#So much red though hot dang

[cringe--is--dead]

✩⁺₊✩☽⋆𝕾𝖑𝖊𝖎𝖌𝖍 𝕽𝖎𝖉𝖊⋆☾✩⁺₊✩

✩⁺₊✩☽⋆𝕾𝕯𝖁!𝕾𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖊 𝖝 𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖗⋆☾✩⁺₊✩

The soft sound of crunching show beneath your boots was the only sound that filled the quiet, calm afternoon air. You finished up the final of the few chores you had, your crops didn’t need as much tending to now that winter had settled over the valley, and your animals tended to want to stay in their barns, warm and cozy. The shorter days had everyone, even yourself, feeling more lethargic, more calm. The trees were rather bare in your orchard, and before the snowfall you had felt saddened by the sight, but the farm now looked almost like a winter wonderland; some type of painting you got to live in. Surveying the area, you let out a sigh to yourself, ready to turn in for the rest of the day. Maybe you’d make some hot chocolate, or eggnog, read a few of the books Leah loaned you. As you made your way up your porch you heard a call of your name.

“Hi!” You turned, seeing Jas running across your farm, wrapped in a thick, knitted scarf, her mittens danging from the sleeves of her jacket, chubby cheeks red from the cold. She was grinning, eyes sparkling as she crew closer to you.

“Jas?” You smiled at her, waiting for her to grow closer, her little arms wrapping around your waist, “What are you doing over here?”

She squeezed you, grinning up against you, “Do you wanna go on a sleigh ride with me and Shane?”

The question almost caught you off guard. A sleigh ride? You glanced around at the snow, it was thick enough to move a sleigh around you suppose. It also sounded rather fun. You and Shane had been dancing around each other for the first year you had moved here, after you began breaking through his rough exterior, but even with all your flirting and teasing, you hadn’t pegged him the type of guy to indulge in winter festivities. You raised an eyebrow down at her. 

“A sleigh ride huh?”

She nodded enthusiastically, “Yeah! He promised me he’d take me for a sleigh ride today, and he said you could come!” She paused, as if rethinking your words, “Well I asked if you could come, but then his face got all red and then milk came out of his nose! Aunt Marnie told him to calm down and sent me to come get you.” 

You tried to stifle the laugh at the image of Shane choking on a cup of milk, coughing so hard it came out of his nose. Looking down at Jas, arms still wrapped around you, her enthusiasm was palpable. Her little face was hard to resist, once you had become her friend she had grown pretty attached to you. Your blossoming… whatever it was with Shane seemed to help that too.

"Alright," you agreed, chuckling softly, brushing off some stray snowflakes from her eyelashes, "I’ll come. But only because you asked so nicely." 

"Yay!" Jas beamed, bouncing on her toes, pulling back from where she had been holding you, "I’ll go tell Shane you’re coming!" 

With that she ran off, waving as she went. You smiled, feeling more excited and awake than you had before. You and Shane had hung out before, you and Jas had hung out, hell, you and Marnie had hung out, but you’d never gone out with Shane and Jas together. For some reason that idea made you nervous. Through everything Shane had gone through, you knew how much he loved Jas, how much he wanted only good things for her, even if he wasn’t sure how to do it. Months ago, before Shane had been working on getting sober, you two had been drinking at the beach, trying to keep quiet as to not annoy Elliot. He had confessed that, if you two started dating officially, you’d be the first real relationship he’d had in years.

“I didn’t trust my judgement for the longest time,” He took a swig from his beer, staring out at the calm waters, “I didn’t wanna date some asshole and have them be awful to Jas. She’s been through enough.”

He turned to you, and without his constant nagging anxiety, he smiled at you, soft and sirene, “But she adores you. I do too, if you’re willing to wait.”

That night sold the deal for you, and though he may only remember bits and pieces of your conversation, he knew that whatever happened changed the tides of your relationship. After changing into less work oriented winter clothes, you made your way to meet the duo. The family of raccoons that had made a home between your farms was no where to be seen, more than likely curled up and warm. 

Shane was already outside, petting and brushing the horse he seemed to have chosen for the night. Rocky, you were reminded, one of the horses Shane had helped care for since he was a little fawn. Shane was clad in his winter gear, though he seemed to be more put together than he had been last winter. It was a good look on him. Hearing the crunching of your boots, he turned, the relaxed look on his face lifting, corners of his mouth twitching upwards, his eyes crinckling.

“I didn’t think you’d be coming,” He called out in way of greeting, amusement clear in his voice, though he seemed relieved as well.

You grinned, getting close enough to let Rocky sniff at you curiously, “Well, Jas made a rather compelling case. Something about milk?”

