#Q’s parents are getting on our nerves man

[quins-makeshift-menagerie]

Brb gotta just yell into the void

[isoldmysoultojonahclemence]

The King and Queen’s Nakedness (Cradle’s Hot Springs Bonus Story)

Aight so there’s a hot springs collection event going on in Ikerev TW rn, and guess what one of the bonus stories were?

The characters, of course, involve our lovely Kings and Queens of Cradle and their trip to the hot springs. The term “坦诚相见” here, translated literally, means “to see each other honestly.” However, over the years, it’s become a polite euphemism for nakedness in the presence of others ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The moment I saw that title I knew I absolutely HAD to get it. It costs 400 hearts on the TW version (probably more in the ENG version), and it was absolutely worth the story tickets I used. I had a lotta Jonah-centered thoughts after reading it, so...here goes.

Ships mentioned: Lancelot x Jonah, Sirius x Jonah

MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT

So basically a new hot springs was discovered in Cradle, and the officials from both armies are there to inspect it and the resort that was built around it. We start off with our K and Q of Hearts riding to the new resort, and Jonah mentions that it sounds barbaric to bathe in the open (he’s so prim and prissy uwu). Lancelot, being the fair King, tells Jonah that they shouldn’t comment on something they haven’t yet seen, and Jonah agrees. 

Then, Jonah puffs out his chest and mentions that Edgar and the others had wanted to come along too, but apparently he stopped them because:

[Jonah: The only one allowed to see King Lancelot naked is me, the Queen of Hearts--your right arm!] 

Jonah, I--

(I had to punch a desk while reading that line to calm down)

I have no idea how one man can make me squeal and cringe at the same time, but THIS MAN I STG

And I was also kinda worried abt how Lancelot would react bc it would break both my heart and Jonah’s heart if he reacts negatively. But I never should’ve underestimated this smug bastard bc:

[Lancelot: ...Yeah.]

Aaaaaand Lancelot just casually confirms that Jonah’s the only one who gets to see him naked.

...Cybird are u sure there isn’t anything going on between them.

And then this dude has the nerve to SMILE after that entirely platonic exchange:

[The corner of Lancelot’s lips turned up in a smile, but at the same time, as if noticing something, he reined in his horse slightly]

And this is when Ray and Sirius come into the scene!

[Sirius: If only we could’ve brought the brats along.]

Unlike Jonah and Lancelot (who secretly hate their kids), Sirius and Ray are sad bc they couldn’t take the kids along awwwwwww.

So apparently neither group knew the other would be inspecting the hot springs at this time, too, so it turns into a happy coincidence and they go to the hot springs together. 

Well, maybe not so happy for Jonah...

[Sirius: Ah. This seems pretty nice. Isn’t that right, Jonah.

Jonah: Don’t talk to me. Why am I so unfortunate that I have to be naked with you people?]

asdjffkjda;wkleiuesafw HE’S SO CUTE WHEN HE’S FORCED TO BE NAKED IN FRONT OF HIS SWORN ENEMY

And he’s so overdramatic abt it too??? Going all “don’t talk to me” and “I’m so unfortunate woe is me” bc he’s sharing a hot spring with “you people.” But I can kinda understand how he feels bc he probably wants to be alone with Lancelot...naked...in the hot springs...

And I love how Sirius addresses him first too, probably bc he knows it’s gonna make Jonah all grumpy and indignant. 

[Sirius: If you’re so fired up it’ll be easy for you to faint from the heat. Did you drink water before coming in?

Jonah: Of course I did. I drank a whole cup...no, I don’t need your concern. I told you not to talk to me!]

I never thought I’d see the day when Sirius parents Jonah, too, but here we are ig. Granted, it’s more in a teasing way than an actual fatherly way, but still. And Jonah is receptive to it too! He subconsciously replies to Sirius’s question before he catches himself and remembers that he’s supposed to hate the dude.

I genuinely think that, if circumstances were different, Jonah and Sirius would probably get along pretty well. Sirius doesn’t get easily offended by Jonah’s prickly nature (in fact there are times where he seems amused by it), and Jonah would appreciate having someone around who can ground him and take care of him and take him down a few notches. If only Jonah would stop thinking of Sirius as the person who “stole” his King and his brother XD

But yeah while that’s going down the Kings are just chilling:

[A bit further away from the two noisy people, Lancelot and Ray soaked in the hot springs side by side.]

U know, just two Kings, chillin in a hot spring, two feet apart bc this is an otome game.

And yeah. They go on to talk about making the hot springs available to everyone in Cradle, regardless of the territory they belong in, and also about how MC would be happy to see that happen. Sirius and Jonah then comes over, still bickering (I thought u weren’t talking to him Jonah), and the four of them enjoys the hot springs together!

I love this story so much!!! 1000000000/10 would recommend to anyone thinking about getting it when the event rolls around.

[nocapesdahling]

As the World Falls Down - Chapter 2

Helmut Zemo x Gender Neutral Reader

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Chapter Summary: In which we hear a little from Helmut Zemo, the city is flying, and you find a baby. Not necessarily in that order.

Rating: Mature (17+)

Chapter Warnings/Tags: Slow Burn; Here there be angst; Accidental Child acquisition; Mentioned child neglect by others

A/N: I made myself sad while writing this chapter, knowing that certain things mentioned will never happen. Here begins the forewarned angst. Maybe once I finish this story, I’ll write a fluffy AU.

Chapter 2: Beneath a Fallen Sky (Age of Ultron) - Part 1

Word Count: 2.1k

Colonel Helmut Zemo repositioned his earpiece. He was not a man prone to fidgeting and never had been, especially on the job, but he had counted his squad after they had gotten clear of the city and they were one short.

You were missing.

His family was safe, his squad was safe, but you were not. While he kept his expression neutral, inside was a different story. You had to be here somewhere. You just had to be. He would not accept any other outcome. Once they arrived at their base outside the city, he searched room after room and asked person after person and could not find you. You were not in the Mission Control Room or in your workshop fiddling with your gadgets. You did not seem to be anywhere, which meant that he had to consider the idea of you still being in the city.

“Q, come in Q. Where are you? Branko is in need of you. He broke his new infrared glasses and Ana tore her body armor. Don’t ask me how she did it, darling. We thought it was indestructible, but you know Ana. She took that as a challenge.” He let a hint of his desperation show in his voice. “Q, please come in.”

All Zemo heard was static before a voice, your voice, answered and he breathed out in relief. “Hey, Boss.” you started haltingly. You sounded tired and out of breath. “Well, I’m still in the city.” Here, you paused and Helmut’s hand clenched into a fist. “We’re in the air, Helmut... I don’t know if I’m going to make it. You’ll have to give Carl his birthday gift from me. I think he’ll like it.”

His smile was filled with clenched teeth and looked more like a grimace. “Even now, you joke, my Q. Even now.”

__________________

You held back a sob at the pain you could hear in his voice.

You had been meant to rendezvous with the rest of your squad at the checkpoint, but had stopped as you passed an orphanage. You thought you had heard a baby crying, but that couldn’t be right. The orphanage looked to be and should be empty. You strained your ears, knowing you couldn’t leave a baby or a child there to die. There it was again, a baby’s cry. You knew your squad was long gone, but you reassured yourself with the thought that you could easily catch up with them after you saved the baby.

You searched through the rooms on the lower floor before finding one with cribs. No baby was in sight. You paused, hearing fighting and chaos outside. Knowing that you had to move quickly, you hoped for another cry. Just as you were about to dig out your infrared glasses from your pack, there it was again. There was a cry coming from behind some hospital style curtains. You pushed them aside and found what looked like a newborn baby or close to it, abandoned before their life could even start.

You didn’t have much experience with kids, but hoped your time as a babysitter would help somewhat. You had been the babysitter for the family with twins that lived in the apartment complex a few blocks over. They had been cute kids, a boy and a girl, but they weren’t babies. You had been on the job when their apartment was bombed and heard the news afterwards. Even with your connections, you had no luck in finding out what happened to them. You assumed they died alongside their parents and mourned them accordingly. You were never able to bring yourself to watch The Dick Van Dyke Show anymore. It brought back too many memories.

You picked the baby up and cradled her to your chest as she blinked her eyes up at you. Well then, maybe not as newborn as you had supposed. Her eyes had already settled on a color that was close to your own. It was a bit uncanny. You smiled at her, tickling heir stomach as you checked her diaper. You crinkled your nose at the smell. “I see that’s why you’re crying, little one. Let me fix that for you.”

You laid the baby down to change her when her eyes scrunched up and she let out an almighty wail. “Oh my, little one. What strong lungs you have. What about a song? How does that sound, hmm?”

The baby continued to cry and squirm, and you knew this needed to be done quickly as the sounds of fighting had escalated outside and you didn’t want the robots to be alerted to your presence.

You began to sing, “We have been waiting for you. Now you are here. More perfect than I imagined. Our house is now a home. No matter where you go. Sunlight shines on you.” You sang the lullaby again as the baby stopped crying and blinked sleepily.

“There. All done. I’m glad you liked it, though I don’t know if I’m much of a singer. My mother used to sing it to me. You should hear my friend sing. He has such a lovely deep voice and my godson loves it when he sings ‘Baa, Baa, Black Sheep’. I’m sure they’ll both be excited to meet you.”

You smiled down at her and searched the room, finding a baby carrier hidden behind some blankets and formula in the fridge in the next room over. You lifted the baby and put her in the carrier, strapping it to your chest and chatting idly all the while. You noted that she must be around 4 to 5 months old as she supported her own head just fine. You fed her the formula, mopping up her chin, and prepared yourself to go outside. You positioned yourself by the window, gun in hand and infrared glasses in place. There didn’t seem to be any robots in the vicinity at the moment, which meant that it was time to leave and catch up with your squad. You checked the baby one last time and were glad to see that she was still asleep.

You were ready. You stepped outside the orphanage and started to jog in the same direction you were going earlier, doing your best not to jostle the baby. Maybe, you could get through this and get both you and your little charge to safety. Maybe, you would see Helmut again. Then, the street behind you began to splinter and crumble and the ground gave a great lurch. The city had begun to rise from the ground.

__________________

You debated what to do and came up with some semblance of a plan that had at least a 65% success rate. That was not in the least bit promising, but it was better than the 0% chance you had if you stayed here. You needed to get you and your new passenger off the city somehow, and this was the only plan you had thought of so it would have to do.

You had ducked down in an alley that you recognized as not too far from one of your favorite cafes when your phone began to ring. Quickly, you picked it up and answered it with a brief glance at the caller ID. It was Helmut. __________________

“... Even now, you joke, my Q. Even now.”

“Well, Helmut, you know me. Always look on the bright side of life, even when the city is flying and you’re carrying an orphaned baby.”

“A baby, Q?” His tone was disbelieving and you could picture what he would have said if he were here in front of you. “Only you, Q, could get yourself into this mess. For someone so intelligent, you can be kind to the point of stupidity. I admire it as I admire you, but you must not let your compassion come before your safety.”

“Yes, Helmut. A baby. I think I’ll call her Alena. Maybe give her Heike as a middle name. What do you think? Oh, and you’ll be the godparents of course?”

You could hear Helmut let out a heavy breath and the slight hitch in his voice when he answered. “We’d be honored, Q. Heike will be thrilled and Carl will love having a new playmate. They’ll be like brother and sister I’m certain, eating Turkish Delights even when I’ve specifically told them not to.”

You laughed a bit wetly. “That’ll be nice. If we can get out of the city. We have something to look forward to. Cavities galore.”

He laughed and when he spoke his voice was softer than normal. “You’ve always had a soft heart, darling Q. My friend, I told you that your compassion might get you killed one day.” There it was. You knew he wouldn’t be able to resist commenting on what he sometimes thought of as a weakness of yours. You also knew that he wouldn’t have you any other way. He sounded composed over the line, but you knew him well enough to know that he was suppressing everything and trying to hold it back for you to keep your focus on your current situation.

On the other side of the phone, Zemo was glad that he was alone so no one could see their leader fighting to keep his emotions contained. Now was not the time to be showing weakness in front of his squad. They needed him controlled and composed.

You were the only member of his squad that he could be soft with anyway.

“I guess you were right, Boss. I guess you were right. But I’m going to do my best to make sure that today’s not that day.” You paused, holding in a sob. If you weren’t careful and if your plan didn’t succeed, then today would be that day.

Over the course of the conversation, you had been walking as fast as you could, without jostling Alena too much, in the direction of your apartment that was luckily in the center of the city. You dodged more robots, and had the brief thought that whoever had made these things had to be compensating for something.

Why else would they have made so many?

You continued, mustering your nerve as you finally came in sight of your apartment. “I love you, Helmut. You know that, right?”

“I love you too, my Q.” He responded without hesitation.

“You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, Helmut. The absolute best. Give my love to Carl and Heike.”

You had reached your apartment as the robots all began to fly towards the bridge side of the city, leaving the way clear for you. “Goodbye, Helmut Zemo. Use that exploding pen at least once for me, won’t you?”

With that, you ended the call and turned off your earpiece. You wanted to spare him what could be your final moments and selfishly did not want to hear a goodbye from him. It might be cruel of you to not give him the closure you now had, but a goodbye from him felt too final. It meant you would never see him or the little smiles he gave you, when he didn’t think it would be professional to laugh at your little asides during mission briefings, again.

Just the thought of never seeing Helmut smile or hearing him laugh again made your tears fall, which you quickly wiped away before they could hit Alena. You brushed your fingers through her baby fine hair and checked on her. “Still asleep, little one? It’s been a hard day for us and it’s about to get harder, but that’s okay because I have a plan.” Your eyes filled with determination as you walked towards your apartment’s makeshift workshop. You had just the project in mind for this.

__________________

You were unaware that in your squad’s base, Zemo was staring at his phone in horrified disbelief. You had hung up on him, and he was unable to help you from here. He was a powerful man, and this feeling of powerlessness both stunned and devastated him.

He could not save you.

Zemo threw the phone, smashing it against the wall, and screamed your name. Not Q, but your full name, the name he hadn’t called you in years. He received only silence in return. He trashed the room until his hands were bloody and as he fell to the ground, he finally allowed his anguish to break free and sobbed. He had not cried like this in years. The destruction of the room and his tears weren’t enough.

Nothing would ever be enough again.

He did the only thing he could do as he recalled your last words. “I will, my Q. I promise.”

Tag List: @rumblelibrary​

A/N: I couldn’t help myself with the reference to the Maximoffs. The Sokovian lullaby is the translated version of the one Wanda sings in WandaVision. Please let me know if you would like to be added to the tag list for this series.

