#OF COURSE i'm gonna be picking them up on a million things! because i'm the one who has to clean it up & get yelled at for it!

[wizardlyghost]

well i haven't been called "overbearing" in a while lol, this takes me back

[juney-blues]

June Egbert is, and always has been incredibly fascinating to me because of just, how many factors have conspired to make Homestuck fans show their collective transmisogynistic asses.

The main character of Homestuck transitioning is a planned future plot point for the official continuation of homestuck, that was spoiled in advance by a fan making a joke about finding some toblerones Andrew Hussie the author of homestuck hid in a cave.

The current main writers of Homestuck: Beyond Canon have went on record in an AMA confirming that this was indeed always the plan, even before they took up the project.

In spite of these facts, the general consensus among certain homestuck fans seems to be that "June Egbert" is purely a headcanon for the original comic that was "made canon" by a "Toblerone Wish" (a concept that didn't even exist at the time)

For a variety of reasons, the "canonicity" of the postcanon official continuations of homestuck is a mattter of much debate, (though a debate that most homestuck fans seem to err on a side of "it's not canon at all in the slightest," something the writers have feelings on I'm sure.)

All of these factors combined leave the concept of "June Egbert" in a very nebulous place. It's assumed by most to just be an "ascended headcanon" that was shoehorned in, it's a spoiler so it hasn't happened yet in any official media, and the official media it will eventually happen in is regarded by some to be nothing more than glorified fanfic.

If someone is talking about June Egbert, and you don't like the concept of June Egbert, you have your pick of a million different excuses for why she's fake and gay and not worth discussing and bad writing and just the authors doing a gay dumbledore*, paying lip service to representation while actually doing nothing.

And of course, lots of people *don't* like June Egbert! Rather than being introduced as transfem from the start, she's in this nebulous position of discovery where people have to truly reckon with the idea of a "Pre-transition Trans Woman."

You can try to write off *some* of the backlash as transphobia, because obviously not everyone in this fandom is gonna be cool about trans people.

But there's no shortage of fans just dying to tell you about how much they like reading her as transmasc, or the idea of her being nonbinary or genderqueer or genderfluid, or literally anything besides a trans woman. And since they're fine with all those other interpretations, there's obviously no implicit biases driving their distaste for the concept! (if you want to try explaining the concept of "transmisogyny" to people like this you're braver than I.)

you can trust them when they say it's *just* a problem with whether or not it makes sense with the writing, or it just doesn't feel right somehow, or any of the thousands of excuses that this writing situation gives them to just Not Like It.

It's just, so interesting to me. There's not a lot of characters out there that get a trans arc in this way, that leaves room for open denialism and insistence that we have our trans cake and eat it too... Because Homestuck is a timeline spanning multiverse story, lots of people seem to want it to be an alternate timeline thing. Assuring us we can have this character share space with a non-transitioning version of herself and it won't be weird or imply gross things about trans people.

If you ask me it feels like a plotline that'd be really good for exploring some gender horror though, finding your true self and then being demoted to a footnote, an alternate version, because everyone around you likes your pre-transition self more....

Anyway I have no broader point beyond "hey look at this isn't this kinda weird. You don't get this kinda stuff often!"

*side note: it's a little ghoulish I think to compare "a future trans plot point that hasn't been given the chance to even happen yet, in an already famously queer piece of media, from a nonbinary author" to "some stupid shit done by the literal most famous transphobe of all time" but that's perhaps a discussion for later.

[mysecretlittlelibrary]

Something New

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Word Count: 3.9k

Warnings: SO many okay; sub Spencer, oral (m receiving), voyeurism & exhibitionism, fingering/masturbation, HEAVY breading kink, riding, choking, marking, they both got absolutely filthy mouths, a lil begging, cockwarming too- I think I got everything?? Mentions of alcohol as well

Genre: fluff & Smut

Summary: Meeting your boyfriend's friends leads to a few curious discoveries about him for both of you.

***

Your boyfriend is many things. A genius, a profiler, a professor- sometimes, a man with so much to say about pretty much everything, the love of your life- the list goes on. You've been dating Spencer Reid for about a year now and you really can't say you have anything to complain about. He's attentive and funny and thoughtful and kind, and even when work takes him away for days he still manages to make you feel just as loved from afar. Tonight Spencer's invited you out to meet all of his coworker friends. You've heard tons of stories but Spencer has been hesitant to introduce you to them. Not for any bad reasons- he's simply being greedy with your time. Well he was anyway, it seems the team has finally worn him down and you're joining everyone for drinks at a bar.

When you walk into the place, Spencer finds his friends quickly and pulls you close to him as he leads you to the group. Before anything can even be said by you or Spencer the table erupts into noise upon seeing you. There are compliments and whoops and it's hard to pick out any one thing that's being said by the group.

"Settle down guys." Spencer rolls his eyes. "This is my girlfriend y/n."

"It's nice to meet everyone! Spence talks about y'all all the time." You say.

"Well don't just stand there, sit, we have a million questions." One of the women at the table pulls you over to sit next to her.

"Garcia." Spencer sighs.

"Now we mostly use each other's last names, side effect of the job but I'm Penelope, that's Aaron Hotchner- but we all call him Hotch pretty much exclusively, Derek Morgan, JJ, Emily Prentiss, and David Rossi." She quickly intros the entirety of the table as Spencer slides into to booth across from you, next to Derek.

"It's so good to finally put names to faces. Considering how much time you spend together I thought he'd have more pictures of you guys but-"

"Interesting you say that because his desk at work is full of pictures of you." Derek muses.

"Dude." Spencer nudges him and you chuckle a bit as pink crawls up his neck slightly.

"His wallet has a photo of you as well." David muses.

"Rossi please." Spencer says.

"I keep lots of pictures of him at work too actually." You smile.

"You do?!" Spencer blinks at you.

"Of course I do. I take pictures all the time. Why does that surprise you?" You muse.

"Wait a minute do you have any pictures Spence would not want us to see?" Emily smirks.

"I'm absolutely positive I do." You nod.

"Oh I have got to see this." JJ says.

"Yeah y/n you have to share-"

"Y/n don't you dare." Spencer's eyes widen cutting Derek off.

"Oh come on Spencer you can't expect us not to want to know." Emily says.

"You can want whatever you'd like but you're not gonna get it." Spencer says.

"They aren't?" You tilt your head.

"Y/n, please." Spencer's eyes are pleading in a way that almost makes you want to tease him more. You of course have no intention of embarrassing him in front of his coworkers but the adorable look on his face tugs at your sadistic side. You hold his gaze for a moment before turning to the rest of the group with a smirk.

"Sorry guys, there are some things I like to keep to myself." You muse and everyone lets out playful sounds of frustration that you laugh at while Spencer settles in his seat.

"It's fine we'll simply separate them and get her to confess that way." Penelope stage whispers to the rest of the table.

"So, y/n, Spencer tells us you're a professor?" Aaron who apparently everyone calls Hotch says. He hasn't spoken much so far but he and Rossi watched the earlier chaos affectionately.

"I am, yes. We met when he was guest lecturing at the university where I work actually."

"Really? What subject do you teach?" JJ asks.

"Architecture and sometimes English."

"Sometimes English?" Derek quirks an eyebrow up at you.

"I'm primarily an architecture professor but I have an English degree as well so I'll teach an English class or two. Not every semester though, it really depends. I mostly fill in when an English professor is out." You shrug.

"That's so interesting. So how did you two actually meet? He refuses to tell us the story." Penelope asks.

"Really? Why Spence?" You look at him.

"I mean I'm not hiding it exactly-" Spencer mutters.

"You'll tell us won't you y/n?" Penelope nudges you.

"Well sure- I dunno how interesting you'll find the story but I'll tell it. He was leaving a lecture he was giving and I was conducting an- in class activity that sort of spilled into the hall as he was trying to leave. He's quite the curious boy so he asked what we were up to and then he left." You shrug.

"How did you manage to get her to go on a date with you if you didn't even try to get her attention?" Derek scoffs.

"This is why I didn't tell you the story." Spencer rolls his eyes.

"He sat in on one of my lectures the next week, at the end of which he spouted about 10 minutes' worth of information about the architecture of the building we were in." You chuckle.

"And that worked on you?" JJ muses.

"I'll admit it was strange- but I thought he was cute. I told him if he had any more obscure details about the university we could discuss it over coffee."

"So you made the first move." Derek says.

"Of course I did." You say.

"Alright! Can we please talk about something else?" Spencer grumbles.

"Come on Spence we're meeting your girlfriend for the first time you can't expect us to not have questions." Emily smiles.

"Do they have to be about the logistics of how we ended up together though?" Spencer rolls his eyes. You can't help but laugh watching him pout at his coworkers.

"I don't mind talking about it baby." You say.

"Yeah she doesn't mind baby." Derek chuckles. Spencer looks at you with a huff.

"Spence why don't you get something to drink for me hm?" You ask him.

"Anything specific?" Spencer stands at your request.

"You can pick just make it good." You say pulling him down to kiss him before he can walk to the bar. "If you wanna ask me questions Derek I'll answer them but my baby is off limits." You wink letting Spencer go get drinks.

"Fine, fine. Changing the subject." Derek smiles at you. By the time Spencer returns with drinks, you're in a completely different conversation with the rest of the table. You spend a couple of hours getting to know Spencer's friends and you'd like to think things go well. It seems like they like you, and you can say for sure that you like them. Of course, as the night goes on, the team lets alcohol loosen their lips. You, not being a big drinker have been nursing the one drink you had Spencer get you and Spencer doesn't drink more than you let him so you two are the most sober at the table, except Aaron who seems to be very mindful of his drinks. Somehow the table has gotten into making up outlandish things about other patrons of the busy bar you're in. A guy sipping whiskey is going through a breakup, a girl on the dancefloor is definitely going home with the guy she's dancing with, someone in a leather jacket 'definitely ties people up'. It seems like a game of who can make up the wildest story about strangers and you just chuckle as they play.

"I bet that lady has a man she puts on a leash." Penelope says of a woman sitting with a group of friends. That one makes you glance at Spencer to see him shift awkwardly.

"No way babygirl. That woman does not seem like the type." Derek shakes his head.

"I dunno I think it's possible. But like wouldn't she have him out with her?" Emily hums.

"Not necessarily. Even a mistress is allowed to have time without her-" Spencer's foot nudges yours before you can finish your thought. You don't think it's on purpose though, he seems to just be tense regarding the conversation.

"You speaking from experience there?" Derek asks you.

"Sorry Derek, that is classified." You smirk.

"Wait a minute what do y'all be getting up to?!" Derek's gaze turns to Spencer.

"Nothing." Spencer's response is sharp and you have to work hard not to giggle.

"Leave him alone Derek we haven't- there's no tales to tell there." You say. You doubt Spencer wants his friends to know those details of your relationship. Especially considering you haven't really explored that aspect of your relationship much. You've had a few conversations about it but you really haven't gone beyond making out and such.

"You're so sweet on our boy genius." JJ coos.

"Of course I am." You shrug.

"Wait what do you mean there's no tales to tell?" Penelope asks.

"I'm more interested in your knowledge of mistressing?" Emily shakes her head.

"Curious to get into that yourself Emily?" You ask.

"Maybe."

"Do you have tips y/n?" JJ asks.

"How did we get here?" You laugh. Drunk conversations are so funny.