Though his cheeks were already red from the cold, you could tell they deepened in shade at your words. Flustered, his gaze turned back to Rocky, “Oh shut it.”

You grinned, more teasing words on the tip of your tongue, but you were stopped as Jas leaned out from the sleigh, a slight pout on her face, “Come on you two! Aunt Marnie says she’ll make hot chocolate when we get back!” 

Shane rolled his eyes playfully as you chuckled, both moving to climb in the sleigh. Shane grabbed a blanket before you could hop in, draping it over your shoulders, “To stay warm,” He said, trying to shrug it off as he helped you climb in. 

Jas scooted over, excitement in her movements as she made room for the two of you. Her mittens were on, scarf wrapped tighter around her, and you assume Marnie had adjusted her outfit for her. Shane followed in after, the reins in his hands. As he climbed in, he sat close to you, your sides pressed against each other, and the feeling had warmth spreading through your body.

“You two ready?” He asked quietly, the look on his face soft as you glanced over.

“Yes!” Jas cried out, clearly impatient that you all had yet to move.

He chuckled, turning his eyes forward as he got Rocky to start moving. It was quiet as you three moved about slowly, the lake frozen over, the trees still, animals asleep and quiet. The valley looked magical with all the snow, and you almost wanted to hold you breath, afraid any noise was be too much. Jas, however, let out a happy laugh, trying to goad Shane into making Rocky move a bit faster. He complied without complaint, and she cried out in victory, face glowing. 

“This is so much fun!” You were moving for a few more minutes before she called out for you all to stop, scrambling to climb out of the sleigh.

“Stay close!” Shane calle, helping her onto her feet, the two of you following, leaning against the cart as she ran around, throwing handfuls of snow into the air.

“I don’t think I’ve been on a sleigh ride since I was a kid,” You pulled the blanket around you tighter, smiling as Jas fell back to start making snow angels.

“This is the first time I’ve taken her on a sleigh ride,” Shane admitted, adjusting his beanie, “Her parents and I… we used to do this when we were younger. Add in some fire ball hot chocolate and bad horror stories, and it was a regular Saturday night for us.”

He so rarely brought up the topic of her parents, and you stayed quiet, not wanting to interrupt whatever he was thinking of as he watched Jas continue to play, throwing half-made snowballs at the bushes.

“I was too much of a mess every winter after she started living with me to bring her here,” He leaned against you, moving so his head was against your shoulder, and you let him, leaning your head ontop of his, “I’m really happy I can do this for her now. And I’m really happy you came with us.”

You felt warm at his words, so many emotions flowing through you. It was taking a lot of strength not to just kiss him, the two of you refraining from PDA in front of Jas until you not only made things official, but talked to her about your relationship as well.

Though you suspected she had some idea, kids were smarter than they were given credit for.

“I’m glad I could come as well,” You spoke softly, and Shane hummed, “Even if it made you choke on your milk.”

“Okay,” He pulled back, standing up straight, but there was laughter in his voice, “You can pretend she never told you that.”

“Hmm, I don’t know, seemed pretty important to me,” Before you could continue teasing him, a snowball came flying your way, soft and small, but pelting you in the shoulder.

“Wha-” You ducked, another snowball sailing and hitting the sleigh, laughter bubbling from you, “Jas!” 

She giggled uncontrollably from the snow, and Shane snorted. 

“It’s a full on snowball war with her,” He said, a sly grin growing on his face, his tone still light, “She pelts poor Vincent every winter. You’ll have to try hard if you wanna win.” 

You turned to him, meeting his gaze for a split secent, before turning back to where Jas was peeking from around a bush, smile still on her face, a snowball in her hand. You reached down to the snow, forming a loose ball in your hand.

“Alright,” You stood up, aiming for the bush in front of Jas, but before you could throw it, another snowball hit you from the back, straight from Shane.

Mouth parted, you turned to him with faux shock, “Really, Shane? You too?”

Shane was grinning now, a full smile, teeth on display as he laughed, “Told you, if you wanna win you gotta try harder.”

Turns out he was true when calling it a snowball war, the three of you pelting each other with snowballs. The quietness was replaced with laughter, the three of you shrieking in delight whenever you’d get hit. At one point Shane picked Jas up, flipping her upside down and holding her in the air, her laughter dissolving into breathless cackles as you started throwing snowballs at Shane, declaring you’d save her. Eventually, the energy died down as you all began to feel and realize how cold you’d gotten, Jas’ teeth chattering as she denied being cold. 

