#I really had to be ruthless with the ones that made this post

[midnightwind]

you guys like me going off on random DA tangents and musings, right?? because I've been awake too long so you're getting another one

I have been sat here trying to figure out Why Lucanis' prison looks like a bunch of ice and why it was so far away from the "lab" settings for a while now. (arguably two rooms fit this description, the one where Lucanis tells you about Zara and the one right outside his phylactery room) Like, even without that bridge being broken, it's in such a bizarre corner of the Ossuary. And I mean, it wouldn't really matter with a normal prisoner, but Lucanis was a notorious Crow and mage killer on top of that, plus he was Zara's special little guy to fuck with. You would not want to take him for a long walk to experience the worst shit on earth every few days. Maybe it's close enough to the little room where he mentions Zara and maybe she wanted him close to the door so she didn't have to go far to torture him, but again, leaving such a challenging subject close to the exit seems like a bad choice. You want him to have to get through so many guys and doors before escaping so you have time to take him down.

This also ignores the magic required to leave, but they're not clear on what that is and not all the Venatori are mages so there's gotta be a mundane way out he could snatch off a guard. I digress, the whole ice cage and far off room doesn't make sense. But we know they were shipping demons to Zara. (I'm pretty sure the few demons you confront in Minrathous were Zara's little pets set loose so we can assume she wanted them in the capital for the eventual Venatori coup on the crown) If Zara was about to be stuck in Minrathous for the foreseeable future, setting things into motion for Elgar'nan, I could see her wanting her pet Crow at her side. Especially if you consider the initial idea for Lucanis: he was going to be a mind controlled murder puppet before you break him out.

Sure, Spite didn't crack open his ribcage and crawl out like some new horror, but having a demon in Lucanis lets her control him via the phylactery if not just outright with her blood magic. Maybe his will was too strong for mundane control, but the phylactery works. We know it works based off of Lucanis' dialogue about it. So we know she had a surefire way to keep him under control. (There's a whole other post exploring the amount of dead Venatori and the fact that Lucanis still has his leathers and weapons [which would make sense if he was Zara's murder puppet, but alas] and whether Lucanis recently made a break for it or if the loose demons/spirits/undead killed them all) Maybe he kept his leathers because Zara wanted him presentable upon delivery, I don't know.

But I do think he was being prepped to move. The Ossuary is falling apart, Zara is pulling all the best results, they're losing personnel and servants without being given more; Zara was clearly moving on from that location. But she wanted her little Antivan prize. He's too dangerous to move normally, a Crow is likely to escape if given an inch especially a skilled one like Lucanis, so they need to lock him down somehow. Ropes and chains aren't reliable, not with a Crow, but he's not a mage. You can use magic. You can literally put him on ice. I think they were packaging him up in an ice cube and doing it next(ish) to the door so they could more easily move him. I think Zara was going to take him and his phylactery to Minrathous and use him to cause some absolutely ruthless mayhem in the city before her cult took it over.

I think Rook showing up weakened the spell being cast just enough for Lucanis and Spite to break out, and I think it saved a whole lot of lives.

[hellomehlo]

into the fade 2: electric boogaloo

[nicks-beanie]

i am once again wishing d/ual d/estinies had been written with any care or consideration for what came before it

[kitty-pelosi]

it is cute to watch USAmericans celebrate Brian Thompson’s assassination (CEO of United Healthcare) but I think it also highlights a certain ignorance and false class consciousness among the country. I’m specifically referencing this smug fixation on the fact that the investors had their meeting without him anyway and that they posted his job online already, and how there is this sort of smug “hahaha they don’t care about you either!” ouroboros-esque consumed-by-your-own-labyrinth attitude of righteous self-satisfaction and I feel like the point is going over people’s head.

No CEO of a publicly traded company really thinks they are that important, and it is extremely obvious to them how replaceable and at the mercy of the shareholders and board of directors they are. actually, it is this structure and system that guarantees the most ruthless profiteers to become CEOs, because the owner class of the company has made being a ruthless profiteer part of the job description because CEOs have a fiduciary obligation to the owners to solely prioritize profit. it’s literally the law that the only thing they are to do is create profit for shareholders.

The CEO is a tool which the owner class uses to facilitate company operations, no more. Literally they are a mask to hold up in front of themselves. A prop.

Understand that the CEO dying is the point. He took the bullet, the blame, the conflagration. His purpose is fulfilled in the eyes of the faceless diffusions of power within the company. Now, get another. And seemingly the actual controllers - the owners - remain anonymous and safe.

These people are not the ruling class - they are the lowest possible rung of it. They are the vanguard for the ruling class. These are celebrities, CEOs, the public faces of the ruling class which direct resentment toward themselves and save their bosses from the fire. They exist to absorb the impact. And this is how nothing changes, because as people joke about Brian Thompson online they participate within the very safety-valve that the owner class has put in place to preserve itself. Yet seemingly it feels radical and fun and transgressive to make fun of it. Another example of how co-opting dissent is one of the primary and greatest tools the ruling class has to maintain itself.

[monstacheol]

𝔄 𝔊𝔦𝔣𝔱 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔞 𝔊𝔬𝔡 (𝔗𝔢𝔞𝔰𝔢𝔯)

ϟ 𝕻𝖆𝖎𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌: God! Choi Seungcheol x Mortal afab! Reader

ϟ 𝕾𝖚𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖞: Your marriage wasn't the one to be envied. Marry to one of the ruthless kings due to an arrangement from your father. Being nothing more than a pawn. And you despise it all.

On the night of drinking and celebrating, you decided to turn in for the night. As you walk into your shared bedroom, you are greeted by a God, not just any other God. The God of Sky and Thunder. King of Gods himself. Who came with a gift.

ϟ 𝔚𝔬𝔯𝔡𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱: 937 (Teaser); 4k or more (Full)

ϟ 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌: Dom Zeus! Seungcheol, Sub Lady! Mortal Reader, dirty talking, breeding kink, oral (f. & m receiving), fingering, multiple orgasms and multiple positions, small amount or maybe more manhandling, a bit of praise kink or more, unprotected sex (stay safe kids), crying from pleasure, size kink, choking, your "husband" talking badly about the gods, Pet name: (y/n): darling. (I feel like I miss something but if I am. Let me know)

ϟ 𝕿𝖆𝖌𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙: To be listed…

ϟ 𝕹𝖔𝖙𝖊𝖘: This was kind of inspired by a post I made and I thought about it and went "Yeah. Let's go for it." If there are some grammar mistakes, I'm sorry. I will edit them later. Supposed to be out in late September (before the hurricane hit Friday) but I MANAGE to get service so here we are. I promise I would get out and I took this chance to get out on luck. Please comment, like, reblog for support.

You sigh as your head presses against the frame, exhausted from the day's events.

"Long night!"

You heard a voice behind you. You turned around to see a mysterious man lying on his side across from your bed, a mischievous grin on his face. You felt a jolt of surprise at the man's unexpected presence in your bedroom. "Who are you?" you asked cautiously, your heart racing uncertainly. The man chuckled softly and replied, "I'm just someone who couldn't resist meeting you."

You glanced at the man's appearance. He had a white toga draped over his shoulder and a gold cuff wrapped around one of his biceps, which was exposed. His pec was exposed, while the other was concealed under the toga. His toga was short so that you could see his muscular legs. His eyes were pierced brown, and his smile was charming. His hair was black and wet, and he was breath-taking. The more you look at him, the more you find yourself drawn to his mysterious aura. You were so lost in thought that you heard him laugh.

"What's the matter, darling? Lost in thought?" he asks with a playful smirk.

You shook your head, cleared all your thoughts, and got to the question.

"W-What are you doing here? You are trespassing, and I would appreciate it if you left immediately," you stammer, feeling a mix of fear and fascination at the mysterious stranger in your room. The man chuckles, his grin widening as he replies.

"Oh, nothing. Just enjoying the celebration of your king's victory. As if your husband needed it," the man said.

A small scoff escaped his lips. "That your husband of yours," he continued.

"That man thinks we are not the reason behind his success. He's so power-hungry and incompliant that he can't even get on his knees and thank us after what we've done to make him victorious. I must say I don't think they'll be so happy to hear about that. It's a shame. Really. How ungrateful people can be," the man said with a hint of disappointment.

You listen as this man talks badly about your husband like he knows him. Before you could speak, he continued.

"But you, Lady Y/N."

You froze as the mysterious man said your name.

"You're such a loyal worshipper. You thank the gods for every endeavor and never falter in your devotion. A woman like you should be rewarded," the man expressed.

The way the man in front of you looks at you. It was like he was undressing you with his eyes. His gaze was intense and unwavering. You could feel the heat rising to your cheeks as you tried to maintain your composure.

"W-Who are you?" you said, asking again.

The man smirked at my question.

"I am known by many names. Zojz. Tinia. Jupiter. Zeus. But," the man said as he slowly rose from your bed, full of confidence, "you can call me Seungcheol."

Your eyes widen in shock as you realize the man's true identity. "M-My... God," you stammer, feeling two emotions at once: fear and awe wash over you. You instantly fall to the floor, bowing. "Please forgive me for any disrespect I may have shown," you say, bowing your head in reverence.

Seungcheol chuckled softly, his grin widening at your reaction. A loyal follower, he thought to himself. He slowly approached you as you kowtowed before him, his presence towering over you. "Rise," he commanded gently, offering a hand to help you stand. As you looked up at him, you couldn't help but feel an admiration and reverence for the god standing before you.

"There will be no formalities," he said. As you take his hand and stand up, Seungcheol's eyes twinkle with amusement. He was taller than you expected, and his presence exuded a sense of power and authority that made you feel equally intimidated and intrigued.

"My god."

You were speechless. You didn't know what to say, and the words hadn't even begun to form. Seungcheol noticed your awe and chuckled softly.

"You seem lost in words right now, darling," Seungcheol said. His deep voice resonated through you, sending shivers down your spine. It was as if he could read your thoughts and emotions with just a glance.

"I-It's just that I didn't expect such a sudden visit," you stammered, your cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Would you like me to leave?" he asked. You shake your head quickly. "N-No. Please stay. I didn't mean—"

"Don't worry, darling," Seungcheol interrupted with a reassuring smile. "Just teasing you a bit."

His smile was gentle and warm, putting you at ease. He then stepped away from you and trailed around the room. Taking in everything about his surroundings, even looking at the unfinished tapestry mounted on the wall. With a persistent and powerful head, he strolled around.

"Besides, I didn't want to leave without giving you a gift," Seungcheol stated.

A gift... for you...

"W-What kind of gift?" is all you can manage to stammer out of. "A special one," he answered.

"How special is the gift?" you asked, curious. Seungcheol finally stopped walking and turned back to you with a mysterious glint in his eyes, making your heart race with anticipation.

"What if I told you that your gift, your special little gift, was something that I wanted to show you? To thank you for showing such admiration for me?" Seungcheol responded with a mischievous smile. Your mind raced with possibilities as you waited for him to reveal the surprise he had in store for you.

"What if I said your gift was me?

⋘ READ NOW ⋙

[pickingupmymercedes]

It comes with the territory (1/3) - Lewis Hamilton

Sequence: It comes with the territory / Hardest truth / Not even ours

request: "Hey Ella! I got an idea from some stuff I'm seeing on twitter. Some people thought that Alex was mild in her celebration for Charles win and started comparing her with how Nicole used to celebrate Lewis, she's even kinda trending and it made me think of some angst with Lewis new gf being criticized and compared with his ex and feeling really bad... 😘" - Anon

pairing: Lewis Hamilton x Reader!

warnings: angst, it kind hurt to write this

wordcount: +1K

a/n: Anon, lovely anon, it took me sooo long to write this one (when doesn't it though?!) but I swear I've had it on my drafts ever since you sent it, I just couldn't get those dialogues right. Anyway, I hope the wait is worth it 🫶

As always, I'm open for feedback, come say hi!

______________________________________________________________

The plane hummed softly as it cut through the night sky after an intense race weekend. Lewis had finished second, and although he would have preferred to be on the top step of the podium, he felt satisfied the performance he had dragged out of the car.

The fans had been loud, the energy palpable, and he had Y/n, for the first time, by his side. However, glancing over at her now, he noticed her face illuminated by the phone screen, a furrow etched between her brows. The usual vibrancy that she held was dimmed, replaced by a quiet intensity.

Y/n had made her debut in the F1 paddock as his girlfriend this weekend, and though she was no stranger to the world of motorsport, the attention had been overwhelming.

She had been to races before, blending in with the grandstands as just another fan, but this was different.

Walking hand in hand with Lewis, she had felt the eyes on her, the cameras flashing, and the whispers following her every step.

As he peered over her shoulder, he saw her scrolling through a barrage of social media posts.

Criticism. Comparisons. People calling her stuck up, saying she believed she was better than everyone else.

Comments about how she hadn't mingled with the Mercedes team, how she had kept to herself.

And the most painful of all, comparisons to Nicole. How she, almost a decade back, had been friendlier with the engineers, happier in her celebrations.

Lewis's heart ached as he watched Y/n's face grow more disheartened with each swipe of her finger. He wanted to say something, to take the phone from her hand and throw it out the plane window, to tell her none of it mattered. But he knew that wouldn't help.

Y/n was strong, but even the strongest could be brought to their knees by the weight of the world’s judgment.

Lewis had tried to shield her from the worst of it, but he knew it was impossible to escape entirely. The F1 world was as ruthless as it was glamorous, and everyone wanted a piece of her, the woman who had captured Lewis Hamilton's heart.

It came with the territory. That’s what he had been told all those years ago.

He had noticed the change in Y/n throughout the weekend, a transformation broadcast in broad daylight.

On the first day, she had been a bright, curious presence, eagerly engaging with everyone. She had asked his engineers a million and one questions, her enthusiasm palpable as she delved into details of the car, he was sure he had never been told himself. Her eyes sparkling with genuine interest, and the team warming to her instantly.

Afterall, she had been the first one in ten years he had brought out to the garage.

But come Sunday, that spark had dimmed. As he looked over during the podium celebrations, he saw her standing at a distance, away from the cluster of Mercedes engineers and mechanics.

She seemed smaller somehow, as if she had shrunk within herself, retreating into a protective shell.