"Well now you have to answer the question." Penelope says.

"Talk to your partner? I dunno everyone's different. You should find out what things they are comfortable with before you do anything really. Leashes are usually safe enough for beginners but a lot of the more interesting 'tips' would be- for more advanced stuff." You muse.

"Spencer you have got one interesting girl on your hands." Derek smirks smacking him lightly on the back.

"Please stop asking my girlfriend sex questions holy fuck." Spencer rubs his temple with a sigh.

"Aw but she seems like she knows so much." Penelope says.

"Another time ladies, I'll answer all your questions." You say.

"You will?"

"Absolutely. But I think you guys should maybe start sorting out your rides home. It's- getting pretty late and you've all been drinking." You say when you catch JJ yawning.

"Yeah I'd agree it's time to wind down, especially since this place closes soon and I hate to be the last one out." David hums.

"Do you all have rides home? Are you getting a cab or calling someone? Because you can't drive." You shake your head at the girls specifically.

"I'm fine to drive everyone home." Aaron tells you. "Will you and Spencer be good?" He asks.

"Oh yeah, we've each only had one drink. Either of us can drive." You shrug standing up. Spencer follows your lead and after him, everyone slides out of their seats. A few rounds of goodbyes later, you're on the way home, Spencer driving and both of you enjoying the quiet compared to the last few hours in a rowdy bar. Back at your apartment Spencer lets out a sigh as you both take off your shoes.

"Sorry about them." He mutters.

"What are you talking about? Your friends are great. Do you think it went badly?" You ask.

"No. No, I'm sure they love you. Maybe more than me now. I just meant- they can be a bit unpredictable when they get drunk so, sorry about the weird questions."

"Oh that? Spencer honey there are way worse things a group of profilers could ask me than if I'm a dominatrix." You scoff. "I'm pretty chill when it comes to discussing sex." You shrug walking further into your apartment. You wanna get out of this dress.

"Really?" Spencer follows after you,

"Yeah. Although- I take it you are way less comfortable with that sort of stuff?" You ask.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well- you seemed really tense earlier when they were asking me about the mistress stuff. I just figured." You say.

"Oh- that was nothing." He mutters.

"That- didn't seem like nothing. But we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." You hum. There's a moment of quiet as you take off your jewelry.

"I don't think my imagination is that active." Spencer speaks again and you turn to look at him. "Not in like, a sad 'my creativity is dead' sort of way. I'm fairly creative. But having an eidetic memory just means my focus is on other things. You know, the information I've read or seen that I can use- usually for work. Of course, my imagination fairs pretty well too. I mean it works well enough that I can reconstruct crime scenes in my head and stuff so it does what I need it to do for work."

"Right." You nod with a frown. When Spencer doesn't continue after a minute you add, "I'm following you Spence but I have no idea where this is going." 

"You commented on me being tense earlier."

"Correct."

"It's because my imagination was entirely too active during that conversation." He mutters, almost like he doesn't want you to know.

"Are you- embarrassed because a sexual conversation made you think about your girlfriend sexually?" You try not to laugh because it's not that his embarrassment is funny to you it's just the circumstance of not wanting to admit he finds his partner hot.

"I had an erection at a table with all my friends because my girlfriend was talking about leashing people."

"Are you interested in wearing a leash Spence?" You smirk, leaning against your dresser.

"Don't- I'm not sure." He frowns.

"We can work our way up to it if you are baby. It's not like I'm planning to collar you tonight." You chuckle at his confused look.

"Do you like doing that?" He blinks at you.

"What? Putting collars on people? I mean only if they're into it." You shrug. Spencer takes a deep breath before he speaks again.

"This- is not helping." He says.

"Helping?" You look at him. His hands, which were balled up at his sides catch your attention when they instinctively cross in front of him.

"Wait a second-"

"Don't."

"Are you-"

"Y/n."

"You're still hard from earlier." You say.

"Of course I am. All I can think about is the image in my head of my girlfriend as a mistress." Spencer huffs out.

"Well, we can always replace that image in your head with the real thing." You offer.

"I- I don't- I've never had a mistress before. I don't know what to do." He frowns.

"We'll work our way up to more complex stuff. Tonight'll be simple, pick a safe word and let me do the thinking." You push off the dresser you'd been leaning against.

"A safe word? Uh- winter. Is that a good one?"

"As long as you can remember it, it's perfect baby." You pull him forward by his shirt to kiss him sweetly. Spencer melts against your lips, letting you guide him easily to sit on the bed. You straddle him as you deepen the kiss, your tongue slipping between his lips easily. Spencer seems content to let you have your way with him and you intend to take full advantage of that. Eventually, you pull away from him only to trail your lips to his neck. His mouth drops open with a soft moan as you cover his throat in red marks. You make quick work of the buttons on Spencer's shirt, kissing and marking your way across his chest as you strip him, enjoying the quiet whines he lets out.

"You look pretty covered in marks." You tell him, bringing your lips to his again with a hand at the back of his neck. You drag your nails down his abdomen until your fingers find his belt, undoing it and his pants before you stand up. Spencer's eyes are on you immediately with a confused look and a sound expressing his discontent. "Pants off baby." You tell him and he scrambles to tug them off quickly and settle himself back on the edge of the bed.

"Are you- do you plan to stay clothed?" He croaks uncertainly.

"For now, yes." You say kneeling in front of Spencer. His eyes widen as he watches you wrap your fingers around his erection. He hisses from the contact and gasps when you gently drag one finger along the length of him. Your tongue follows the path of your finger and his breath is coming out shaky by the time you fully put your lips around him. You slowly take as much of him into your mouth as you can fit relishing in the whimpers he fails to hold back. His hands grip the edge of the bed so tightly you think he may rip the sheets as you suck his dick greedily.

"Oh my- god." Spencer chokes out, body practically shaking from your ministrations. When his thighs start to tense you pull off of him entirely and he can't stop the frustrated whine that comes out.

"Sorry baby, but if you cum now you won't enjoy it as much when I ride you." You tell him as you stand up. You give Spencer a few moments to steady his harsh breathing before speaking again. "Undress me." You tell him, turning your back so he can unzip your dress. You hear him stand, feel one hand settle on your shoulder while the other tugs the zipper down, watch his hands slide the straps of your dress from your shoulders and once it hits the floor you step out of it and turn to face him. "Open your mouth." You tell him softly and when he does you slip two fingers between his lips that he immediately begins sucking on. You can feel the action in your abdomen and it takes a moment to get your next instruction out. "Panties off." You tell him. With your fingers still in his mouth his movements are a little awkward but he manages to get your panties off and only then do you pull your fingers out. You set yourself up on the bed pulling Spencer's attention, though he stays where he is. He follows directions very well you realize. Spencer watches intently as you take the fingers that were in his mouth and slide them between your folds. You make quite the show of touching yourself while he regards you, moaning and spreading your legs widely as you toy with your wet heat. You catch his hands open and close a number of times as your fingers disappear inside of you and you know he's dying to touch you.

"Y/n?" He forces out after several minutes of what must've been silent agony for him.

"Yes, Spencer?" You let your reply come out as whiny and breathy as you can muster, swimming in the pleasure you're bringing yourself.

"Am I- do you just want me to stand here?" He asks with a frown.

"What's the matter, baby? Not content just watching?" You ask somewhat tauntingly. "Did you want a taste?" You ask.

"Please." He breathes out. You pull your fingers from your center and hold them out to him. He comes to the edge of the bed, leaning down to take your fingers in his mouth. You allow him to lick the digits clean before you shove him down onto the bed on his back. He tries to sit up but you place a hand against his chest as you swing a leg over to straddle him.

"I'm going to ride you now, okay Spence?" You look down at him for any sign of hesitation but the look in his eyes gives no indication of it as he responds.

"Yes- please. Please ride me y/n." He says. You lift yourself enough to grab his dick and line it up with your entrance before sinking down onto him with a satisfied moan. You brace yourself with your hands on his chest and set a nice rhythm for yourself, bouncing on him relentlessly, spurred on by the endless string of sounds from his lips. A beautiful combination of whimpers and moans and expletives as he begs you not to stop.

"So, pretty. You look so pretty under me baby." You tell him placing fleeting kisses against his lips.

"God I love you. Fuck that feels amazing. Oh my- shit." You can practically see his brain malfunctioning as gets lost in the heat of your walls surrounding him. There's something so satisfying about reducing a genius who always has something to say to a collection of broken sentences and desperate moans.

"I love you too baby, love the feeling of you inside me. Letting me- letting me ride you like this, so good for me." You pant out.

"Y-Y/n I- oh fuck I'm close- I'm gonna cum. Wait you have to- please y/n s-slow down." Spencer's frantic attempt at warning you only makes you want to push him over more.

"I want you to cum Spencer." You tell him.

"W-what? L-like inside- inside you?"

"Yes baby. I want to feel you cum for me." You tell him. Spencer's eyes go unfocused for a moment as if processing your words, then his hands snap up to your waist, the first time he's touched you without being explicitly instructed to.

"You mean that?" He rasps, his hold on your hips tightening.

"Yes Spencer, I mean it." You say drawing your hand up his chest to wrap a hand around his throat. "So don't stop now baby." You add. Spencer lets out a pained groan and shifts his grip on you.

"You can't- can't say those things." He grunts as he sits up and thrusts his hips up into you. 

"Oh? And why's that Spence? Don't you want to cum inside me?" You mutter kissing and nipping at his collarbone as if there aren't enough marks on his skin.

"S-so fucking badly. Wanna fill you up til you're leaking. Wanna- fuck wanna get you pregnant- you'd make such a good mother to my children and god you'd look so good all swollen 'cuz of me." Spencer's barely aware of his own rambling at this point, but your ears prick at the turn his words have taken.

"What a dirty mouth you've got all of a sudden." You muse, your body thrumming from his words. "That's what you want Spence? Wanna fuck a baby into me? Go ahead puppy, breed me if you can." If he hadn't lost it before those words seem to snap something in him and his thrusts get sloppy, they're harder and faster but messy as he chases that end you've teased. "That's it baby- fuck me like you want to put a baby in there. Fill my pussy like a good puppy." Your breathing is ragged and your sentence is broken up by loud moans as Spencer puts all his strength into railing you, but you have no intentions of giving up control of the situation.

"G-god, please. Please. I'm so close." Spencer whines out. Your fingers slip between your bodies and a few tight circles against your clit have you tumbling over the edge.

"Cum for me Spence, lemme feel you fill me up baby." You breathe out the command as you ride the waves of your own orgasm and he's spilling into you moments later.

"Holy fucking hell." He eventually huffs out and you gently kiss his heated skin as you allow him a few minutes to come down from his release.

"How we feelin?" You whisper.

"Like lead and hydrogen at the same time." He mutters and you glance up in time to catch the confused frown on his face.

"You did very well with your responsibilities for tonight Spencer." You tell him.

"Is it- is it always so... intense?"

"Well that was- more intense than I expected it to be. Had no idea you'd have such a breeding kink." You chuckle a little.

"I- I'm sorry that was-"

"No need to apologize. I liked it." You shrug.

"You did?"

"Oh yeah- you're so nasty about it. It's sexy, even if you're not in charge." You say. When you shift to stand up, Spencer's arm wraps around you lazily.

"Don't." He mutters.

"We gotta get cleaned up baby."

"It can wait." He groans.