[bookclub4m]

Episode 159 - Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose by Leigh Cowart

This episode we’re talking about Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose by Leigh Cowart! We discuss how much science a book needs to be to count as “pop science,” content warnings for books, BDSM, MRIs, and other acronyms! Plus: How many hot sauces we own!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

The Book We Talked About

Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose by Leigh Cowart

Other Media We Mentioned

Nerve - Adventures in the Science of Fear by Eva Holland

Secretary (2002 film) (Wikipedia)

Turning by Jessica J. Lee

Valley Girl by Moon Unit and Frank Zappa

The Body in Pain: The Making and Unmaking of the World by Elaine Scarry 

Links, Articles, and Things

Episode 154 - Battle of the Books 2022

Don't Be Afraid Of The Clowns

Mary Roach (Wikipedia)

Frank's RedHot (Wikipedia)

Gochujang (Wikipedia)

South Asian pickle (Wikipedia)

Carolina Reaper (Wikipedia)

Ultramarathon (Wikipedia)

Play piercing (Wikipedia)

Polar bear plunge (Wikipedia)

Wim Hof (Wikipedia)

Camino de Santiago (Wikipedia)

Pain scale (Wikipedia)

Temperature play (Wikipedia)

Ocu-less || CheckPoint 407

K/DA (Wikipedia)

More (YouTube)

Hate-watching (Wikipedia)

Erotic humiliation (Wikipedia)

Leather Archives & Museum on Instagram

15 Gardening & Plants Non-fiction Books by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

The Sakura Obsession: The Incredible Story of the Plant Hunter Who Saved Japan's Cherry Blossoms by Naoko Abe

The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities by Will Allen

Medicines to Help Us: Traditional Metis Plant Use by Christi Belcourt

The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience and Farming by Natasha Bowens

Wild at Home: How to Style and Care for Beautiful Plants by Hilton Carter

Luschiim’s Plants: A Hul′q′umi′num′ (Cowichan) Ethnobotany by Luschiim Arvid Charlie

The New Plant Parent: Develop Your Green Thumb and Care for Your House-Plant Family by Darryl Cheng

The Medicine Wheel Garden: Creating Sacred Space for Healing, Celebration, and Tranquillity by E. Barrie Kavasch

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature by J. Drew Lanham

Lessons from Plants by Beronda L Montgomery

American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America by Michelle Obama

Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman

Grow: A Family Guide to Plants and How to Grow Them by Riz Reyes

Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement by Monica M. White

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Twitter or Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email!

Join us again on Tuesday, October 4th we’ll be talking about the genre of Fictional Biographies/Biographical Fiction!

Then on Tuesday, October 18th we’ll be talking about the concept of Hate Reads!

[soft-din]

sfw alphabet for din djarin

summary: Pretty much exactly what the title says. A safe-for-work alphabet for our favorite tin can man.

pairing: Din Djarin x reader

warnings: Just fluff as usual.

word count: 2.8k

ao3 | masterlist

A: Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Din is usually only openly affectionate with you (or Grogu) when the three of you are alone. When others are around, he doesn’t want his love to be used as leverage against any of you. This is why the end of the day is always your favorite time - it’s when you can lie in bed with him and talk about anything you need to or even just admire the face you love but don’t see nearly enough until you fall asleep. However, there are ways Din shows affection when you’re not alone. It’s in how he keeps a protective hand on the small of your back as you’re walking, or never hesitates to make sure you’re doing okay. All in all, he is a pretty affectionate person, but he has to be in a very specific environment in order to allow himself to show it. He loves resting your foreheads together, with or without the helmet, and his heart always leaps a little when you hold hands (especially without the gloves - skin to skin contact is something he doesn’t experience very often, so it means a lot).

B: Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

He is literally such a good friend. Once he makes that initial connection with a person, he’s pretty much ride-or-die. Din takes friendship very seriously, and you can count on him asking you for help whenever he needs it. The friendship would start when you first meet, when he sees you working at a cantina and notices how well you interact with Grogu. He had been looking for someone to help with the kid for a while, and so works up the nerve to ask if you’d be willing to be that person. After you say yes, the friendship just evolves from there.

C: Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Din does like to cuddle, after you’ve been together for a while. When the baby has been put to bed and it’s just the two of you awake in the Razor Crest, cuddling is something he likes doing. It’s comforting to him after a long day. He’s never really cuddled with someone before though, so it’s sort of new to him, but there’s nothing quite like lying in his bed after it’s dark or when you’re in hyperspace. He’ll hold you close to him as if he’s afraid you’ll disappear, running his fingers through your hair and whispering words softly in Basic and Mando’a.

D: Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

He definitely wants to settle down with you eventually. It’s always been a secret dream of his that he’d find a special person to share a home with, and he’s so glad that that person is you. Din may not be used to the whole domestic thing, but he catches on very quickly. He’s surprisingly decent at cooking and cleaning, once he gets used to it. Seeing him working in the kitchen making you and Grogu a meal, his helmet off and a content smile on his face, is a sight you’ll always treasure.

E: Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Din would be very gentle about the whole situation. Once he realized that he wanted/needed to break up with you, he knew that he couldn’t lead you on; it would bring him too much guilt. So, he tells you as soon as he can, even though he feels terrible about it. He tries his best not to hold on to any anger he might have towards you or the circumstances.

F: Fiance (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

As I mentioned before, he definitely wants to commit eventually. He knows that he wants to marry you not long after you become official, but waits at least a year to pop the question. Getting married is a very important step in Mandalorian culture, so Din’s proposal is a very special moment for both of you. When you say yes (of course), he asks if you want to say the short vows right then and there. You laugh and tell him that it might be a good idea to have a ceremony, just so other people can witness the union. He admits that you have a fair point.

G: Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Din is so, so gentle with you. You’ve seen him handle bounties and enemies roughly, but he’s not that way with you at all. He’s the type to rub circles over your thumb absentmindedly and look away blushing when you notice and grin up at him. He’s the type to brush a stray hair behind your ear and chuckle when you get flustered because of it. Din is also very gentle emotionally; he’ll never, ever manipulate you in a harmful way or anything like that, and he always apologizes when he makes mistakes.

H: Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Oh boy. His hugs are literally God-tier level, y’all. The first time you hug Din it's with his full beskar on, but his arms are very comforting and strong. After that, the hugging becomes more frequent, and you enjoy it every time (especially when the armor is off). You feel at peace when he’s holding you like that, as if nothing could ever harm you as long as he’s there. Sometimes he lets out a sigh of contentment and relief once he has you there against his chest, because he  knows that’s where you feel the most protected.

I: I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

It takes a while, but when he does, it just sort of slips out. Din had known that he was in love with you for some time now, but had never actually said the three words. But then one day he came home from a hunt, all bloodied up and in need of your help. You were cleaning his wounds in the ‘fresher, muttering to him about how he needed to be more careful next time, and he just said it without thinking. You looked up from your work, your heartbeat pounding in your ears, and said, “I love you too Din Djarin, you stupid Mandalorian.”

J: Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they get jealous?)

Din can get jealous, but he usually doesn’t let the feeling get too out of control. When he sees you with someone else and they appear to be flirting with you, he tries to handle the situation calmly by approaching you and the other person and casually taking your hand or something of the sort to show that you’re together. A lot of any jealousy he might have stems from insecurity - he barely has anything to give you, after all. Just a broken man and his basically broken ship and tiny green kid. Little does he know that that’s more than enough for you.

K: Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

L: Little ones (How are they around children?)

His kisses are like a luxury for you, since you can’t exactly do that as much as most couples can. When you’re alone after a hard day and he takes off the armor and helmet, he’ll just kiss you and kiss you as you’re lying in his bed or watching the sunset or making dinner, and it takes your breath away. Besides the lips, Din likes to kiss you on the nose, because it always makes you giggle and he loves that sound more than anything. He likes it when you kiss his hands; the feel of your soft lips against the rougher skin just does things to him.

As we all know, Din is the Ultimate Dad. He really enjoys spending time with kids, especially after taking in Grogu, and sometimes he likes to imagine what it would be like to see you with his own child in your arms. Children love him and are much less wary of him than most adults would be - they love trying to climb his armor like it’s a jungle gym and your heart always swells as Din interacts with them, chuckling and genuinely happy.

M: Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Mornings with Din are second only to evenings with him. He’ll always stay in bed as long as he can before he has to get up, and waking up to his lazy kisses is your favorite thing. When you’re the one that wakes up first, however, watching him sleep always makes your chest constrict with love. The sunlight pouring through the window bathes him in a heavenly glow, as if he were blessed by the Maker themself, and it makes you feel so lucky that you can admire him like this.

N: Night (How are nights spent with them?)

He will often be tired when he gets back home to the Crest, wanting nothing more than just to relax in your presence. Din will take care of anything he needs to, then greet you and Grogu before resting for a while. Sometimes you’ll bathe him or give him a massage before you start making dinner, wanting to lavish him with your affection because he is so utterly deserving of it. The three of you will eat dinner together, and play with the kid for a while before heading to bed. When he pulls you close to him in the dark and whispers “Sweet dreams” in that sleepy voice, you have never felt more content.

O: Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Din starts revealing things about himself not too long after you join his crew. Once he knows he can trust you, it’s much easier to tell you about his past (especially about his parents and his droid-related trauma). He may be quiet or emotionally closed off at first, but ultimately Din wants you to trust him and so doesn’t have much issue talking to you about more sensitive topics.

P: Patience (How easily angered are they?)

He usually has quite a bit of patience and doesn’t lash out, but if someone or something threatens you or Grogu it can turn into a different story really quickly. It takes a lot for Din to get seriously annoyed at his clan though, and when he does he always tries to communicate with you before things get too out of hand.

Q: Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Din has a pretty good memory actually, especially when it comes to you. That’s not to say that he’ll remember everything, but ultimately he’s not going to forget important things that you open up about. He usually remembers anniversaries, birthdays, and things of the like, and tries to make sure he doesn’t forget them.

R: Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

His favorite moment is when you saw his face for the first time. He had been thinking about this for a long time, worrying if it meant he wasn’t Mandalorian or if you would think he wasn’t attractive enough. But then it finally happened after you had known of your feelings for each other for a while, and it went so much better than he was expecting. You had both cried, and you had assured Din that it didn’t matter what he looked like (but that, for the record, you found him perfectly handsome).

S: Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Oh, Din is very protective. He’s always nervous when you go with him on hunts, so you usually stay at the Crest with the kid while he does his job. You have gone with him on occasion, however, and those times were certainly an experience. One time the quarry looked at you weird and you had to calm Din down and tell him that you weren’t offended. The way that you protect him, however, is in a different way. You protect him in the middle of the night, when he wakes from dreams - nightmares - about his past or losing you or any number of terrible things. You’ll run your hands down his back comfortingly, whispering words of affirmation and just holding him until he dozes off again. It means everything to Din that you protect him just as much as he does you, albeit in your individual ways.

T: Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

He definitely tries. His love language is acts of service, so Din will always work hard to make sure you’re happy. You’re an artist and you need some new pencils? Great, he’s going to the nearest town to get you some. Grogu needs to be taken care of in the middle of the night? He’s letting you sleep. He puts a lot of effort into being your partner, because he’s not used to having a significant other and he wants to get it right.

U: Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Din tries to understand your emotions. He really does. But sometimes he just doesn’t get why you’re feeling a certain way, especially when you’re mad at him. Usually in these scenarios, you have to just sit him down and tell him why you’re upset. He feels his emotions very deeply, but he’s used to bottling them up and literally hiding them behind a mask. Having you around being much more open about what you’re feeling takes some getting used to.

V: Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

He is literally 0% concerned. No one seeing your face for years on end will do that to a person. At first Din was worried about how you would react to seeing him, but that wasn’t really out of vanity. He has a bad case of helmet hair? Eh. He hasn’t shaved in a week? Things could be worse. He does like it when you praise him though, calling him beautiful and handsome. It’s something he wishes he could believe, if he’s being completely honest with himself.

W: Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Absolutely. You’re part of his clan, after all, and when Din is out on a job and can’t see you for several days it’s very hard for him. When this pain becomes almost unbearable, he just tells himself that he needs to get done as soon as possible and stay safe so he can come back to you. Seeing your smiling face after so long away from you always makes him feel like the last puzzle piece is finally connecting.

X: Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Din loves to talk. Most people don’t know this about him, but when it’s just you, Din, and the kid, he’ll talk a lot more than he would around anyone else. When the two of you are lying alone in the dark before you sleep, he’ll ramble on and on and you love it. The sound of his voice, especially unmodulated, is probably your favorite sound in the galaxy, so you’ll just listen to him until you doze off, a slight smile on your face.

Y: Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He doesn’t like being away from you and Grogu for long periods of time, or spending excessive time around droids (the whole experience with IG-11 helped, a lot actually, but it can still trigger him from time to time). In a partner, it’s important to Din that they respect his Creed. He’s already sort of on thin ice about it, and he wants to be able to work it all out for himself without having somebody influencing him. Asking genuine questions is fine, but blatant disrespect for it is something he won’t go for.

Z: Zzz (What is a sleeping habit of theirs?)

Din will work himself to the bone all day without hardly any time for rest, so sometimes when he gets home he is out and there is no way you’re waking him up. He’ll usually make it to the bed but sometimes he’ll just end up on the floor, completely exhausted. You take off the bulkiest parts of his armor before letting him sleep, knowing that what time he’ll allow himself to get is important. 

[rawsanma]

In Memoriam of "Shin Evangelion: Curse"

*The following article contains a full spoiler for "Evangelion 3.0+1.0".*

I sat together with a person who was not in birth when EOE was released, and after watching the film we talked a bit and thought about the people who passed away without ever seeing this. I understand that fans from the old series and those who came from the new series may have very different perceptions of Shin-Eva. So I'd like to first correct a few things I said in my first impressions.

It may be somewhere between an honorable movie and a mediocre movie in general, but as Evangelion, it's garbage.

After about halfway through the two hours and thirty-five minutes, I started to look at my watch again and again. The double ending, which is both a personal novel and a product, was a fleeting fantasy, and the two songs "One Last Kiss" and "beautiful world (da capo ver.)" were not used effectively in relation to the story, only being played in the staff roll.

When I saw the first 10 minutes of the movie that was released last year, I thought that perhaps Paris was chosen as the setting for the story of "humanity fighting together in the face of destruction" or "the expansion of the Eva world (not G Gundam, but G Eva!)", but that was not the case at all. He just wanted to depict the battle using the Eiffel Tower as a FATALITY,　I realized that he hadn't made a single millimeter of progress since when he asked Hayao Miyazaki if I could film only this action scene of Her Highness Kushana in the re-animation of Nausicaa, he was scolded, "That's why you're no good!"

At the beginning of the film, they try to carefully describe the things behind the scenes that were not told in Eva Q.  The third Ayanami like the TV version is the main character, and they go on and on about living in the countryside, copying "My Neighbor Totoro". The large family of our parent's home that we go back to during the summer vacation is presented as an image of happiness in life and a decent human being. It is also connected to Gendou's narrative during the Human Instrumentality Project but isn't it too Showa-era and too simple a solution? I am interested in how the young fans who are children of nuclear families who left their large families in the countryside and moved to the city saw the too sudden depiction of "life in the countryside". It was almost a gag to see Ayanami walking around in a plug suit which is a sexual orientation that has manifested itself after Space Battleship Yamato, in the images of pre and post-war farming villages depicted by recent NHK morning dramas. The director, influenced by his wife, must have been immersed in the LOHAS and vegan lifestyle as a fashion statement, which is only possible because he is an urbanite with too much stuff and too much money. As for this theme, it has already been presented in the watermelon field scene in the second film, and it is merely a re-presentation of the same theme in a diluted form.

I've pointed out before that Eva Q is "a crack in reality because of the loss of reality to rely on. "It's rude not to eat what you're served!", Shinji was scolded by Touji's father, who looked like a subversion of Hayao Miyazaki's work (Gedo Senki!). I have a simple question, how can the interior of a house become so old and wretched after only 14 years? How can a community of people of all ages be formed in just 14 years?　There was a line that implied that Touji had killed someone for the village, and it is possible that the director had extremely beautified the "Showa era" as a sanctuary where people who are hurt and regret their committing murder during the war as a soldier live nearby, and when he opened the last drawer after using up all the materials, he found the image of the original landscape of his childhood.