Concerned, he had asked her about it later, wondering why she had pulled back. She had shrugged, her expression guarded, and said she didn't want to bother them in their workspace. Her words had been casual, but Lewis knew better.

He could see the hurt behind her eyes, the uncertainty as she did a triple check to her outfit, to her hair, to how she would think twice before saying anything outload.

It pained him to see her, someone so vibrant and warm, feel the need to diminish herself under the weight of others' scrutiny.

They landed late; the drive home heavy as they went through the roads of an almost empty London.

"Long day?" he asked, his voice low.

She nodded, not looking up. Lewis reached for her hand, a silent offer of comfort.

"I know it's been overwhelming" he began, his tone gentle. "This world can be a brutal place, especially when you're in the spotlight."

Y/n sighed, her fingers moving to entangle in his "I feel like I’m drowning in it all, Lewis."

He squeezed her hand. "It's understandable. But I’m here, to talk, to feel, to try and make sense of the madness"

She looked up, his eyes catching the sadness in her glance that almost had him choke up in pain. "It's the comparisons that hurt the most." She turned to the window and murmured.

Lewis studied her features, he could see the strain in Y/n's posture, the way she held herself tight, as if bracing against an unseen storm. He didn't push, didn't pry, just held her hand and hoped his presence was enough to offer some comfort.

The rest of the ride passed in silence. As they got home, Lewis helped her with her coat, their touch a silent language.

The next morning, Y/n was unusually quiet. Lewis found her in the kitchen, staring into a cup of coffee that had long gone cold. He knew they would have to address the elephant in the room, but he also had no idea how to bring up the subject again.

It didn't take long for her to come to him though.

"I feel like I let you down this weekend." She finally spoke.

Lewis met her gaze. "Why would you say that?"

"I was so distant, so... guarded. I didn’t even feel like myself." Her voice steady as she finally held his gaze

Lewis put down the reports he had been pretending to read and walked over to her on the table. "Why would you say that?"

Y/n looked up at him, her eyes glassy but confident. "I saw what people were saying. That I didn't talk to the engineers, that I stayed away from everyone, that I think I'm better than them. And then... the comparisons to Nicole."

Lewis sighed, pulling out a chair to sit beside her. "Y/n, you were overwhelmed. It was your first time in the paddock as my girlfriend. That's a huge deal, and it's okay to need space."

"But they don't understand that," Y/n continued, her voice clear as she tried to articulate her feelings. "They just see me as this aloof, stuck-up person who doesn't care about anyone but myself. I was so excited on Friday. But by Sunday, I couldn't even bring myself to go near anyone. I felt like..." she took a deep breath and turned to look him before continuing “I felt like I was in the way, like I was intruding on their space. I kept thinking about how they're all so used to this, and there I was suddenly in the middle of it all. I didn't want to bother them or distract them from their work.

"You could never be a bother" Lewis insisted, his voice firm yet gentle. "The team welcomed you because they know you're important to me, and because they could see how much you genuinely care.”

“Look, I get it. I saw the comments on social medias. It's overwhelming, and it's easy to feel out of place. But that's not on you, love. " Lewis pulled her closer, wrapping her in his arms.

"I hate that you're feeling this way, Y/n. I wish I could shield you from all of it. But it doesn’t work like that. That comes with the territory and we both know it. The rest of the world can think what they want, but it doesn't change the fact that I love you, just as you are. You don't have to be perfect, and you don't have to change to fit anyone's expectations."

Y/n leaned into his embrace, her voice barely a whisper. "I just want to be enough."

Lewis held her tighter, his voice full of emotion. "You are so much more than enough."

They spent the rest of his Monday off together, their phones lost somewhere in the kitchen. Their quiet companionship all they both needed.

As the day drew to a close, they sat on the terrace, watching the sunset. Y/n leaned against Lewis’s chest, his arm around her.

"Thank you," she said softly, her voice barely audible over the rustling of the trees.

Lewis squeezed her hand. "For?"

"Being here. Understanding."

He turned to face her; his gaze steady. "You're strong, love. Stronger than you think. We’ll face this together, we’ll always do."

______________________________________________________________

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[bunni-v1]

Aventurine Relationship Headcannons

🍓Hello gang! I've decided to write for Aven next, because he is literally my pretty princess. I really hope you like them... I did my best and he means a lot to me. I feel like a rat rummaging through trash posting this, so I do hope you enjoy for my sake.

TW: Aventurine has very unhealthy coping mechanisms; Aventurine exhibits manipulative behaviors

Info: Aventurine x Reader; Gn!Reader; Angst; Fluff

-Ah, Mr. Aventurine. Senior manager of the IPC Strategic Investment Department. One of the Ten Stonehearts. Luckiest man alive. Ruthless gambler. That’s a lot of titles for one guy.

-You’d think someone as important as him wouldn’t have the time to fall in love, and he wouldn’t argue with you if you said that. He was a very busy person, after all, and he had so many important things to do.

-Love was a ploy made to waste your time and energy – a marketing scheme for hopeless romantics and saps, a gamble not worth taking nine times out of ten. Aventurine wasn’t stupid enough to invest in such a hopeless concept, not with the life he leads.

-Maybe if things had played out differently. If life was simpler and happier he could see a younger version of himself falling fool to the wonders of affection and sweet words. 

-Unfortunately, he was not that imaginary boy. He was Aventurine of the IPC, and his time was money that he couldn’t waste on frivolous things like love.

-Affections and gifts were tools of manipulation to be used to gain what you wanted. A pretty smile, a few honeyed words, and an expensive set of earrings were nothing more than tactics to further whatever plan he’s cooked up for the week.

-That’s just how the world was. Cold and uncaring, who was he to deny the natural processes of his business line?

-So, no, Aventurine was not interested in romance.

-...Kakavasha though… Kakavasha was still that little starry-eyed boy who craved love. A boy who fantasized about someone who understood him, who would love him for him, scars and all.

-Kakavasha wanted a partner to waste all his time, to be an excuse to spend the excess of money he didn’t know what to do with, to hold him and whisper sweet words into his ears in the quiet of his luxury apartment.

-He was not a hopeless romantic, at least, he didn’t think he was. He just craved love that he hadn’t felt since he was a little boy. He wanted to love and be loved more than anything else in the world.

-Unfortunately for Kakavasha, Aventurine was the one in control. He didn’t get to have a say in what he wanted, because Aventurine knew what was best for himself even if it was miserable.

-He couldn’t fall in love in the way he wanted, so he simply wouldn’t ever fall in love so long as he jaded his views and ignored others' affections that were anything more than skin deep. No soft spots, nothing.

-Ah, but then there was you. Blinking at him with those pretty eyes, Aventurine felt like he needed to slam his head through a few walls to get the image out of his head.

-Sweet, playful, funny, pretty, perfect you. You made his head all fuzzy and his chest impossibly tight. 

-It was sickening, the effect you had on him. Not that you had a clue, with the masterful poker face he puts on around you.

-He tried avoiding you for a week, which was miserable for him because all he could think about was how much he wished he could see you again. What the hell had you done to him? He’s never one to fold so easily, and will stronger than any other person in the planetary system. Yet you…

-Ugh, and when you came to his office with that pout asking why he was avoiding you. Your jutted little lip was so distracting that he almost couldn’t come up with a proper lie to smooth the situation over.

-He was so obsessed, but he could not be obsessed. Not to this degree. He couldn’t let another person in and lose them, he couldn’t get hurt again.

-Still, he can’t stop himself from teasing you. The playful replies to anything you say are genuine and full of affection. The light touches, the brushing of your fingers against him. The thoughtful gifts with too gentle words attached to them.

-That was Kakavasha, certainly so. He couldn’t help himself but indulge in you. Not with how tempting you were, with how he could so easily see that you wanted him too. He wanted to live in a fantasy just a little longer.

-The feeling literally haunts his dreams. Wholesome, romantic dates interrupted by horrible night terrors of you dying in his arms. All because you were connected to him.

-After nightmares like that, he pulls away again. Aventurine remembers why he can’t take the plunge, for both of your sakes. He couldn’t possibly share himself with someone, not in the way you would want him to. He couldn’t possibly stomach the idea of putting a target on your back just by calling you his.

-So, he refuses to let it happen until you warm him up and melt his heart again.

-It’s a brutal cycle of push and pull with him, and it could go on and on and on if you allow it to. He certainly was content with it, because it was the easiest way to go about things like this.

-You can’t tell what the hell is going on in his head, but you know that it isn’t healthy. It’s very clear that he feels the same way you do, but he always slams the door in your face just before you step into the warmth waiting inside.

-You’ll have to confront him if you want anything to get done, and it isn’t pretty. He does not take well to sudden confrontations over things that he so carefully crafted. He doesn’t like it when the world that he built up so painstakingly collapses and reveals the reality around him.

-He’ll pull away fully from you, avoiding you like the plague because Aventurine cannot allow himself to fall in love. He wouldn’t be capable of loving someone as wonderful as you, not the way you deserve. 

-Show patience, be steadfast, and don’t give up on him no matter how many times he pushes you to the side. It’s hard for him to pretend like you don’t exist, it hurts him more than it hurts you.

-Eventually… he’ll break. He’ll show up unannounced, looking far more disheveled than you’ve ever seen him, and he’ll apologize. It’s so out of character for him, it even startles him a bit, but he couldn’t live without your warmth. 

-And so begins your relationship with Aventurine.

-It is not an easy relationship to have, and I’m not going to delude anyone into thinking anything other than that. There are highs and lows with him, like waves on a beach he’ll push you out just to pull you back in.

-To start, let's talk about the lows because they’re hard but they’re so important to get through with him.

-He has such a difficult time accepting that he’s worthy of being loved, and it manifests as him shutting you out. If he treats you poorly, if he makes you hate him, he doesn’t have to live with the guilt of fooling you into loving someone like him.

-He’ll ghost you for days, won’t answer his phone, or if he does it’s short and cold. You’ll be alone worrying about his wellbeing, what’s wrong with him, why is he so upset at you all of a sudden. 

-Then he’ll show up and act like nothing is wrong because he really cannot live without you. If you ask, he won’t answer and instead dance around the subject. 

-It’s another thing you’ll have to be patient about. Just handle it with care and show that you aren’t leaving, despite his very self-destructive behavior, and it’ll melt away at his cold exterior like usual.

-He’ll come to you after another long period where he wasn’t speaking to you, no apology flowers, no sly smile, no intent to woo you again. Just him, vulnerable and honest. He asks you why? Why do you stay, why do you still care, why do you let him treat you like that?

-Once you explain it’s because you love him, and you know he’s struggling so hard, and you want to help him be better… he cries. It’s the first time you’ve ever seen him do so, and it’s such a horrible expression that just does not belong on his face.

-To his credit, after your heart-to-heart, he steadily improves this behavior. It still happens occasionally, but it’s shorter, and he’s more receptive to you if you reach out to him during these low periods.

-They never truly go away, but they lessen and lessen and turn into a period where he doesn’t avoid you, but he tells you he just needs time.

-That’s the key point in your relationship that he struggles with communicating. Once you start to break through that barrier and he tells you how he’s feeling, things get so much better for both of you. 

-He realizes through your patience that he is someone that someone sees is worth loving, and it makes it easier for him to share his love with you.

-The highs aren’t exactly good either. He’s usually manic when he’s at these high points, and he’s very much love-bombing you the whole time.

-Lavish gifts that you wouldn’t even think to ask for, ones that you absolutely could not turn down – he wouldn’t let you, or else he’d get upset and make you feel bad.

-Constant compliments and flirting, most of which didn’t feel genuine. It’s like he’s faking affection, copying things he saw in movies and on the streets in hopes that you’ll believe he means them.

-He’s selling you on loving him in these highs. Like a business venture, going all in all at once and hoping you’ll take the deal. Hoping you’ll be satisfied with what he’s trying to portray himself as.

-It’s not a sustainable model, it’s rather exhausting to constantly put up walls around someone who he so desperately wanted to know. You get tired of it quickly, and he has to shake it up to keep you happy and interested.

-Despite how he acts, he couldn’t bear it if you left him.

-Once you get through to him with communication, his walls slowly come down, and you get to see the real Aventurine – you get to see Kakavasha. Get to feel how he wants to love you, how he wants to be loved by you.

-It’s not all at once, of course, because he could never let someone in so easily. But over some time, you see more and more glimpses of who he is behind all the glitz and glam and smirks. Let's get into that, shall we?

-He is a gift giver, I don’t think there’s any world where he isn’t. The gifts now, though, are so heartfelt and thoughtful. He quite literally slaves over them, spending hours of his precious time ensuring everything is exactly as you might want it.

-I’m talking about extremely rare limited edition copies of your favorite books, custom-made sets of anything you want, and so many clothes. Most of which have some kind of motif of his, because he quite likes seeing you in things that show off that you are his. 

-By the way, he’s a very jealous person, which is another big issue in the relationship. He doesn’t like sharing your attention with other people, at all. He gets jealous of his friends.

-People he otherwise wouldn’t have an issue with become the subject of his ire so long as you’re giving them more attention than him. 

-Oh, and he’s so incredibly insufferable about it too. He’ll sidle up to you, pulling you in close by your hip, and smirk at whoever the offender is. Amps up the pet names to an annoying degree, making it very clear that he’s not pleased.

-He expects you to be very apologetic (not really), and give him a million apology kisses once you’re alone together again. If you don’t he’ll pout.

-That’s on the harmless side of things. On the… less pleasant side he’ll probably make their life miserable until he chases them away from you – how miserable depends on just how… affectionate he takes them to be with you.

-Aventurine is also a nickname giver, and 90% of them are inconsistent and don’t stick. The ones he seems to like the most are doll, dollface, dearest (when he’s being an annoying little shit), and my heart. 

-Unfortunately, PDA isn’t an option for him, as much as he’d love it to be. He’s a celebrity, essentially, and people would be very interested in you if they saw you at his side. He’s keeping you safe from prying eyes by keeping PDA to a minimum.

-He can get away with it in casinos because having a pretty thing sit on your lap as a ‘good luck charm’ isn’t uncommon, but in most public areas the most he can do is stand close to you. 