You piled her back into the sleigh, wrapping the blanket around her and holding her close. You and Shane were stilled pressed against each other, him steering Rocky back to Marnie’s place, a slow and steady pace. Jas, though she tried to fight it, ended up falling asleep in your lap, the excitement and long day catching up to her.

“That was… fun,” Shane spoke, so quiet you almost didn’t hear him.

You smiled, sighing with content, “Yeah. It was.”

“I am glad you came with us.”

“Me too,” You two were keeping your voices quiet, “I know I can’t replace your memories with her parents, and I would never want to, but maybe we can start some new winter traditions with Jas, if you’d want.”

He snorted, “Maybe without being pelted by snowballs every year,” He was smiling as he spoke, his eyes so soft you could feel your heartbeat quicken, warmth spreading from your chest, “But I’d like that.”

A/N: concernedape PLEASE let Jas move in with you when you marry Shane, she's his goddaughter!!!

[fandoms--fluff]

Could I request a Natasha Phoenix (top gun) x reader sibling reader who has a panic attack about nat going on mission?

Scary Thought

Little Sister reader x Natasha "Phoenix" Trace

Warnings: panic attack?

A/n: I hope you enjoy this <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, Roo, have you seen Y/n/n anywhere?" Phoenix walks over to her best friend who's lounging against the kitchen bar table.

"Uh, no, not recently. Why? Is something wrong?" Bradley's eyes flash with concern. "No, nothing's wrong, just curious. I'm gonna try to find her though. See you later" Nat steps out of the room, in search of her younger sister, which so happens to be you.

You're crouched down on the ground, back against the wall of the bathroom. Out of no where you're breathing started to pick up. The training your sister was telling you about went to your head 100 miles a second the moment you stepped in there. The fail rate of the mission and death that could result to whoever was chosen for it scared you more than you let on when Nat and Bradley explained the aspects of what they were doing at work.

Tears are pooled in your eyes while your heart beats so fast you can hear it booming in your ears. You shakily lift your hand up to where your heart is and tap your hand restlessly against it trying to get it to slow down. With no surprise, it doesn't work.

Nat has looked in the living room, kitchen, your room, her room, and Bradley's room, and she still hasn't had any luck. That is until she pauses outside the downstairs bathroom door. Pressing her ear against the door, she gasps.

She crashes into the bathroom as soon as she hears the erratic breathing coming from the other side of the door. Her eyes flash around the small room, searching, then her eyes finally land on your huddled up form right next to the sink. If you were a mere inch closer to the left of the sink, the door would have hit you when she made her presence known.

She immediately kneels down in front of you and rests her hands on the tops of your knees. She picks up on your rigged breathing and overflowing panic flowing out of you and gets straight to work to help you.

Her thumbs start to rub soothing circles on your kneecaps, making you look up at her from the tiled ground. "Nat" Your whimper is muffled by the incessant works of your lungs making themselves known that they're not done pumping more breath up through your throat and out of your mouth.

"Yeah, yeah it's me. I'm here now, what happened to cause this?" Concern laces your big sister's voice. It makes you feel guilty, knowing she's got so much on her plate already with the training for the suicide mission and now she has to deal with your stupid panic attack that you can't even get rid of on your own.

You shake your head in response to her, tears still flowing down your cheeks. You don't want her to know about what made you have a panic attack in the bathroom of all places. She doesn't need to feel bad about doing her damn job just because you aren't taking the news very well. What kind of sister does that? You're eighteen now for god's sake, not some 7 year old who misses her sister anymore.

And here it comes again, your breathing picks up, now having more to worry about. Why can't your dang thoughts just shut up for one second?! Sobs start to make their way up, but get caught in your throat. It burns. It burns really bad. Which of course makes more tears to glisten down your red, hot cheeks and down your chin.

"Hey, I need you to listen to me carefully, y/n/n. Okay?" Nat says. Her eyes widen at how bad you're becoming, you've never had a panic attack this bad before. Or at least that she knows of.

You do the best you can at nodding, barely hearing her through the voices in your head yelling at you for how much of a baby you're being and the sounds of you hyperventilating.

"Alright, good." She moves her hands down to your own clutched by your heart and brings them into hers. She squeezes them in a soft rhythm, catching your attention.

Your gaze makes it down to where your hands are currently engulfed in your big sister's, and you just focus on the compression patterns. It slowly draws your mind away from the thoughts running through your head about the suicide mission and instead redirects them to the new soothing your sister guides.

"Now, can you tell me how many times you pranked Jake this week?" She asks, drawing your mind away from the panic attack more. "Umm, four times" You mumble, thinking about one of the memories of him chasing you after a bucket of green goop fell on him when he stepped outside after your lead.