Misato and Kaji's child, which is only described for a few minutes, is also abrupt, and I don't feel that it is more than a plot device for the purpose of staging the reconciliation with Shinji later on. Some people seem to be moved by the fact that "behind Misato's cold attitude towards Shinji in Q, there was such a conflict in her mind," but it's the opposite. All the answers are just excuses after wasting nine years of work. Even if the wounds healed and treated with a gentle "I'm sorry," after being beaten severely by a raging DV husband, the fact of the beating would not disappear, and the wife would feel nothing but fear at the sudden change in her husband. To a situation that he had set to minus 100, he spent 2 hours and 35 minutes gradually pouring water drawn from other places and past works to bring it back to zero...I've never seen such a horrible match pump. Well, now that I'm writing this, I'm thinking that I've seen this before.

The relationship between Eva Q and Shin Eva is very similar to the relationship between "The Last Jedi" and "The rise of Skywalker" in Star Wars. In a self-absorbed rampage of conjecture that did not listen to the opinions of others, the historical stage of the series that had been built up was turned into a mess, and then the destroyed story was carefully built up again from the ground using unnecessary length, and only the shape of the story was created to end it without being disgraceful, and every scene that tries to make things more exciting is a copy of past work. As for Star Wars, since 8 and 9 were directed by different directors, I was able to settle my feelings of resentment towards Ryan and gratitude towards Abrams, respectively, but as for Evangelion, the director looks like a child who has been proud to clean up his own mess and have his female cronies praise and pat him on the head. Moreover, what kind of sympathy do you expect when you are told to "I'll make amends" for the mere act of wiping your ass after defecating, in a cool, Showa-era chivalrous tone?

In this film, as a recovery from Q and a summary of new Eva, there are elements throughout the story that critics can easily relate to the old Eva. “Oh, I can talk about this in connection with that!” This is what gives them a good impression and it has nothing to do with how the old fans perceive it. The director seems to have a dedicated person in charge of communicating and negotiating with the outside, but now he wants the critics to communicate with the fans about Shin-Eva. As long as he doesn't speak for himself, he can correct their interpretations later based on the "misunderstandings" of the people in between himself and his fans. This is a very Japanese-style system of surmising feelings, a system of authority that is formed when only a limited number of cronies are informed of the true intentions of the president. If I talk about it in too much detail, right-winged Yakuza will show up very soon, so to make it short, it is an indigenous control structure unique to Japan that originated from the "Mikado behind the bamboo blind". This time the director was very conscious of that, and I was able to see that Eva, who was a challenger, has become an authority that does not tolerate any criticism.

And what fan from the past could enjoy watching the endless battle scenes after Shinji returns to Wunder in the middle of the film? One after another, the sister ships of Wunder appear--there's almost no difference in appearance, but Ritsuko is able to guess their names the moment they appear. Right after the line "I'm pretty sure there's a fourth ship," the fourth ship comes crashing upon them from underneath, with no intention other than to make us laugh, right? As well as the repeated tenseless bombardment fight with no description of damage no matter how many artillery shells are hit, and it's quite painful being poured Asuka and Mari's Me-Strong Battles which are already enough by the time of Q, continuously down my throat like a goose with a funnel in its mouth. There's no way to synchronize my feelings with the screen, and it just creates an atmosphere as if the story is going on with the unattractive super-robot action that I pointed out in Q. It's no use pointing out, but the repair and supply problems of Wille side in a world where the industry has been destroyed were shown in the farming village part, though it was inadequate. But those of NERV side, an organization of only a man and an old man, was completely thrown away.

The last part of the story about the Human Instrumentality Project is like a fanzine where Gendou, Asuka, Kaworu, and Rei are lined up in a row and complemented in turn and then dismissed, whereas EOE was a total complement through Shinji. The director has tried to upgrade his framework by borrowing them from EOE and has failed miserably. Someone who has created works by putting his emotion and flair into a copy has dabbled in copying his own work. As a result, he had to confront his own sensibilities from when he was young and had to compare the old and the new by his old audience. Frankly speaking, only the techniques have been traced, the sound and the screen have become gorgeous, but the emotion and the sense have deteriorated. The face of the giant Ayanami that was replaced with a live-action one -- probably based on the face acting of Shinji's voice actor, and the "untested ordeal" of her tweet means this -- appears in the background like a gold folding screen in the high sand at a Japanese wedding reception. You're getting tired of all this, and you're not making it seriously, are you? The battle between Eva Unit01 and Eva Unit13 in Tokyo-III, which I expressed my anxiety about before the film's release, is a scene where the company's CG team can't produce what the director expects and he is so frustrated that he has the same mindset as in the final two episodes of the TV version, "I'd rather get a minus than a red", and after that, it became like a gag scene, including Eva fights in Misato's apartment and Shinji's school classroom, as if he was staged them in desperation. The side-shooting screenshot of the little Wunder charging at the head of the giant Ayanami is a picture of ”Cho Aniki (Japanese STG)” itself, and it's also meant to be funny, right? It's a series of loose, sloppy, and tenseless scenes that can't be compared to EOE.

What the hell have the CG team been doing for the past nine years, getting paid with no progress and making Eva look like an outdated piece of crap? Didn't anyone have the chivalrous spirit of the Showa era like "Don't embarrass our boss!"? Don't be so relieved when you get the green light! The director has just given up on you! There were a few scenes where the person at the top of the editing and collage, who has been making the coolest pictures, was not given as much good material as he used to be and seemed to make desperate staging in a way that he would never have given the green light in the past. It's been more than 10 years since Xapa was established, but I guess they don't have enough talent to meet the director's vision. Perhaps because of this, the conclusion of the film is exactly the same as the old one, that the director has no choice but to use his personal feelings to finish Eva, but the film ends up being a self-imitation of "Sincerely Yours". It is sad to see a person who "surpasses the original by putting his heart and soul into the copy" start to copy his own past works on the big screen of the theater, because he has become a big name in the animation world after reaching the age of 60, and there are no others left to be copied. However, right after "Komm, süsser Tod" started playing in the old movie, the scene where the titles of each episode and the reverse side of Cels were played in succession was projected on the wall of the studio using a projector -- the title of the new movie was added.  It made me mad and thought, "Don't touch my EOE with the dirty hands of the merchant.  I'll kill you."

The last things that the man who "transfers his own life onto films" presented in his costly self-published private novel were a naked confession of his own mental history up to the point where he met his wife, which he temporarily entrusted to Gendou, and the words "I think I loved you" and "I loved you" exchanged between himself and the former lover who could not be together and themselves who had separate spouses, just a reckoning of the muddled love affair that existed behind the scenes of EOE. I half-jokingly said that the distance between the director and Asuka's voice actor was important for the end of Eva, but it turned out to be true in a different way. During the recording session, Asuka's voice actor was told by the director, "I'm glad Miyamura is Asuka," which sent chills down my spine as it conveyed the horror of a creator who doesn't hide everything about his life and relationships and uses them to create his works.

In the scene where Shinji says "I liked you too" to the adult Asuka, who is wearing a tight latex suit and drawn in a more realistic character design (making us aware of the cosplay by Asuka's voice actor), while she is lying on the EOE beach, I thought "You guys should do this in a coffee shop or something between recording sessions! Don't make us watch middle-aged man and woman having unpleasant conversations on the big screen of the theater!", I almost screamed out. I think that's the scary part, the director's one-sided love for Asuka's voice actor is falsified by having the character say that she liked him, as if it was a mutual love. The director's statement at the beginning of the pamphlet says that he started working on the sequel right after Evangelion 2.0 without hesitation, using the worldview of "Q". I'm not trying to quote the line "You can change the reality you don't like by getting on Eva.", but it's not as if he's trying to cover up the fact, but he really believes that using his strong imagery, and it made me feel a bit chilly that there was no one around to correct his misconceptions.

At the end of Human Instrumentality Project, I wondered if the fact that a senior member of the movie industry had praised the shooting of EOE by flipping Cels over as a "tremendous deconstruction" was still fresh in his mind. This time, too, it was postponed after postponement, and even though the makings have been done in time, he showed the other side of the production with line drawings and roughs. The reason it was so innovative was that it was the first time anyone had tried it then, and now, 25 years later, it's just a rut. It's disgusting that everyone is praising the master's strange drawing habit and saying, "Oh yeah, that's it, that's it." As I've said before, it's like "defecating in a sixty-nine," which was successful because the first partner happened to be a scatologist. The expression of EOE was sharp and ”Rock’n’‐roll”, but Shin-Eva's "fun of anime images" has gone into the realm of traditional art, like slow "Gagaku".

The director hadn't decided who Mari Makinami was for a long time -- he was so indifferent to her that he threw the actor's acting plan to a sub-director -- but with Shin-Eva, he's changed her into an equal to Moyoco Anno, his wife. In other words, the flashy battle in the middle of the film, which is unimportant to many viewers, is revealed to have been a very pleasant pretend play for the director, in which he has his former love and his current wife fight on his favorite robots. Once again, we are shown the director's so-what-attitude, which has not progressed even a millimeter since "I'm an asshole," and which he can complete his work only by masturbation. So it's no wonder that they couldn't depict the extremely simple catharsis of Shinji's great success with Eva Unit01, which is what most of the old fans want. Because a robot with a pathetic old man on board can't get an erection due to impotence, let alone masturbation!　Oops, excuse me, sir.

And as I said before, it's time to realize that the English language has become so popular in Japan that it's become lame. You use Infinity, Another, Additional, Advanced, Commodity, and Imaginary, just because it sounds cool to you, right?　Everyone criticized the naming "Final Impact", but I never thought I'd see the time when I'd faint from the lack of taste and coolness in Evangelion, such as Another Impact, Additional Impact.

And the ending, with the wedding report in a live-action aerial shot of the director's hometown, newbie fans are screaming that it is like, "They're doing a very positive version of the old "Return to Reality!". But I felt it was too empty and cynical because it was intended to be read that way by the director. It depicts only the elation of marriage, and the pain of getting along with a partner and his or her family with different values is cut off (well, maybe Q was expressing the hardship of married life......). But isn't the emotional weight of a marriage report much higher when you meet your partner's parents?　The fact that he ended the movie by showing his own hometown instead of his wife's hometown leaves me with the impression that he's definitively an egotistical geek through and through. "You may have graduated from a good university and are making good money in the city, but if you're not married and don't have children, aren't you somehow humanly flawed?" After 25 years, Evangelion, which was such a forward-thinking Sci-Fi, is now completely in sync with the earthly ethics of Showa-era's farmers and farm horses. "I got married and it saved my life. I don't know about you, but why don't you try?" You can think what you want, but if you want to convey it as a message of salvation, you have to express it in the content of your work, not in your own talk.

I've been married for 20 years, I have two children, both of whom are about to reach the age of adulthood, I've paid off the mortgage on my home, and I'm finally at the end of raising my children, but all of that is just an outer shell of a social skin that has nothing to do with my true nature or where my soul is! There's no connection between what kind of life an individual lives in the real world and the Sci-Fi sense of wonder, in fact, there shouldn't be any connection! If you're a science fiction fan, take a page from the great Arthur C. Clarke! I was a nerd with a negative value of 100, but when I got married, I gradually poured the "common-sense values" of the Showa era into myself, and now I'm a true man with no negative value? Don't write such pathetic fiction proudly! Listen, what you presented to the audience at the end was the same thing that someone would say to you, "You seedless stallion!" It's the same kind of unethical and vulgar message that you shouldn't be giving! The old Eva became a classic of Japanimation, and no one was able to properly scold you, or you keep away those who tried, and the result of this is directly reflected in the ending of Shin Eva!　You've reached your 60th birthday and you only have such poor social common sense, damn it!

I'm sorry, I was so excited that I lost my control a little bit, just a little bit. I think the director is relying a little too much on his wife, who is ultimately a stranger on, to be his laison d'etre (lol). If they were to break up in the future, it would certainly be the soil for the next Eva, the content and development of which is completely predictable, but that is no longer my concern. I wonder if his wife doesn't like the fact that he's mentally dependent on her like this, and that it's being shown on screens all over the country. If it were me, I'd be furious, but since she's a creator, I guess she understands how he feels. Ignoring the other person's feelings and continuing to force what he believes to be love on her, thinking that it will make her happy, seems to me that there has been no progress at all since the way he treated his girlfriend 25 years ago. The person I want to hear from the most right now is not the self-proclaimed Eva fans who are looking at each other from the side and giving positive feedback in celebration of the final episode, but his wife. If the director had a child, he would not have been able to distinguish between his own ego and that of the child, and would have doted on his child, making a documentary film about his or her growth, but would most likely have turned into a controlling and poisonous parent in his or her adolescence. And he animated his feelings for his child who was rebelling against him, without the child's permission, considering it as a one-sided redemption for the child, and the child who was exposed to the whole country about their home life would have distanced from his father more and more.

In the end, Evangelion did not become a product like Gundam, but rather a robot animation that was the director's weird personal novel. The repeated use of the word "job" in the film has stuck in my mind, but in order for the studio to survive, it had to make Evangelion a product in this new series, and I'm sure that was the initial motivation behind the production of these new films. Your real "job" was to make Evangelion the same as Gundam, to protect the people who came to you because they loved Evangelion. Years from now, I can see a future where Xapa will be like Ghibli, behead the staff and continue as a copyright management company. The director, who didn't want to be embarrassed as a creator by a new challenge adopted the safe way -- I can't believe that I have to use the word "safe" for Evangelion -- to end the new series that relied on EOE only for himself, not for the future of the people who came to admire him. That's what Shin Evangelion is all about.

The good part? The fact that he didn't bring Shin Ultraman trailer at the end of the film makes me think he has grown up a bit. If you're declaring "Farewell, All Evangelions" with the intention of hurting, disappointing, and disinterested old fans like me, then your malice is unfathomable, and that's quite a feat. Brilliantly, your intentions have permanently killed a part of me that used to be an Eva fan.

As horrifying as it is to imagine, it must have crossed the director's mind to reschedule the film and set a new release date for March 11. The only reason he didn't do so is not that he has grown up to be a sensible adult, but rather because the idea of linking Evangelion 3.0 with the Great East Japan Earthquake was a fact that is too painful for him to make it public.

Ten years ago today, many lives were lost and Evangelion was destroyed.

This fact will never disappear, no matter how much the director denies and covers up with the "true" history. If there is any mission left for me as a fan, it is to continue to pass on this fact to future generations as a storyteller. It is a huge loss for Japanese fiction that the end of the great Evangelion has become a self-recovery work of the great failure of the reboot affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, and that the potential of the great Evangelion has been consumed by the self-defense of someone who cannot admit his own mistakes, and I sincerely regret it. Shin Evangelion will be forever cursed by the dead, who yearn to see the sequel of Evangelion 2.0, and the living, who yearn to see the sequel of Evangelion 2.0.

This curse will be completed when it spreads, arrives, and is burned by the powers that be as a false history. I pray that my thoughts will reach him!

[onyxiana-is-obsessed]

Please pleaseeee for the tamaki soulmate au, can we pleaseeee get them starting a family ??? I know its gender neutral but idk somehow??????? I just loved it so so much I can't ejsniswba

I’m kinda late, but here you go! I only did a 3rd part because it’s Tamaki. I separated them into different “routes”. One is “Pet parents” where you adopt two pets and the other is obviously adopting a child. I opted for adopting because this is gender-neutral. I tried. I added in the pet parents because I’m sure there’s someone out there who doesn’t want children (me included) and so I’m trying to be inclusive here. I don’t particularly like writing for this topic but I did it anyway.Length: 2.3k

Part 1 | Part 2 

Summary: You and Tamaki have been married for a few years but you feel like you need a new addition! Why not start a family?

(c/n) = Child’s name

Full Name: (f/n) Amajiki

Quirk: (y/q)

Age: 26

 ****

Your marriage was great! It was even better than what you’d ever dreamed of and especially being married to your best friend… it was the greatest feeling in the world.