-It’s to protect you, of course, because he does have targets on his back. As such a high-standing member of the IPC, it’s no shock that he does. However, he knows that people will try and use you to get to him, and he’s trying to nip that in the bud before it can become an issue.

-You and work are very separate parts of his life, and he likes it that way. Very few people within the IPC are aware he’s in a relationship, the only ones being those who caught him being affectionate with you around his office – who he very happily dealt with to keep them quiet. Or… are Topaz and inevitably Jade.

-Other than that, though, you are part of his personal life, and work has nothing to do with you. At all. 

-Ah, but he is so endlessly affectionate with you in private. He loves to just hold you, feel you against him, and assure himself that you are there. You are real and you love him like he loves you.

-He loves to litter your face with kisses after a long day of work, the way you fluster and try to run from his persistent lips is enough to make his heart race. 

-His favorite thing, though, is slow dancing with you. It doesn’t matter if you’re clumsy, there is something so wholly domestic and soft about swaying to music in the soft glow of the kitchen light.

-Once he learns to accept love from you, he becomes addicted to it like a drug. He’ll sit there and pout at you until you give him kisses or love on him to his satisfaction. He can’t help it, he loves your attention.

-He’s so very attentive, even when he has other things he needs to do. If he needs to work, he’ll hold you in his lap while he works, and if you distract him a little that's okay too. He doesn’t mind so long as it’s you.

-He treats you like royalty, honestly. You are so very important to him, and he’s very desperate to prove that to you. If you felt unloved (after he improves upon himself, of course) by him, it would kill him. You are one of the very few things in the world that are unequivocally his, he wants to treat you like you are so you know it.

-He reveals a vulnerability to you that no one else gets to see. A soft side that isn’t hiding behind smirks and sly comments. He is the closest to being just Kakavasha when he is with you.

-Now, it will take him a long time to share his past with you. Even after he learns to trust you, it’s a piece of him that he cradles close to his chest, terrified it would change your view of him.

-When he does share it with you, though, it’s the most vulnerable he will ever be with you. His hand is clenched tightly behind his back, and he is shaking with eyes that can’t quite find a place to land. The only thing that calms him is the warm touch of your hand on his shaking one.

-He’ll tell you details little by little because they’re horrifying, and dumping them all on you at once would be too much for both of you. But you learn about him over time, and you see him warm up more and more to you the more he tells you.

-Goodness, though, the first time you call him Kakavasha, he cries. He cries so very hard because he hasn’t heard that name said with love and affection in such a long time, and it’s hard to imagine that it could be real.

-But it is and you’re holding his face and kissing away his tears, and it’s then that he realizes that he is truly loved by you. He is a person who is worth loving and capable of giving love to someone as wonderful as you.

-It is a kindness he has never been afforded before, and he would fight to his last breath to protect it. 

-Despite the rocky start to your relationship, he grows and changes and learns how to love and be loved. It is the kind of love that Kakavasha has always wanted, and Aventurine finally understood why.

[nymph-ette111]

Hello!

Could you do how Jeff, EJ, Toby and Ben (all separated) would react to Y/N being uncomfortable because of stretch marks on the thighs (or other parts of the body)?? Like what would they do or say about it

Sorry if it was a very long request or something ❤

That's it, have a great day/night!!

WARNINGS; MENTIONS OF UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS/JEFFREY BEING AN ACTUAL DICK, MENTIONS OF STRETCH MARKS

AUTHOR'S NOTE; not very proud of this tbh... anyways I didn't really get the "uncomfortable" part so I wrote it as in "insecure" I hope this is what you had in mind :( ALSO I DON'T HAVE A CHARACTER LIMIT GUYS YOU CAN ASK FOR AS MANY AS YOU'D LIKE IN ONE REQUEST!!

JEFFREY;

-not even going to attempt and sugarcoat this section... or any future headcanons that include Jeff because this man is genuinely the biggest asshole to have ever assholed on the planet.

-he doesn't even care if you're his partner, bro is actually ruthless.

-he's made you cry countless of times before.

-i mean... everyone agrees he isn't the greatest boyfriend, especially in terms of just... caring for his lover. like this man can't even do the bare minimum in a relationship.

-if he ever catches you staring at your body in the mirror for long periods of time, he'll straight up ask you.

"the fuck is wrong with you?"

-Jeff is still an intelligent man, he catches on quite quickly.

-he knew you were insecure about something, you wouldn't just sulk at the mirror for like 15 minutes straight for no reason.

-once you tell him what's wrong he kind of just... belittles you?

-that sounds wrong I KNOW. LET ME EXPLAIN.

-it's just that he doesn't understand why you're insecure about some stretch marks on your body.

-he acts like insecurities are useless bullshit as if he doesn't fake his own confidence.

-okay you fucking hypocrite.

-yeah anyways in terms of "comforting" you, said in quotation marks because Jeffrey Woods and comfort in the same sentence is actually diabolical. basically his way of making you feel better about it even if he thinks it's stupid, he forces you to show them to everyone.

-yep. usually when your partner is upset about something physically, you try to make them view said thing in a positive light, and THEN you try to encourage them to try and show it off and be confident about it. right?

-no, Jeff goes straight to the point whether you agree or not. stretch marks on your thighs and legs? you WILL be wearing that short dress. stretch marks on your arms? WEAR that short sleeve top. stretch marks on your stomach? WEAR THAT TANK TO—

-he intends good I swear he's just very mean about it.

-also when other creeps hit on you (specifically BEN) he gets mad like he wasn't the one who threw away half of your closet and forced you to wear something revealing...

-if you sit him down for a serious talk about how this doesn't help with anything and it only makes you even more uncomfortable he might mellow shit down and stop with this whole showing off your body to feel less insecure situation.

-he'll understand but don't expect him to do anything else after that because he claims that "it's not my fuckin' problem... deal with that shit yourself then"

-he is a little pissy about it because he thought he was genuinely helping you.

-having the audacity to get mad when an insufficient way of overcoming your insecurities doesn't work? okay bro.

-anyways I love him guys please request more for this goober.

EYELESS JACK;

-like mentioned in the previous post, Jack never judges others for the way they look physically.

-even when he was normal, he never saw the point in it. that's just the way your body is. why should he make you feel bad about it when you can't do anything to change it? even towards himself. before specific events took place, when he was just a normal college student he saw himself as average looking and didn't have a problem with it and never made an effort to try and "look better"

-but after the whole... failed cult sacrifice it earned him this villain complex mindset.

-he sees himself as an unlovable monstrosity, the fact that you were willing to be near this guy at all is mind-blowing to him.

-naturally, Jack views you as way out of his league. he believes that he doesn't deserve you.

-so, seeing you? the one who changed his life and dragged him out of the hell hole that is his mind, unsatisfied with the way your body looks because of some stretch marks?

-bro is genuinely offended. you're fucking ethereal, you're an angel from above, why can't you see that?

-but seeing you view that part of your body as something bad, he can't help but feel like you're disgusted with his too.

-for context, Jack also has stretch marks scattered all over his body. you don't like yours equals you don't like his. that's his logic.

-he wouldn't say it out loud though, of course not. he knows that it's wrong. his thoughts are just a way to bring him down and make him even more miserable, he just can't help but find any opportunity to convince his brain that he is unlovable.

-i think it's best to not talk about it Infront of him.

-he still thinks you're beautiful though, he's just overthinking :(

TOBY;

-quite similar to Jack, doesn't understand why you view them in such a negative light. he is genuinely borderline obsessed with you. everything... I mean EVERYTHING is perfect in his eyes. yes, including the stretch marks. yes, including the freckle on your left thigh because he is just that observant.

-this man is DETERMINED to make you feel better, he'd do anything to make you see yourself the way he does. quite aggressive with it too. you ARE pretty. stretch marks or not.

-all of the sudden, every single time you stop by a mirror to over-analyse your stretch marks, you're dragged away by Toby to talk about the nice weather outside (anyone who dares to step a foot outside will have to face the consequences of a fucking heatstroke)

-all of the sudden, he starts littering more gentle, almost ghost-like kisses all over your thighs once you two are in the safety of your rooms. it wasn't some out of the ordinary with Toby, he's always had a thing for showing his affection towards you physically. it just stepped up a notch, and the kisses are now directed towards those specific areas.

-he'll do anything to prove to you that your stretch marks are simply a part of you and your body. and he fucking loves it.

-if you don't start loving your stretch marks after all that treatment Toby is giving... the problem is you. mans is actually dedicated.

BEN;

-was never good with comforting people, especially someone he cares about. he is used to always brushing his feelings away, never really confronting himself about shit. but unlike Jeff, he actually tries for you.

-I'll be honest... he probably never knew stretch marks even existed.

-once you told him what you were so upset about, he legitimately went "the fuck is that?"

-he actually has no filter, this guy speaks before he thinks.

-bet you he was typing away on his keyboard too, barely paying any attention to your little rant.

-when you realize his half-assed responses were because he wasn't even listening, you genuinely consider plugging off that ancient ass computer just to get some of his attention.

-he feels bad after that though, he'd attempt, keyword attempt to try and make you feel better.

-it probably doesn't work but you sort of let it him off the hook for it. he doesn't even know what a stretch mark looks like, he is basically trying to convince you that something he doesn't even know and has never seen in his life before is beautiful.

-the attempt is appreciated though, it's genuine enough.

[fantazygirl-blog1]

So tired of everyone (or almost everyone) making Misa into a kind, weak little victim, manipulated by Light.

That woman may seem sweet, but she's absolutely ruthless. She's selfish, obsessive, stalkerish and emotionally abusive (perhaps not in the traditional way but I will explain)

Way before she even met Light, she managed to kill law enforcement (which might I add, she probably didn't even know was law enforcement) and news reporters just to prove a point. They were just a means to an end to her. She wanted to thank Kira for killing her parent's murderer, but she didn't even stop to think once if the people she killed had families of their own, children of their own. She only had one goal: what she herself, wanted. More than that, Misa literally offered to immediately off her friend, that helped her with the tapes (and if someone offers to help you with that, they're a very close friend for sure) and it wasn't even Light's suggestion. It was all Misa, who saw killing her friend as a way to get Light to trust her. It's clear that girl is willing to kill anyone and anything if it'll help her achieve her goals.

Also, she's super obsessive. My girl traded half her lifespan with no hesitation on the off chance that she might be able to meet Kira. (Yes, she had a plan but there was no guarantee that her plan would even work)And the instant she saw Light, she started stalking him (even though she herself had problems with stalkers) to the point that she just turned up at his house with no warning. Imagine if a stranger just shows up at your house like that, pretending to be a friend and your mom lets them in. That's fucking horrifying.

Also, Misa barely knew Light for like a few seconds and she decided that he was going to be her boyfriend, and NOTHING was going to stay in her way, not even Light himself. She pressured him into being in a relationship with her, even though it was clearly unwanted, Rem literally threatened to kill him if he refused, and then she had the gall to tell Light she would kill any girl she suspected would go out with Light if she saw her with him. This is where the emotional abuse comes from (even though I dunno if I should call it that but I don't know how else to classify it). Misa doesn't really consider Light a person. For her, Light is more like a doll she can project her feelings on. She attributed him emotions according to her whims and acted like those were the reality regardless of Light's real feelings. She made herself the main character in his story, even after told and shown repeatedly tha she wasn't and got mad when years later she was still neglected and barely paid attention to.

I'm not saying all this to hate on Misa and this in no way a Kira appreciation post (my favorite Light is Yotsuba arc Light, I hate Kira tbh) but I'm just saying, if you're a Misa fan you should be able to accept the reality: she's not a weak, sweet little girl, manipulated by evil Light. She's capable of all the horrible things she does all on her own thank you very much and I'm tired of reading fics where Misa is treated like only a victim and given leniency while Light is treated as the only true monster.

I'm just saying, the girl didn't need a boyfriend, she needed a therapist. Badly.

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

dreaming

Summary: You thought your life ended, when you had to move the only home you ever known to marry a man you had never met before. But what if this was just the beginning?

Pairing: Javi Gutierrez x fem. reader

Wordcount: 5.3k

Rating: T

Warnings: arranged marriage AU, mob politics, some angst, some smut, a panic attack, working in the shadowwwwws, some threats, Javi being a total sweetheart, fifteen year age gap, some kissing, one make out session, future talks, time jumps

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One of the few things you would miss when you would leave this island was the view. 

Growing up on the island of Madeira and only leaving it for a handful of times, this view was like an old friend. Well… your only friend really. 

You were the youngest and only daughter of Gilberto Flores, the head of the Flores clan. You were sheltered all your life, had everything you could ever dream of. Yet all you wanted was to have a family or real friends. 

You grew up with different nannies, only seeing your father for an occasional dinner once or twice a week. You did not know your mother. Your brothers were all older than you and did not spend time with their little sister. 

On your thirteenth birthday you learned that your father had arranged a marriage to the head of the Gutierrez clan once you were of age. 

You felt trapped. Unhappy and lonely. 

More than once you thought about fleeing, but where would you go?

There was no way to get off the island by yourself and you did not trust anyone enough to ask for help. 

So you stayed. 

You learned four languages, learned to dance. 

Your father made you learn everything about the Gutierrez clan including your future husband Javier. 

His reputation precedes him. 

To the outside he was the owner of an olive farm on Mallorca. He was friends with politicians and even royalty, giving money to charities all across Europe. 

But you knew that was only what he wanted people to know. 

You learned that he was ruthless and cruel, that he did not shy away from killing to get what he wanted. The crimes went from blackmailing local politicians so he could continue with his drug business, to taking children hostage to get their parents to do what he wanted. 

And if they didn’t….

You shouldn’t be surprised, your father was the same. 

Sighing you stood outside of your balcony, watching the sun set for the last time. Your bags were packed, the wedding dress already waiting for you in your new home. 

Tomorrow you would leave this place and probably never be back. 

And even though part of you was relieved to finally see something of the world, the bigger part was scared of what was to come. 

Your dream of falling in love and getting a happily ever after would stay just that. A dream. 

In two days you would be married to a man twenty years older than you, that you had never met before. 

You hadn’t even been kissed. 

A tear slipped down your cheek and you closed your eyes, breathing in deeply. 