"If you insist." You smile gently. You didn't expect to go down this road with your boyfriend tonight. But you can't say you're disappointed with the outcome. You learned something new about your boy genius.

***

[batsplat]

your top 5 fave motogp races? or alternatively what races you’d show to a newbie to get them into the sport or smth

one of those things where it's painful to pick five, but at least this ask gives me the chance to hedge my bets and pick five different races for each category (most of these races will be featured in the recs lists; 27, 4+93, 46)

laguna '08: works wonders to bring both that season and the rivalry alive. delightfully visceral and vicious, there's few duels that tell you quite so much about both participants. I have lap-by-lap notes for this race. I have points tables assessing how much of a turning point it was in the season. I have read the bit in casey's autobiography about this race about a million times. how their expectations going in influenced the dynamics of the race, how the slower man won the race, what valentino was attempting to do to casey, casey's response... I could quite literally talk about this race forever

phillip island '17: idk I don't think this is objectively 'better' than the other two infamous dogfights of that era (pi '15; assen '18), but sometimes you just notice which one has the most rewatch value for you... I really like races where risk/reward calculation is a big deal, where at least one of the riders is having to actively judge how much they're willing to do to win... with the hard style of racing in this one, those calculations feel particularly present. phillip island is in such a perfect calendar spot for generating maximum drama

misano '17: maybe the quirkiest pick. marc is too good and too successful for me to ever really have been 'stressed' watching him in his prime, but bloody hell did he run me close here. something so satisfying about being so adept in wet/mixed conditions... love the spite element of this race, love the risk/reward calculations, how marc just needs to go for it in the very final lap, his dogged determination... a race where he doesn't have a massive margin over the field but just wants it so so badly that he goes for it. he's making a statement, bouncing back from a low point in the season, super compelling stuff

mugello '04: just love races that are kinda a mess! lots of twists and turns... bunch of riders fighting it out, the sete duel, the rain interruption, bunch of riders fighting it out but now on a way more slippery track... I don't know, there's just something charming about a race that has a bit of everything! of course it's also part of my beloved 2004 season, from which I could have easily included five different races (and if you're ever looking for a full season to watch, 2004 2006 and 2017 are the holy trinity - mix of title fight drama and banger races)

okay listen I'm gonna cheat here because I wrote out the word 'catalunya' and then had a crisis staring at this post. '07 I need to include because it's my favourite casey win and it's how he establishes himself as an all-round threat and is so important in the overall context of the valentino rivalry, but '09 is like... right up there with laguna as season lynchpin races and also somehow jorge has been left out from these picks... I love big momentum-switchers I love races that have so much meaning in the context of a rivalry AND season. I also love how they're connected! that valentino did the same move on casey (just not on the final lap) and had basically already rehearsed his coup de grâce two years in advance, before visualising it the week before the race... casey joking about it in the catalunya '09 presser, jorge knowing he kinda should have seen it coming, casey kinda ragging on jorge for not having seen it coming... idk!! I like this little legacy they built there together

for newbies

phillip island '23: you need to include something a little more current to give new fans a reason to watch now... phillip island races are reliably great - this one introduces you to two of the major protagonists of the current game in a way that kind tells you a lot about both of them, gives you a demonstration of one of the best types of races (the multi-rider dogfight), and it also is the most brute force way imaginable of explaining how tyres work in motogp. pedagogically pleasing! it's the kind of race new viewers will be able to enjoy in the moment, but have a lot of questions about afterwards - the sweet spot

assen '15: easily makes my top five rewatched races too, but I put it under the newbie header because again... tells you a lot! it's very likely this hypothetical newbie will have at least have SOME knowledge of who the two protagonists are and know they've fallen out, though I suppose it'd be funny to go in completely blind. obviously a great duel and a very nice introduction to the two big names plus their respective riding styles... what you really want is some late drama and a controversial finish that you can immediately have a hot take about

donington '05: we need a full wet race, not just mixed but wet wet... this one's got one hell of an attrition rate but also proper tussling between the different riders, rather than everyone just riding out on their own. it really gives you a feeling for how these kinds of races work... lot of riders wobbling around, saving near-falls, trying to get a sense of how much they can risk, riding behind each other to have somebody else test out their conditions... plus, the valentino performance kinda slaps

austria '17: got to be a marc/dovi duel in here, and this one has the clear edge not as much for the race itself but a) the novelty at the time, and b) the significance in the title fight. in dovi you've got somebody who is emerging as a threat and is providing a new flavour of challenge.... there's also that fun tension between how marc logically very much should just be happy to be there as a result of what a ducati circuit it is and he's simply supposed to be limiting the points damage... but he also really, really wants to win... actually either this or motegi 2017, almost want to change my pick. one of those two!!

brno '03: sneaking in an old race as a gateway drug, and I think this one is quite 'accessible' to the uninitiated. I considered other ones like phillip island '01 (valentino's first premier class matchpoint race, classic dogfight) or welkom '04 (first yamaha race and one of the duels) - but I think you don't need much context to get absorbed in this one. the race commentary already gives you the most important information... valentino's struggles that season, the criticisms he was facing from the italian press, how badly he wanted to win, the haircut, all of it... and then you get to see the post-race prisoner's celebrations, a flavour of the proper classic camp dramatics

slightly silly number of honourable mentions, each of which I was extremely tempted to include: motegi '10, jerez 2005, misano '19, laguna '11, jerez '10, assen '04, catalunya '04 '05 '16, mugello '05 '06, sachsenring '06, assen '04, phillip island '04, le mans 2005, qatar 2005, suzuka '01, thailand '19, austria '19, qatar '18, silverstone '19, sachsenring '10, qatar '15, mugello '16, sepang '10, assen '07 (and ones I did already kinda mention above: phillip island '15, assen '18, phillip island '01, welkom '04, motegi '17)

[yourdailyangel]

Im lovin the nicknames for astarion so I had a req

How would he be if tav wanted a child? Bio or not doesn't matter

Aww so cute anon! I hope you like it! Let me know!

(TW: this mentions pregnancy/Children if you do not agree or is uncomfortable with this please DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!!!!!)

🩸🖤🩸🖤🩸🖤🩸🖤🩸🖤🩸🖤🩸🖤🩸🖤🩸🖤🩸🖤🩸

It was a quiet night in the city not much has gone on during the day so everyone was very relaxed actually!

You and astarion are in your own room away from the crowd of people that's gathering downstairs in the inn.

It's a pretty inn actually! Of course it is astarion picked it!

You were quietly reading a nursery book in a cozy corner of the room, you don't know why but you thought hard and long about having a family and you wanted at least one child.

So you with a soft flap of the pages in the book closing as the hit together you walk over to astarion who is pondering while looking out the candle lit window.

"Yes my little love?" He had a soft gentle smile on his face as he turned to you, welcoming you into his embrace.

As you found yourself in his arms you felt so safe and you were! Astarion would burn millions of worlds if it kept you safe and happy, so you thought about how to bring it up to him. So you decided to just blurt it out.

"I want a baby" you said softly but loud.

"W-what?" Astarion doesn't stutter much I mean it takes a lot to get him to that point.

So you repeated "I want a baby"

You looked up at him, his eyes a bit wide with the shock but also gentle.

"A baby?" He paused his brows furrowed down a bit as he gets lost in thought for a bit.

eventually he comes back to reality and softly says "Me? A father?"

It's not like he's never thought of but after everything he's been through he tossed those things away. But after you explained your feelings about it and your reasoning he paused again "If .. that is what you want my love''

(Fast forward a bit I'm gonna throw in some head canons for you anon!❤️☺️)

Of course astarion doesn't mind if your child is biological or not!

He just wants them happy and healthy!

If your child is biological astarion is VERYYYYY protective of you during the whole pregnancy!

He attends to your every need (even more so)

You WILL have the best medical care gold can buy!

During the labor he does get nervous he knows anything can happen so he doesn't wish to leave your side!

After the birth again he will be nervous to actually hold the baby but just give him a bit of encouragement and he'll be okay!

If your child is adopted he's pretty much the same just minus the pregnancy part!

Your child will be the star in his eye!

He's also very protective of your child as well

Obviously they WILL be spoiled but respectful

He will always listen to their concerns and worries and if he needs extra guidance on the matter he will seek you out!

If the child has a nightmare well move over y/n because they will be sleeping with you both right in middle!

Astarion is a great father! He even shocked himself of how much he adores fatherhood!

It's a 10/10!!

[bronx-bomber87]

Good evening wonderful fandom! SO glad to have a new ep to do some quick thoughts on. I missed our babies. As stated few weeks back the gif library is a turd right after an ep. So quick hand made ones till summer. Off we go.

6x04 Training Day

Lucy saying she’s fine as she consistently does all her fidgety tells screaming she is anything but LOL Tim picking this up too love it. Smart man saying what he does about “being fine.” They cute with her saying 'Does he want her to be upset?' He's so good at making her laugh in this moments. Makes my heart happy. Till John appears.... Way to jump in on their moment Nolan. Of course the man makes it worse…She was laughing before you got there John…Tim's face when she takes off. Like if I could punch you Nolan...

Oh Lucy... Definitely hitting her hard she’s still a patrol officer. Tasks that didn't used to bother her as much are. Ugh my girl. This is rough. You are anything but fine my friend…Poor Lucy last thing she needs is more alone time with her thoughts at a scene that'll take forever to wrap up. Not only that but babysitting puke…I think our girl is headed toward quite spiral that has yet to happen. Tim is gonna do his best to keep her sane but I have a gut feeling we are headed there. I could be wrong but just how I'm feeling.

Lucy killing me softly watching Juarez and Nolan get recognized on Tv. Mmm I am loving Tim coming to pick her up yum yum. Lucy mentioning almost getting that call... Damn nothing going her way today. Or lately... Think her only sanity at this point is that man next to her. Tim of course is picking up on it immediately knowing her mood is linked to Primm. Knows his girl so well. Stating she was hoping could've proved him wrong with catching a call like that.

I love this scene. Lucy telling Tim about her crappy day and Tim giving her perspective. Saying she could be the big hero tomorrow. Not only that but making her smile as well. Look at him building her up like it’s second nature. Cause it is. Damn I love these two. Him basically leaning on her and bumping her shoulder with his telling her not to be too greedy hehe That Lucy smile of his loud and proud. Making her beam as well. She loves this man next to her so much.

Oh my lord this entire scene had my heart racing. What an absolute BAMF our girl is holy hell. Tim would've lost his mind seeing this. Hell I did. I screamed when she got hit and my dog ran from the room LOL The looks on Harper/Lopez's face when she went down oh my goodness. The absolute panic on their faces. Right there with you ladies. This was a huge risk she took to prove herself. One like I said Tim would’ve lost his mind at seeing.

Lucy was definitely being the big hero this entire scene oh my lord my heart was pounding. What a way to impress Harper and Lopez but give me a damn heart attack. That scene in the ally with the brother..... I was worried when he didn’t stop she was gonna have to shoot him. Giving me 5x19 flashbacks. I think she is going to CARRY this with her for a long time. Being an empath is no joke. Our girl one of the finest even at her own detriment.

I was hoping for some insanely worried Tim and they DELIVERED. Like that man couldn't breathe till he set eyes on his girl. Oh my damn lord. The way he ran to get to her. Man on a mission doesn’t even stop to check in with Grey. By-passes them completely. Only wants to get to Lucy. His hand on her head had me reeling everyone. It's the gentle way he caresses her hair I'm squeeing. Also his non stop touching.