"That's a lot. Okay, how about how much ice cream did you have while we've been at work?" She smirks, knowing your love of the treat.

Your mind breaks away, giggling. "A lot, can't remember how much." Nat chuckles, "Why am I not surprised one bit?"

"Cause you know me so well" You jab back, a smile on your face. "Yeah, I do" She releases her hold on your hands and brings hers up to your face and wipes away all the tear streaks.

"You want to talk about it?" She asks, demeanor a hundred percent caring. You gulp and your eyes dart away from her. "Hey, it's okay if you don't want to right now, but know that I'm always here to talk if you need or want to. Same goes with Bradley. We're always here for you. I'm always here for you, you're my baby sister." She leans down and places a kiss on your forehead.

Your eyes are glistening again, but in a good way. You lean forward and crash into Nat's chest, hugging her. She wraps her arms around your neck, returning the hug. "I love you" She whispers into your hair.

"I love you too. I'm, um, not ready to you know talk. But, uh, I can let your know when I'm ready. Right?" You pull away and look up at her. "Of course you can, y/n/n. I'm always here for you" She smiles softly.

"We should probably get out of here before Bradley sends a search party out for us" Your big sister whispers as if it's a top undercover secret. "Good idea" You smile back up at her, whispering as well.

You follow her out of the bathroom and to the living room on the old, grey couch. "Everything okay?" Bradley walks into the room, a bowl of popcorn in hand.

"Yeah, I think it is" You answer quietly, tucked into your sister's side. You may be almost an adult now, but it doesn't mean you can't have the occasional cuddle with your sister. As long as it stays between the two of you and Bradley. But he wouldn't say anything anyways.

[azsazz]

Hiii 👋 just wanted to say I adore your writing ☺️ I always get so happy when I see you’ve written something new 😁

I was curious to ask, what are some of your favourite modern AU jobs/roles for the bat boys (whether you’ve written about them or not)? Or just any ACOTAR characters?

CEO Rhys has been done a lot, but for good reason, it’s so perfect. He almost has to be effortlessly rich and/or in some position of power, like a prince, or a mafia boss.💰 I also kinda like to imagine him as a nepo baby set to take over his father’s company, but he breaks away or gets cut off, so with his very little actual job experience (as he was all set to inherit), he gets a barista job at a lil coffee shop. ☕️

Cass would definitely suit something physical, like an ice hockey player, or a firefighter, or a personal trainer. I could so see him being a gym teacher as well, imagine him coaching a kids ice hockey team. 💪🏽 He would SO volunteer to be a nude model in life drawing classes in his free time 😆 Though I hadn’t considered it before I read your stuff, I think he really fits a small town rancher too. I can so picture him in jeans, boots, and a flannel shirt, driving around in an old rusty faded red truck 👨‍🌾

Az could easily be in the FBI or something, but choosing something further away from his canon role, I seriously think he’d be an awkward computer programmer / software engineer nerd, or a twitch gamer, 👨🏻‍💻 with a secret anonymous OnlyFans or erotic audio patreon on the side. 😏 And I reckon he’d ride a motorcycle and tinker with it in his spare time, so might also enjoy working at a garage. 🏍️ I really love him in Midnight Muse, and think he suits a shy amateur artist / tattoo artist as well.

I also love the bat boy band idea I’ve seen a lot recently, where Rhys is the charismatic lead singer and guitarist, Az is the quiet songwriting bassist, and Cass is the energetic drummer. 🎶

Sorry it’s so long, I just love thinking about this stuff 😄

Hiiii!! Thank you so so much! I saw this message this morning but wanted to wait until I could give it my full attention and have my computer around, so thank you for your patience! 💙

Okay, some of my favorite AUs for the batboys? This is a wonderful question!

Rhys: Normally, I just think of Rhys as always having some sort of money/job inherited. So CEO, mafia, anything that puts him in a position of power, really, but i think it's mostly because those just reflect the books.

I do, however, love love love art school rhys. painter rhys. working at the local art supply degenerate rhys who still has wealthy parents but is trying to stick it to the man rhys. steals erasers and petty things from the art supply rhys. love him so much.

There's also something to be said about young adult rhys who's messing around with his little sister's best friend rhys. he gets me going too.

also captain of the hockey team rhys is a solid choice for him as well.