Javi was staring at himself in the mirror as the tailor put the finishing touches to his suit. 

His wedding suit. 

Had it really been a month since his cousin informed him that he would get married to the youngest daughter of Gilberto Flores?

A girl who had just turned twenty one?

Getting married to a man fifteen years older than herself?

Closing his eyes he sighed quietly. 

Yet another time he wished that he could just walk away from all of this. But he knew that Lucas had made it seem to everyone on the outside like he was the mastermind of the Gutierrez clan. He knew that if he would even attempt to get out of the family, the buisness, every law enforcement on the planet would put him behind bars. 

He would be safe from his abusive cousin there though. 

“We’re almost finished, Mr. Gutierrez,” the tailor said and Javi opened his eyes, giving the man a short nod. 

“Thank you,” he said quietly. 

He wondered about you. 

Of course he had tried to find out something about you ever since he learned that the two of you would be married, but he had found close to nothing. 

He knew that you had just turned twenty one, and that you were the youngest of the Flores children. You were most likely forced into this marriage much like he was. 

Fucking mob politics. 

If anyone thought Javi would as much as touch a hair on your head they were wrong. 

He felt the tailor pull of his cream coloured jacket. 

“You can take the pants off. I will have them ready for you by your wedding day,” the man said with a small smile. 

“Thank you,” Javi said and took the pants off.

When he was alone he filled a glass with scotch and walked outside, watching the sun set. 

You would arrive tomorrow and the day after tomorrow was the wedding. 

This was not how he imagined getting married. He believed in true love. Once he thought it might be Gabriela who was his one. But she met another man and left him behind, much like everyone he ever cared about in his life. 

Even though his house was never empty, Javi was lonely, he always had been. It was why he became so interested in movies and their own magic. When he watched a movie he forgot about his life. He could get lost in the story of a good (or sometimes bad) movie and pretend he was just a normal guy. 

And that was just what he did that night. He made himself some popcorn and sat down in his private cinema. 

And he cried his eyes out watching Toy Story 3.

Somehow you always thought he would look meaner. The man you were supposed to marry. 

You had arrived earlier that day, being sent off to your new rooms immediately without a big hello. It was an hour before dinner when a maid arrived, informing you to ready yourself for dinner. 

Which is where you were now, sitting next to the man who had introduced himself as Javier Gutierrez, Javi, as he told you you could call him. 

He had a nice face. Handsome. His smile was hesitant, his eyes soft his hands warm as he introduced himself to you. 

His open, soft expression completely changed when the rest of the dinner party arrived, the dinner party you had no idea was happening in the first place. 

You carefully looked around after the main course had been served, the only people you knew being your father and his current mistress at the table. You didn’t even know what her name was. She gave you a sad smile when she found you looking at her. 

She didn’t look much older than you were and you felt yourself disgusted for the family you had been born in. 

„Gentlemen,“ Javier, Javi said next to you and you stiffened. 

„If you’ll excuse me. I would like to get to know my… future bride a little better. The kitchen prepared desert for us to be served in my room,“ he said. 

You bit into your tongue, your body stiffening when you heard the hollers from the table. You took a deep breath before you looked up at Javier who was holding his hand out for you to take. 

You knew you didn’t have a choice. Not anymore. 

So you put a fake smile on your face and took his hand, letting him help you up from your chair. 

Whistles, catcalls and laughter were accompanying you until the door of the dining room closed behind you. Javi dropped your hand from his, releasing a deep breath. 

He looked at you first, before he looked around as if he was searching for something. 

Slowly he stepped closer and your eyes got big as his head leaned down, his lips close to your ear. 

„There are eyes and ears everywhere. It’s why I asked for dessert to be served outside for us to speak without eyes or ears on us. However you can leave and go back to your room without any consequences if you don’t want to,“ he whispered. He parted from you looking at you with an honest expression. 

You would marry the man in two days. 

And nothing of this day had been like you imagined it. 

So you gave him a small nod, seeing his eyes light up before he held his hand out for you again.

The view from Javi’s room was breathtaking. 

You could see the whole garden of the estate with the ocean behind it, crashing against the shore. 

The sun was setting, diving everything into a soft orange light as he showed you around, before he pulled the chair out for you on the left corner for his balcony where some chocolate cake had been served. 

„I tried finding out your favourite desert so I could surprise you, but nobody could help me. So I went with chocolate in the hope you’d like it as much as I do,“ he explained, his expression sheepish, as he sat down across from you. 

He had pulled his tie off immediately as the doors to his rooms closed behind you, opening up the first three buttons of his dress shirt. He threw his dress jacket on the floor, releasing a deep breath, before he found you watching him. 

There was a shy smile on his lips as he told you how much he hated getting dressed up for events like this.

You were quiet, watching him and still feeling out of place. But there was something about Javi that put you at ease. 

„I know you probably want to be even less than I am,“ Javi said after a moment when you had sat down. 

The surprise must have shown on your face as he smiled softly. 

„I found out a month ago that I am supposed to be marrying you,“ he said.

„I’ve known since I was thirteen,“ you finally spoke and his eyes closed as he sighed and shook his head. 

„I am so sorry,“ he whispered, staring out at the ocean before he picked up the little fork and picked at his chocolate cake. When he had eaten some of the cake you picked up the fork too, digging in. 

You hummed when you tasted the rich flavour of the chocolate and Javi looked at you with a small smile. 

„You’re different than I thought,“ you said after you had both finished eating in silence.

„How so?“ He asked. 

„I was taught that you were the ruthless leader of your house. I grew up listening to all the horror stories about you and your family. But you seem….“

You were looking for the right word. 

„Softer,“ you finished your sentence and Javi laughed, sadly. 

„Unfortunately I think all the stories you heard about my family are true,“ he began and your face fell, fear creeping back in. 

„Once my father died I was meant to take over, and I did, at least to the outside world. All the things you learned about me are true. But it was not me who did them, it was my cousin,“ he said, his voice quieter now. There was a knock on the door, making you jump but Javi only reached over the table, squeezing your hand. 

„It’s only Carla, the housekeeper. She’s going to get the dishes and brings some wine,“ he said before he got up and walked back inside. 

You were startled again when the housekeeper, an older lady with a kind face picked up your dishes, speaking to Javi in Spanish on her way out. You tuned their voices out, tilting your head back and closing your eyes, listening to only the waves from the ocean. 

You were beyond confused about the things that had happened since you got here. 

But to your surprise you weren’t as terrified as you were only a day ago. 

Because Javi was so far from the man you had grown up to fear would become your husband. You only met him today, but you there was something about him that made you feel like you could trust him. 

He made you feel safe.

You startled when Javi sat back across from you, pushing a glass of red wine towards you. You raised your eyebrows in question. 

„It is the best red from my own vineyard,“ he said and you nodded, picking up the glass. 

You hated wine. 

But you saw his hopeful expression as he watched you bring the glass to your lips, taking a sip. 

You tried very hard not to let your face show just how exactly you like the wine but you saw Javi’s face fall anyway. 

„You don’t like it?“ He asked. 

Slowly you shook your head. 

„Not a big fan of wine,“ you admitted and his shoulders fell, before he looked with a warm expression at you. 

„What do you like? If we have to get married, I want to know you as best as I can. We might not be lovers, but I'd like to become friends,“ he said. 

„Do you think there is a way out?“ You asked. He sighed, drinking some wine. 

„If there would be one right now, without either of us ending up dead, I would have found one,“ he said with a sad smile. 

You nodded, looking down at your hands. 

„I did like the chocolate cake,“ you said after a while with a small smile. 

„Yes?“ He said as you looked up. You nodded. 

„But my favourite is Lemon meringue,“ you smiled at him and he chuckled. 

„Tell me more,“ he leaned closer. 

And you did.

You were pretty sure you were having a panic attack. 

You stared at yourself in the big mirror in front of you. Dressed in white, not a hair out of place. You did not like the dress, but it did not matter. 

All that mattered was that it looked good on you, and that it would look good on pictures. 

You would be married in the next hour. 

To a man you just so had gotten to know. 

„Oh god,“ your hand flew to your chest, the fabric to tight.

You couldn’t breathe. 

There was a knock on the door and you turned around with wide eyes, still feeling like you were choking. The door opened and Javi walked in, his face falling as he saw you, closing the door behind him as he closed the distance between you.

His eyes flew over you as you tried, but could’t bring your lungs to fill with air and you jumped when you felt him grab one of your hands. 

„Breathe with me,“ he said, but you just shook your head, black spots appearing in the corners of your vision. 

„I can’t,“ you gasped out but he shook his head. He brought your hand towards his chest.

„Feel it. Breathe with me,“ he said again and you looked up at him with wide eyes. You noticed yesterday that one of his eyes was lighter than the other. Still a rich brown, but… warmer. 

With your eyes on him you focused on the way he was breathing. 

In and out. 

And in and out. 

Your heart slowly slowing down, air finally filling your lungs. 

He just stayed there with you until you calmed down. You heard the wedding planner outside reminding you that it was only fifteen minutes until the ceremony and tears filled your eyes. 

You would get married.

You would become a wife. 

You would get your first kiss in front of people you had never met before….

„You need to kiss me,“ you said, before you could stop yourself. He frowned at you, his hands still holding yours against his chest as he looked at you. 

„I have no control about anything at the moment. I do not want my first kiss to be in front of all these people. I… Javi please,“ you were about to beg. 

You had stayed up all night talking to Javi. 

While you still had doubts about if he was telling you the truth at the beginning, they were gone once he began to talk about his love for movies. His eyes sparkled as he told you about his favourite movies, and how his biggest dream was to be a writer. 

He also told you more about his family.

About how his father died and even on his deathbed told him what a disappointment Javier had been for him and the family business. 

He wanted to leave once his father died, but Lucas would not let him, threatening to kill his then PA and secret love Gabriella. So he stayed. Even when Gabriella left, because he did not know where to go. 

You told him about yourself too, but what was there to tell?

You hadn’t seen anything of the world, you had nothing to tell, yet he gave you his full attention with everything you said. 

If you were pressured to marry someone, you were glad it was him. 

„I need you to kiss me now, here, Javi,“ you said again and he took a deep breath.

He let go of your hand just to bring one of his hands up, resting it on your cheek as he took a step closer. 

His eyes closed for a moment as his head tilted down. He took a deep breath as he opened them and it was like everything around you disappeared. 

„I’m sorry it has to be like this,“ he whispered as he leaned in. 

You licked your lips. 

„I’m not,“ you whispered before his lips brushed against yours. 

Your eyes slipped close as you allowed yourself to get lost in this kiss. Your very first kiss.

It started soft, Javi clearly not wanting to spook you even more than you were. It was when he felt one of your hands on his shoulders that he allowed himself to deepen the kiss, slowly moving his lips against yours, your hand wandering up to his neck, your fingers playing with the hair in his neck, making him shiver. 

Before it could get any further he parted from your lips watching you linger for a moment before you eyes opened to look at him. He smiled softly at you, his fingers brushing over your cheek. 

„I know this is not what we wanted, but we only have to get through the rest of this day before we can leave,“ he said.

„Leave where?“ You asked. 

He kissed your nose. 

„Do you trust me?“ He asked. 

And you know you shouldn’t, but you had no one else in your corner. 

„I do,“ you nodded. 

„Then meet me at the fountain after the reception,“ he said, before he took a step back, giving you one last look, before he walked out of the room. 

You were surprisingly relaxed once the big I do’s had been said. You didn’t feel different as a married woman. The whole situation was so surreal to you, you’d probably need weeks if not months to get used to it. 

Your state of relaxation could also have to do with the amount of champagne you had already drank, your father already having scolded you twice.

You had to admit that when Javi told him off, you did find the way your father seemed to shrink away from him pretty sexy. 

You had just gotten back to your seat when you felt Javi sit down next to you. You were pretty lost without him here, but every time he wanted to come to you, someone had pulled him away. 

Smiling you looked at him, your eyes widening when you saw what he had put down in front of you. 

„Is that…“

„Lemon Meringue pie, yes. I had the menu changed his morning. You should have something you liked at this wedding, even if it is not what you dreamed of,“ he said, and you felt yourself tear up. 

„I never really dreamed of my wedding, or anything really, because I knew I would not get to decide anything,“ you whispered. Javi leaned closer towards you, his hand finding yours. 

„Then I want you to start dreaming now,“ he said and before you could stop yourself you had leaned in and kissed him softly, catching him by surprise. 

„Thank you Javi,“ you whispered just for him to hear before you turned towards the pie and began to eat it. 

You would have forgotten to meet Javi at the fountain if it wasn’t for Javi pulling you away with him. 

By now you were beyond tipsy and probably ready for bed. 

„I have a surprise,“ he whispered as you walked with him towards the fountain. You had one of your arms wrapped behind his back and he had one wrapped behind you. You were stumbling, so it was him holding you up really. 

„You do?“ You asked, he nodded. 

Walking around the fountain you could see something behind it the further you walked. 

„A helicopter?“ You asked, confused. 

„I have a private island in the Maldives. The helicopter would take us to the airport. Your bags have already been packed,“ he said. 

You blinked up at him. 

„We can just go?“ You asked. He nodded. 

„If you do not feel comfortable being alone with me, that is okay. We do not have to leave. Though I think four weeks of what people will see as our honey moon while we get to know each other alone without the prying eyes of the cartel would be better,“ he said, waiting for your answer. Hoping you would say yes to his plan. 

You gulped, suddenly wishing you wouldn’t have drank so much. 

You surprised Javi yet again, when you jumped into his arms, hugging him closely. 

„This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me,“ you mumbled against his neck. 

„Then let’s go princesa,“ he whispered.

Waking up with your first hangover ever after you got married, you were confused where you were for a second, your eyes blinking open. 

How did you get here?

And where exactly was here?

Sitting yourself up you groaned, your hand flying over your eyes.

Of course you would choose the night of your arranged wedding for your first drunk escapade. You jumped when the door opposite the bed you were laying in opened and Javi’s head took a peek inside the room. 

„Oh, you’re awake,“ he said with a warm smile. 

You nodded with a groan. 

„There is a bottle of water and some painkillers next to you on the table,“ he said and you opened one eye, seeing him grin at you. 