You loved going to bed next to Tamaki, you loved waking up to his sleeping face (on the days you’d wake up early), you loved living with him, you loved having his last name as yours, and you loved calling him your husband.

Tamaki was a much more confident man now, he still had anxiety and he was still working on handling the public’s positive feedback. Tamaki was the number 6 hero, therefore, he garnered a lot of attention whenever people saw him on the streets. Of course, since he was such a high ranking hero people were well aware of his anxiety and were actually nice enough to not push it too much.

That helped, a lot, but so did you. Tamaki would often think about you to calm his nerves and if he ever got scared in a dangerous situation, his mind always thought back to your beautiful smile. You were his drive, passion, and determination. You made him better, you gave him the courage he needed to be confident. Whenever he faltered, whether it was talking to a group of pro heroes, a crowd, or in a fight against a villain, he’d think of your face with that big smile he loved. He’d think about your laugh and he would feel a burst of confidence.

Your relationship was great and there was nothing you’d want to change about it.

Well, maybe one little thing. You and Tamaki were very happy with each other, but there were plenty of times when the house felt a little empty. So why a new cute new addition?

“Hey, Tama?”

“Yes, bunny?” Currently, both of you were sitting on the couch on his day off, having a cuddle date.

“We should start a family.” He almost choked on his strawberry. “Oh! C-careful, baby!”

PET PARENTS:

“I-I’m o-ok!” He squeaked out, sitting up. “I-I thought you d-didn’t w-want kids!”

“Well, it doesn’t have to be kids.” Now he was confused. Slowly, he moved the bowl of strawberries to the coffee table and looked at you.

“So… how?”

“We can have pets! We would be great dog parents! Or cats! We could have a couple of puppies or a couple of kittens! Maybe it doesn’t even have to be cats or dogs! We could adopt…” As you rambled on and on about your idea, Tamaki watched you with a loving smile on his face, still unable to wrap his head around you being his soulmate.

You’d told Tamaki much earlier on in your relationship about you not wanting kids. There were a multitude of reasons and no matter which way you thought about it, kids were just never for you. The idea terrified you, especially telling your soulmate, who had little to no choice in how he felt about you.

Much to your relief, Tamaki was perfectly fine with your decision. He was actually someone who wasn’t sure how he felt about having his own child. Sure, the idea wasn’t… awful, but it didn’t exactly excite him. In fact, the topic of children was never on his mind. It took a bit of reassurance, but he promised you that he was genuinely ok with your decision.

Ultimately, the two of you decided on a kitten and a puppy! So, that meant you had to get all the supplies and that’s what you were doing currently.

“Here’s a good litter box,” Tamaki called out, looking back at you. Your eyes traveled to the large litter box in his arms. “It’s a good size and the litter won’t fly out.”

“That is! What about this food bowl? It’s perfect for the kitty and this one can be for the puppy.” You said, holding up the two food bowls. He gave you a smile and nodded.

“Looks good!” The next step was the food, you both were extremely picky since it was your first time with pets.

“I think this is better,” Tamaki said, reaching out and pointing to a bag of puppy food. “We can use the same brand when our puppy gets older.”

“Ooh, great idea. Here’s one for the kitten.” You said, pointing to one down the aisle. “One for kitties and then adults! Perfect!” To say that you both were excited was an understatement. You’d been planning on getting pets for about two weeks now, since Tamaki had been so busy, it had to be put on hold. When he’d finally had some spare time, you two decided to buy the supplies first and then adopt your new babies.

***

“What about this little guy?” Tamaki asked, gently guiding you by grabbing your shoulders. He pointed and you saw the most adorable puppy looking in your direction. (insert description of puppy).

“Oh my god, he’s so cute!” You exclaimed as the puppy jumped up and down excitedly. He happily wagged his tail, even standing on his back paws and reaching out with his front.

“He’s adorable,” Tamaki said with a smile as you quickly ran towards the enclosure it was in. The puppy happily jumped around as you reached down and picked it up. Holding him close to your chest, you giggled as his nose sniffed your jawline. “He’s perfect…” Tamaki whispered without you noticing.

Once you’d chosen out the puppy, you two were taken to where they kept the young kittens. They were all in little enclosures with each other and were actually kind of loud. You two walked around looking at each and everyone until one particular kitten caught your eye. (insert kitty’s description).

“What about this one?” You said to the volunteer, who smiled at you.

“That’s a great choice! She’s actually a pretty calm kitten so far.” The woman took the kitten out and you hold her in your hands. She nuzzled into your hands and rubbed her chin against your thumb. You hugged the kitten to your chest and looked at Tamaki with hopeful eyes.

“She’s perfect.” He answered.

***

“Ok! I have everything set up,” you said excitedly as you walked back to where Tamaki sat with both the kitten and puppy on his lap. They were currently sniffing each other and carefully scavenging the area around them. “Aww, they’re so cute.” You carefully and slowly sat down next to Tamaki on the floor as your new babies waddled around the living room.

“They’re adorable, especially the way they try to walk.” He commented as his indigo eyes landed on your new “children”. Your eyes landed on his face and that gentle smile that he had made your heart swell with happiness.

“Thanks for understanding,” you whispered, your hands gently brushing against his, “especially that I don’t want children.”

“Of course, bunny. I love you and honestly, it’s completely ok that you don’t want children. Lots of people don’t. Besides, maybe it’s too dangerous for us to have kids, knowing (my/our) line of work.” You smiled and leaned against him as his arm wrapped around your shoulders.

“Thank you, Tama. That… makes me feel so happy.” He pressed a kiss to your nose. “I love you too.” Your puppy barked making you both look over as he accidentally fell to the side. He quickly sat up making the kitten run over to him, her nose brushing against his head as she tried to figure out what happened. The kitten meowed as she walked around the puppy who fell on his back. He raised his paw up to touch her nose, making her meow again.

“They are adorable.”

“Our little babies!” Tamaki smiled, his heart filling with so much happiness that he almost cried.

“Yeah. Our little family. I love you, Bunny.” You giggled at him, giving him a bright smile.

“I love you too, Tama.”

ADOPTING A CHILD:

“I-I’m o-ok!” He squeaked out, sitting up. “You want children?” You nodded eagerly at his words which made him frown. “I-I d-don’t know, I’m not sure i-if I’d make a good father o-”

“You’ll be a great dad! I know it,” You interrupted him, moving closer to sit on his lap. Your hands gently took his face, your thumbs brushing against his cheek. “Listen, you’re an amazing person. You’re an amazing hero and husband, being a dad is just next on the list and I know for a fact you’ll do great.”

He sighed a little at your words, his hands gently touching your wrists. Those words weren’t enough to chase away his fears, they were barely enough to calm his heart that was beating wildly.

However, you were enough. You, yourself, were enough to make him feel at ease. Knowing that he wouldn’t be alone was a comforting thought, knowing that his spouse and best friend was going to be with him was even better.

Tamaki’s hands slid down to your waist as he hugged you tightly. Your arms wrapped around him, a small smile gracing your face.

“I think it’s a great idea, bunny.”

***

In the end, you both opted to adopt a child. You were both tempted to get an infant, however, after some contemplation and lots of late-night conversation, you ultimately came to the decision that it would be better to adopt a child out of the foster care system.

The first step was the information session. You had to wait a bit longer than you thought due to Tamaki’s busy schedule, but you had finally managed to go. Quite a bit of people recognized him. There was plenty of important information, things you two didn’t even know. Coming home from that only made you two more excited to adopt.

The second step was completing an adoption study and getting foster care approval. You two had to go through plenty of paperwork, training sessions, individual and joint interviews, and social workers coming to your home. You both were more than qualified, so there weren't very many issues you ran into aside from having very little experience with children. Which was easily remedied with the training sessions.

Next, once the home study was completed and finalized, all you two needed to do was wait until they’d found a waiting child that fit well for you both. Your social worker found plenty of photo-listings for you two, along with any information you’d need to know.

The fourth and almost final step was submitting an inquiry. When they’d found a child who was identified as a perfect fit for you, they would submit your home study. The social worker then decided whether the child was a good fit for you two and there were a few that were deemed bad matches. However, they’d finally found the perfect match for you two, which you were more than happy with.

After that, you both had to meet with another social worker who explained any last details as well as some facts about the child. You two finally got to meet your new (son/daughter). Their name was (c/n) and they were 4 years old.

Not even a few days later, they were at your house. Both you and Tamaki loved (c/n) more than words could explain. They meant so much to you and you always felt a sense of happiness flood over you when you would tell anyone you had a child and about them.

Mirio and Nejire happily spoiled (c/n) which was sometimes a bit tough to keep up with. Your (son/daughter) loves both of them, but they especially liked Eijiro. He always brought candy home for them and was around them a bit more since he was Tamaki’s partner.

~

“Where’s my little noodle?!” Eijiro exclaimed as he walked into the house. A loud squeal was heard followed by the patter of little feet as (c/n) ran into the living room.

“UNCLE KIRI!” Your (son/daughter) ran to him, launching themselves into his arms. He let out a fake groan as he picked them up and spun them around.

“Wow! You’ve gotten so much bigger, (c/n)! Almost took me out!”

“Guess what! Guess what! Guess!”

“What?!” Eijiro asked, with a loud gasp, pretending to be extremely shocked.

“I got my quirk today!” Tamaki sighed as he walked into the living room with his arms crossed.

“Yep, and it destroyed the bed, too.” You giggled as you rubbed his arm, placing a kiss on his cheek.

“We’ll have to get a new one.”

“What quirk did you get, noodle?” Eijiro asked.

“EXPLOSIVE LIGHTNING!” His red eyes widened as they shot at you and Tamaki. Tamaki only sighed, covering his face and you gave him a bright smile.

“(c/n)’s lightning attacks create large explosions. Much like two heroes we already know.” His shocked look melted into a bright smile and he threw your child up and caught them.

“That’s amazing! Did you know, two of my closest friends have similar quirks?”

“CHARGEBOLT AND GROUND ZERO!” He nodded with laughter as he hugged (c/n).

“Exactly! That’s amazing! Congratulations! Are you gonna be a hero? Planning on attending UA?” (c/n) nodded with a bright smile.

“Just like daddy! I’m gonna be like Suneater! I’m gonna kick butt!” Tamaki’s face turned a little red, but a loving smile fell on his face. His child wanted to be like him… a hero like him. He could’ve almost cried… ok, he cried. A little tear.

Fine, it was a few tears. But he was happy and no one could blame him. Tamaki was always so scared of so many things. He was scared he’d make a bad hero, he was scared he’d be an awful boyfriend, he was scared he’d be an awful husband, and he was terrified of being an awful father. Except he, himself, proved every single thought wrong. He was a great hero, he was a great boyfriend, he was an amazing husband, and he was a phenomenal father.

“Wanna see my quirk, uncle Kiri?!”

“Of course I do!”

“NO!!!!”

[neo-shitty]

reading drown made me remember how much music personally means to me. i used to have a hard time sleeping back in 6th grade to the point that it badly affected my studies bc for some reason im wide awake at night, felt tired but still fully awake which made me unable to focus in school. so of course i researched what i can do since i didnt want to tell my parents (nasa google kaya lahat 😌) long story short, try listening to music daw 😭 so i did bUT since listening to music wasnt really my hobby, i didnt know what type i should start off and at that time, kpop just recently became big LMAO it was like around 2017 i think. so i liSTENED TO EXO since it was the group that i have been hearing around school AHAHAHAHA the song was baby, dont cry btw. it worked surprisingly, music does calm one's nerves. i didnt understand the lyrics ofc but just by the melody, it made everything around me peaceful. whenever i feel anxious, sad, or stressed, music is the way to go :"> SO EON STORY KO PANO AKO NAGING KPOP FAN 😭😭😭 parinig aq ng iyo po 🙇

pero ofc there were times when it was pointless. there were times na listening to music just made everything worse, it would just be another noise that would frustrate me more. kAYA ANG NEED DITO IS ANO TALAGA U KNOW OO ung pwede mong sandalan hahahaha kaso wala ako non :"> so while reading napapa "sige chan ahhaha sana ol sige sana ol may y/n ng buhay nila hahaha" pero real talk, it would be nice to have someone you can share all your worries with without feeling guilty of wasting their time kaya stray kids hopefully you wont be afraid to love someone freely 😌

uy pati nakakaqiqil si jae dito >:( pero no, bias ko pa den siya sa day6 <3 and the scene where chan was guiding reader along while she was riding his skateboard is so cute huhu ,,, lia is the mc in checkmate, correct?

para akong ewan kc you posted this 11 pm right? i always like reading/watching while lying down sO humiga ako kaso pagkahiga ko, inaantok ako agad :"> enjoying something while youre at your most comfortable position feels so ✨heavenly✨ but it makes me too comfy that it drowns me in sleepiness. like i need to sleep muna bago ako maka focus 100% sa ginagawa ko lmao eh since end of the day eon, pagod aq :"< SMALL RANT LNGS KC BIGLA KO NAPANSIN KAGABI HAHAHAHAHA actually pati this afternoon, manonood sana ako hometown chachacha kaso pagkabagsak ko, tulog. kaya tinuloy ko na lang after an hour of sleep huhu

speaking of hometown, im on ep 10 and its the first ep where seungmin's ost was showcased ! im really excited marinig siya later pag finish ko nung ep na eon. BY THIS TIME EP 12 KA NA NOH?? HOPEFULLY EHE EHE and yes justice para sa mga nababastos >:( daming cases here in our school last f2f tbh. ewan like kadalasan, based on my experience, sinisisi nila sa pananamit ng mga babae 👁️👄👁️ i watched a video/show wherein a boy got caught sexualizing ung kaklase niyang girl tas he defended himself by saying na ang ikli ng skirt ni ate girl but thats literally their uniform , scary honestly

pati ify sa ipis, idk why but im more scared sa ipis than mga daga kc naman ang ipis parang gagamba, bigla biglaan na lang mawawala :"> AH SO UN NGA DI AKO NAKAPUYAT AHHAHAHAHAHAHAH PERO WANT KO NA ULE 😭 anong oras ka natulog?

i just realized then, almost all my feedbacks (?) rants abt your works, may included back story ko HAHAHAH like sa obliviate, harry potter kemene. sa on the ride home, yung untog series q. tas dito sa drown -> ^^^ syempre sa checkmate di ako relate kc di pa naman aq pumapanaw Y^Y

btw how was your day? pag gising ko sa umaga dumeretso aq proj, sipag i2. advance happy eating for dinner !

HAPPY CHANNN DAYYY ,, ayos na daw kurtina nila di ko pa nakikita pero inayos daw ni chan 😌👌

- 👻

glad i came home to a whole ass diary entry today omg owo

6TH GRADE HELP ISNT THAT LIKE TOO YOUNG TO HAVE AMNESIA ;n; hala baka magfalse diagnosis ka sa gogol ha, tell your parents next time kung may ano. oh yeah, mas better talaga kung di mo naiintindihan yung lyrics? bc you don't have to think of the lyrics too. music stopped working as a lullaby for me when quarantine started so i resorted to yt vids. but i still go for music whenever my self-esteem is low. noise music really boosts it *u* exo-l ka pa ba now? or you didn't stan? sinu-sino nga pala stinastan mo omg?

dude my story started in g2 when i heard fire by 2ne1 on the MIT top 20 of myx. i was quite a casual kpop fan up until late g10 when i started memorizing members (which i didn't do bc i was really just in it for the music not the groups).