Cass: LOVE ME SOME RANCHER/COWBOY/SMALL TOWN CASSIAN. but, these are all very different. small town cass doesn't trust women, heart broken at a young age with the girl he thought was his forever. doesn't want to leave town, likes the ranch because its safe and its what he knows. cowboy cass or bull rider cassian, famous for breaking horses and backs. grumpy, gruff rancher cassian always gets me going tbh he's fucking hot as shit

i also always see him in a blue collar role like a mechanic or welder are the two i mostly attribute to him.

def something physical as well, we love hockey cass, rugby cass, wrestler (wwe lol) cass, dang i had another on my mind for sports cass but i forgot. sad. OH surfer cassian. jock type tho i can see him as. love the firefighter vibe for him too, he'd fill out the tight fire department t-shirt WELL LADIES and also volunteers for wet t-shirt contests. omg gym teach cass would be adorable as hell! oof another thought, contractor cassian ffs that would be so yummy

Az: Az i agree fits the FBI (stalker) vibes. i also like to think of him in finance or computer science too. omfg the erotic audio that's iconic and i'd def subscribe to that. hmmm what else could i see azzy doing...maybe something with music or writing...i could see him being a ghost writer of some sort and then one day his song plays on the radio and he's like hey i wrote that and literally no one believes him. something behind the scenes or where he can go unnoticed is mostly where i place him, tbh. honestly maybe even something military because he takes comfort in having a set schedule and people telling him what to do at every minute of the day. he'd fare well i think. perfect. operative because if the mission goes south and he gets captured he's not telling a soul anything.

Eris: idk why this thought came to my head but i was thinking about architecture but i think eris would be a fantastic interior designer lol. like i could see it. maybe i was just thinking about him furnishing az's new place and having a lil sparky. i could also see him as a lawyer too or something like that, something where he can be the know-it-all, smirking at them and looking down his nose at them...

Lucien: Architecture for sure. or professor. I could see him doing either of these. maybe even lawyer tbh, he would be good at that too, though i know he's immaculate at twisting stories and words so you gotta be careful of that.

Tamlin: poet? lol. professional gaslighter? jk i love tammy. maybe he installs security systems? haha just kidding just kidding. he's a tough one tho. idk why i added him but i guess also a musician but low-key soothing music, instrumental for sure...prob has a podcast where he just bullshits all day

hopefully i didn't rant for too long about this 🤭💙 this was so much fun though thank you for asking!

[sc0tters]

Off Limits | Adam Fantilli

summary: an obstacle quickly comes in your relationship when Nolan learns about your relationship with his teammate, there is light at the end of that tunnel but how do you get to it?

trope: captains sister

request: yes/no

warnings: swearing, overly protective older brother, allusions to sex but nothing explicit.

word count: 1.85k

authors note: I’ve officially hopped onto the Adam Fantilli train for writing (it’s about dang time). I ended this before we got to the draft because I knew we wouldn’t be getting a happy ending so I said not yet… we have started the 500 celly though so we can find positives where we can.

You were off limits.

That was Nolan’s one rule for the team, they could befriend or they could hate you. But what they couldn’t do was date you.

For the most part the boys listened as well, you were a freshman that whilst you were hot most of the boys valued their lives more than getting you in their beds.

Everyone but Adam understood that. The moment he laid eyes on you in your sports media class he knew he was screwed.

Sure he could try to say that made Nolan’s rule didn’t need to apply to him because he had actually met you before he knew you were Nolan’s younger sister. But no matter how hard he tried there was no getting around it, Adam was fucked if his captain ever found out.

You on the other hand saw your brothers rule like a challenge, you never truly intended on listening to him because if you liked a guy then who was he to stop you from dating him?

There was never any true intention from your side at least to fall for Adam though, sure he was cute but with the quick notice of his talent you truly couldn’t understand why he always walked you back to your dorm from parties.

Nolan somehow remained oblivious to Adams lingering glances after games as the players caught up with their friends and families. The way Adams hand would only leave your shoulders for a couple of minutes when you were at parties. Or even how you smiled like an idiot whenever Adam sent you stupid memes when you were with Nolan. Your big brother was oblivious to it all.

Not everyone else graced you with the same pleasure though as the rest of the freshmen on the team continued to tease both of you about your obvious feelings towards the other person.

The night of a Halloween party though when Adam walked you back to your dorm he finally said what you had been waiting for.

His palms were sweaty as he watched you pull the cowgirl hat off of your head “have a nice night bellissima,” he gave you a side hug as you furrowed your eyebrows.

He had called you that pretty much from the second week of knowing him and it always seemed to make Luca smile “are you ever gonna tell me what that means?” You asked as you cocked your head.

Prior to that you never did care but it seemed that tonight the curiosity was eating at you “it means beautiful,” he explained as he smiled.

You let your tongue dart over your lips as you smiled “you really think I am?” Your nose scrunched as your cheeks turned red at the compliment.