„I hope I did not embarrass you,“ you mumbled and he opened the door to walk in. He was dressed in some sweatpants and a shirt, sitting down on the other end of the bed. 

„You didn’t,“ he assured you with a glint in his eye, that did not make you believe him. Instead of questioning him, you reached over to grab the bottle of water and the painkiller, chewing them down. 

„Where are we?“ You asked once you had drank half of the bottle. 

„On a plane. To the Maldives. Though I should have waited to ask you again when you were sober. If you want us to turn around…“

„Oh no. No. I’m quite happy to get away from everything,“ you said and he released a breath.

„Good. Uhm…. There are some clothes in the dresser for you. You…. Did not want to put them on last night,“ he looked away from you. Was he blushing?

„What do you mean I did not want to….“ You carefully lined your blanket, eyes widening when you found that you were only wearing some panties. Alarmed you pulled the blanked under your chin. 

„Thank you,“ you squealed out, now pulling the blanked over your head, mortified. 

You felt his hand on your ankle, squeezing it through the blanket. 

„Breakfast is served if you like to come out,“ he said before you felt the bed dip, a door closing moments later. 

You pushed the blanket away from your face, grabbing a pillow to put if over your face and screamed into it.

You swear you could hear a laugh from the next room. 

Sighing you pushed the pillow away, sitting yourself up. You would love nothing more than to hide forever in this bed. 

But Javi had done something sweet for you. Deep down you were a little scared of having to spend time alone in a place that was not your home right after the wedding. 

Getting to spend time alone with Javi somewhere you were alone though?

That sounded like a dream. 

And you did remember that he told you to start dreaming. 

So that’s what you would do. 

Once a day, for more or less thirty minutes Javi had to take a call and excused himself to the office of the villa, leaving you to read your book in peace. 

You wanted to ask what these calls were about, but by now you knew Javi well enough that he would tell you if he could.  

You wouldn’t even be mad if Javi’s intention for bringing you here, to this little paradise, was to make you fall in love with him. 

Not that you knew anything about love.

But your heart beat a little faster when Javi looked at you, or when he took your hand, or kissed you goodnight, before you both went to your own beds in your own rooms. 

He cooked for you, he put sunscreen on your back when you relaxed on the beach. 

He asked you a billion questions about yourself to get to know you. 

And he made you watch every single one of his favourite movies with him. 

If you could stay here with him like that forever, you wouldn’t complain. 

It was by week two that you searched him out more, touches lingering. You kissed him some times, the kiss never lasting longer than a moment. 

You wanted more, but at the same time you weren’t sure you were allowed to want it.

To want him. 

But then he smiled at you, or remembered how you took your tea. Every time you felt the scared voice in the back of your head tell you to be cautious you reminded yourself of Javi telling you that you were allowed to dream now. 

So around three weeks after you got here, as you finished watching the third lord of the rings movie you kissed him. And as he tried to pull away you chased his lips, your hand coming to brush through his hair, keeping you close. 

He still pulled away, his eyes on yours, guarded, looking at you. 

„I want you, Javi,“ you whispered and he gulped. 

„Are you sure?“ He asked. You had talked about it. He knew you had never been with anyone before. 

You nodded. 

„I’m not sure if I want to go all the way now but… I want more, Javi,“ you said and he smiled softly at you, his nose brushing against yours. 

„I did not think it would be like this,“ he said, letting his forehead fall against yours. 

„How?“

„Easy. I did not think it would be so easy to fall in love with you,“ he whispered before he kissed you. You smiled against his lip, slowly sitting yourself up. Nervously you broke the kiss, looking down at Javi as you carefully settled in his lap. He looked at you in awe and you grabbed his hand, putting them on your hips, before you leaned down to kiss him. 

You crossed your arms behind his neck and he groaned as you deepened the kiss. You felt him part his lips and you did the same, letting him take lead, because you had no idea what to do. You shivered when he squeezed your hips, pulling you even closer. His tongue dipped into your mouth and you moaned softly. You moved your hips on top of him, gasping when you felt him roll his hips too.

Out of breath you parted from his lips while his wandered down your throat. 

„Javi,“ you gasped, your fingers scratching over his scalp.

He stopped kissing you, his lips lingering against your skin. 

„Before we get any further I have to tell you something,“ he whispered. He pushed you a little away so he could look at you. Smiling at you, one of his hands came up to rest against your cheek. 

„When I found out that I had to marry you I never thought I would actually fall in love with you,“ he said and you leaned into his touch. 

„And because of my feelings for you I have to tell you that you have a choice here,“ he said and you frowned. 

„What do you mean?“ You asked, confused. 

He took a deep breath before he spoke again. 

„I started working with the CIA a year ago to help them get the Guttierez cartel. And as of this morning, there is no cartel anymore,“ he said and you blinked at him, processing what he just told you. 

„Your family was caught in the crossfire. Your father and all your brother have been taken in custody together with my family,“ he said and you nodded slowly, still processing. 

„So that means, you are free,“ he smiled at you. 

„What does that mean?“ You asked. 

„It means, you get to make your own choices,“ he took a deep breath, „It means that you don’t have to stayed married to me if you don’t want,“ he said quietly.

„You’re very young, my love. If you want to get out and make your own experiences, no one is stopping you. You could study, you could travel, you could buy your own island and live there forever…“ he grinned.

„Can’t I do all of that with you by my side?“ You asked. 

„If you want to. All I want to say is, you are not obligated to stay married to me. Because there will be no consequences if you chose to not want to anymore. Only what you want matters,“ he said. 

You were still processing. 

„I am saying that if you want to get married, you should do it, because you are in love with the person, and not because you were pressured to do so,“ he said. 

„But what if I am in love with you?“ You asked. The smile he gave you was almost blinding. 

„Then I will be with you every single step of the way as long as you let me, my love,“ he said.

„Okay,“ you smiled softly at him. 

„Okay?“ He asked, you nodded. 

„I want to stay longer here, if we can,“ you said and he nodded.

„Done,“ he grinned. 

„And I want you to take me to your bed,“ you sucked your bottom lip in. 

„Now?“ He raised one of his eyebrows.

You nodded.

„Now,“ you whispered. 

Two years later

„We are gonna be late, Javi,“ you giggled, your hands on the sides of his face as he kissed all over your face.

„Can’t be late to our own wedding,“ he shrugged and you giggled again.

„Javviiiiiii!“ You laughed, when he began to tickle your sides. 

„Okay Okay Okay,“ he sighed in mock surrender, pushing himself up from the bed, before he held his hand out to help you up. 

„Ready to marry me again?“ He asked as you walked out of the room and directly on the beach that would lead down to the ocean where a minister would be waiting for you. 

„Ready to actually mean it this time,“ you winked, squealing when he pulled you against his chest, kissing you hard. 

„Love you,“ he mumbled against your lips. 

„Love you too,“ you mumbled back, letting him lead you down to the ocean. 

Ready for a fresh start in a new country with a new job, but with the men you against all odds fell in love with.

[blluespirit]

Overall NATLA Thoughts

Okay, now that I've watched the series, I can give my thoughts.

Overall, I thought it was good!!! I had fun watching it! I'd rate it a solid 6.5/10. It's nowhere as good as the original, but it was definitely enjoyable and made some nice changes here and there that I liked. There were also some things I was also Not a fan of too.

I said in another post that it's best to treat this like an AU of the original. There will things that are great and things that are bad. That's the nature of adapting something.

Having said that, I need to get my initial thoughts off my chest... here we go.

Things I thought were good:

Sokka's characterisation - I really enjoyed him! I thought Ian did a good job! He played the funny moments well and retained the underlying seriousness/cautiousness. It wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed the changes a lot and think it was overall a solid performance.

Zuko's characterisation - Like Sokka, I do think I was most satisfied with their performances. A lot of Zuko's moments from the cartoon are sometimes... well, cartoonish and definitely wouldn't translate to live action, but I think Dallas did a nice job at balancing Zuko's desperate anger and that occasional sassiness well.

Zuko and Iroh moments were great. Had me on the floor crying. As it should have.

The bending looks a trillion times better than the movie - I understand it would not have been easy for the actors but, overall, I was very happy about it.

The scenery was stunning. It just looked so beautiful. I loved it so much.

Absolutely ADORE that they made Zuko a good calligrapher and artist. I read a fic about a million years ago where Zuko is a fantastic calligrapher and I thought it was perfect and made so much sense, and now I can say it's canon. This is perfect for me.

S U K I

The Freedom Fighters were ✨ perfect

They were so real for making Oma and Shu lesbians

Koh, Wan Shi Tong and Hei Bai looked fantastic, but I have more to say about all of them below, unfortunately.

I actually like the change they made that Katara is Aang's sole waterbending teacher.

Aang is not perfect, and needed more goofy scenes HOWEVER, I did like how they've had Aang's guilt more prominent in the story. The original didn't do a very good job with that, imo.

Zuko entering is breaking and entering era by breaking into an impenetrable Earth Kingdom prison is just perfect.

In Masks, I like how Aang and Zuko got a longer conversation - that was pretty cute.

I liked how they changed Yue a bit and got her out of the arranged marriage... how Yue saw Sokka in the Spirit World before meeting him in the real world.

Things I didn't like:

Far too much info-dumping/exposition. So much spelling things out. It was not as egregious as the movie, and I get there's a lot of information that needs to be conveyed well and quickly... but sometimes it really took me out of the show.

Why are Mai and Ty Lee here.... I was hoping the live action would give them a bit more depth (and they might as it goes forward!), but why put them in season 1 at all if they're just going to stand around???

Some odd changes - putting this as one point, but there are some bizarre changes that didn't make sense to me, as they did not benefit the story or deepen the characters. I have two main examples: a) making it so Aang didn't run away from home, and b) making it so Zuko actually fights Ozai in the Agni Kai.

Characterisation of Katara was Not Great. I don't think I got many hints of the reckless, compassionate, badass Katara until the end when she fights Pakku and rallies all the women together to fight (which happens off-screen). She was sweet and kind, but she just lacked the fire that OG Katara has.

Azula's characterisation - Azula is desperate to impress Ozai and so her character is just…. brewing with anger, frustration, desperation. I was SO excited to see the Azula we are introduced too… perpetually and irritatingly calm, calculating and ruthless. She's perfect, she's terrifying! She's literally the character of all time. But this Azula had more Zuko vibes? I don't think there's anything wrong with giving Azula more concrete motivation by wanting to impress Ozai and establishing that Ozai is abusive to both his kids, but I do think trying to do that right off the bat is a mistake.

WHY is Wan Shi Tong here. I love Wan Shi Tong, but like I said: Why Is He Here? Why could we not have his iconic, ominous as fuck introduction from The Library, and instead he's introduced in a random season 1 episode giving Aang Information(tm) about the Spirit World.

When Aang gave Koh the statue, and then he just takes it and immediately lets all the villages go, and neither of them even say anything, I actually laughed out loud. Like, I am so sorry, but what in the jesus fuck was that.

Speaking of Koh - I think Koh is better the less we know about him. Roku saying ~all Koh wants is a family like the rest of us~ just pissed me off?? I like my Koh the Face Stealer Terrifying and Unknowable, thank you.

NOTHING EVER REALLY HAPPENS WITH HEI BAI!!?? where's my precious spirit bear?? Like Aang never really does anything with him and the replacement Koh story is boring and it sucks.

Bumi.... sorry I just didn't vibe with him at all.

Things I can't decide on:

Fancy spirit knife to kill the moon spirit annoyed me a bit, but I guess they wanted to Kuruk something to work with and a little bit more interaction with Aang which I get but idk. I really flip/flop on this one.

I've been very on the fence about having Azula (and Ozai) being in the show in season 1 in general. I'm not sure if it benefited either of their characters.

Azula & Ozai's dynamic - Okay, so, I think they're trying to give Azula more depth, right? They're trying to establish what it was like for Azula to live with Ozai and that she's also (like Zuko) trying to desperately prove herself to him, but Ozai using Zuko's... achievements to do that just felt so weird. I get he's doing it to manipulate her, but that just felt so wrong when in canon it's very obvious that Ozai just didn't give a single fuck about Zuko. Ozai pits Azula against Zuko by saying he's a failure, he's a bad bender etc. Azula is born lucky, Zuko is lucky to be born - like, Ozai says that to Zuko's face. I don't know if I am communicating this point very well, but it just didn't seem right to me??

Zuko vs Zhao in the Siege of the North... I genuinely do not know how to feel about it! I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I don't know how to feel about Zhao telling Zuko that his mission is a sham and that Azula is the prized one... It feels like it's saying the quiet part out loud? In the OG we all know that Ozai sending Zuko on that mission was an excuse to get rid of him, but we can work that out, no one actually says it. And then Iroh just fucking killing him/mortally wounding him instead of the Iconic scene where Zuko reaches out to save him despite everything Zhao has done to him, but Zhao's own pride gets in the way from letting him accept help from Zuko.

Zuko’s crew being the 41st is not necessarily a bad thing at all!!! But I do just want to say that in the original, the attack goes ahead, and presumably, those soldiers die. It’s horrible. Zuko’s sacrifice is in vain, and it was always going to be in vain because the Fire Nation as it stands would not allow Zuko's compassion to win. Ozai would not allow it. While not necessarily a bad choice (all the soldiers bowing to Zuko on the boat was so sweet I loved it!) but I think it does take away some of the horror of Zuko’s story (same as it does with making Zuko fight back in my opinion) because the whole point is that Zuko did the right thing - and he was punished for it, and those soldiers died anyway.

anyway...

Okay!! got that off my chest. I know I just had a big whine here, but I still had a lot of fun watching this show. I think some of the backlash is a bit over the top and unwarranted. It was never going to stand up to the original - and that's okay.

Enjoy it for what it is!

[willowsnook]

Hi could i get a short scotch italian soda?

charles leclerc x driver!rider

just shut up and come here

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

Moving from Sauber to Ferrari had been a life-changing moment and you still remembered crying into your dad's arms after signing the contract. Everyone dreams of driving for Ferrari so it really was a dream come true.

You and Charles had been friendly while you were at Sauber but had really grown close when you became his teammate. The media loved the two of you and you both were tagged in thousands of fan edits of you guys dating. Ferrari's PR team was who was to thank for that. They always managed to post clips of Charles gazing at you longingly or you getting flustered when he made a not so appropriate joke.