Trying to ground her by letting her know he was there emotionally and physically. Rubbing his thumb up and down her her collar bone. The sweet squeezes. I'm a puddle.. The way this man has transformed because of her still blows my mind. The sweet comforting touches. I'm losing my mind. His adorable attempt at a joke telling her she didn’t have to take the hero suggestion literally. Ugh Lucy breaking my heart into million pieces. Saying she doesn’t feel like one.

Melissa you deserve all the awards madam I’m crying. Her little pre cry when he says they'll deal with it my damn heart. Killing me. I love how Tim's hands have not left her for 90 percent of this moment. Protective Tim was very much present in this scene with Wes. Grey was too being like dude let us take the win. Feral Tim having Wes back it off for tomorrow. Wade being the sweet man he is says that's ok. Lucy is going to be anxious about all this. I would be stressed about him succumbing to his injuries now that Wes said that. Read the room Evers lol

Gah Tim telling her let’s go home. Then we get another glorious hug where he encases her in his arms. Protecting her emotionally from this situation. Lucy burying herself in his embrace. Wrapping her arm around him tightly to ground herself again. She needed to fall apart in his arms before they left. THIS IS SOO GOOD. Annnnnnd another head kiss I’m dead I am writing these thoughts from the grave.

Oh my word this season has delivered in spades both friggin crap. I’m out of breath from this episode in the best way. Also whoever does the music needs a raise I say it time and time again. But that song was perfection against the backdrop of this final scene. Was telling D earlier I already need to change my header to it.

I love this hug SO much it's insane. Sure I'll write a novel on it this summer. Having everything that's going on plus this I think our girl is hurtling toward a breakdown of some sort. Some actual UC/detective feelings coming with it. Cause our girl is anything but fine. I'm so excited to see where we go from here S6 has every bit worth the wait. I cannot wait till next week

~~

Side notes -non Chenford

Yay Aaron progress in therapy. Back to active duty ha his heart rate going up for her too cute.

We finally get Nyla’s new hair style. Loving it

Adore the idea of Tim being one to take Aaron back out. Ain’t no one better.

Mmmh love hard ass TO Tim in metro uniform yummy. Does things to me. Aaron thinking he got this TRAIN but there is panic there.

‘Train is leaving the station officer Thorsen.’ Mmmm He does impress Tim for this first call. Yay Aaron haha

Giving Aaron only 9 minutes before bouncing him back to being a rookie oh my lord Timothy. I love you so much.

I do adore watching Tim watching Aaron do well. I’m sure there is a part of him that misses being a teacher. You can see it in these scenes. The pride and excitement he gets when Aaron is doing well. Aaron doing little fist pump and Tim shaking his head I’m dying.

Also How can Tim make leaning against a chair look so sexy? I want to be the chair he is leaning against in this scene with the wife LOL

Glad he passed Tim's TRAIN test. Glad they took their time getting him back out there. Was realistic

Feel free to comment any and all thoughts. I welcome them. See you all next week!

[jo-harrington]

Corroded Coffin Fest - Day 16 - Struggling

Summary: Corroded Coffin gets an unconventional gig that might make them some good cash.

Word Count: 901

Rating: T

Warnings/Themes: Modern!Corroded Coffin, Older!Corrded Coffin, memes, friendship, bickering and banter, pop culture/social media reference (link at the end of the fic)

Check Out the Main Post for @corrodedcoffinfest here! Even if you didn’t start on Day 1, you can still join!

Tagging: @the-unforgivenn at her request. And @dr-aculaaa and @br0ck-eddie because I'm sorry yall are gonna get a kick out of this one.

You can find my masterlist here.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

"I hate this."

"My shoes are too tight."

"We look ridiculous."

"I think," Eddie raised his voice so he could stop his friends bitching. "I think we look like a band that's about to be $500 richer."

"So we're just gonna be a band with $500?" Gareth asked, sneakily giving Jeff a high-five as Eddie grumbled at the joke.

Success was hard. Fame was hard. Even harder still when you needed money for things like rent and gas and food.

Not like those things were free when they were still in Hawkins, it was just harder now.

And they were a bunch of 20-somethings up against the whole world, and not just a handful of mediocre bands in their neck of the woods in middle-of-nowhere Indiana.

They were too young to have made it big on Youtube--not that they hadn't tried when they were still in high school--and too old to really understand how to make it big on tiktok.

They'd tried the flossing and the dances...it was just not them.

So random gigs it was; struggling to make ends meet, struggling to make it big.

Until they found something that was an unexpected money maker.

Who knew a comment on a video of them harmonizing with some vocal warm ups would lead to this.

Polished shoes, matching pants that they all had thanks to serving jobs, matching vests they got at some department store closing sale, and the piece de resistance that they actually paid a pretty penny for..straw hats.

Yes, their badass metal band moonlit as a barbershop quartet.

Weddings, anniversary parties, and birthday parties for half-awake octogenarians were their bread and butter. Cash in hand, maybe a little cake, it was great.

They got the loudest applause when they did songs like Let Me Call You Sweetheart and Down By The Old Mill Stream, ones they'd all thankfully learned in 8th grade choir. But sometimes happy couples requested something special, and so they began to spend just as much time practicing their a cappella covers as they did their original songs.

They all knew that they needed to put their pride behind them if they wanted to keep the lights on.

"It'll happen for us one day," they all agreed. "Just gotta wait for that first big opportunity and then we take it."

And of course, that opportunity presented itself as a Battle of the Bands at the Illinois State Fair.

It would be great for them. Big crowd, lots of cameras, and great exposure even if they didn't win.

They just needed the entry fee.

Which is why they were currently standing amidst a veritable sea of people backstage at yet another competition...ready to prove their place as the best barbershop quartet in the county.

So they could prove they were the best band in the state.

"What if we picked the wrong song?" Gareth stopped biting at his fingernails to ask. "I'm sure everyone else is going with something more traditional."

"Which means the judges will have heard those songs a million times before," Eddie argued.

"Originality is not a big part of the score Ed," Jeff reminded him. He thought it over for a second. "I don't think anyone's even gonna recognize our song."

"Then you don't have to sing and we'll just be a trio Jeffrey."

"Listen, I think it's gonna work," Dave interjected in a moment of uncharacteristic positivity. "And we're gonna win."

"That's the spirit," Eddie grinned and clapped his friend on the back.

"Or else we're gonna have to fake our deaths and change our names because we'll be the laughing stock of the metal community."

So much for a vote of confidence.

"The Four Horseman?" one of the event coordinators called to the groups backstage. "You guys are up."

The four of them tensed up.

"Alright, it's now or never," Eddie nodded, swallowing down a sudden bout of nerves.

They all popped their straw hats onto their heads and followed the coordinator out onto the stage. The four of them hummed together to harmonize and then Eddie stepped forward to introduce them.

He stammered through their introduction, almost as if he'd never been on stage before, and he kicked himself.

He was a performer, goddamn it. This was his destiny, their destiny.

And destiny was riding on this moment.

"We're the Four Horseman...and we're guys, so we--"

"Keep a little dirt under the pillow for the dirtman."

Jeff and Gareth fell into song with him, with Dave providing the bass.

"Dim-ba-dim-dim, dim-ba-dim dim."

"In case he comes to town."

The judges all looked a little shocked, but then they glanced around and smiled at each other.

"Keep a little dirt under my pillow for the dirtman."

"Dim-ba-dim-dim, bang bang dim."

"So he won't take me down."

By this verse the four of them had really gotten into the groove of their performance, singing and skatting and harmonizing beautifully. They even threw a little sway into their bodies, knowing that it wouldn't do to stand as still as statues for such a lively tune.

And by the end all four of them ended in sync--

"That's where he keeps his dirt bop-bah-dah-bop."

--and they earned themselves a standing ovation. Not just from the judges but also thunderous applause from the other quartets in the wings of the stage as well.

And $500.

Who knew that tiktok thing would work out after all...

[mrs-monaghan]

Hi Shaz! Im feeling so down today, i had been stressed out for the whole week as I have 2 audits and 2 assessment for this month, I dis not pass one of my assessment today. Pls give me some Jikook content to lift my spirit up 😘 I know reading ur blogs will make me feel good, that’s why I run here after hahahah

I got u my lovely. There is never shortage of Jikook content! I didn't do it when u asked me but better late than never, no?

To start us off, how soft is this image?

No seriously, how soft is that?

(Which reminds me, @youaremy-parkfilter I haven't 4go10 your ask. I just haven't had time to rewatch the episode but I will, I promise)

It's a subconscious act too, that's what I love about it. Their size difference though! Gets me everytime

I love them sm 😩😩😩😩😫😫😫😫

Okay, okay. Let's get it together. Too fluffy..too much fluff. I know just the thing to get me back on track. 😏 see this photo of JK where he looks like a professional wrecker?

No, but he really do be looking like he does indeed wreck Jimin seven days a week 🥵 Anyway, remember how he adjusts the Jungkonda during this clip? Isn't it funny who he's talking about while he does that? 🤭🤭🤭

😂🤣😂 Look, this isn't what you would call a typical Jikook moment. It's just one of those things someone with a brain like mine would notice, alright? It's JK adjusting himself, of course I noticed. But it was JK adjusting himself while talking about Jimin. 🤭🤭🤭

Moving onnnnnnn.... what do you reckon Jikook have been saying to eo all these years?

And why do they have to be that close? Its that lack of personal space thing they've always had going on 🤭

Anyway, let's do a tiny analysis because we can. I was watching this because it doesn't matter how long you've been around there is always BTS content to catch up on, and I noticed something that really tickled me.

So Jimin was asked to pretend he's preventing his gf from breaking up with him. V wanted to pretend to be the gf but JK quickly beats him to it.

He stands up incredibly fast and stops infront of Jimin 😂😂 JK did not want another member to play this role. He really wanted to be Jimin's pretend girlfriend 🤭🤭🤭

The best part though, is when Jimin still names his girlfriend Jeon Jungkook. 😂😂😂😂😂😂

I'm sorry but that was too funny to me. Jimin and his girlfriend Jungkook 🤭🤭 Not RM finding it cringy 😂😂😂 RM's reactions never fail y'all.

Then, Jimin was asked to pick an actress he would love to work with.

And so he did.

Then an outraged JK was like, what about me???

Umm... okay? You're not even on the list bro, maybe chill? 🤭😂

It's the little things guys. It's the little things. And of course satellite Jikook are sitting next to eo. 💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾

Next I'm gonna share this extremely soft Jikook moment. Like, he didn't even hurt him. That punch was so soft and yet here Jimin is just hugging on JK and apologising for the clearly painless punch. But its the tight hug at the end for me 🥺

Alrighty! Back to another BV analysis. So remember when they went to that tourist place with all the dinosaur carcasses and Jimin was soooooooo excited? As soon as he spotted it he told us about how he loves dinosaurs

He couldn't wait to get off the ATV and ran towards it.

And there he goes telling RM all about it. Super super excited he is.

As soon as he was given the go ahead he got inside one of them.

Now, JK could you please tell us your favourite animal just one more time?