HAJSHJAH truly tho it's nice to have someone around :'( namimiss ko na rin yung time na may 'y/n' ako but it's been so long that i'm fine on my own na HAJHAJ JAE IS MY BIAS TOO BUT ANTAGONIZING HIM WAS FUN. t'was bc of this vid (around the 28:18 to 29:20 mark; literally the inspo for the whole fic). yep, lia's checkmate's mc! the part abt guiding sa skateboard happened to me irl HIHIH #kilig #reminiscing kakamiss f2f

yeah at 11pm. i think i posted it too late bc it's not doing too well notes wise but whatever, it's chan day. HAHAH glad you slept easily though! MY BIGGEST SANA ALL. i slept at 3 na kanina bc i was either too hot or too cold.

how long is the kdrama? also i'm really proud of seungmin for scoring that ost :'( go get it, vocal king. NAUR I DIDNT GET TO FINISH THE ANIME BC I WENT AND WATCHED BSD KDJSKLJ i'll try and finish it tonight (bc i was out the whole day + i might be writing later) i fucking hate men. icb i'm at the point where i'm torn abt having a bf bc i kinda want a man but they're disgusting as hell???? it's hard to find the good ones nowadays.

mga ipis kasi feeling butterfly jsdhjfh at least yung daga aware ka kung asan ;n; IM SCARED OF SPIDERS TOO JDSKFJ wag ka magpuyat l8r kasi monday pero eh depends pa rin sau

oo nga pansin ko din yung back stories but they're interesting to read naman so i don't mind !! SANA DI KA TALAGA MAKARELATE SA CHECKMATE JUSQ do not claim the negative energy from that fic

we went to my mom's office earlier bc she wasn't feeling great and she couldn't come home yet kasi nakabubble siya doon. we just go thome tapos yown diretso answer sa ask HAHAH magtstsaa palang aq mamaya pa ata dinner namin mga 7 pero yeah advance happy eating din sayo!

AND YES HAPPY CHAN DAY <333 lol narealize ko lang both my ults had sunday birthdays this year o.O and OO HAJSHJAH i watched the chan's vlog last night (partly the reason why napuyat ako) and inayos niya yung curtain sa bandang huli <//3 can't tease them anymore HMP

[diaryofabeautyfiend]

⛔️ This Chapter is pretty violent. *Torture/Canon Typical Violence/ Big Battle

Small Time Witch (30)

Battle preparations were in full swing. Most of the realms armies were to be positioned on the battlefield as frontline forces. Skrýmir the giant from Utgard would lead his armies along with Aesir forces. You warned them of the dog like creatures that came in hoards. At times they were absolutely overwhelming. For that, Thor and Ororo would flank the battlefield to take out as many as possible. You were able to reach Carol Danvers who will be accompanied by the Skrull. On the back end, the Vanir and your coven would maintain a protection spell that would debilitate some of the more simple minded soldiers in Thanos’ army and to shield from air strikes. The Avengers would be on the field as promised to help with the Black Order. The plan was falling in to place. You had the numbers. The problem was radio silence from Thanos.

You exhausted all avenues in the universe to find out his plan. Even Mobius hadn’t heard so much as a rumble from him. No one had disappeared mysteriously from Vanaheim. Nothing really changed except for one thing. Loki’s memories of his time with you were restored. He was a hybrid version of your Loki. Mobius told you he wasn’t the leak. You wanted to believe him but now you were deeply doubtful. You decided to confront him but you had to be as gentle as possible.

You took dinner in your chambers that night. You were noticeably quiet. “Pet, something on your mind?”

“If I say no will you believe me?” He shot you a look that told you he did not in fact believe you. “I have to ask you something. You’re going to be angry with me. We’ll fight about it.”

“Now I’m nervous.”

You sighed heavily, “You should be. Loki, before I healed you, were you still informing to Thanos?”

He looked away from you ashamed, “Yes. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He cowered at your touch. Did he think you would hurt him? He was afraid of you.

“Loki, look at me. I’m not mad. Loki, look at me.” You could see he was shaking. You stood up from the table and knelt in front of him, “Can he still hear you?” He nodded yes. “Can he hear me?” He nodded no. “Good. I’m going to free you, my love. But first I need you to do something for me. Go get him. Bring him to me.” You kissed his hands and didn’t say anything else. You finished your meal in silence. He could feel how angry you were.

You didn’t believe that Thanos couldn’t hear you or see you when you were in Loki’s presence so you opted not to speak about your plans any longer. Before you went to sleep you rested on his chest and held him tight. He was asleep. You stroked the fine dusting of hair on his belly and said aloud, “I’m going to rip you apart for this.”

——————————————————————

The next morning you were minding your p’s and q’s around Loki. When you had a strategy meeting with the Avengers and X-men you didn’t tell him. When you met with the coven you didn’t say a word. You made Thor promise to watch his mouth and not argue because obviously the man was in pain. You were the general of this army today. Anything that needed to be said to Loki needed to cross your ears first.

Your Avengers meeting was interesting. You knew so much about them and it made you giggle to yourself. Steve was not as soft as when you met him. He mostly looked lost. You wanted to just hug him tight but you knew that would be wildly inappropriate. You decided, to hasten your actual mission, to split up the team. You had a feeling Thanos would split the Black Order to do as much damage as possible. Steve and Nat would join the Warriors, Lady Sif and Heimdall on the Bifrost. Odin would command the rest of his troops from Asgard.

That evening everyone gathered for a feast. One of many feasts before battle. You found your way over to the Avengers table to hang with Thor.

“Princess, have a seat.” Steve pulled out a chair for you and you laughed out loud. You couldn’t tell him why.

“Why thank you, kind sir. I’m sure you’re accommodations are much nicer than an army encampment.”

He laughed, “Oh by far. So you’re from Earth? How did you get involved with and marry a Prince from Asgard?”

“Oh, honey. It is a long story. Another time maybe.”

“Of course. You wear the title well, Princess.”

“Thank you, Captain.” You winked at him and freshened his drink. “Enjoy your evening.”

You made your rounds saying good night. Promising to make good on invitations to visit realms. You finally made it over to the table with Odin, Frigga, your mother and aunts. “I’m going to get Loki prepared.” Frigga looked worried.

“Oh please don’t make that face, Allmother. I feel guilty enough as it is.”

“I just want him to come home safely.” she wiped tears from her cheeks.

“It’s what we all want.” You kissed them all goodnight and asked your mother to sit with Frigga for a while. Odin asked to walk you to your chambers.

“I’m sure I’m quite capable of walking myself, sire.”

“Give an old man the pleasure of seeing his daughter off to bed. Y/N, I’m curious. Has anyone asked why Thanos is trying to destroy the universe?”

You snorted (such a princess), “Does it matter?”

“It’s always good to know what drives an opponent. For instance, love can make people do irrational things. Your meticulous plans are laid before you and something can make any seasoned general snap and the whole thing goes up in flames.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Thanos is known as the Mad Titan not the Kind Titan. I’ll be shocked if Loki comes back alive. Whatever you see, what ever he does to Loki, you mustn’t waiver. You must stay composed and trust your plan. Do you understand? There will be time enough to mourn our losses.”

“I hope I have half the nerve that you do in the face of such evil.”

“I have to tell myself the same speech. He’s my son. I would move mountains to protect him. We have to hold steady. Sleep well.” He kissed you on the cheek and went to rejoin the party.

When you entered your chambers Loki was sitting in front of the fire. “Did you have a nice time?”

“I did. I missed you.”

“And I you. I’m ready to go.”

“Lok, why is he doing this? Why does he want to destroy so many lives?”

He smiled to himself, “For love. His mother and father were Eternals. They were terribly beautiful. When Thanos was born, he was not beautiful like his parents so his mother tried to kill him. She failed but ultimately treated him as though he were a ghost. He tortured her until she perished. He just wanted to be loved and accepted. Sound familiar? And then he fell in love with actual Death. Not Hela. This being is death and one of the creators of the stones. She has rebuked him. Denied his advances. So, this is his love letter to her.”

The parallels were obvious. The two of them understand each other on a very deep level. “But you see, darling, Thanos is jealous of me because I have my goddess. He will see our union destroyed.”

“Not a chance.” You pressed your forehead to his and slipped your bracelet on his wrist. With the tiny golden screwdriver you closed it tight. “For luck.”

He kissed you deeply and deeper than any kiss you’ve ever shared. “I love you.” Before you had a chance to say it back he slipped through the portal you opened.

——————————————————————

Thanos sat on his throne watching his daughters argue when Loki returned.

“Ah Loki. I thought you scurried away to the far reaches of the galaxy like the rat you are. What have you brought me?”

“She is alone on Vanaheim. Waiting for you.”

He laughed and looked at Nebula, “Tell me , daughter, do I look stupid?”

“No, father.”

“Do we believe the god of lies?”

“No, father.”

“Should we kill him?”

“No, father. We should torture him and drop him at his wife’s feet.”

Thanos laughed again as he rose from his throne. He grabbed Loki by the neck and brought him close, “You are lucky my daughter is merciful. Gamora!”

“Yes, father!” Gamora rushed to his side.

“Take the god to the dungeons. You and Nebula play nice.”

She cuffed him and stabbed in the side then dragged him behind her. “Please listen to me. He’s going to wipe out half the universe.” Loki croaked and groaned.

“Shut up! You lie!”

“No, I don’t. I can prove it.”

She dropped him on the ground at her feet, “Can you?”

“Sister, don’t listen to him. He is the god of lies.” Nebula grabbed his bonds to continue to the dungeon.

Gamora knelt down in front of him, “Prove it.”

Loki touched her forehead and shared with her the vision of the reality you escaped. He destroyed everything just like her own planet. She could not let that happen again. She also couldn’t betray her father. “It doesn’t matter. No one will ever beat him.” She grabbed him by the hair and took him to the dungeon where Corvus Glaive was waiting.

Gamora hung him to the wall using his bonds. Corvus pulled out his knife and dragged it up Loki’s chest. He used the blade to cut the straps of his armor. He stuck him between his ribs. Loki’s lung collapsed. He was unable to take deep breaths with his hands above his head. He would pass out soon.

[sunaddicted]

The Perfect Gift (00qad, fluff)

Birthdays had always been quite tricky in Q's mind - any kind of festivity that contemplated the exchanging of gifts was, really. Unlike Danny, Q didn't get any kind of excitement out of browsing around for the perfect present: the only things he felt were nerves and anxiety as his mind perfectly painted in wide strokes just how disappointed the intended receiver would look once the wrapping paper was ripped away, revealing what he had hoped it would make the other person smile.

Maybe it was just the consequence of his parents never really showing much excitement for his gifts - they either were useless or too useful; they were in the wrong size, in the wrong colour, in the wrong fabric; they were just that tiny bit off of the mark that ruined them completely.

Q had learnt the art of aggregating himself to other people when it came to buying presents, the extent of his involvement mostly being handing out his quota and signing whatever birthday card had been selected as the most appropriate - he didn't give advice, he didn't get involved in the choices, he said yes to absolutely everything that got proposed on various email threads or WhatsApp groups: as long as he didn't have to endure the disappointment alone, he was fine with it.

However, it wasn't exactly something he could do when it came to his lovers.

Not that James, Alex and Danny had ever reacted with anything less than enthusiasm at every single one of his gifts but still, there was a part of him always on the lookout for a shadow in their eyes; a slump in their shoulders; a crookedness in their smiles.

He really, really hated giving presents - and receiving them.

"You could build him a car"

"We both know that wouldn't last long"

Alex tilted his head to the side "It doesn't matter how long it would last, just that he likes it and if he destroys it, it's on him"

"And then it's a problem for me when he comes begging for me to rebuild it" Q pointed out, sighing into his tea under the guise of blowing on it.

"Fair" Danny said with a shrug that earned him a warning growl from Pampuria, bothered by the fact he had dared to move so much when she had graced his lap with her presence for her nap "I would suggest some kind of weapon but you already said no"

"I give him weapons all the time!"

"There's always those exploding pens he never shuts up about..."

"Oh no, he will never get one of those" it was just... an inside joke between them, he supposed - part of a banter they had been throwing back and forth ever since day one; somehow, giving in and handing James an exploding pen woidl feel like letting go of a part of them that had been there ever since their first meeting at the National Gallery.

It would feel like moving on.

Q never wanted to move on from James.

He sighed again, this time not even trying to disguise it at all, and let his head drop on Alex's shoulder, looking for the comfort of the other's solid and calming presence "Sorry, I know you just want to help"

"It's okay" it had been a long time since Alex had really been bothered by Q's snappish nature, he knew his partner well enough to realise that it just was the way he reacted to stressful situations - and if there was something that put Q on the edge, it was any kind of gift giving "What other ideas do you have?" He inquired, reaching up to bury his fingers in the other's curls in what he hoped to be a soothing manner.

"I don't know, what do you get to the man who has everything?"

Arguably, nobody could ever have everything in the world but Alex decided it was better to keep his observation to himself and just hum "It doesn't have to be something big"

"It's his fiftieth birthday!"

"So what?" Danny inquired, resisting the urge to shrug again: he didn't exactly want Pampuria's sharp claws digging into his thigh, especially since she had been in a rather foul mood recently and none of them had managed to settle her down long enough to cut them shorter "The important thing is that it makes him smile, not how big or shiny or how expensive it is"

"I hate that you're right"

"No, you love it" Danny grinned, carefully moving his foot to nudge Q's "You'll find the perfect one, I have faith in you"

"Maybe it's misplaced in this case"

"Faith in you is never misplaced" James retorted without losing a beat as he entered the kitchen, grinning at the way his partners all jumped a little "Talking behind my back, uh?"

"Oh, shut up you bastard"

James bent down over Q, his hand skimming along Alex's shoulders "Why don't you do it, my dear Quartermaster?"

[spnfanficpond]

June 2020 Pond LiveChat Recap - A Male’s Experience of Sex and Fan Fiction Part 1

@manawhaat​ (Mana) and @superfanficnatural​ (Mert) led a lively discussion about what it’s like to have a penis and how we can all improve our writing of the male experience! Shortly after Mert first joined, we asked him if he’d be open to answering frank and personal questions about what it’s like to have a penis, since he was our only (known) member to have one. He was enthusiastic to share his experiences and we are grateful he accepted our invitation! In the time we had, we didn’t come close to answering all of the questions that folks wanted to ask, so we will be continuing this discussion in a future live chat event! (If you have questions you would like to see posed, please either send us an ask or send an IM to one of our admins!) Because the most popular questions were specific to the sexual experience and how it is described in fan fiction, we moved the chat to the softcore-nsfw channel in the discord server. If you are a minor, you might want to check with your parents before reading this, as it is a frank and graphic discussion about sex. A rundown of the chat is below the cut!

Q: Mert, can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got involved with fanfic as a dude?

A: Welp not much to me, just an 18 year old penis-owning male that has been reading fanfic for almost three years. I first found out about fanfic from a friend that suggested it to me and ever since I first started reading, I've been obsessed! I didn't start writing until around early April this year, for I was too nervous, but ended up saying to myself, "You know what? There are no male reader fics on here so I'LL write them." Poof, my blog was born!

Q: In joining the fandom and Tumblr what did you see/feel as far as the fans being mostly female?

A: I'd have to say that I wasn't too surprised, but was a bit underwhelmed. While many female-presenting people seem to be attracted to the actors, first, and the story/content of the show second, the few male fans of the show seem to be the opposite. Although I love the show and all kinds of fans, it would be nice to find some other male-presenting gay fans to gossip with about how attractive the actors are. lol

Q: Have you been in any other fandoms that have had more guys present?

A: To be honest, no. Every fandom that I’ve been in was mostly comprised of female-presenting people.

Q: What’s it like being in a space that’s dominated by so many women?