The most recent viral video of the two of you had come out this past weekend. It was a trivia type thing where you had to answer questions about each other. The question had been directed towards you asking what was the last thing Charles did before bed each night and you had smirked at him mouthing the words jack off making him laugh out loud.

Excited to fuck with him you turned to the camera claiming you knew the answer. Within seconds he flew over at you from his side of the couch, tackling you and throwing his hand over your mouth. His arm was wrapped tightly around your waist and while it was friendly in the moment, the video painted a different story. Max had sent an edit some fan on tik tok had made into the drivers chat with a million laughing emojis.

You laughed it off as you did with most of the stuff fans said about you and Charles. Of course you thought he was attractive, who wouldn't? But you'd seen his past girlfriends and they looked nothing like you. Don't get me wrong, you knew you were hot but not in the sweet, soft-spoken influencer type of way. You were a ruthless driver on the grid who didn't take shit from anyone and that bled into your personality. The F1 reporters both loved and hated you for your quick witted responses to their questions.

"Ready for today?" Charles asked, coming up to you in the garage, sipping his water. You shrugged at his question; you were starting 6th on the grid compared to his 3rd.

"Who knows," you replied. "I'll be happy if the car doesn't fall apart."

He chuckled.

"You've got a chance for the win though, nervous?"

"Only if you'll be the prize," he flirted and you swatted his shoulder playfully.

"In your dreams Leclerc," you said laughing.

"Then I wish I was asleep."

Smiling you walked away and towards your team to do the final checks.

The car felt good during the race. You made your way to P4 and were pretty much cruising with no one close in front of you or behind. You assumed that Charles was fighting for the win as you hadn't seen him.

10 laps away from the finish, you saw a yellow flag.

What happened? You said over the radio.

Safety car. Verstappen and Norris crashed out into the gravel. You are P2, strategy now is to defend for Charles.

Sure enough, when everyone caught up during the safety car, you pulled right behind Charles. Oscar would now be much closer behind than he had been all race.

5 laps to go and you all took off. Charles still had good pace and you were close behind but so was Oscar. He kept going at you over and over any chance he had to pull past but you held strong. You cheered over the radio as you crossed the finish line securing P2 and Charles the win.

As you pulled up next to him, you hopped out of your car just as he was walking back from hugging the team. He swept you up in his arms and twirled you around making you laugh loudly.

"Thank you mon chéri," he said in your ear. "Now we get to celebrate."

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

The music was loud in the club as you celebrated Charles' win and you were definitely enjoying it. Three drinks deep you were in an animated conversation with Lewis who was just nodding along smiling, amused with your drunken state.

Eventually Charles dropped next to you slinging an arm over your shoulder giving Lewis an excuse to escape.

"Having fun?" He asked looking at you, eyes glazed.

"Yeah, just starting to hit a wall," you replied.

"Just let me know when you're ready to go," he said.

"You can stay later than me Charles, I'll just get a taxi back to the hotel," you said and he shook his head.

"You're coming home with me tonight remember," he said and your eyebrows furrowed. "I believe you are my prize."

Your face flushed as you remembered his earlier comment.

"There are a million pretty girls here, I'm sure one of them would love to be your prize."

"I don't want any of them, I want you," he said seriously and your heart rate quickened as you pulled away from him.

"You're drunk Charles," you said and he smirked.

"Maybe I am and maybe that's why I'm finally shooting my shot," he said. "So tell me you'll come back with me so I can fuck that pretty mouth of yours."

You squirmed at his words, closing your thighs tighter together as you grew hot. Noticing, his smirk grew wider.

"I don't know...," you trailed off and he leaned closer to you.

"I think you do know," he said. "So just shut up and come here."

Your resolve crumbled as you leaned into his embrace, pulling his head down to meet yours. His lips collided with yours in a rush of intensity, and his hand gently cupped your ass, giving a soft squeeze. Gasping, you felt him smirk against your lips.

"If this is my prize I guess I have to win every race," he whispered in your ear before attaching his lips to your neck.

"I guess so."

[polarisbibliotheque]

Vergil and his s/o training together

Or Vergil and his s/o spar for foreplay fun!

Pairing: Vergil x Reader

Summary: With your sword recently broken, Vergil gave you a new devil arm to get used to. He is also your mentor when it comes to fighting - but being his lover doesn't mean he's going to go easy on you. Quite the contrary.

Restrictions: None, BUT I should tell you: lots of sexual tension in this one. What can I say, Vergil is a weird guy, sparring with his lover does things to him. Nothing explicit though, you know how I roll. Also, reader gets bruises from training/sparring. He's rough and doesn't hold back, I mentioned it before I think Vergil has this "only the strong survive" mentality, and I do think he gets ruthless as a sign of respect for his lover's abilities rather than anything else.

Author's Notes: I blame @yanderebishforlevi for this one after they dropped an ask I just answered :) I'm focusing on the Halloween specials, but that made me go through my unfinished, discarded, short stuff on limbo and rehash/put it together to post something new here.

Simple stuff, not really much of a story, just some training with sexy, bared arms, ruthless, emotionally constipated man. That's why I never thought about posting, it felt like it was missing something a plot so I was going to put it in Nemesis but, oh well. Hope you guys like it xD

“We’re done for today.”

Vergil’s words sounded final, as he lowered the Yamato after a devastating blow that had you tumbling back and struggling to fall on your knees – scraping them in a way you would have some bruises to display for a couple of days at least.

“Given it’s my training session, love…” You growled while pulling yourself back on your feet, using your sword as a crutch for help. Vergil observed you with those cutting silvery eyes, almost as if questioning your resolve to pull yourself up. Again. “I say when we are done. And I am not done.”

“You are being terribly stubborn, that is.” Vergil had Yamato back in its sheath, arms crossed while curiously watching you take your coat off, having only your training clothes underneath.

“Well, at least we got that in common, Dark Slayer.” You carefully watched as Vergil mirrored you and took off his own long coat, leaving his arms bare for the first time that night. He only did that when he was about to get rough during training – and you had to huff a laugh. “I’m only standing down when I master this damned sword, and apparently I’m not even close to that.”

“You are closer than you were when we started.” He took a deep breath, already choosing a fighting stance since you were doing the same – walking slowly in a circle, observing him with a pair of predatorial eyes. Vergil was used to be under that scrutiny around demons, but when it came to your eyes, they were threatening… And bewitching.

“And I would be even closer, if you hadn’t been cheating this whole time.” You narrowed your eyes, allowing a smirk color the corner of your lips as Vergil froze in place – you could even bet he stopped breathing for a fraction of a second.

“Cheating…?” His voice was dangerously low, words alarmingly taking their time, savoring every syllable of that little word. You knew you had struck a nerve – but, in your defense, Vergil had been striking your nerves ever since you started training a few hours prior.

It had been a couple of weeks you had a new sword in your inventory: big, heavy, resembling a claymore. Dante and Vergil had killed one particularly powerful demon that ended up becoming the sword now in your hands: brimming with demonic power, ready to be wielded to bring doom to its enemies. You had your previous sword broken into shards while protecting Nero during one of your jobs – a story for another time – and Vergil thought the claymore of sorts would be a nice replacement.

A new weapon, though, meant a lot of new things: new grip, new balance, new weight, new powers… So much to master, but you had to learn soon in order to keep up with your devil hunter job. Halloween was approaching and, given how chaotic the last few years were, you had to at least master the basics soon enough.

Vergil, being the thoughtful partner and lover of knowledge that he was, offered to help you train and master your new sword – all his arcane teachings would surely come in handy when dealing with a devil arm.

You had a problem, though. Learning and mastering things on your own was almost a given, and you always expected to do it at your pace – meaning, you didn’t have much patience to not be at least good and easily fighting after a few hours of practice. With a mentor like Vergil, though, that process was taking double the time.

He was relentless. You being his lover just meant he would go twice as hard on you – in his dictionary, it probably meant how much he adored you; but in your dictionary, you were absolutely and infinitely vexed that, by now, you hadn’t been able to at least get to a tie with him.

And that was something you always proudly said you could do.

“Yes. Cheating.” You held your sword with only one hand, throwing it behind your body and having your eyes fixed on your lover. That way, when you or him decided to attack, you could use all your strength to lunge forward. “You got exponentially worse every time I lost and got back on my feet again; you haven’t made it easier nor remained with the same level of fighting from the beginning. You are making it more difficult for me. If you hadn’t, I would’ve already had my sword on your throat by now.”

“Tsk.” You smiled as Vergil finally had that nonchalant attitude, but his eyes burned like the coldest circles of Hell. With a swift move, he unsheathed the Yamato and attacked you – as you had already prepared before, you threw your sword forward, immediately able to parry. He quickly tried another attack, but you managed to grip your sword with both of your hands and hold him back. You found Vergil’s silvery eyes staring at you sharply between the blades of your swords. “Don’t expect demons to have mercy just because the sight of you eclipses even the moon herself.”

“If we weren’t sparring, I’d take that as a compliment.” You had a small laugh hidden amidst your words, clearly seeing the shadow of a smile Vergil tried to conceal before he pushed you back with only half of his might – still having you stumble back and use whatever energy you had left to keep your body balanced.

“Your human body won’t be able to take it for too long.” And even if Vergil was trying to convince you to stand down, he still circled you, keeping his own predatorial gaze on your form and tense shoulders to quickly get into a fighting stance. You weren’t one easy to convince when you had your mind set on something, that he had to admit. “We should call it a day and tend your wounds. Your body doesn’t have the same resilience a devil’s body has.”

“I would have a lot more if you hadn’t been ruthless with me, love.” You pointed at some slight marks on your body – nothing too jarring, but still making an appearance here and there. “These bruises are on you.”

With those words, it was your turn to lunge forward and attack first. Vergil easily defended with a swift move from Yamato, trying an attack right after. You managed to defend as well, holding him still for a few seconds.

“They will make you stronger.” Were the only words he managed to answer before you attacked again. Vergil seemed to fight effortlessly, while you had to muster all your strength to wield your new sword – Vergil was right to say your body wouldn’t last for too long: you were already tired, thanks to his training, but your pride wouldn’t allow you to back down. And he knew that.

Even if Vergil worried about your stamina, he couldn’t deny how much he admired – and had a pang of pride in his own heart – every time you displayed that much willpower.

With a calculated attack to disarm you, Vergil was certain your playing would come to an end and he would have the final word on that argument – he did not expect, though, a graceful move from your side, spinning such a heavy sword in one of your hands and making it face down, coming between you and him and completely breaking his stance, foiling Vergil’s attempt to end your resolve.

You quickly threw your sword a little on the air in front of you in order to let go from the grip and hold the blade itself – strong enough to be able to wield it, but careful not to hurt yourself in the process – which gave you the perfect opportunity to spin around him and smack the hilt of your sword on his back.

Vergil slowly turned his head around, still impressed by your swift move after being so tired, only to find you with a smug smile on your lips.

“It will make you stronger.” You pointed at him with the hilt of your sword, throwing it slightly in the air again so you could grab the hilt with one hand and then another.

Vergil kept his back at you, calmly walking to the other side of the room so you could take your initial stances again – but this time you saw him shaking his head and heard a low chuckle coming from him.

Vergil was a survivor, one that lived the law of the jungle for so long that sparring and teasing his partner was one of the best ways to entertain him. To say you were both having fun was an understatement.

“Apparently, I haven’t been ruthless enough with you.” He turned around, holding Yamato’s hilt with both of his hands. You had to hold back a smile – that was one of his stances that usually meant Vergil was starting to lose his patience and considering going all out.

And that usually happened when he recognized you were starting to get the upper hand – which meant he saw your playful sword smack as a sign you were starting to get the hang of things.

After all, you only did that sort of thing with your old sword. Comparing to the way you both used to spar, he was going considerably easier on you tonight.

“Let’s remedy that.” His voice was almost a growl as his feet moved like lightning on the floor.

You had to put all your concentration in that fight – your eyes never leaving the Yamato, quickly finding the blade in the air from its shimmer and parrying with your heavy claymore. Using your weight, you pushed Vergil back – which only worked because he saw it as an opportunity to power another heavy attack to try to get you off-balance. You stumbled a little, but quickly gained your balance once more, holding back another quick attack from your lover – something quite frustrating for him, as you observed in his furrowed brows.

Even if he wasn’t going easy on you, it was the first time Vergil was tapping into some of his demonic abilities – strength, speed and power, for starters – and you took that as a compliment. If he wasn’t going to cut you some slack, he could at least fight you the same way he always did – and Vergil never really held back when fighting you.

As he said before, it would only make you stronger. And that was why you could easily fight some of the most frightening demons of Hell without even breaking a sweat.

Vergil didn’t take long to attack you again. He had that look in his eyes he only used when he was hunting, leaving no room for mercy. You held your sword in a vertical position right in front of you, having the Yamato hit the flat blade of your claymore with enough power to have you and Vergil recoil a little from the impact.

Thankfully, your sword was sturdy enough to take a powerful blow from a legendary blade and its less than formidable wielder and not shatter. That was something you would remember later, for now Vergil attacked again and you defended, holding back a series of lightning quick attacks that required all your attention, strength and speed – as well as both of your hands holding your new sword in order to be able to avoid all of the attacks.

As expected, though, you hadn’t mastered your claymore yet. Your grip faltered in one of your hands, and Vergil’s predator eyes were quick enough to notice that and see a window of opportunity. Spinning the Yamato on his hand, Vergil gripped its hilt and used the butt-end to hit your hands and make you lose your grip on your sword.

As you tried to recover without losing too much of your stance, Vergil took the chance to spin around you – as you did before with him – and use the sheath of the Yamato to smack your back. A bit lower, and he would’ve smacked your ass – at least, he allowed you to keep a little of your pride, as you allowed him when you chose not to do that as well.

You immediately leaned the tip of your sword on the floor, side-eyeing your lover – only to find him with his head held high, that convinced expression he would always wear whenever he had the upper hand, along with a ghost of a smile you knew very well.