Thank you JK ☺☺☺

Out of the million things Jikook have in common, quickly add dinosaurs to the list if you haven't. 🥰🥰

While we are on BV there is this one moment that I didn't understand. Like Jimin was just there... he wasn't even talking it was RM and someone else talking. But JK was just.... staring at Mimi

Like for no reason. And as soon as Jimin turned back to his food JK quickly looks away.

This JK habit absolutely fascinates me. Like fr fr. What is it? What goes on? Like Mr. Jeon can you speak your thoughts outloud? That's your man, you've known him for years, why do you look at him like you've never seen him before? It's just... I don't understand... but I know it ain't normal. Like, friends don't just stare at their other friends for no reason.

Okay so I just thought this was cute

And this will always be very eyebrow raising for me. Why u blushing for your bandmate Jimin?

And why does JK always look so cocky when that happens? 🤔 Guess we'll never know 🤷🏽‍♀️

Satellite Jeon my favourite! Look at him be subtle!

Oh what's that? V showing Jimin his phone?

Oops, JK must know what Jimin is looking at. On time, like clockwork. Peekaboo!

This one i clicked on by accident but I'm not mad at it. For me, It's how deep Jimin's fingers are digging into an erogenous part of JK's body 😏

Sorry I'm late my dear. But hope this post finds you well 💚💚💚

In conclusion:

[shelbgrey]

Stuck in the middle: what it's like being close to Derek and Addison during their devorce.

Summary: headcanons on what life is like when two of most important people are at war and holidays become questionable.

Paring: Platonic!reader X Derek shepherd, Patonic!Reader X Addison Montgomery, Mark Sloan x reader

Request: @luvlesavyy Where the reader is a woman of about 21 years old, and enters the residency program along with the others, however, she is almost like a sister to Derek (they were raised together and even because of the age difference, they love each other too much) addisson is like a mother to her and she gets really bad with everything that happens between them. Maybe you could write headcanons of what her holidays would be like with them, the whole family together, and Mark would have a crush on her.

A/n: hope you like it, thanks for the request

Greys MasterList

~you've known Derek since you were kids. Even though he's got a few years on you the two of you have been glued to the hip ever since you met.

~you of course met Addison through Derek and she seemed to take a immediate liking to you. You didn't really have a good home life so Addison didn't hesitate to take you under her wing.

~with the three of you being so close and them helping you through medical school you were certainly crushed when you heard Addie cheated on Derek.

~the night that it happened Derek had came to your apartment. He was emotional mess and not only was he distraught he was angry... And so were you, you would never in a million years think Addison would cheat.

~what hurt more was the fact that she cheated on him with Mark, another close friend.

~you always liked Mark. Yes he's was older but he always treated you like a queen dispite you being strictly friends. Derek always made sure of that.

~“I just need to get out of this damn city”

~“what if you came to Seattle with me? I'm starting the residency program there”

~so that's exactly what you did. He got his trailer out in the woods and you got an apartment about ten minutes away.

~like mentioned before you two are glued to the hip, but there was no way you were gonna live in that cramped trailer with him, no matter how much you loved him.

Your relationship with Derek:

To the unknown people might think you'd two would be a couple... That's far from the truth.

Derek is your Soulmate. He's more than best friend but less than a lover. You've always had each other's backs and he loves you to death.

Derek has always protected you, him and Addie both but Derek seemed to always take it to another level.

You met him through Amilea. It may sound stereotypical but you were getting picked on at a public park near the neighborhood you grew up in. Amilea saw it and got Derek, she was to young to handle it her self so she got Derek. He chased the little punks off and the rest is history.

As Kids you practically lived at the Shepherd's home. Mrs. Shepherd loved you like her own and never made you feel like you did belong.

You had decent relationships with his sisters I guess. Nacy and Kathleen made it clear they didn't care for you too much but Liz and Amilea cared for like crazy, but not as much as Derek did.

Derek is one that inspired you to become a doctor. You would always be fascinated by all his medical books and when he graduated medical school is when you decided to go yourself.

Him and Addison got you threw it all and never gave up on you.

It's the little things that made your bond strong, rather it be listing to your rants about your favorite topics, taking you to concerts even he doesn't like the music, dressing up on Halloween with you, or even taking you to watch every Harry Potter movie when they'd be in theaters.

He got you threw your first heartbreak and he's never confirmed or denied the facted he slashed your Ex's tires after finding out he cheated.

If you want a movie night, done he'll get the popcorn, you want to bast Elvis Presley he'll find all the speakers and dance with you. You had a nightmare, he'll sleep on the floor next your bed in till your not scared anymore.

You may not share the same blood but your his sister no matter what.

Your relationship with Addison:

Addison loves you like a daughter or little sister, there's no doubt about that.

She use to stay that day she met you she automatically new you'd be close.

She thought you most things girls learn from their mother, but since yours past away Addie made sure to take care of you.

She'd do your hair, help you pick out close, taught you how to use make up and was there when you got your first Period.

You wanted to be just like her and she was your biggest inspiration growing up.

She helped you get threw your insecurities and always made sure that you knew how beautiful you are.

She hates it when you talk down on yourself and she wishes you saw what she was and that was pure beauty.

If you say anything decorating about yourself she'll give you a little love tap on the head or shoulder.

You were her maid of honor at hers and Derek's wedding.

Addison was the only one who knew about Mark's feelings for you and she kept it a secret for him. She also told him to stay away from you.

When she slept with Mark she felt that she not only betrayed Derek but she also Betrayed you.

She couldn't bring herself to tell you. She didn't want to lose you.

What it's like being around them now:

You didn't know Addison was coming to Seattle. Everything seemed to be great Derek found a girl that really made him happy and you met this guy Alex.

When you saw her you immediately hugged her. Dispite what she did you really did miss her.

“I missed you Addie, but what are you doing here?”

“I'm here to get Derek back, what I did was unforgettable but I gotta try”

Uh oh...

When they do get back together you could immediately tell it wad a mistake.

It's like when a small child can tell mom and dad don't love each other anymore. You can just tell.

Both of them unintentionally stick you in the middle and use you to get back at each other.

“well tell him I can't do that and that he's an idiot”

“tell her that's not what the patient needs”

It drives you crazy but most of all it hurts.

You could tell Derek's hurting so you don't say anything. You love them both and definitely don't want to choose sides.

What holidays are like with them:

The first Christmas they had back together would have been depressing without you. Derek didn't feel like celebrating anything and Addison would ignore it.

But on the bright side you got a small Christmas tree to put in Derek's trailer and tried to cheer him up. With or without Addison you were gonna give Derek a good Christmas. He deserved it.

With Addison you'd look through magazines and pick out gifts for Mrs. Shepherd and Derek's sister.

Addison will make sure to get you expensive gifts. Some of which she over thought about. As bad as it sounds she unknowingly wanted to out do Derek.

Derek knows you like the back of his hand so he'd get you anything that you loved rather it be something from your favorite show or even one of a kind collectable.

The presents didn't matter you just wanted to have a peaceful Christmas with the both of them... Like how they used to be.

On Christmas eve you decorated the trailer and they came home to a Christmas tree and your puppy eyes begging for a Christmas.

It turned out to be an amazing night. Christmas movies and laughter. Like how it used to be..

If it's Halloween you and Derek will have a horror movie marathon. You two will be laughing at the gore and Addison will be covering her face in fear or disgust.

Thanksgiving is about like Christmas. You'd put something amazing together and you'll have one night of peace.

Mark having a crush on you:

This was just trouble from the start.

If we're being honest Mark loved you since they day you met, but the problem was he was too afraid to admit and derek would have never let it happen.

Mark loves everything about you. He loves how goofy and kind you are. He feel in love with how your eyes sparkl when you talk about something you love and he especially loves your bubbly personality.

Derek could tell. He saw the way he looked at you and it angered him and scared him. He didn't want Mark hurting you.

He thought he loved Addison but in reality he just wanted to prove to himself he could be happy without you. That wasn't true and not only did he hurt his best friend, he hurt you too.

When He came to Seattle he not only wanted to get Derek back, he wanted to get you back to.

Derek didn't trust him and he wanted to make sure Mark stayed far away from you.

At times it was annoying but you understood where Derek was coming from.

The day mark came to visit Seattle-Grace he got a punch in the face by Derek and you had to patch him up.

As you were giving him stitches his steal-blue eyes never left you. He could feel his heart pounding because of how close he was to you.

“I really did miss you N/n”

You didn't know what to feel. You loved his charm and you will admit you missed him. You missed his laugh, smile, even missed the smell of his colone.

You didn't want to get hurt so you pushed him away, but Mark wasn't gonna give up too easily.

He didn't tell Derek how he felt about you because he knew Derek wouldn't stand by it.

Addison on the other hand told him if he hurt you she'd cut his balls off. She just wants you to be happy but if your hurt all hell will break loose.

“”

You kept your relationship a secret for awhile. You told Callie because of how close you were but Derek was in the dark about it.

You hated lying to him but you knew he would never except it. But really he'd just be happy that your happy, that's all he ever wanted for you.

But mark told him to at the wrong time. Derek lost a patient and Mark was determined to tell him.

They got in a fight and you and Meredith had to pull them apart. You felt like you were being towrn apart. You didn't know which side to take.

The night if happened you want to check on Derek after patching Mark up.

“I love him”

“I just don't want you to get hurt”

You and Meredith got them to work things out and everything seemed to fall into place.

Extra headcanons:

You and Meredith become the best of friends through the two men.

Even though your bit, if not the same age as Meredith you two take care of each other.

Double dates all the time.

Mark is an amazing boyfriend and treats you like the queen you are.

Derek is still over protective but he's getting used to toning it down a bit. It's marks turn to take care of you.

You Became a Peds surgeon and the people who practically raised you couldn't be more proud.

When you become an attending you might or might not have a favorite intern.

Your basically to Levi Schmitt what Derek was to you. You take Levi under your wing and you two become close.

You and Mark end up having twins and Derek is their God-father.

Even though things started off Rocky they couldn't have ended better.

That's all for now,buddies

[newkatzkafe2023]

@lara-legomonkiekid

I'm not sure if this works but what would happen if Y/N flirted with Monkey King's?