Adam took a step forward as he tucked your hair behind your ear “you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever met.” He confessed as his fingers ran over your jaw tilting your face up to him.

The hallway was surprisingly quiet as you giggled “you’re lucky you’re cute cause that was cheesy.” You laughed as you shook your head.

His face dropped until you cupped his cheeks “good night Adam,” you smiled as you leaned forward as you pecked his lips with your own.

That night Adam swore he didn’t sleep because he was smiling so hard. When the next morning came around the Fantilli boy asked you out over breakfast at a local cafe.

The first four months were great, everyone did their part in keeping your relationship a secret to Nolan but he was starting to have his suspicions, all of which were answered on Valentine’s Day.

Adam smiled as you sat on his lap “looking so pretty today bellissima,” he cooed as he squeezed your chin.

You two were so caught up in each others gazes as you smiled at the feeling of his lips on yours that you didn’t hear your door open “what the fuck?” Nolan gasped as his eyes went wide at the sight in front of him.

If there was a moment you wanted to die in this was it. You were quick to jump off of your boyfriends lap as you locked eyes with your brother “i-I can explained,” you stuttered as you stood up blocking Nolan’s way to Adam.

He had never been that angry in his life “move out of the way y/n!” Nolan yelled as he placed his hands on your shoulders as he tried to move you out of the way “Nols please.” You begged as you shook your head.

Adam felt both awkward and bad as he watched the siblings argue “you had one job in life,” Nolan spat as he looked over you as he sent his teammate a glare.

The Fantilli boy watched as your face look guilty “you could have slept with any girl on campus but you just had to fuck my sister?” Your brother continued to twist the knife into your chest as tears began to well in your eyes.

Sure you knew you had pissed him off but you didn’t think he’d talk so poorly about you and Adam “I’m not just fucking her,” now that probably wasn’t the best thing for Adam to say as he could see the smoke coming out of Nolan’s ears “just?” He asked as he crossed his arms.

It seemed like now was another time for you to step in “we’ve been dating for almost four months.” You confessed as it caused his head to whip around to you.

Nolan walked over to you “you’re dating?” He asked as he pointed his finger at you “whatever this is ends right now.” Nolan looked between the two of you far too angry to think.

Tears were now streaming down your face “Nol please,” your lip quivered as you pushed your hair out of your face.

If Adam knew that it would have blown up like this he would have told Nolan before he asked you out “this is the end of the conversation.” That was the last thing before the hockey captain walked out of your room.

Adam was quick to get off of your bed as he went to console you “you should go.” You announced as you sighed.

That honestly broke his heart “don’t do this to me baby.” Adam begged as he squeezed your hand.

You brought your other hand up to your face to wipe your tears away “just until Nolan calms down maybe we should cool it.” You shrugged as you walked to your door “please don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” You pleaded with him as you opened the door.

The air was heavy as both yours and his cheeks were wet from tears “I love you bellissima.” Adam nodded as he kissed your forehead before he walked out of your room.

It had been two weeks since Adam walked out of your room, two weeks since he told you he loved you. Both of you had been talking the time apart poorly. You hadn’t left your dorm besides for when you went to class, your roommate brought you meals every time because she knew you wanted to avoid Adam. The Fantilli boy wasn’t door well either, his performance during games had dropped and Nolan almost killed him on multiple occasions during training.

When Nick and Steve saw you walking to one of your classes they knew someone had to step in.

Their plan started with taking you for coffee, the cafe was where Nolan was picking up a drink with a girl.

When he saw how dark your under eye circles were the guilt was quick to hit him like a truck. Nolan didn’t love the fact that you were all cozy with his teammate but the thing that hurt him the most was the fact that you didn’t tell him the truth to begin with.

The boys convinced Nolan to apologise to both you and Adam, then came phase two.

Nolan had you to come to the Yost after practice because he had to give you something. Now you were largely hesitant about it because you didn’t want to see Adam, you knew you wouldn’t keep it together if you did.

But when Nolan was followed by Adam you were confused “Nol-” you began as you didn’t want to do this again.

He held his hand up causing you to grow quiet “I’m sorry for being an ass to you guys.” Nolan sighed as he watched people walk out of the rink.

Adam couldn’t help but frown as he looked at you, his facial scruffle as you liked to call it was growing in and his eyes were dark. Nolan smiled as he realised that neither one of you were paying attention to him but rather to your fellow class member “I’m going to leave you two now,” he laughed to himself as he shook his head.

Nolan sent you a salute “is he good to you?” He asked as he turned his attention towards you “so good.” You nodded as you sent Adam a soft smile.

