characters decided together how to handle Lada's situation with her mother. I finally understood too late that Earn believed the lies Lada's mother told her in ep1, and that affected some of their decisions in the middle of the series. I still think the execution was wobbly, but the acting and chemistry between the two leads carries this series through. This has some of the best domestic fluff in any GL, as well as my favourite GL counter lift to date. And it's gorgeous. Tentatively recommended with the caveat that you do have to either enjoy or power through the melodrama in the middle.

Starting soon:

Apple My Love, Thai, 12 October, GagaOOLala

Pluto, Thai, 19 October, VIU

The Nipple Talk, Taiwanese, 1 November GagaOOLala

My Ex's Wedding [in theatres in Thailand 14 November]

Petrichor, Thai, 23 November, TBD

[thewertsearch]

EB: i should keep looking for my dad! […] GG: john, i already found your dad! […] GG: he is with roses mom GG: they are in a castle, having some sort of tea party together GG: they appear to be enjoying each others company! […] EB: oh wow… EB: jade, what if they get married or something???

This one's hard for me to ship in earnest, since we don’t know much about their actual personalities. They’re essentially the platonic ideals of a 1950s mother and father, though, so the ship does 'make sense', on some abstract level.

Hopefully we'll get to see this date later on - and with any luck, it'll allow us to learn a little more about these two.

GG: but really, they make a nice couple and i think it would be great if they got married! EB: yes, i agree. EB: even if it would make it awkward for me to marry rose.

Karkat’s shipping chart is really weighing on this kid’s mind...

GG: who are they to stand between two youngsters in love? EB: whoa, in love??? GG: yes john, two people must be in love in order to get married […] GG: so what do you say john, are you in love with rose?

...and thanks to Jade, we might be about to hear his take on it.

John reacted rather oddly to the subject when Karkat brought it up - it almost seems like he was bemused at the very idea of having a crush on Rose.

C’mon, John! Spill it!

EB: um… GG: and if not, are you prepared to fall in love with her? EB: er. GG: wellllll? :D EB: argh! EB: this line of questioning is making me flustered.

Or don't, I guess. That's fine. :(

See, I really don’t think John feels that way about Rose. We’ve seen plenty of conversations between those two, and I haven't detected even a hint of romantic chemistry. John does seem oddly fixated on the idea, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's into her.

We've never seen any evidence that John has IRL friends, and I get the sense that he's extremely attached to his online ones as a result.

I think the poor guy just really likes his buddies, and his 'not-a-homosexual' brain is programmed to believe that when you really like a girl, it must be 'a crush'.

He doesn't have a crush, but he does love Rose - so when he considers the question, he becomes confused and flustered, unable to parse what he is feeling from what he should be feeling.

EB: btw, you will marry dave. EB: 100% TRUE REALITY.

The jury's still out on these two, though.

I swear I've seen a spark of something between them - but I'd need to see them interact a little to get a proper read on their relationship.