Example:

Y/N: The sun is the biggest star we know but it's not as big as my love for you~

(I imagine most of them would cover their blushing faces) XD

That is so cute i've been fangirl like crazy. Ok here we go

(Lmk Wukong) His face is the reddest you've ever seen it like it is insane You'd think he have a cold. you should probably take a picture To be honest Because it's priceless and his head looks empty. You love them so much to openly say that. Yeah he's not letting you have his arms anytime soon.🥰🥰🥰

(Nezha Reborn wukong) Are you trying to kill him or something because that's what he's gonna think. Thank god for his mask Otherwise You would have saw his red face and that will probably been the last thing you see before he loves bombs you.😍😍😍😍

(MK Reborn wukong) You openly say that directly to his face. His mind is at a standstill because he is having a hard time. Understanding that you think that highly of him. I mean, of course, he's gonna act all cocky and confident because of course, you think that But that does nothing to Distract you from his blushing face.😡😡😡😖😖😖

(HIB Wukong) Why are you like this? Why do you always say things that makes a stone heart flutter? Why do you love him so much? He has a million and one questions as to why you say stuff That makes him happy and he's sort of wonders what he did to deserve you🥰🥰🥰🥰

(Netflix Wukong) Not only is he blushing but he's legit gonna cry too. You'd better not be playing with him!!! if you're over here, saying that He's the center of your universe. That has to be the biggest honor in his mind because he was unwanted by a lot of people. But for some reason he was picked up and loved by you. He doesn't want this to end because if it did. I think he's gonna die.😢🥰

Feel Free to Reblog😇👍

[real-total-drama-takes]

chase sucks, yeah, but honestly he is one of the most complicated guys out there. his dependency on other people to be happy, especially. and honestly, i blame that on both his potential upbringing and, mostly, him being a youtuber. with the reboot being set in 2023 and it being confirmed that he makes an insane amount of money, for simplicities sake i'd say he's about as famous as some like mrbeast(who has. over 200 million subscribers), this wouldn't really matter if not for the fact he's SIXTEEN I'm not going to lie and say people treat famous people normally, because they don't. With how famous he is, I'd assume he's been doing this for a while (again, simplicities sake, I'm saying he started when he was like... 13 making cringey streams but got into the whole beach house thing when he was around 14-15) and with that, he'd be getting a . Lot of attention(especially attention that, given hes a famous youtuber, wouldn't follow any Normal Boundaries you should have when talking to a real person, let alone a highschooler) His treatment of Emma would be heavily based on the near obsessive love he'd get from fans, and like i've said, the lack of boundaries he'd have with said fans. Naming a star(and intending to name Emma) ''Chase's Girlfriend'' is... Weird, but with how people treat famous guys, I'm going to say that's something he picked up from people's fantasies. If he's constantly being told that people want to date him, and name themselves after the fact(something people say to famous people a lot, actually.), he'd naturally assume that's.. just what people want from a relationship. Now, with his parents. I'm going to assume it's similar to Ripper, he had distant and neglectful parents(and found the love he needed through YouTube and the guys in the beach house.) With his only positive attention coming from people who Aren't Normal, he'd just pick up on that being love. If he's not insanely obsessive, he doesn't love them. If someone isn't obsessed with him, they don't love him. Next off, I think he has a personality disorder. Specifically HPD( I have HPD, I'm not diagnosing him with/talking about something I don't know about dw), I've seen people diagnosing him with NPD, but I don't think it fits when considering his relationships with other people. I'm not going to focus on this a lot, but just including that. I don't consider him fundamentally unloveable like a. lot of people in the fandom do. I think that's just stupid. Does he need to learn to respect other people's (and his own) boundaries? Yes. He absolutely does. In a dream world, he stops doing youtube videos. I feel like that's one of the biggest problems for him. Constantly getting obsessive attention, especially if he has no other source of it(from his parents, a partner ectect), is awful for him. He's a teenager being exploited on youtube, of course that isn't good for him. But, if he learns people need boundaries and codependancy isn't a good form of love(and, best case scenario he goes to therapy), I think he can be in a healthy relationship. Hell, I'll even go off on a whim and say that with the right support and a lot of apologies, he could be in a healthy relationship with Emma. I'm gonna leave it off there, I just like overanalysing total drama characters

[pinkxlicious]

Yule Ball

Part 2

Draco Malfloy

*Doesn't follow timeline*

Words: 2,017

'''

The first day of Draco's 6th year had just started. New classmates, new students, same teachers. But new students meant new blood, and new blood meant new victims. As Draco scanned the Great Hall for any unfamiliar faces, new faces to pick on... His thoughts were quickly interrupted by Dumbledore's voice from his wooden podium.

"Welcome, new and old students! This year, we have an abnormal amount of new students, of course this is not a bad thing. I am very excited to learn about every new student, I expect all students who have been here before to help guide our new scholars. I wish you all an exciting year... Now let the feast begin!" Dumbledore said with a chuckle, the old man waddled back to his seat with a satisfied smile.

"Disgusting..." Blaise mumbled under his breath, "Have you heard? We're probably all going to be separated due to the amount of transfer students and new coming students. Our classes are all gonna be filled with newbies."

Theo and Draco scowled at the thought.

"Imagine having to be some insufferable freak's personal guide because they can't find the toilets," Draco scoffed as Blaise chuckled.

"This is even worse, new students AND confused first years. The amount of questions we will be asked..." Blaise groaned in annoyance, "I hope my potions partner won't be some incompetent newbie."

Draco scoffed,

"At this point I'm just hoping for a random that's been going to Hogwarts. I'm not in the mood to be someone's tutor," Draco held his head up high with disgust at the thought of having to walk through every single step of a potion with a confused newcomer.

"Personally, Potter sounds like a good potions partner right now," Theo joked,

"You've gone mad,"

'''

Draco was overwhelmed by the amount of students in the hall. Yes, it was usually crowded, but this was different. New students flooded the halls, millions of voices asking for directions. Draco prayed for a tablemate that wasn't a new stupid student.

When Draco reached the potions classroom, he was nearly five minutes late. But he wasn't even the last one to make it into the class. At least half of the class was missing due to the hall traffic. Professor Snape looked annoyed, but he understood why half of his students were missing.

"We should've sent the rest of the student body to the bottom of the Black Lake," Snape grumbled under his breath as five new students rushed into the room. Stress painted on their face as they ambushed Snape with gushing apologies, hoping to make a good impression. Snape felt a migraine coming as he yelled at them to get to their seats.

Draco snickered and checked the seating chart. He suddenly felt his body freeze, an unfamiliar name was written in ink right next to his name. His head rose and turned to his table, and he suddenly released a breath of relief. He hadn't recognized the name, but he knew the face... a little too well.

He had seen this face in the hall, he had only gotten quick glimpses of her. But he had a slight hallway crush on her. He knew nothing about the details about her, the only part of her that he knew was her face. He knew nothing about what house she was in, her name, her friends, nothing. He glanced down, hoping to see a Slytherin uniform, but his hopes were quickly crushed by a black and yellow tie and Hufflepuff crest.

She was speaking quietly to Harry Potter, which instantly made his blood boil. His mind searched for possibilities for why she would be speaking to such a lame loser. He walked to the table confidently and placed his items down on the table with a loud slap. She barely flinched and ignored him, but Harry didn't.

"Quit your staring, Potter, or I'll knock your teeth out," Draco snapped in annoyance, as Harry began to retort Snape slammed his hands on his table and the classroom went silent.

"You will be doing textbook reading and you will fill out this 50 question paper about the polyjuice potion. If you do not finish it by the end of class, its homework," Snape said lazily, already exhausted from the start of the day.

"Who even are you," Draco said, masking his curiosity with annoyance and disgust.

"I'm Y/n L/n. And you are?..."

Draco scoffed,

"Draco Malfloy, do you not know?"

"No I don't" She replied simply, and just as she began to open her textbook, Draco slammed it down.

"Well I've never seen you before," Draco taunted, "you're just another Hufflepuff nobody, is that right?"

"Yes, I suppose I am," She said, attempting to take back her textbook, but Draco kept his hand firm on the back of the book, keeping it in place. "What's your issue?"

"My issue is that I'm paired with a filthy mudblood Hufflepuff nobody. I deserve a better potion's partner, I need someone who can actually read." Draco sneered, silently regretting his harsh words. But there was no going back with his 'bad boy' facade. It would be so pathetic of him to suddenly apologize for his behavior. He was Draco Malfloy! He never apologized to anyone, and she is no different, so she didn't deserve any special treatment.

"Okay, then take that up with Professor Snape. I didn't choose the seats, therefore it is NOT my fault," She grew irritated by his insults, although she tried to calm herself down. Not wanting to let him have the satisfaction of her reaction.

"Well yo-"

"SILENCE," Snape boomed, "If either one of you two utter a SINGLE word again its detention for the whole week. I have enough of this bickering and it is ONLY the first day."

She glared angrily at Draco and shoved his hand away from her textbook and began working. The presence of her hand lingered on Draco's hand as he attempted to hide the butterflies dancing in his stomach. He decided that he would try to get her attention, he liked seeing her mad, and he just wanted to look at her.

He kicked her leg and her breath hitched slightly,

"Hey" Draco whispered, "Hey!"

"What?!"

"Give me a pencil,"

"No,"

"Wh-"

"DETENTION," Snape roared, she side eyed him with anger.

"Now look at what you've done," She tugged on her tie, "I literally hate you."

'''

Draco? Draco!" Blaise waved his hand in front of his face as Draco flinched,

"What?" He snapped, his train of thought was suddenly lost.

"You've been staring at that girl for like five minutes. Kind of creepy,  eh?" Blaise snickered as Draco swatted his hand from his face.

"I have not, I don't even know who you're talking about,"

"Y/n L/n? Literally the finest girl in Hogwarts? How have you NOT heard of her, half the student body asked her to the Yule ball already. I heard shes considering going with that one Durmstrang dude," Theo butted in,

"Victor Krum?" Blaise asked, Draco's face nearly dropped as his veins exploded with jealousy.

"No not him, some other kid, he goes to Durmstrang but hes not Krum," Theo explained, "I heard Harry Potter was asking her in potions today."

Draco let out a breath, proud of himself that he interrupted their conversation earlier before class started.

"Are you gonna ask her out, Draco?" Blaise asked smugly as he watched his friend's face.

"I- no, why would I?" Draco said scoffing, "I already argued with her in potions, why would I switch up so suddenly."

"Sure, acting like you weren't just drooling over her five seconds ago,"

"Shut up you prick,"

'''

Later that night in detention, the two were furiously scrubbing the already dirty cauldrons.

"This is all your fault," Draco scoffed angrily, as her eyes widened with disbelief.

"How are you blaming this on me? You kept on bothering me, of course we got detention. You can't keep a hold of yourself," She snapped back,

"If you had just given me a pencil instead of arguing with me, none of this would've happened," Draco said flatly, secretly enjoying talking (arguing) with her.

"Why would I give you a pencil if you started your first impression by being rude to me,"

"Oh please, I was doing you a favor by waving away that Potter fellow for you," Draco said smugly as she shook her head.

"You're ridiculous, and have you not forgotten about how you insulted me like five times," She looked at him, "What did I even do to you? I know you're a bitch but I've literally never spoken to you in my entire life."

Draco was slightly caught off guard, he didn't have an answer. What was he supposed to say? 'I'm only mean to you because I'm too afraid to be nice to you and let my guard down.' Absolutely not.

"Your presence annoys me,"

"That's real sweet, Malfloy,"

"Thank you, love,"

She stared at him for a second before brushing off the nickname, ignoring the fact that made her heart increase it's speed.

'''

As the sky darkened so did the classroom, the two were nearing the last few cauldrons as they were nearing their last straws with each other.

"I can't stand you! You're so stuck up and I don't understand how you have a whole dog pack following you everywhere!?" Y/n shouted as he yelled back.

"Oh I'm insufferable? Look at you! You're so obsessed with being nice and good to people, do you know how lame that is? You're such an insufferable love bug Hufflepuff," Draco sneered,

"Is that supposed to offend me? You spend your free time bullying people! Who's the pathetic one now?" She shot back as she threw down the dirty sponge, she finally finished her last cauldron as did Draco. She began to stand up but Draco snatched her wrist and stood up with her. He got close to her.

"This isn't over mudblood," he hissed as she kept the eye contact,

"You think I'm scared of you? I'm not even muggleborn, you have no idea what you're talking about," She whispered, the tension in the room was thick as the two stayed in the close contact position before she backed away.

"Aw, you couldn't handle a simple staring contest?" Draco taunted, pouting his lips in mockery.

"Ugh, you're so immature. I truly despise you," She said irritatingly as she slammed the door on her way out.