Adam matched your expression “don’t let her answer change to that Fantilli.” Nolan pointed his finger at the boy “I don’t plan on that anytime soon.” When Adam said that Nolan was pulled away from the conversation “I’m sorry,” you blurted out as tears drew themselves in your eyes once more.

The boy was quick to sigh as he walked over to you shutting the gap between you both “none of that,” he shook his head “just hug me okay?” Adam held his arms out as you rested your head on his chest “missed you.” You confessed causing him to laugh.

He loved how you were fully back out of your shell after what Nolan had said to you both “missed you more than you’d ever know.” Adam smiled as he cupped your face so he could kiss your lips.

Nolan thought he was behaving when Steve and Nick had him stood watching the interaction so that he could get used to it. But when your head tilted backwards to allow Adam the access to your lips, he lost it “keep your hands above her leggings mister!” Nolan called out quickly causing you to pull away.

You smiled as you flipped your brother off “should we get out of here?” You asked with a smirk as you looked up at Adam who nodded “I think I like the sound of that.” The three senior players watched as the loved up couple walked hand in hand out of the Yost.

Part of Nolan was happy to see you happy again, but the other part of him was the protective big brother “do you think I’ve just encouraged them to have sex again?” Nolan sucked his cheeks as he thought about it for a second.

Nick laughed at what he said “it’s fine,” he nodded to himself “if they go back to Adams we gave him a box of condoms this morning.” The statement caused Nolan’s eyes to go wide.

“I actually hate you both so much.”

[halevren]

Never Stop Blowing Up Spoilers || my live thoughts as I watch episode 2

I'm so ready for this chat

The intro is so so cool I love it

HELLO ONE AND ALLL

oh Brennan you are rocking that leather jacket

HELLOOO NOBODY'S HOME

The turbo tokens kind of look like pomegranate seeds. Man now I'm craving pomegranate

HEY WE NEED SOME FREAKIN RULES AROUND HERE

The decor....

"Wow so we're like a sandwich...." "Yeah! And we're the bread"

"I'm just being... Funny today..."

"Don't worry boss, we killed them."

Kingskin's so hit

I am eating watermelon rn so I won't be doing every single reaction

"You threw that punch like 6 feet away from me"

"You're not mad at me?" I resonate with you liv

The empresario is kinda hot... Even though he's got purple man fnaf vibes

DILLY OH MY GOD

I LOVE ALEX

WRITING THE CRIMES DOWN

YOU DEFINITELY HAVE TEETH

DETECTIVE JACK MANHATTAN BUSINESS CARD

WHY DID THE LIGHT CHANGE WHY DID THE BUTTON CHANGE WHAT DOES THAT MEAN

I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY

I love Izzy she's so much in her element

A GUY JUST JUMPED OFF A BUILDING?

"My pepper spray is black...."

"IS THIS A GUN?"

I LOVE IZZY SO KUCH

"Did I love him?"

we're on a train building helicopter

OVERPLAYED BROOKLYN ACCENT

DOES THE GREEN LIGHT MEAN THEY HAVE A PHYSICAL ITEM????? WHY DID ANOTHER BUTTON THEN RED

THE BULLET ANIMATION ON THE BACKBOARD

"I'VE BEEN SHOT"

SHE MAKES OUT WITH THE MIRROR

it's so hot

NOT AGAIN WITH THE DIVORCE PAPERS

DOUBLE EXPLOSION FOR ALLY LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOO

ANOTHER EXPLOSION FOR ALLY

TURNS YOU INTO THE MASK (SMOKIN')

I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND THE BUTTONS AND THE LIGHTS I FEEL DUMB

shout out to Russel for immediately playing as Ms. Drips

He's thinking about Dang 😢😢

JUDE? LIKE SAINT JUDE? DANG AND RUSSEL WILL MEET UP

DANG SELF DISCOVERY MOMENT 🎉🎉🎉

THE STATES HAVE GOTTEN INTO YOU 😭😭😭

IT EXPLODES

HIS BUDDY WENDELL

Kirk Blade is kinda...... 👀

YOU'VE GOT THIS WENDELLL

oh no he's rolling the car

if Wendell's character doesn't make it..... Does that mean he dies in real life

KIRK BLADE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

WHAT'S THE BLUE BOOK

I should listen to Blink-182 again. It's been a bit since I've listened to any of their songs because I'm super into like sigilkore and stuff rn

Wendell channeling his inner vin diesel

IS WENDELL ABOUT TO MEET LIV

THAT'S 3 EXPLOSIONS...