A: I think that it’s a bit intimidating. I don’t share the exact same experiences as female-presenting people, so it makes bonding a bit harder, if that makes sense?

Q: What kinds of things do you think women in fandom could do to help make men - regardless of sexual preference, already in fandom - feel more welcome? We here in the Pond like to be welcoming to fans of all types of people in all fandom spaces, not just in the Pond. How can we make our space less intimidating?

A: In my experience, it depends on the man in question. Straight men are less likely to want to talk about how attractive the actors are, and more likely to be interested in the mechanics of the show. Gay men are more open to frank discussions about both the show and the actors’ appeal. Basically, just be aware of your audience and how invested in your conversation they seem to be, like you would be with anyone.

Q: Can you describe the sensations behind having a penis, and how it feels during oral sex?

A: Oral sex feels like a warm, heated blanket being wrapped around the penis, depending on how the giver hollows their cheeks or not, Usually, the penis isn’t very sensitive during oral sex, which is why porn is really fake. If the giver uses their tongue, then the stimulation around the tip of the head is what causes pleasure. The head is really the only sensitive part of the penis.

Q: So, emphasis on licking and sucking on the head is key, and deep throating is extra?

A: Playing with the balls, fondling them, or sucking on them is VERY pleasurable. Deep throating is hot, but mostly because of how the back of the throat constricts around the head of the penis. Like I said, playing with the head is the best way to tease. In fact, if it’s a male with a beard doing the giving, rubbing their stubble across the head is EXTREMELY pleasurable.

Q: So, just sucking on the tip alone, like a popsicle or lollipop, would give a man the most pleasure?

A: It is very pleasurable, but not quite enough to bring a man to orgasm. Men jerk from the base when masturbating because of the backwards and forwards motion. Think of it like a gear. The back and forth powers the gear, making the machine begin to work, and eventually leading to orgasm.

Q: The arousal and pleasure need to be built up, then. Sucking and stroking together with some fondling on the side if deep throating isn’t an option?

A: Yes. If you can’t take it to the base, just use your hand for the remaining amount and go back and forth at the same pace as your mouth. Fondling isn’t completely necessary, though it is very pleasurable.

Q: What is one thing you wish more women knew/writers would write about in terms of the male experience?

A: As a reader, it would be nice to have more writers writing about the male experience at all. The majority of writers and readers are women, though, so it makes sense that the majority of stories would be focused on the female experience, so I can’t complain.

For those who are interested in writing more from the male’s point of view, adding more description about how everything feels would be good. For example, when describing the female orgasm and arousal, there are all kinds of metaphors, like the string snapping and fires burning. Those things are representations of the orgasm and that same build up applies to men, too. Then when it finally releases, the feeling of an orgasm cuts off their breathing, even for just a second. We feel it in our toes, and can almost feel the semen transition from the testicles to the penis. Some men like to continue jerking off or thrusting through their orgasm until it becomes too sensitive and some men prefer to stop. Generally, our hips will thrust forward with each shot, but that’s not all the time or every male.

Think of it like breathing. Each shot of ejaculate is so powerful to the man that it's like during those shots, we only have the time to take mini gasps because we are so out of breath (once more, not all the time, and not every man). Pre-ejaculate does not always leak out of our tip; it's basically the equivalence of women getting wet. If we are hard long enough and it is straining, then pre-ejaculate will eventually begin to leak out. Yes, it is also possible for more pre-ejaculate to leak out DURING intercourse, though it is hardly noticeable due to the heavy amounts of wetness everywhere and they all mingle together and yeah. 

Onto the prostate. It is possible for men to orgasm without stimulation to their penis. The stimulation of our prostate for a long period of time can lead to an orgasm, regardless of if they are jerking or not, also kind of like women who can orgasm without clit stimulation (though difficult). 

Q: Do any of the stories you’ve read that women have written come close to the male experience of an orgasm?

A: I haven’t been able to read much M/M fan fiction, but most of them have been written by women, so they aren’t able to go deep into how it feels. All they can describe are the actions taken to get to the climax and what that looks like, which is understandable. But what “pleasure” are they feeling exactly when they orgasm? That is shown in a lot of female experiences and showing it in the man’s experience is one of the focuses I want to address and give answers to with this chat.

Q: Can you describe it for us, then? What are the sensations that happen in orgasm? Is it a whole body shiver? Is it the penis twitching slightly as the orgasm hits?

A: The whole body can convulse just like a woman can, though it’s more of a strong tingle than a whole body rock, depending on how strong the orgasm is. Also, the penis does twitch and swell, and usually when men “flex” their penis, the head grows in size slightly.

Q: How does that tingle spread, and how fast does it spread?

A: Think of the orgasm like the ocean. Wave after wave. When a man is about to orgasm, they know, much like for women. Every stroke gets them closer and they get to a point where they know how many more strokes it will take.

Q: Does the pleasure then spread from the penis out to the rest of the body?

A: It’s actually kind of the opposite. In the beginning, there is a tingle through the whole body. It’s like the nerves in the whole body pulse in the direction of the penis. Then, when it gets released, it’s like a bomb. The nerves in the penis fire off and it slowly spreads back throughout the body.

Q: For some women, it starts in the vagina and radiates outward, but it sounds like for men, it starts outward and radiates to the penis.

A: Yes! And when ejaculation starts, it all reverses back out into the body. (This information is not exactly the same for every single man on earth, but probably pertains to a large percentage. All men are different as all women are different. This is my experience though.)

Q: Does that mean that outside stimulation, like playing with nipples, scratching thighs, etc, would help a man orgasm more quickly as that outside stimulation radiates pleasure toward the penis?

A: Yes. This is why in porn, one person might suck on the neck of the other to add to the influx of pleasure and make the climax feel better. One reason why men love getting their backs scratched up is because that slight pain morphs into pleasure and it helps get closer to orgasm, much like women when their nipples are pinched.

Q: Can we follow up on the breathing thing? Are you physically incapable of breathing during each wave of climax? Or is it more like a winded feeling? Or is it more like the entire brain/body is so overloaded with pleasure that it’s just not on the top of the priority list?

A: It depends on the strength of the orgasm. We can breathe, it’s just not a focus.

Q: Can you pass out?

A: No, but you can be exhausted afterwards and fall asleep.

Q: Do you get blurred vision or anything like that?

A: No blurred vision, but it’s very common to squeeze your eyes shut.

Q: Do sensations change based on the strength of the orgasm?

A: They do.

Q: Is grunting really a thing that happens, or is that just in porn?

A: Yes, grunting can happen. Either it’s so hard that breathing gets cut off, or it’s so pleasurable that you groan or grunt out in pleasure.

Q: Do you come harder if you haven’t done it for a couple of days?

A: Much like some women, the longer we go without orgasm, the easier it is to climax (at least in my case).

This is where we had to stop due to time constraints, so we will be picking this topic back up in a future chat! If you have questions you would like to see posed in a future chat about this topic, you can either send an ask to the Pond, or an IM to any of the admins!

That’s it for this month! Don’t forget to submit your stories and your Angel Fish nominations! Want to know what’s happening in the Pond? Check the Pond Calendar to see what’s coming up! And, as always, if you have questions or suggestions, let us know! You can send us an ask, or send a private message to @manawhaat​ (Mana) or @mrswhozeewhatsis​ (Michelle) anytime!

[mysimsloveaffair]

Replies #2...

Oh wow! So many awesome comments 😍! To avoid clogging up your activities with my responses, here are my replies...

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Q is up, as usual, ready for his morning jog. When he returns home…he...”

omg it's already Alida's bday! time flies

I know...she’ll be an elder before long =(

nothingshyofaverage

replied to your photoset

“Alida: I thought you had a scene to film today. Michelle: I did, but I...”

Ughhh����

I know...I really wanted her to be a part of the wedding 😭

nothingshyofaverage

replied to your photoset

“I’m incredibly happy that Q is so understanding about me keeping my...”

Come thru sis! ����❤

😍😍😍 Always!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“In the bedroom, Lea doesn’t see a thing…but Peri obviously does....”

Hahaha she’s actually a good grandma! Who would have guessed?

Right! She’s sort of being pushed into it. Peri’s going to have to teach her because Lea is so unsure. 

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“It’s the middle of the night when we arrive back home to Oasis...”

Omg she doesn’t even know they’re married now

Yeah...there’s still a lot of distance in their relationship. Maybe they can bridge that gap.

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“We all grab breakfast and head to the table. Alice: What do you want...”

She looks so sad tho :(

I know...Alice is basically ruining her plans

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“After we’re dressed and ready for the day…we join Alice and Q Sr. in...”

Look at this cutie! :D

Thanks! 😍

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“This whole trip has been like a honeymoon, so Q and I don’t have to go...”

Look at that! ������

😏😏😏

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“The D.J. interrupts his current song with an announcement… D.J.: This...”

������❤️

Thanks! 😍

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Knowing that Q is now my husband and that Mama Nadine played a part in...”

So beautiful and such a great song

Thanks so much!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“The violinist begins to play a version of If I Ain’t Got You and I...”

Gorgeous dress...so sad she’s not enjoying this tho

I know...losing Mama Nadine really brought her mood down =( She didn’t feel any better until they were actually married. 

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“It’s almost time for the ceremony. Q Jr. makes his way to the wedding...”

YESS! Love that hair on her

Thanks! It was first used on Mama Nadine so I thought it very fitting for Michelle to sport it as well!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Alida: I can’t get married today… Michelle: That’s why I wanted to...”

Awwww ❤️that’s what they were talking about.

Yep! 😍

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Alida: I thought you had a scene to film today. Michelle: I did, but I...”

Oh no!! :(

😭 I just needed her to last one more day 

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“I’m incredibly happy that Q is so understanding about me keeping my...”

Awwwwww she made it

She would give anything to make it to Alida’s special day!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“I can see the hurt on his face. Quincy: You can’t or you don’t want...”

Tbh I never got this thing with women taking their husbands last names. Where I come from women keep their last names and men keep their last names. Their children have two last names (paternal surname and maternal surname).

That system actually makes a lot of sense! I like that. 

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“I can see the hurt on his face. Quincy: You can’t or you don’t want...”

And why is it so important to you Q?

Tradition can be a bitch...

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Michelle calls back screaming into the phone once I make it into the...”

Hyphen it!

Yep...easy solution! 

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Meanwhile, Peri wakes up in a very talkative mood. Prosperity: We play...”

Oh Peri you have so much to learn lol

Right! Especially with two parents who work from home all day. 

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Alice: If your news has anything to do with that big ring on your...”

This is gonna be so pretty!

!!!!!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“I take the ring from him and stare at it. If I place it on my...”

Yaassss❤️❤️❤️❤️so happy for them

Thanks! I was holding my breath, because I honestly thought she’d say no. It’s not the first time that has happened in my game. lol

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Q steps in front of me and grabs my hands… Quincy: I mean…you become...”

Omg omg omg I can see where this is heading

😍😍😍

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“The bar-b-que is finally done. Q Sr. and I sit down at the nearby...”

Aww they have more in common than I thought

They do!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“I think about what she’s said, but I need a bit more clarity if we’re...”

Im so happy they’re finally having a heart to heart. This was long overdue!

I agree!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“By the end of their conversation…Mama Nadine and Q are laughing and...”

She’s the best!

Thanks! I love her so much!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Quincy Jr.: *to Alice* Calm down…we can go to lunch to - Alice: Don’t...”

At the same time, Alice should respect the bond between Alida and Mama Nadine, and her dissing her like that is not cool at all

Yes...it was downright rude!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Quincy Jr.: *to Alice* Calm down…we can go to lunch to - Alice: Don’t...”

Tbh they both have a point. They could go visit Mama Nadine any other day. Alida shouldn’t stand in the mom/son relationship between Alice and Q and I actually think it’s a cute thing they go on an annual lunch together just the two of them

Alida may have been more understanding if Alice would have said it in another way. She was so abrasive. 

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Then she remembers that Roman wasn’t even half the man that Tamati...”

Yassssss ����������������

😍😍😍 I’m happy for them!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Back at Michelle’s place… Michelle pauses for just a moment before...”

Poor Michelle :(

I know =(

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Meanwhile, in Oasis Springs…Michelle and Tamati are finishing up a...”

Michelle is looking hoooot

Thanks!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“At the top of the hill is the most beautiful workout facility I’ve...”

Alida is gonna get ripped in no time!

She’s definitely working on it.

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“I rely heavily on my old hacking skills and eventually crack the code....”

That doesn’t look very legit lol

Nope - I still don’t know exactly what that was about! lol

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Although, I accept her apology…I’m not sure I trust the sincerity of...”

Wow, I didn’t expect Alice to be so reasonable. I hope she behaves accordingly

*snickers* We’ll see! 

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“We crawl up under the covers and end the first day of our trip the...”

A brother or sister for Peri?hmm

That seems to be on everybody’s mind - lol

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Q leads me to the bedroom and begins to undress down to his underwear....”

Q knows what to say xD

I think it’s his romantic trait =)

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Q steps over to me and pulls me into his arms once again. Quincy Jr.:...”

It’s so good that Q is taking her side on this

Yes...100%

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Alice: Can you please tell your girlfriend not to curse around Peri?...”

Mah god, woman, can you take care of yourself own children or adopt some more if you wanna raise them? Let Q and Alida raise their children as they please

Yes...Alice is a mess...and she’s 100% annoying - lol

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“I wake up from my nap and leave the bedroom. The first thing I see is...”

Omg true! :( she missed her daughters first time at the beach. She stole they moment from her. God I hate that woman

She’s so spiteful =(

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Peri enjoys playing in the sand very much. It doesn’t take her very...”

Shes so cute! I can’t ��

Thanks! 😍

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Alice: No words for your gran-ny today? Anything? Prosperity: Ass!...”

KISS HER ASS GRAMS

Ha! lol

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Alice takes Peri into the bedroom and begins trying to teach her to...”

This woman wants to raise Peri all by herself. She would kidnap her if she could.

I have no doubts about that!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“I go to the bathroom attached to the room that Q and I are sharing....”

I suggest: “hey Q, is your mother a besh to everyone or does she hate me in particular?”

lol - She’s definitely had itchy moments in the past

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Q Sr.’s words seem to have hit a nerve. Alice gets up looking huffy...”

Sharing a roof with Alice for 2 months is gonna be HARD

It’ll take a lot of prayer and meditating - lol

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“I sit down at the table as Q’s dad chimes in. Quincy Sr.: They have to...”

Hahaha “and suddenly I’m very tired” xD she can’t be bothered with this conversation anymore

😂

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Alice: I hope you don’t mind me feeding her. She seemed like she was...”

So she’s right. But of course she could have been nicer (or perhaps offered to help earlier if she knows so much?)

Right! It’s the way she says things that tends to rub floks the wrong way

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Alice: I hope you don’t mind me feeding her. She seemed like she was...”

Tbh Alice is right. You need to introduce new foods slowly. And be careful with salt etc. I have a 7 month old niece and I’m learning so much about that xD

Good point

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“His next words confirm it… Quincy: Well, I’m tired and I’m going to...”

Kind of reminds me of Alida when they first started dating. He wanted her to come clean and she did but then he prefers to act as if their life experiences growing up were the same? I get why Alida is a little mad here

I do too. She knew they were well off, but this is another level

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“His next words confirm it… Quincy: Well, I’m tired and I’m going to...”

Q can’t keep avoiding all the uncomfortable conversations...

Right!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Lea sighs and takes another look at a previously read message on her...”

So proud of these steps she’s taking!

Yes...I love to see characters grow and I definitely have plans for Lea

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Lea turns off the TV and goes into the bedroom. This is the nicest...”