'''

For the next few evenings, the two spent hours cleaning dirty cauldrons and potion bottles. Y/n had gotten used to his stupid comments and insults. She just tuned him out as he grew annoyed at the fact that he wasn't getting a reaction from her anymore.

"Hello?? Can you even hear me?" Draco asked annoyed,

"Yes I can hear you," She mumbled,

"I asked you a question," Draco said as he rolled his eyes,

"And what was that?"

"I asked if you were going to the Yule ball,"

Her head perked up,

"Yes, I am. Are you?" She asked curiously,

"Uh, yeah," he coughed, "Are you going with anyone?"

"Yeah, why are you asking?" she said cocking her head to the side, unsure where the conversation was going.

"Just making conversation," He grumbled, disappointed by his response. "I haven't really talked to anyone other than you for the past few days, so I figured I would make conversation before I went insane from boredom."

"Hm, are you going with anyone?"

"Typically, I don't but I'm going with Pansy Parkinson. She wouldn't lay off unless I said yes," He said annoyed, "She's so insufferable, even worse than you."

"You're so snarky," She responded, "Pansy's pretty, do you know what you're gonna wear?"

"Just a tux, who are you going with?" He asked disinterested, waiting for a name of some lame nobody.

"Well, it was a hard decision-"

"Why, you have so many suitors?" Draco scoffed,

"Yes, I actually do, jealous?" she teased, smiling a bit.

"Never, just tell me who it is,"

"You were the one who interrupted! Whatever, I'm going with Blaise Zabini, he's real charming. I don't know why I haven't noticed him before," she said as Draco's eyes widened.

"Blaise?" He said, taken aback, "He's one of my friends, I didn't know he was into you."

"I didn't either, I didn't even know he knew I existed,"

"Should've stayed that way," Draco huffed, growing jealous and a bit angry. He was going to have a talk with Blaise later.

[milkybonya]

rendezvous ☆ felix

! : Felix is bullied when he's younger, idk how long it is but i hope long enough and not too dragged on </3, not proof-read !

# : bestie prince!felix x gn royal!reader, a robin hood moment

[💌: i am so grateful to be part of this collab, especially because i am in a mental rut and this fic is short, literally written in just a few sparse sittings, and is really gonna be the lowest of the low 🛌 anyways stay tuned for the other writers' works and ty if u decide to give mine a read T-T]

"just pick the time, i'm down, i always do."

being a royal isn't all that magical. it's just annoying. you have none of your own agency, you're followed around all day, you always have to act and look perfect... it's so tiring. sure, you don't have to worry about not being able to afford things, but it sucks. living in so much wealth while others are dying sucks.

and it sucks that you can't do anything about it... except, you can. and you do. and that's your only joy in life.

your parents only trust you, their beloved royal child, with Felix. he's your best friend from another kingdom, one whom you supposedly can never marry, so it's fine if you're just harmless friends. your two kingdoms are on peaceful terms, anyway.

when Felix visits you once a week, you're allowed to leave the palace and be with him. it's the day you look forward to the most, especially because you give back to the community on this special day of the week.

there's no putting it simply. you both dress up as commoners and roam the streets, handing out large sums of money to people who need it. the money is a combination of your own allowance and the palace's money. it's almost like a robin hood situation.

"is the royal highness of this palace ready to embark on yet another adventure?" you hear Felix's deep voice behind of your bedroom.

the guard standing outside your door says, "prince Felix is here, shall i let him in?"

"of course," you say, and the doors open to reveal Felix, dressed all in white and not a single stain on hin despite riding his horse here.

"are you ready?" he asks with a grin, his blonde locks falling into his eyes.

"are you? you're not going dressed like that, are you?" you ask the boy, who shakes his head at you.

"stop playing, i know you have clothes ready for me in your closet," he says, walking over to find them for hinself.

"and what would you do without me?" you tease, also joining him in searching through your closet for some commoner's clothes, kindly donated to you by some of your servants and friends.

"i'd be living my best life," Felix says, jokingly.

you punch his shoulder lightly and he acts as though he's been shot.

"is everything okay, your highness y/n?" the guard outside asks.

"yes, don't worry! Felix is just being annoying," you say.

he sticks his tongue out at you and giggles, grabbing his clothes of choice and running to your ensuite to change.

he makes sure you're also dressed before he steps back into your room. as if you haven't already done this a million times, the two of you look at each other and laugh.

"you'd be such a heart throb commoner," you tell Felix as you fix his collar.

his cheeks turn red slightly due the proximity as he chuckles, watching your delicate fingers against his clothes.

"i'm already a heart throb now, what are you gonna do about it?!" he says after you move back, sticking his tongue out at you.

you wave him away and leave your room, getting ready to leave the palace. he follows you and the two of you talk the whole way into town.

the palace is far from town, another thing which you hate. it's to physically displace the royals from the rest and it's awful. still, you prefer getting there on-foot.

"i still can't believe some of the servants who make deliveries have to walk this long journey every day," you say to Felix, who casually pulls you away from a big hole in the path.

"it's the worst. and in the heat, too?! gosh."

silence evelops you both as you digest the moment, walking along this path with your best friend. suddenly, you start to think about how much Felix has grown up.

before, you were always defending him when you were both younger. he was always bullied for being too feminine of a prince and you despised everyone who thought so. now, he's stealing everyone's hearts with his gorgeous face and deep voice. you'd like to say you have dibs on him because you've always loved him unconditionally from the start but... why would you have dibs on your friend?

"y/n, do you know what rendezvous means?" Felix suddenly asks.

"of course i do.. it's french for appointment and means the same in english--a time and place for two people to meet," you say.

"i like that word a lot. it sounds so much better than appointment, meeting, or... well, anything else."

"well, that's random," you say.

Felix's deep laugh is contagious as you laugh along with him. you didn't realize how warm it is today, and appreciate the gentle breeze that finds you both in that moment.

"it's not random! i feel like we're having a rendezvous right now. this is our rendezvous," he explains.

for some reason, your mind goes blank. Felix turns to look at you and smiles when your eyes meet.

"and this is why you're stealing everyone's hearts," you say.

"everyone's except yours," he mumbles.

___☎️

finally, you both make it to town. it's as busy as ever with all the merchants selling their goods and people trying to bargain for a good deal.

"let's see who needs our help today," Felix whispers to you as he pulls you close.

you walk up to a stand and overhear a mother trying to bargain.

"please, i really need these herbs! my son is sick and i can't afford to pay for medicine. with these herbs, i can help him at least feel a bit better. please, i only have this much with me," the lady shows the merchant her money, but he dismisses her.

just as she turns to leave, Felix places a bag of money in her hands.

"buy the herbs, some medicine, and some good fruit. i hope your son gets better," he tells her.

she beams as she analyzes the contents of the bag.

"oh my goodness! young man, where did you get all this from?"

"don't worry about it. i can't promise i didn't steal it, but i can promise that no one will ever know," he says wirh a wink.

the lady chuckles and when she turns to pay for the herbs, both you and Felix rush off.

"i hope her son feels better," you say with a pout.

Felix pats your head. "i'm sure he'll be fine."

as you both continue to walk around, an old man calling to you both makes you turn around.

"you lovely two, would you like your fortune told? it doesn't cost much and it's very accurate!"

you and Felix look at each other.

"i don't believe in this stuff but let's give it a shot," he says.

you follow the man to his hut and he invites you to sit down.

"so, would you like to see your future in love, health, or wealth?" the man asks.

"love," Felix says without hesitation.

"ah, be careful if you are a couple," the old man says hesitantly. "if the fortune is bad, i am not responsible for a breakup!"

"ah, no, we're not a couple!" you say.

Felix's heart drops.

the old man smiles, reading the situation and after a moment of silence, reveals your fortune.

"i can see that the two of you are close friends, but there are different feelings blooming between you both. you're hesitant, wary of the other's heart. stop being so careful. your guess is right, just go for it," he says.

you choke on your own saliva and take hold of Felix's arm. "okay, that's enough! thank you, sir!"

you leave the hut and meet a Felix with a flushed face.

"hey, we're just gonna forget about that, right?" you ask, flustered.

Felix suddenly turns serious.

"and why should we?" he asks.

suddenly, his features harden. not in an angry way but in an incredibly handsome way.

"y/n, how can i just forget the fact that i've been loving you for an eternity?" he asks, reaching for your hand this time.

you feel your heart race against your chest and your pulse quickens.

struggling to find words, Felix continues speaking for you.

"i want my rendezvous with you to last a lifetime, y/n. can't we get engaged?"

you blink up at him, the pretty prince who has, unbeknown to you, stolen your heart. and just like that, everything falls into place.

as much as your robin hood rendezvous with Felix has always been about giving back to the community, it was also a lovely excuse to see Felix. Felix, your friend, your first love.

how could you say no? how could you say no to him, when you'd never in your dreams imagine him proposing to you like this?

"Felix.. you really like me? this isn't some lie just to not hurt my feelings? are you just trying to make the old man sound right?" you ask.

Felix shakes his head, caressing your cheek.

"you... don't love anyone else?"

"now why would i, y/n? we've both been silly, ignoring all the signs. let's stop it now, if you're ready," he says.

the wind picks up and it sounds as if the universe is screaming, begging for you to say yes. and that's your sign. that's the engraving of the rendezvous in the universe. an eternal rendezvous.

the second you hug Felix and rest your head on his chest, he returns your embrace and cups the back of your head.

everything finally feels right. you can see it, a future together with Felix in the kingdom where the divide between royal and commoner will no longer be so wide.

taglist: @writerracha @princelingperfect @ggundeuri @orithyia-eriphyle @vumiixlyy @luvrhyune @hopeladybug @misitmoonlight @baldi-2 @baddecisionsworld @thetaytayray @midsoulz @hyunverse @realbangchan @hafsa-hoofsa-heefs @rachabreathing @nixtape-foryou @ameliesaysshoo @jisungsdaydreamer @https-skzology @day6andetcetera @linonyang @hgema @seoli-16 @bokk-minnie @foliea @amagumorii @nhyunn @ravyaryn @ink-spilled-stars @himarose @sherryblossom @shakalakaboomboo @r-arrh @siriusly1 @catwonwoo @suebinn @foxinnie8

[gcantread]

July 2024 reads

[loved liked ok nope dnf bookclub*]

^borrowing this format from @ofliterarynature—hope that's ok!

The Blue Castle • The Metamorphosis • A Reaper at the Gates • And Then There Were None • I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons • To Be Taught, If Fortunate • The Mysterious Affair at Styles • Till We Have Faces • This Ravenous Fate • Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch • Dragonhaven • [title withheld; SMP] • The Name of the Wind • Better Left Buried • The Body in the Library • Rose Daughter

My biggest reading month so far in terms of quantity, though only third-biggest in terms of "pages" (which I think is a bad metric anyhow—you can typeset them so differently! I wish every book told me its word count.) I read a lot of books in order to see if they're worth reading in @bellasbookclub for the 2024-2025 season, plus I was doing the BBC summer reading challenge! I also devoured my way through several ARCs coming out in August.

The Blue Castle ★★★★★ - I reread this once or twice per year at this point. This time around I read it to @flowerslut and we had a blast! Still the ultimate comfort read.