“Shall we continue…?” His words were crowned with his usual slight tinge of arrogance, as you turned around and adjusted your grip around the hilt of your sword. “Or will you finally yield and allow me to take care of those wounds?”

“As my lover, you should know, Vergil…” You sighed and snapped your neck from side to side, getting back into position to fight. He had to raise one of his eyebrows, ever so impressed with your resilience. “I do not yield.”

His only answer was a smile before your powerful attack, holding you back with the Yamato still sheathed, using one of his feet behind his body as an anchor so he wouldn’t fall over. Even in his wildest dreams, Vergil could never had imagined he would find someone who would give such flawless answers. Yes, he wanted to care for you. But how could he deny the fire he saw in you when you said such things? It was the same fire that kept him alive for so many years; the same fire that made him get back on his feet even when defeat was certain, when all hope was lost, and only death and blood were expected. The same fire that made Vergil defy all odds and save himself, over and over again.

He didn’t know how he had found you neither how he could deserve you, but he did hope you remained for as long as he could have you.

With another attack, he took the opportunity to unsheathe his sword, using both the blade and the sheath to defend himself from a string of attacks as ruthless as those he had attacked you before. You didn’t see an opportunity, but you knew Vergil relied on a few tricks up his metaphorical sleeves, so you acted quickly to do the same he did before – and with the hilt of your claymore, you weakened his grip on the sheath, quickly spinning your sword and hitting it with all your might, making the blue sheath fly across the training ground. Vergil immediately held Yamato’s grip with both of his hands, trying not to let his surprise show on his face.

You could see it in his silvery eyes, though. You already knew how to expertly access them, to find Vergil’s emotions underneath the icy façade he used to wear. You had an advantage that made your heart swell and bolstered your resolve – and that Vergil was also able to read in your eyes. He fought back, putting a little more of his strength and power into a few riposte attacks, stopping your advances and making you fall a few steps back.

It wouldn’t be fair if he started using his demonic might when your body was almost giving out – but Vergil had to recognize you were lasting a lot longer than he expected. He thought, by now, your physical body wouldn’t be able to keep going, completely unrelated to your willpower. But there you were, proving him wrong – and making him fall even more in love with you, if that was even possible.

Your hands trembled a bit, though. You kept your eyes locked in his, reading his every move, his every emotion – and Vergil did the same, as if your fight didn’t rely on your swords anymore. As he got ready for another devastating attack, your sword found his in the air and, spinning your blades together, you brought them down with a flick of your wrist, having them rest together a few inches inside the ground.

You turned your back for a few seconds to catch your breath, pain starting to ebb through your arms. Vergil took some steps back in amazement, since that move was a first: you had never taken a break from a fight by disarming him as well as yourself, even if for a few seconds; you only asked with words and it usually took a few minutes. He observed you carefully – part of him reading if your body was going to give out and part of him reading if you would jump on him unexpectedly. Vergil didn’t know what to expect, but he could feel his blood tingling at his fingertips, ready to take action with whatever it is that you had for him.

After a few seconds, you immediately turned around, locking your hands around the grip of your sword once more and lifting it from the ground. Vergil couldn’t believe you still wanted to fight – and even win – but mirrored your speed and had Yamato back in his grip once more.

A few more attacks. He could see your hands trembling. A few more steps. He could hear your shaking breaths. A few more swift moves. He could see the relentless fire inside your eyes.

Vergil didn’t make it easier because of your crumbling endurance – if you broke, it would serve as a lesson on assessing your own energy and how far you could go. As you knew right from the start, Vergil wasn’t a forgiving mentor and would push you to your limit – he didn’t exactly expect you would do the same thing with yourself as he did to himself in order to improve his fighting to perfection.

A flick of his wrist. A powerful move from your hands. You found yourselves drenched in sweat, in the middle of your training space, the Yamato touching your neck, and your claymore touching the skin on Vergil’s throat.

You had your eyes locked into his silvery gaze, the gleaming blades of your swords ignored as the only thing that dictated that fight was your willpower – yours and Vergil’s. As you looked into each other’s reflections, you stated something you didn’t have to say out loud to be understood: neither of you would ever yield.

As that knowing reached Vergil’s heart, that was only one thing he could really do – something his logical mind and demonic pride could never fathom as the proper response to that situation, but his human heart burned to have him do it. His free hand cupped your face, pulling you into an immediate kiss.

When your lips found his, you used your free hand to anchor yourself in place by holding the back of his neck, pulling Vergil towards you. It was a kiss that burned with the very same fire he saw in your eyes, the one he mirrored in his soul and rarely let out as something other than willpower to keep on surviving. That fire was a will to live, a will to keep going, a will for life… A lust to experience, to burn bright and intensely, to take everything existence had to offer. A lust you could only safely explore with each other, not having to channel that only into surviving, but also into living life as it should be lived.

One of the things Vergil would always tell you, was to never let your guard down. You could be calm and collected, apparently unprepared, but always aware of your surroundings – and ready to kill at every waking moment.

Anything could be a distraction, anything could be a weakness. Being that close to you, in the middle of a fight, with that whirlwind of emotions stirring like a lightning storm that had to have its energy released somehow… Even if you had your sword still in one of your hands as he had Yamato in his, your blades were lowered - you had your grip almost letting go, ready to forget it on the floor.

You had your guard down.

“A demon would have killed you by now.” Vergil’s voice was but a rough whisper as he broke the kiss, his lips barely away from yours, hot breath still ghosting on your skin.

“A demon wouldn’t have kissed me.”

Both of your swords found the floor in unison, as your hands found each other with your lips locking in another breathless kiss.

Fortunately, you were both imperfectly human.

[landoscaring]

my thoughts on monza '24

let me preface this post with a big fucking heave of a sigh

[siiiiiigh]

i gotta admit that i was nervous for this one. the tension has been building up, the pace has gotten stronger, and the media have had a field day commenting on mclaren's strategy. it's been stressful.

on the one hand i gotta say as a mclaren purist that yeah, this blows, but also the fact that this is what we're worrying over? two wdc-potential drivers in our team??? the pace being too good??? like. yeah. give me this over the DNFs and the shit car.

but then.

ugh.

i support lando and oscar equally. always. until the day their contract's up. that being said:

McLaren need to make up their minds

Oscar didn't do anything wrong today

Lando wasn't going to win the race even if he'd kept P1 from the beginning because the tye strat was off anyway

the media NEED TO STOP THE NARRATIVE AROUND OSCAR HELPING LANDO SCORE A WDC BECAUSE THAT'S NOT WHAT LANDO WANTS. do you think he wants to win a wdc because his teammate, who he knows is competitive enough, rolled over and let him through? fuck no, that's not the lando we know

i completely understand the frustration some fans have, but it's misdirected. IF mclaren stepped the fuck up and gave clear orders to both their drivers, this wouldn't be such a shit show

i don't fully agree that team orders are the way to go, but also, i would appreciate if they just made up their minds about it already? time's running out

some fans' takes about this whole thing are just...bad

insert taylor swift quote about "you wouldn't have survived in the asylum they raised me" or whatever because hah, this is nothing, you guys. a few people would've fainted with the way things happened with lewis and nico, mark and seb, prost and senna... and countless more. this sport is RUTHLESS. and CUTTHROAT. it's not tiktok edits with taylor swift songs in the background. oscar did what he knew he could do under the orders given to them both (papaya rules)

in a way i think this needed to happen -and has been building up for a while- for a few reasons, a) for mclaren to wake the fuck up and make up their minds already, b) for fans to realize that oscar is not lando's lapdog and he fully intends to fight for race wins, and c) that just because we like to imagine they're bffs or boyfriends in our fan spaces it doesn't mean they got to be okay with each other all the time. let them be upset. let them be angry. it is what it is.

it was a great race. probably one of the best we've seen all season. as a retired ferrari fan (but really, everyone is a ferrari fan in this sport) i thoroughly enjoyed watching charles win today. he deserved it on grit alone. and their strategy worked, which is something that mclaren needs to learn from.

i will continue to support these two idiots in their highs and lows. neither of them are perfect, and there's so much room for improvement. they're young. allow them some grace when you comment about how this or that should've happened. lando is wdc material, yes, but he wants and needs to earn it.

that's all, folks

[wlwcatalogue]

Some WLW (?) Jdrama & Kdrama recommendations!

Jdramas and Kdramas have a (not-entirely-unearned) reputation for being very straight, but here are a few which are either canonically F/F or which prominently feature a female-female pair-- please enjoy! For those who enjoy following series in real time, Chaser Game W and She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat S2 are both airing this January 2024 :)

As with my post on anime with yuri subtext, since subtext is so subjective, this list only includes series which I’ve actually watched, and so is by no means intended to be comprehensive. Also, it doesn't include any webseries, since those probably deserve a post of their own.

At-a-glance list:

Miss Sherlock (8 episodes, 2018) (subtext)

Night Light (20 episodes, 2016) (subtext)

Tokusatsu Gagaga (7 episodes, 2019) (subtext)

Painter of the Wind (20 episodes, 2008) (canon?)

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat (10 15-minute episodes and counting, 2022~) (canon)

Sono Toki, Heart wa Nusumareta (5 episodes, 1992) (canon)

Chaser Game W (10? 30-minute episodes, 2024) (canon)

Doctor X (7 seasons and counting, 2012~) (subtext)

Bonus: SKY Castle (20 episodes, 2018) (subtext)

Summaries under the cut!

1. Miss Sherlock / ミス・シャーロック (8 episodes, 2018) (subtext) – MyDramaList | AsianWiki

The elevator pitch for this show is simple: it’s Sherlock Holmes, but where Holmes and Watson – here named “Sherlock” and Tachibana Wato, and played by Takeuchi Yuko and Kanjiya Shihori, respectively – are both female, and the cases are all set in modern Tokyo. As with other adaptations, mystery-solving and the budding relationship between the two leads takes centre stage, but Miss Sherlock manages to carve out an identity all its own.

There’s a calm beauty to its visuals, which favour sunlight and urban greenery, and the show’s focus on former doctor Wato as she tries out new jobs and goes to therapy means that there’s a surprisingly high number of slice-of-life scenes. It’s also subtly more female-focused than the source material; Sherlock’s gossipy but good-natured landlady Ms. Hatano (Ito Ran) is as much a member of the household as Sherlock and Wato, and the cases often revolve around female characters. But more than anything, it’s just really fun to watch Sherlock and Wato’s relationship bloom as they snip and snipe and are utterly unable to stay out of each other’s space (literally – the body language and blocking is *chef’s kiss*). Their relationship is the heart of the show – watch this one until the end, you won’t regret it!

(CW: psychological abuse, manipulation, and genre-typical murder, violence, and gore)

2. Night Light / 불야성 (20 episodes, 2016) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

(Note: spoilers for the mid-season twist, but it’s impossible to allude to a good portion of the F/F subtext without doing so, and I think knowing the twist ahead of time doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.)

Night Light is a rather odd show. It’s simple enough on the face of it, a story about  successful but ruthless CEO Seo Yi-kyung (an icy Lee Yo-won) who tries to mold the younger Lee Se-jin (a puppy-eyed Uee) in her own ambitious image, only for her protege to develop the conscience she never had and move to stop her dastardly plans… but upon watching it’s a totally different creature,  thanks to the alchemic reactions of some delightfully contradictory acting choices (Uee’s performance convinces viewers less of Se-jin’s supposed latent desire for power and money, and more of a deep love and devotion for the CEO) and the unintentionally (?) inneundo-laden script (“If I like something once, I never forget it– whether it’s a dress… or a person,” declares the CEO less than ten minutes into the first episode while gazing intently at Se-jin).

Honestly, it’s a wonder this series ever got made, but you certainly won’t see me complaining! The first part is full of boss/subordinate goodness; Se-jin is unable to resist the CEO’s magnetic pull despite her hot-and-cold behaviour, while the CEO cannot bring herself to push Se-jin away completely. And then, when Se-jin makes her mind up to stop the CEO, it morphs into a corporate take on a (subtextual) lovers-on-opposite-sides situation, where it is precisely Se-jin’s feelings for the CEO that motivate her to stop her. In short, it’s a workplace GL fan’s dream.

Note: If you do watch it, skip the corporate politicking cutscenes with the old men, you’ll thank me later. Also, there’s a prominent male character who is the CEO’s ex and who works closely with Se-jin in the second half, but don’t worry, all the M/F romance is in the past (and doesn’t get much screentime)– he and Se-jin aren’t interested in each other at all.

3. Tokusatsu Gagaga / トクサツガガガ (7 episodes, 2019) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

Nakamura Kano (Koshiba Fuka) lives and breathes tokusatsu shows (think Power Rangers, if you’re not familiar), but keeps it a secret from her work colleagues to avoid being shunned or laughed at. And yet she yearns for connection, so when she sees a woman on the subway bearing a keychain from her favourite show (Yoshida Hisami, played by Kurashina Kana), she is determined to find her again.

Although ostensibly about being a tokusatsu fan as an adult, this show is rife with queer subtext, and not in the usual way. It deals with the difficulties of staying in the closet (regarding being an adult tokusatsu fan), the desire to connect with other queer people adult tokusatsu fans and how one might do so through hints and signals, parental disapproval arising from gendered and social expectations (that tokusatsu shows are for boys, and magical girl shows for girls), intersectionality and finding comradeship with other minorities people who are excluded due to their interests, and even generational gaps wherein younger queers fans may underestimate the obstacles that still exist. Although all that might sound a bit stressful, it isn’t actually! Difficult incidents are handled with sympathy and a dash of wry humour, and the show never loses sight of the fact that it – above all else – is a story about finding queer community in the face of a heteronormative hostile world, told with warmth and the nuance of lived experience.

4. Painter of the Wind / 바람의 화원 (20 episodes, 2008) (canon?) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

Adapting the novel of the same name by Lee Jung-myung, Painter of the Wind takes as its protagonist a gender-bent version of real-life Joseon-era painter Shin Yun-bok (Moon Geun-young), whose paintings are used to weave a tale of artistry, political intrigue, and romance, and more than anything else to offer modern-day viewers a glimpse of everyday life in 18th-century Korea.