������ seeing stuff from her perspective...it really helps understand her motives. I’m hopeful now

Yes! That was important to me!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“It’s been a few hours since Alida, her baby, and boyfriend left for...”

Im happy for her but I don’t trust her yet. I hope she doesn’t blow it

She has a bit of work to do to earn trust

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Claudia: So how are you enjoying motherhood so far? Alida: It’s...”

Oh no ��

Raul and Michelle have a lot of growing to do. They need to get to the bottom of their issues with each other. 

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Peri is overdue for a nap…luckily Michelle finishes her bedroom right...”

So pretty! Michelle did an amazing work

Thanks! Michelle has a good eye for design and makeup. She could have easily gone into fashion or interior decorating. 

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Quincy: That’s not funny man. I’m not gonna let you insult my girl....”

That’s my Q! ������������

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Alida: Private school? I hurry over to where Roman is sitting… Alida:...”

Lol Peri

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Q enters the house with Roman right behind him. He walks over to Peri...”

Kick him out NOW

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Meanwhile, after Q’s jog… Roman: What’s up Q! Quincy: Roe! What up...”

WHATTHEHELL

This whole situation was unplanned. I just happened to look into Q’s relationship panel and saw that he and Roman were good friends. I couldn’t resist adding him to the mix after that because I know Alida hates him so much!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“It’s 4 in the morning. Q and I are up to give Peri one last...”

Awwww she’s so cute!! ❤️

Thanks! 😍

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“Q lifts Peri out of the crib and cuddles her while I open up my...”

Yessss! She’s grown so much! So proud of her

Same here!

anotherplumbob

replied to your photoset

“I would love to hear more about that, but before I get a chance to ask...”

I have such a bad feeling about all this

😬😬😬

[thesnapshotcafe]

  How do the grooms see weddings?

We all know that it is a tough difficult time since the world stands still, quite a lot of countries are in lockdown. It affects our lives, economy, businesses, relationship, psychology and communities. For now, we would like to get you all away from this. Let’s imagine things slowly getting back to normal, imagine governments allow weddings to be held again.

This is an interview with the man behind the video camera – Edward.

https://www.facebook.com/TheSnapshotCafeweddingphotographervideographer/

https://www.thesnapshotcafe.com/

Q. You have seen and filmed a lot of weddings. In your opinion why we normally think of the bride when we talk about weddings?

A. Weddings, Women, we have been told weddings are one of the most important events in a woman’s life. They have started to imagine the dream weddings since they were young.

Traditionally, young ladies are leaving their original families to join their husbands to form new ones. It is difficult for both brides and their families.

But for grooms, it is equally important as it means new  responsibility – to take care the brides and their little angels.

Q. What kind of things grooms looking forward to in weddings?

A. From my observation, grooms see it is an event to spend time with groomsmen, best friends and relatives from afar and of course, enjoy the drinks.

Q. What is going through a groom’s mind on the day?

A. Well, first of all, wake up on time, have some food, and see if there is any guest need directions, so on. The getting ready process would not be as long as the bride’s one, but the groom still wants to look good. To tame the nerves, a glass of drink would help.

A few shots of getting ready would be great: wearing watches, combing hair, spray cologne, wearing jackets and shoes, tidy up cuff links. Then the important scene would be waiting his bride next to the registration desk or altar.

Before getting into the venue, I like to interview the grooms sometimes, to ask how they feel. 9 out of 10, they all expressed they felt nervous (with a smile on the face and probably shaking hands).

The most emotional time is seeing their brides come to them and they turn around to see their brides for the first time. In lots of video clips we filmed, we can kind of feel how they feel when we see tears coming down from their eyes. Some of them think, ‘Wow, she looks different.’, some may think, ‘the makeup has totally transformed you.’ or ‘thank God I have this pretty girl for life!’

Then, the next big task is ‘SPEECH’! (except signing the legal papers, and non-stop taking photos with friends, family and the bride.)

Most of the grooms prepare their speeches before hand. They need to thank the guests for coming, thank the brides’ parents for the beautiful brides, thank everyone who helped in the weddings and most important, praise the brides!

After cake cutting, first dance, the grooms can finally really have fun and party on with unlimited drinks. Quite a lot of times, we see grooms and their groomsmen got tipsy, but we all very happy for them, of course!

Feel free to take a look at our other blog posts and Facebook page to see how we work with our lovely couples and the grooms. Keep calm, get married and have fun!

#londonweddingphotographer #londonweddingvideographer #weddingphotographer #weddingvideographer #chineseweddingphotographer #chinesewedding #londonchineseweddings #chinesebride #hongkongbride #chinesebridehairmakeup #doorgames #teaceremony #chinesedoorgames #chineseteaceremony #londonhongkongcouples #londonchineseweddingphotographer #londonchineseweddingvideographer #londonchinesehairmakeupartist #londonweddings #londonweddingphotographer #londonweddingvideographer #londonweddingphotography #londonweddingvideography #weddingphotographer #weddingvideographer #weddingphotography #weddingvideography #Britishcouple #hampshirewedding #hampshireweddings #hampshireweddingphotographer #londonweddingceremony #churchweddingceremony #englishbride #englishbridetobe #englishgroom #britishbride #englishwedding #westernwedding #Bridesmaidsdresses #England #englishcouple #bridaldresses #bridalphotoshoot #weddingphotoshoot #londonweddingphoto

[notcaring99]

Together by Chance {Jackson Wang (Got7) x Rem (Q-UEEN)}

Warnings: Nothing?

Ft: Amber(f(x)) and Rest of Q-UEEN (Q-UEEN Profile)

Summary: Rem is a trainee that is also a foreigner. She is having diffculties with the Korean language and learning customs. The girls are helping her, but she just feels out of place. Zhi, also a foreigner, takes her to meet some of her friends in hopes Rem will open up.

Editing Team: Thank you @neuroticc for helping me get my ideas in line and helping to edit this! Really means a lot to me! Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

A/N: I hope this is okay guys. Right now I am trying to develope each of the girls’ personalities and relationships. Please let me know what you think and if you want one of the girls to interact with another idol or group send in a request. Go check out @neuroticc, her writing is amazing. Love you guys! Thank you for your support.

Coming to Korea and not knowing one bit of Korean was hard. Plus being a foreigner was hard as well. You feel as if you don't fit into the world. Luckily Zhi was there to help me, but i still felt alone. But I still felt alone because she is from China and her family is close. Mine is all the way across the world.

Zhi could sense my loneliness and invited me to go to lunch with her and a few of her idol friends.. So here I am dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a plain blue sweater, a black pea coat, a beanie and a pair of black combat boots. My hair is in it’s natural curls and my makeup is kept light. It is the middle of December in Korea and let’s just say I am not use to this weather. “Racquel!” I hear Zhi call through the dorms and I sigh satisfied with my look before grabbing my purse.

“You heading out?” Shin asks from the top bunk. Shin and I have been roommates since I moved in the dorms. She was a bit hesitant of me at first, but soon we tolerated each other and became somewhat friendly. We aren’t able to talk as much due to the language barrier, but she does help me understand in my time of confusion.

“Yeah. Zhi wants me to meet some other foreigners.” I stutter a bit on my Korean, but she understands me.

“Well have fun, and try to practice your Korean.” Shin teases me with a playful smile and I smile at her before waving goodbye and skipping to the door where Zhi awaits.

We are walking down the streets of Seoul to a restaurant that Zhi’s friends are waiting for us at. “Amber said there is someone she wants to introduce us to.” Zhi states as we are facing the fierce winds of the cold.

“Okay.” I mumble into my coat, and Zhi links arms with me as we keep on walking. Zhi has just turned 17, and I have just turned 13. So I couldn’t leave the dorms without asking our company or manager or without an elder member. Zhi has treated me as if I am a little sister to her since I moved here last year.

We get to the restaurant a few minutes later, and am welcomed by the warm air. Zhi looks around while I look at my feet afraid to meet these people and afraid they might not like me. “Zhi!” I hear a voice shout and glance up without lifting my head. I see a girl with short hair and a young man beside her at a table. Zhi waves and then grabs my arm gently.

“Don’t be shy. I am nervous to.” Zhi whispers as we make it to the table. Zhi lets me go as she walks ahead to greet Amber who has been a mentor to Zhi. I don’t look up as I keep on walking scared of what is gonna happen. Then suddenly I run into a hard figure and almost fall, but the person catches me by the wrist.

“Whoops I am sorry.” I look up at the stuttering Korean speaker to see a guy with a slight Justin Bieber haircut wearing sagging pants and a sweater.

“My fault.” I say in English and realize my mistake quickly and correct myself in Korean. The guy looks me over, as he is a few inches taller than me.

“My name is Jackson.” He says in English and I sigh in relief.

“I am Racquel.” I say and we both bow to each other. Then Zhi speaks up, drawing Jackson and I’s attention away from each other.

“Racquel. This is Amber Unnie.” Zhi states gesturing to the young women. I smile and bow to her as I introduce myself. Zhi introduces herself to Jackson as well. Zhi and I take off our winter gear hanging it up. The only spots available is next to Jackson or the chair next to Amber. Zhi naturally takes the seat next to Amber and that leaves me on the bench next to Jackson. Amber and Zhi are in a conversation already, so that leaves the Jackson and I to mingle.

“So Racquel how old are you?” Jackson starts off the conversation, in English, as he passes me a cup of green tea. I hold the warm cup in my hands and bow my head in thanks.

“I am 13.” I tell him and he nods his head with wide eyes.

“And you moved to Korea by yourself? Where are you from?” Jackson asks me and I shake my head.

“I was born in San Francisco, Cali, but I use to live in Seattle, Washington. My parents moved with me here at first, and then they moved away a few months ago with my siblings.” Jackson looks at me with pity, but I try to change the subject. “How about you? How old are you and where are you from?” I ask before taking a sip of my tea.

“I am from Hong Kong and I am 18 years old. I  moved here a year ago. My parents still live in Hong Kong.” Jackson informs me as our food arrives. Amber tells us she ordered the basic Korean food and that she will be paying since she is the only debuting idol here. We all thank her before eating and talking. Amber and Zhi still deep in a conversation.

“So you are a trainee?” I ask him after eating a wrap I made myself. He nods his head swallowing whatever food is left in his mouth.

“Yes. I am from JYP. I know you are a trainee from Blue Star, right?” Jackson asks me and I nod my head. “Do you know when you are going to debut yet?” Jackson asks me and I nod my head after taking a bite of my food.

“Yeah. I am going to debut this coming Summer as a group.” I tell him and he looks at me excitedly.

“Are you nervous?” I sigh nodding my head.

“Especially since my Korean isn’t that good.” Jaskon nods his head understandingly, but suddenly his eyes light up with an idea.

“Try talking in Korean with me. I promise I won’t judge.” Jackson reassures me before gesturing for me to go. I shyly bite my lip before nodding my head.

“Hello I am Racquel. What is your name?” I say in Korean, but I stumble over my words a bit. Jackson nods his head before correcting my on my pronunciation. Jackson has me talk with him in Korean and him helping me along the way. We keep doing this the whole time until it is time to leave.

At the end of our lunch, Jackson offers to help me with my Korean for my debut. I thank him and exchanged information with him. I have a phone thanks to my parents being all the way in California, and Jackson has one as well. He tells me to call him or else he’ll call me. “It was nice meeting you Jackson oppa.” The honorific slips out and I quickly apologize, but he shakes his head.

“You sound so cute saying that and it is correct.” Jackson states and makes me promise to call him that from now on.

~

It has been 2 months since my lunch with Jackson and Amber. .Jackson and I have become close as he would call me to check up on me or to help me with pronunciation. But now he wants to me to meet up, so he can help me with my conversation Korean.

Since our debut is coming up, I have been a bit busy with recording and dancing. But today I have a day off, and Jackson wants me to go over to his dorms so he can help me prepare better. My manager agreed to let me go after talking to Jackson’s manager.

So here I am, stepping out of my company’s van on a February afternoon. A mask is on my face due to our teaser video being released on the web, and some people already recogonize us. Outside the building stands Jackson in his usual black attire. “Hey!” Jackson calls out to me and I smile jogging up the path way.

“Hey Oppa.” I greet and he smiles at his nickname before opening the door for me to step in. I do and he leads the way to his floor. “Are you sure your trainee team won’t mind?” I whisper to him as we are outside his dorm’s entrance. He laughs before bringing me into a side hug.

“They won’t mind at all, they are excited to meet you. They even cleaned.” Jackson states with a smile.

“Really? You aren’t lying to me right? I am already nervous.” I state stuttering a bit, but not because of my Korean.

“Usually we aren’t allowed girls in the dorms, but JYP accepted you.” Jackson states before opening the dorm room door open. We walk in and Jackson helps me with my coat after I take off my boots near the pile of shoes. “Hello?” Jackson calls out as voices are heard and I instantly get more nervous as the voices silence.

“I think I should go-” Jackson cuts me off by grabbing my arm and dragging me in. “Oppa~” I drag out the word as Jackson drags me all the way into the room. The first room is an open space of the living room, kitchen and dining room, and there sat 6 older boys. My nerves set in as they all look at us.

“Guys, this is Racquel, but known now as REM from Q-UEEN. That new girl group.” Jackson states excitedly and I glare at him before bowing to the group. I am dressed kind of cozy like due to the freezing weather. I am in a pair of leggings, a loose sweater that goes to mid thigh, and knee-high socks.

“Hello.” I say awkwardly as I stand back up.They are all standing up and are in front of us. I am a bit overwhelmed, but they all greet me individually. Bambam was the most giddy as he is the last to greet me.

“You are way cuter than I imagined.” I am shocked by his comment as I feel my ears turning red. I am just glad I just came in from the cold or else my cheeks and ears would show my embarrassment.

“Hey!” Jackson shouts angrily as he senses my awkwardness. I bite my lip to hold in a giggle as they playfully fight. Jackson isn’t by my side anymore as he argues with BamBam who is walking away. This leaves me with the other 5 members by myself.

“Are they always like this?” I ask looking at the other members to try to ease tension, and the others nod. It is silent until Jae-bum speaks up.

“Do you want to take a seat?” I nod my head and bow to him before taking a seat on a love seat in the room. The rest of the guys sit on the big sofa. Silence envelopes the room (besides Jackson and BamBam’s argument), and I am about to break it, but Jae-bum beats me to it. “Jackson says you are from California.” I nod my head.

“Yeah. San Francisco to be exact. I heard one of you are from California as well?” I ask unsure of this information, and Mark raises his hand.

“Los Angeles.” I smile nodding my head kindly at him as I start playing with my fingers.

“So you are going to debut soon I heard from Jackson?” Young-Jae asks next, trying to keep the conversation going.

“Yup. I am slightly nervous since I am not too good at Korean and we are promoting.” I tell them nervously and Young-Jae nods his head understandingly.

“So are you Korean?” Jin-Young asks me and I shake my head with a nervous smile. I am getting more nervous as I am the center of attention right now.

“I am Filipino, American and French.” All the guys look at me impressed before Jackson and BamBam come into the room. There is one spot open by the boys and one spot by me. Jackson takes long strides to me, and plops down on the empty spot.

“I am sorry if I made you awkward with my honesty.” BamBam smiles at me before bowing and I wave him off kindly. I am about to say something, but Jackson cuts me off.

“She also speaks 5 languages and is only a 99er.” Jackson brags like I am his sister and wraps an arm behind me on the couch.

“Which ones?” BamBam asks from the seat beside Yugyeom.

“English, French, Filipino, Spanish, and now Korean.” I name them off and the boys look at me shocked.