The Metamorphosis ★★★☆☆ - Also with Shannon (we listened to the audiobook on the way to and from San Diego!) Figured it was high time I actually read this if I was gonna go around calling things "kafkaesque." Somehow exactly what I expected.

And Then There Were None ★★★★☆ - Pre-screened for book club! So I don't wanna say too much other than "I liked it."

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons ★★★☆☆ - Disappointing. Plot was a bit all over the place and it was difficult to sympathize with the main characters. A shame, because I like the premise!

To Be Taught, If Fortunate ★★★★☆ - Read for the BBC 2024 Summer Reading Challenge. Fun and reflective! This was my first time reading Becky Chambers, and I liked the writing style and themes.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles ★★★1/2☆ - Another book club pre-screen. A solid mystery.

Till We Have Faces ★★★★☆ - Yet another book club pre-screen. My best friend's favorite book and now I can totally see why.

This Ravenous Fate ★★★☆☆ - An ARC I got signed by the author after seeing her speak on a panel about YA and romance. Unfortunately a huge letdown, possibly because I had such high hopes for the premise of "queer Black 1920s vampire x human." Alas, it had some cool vampire lore but was overall a convoluted mess and not nearly 1920s-enough!

Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch ★★★★☆ - Another ARC I got from the same event and liked much better. Cool Jennifer's Body-esque premise, snappy voice, and a fun protagonist in the murdered and vengeful Annie. Perfect Halloween vibes!

Dragonhaven ★★★★☆ - Also pre-screened for book club so I shouldn't talk too much about it but I can't help myself (@ book club LOOK AWAY) I wasn't expecting much from this book because I've heard Robin McKinley fans voice their disappointment in it, but it turns out I'm the exact niche target audience for this. National Park politics and conservation science struggles and zookeeping?? I'm seated. I can see why others didn't like the pacing, but I was nodding along like "Yes, the difficulty of procuring grad students to come study dragons, of course. Do go on"

[title withheld; SMP] - I didn't realize this was an SMP book until I was halfway through it. Oops. A shame they still don't have their act together, because I'd love to talk about this one.

The Name of the Wind ★★★★★ - A title I've heard raved about a million times by a zillion people, so naturally I picked it as one of my BBC 2024 summer reading challenge books to see if it lived up to the hype. IMO it does! Fun, poetic writing style, cool framing device, and interesting worldbuilding and magic system. Curious to read the sequel.

Better Left Buried ★★★☆☆ - Another ARC. Cute queer YA murder mystery that I honestly don't have much to say about other than "it was cute."

The Body in the Library ★★★1/2☆ - And another book club pre-screen book. My first Miss Marple! Mostly elevated by having an interesting ending twist and class themes.

Rose Daughter ★★★☆☆ - And to no one's surprise, my final book of the month was also pre-screening for Bella's Book Club. Very pretty writing and it was fun to read while wearing a bit of rose oil (smell-o-vision!) but I didn't loooove the pacing and overall prefer Robin McKinley's other Beauty and the Beast retelling, Beauty.

DNF

A Reaper at the Gates (50%) - I sprinted through book 1 and walked sedately through book 2 of the Ember in the Ashes series, but this one (book 3) was taking me forever to read (and is almost 700 pages), and I was impatient to move on and read other stuff. Reaper at the Gates was decently interesting and I still care about the characters, but the timing just wasn't right. Will probably pick this series back up later.

July superlatives

[rise-my-angel]

Because I love salt, what do you find to be the most annoying lines of so-called evidence or foreshadowing for ships you hate? For me it’s hard to pick just one but Jon saying Sansa looked radiant is up there for me because the idea that Jon had a crush on Sansa in the first book or before is so much worse than the thought of them meeting again and then developing feelings (which I still hate, but it’s just not as bad). It’s super normal for people to think their siblings look nice. Arya’s POV chapters also remark that Sansa is beautiful. Ashford theory is annoying because it was originally about the hound and Sansa (also hate this ship but the fans are a million times more tolerable). I also roll my eyes when fans insist that the bride of fire line foreshadows Dany marrying Jon (and I even LIKE that ship but only in an AU in my head where Lyanna is Jon’s mom but Rhaegar is NOT the father)

"Because I love salt"

You have come to the right place as this is an accurate real life photo of me running this blog:

Thats a good one I hate though, multiple siblings and family members in this series all compliment one another. Even characters with bad relationships compliment each other. In the books, Arya recalls that her father calls her pretty, which only Jon ever also called her. Does that mean Ned had romantic feelings for Arya? Or Lyanna for that matter? No of course not. Thinking someone in terms of beauty is zero indicator of attraction in any way.

Also its even funnier with Jonsas because Sansa herself notes that Arya looks just like Jon, and then on multiple occasions notes that she thinks Arya is ugly. So, its even less compelling.

In the show Tyrion compliments Cersei's beauty all the time and we know there is nothing to it. It's reading into something that isn't there beacuse if they ignore the way beauty is used in this series as a common compliment towards other highborns, then its a really simple box to check on really stock symptoms of attraction. (I also dont really enjoy Sansan but it is funny how they just stay in their circle and mind their business like they somehow are winning based on being not fucking annoying alone).

I'm gonna rapid fire for Jon here because pretty much every single ship he has is backed by the worst evidence known to man.

The idea that Jon never thinks about Sansa because he loves her the most is dumb and not how we know Jon works. He holds back what he says not what he thinks. He thinks of Sansa the least because despite being his sister, she treated him like shit because she looks down on him for being a bastard. Jon cares about her, but not anywhere near how he cares about his other siblings who have clearly shown him love and respect.

The worst of Jon and Arya is a very very old outline that grrm scrapped. Its an outline that wasnt used and most of it isnt canon so it is literally a piece of non evidence for a ship that is disgusting. (Both Jonsa and Jonrya make Jons good older brother behavior towards his sisters look predatory and the shippers are all literally too blind to realize it)

Jon and Dany have literally nothing to back that up, because they are staged as moral oppositions to one another, dont know the other exists, and the idea that the motif of ice and fire will be about the coming together of romance is antithetical to everything grrm has established about the themes of his story. They are so far from being a ship that literally the ONLY thing they have to support it is the show and thats an absolute joke (see my every post that got me blocked by jonerys stans for more detail)

Ygritte is a rapist, so I accept literally zero "evidence" on that ones validity.

I also hate the "the actors have chemistry" argument to support really bad ships, because some actors having chemistry doesnt equal good romance, it equals good on screen dynamics in its own unique way. Like Tywin and Arya in season 2 have GREAT chemistry, but I don't need to explain why shipping that is creepy. Catelyn and Jaime have great chemistry, but it doesn't mean anything was actually there which could've worked.

Like shipping is fine, but so many people just INSIST it is canon or meant to be instead of something fun to think about. I joke ship about Stannis and Davos because its fun but I'm not over here arguing that people who don't ship it are "ignoring the text in front of them deliberately".

Also honestly, its really funny to me that you had to specify you'd only like that ship if they weren't related. Big oof on that one. Jonerys stans hate the idea they couldn't be related because they somehow think Dany being his AUNT isn't at all creepy. Like, Dany is related to Jon the way Jon thinks hes related to his MOTHER. There is no capability of romance or attraction there, that's crazy.

People who are biologically related but don't know it, 99% of the time are in fact, still not accidentally attracted to each other because that's biological survival instinct. Anti inbreeding protocol. But they think because DANY was raised to think her families blood superiority driven incest is fine, that somehow means JON would think its fine. Jonsas have no argument for that they just have to pray desperately that Jon would want to fuck his little sister despite how much it makes him look like a predator.

I'm sorry, I hope you have water on hand to wash down all this goddamn salt I just threw at you all at once.

Really, it isn't individual lines that irk me, its the overall tendencies of these ships to put more emphasis on things that don't even exist to justify something they don't even realize WHY people think it's creepy. I don't hate a lot of ships, just...all pro incest ones, and ones that promote predatory/rapist behaviors. Which is why I don't ship much in this series.

We're probably not meant to ship many people in this series if I in any way understand even a modicum of why grrm writes the lack of romance the way he does.

[rotationalsymmetry]

...ok, gonna not directly reply to that cesspit.

1. Love Languages guy is a super conservative Christian and this is completely unmissable if you read the book.

2. People who are not super conservative Christians do sometimes find the love languages concept useful

3. Afaict, most people who throw around the concept have a very superficial understanding of it and will say things like "gift giving is my love language, so when I give you gifts you should understand that as me expressing love." This is the exact opposite of what Love Languages Dude was going for, he was going for "if your language is gift giving and your partner's language is quality time, your relationship will function best if you learn to give your partner quality time and they learn to give you gifts." Except of course he wouldn't have said "they" because again super Christian guy who I'm pretty sure is opposed to sex before marriage let alone non-binary people.

4. There is also one super squickt chapter in the book which is all "ok this woman came to me because her husband was being an abusive douche and I coached her on how to make her relationship better via the power of love, and also having sex with him even when she didn't really want to." The thing is though, many people are capable of reading a book and accepting some concepts into their worldview while rejecting others. The idea that abuse can or should be overcome by the Power of Love is harmful and should be rejected. That doesn't mean that going "oh, touch is really important to some people and not that big a deal for others, so a person in a relationship can feel starved for love because they haven't been hugged in a month while the other person hasn't noticed because hugging just isn't a big deal for them (but they can learn to prioritize it)" is a completely useless concept

5. Yes a lot of the system is fairly arbitrary, usually people don't really just want one way of being shown love and there are cases to be made for suggesting other love languages. But the idea that people intuitively show love and receive love in different ways is still a useful concept.

6. Fwiw the book is actually very explicit that touch as a love language isn't just about sex and discusses several other forms of physical contact, and also explicitly says that sex can be really important for someone (ok, he says for men, again very conservative Christian) and that person can have a primary love language other than touch.

7. For fuck's sake a person's love language being acts of service does in fact mean that they want the other person to do the laundry and stuff, it does not mean they feel loved when they do the laundry. How hard to you have to be trying to willfully misinterpret grumble grumble grumble. (One of the concepts in the book is you can often make an educated guess about what a person's love language is by what they do the most of for the other person, so there may be some of "I could tell her love language was acts of service because she did so much for me", but it's not possible to pressure someone into picking up after you by telling them their love language is acts of service, going off of the concepts explained in the original book, quite the opposite actually.)

8. Most of the book is actually pretty sweet as long as you're not repulsed by the extreme heterosexuality/get married young and stay married forever of it. There's a lot of cute little stories of couples who very much care for each other and want to do right by each other but have some struggles anyways, and overcome those struggles by the power of understanding each other better.

(There's also a little bit of "hey if your wife has told you fifty million times that she wants to go on dates with you even though you're already married, it is very important to your marriage to plan dates with her", which is unfortunately very much a thing some straight guys need to hear. I mean it's not exactly rocket science. But whatever gets the concept across. And women who have been trying to get it through their husbands' thick skulls that they want such and such who are slowly realizing that their husbands don't really listen to them, can turn to the love languages concept/book as a "well if you won't listen to me, maybe you'll listen to this authority figure dude who's saying the exact same thing".)

9. Personally I think I first ran into the concept by someone I was poly-dating bringing it up as a sort of "this seems like a good thing for you to know about me up front" -- it's not only a useful concept in a conservative Christian context. It's a tool for self knowledge and knowledge of your partner(s) so that you can have better relationships. (And it's completely optional, so if you don't like it, you don't have to use it.)