While it may sound like Dickinson’s boring cousin, apart from having a common preoccupation with reframing historical works, another similarity the two shows share is that Painter of the Wind is also very gay. Starting from the first episode, Yun-bok meets and becomes fascinated by the courtesan Jung-hyang (Moon Chae-won), who despite her initial aloofness is drawn to Yun-bok’s intellect and sensitive demeanour. It’s a real meeting of the minds, their witty repartee in early episodes reminiscent of Twelfth Night’s Viola and Olivia, and their relationship isn’t siloed off from the main plot either: Yun-bok’s infatuation quickly starts causing issues with her academic career, and the two eventually have to contend with Jung-hyang’s precarious position as a courtesan as well.

Unfortunately, all this is undermined in the back half of the show, which tries to gaslight viewers into thinking that Yun-bok’s feelings for Jung-hyang were purely platonic all along and that she totally has romantic feelings for her much older male mentor— but hey, at least it’s an open ending. Despite everything, though, I can’t think of another serious historical TV show which features such a prominent F/F narrative for its main character, even nearly two decades later. (Let me know if you have any others! And no, Gentleman Jack doesn’t count, it’s not exactly traditional in style!)

(CW: period-typical sexism)

5. She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat / 作りたい女と食べたい女 (10 15-minute episodes and counting, 2022~) (canon) - MyDramaList

Based on Yuzaki Sakaomi’s manga of the same name, this simple but sweet show follows home-cooking extraordinaire Nomoto Yuki (Higa Manami), who yearns to cook large-scale dishes but doesn’t eat enough to justify making them. Luckily for her, her neighbour Kasuga Totoko (Nishino Emi) has a massive appetite!

It’s always lovely to see more grounded stories about working women, especially when they’re as cute as this one. Though it touches upon some slightly more serious issues, such as with regard to gendered expectations surrounding food and cooking, it’s primarily a feel-good slice-of-life show about two women getting to know each other by cooking and eating delicious food together.

Side note: if you’ve started it and think the show doesn’t look cosy enough, stick it out for a few more episodes, the production values improve after the first part! Also, the series was renewed for a second season with double the episode count (for a total of 20 episodes) which will start airing on January 29th this year, so this is the perfect time to jump in!

6. Sono Toki, Heart wa Nusumareta / その時、ハートは盗まれた (5 episodes, 1992) (canon) - MyDramaList

Sono Heart, as it’s nicknamed, starts off as a typical heteronormative high school romance: bumbling protagonist Shiina Hiroko (Isshiki Sae) is desperate to get closer to her crush Katase Masato (Kimura Takuya), star of the school basketball team and all-round nice dude. However, a spanner in the works comes slouching along in the form of female classmate Aso Saki (Uchida Yuki, in her debut role), a mischievous, short-haired personification of trouble who Katase turns out to have feelings for. One day, Hiroko gets into a fight with Saki, and they end up having to stay together after school as punishment. But that afternoon gives them the opportunity to bond over a heart-to-heart conversation, and things seem to improve… until, just before leaving, Saki kisses Hiroko. And then everything changes.

Or rather, everything changes eventually. What’s great about this show is that it doesn’t take shortcuts: Hiroko doesn’t instantly fall in love with Saki. Instead, what you get is a surprisingly layered portrait of a high school girl whose coming to terms with queerness is merely a natural extension of reckoning with her burgeoning sexuality. And, because Saki is self-destructive in her depression and makes a game of belittling, worrying, and infuriating anyone who cares about her, it’s really a story about what it means to love another person rather than a romantic ideal. A word of warning, though: Katase is actually quite a large character, as he and Hiroko end up becoming friends. Also, the ending is very abrupt and inconclusive, though rest assured that it doesn’t try to roll back Hiroko’s feelings, or pair either girl off with a guy.

(CW: self-harm, attempted suicide, bullying, homophobia, underage drinking)

7. Chaser Game W: Power Harassment Boss Is My Ex-Girlfriend / チェイサーゲームW: パワハラ上司は私の元カノ (10? 30-minute episodes, 2024) (canon) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

Probably jumping the gun here as only two episodes have aired as of writing, but I feel honour-bound to recommend this as it’d probably appeal to a lot of people, if only they knew about it! Chaser Game W is a standalone spin-off of Chaser Game, itself an adaptation of a manga of the same name by Matsuyama Hiroshi and Matsushima Yukitarou, but you don’t need to know anything going in.

Protagonist Harumoto Itsuki (former Keyakizaka46 captain Sugai Yuuka) has been assigned a new job: her company has been asked by a Chinese conglomerate to develop a game adaptation of a GL manhua, and she’s been tapped as the project leader. However, what appears to be an exciting prospect soon becomes a terrifying one, as the person sent by the client to supervise turns out to be her ex-girlfriend from university (Lin Dongyu, played by Japanese actress Nakamura Yurika), who is now married to a Chinese man (played by a Japanese actor) and has a child, but remains hell-bent on exacting revenge on Itsuki for their bad breakup. This is a romantic (melo)drama rather than a psychological thriller, though, so you won’t be watching Itsuki getting terrorised the entire time. While she is understandably upset by her ex’s current behaviour, Itsuki can’t forget about their happy days together, and Dongyu herself veers between being a sneering bully and craving Itsuki’s affection.

Do note that the show isn’t without its flaws: it’s very Japanese about the Chinese thing, which is to say it’s filled with comments which range from somewhat offensive to borderline racist, and the script will probably give you a headache if you know even the slightest thing about game development. Your mileage might vary on the ex too, as she can be really quite nasty to Itsuki and her teammates. But if you can overlook those issues, this is a rare prize indeed: a TV drama focusing on a canonical F/F pair, who are specifically exes, and in a workplace setting.

(CW: bullying)

8. Doctor X / ドクターX (7 seasons and counting, 2012~) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

To be very honest, I was in two minds about including Doctor X on this list. It is, with a few notable exceptions, misogynistic and reductive in its depictions of women (especially in the first two seasons), gives too much screentime to objectively awful and subjectively annoying men, doesn’t respect the work done by medical personnel apart from surgeons, and on the technical front is formulaic, repetitive, and often lazy in its writing and presentation. Unfortunately, the dynamic between the genius surgeon protagonist Daimon Michiko (Yonekura Ryoko) and her anaesthesiologist wife partner friend Jounouchi Hiromi (Uchida Yuki) is almost unparalleled in its excellence.

The premise of the series is basic indeed: Daimon Michiko is a freelance surgeon with a healthy disrespect of rules and authority and, unluckily for her detractors, a cast-iron guarantee that she will succeed in any surgery, no matter how difficult. She’s initially portrayed as a lone wolf who’s dismissive of the entire hospital system and anyone who’s part of it— but her interest is piqued by the anaesthesiologist Jounouchi, who is skilled beyond her peers and chafes against the idiocy of her colleagues. For all its flaws, the first season – which is more serious and edgy in tone compared to the others, and isn’t an ensemble cast like the post-S3 seasons – is a fantastic depiction of two people being perfectly matched in skill, intellect, and outlook, and how they come together despite one being standoffish (Jounouchi) and the other not being used to reaching out to or even respecting other people (Daimon).

The seasons after that sadly ditch the emphasis on Jounouchi being Daimon’s professional equal, but in exchange offer up another rare and unexpected gift: two women in their late thirties / early forties who are partners both at work and in private. Jounouchi is Daimon’s designated anaesthesiologist, assisting with nearly every surgery, and she spends so much time at Daimon’s agency-office-slash-house you’d think she’d moved in. Also, after a point they just start being wonderfully dorky and comfortable with each other, while still being consummate professionals in the operating theatre. Although the show is very much focused on Daimon Michiko as its sole protagonist, Jounouchi is undoubtedly the character most significant to her – even more than Daimon’s father figure, the head of the freelance agency – and this is highlighted in the story from time to time. They are very, very good. I just wish the series was better.

Note: If you’re curious, I would recommend watching the very first episode in full– by the end you should know if you’re invested enough to continue, otherwise drop it and live in the happy knowledge that you dodged a bullet. If you aren’t so lucky, I’d advise skipping the surgery segments when they start to bore, and in general to skip liberally. Also, season 4 is not worth watching as a whole, except for the last two episodes, which absolutely should not be missed. Sigh. I can’t speak to seasons 6 and 7, due to having paused mid-S6.

Side note: If you’ve watched Doctor X already and liked it (or at least like Daimon and Jounouchi), but haven’t tried Miss Sherlock yet, definitely give that a go because there seems to be a big overlap in the fandoms. Maybe it’s because they both feature a genius protagonist, have the two largest female characters being work partners, and domestic vibes…?

(CW: sexism, genre-typical gore)

Bonus: SKY Castle / SKY 캐슬 (20 episodes, 2018) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

(Note: slight spoilers for the early episodes, but it’s necessary in order to give a more accurate recommendation regarding the F/F subtext, especially as the show is not primarily focused on any one relationship.)

This one’s a bonus because unlike the others on this list, there’s no close relationship between two female characters which could be interpreted in a romantic light. That’s not too surprising as the show is all about the women of a several super-wealthy families trying to get their children into the top Korean universities (equivalent to the Ivy League) whilst supporting their husbands in the rat race: a decidedly heteronormative premise, albeit one that’s executed in an award-winning manner.

So why am I listing it? Well, it’s because somehow, in this series about heteronormative and highly gendered nuclear families, it features possibly the most erotically-charged dynamic I have seen, even taking season 1 of Killing Eve into account. (Though it takes some time to get there, so if you try it out, please watch at least the first four episodes before making a decision!)

That honour goes to the problematic gem that is the relationship between the main character Han Seo-jin (Yum Jung-ah), who is willing to do whatever it takes to get her daughter into Seoul’s top medical school, and star tutor Kim Joo-young (Kim Seo-hyung), who is known for her 100% success rate. It starts off with a mild push-and-pull, when Han Seo-jin wants Coach Kim to take on her daughter, but is wary of the shady rumours surrounding her; the tutor stands firm, and Han eventually has to swallow her pride and accept the risks. Where it really comes into its own, though, is when Coach Kim starts to pose a legitimate threat to everything Han cares for: her daughter, her marriage (or rather, what her husband can give her), her position in the world. It becomes increasingly clear that Han should just walk away, and indeed she tries to do so many a time, only to bend in the end because the coach is key to fulfilling her dearest wish– and so to Han, for all she rages and resents and fears, Coach Kim is nothing less than temptation itself. This is the beating core of the show, and even as the plotting disintegrates and falls into melodrama in the second half, their scenes together still crackle with delicious tension every time. Watch it.

(CW: suicide, psychological abuse, child abuse, bullying, murder)

[cocoadropp]

Armins friend group knew eachother like the back of their hands. Having to grow up with eachother and sticking with eachother through arguments and dislikes.

The friendship first rule being never to hide anything.

And i mean anything.

But armin has been a good boy, atleast that’s what people thought because why has his friends never knew he was sneaking around with the most popular girl known on twitter and instagram for her big ass and juicy tits?

The one who had mutiple viral videos with whip cream dripping down her dark brown areola, as her over dramatic nails gripped them and bounced them with her pretty smile showing over her pink tongue as she sticks it out in the camera?

Why have they never knew?

Well that’s because sneaky, little armin wanted to keep her to himself!

He gets fucked to good, gets turnt on to easily to have anyone look at her. But that was before today.

Before he gave you consent to post a video with armin.

A video on your popular twitter. Free and willingly.

Armin sat on your satin blue bed comforter, back against your chest and legs spread wide against yours. Your phone recording on your nightstand, perfect lighting from two ring lights so they can see everything.

So they can see his flushing cheeks and ears that even followed down to his neck, they can see his hardened nipples that squeezed between nipple clamps. And oh his dick….maybe not that big in length but so thick and so pink!

He was adorable that’s why you had to get your greedy dirty hands on such a sweet boy.

Your hello kitty nail set, extra long and slightly curved complimenting his dick as one stroked it and the other holding your vibrator that settled on his balls that was now soaking wet from your orgasm before and his messy pre-cum that ran down. “M-mommy!” He gasped and shook.

From the beginning you trained armin, him being a virgin and you being a slutty thing. Training him how to cum on demand was what he was really interested in so you made sure that to be his first content with you.

“Yes baby?” Glossed lips says closely to his ears. His eyes rolled back and thighs twitched and shook, “feels so good mommy, i-i oh.” You looked over his shoulder and into his eyes that now opened and was staring right at the camera. You saw a smirk slightly form on his face.

You squeezed his dick and pressed the vibrator harder onto his full balls, “oh? whats funny?” You hummed as he moaned loudly, fingers gripping on your thigh and moving all over you. “T-that, nghh, how no one else can do thi-this fuck! Do this but m-me.” Armin finally stutters out, you make him hold the vibrator now against his frenulum, his whines grew more louder and shaky.

Your now free hand grips his neck to turn him slightly so you can kiss his cheek, “that’s right baby, no one else but you, cause i’m yours right?” That made armin legs pull up and tried to clench them to hide his dick but your stroking turnt ruthless, gripping him just like your cunt would. “Ohh yes! yes yes yes. Can i cum hm? Wanna cum so bad for you mommy- s-shit.” He was a babbling mess.

“Not yet. Cause your also what armin?” You asked, nonchalantly is what armin would say but your pussy was soaked, you can feel it.

His fingers gripped on your thighs tighter, head thrown back on your shoulder, “i’m yours hnnn yours !” He bit his redden lips, tightening his stomach so he won’t cum and disobey because he’s a good boy. Just like you trained him to be.

“Exactly so you listen to what mommy says, but your a good boy aren’t you my sweet armin?” His pre cum sliding down your fingers and it gets so wet and messy you hear squelching sounds in the back other then his whimpers and cries. “Y-yess mommy.” He moves the vibrator over his tip, lips chapped and mouth opening, spit train connected both his bottom and top lip as no sound comes out, slight “hnns.” And “nghhs.”

You smiling at the camera and wink then you turn to armin to kiss his neck, your hand moving from his neck to his sensitive nipple and you squeeze, “you can cum baby.”

He almost goes forward if it wasn’t for you arm around his chest, “imcummingimcummingmommy! Im fuckin- cumming oh mommy!” His thighs shook and he actually cries. Tears forming and slipping “nghhh oh…” big spurts of cum moving over his chest and his thighs.

“Wait till your friends see this.”