“Your Korean got better.” Jackson exclaims and I smile at Jackson brightly.

“Yeah you have nothing to worry about when you debut.” Young-jae speaks up and I bow in thanks to him.

“Thank you. I hope not.” I say and Jackson nudges me slightly.

“See I told you my lessons over the phone help.” I roll my eyes before nudging him in the side making him fake a wince.

“We’ve only known each other for 3 months and you are going to take credit for my Korean?” I scoff at him and Jackson playfully gives me a cute pose.

“So you and Jackson have only known each other for 3 months?” BamBam points between Jackson and I.

“Yeah. Amber unnie and Zhi unnie introduced us since he is the only one close to my age they knew that was a foreigner that knew English. Sadly.” I mutter the last part making the boys laugh and Jackson pout. I giggle before nudging him to cheer him up.

“No you hurt oppas feelings.” Jackson pouts turning away from me.

“I am sorry Jackson oppa~” I purposely drag out the oppa, but no budge. So I sigh before resulting to my French that makes me sound slightly funny. “Je suis profondément désolé d'avoir brisé votre coeur Jackson. (I am deeply sorry for breaking your heart Jackson)” I say letting the accent roll off my tongue freely. Jackson smiles as he hears my French and turns around.

“I forgive you.” Jackson turns to the boys as they mutter. “That was her french. Doesn’t it sound funny?” I glare at Jackson as the others look at me,

“That was so cool!” Young-jae compliments before we get into a talk about languages. Then the boys and I get into conversations about everything. They wanted to know my position in my group and I told them. Then they told me how they are hoping to debut soon like me.

“I bet you guys will debut soon as well and when you do, the girls and I will be there to cheer you on.” I say cheerfully with a big smile and this caused Jackson to smile at my cuteness.

“You are so cute! You’ll win all the boys hearts on stage.” Jackson smuggles me into a hug that I try to fight, as the others are laughing or yelling at Jackson to let me go. That is when my phone starts ringing in my pocket. It falls silent as Jackson lets me go, and I grab the phone. The name flashing across the screen is my managers along with the time, 4:45. I had been here for 3 hours!

“Hello?” I answer the call quickly after looking at the time.

“Racquel! Finally you answered. I am outside, you have practice in 45 minutes, and you need to change and I have to pick up the rest of you girls.” my manager’s tired voice comes through the phone. I nod my head and look at Jackson with a sad smile.

“Sorry Unnie. I will be down in just a moment. Let me just say goodbye.” I say and she tells me to be down in less than 10 minutes and I agree. I hang up the phone and look at Jackson and the others. “I’ve got to go. I have practice with the girls tonight, and my manager is downstairs.” I tell Jackson and the boys.

“Man. I wanted to spend time more time with you.” Jackson whines with puppy eyes.

“Yeah it was nice finally talking to someone else besides BamBam that is close to my age.” Yugyeom states and I smile at the boy sadly.

“I am great company. I just think you think she is prettier than I am.” BamBam states and this causes Yugyeom to blush and hit BamBam while everyone is laughing. I blush a little bit as I stand up to get ready to leave.

“I enjoyed hanging out with you guys as well. Thank you for letting me come over and practice my Korean.” I bow to them and they all reassure me it’s alright.

“We would love to keep in contact with a sunbaenim, you know to get advice for when we get ready to debut.” Mark speaks up with a smile. I nod my head before looking at Jackson.

“Yeah. Jackson has my number and he can give it to all of you, but I really need to get downstairs. I don’t want to add conditioning to practice as well.” I state and they all nod in agreement.

“I’ll walk you to the door.” Jackson states and I smile at him kindly. I say goodbye to the boys and they all cheerfully say goodbye to me as well. Jackson and I walk to the door, and I slide my jacket and boots back on.

“Thank you for helping me out oppa.” I thank him as we get downstairs to the main exit. He waves me off with a smile before bringing me into a hug.

“Anytime. Thank you for talking to us about debuting and stuff.” I hug him back and we release after his statement. I wave him off before looking up at the windows above where Got7 is looking out.

“They are great guys. You guys will do great when you debut. Give them my number okay, oppa?” I ask and Jackson smirks at me before wiggling his eyebrows.

“Yeah I’ll make sure to give it to Yugyeom.” I blush and giggle at his suggestion before hitting him in the shoulder.

“Bye Jackson oppa~” I hold out the oppa as I walk away before he can catch onto my blushing cheeks.

“Bye Racquel!” He yells and I wave at him and then looking up at the window, where the rest of the boys are looking, I wave at them. They all wave back and I laugh before jumping into the van.

[tackylesbian]

Hey,I'm bisexual! I wanted to come out to my parents today,though I'm not sure how my dad will take (my mother is very accepting,and I actually thinks she somehow already knows) and I'd like to know if you've got any tips on making coming out easier.Thanks!!

ooh man !!! it’s a really nerve wracking experience coming out to your family, I hope it goes well!

Some tips, if you plan on doing it in a “family discussion” sort of way: (looking back, these are really for parents who ask a lot of questions and need to know Everything)

- prepare what you’re going to say! it’s real easy to forget the eloquently worded coming out speech you had in mind if you get nervous

- be confident in yourself! They could suggest that you’re not ~ really ~ bisexual because they’re projecting their own ideas onto you. Just show that you’re sure of your identity!

- try your best not to act in a way that could be perceived as negative (distraught, upset, or sad). my mom was upset when I came out because she thought i’d face a lot of harassment / probably was reminded of that “all gays are miserable” stereotype. I was extremely nervous and it didn’t really help her perception.

- topics to go over as quickly as possible for sensitive parents (like a band-aid. Most of them they should know, but it could hurt them): how long you’ve known, who knew before them, other things you might’ve not mentioned (like GSA membership or a relationship) to protect yourself. In my experience, they can be upset by the thought that you had to hide things from them and this just builds on to it, making them feel like their kid couldn’t trust them.

- i know it’s excruciating, but be prepared to listen to and answer ridiculous questions. they can be ignorant or insensitive, but being offended by rude probing can be interpreted as insecurity, attitude, or really just anything negative. it’s like most parent interactions- sometimes you have to bite your tongue to keep everything smooth.

- maybe point them to a resource for more information! there are tons of websites they could look over and learn how to be most understanding and respectful towards you, and could spare you a lot of basic explaining and dispelling of stereotypes.

Notes:

- these are all just based on my own limited experience. You know your parents best! They might not be inquisitive at all and just accept what you say (in that case I’d be sorry for stressing you out!)

- it can take a while for parents to understand being gay, especially if they haven’t been close to any gay people themselves. they might need a while to just acclimate to the idea, and they could come back with more questions once they’re ready.

- this all sounds so ridiculous while writing, I hate how we have to be the patient ones with our own parents.

- these are all taken from the point of view of a perfectionist. You can disregard all of these points and have it go perfectly fine! This is just how I would revise my own experience to go the absolute smoothest.

- I don’t have any experience with it, but you could always come out to them indirectly or really casually if you’d like. If you’re the type of person who tells your parents about your crushes (I’ve never been like that though lmao) you could drop a pronoun. You could also just send a text or write a note if you don’t want to be present! You really don’t owe them a big Q&A session.

Really, everything is up to you. What comes first is what you’re comfortable with! Adapt whatever you choose to what you think would work best with your parents and just go from there.

I hope it goes well for you friend!

[q-sal-murr-joe]

Meeting the friends.

Here is my first IJ imagine for you all! It is Q x reader and it centers around the prompt “ “Be careful with her.  She’s more fragile than she seems.” 

I hope you all like it! I apologize if this is rough.  Being my first imagine, I am still getting used to writing them! Message me with more requests or comments! I am on winter break right now so I will be able to write a lot! 

_______________________________________________________________________

It was your first time introducing him to your best friends. You had been dating for almost a year, but it felt like a lifetime.  Your stomach had butterflies turning and you could tell his did too.

“You okay, Brian?” You asked looking over at him smiling.  

“Yeah I’ll be fine.” He replied as he smiled but kept his eyes on his road.  You both had been driving for about four hours.  Brian insisted that you all left Staten Island early that morning to make it down to Friendmas just in time for a late lunch.

Friendmas was the one event that your entire friend group looked forward to every Christmas.  Just a couple days before the 25th, everyone in your friend group would get together for drinks and dinner.  You would all catch up since you only saw each other a couple times a year.  Since college ended, you all moved across the country so it was hard to see each other as often as you all used to.

You decided to all have Friendmas in you all’s hometown.  Everyone needed to see their families anyway so this gave you all the perfect excuse to come home.  One of your best friends still had her apartment that overlooked the river that remained empty.  She made enough money to keep it so it didn’t matter that it didn’t have any occupants.  It was also the place she would escape to whenever she needed it.

You both had moved to New York together after you all were offered our dream jobs.  She was originally an intern at Seventeen Magazine.  She then was discovered in the modeling world and is now a big star. She models for perfume ads, television commercials, and even in actual shows during Fashion Week.

Your’s was as an executive production assistant at TruTV, specifically working with the Impractical Jokers.  That’s where you met your boyfriend, Brian “Q” Quinn.  Three years ago, you were offered an internship at TruTV working in the production department.  You would basically get coffee for everyone the entire summer, but it was the greatest summer of your life.  At the end of the summer, TruTV offered you a permanent job.  You met Brian on the first day you got there and completely hit it off.  He told you that he fought his feelings for you for weeks until the guys, Joe, Sal, and Murr, told him to just go for it.

“You’ll be fine? You’re the worst liar I know.” You said rolling your eyes. “Come on tell me what’s on your mind!” You exclaimed adjusting in your seat turning towards him.

“Well, I guess I’m just nervous.  I know how much your friends mean to you and I don’t want to screw this up.” He said.

“Babe, you’re not going to screw this up! They will love you and they have told me how excited they are to meet you.” You said as you grabbed his hand that was rested on the middle console.

All he could do was smile.  Brian was never one to talk about his true feelings.  It took months for him to fully open up to you, and when he did, it was just a little.  He trusted you enough to tell you about the fire academy, his former engagement, his family, the guys, his depression, and so much more.  Now, he tells you every little thing he is thinking, well most of the time at least.

You squeezed his hand in mine.  “Q, I promise.” You said and gave him a soft smile.  He smiled as he brought your hand to his mouth and gently kissed it.

•••

You both finally got there an hour later.  It was amazing pulling into the parking garage, knowing that you were only moments from being able to stretch your legs again.  When Q parked, you leapt out of the car and reached your arms over your head as far as they could go.

“I know how much you hate car rides, but it wasn’t that bad.” Brian said as he got out holding the presents you all bought for everyone.

“I don’t hate car rides.  I just really don’t like them.  Flying is so much easier” You replied.

Brian rolled his eyes as he met up with you on your side of the car. Walking into the apartment building was so familiar to you, it was just like riding a bike.  It felt like you had been doing it for years and you hadn’t been away.  

Rick, the door man, sat at his large desk observing the security cameras on his computer and only took a break to say hi to you.  You had missed him.  He was the one who would always come and meet your Uber outside and walk you both into the building after we had a night on the town.

You rode the elevator to the penthouse where the doors opened up to a beautiful wall of windows.  The skyline was in front of you all, more beautiful than ever.  

“This place is incredible.” Brian turned to me as he got closer to the windows. “You mean to tell me that she doesn’t rent this place out? She could make a fortune.  Has she always lived here?”

“Oh of course not.” You answered.  “Her original place was on the ground floor, but when she could afford it she decided to move up here.”

“Is that {Y/N} I hear?” You heard a scream from the kitchen.

“And she didn’t even have the decency to come and see us when she arrived?” Another voice added.

They all emerged from down the long hallway that emptied out into the kitchen. One jumped on you in a running hug that almost took you down completely. You hadn’t seen any of them since your birthday.

“And you must be Brian! {Y/N} has told us so much about you! We love your show and are so glad to finally meet you!” One of your friends exclaimed as she broke away from the circle and extended her hand to Brian who had been standing behind you all watching the reunion unfold.

“Oh my gosh, yes, everyone this is Brian.  Q this is everyone.” You said realizing you hadn’t introduced him yet.

After they had said their introductions to him, you all made your way to the kitchen to start dinner.  

As everyone walked in front, you leaned back and put your hard through Brian’s. “I’m sorry I zoned out for a second just then.  They seem to love you and are excited you’re here!  I told you there was nothing to worry about.” You added as you smiled up to him.  

“I know.” He said as he smiled back at me and kissed the top of my head.

“Okay listen up everyone!” Your friend said as she grabbed two glasses from the counter and poured champagne in one and then Jameson on the rocks in the other. This wasn’t the first time she had drank with you and Brian.  She had perfected your drink orders since the first time you all drank together.

As she handed you your drinks, you saw Brian mouth “God bless you” out of the corner of your eye.  She winked and carried on to everyone.

“I would like everyone to find their drink they had or just got and raise it up high.  This is to us.  This is to us having another successful Friendmas and to the many more to come. This is to all of the people we have welcomed in and the ones still dying to join.  I love you all.  Cheers.” She said as she raised her glass in the air making everyone follow.

“Cheers!” Everyone followed in unison.  

The dinner was amazing.  Well, after you and Brian stopped bickering about how you forgot to bring the cake you were told to buy for the event.  As you went over to take photos with a couple of your friends, you noticed that one of your best friends went to go talk to Brian alone.

 •••

Brian’s Perspective

It was insane, the amount of squealing in one setting.  Never having sisters of my own, I never had to learn what a true reunion consisted of. But for {Y/N}, I would do anything. I knew how important it was to meet her best friends from home.  She would always talk about them and meeting them showed how serious she was about me. When we first met, she told me that meeting the friends is way more important than meeting the parents.  I don’t think she remembers that now, but I can see that she still believes it.  Meeting her parents was way easier and less nerve raking than this.

I watched as {Y/N} became happier.  She smiled brighter, she laughed louder, and she was more relaxed than I had seen her in weeks.  She was truly at home here.

“I’m so glad I finally get to meet you!” one of {Y/N}’s friends said as she approached me.  “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to interrupt you!” She added.

“Oh no you’re perfectly okay!” I laughed.  “I was just – is she always like this?” I asked.

“Who? {Y/N}? What about her?” She questioned looking over at you.

“Yeah.  Is she always like this around you guys?” He asked.

“Well, yeah.” She replied.  “{Y/N} is our center.  It’s never been truly established, but a few of us have talked about it a couple of times.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Uh, well. You see, this friend group has been through a lot.  I don’t know if {Y/N} has told you about it.” She started to explain. As I shook my head no, she continued.

“Throughout our entire friendship, there have always been a couple of us that do not get along. But the thing is, that no matter how bad things get, we all still come together.  It is really rare that {Y/N} will ever have a conflict with someone. She’s the one who is the most liked. When it was pointed it out to me, I started to notice it whenever all of us were together.  {Y/N} is the glue that keeps our friend group together.  She is always the one to remind us to have fun, and enjoy time with each other since it is very limited.  The reason these gathers work is because of her.  She’s the strongest out of all of us.”

As she explained this to me, I just watched {Y/N}. The way her smile would grow, how excited she got when she told stories of the past, and how she was eager to make the most of the dinner tonight.

“But don’t be fooled, Brian.” she added. “Be careful with her.  She is more fragile than she seems.  There is no one more deserving of happiness.  I have noticed that she is truly happier ever since she started dating you.”

“Oh, believe me.  I have no intention of ever letting her go.” I said smiling.  Little did anyone know that in my pocket was a box that contained a beautiful diamond. As I felt the box in my pocket at my side, I added, “Believe me, she is my center too.”