I feel so stupid I just unstood why his name is Vic Ethanol. I forgot Ethanol gas is a thing

he's cool, leave it

usha might be dead

YELLINGGGGG

I HATE NEW TECHNOLOGY

usha my beloved I love you

doin a lil jig

THE COMPUTER ISN'T WORKINGGG

whirrrred

CAN I GET A SECOND ONE 😭😭😭😭😭😭

OH SHITTTTT THEY'RE IN GROUPS OF 3 THEY'RE ON DIFFERENT TEAMS USHA, WENDELL AND LIV VS RUSSELL, PAULA AND DANG

cocked

ZCRABBLE

That was so sick I love you rekha

CLOSES IT. SMASHES ON THE GROUND

HAVEN'T BEEN CALLED KID IN 78 YEARS

Saint Jude is kinda...... 🫦

TRAILER BIENELLE

St. Francis.... Hm

CAT BURGLAR MEOW MEOW

EMPEROR PENGUIN SARIO

"Don't tell me that again." "Don't tell me what to do"

I LOVE MY SLUT DAD

I wanna shoot a car

"I'm going to leave this interaction"

I have a gun and I have a penis

Computer blizzard wizard

"What Brennan?" (Hostile)

MY LITTLE USHIE OH MY GOODNESS 😭😭😭

"You doin okay?" "No." "Oh." "It just feels good to be touched." 😭😭😭

DOUG MEAT I LOVE YOU

DOUGLAS MEAT

FULL INJURY LEVEL

YOU PUNCHED PAULA

NOOOOO JACK MANHATTAN

[blackstarchanx3new]

I LOVE YOUR RED DESIGN SO MUCH

He is SO OOOUUUUUUUUUHHHHGGGGG

all your designs for the fsr cast are so so so tasty i love them all ooouwwwaahhhwhwhhwhwhwaahaewawawaaa

Thanks! XD

There's no competition, I love the new one SO MUCH.

Trying to make them all look different while still having that Link flare is a challenge but fun.

His pink hair is such an improvement over the bright red that blended WAAAY to much into his hat.

Trying to draw his eyes more similar to how Akira does as well.

I made him slightly paler and Blue slightly less pale to give them some skin variation.

Red's hair and skin were blending too much imo before I made him paler. Working with various shades of red and pinks is so hard agh.

Gave him a more cherry red tunic too + a red for his belt and hat rim.

I'm taking this as an opportunity to talk about things I love about drawing/designing them.

Blue's super long side burns are a favorite design choice tho. XDDDD

Blue also has a more unique nose shape being inspired by the noses in Soul Eater.

Him having no tights I think shows his wreck-less nature. XD

Thicc eyebrows are visually tasty and don't let anyone say otherwise-

Vio's face + hair is a favorite of mine. He has such a draw-able face.

Him wearing twilight princess Link's outfit is very fitting for him I think.

Him always having his sword visible is annoying to draw but also shows he perpetually has it there is kinda off-putting.

It's also SUCH a stark contrast when in the head space he has no armor and is in way less clothes. I wouldn't call them "revealing" because they're not, but they are compared to his 100% head to toe covered look in the real world. No armor, no long sleeve shirt no long tights. Just a baggy t shirt and shorts lol.

His tunic having a chainmail layer underneath is fun, Vio is the most armored up Link out of the four atm with his arm guards PLUS chainmail.

Vaati is literally color-picked from minish cap and his design is taken right from that too, but playing around with him reverting back to Wind demon mode is super fun art wise.

His colored Akira art is so desaturated agh. XD

I'd love to give Vaati a new outfit at some point tho.

Dark's blank slate design is a favorite of mine. He's so dang cute but I'm very excited to draw him in new things when he gets a new outfit. I think atm tho it draws attention to his creepy chest eyeball, changing hair and his expressions more since his outfit IS so bland.

I just love Link. He is so precious to me. Trying to work in all the colors from the four of them was a challenge but also really satisfying in the final design I think.

I just love how Green is tiered and his hair is similar to Link's but with a cap on. Also he makes me like the color green I typically don't like working with green. XDDDD

His hair is a MESS and inspired by Oracle of ages manga Link's hair. Specifically how it tilts down instead of sticking upward like in FS.

Him wearing Ocarina of Time Link's outfit is fun but I think it works better on Shadow. XDDDD

I'm really happy people liked Gannondorf because I struggled hah. My art style is more simple than Akira's but I'm glad I could capture the essence of Gannondorf. UwU

Like, he was mostly inspired by Twilight Princess Gannon with Wind Waker and Ocarina Gannon flare.

Ngl I love how OOT Link's outfit looks on Shadow Link. He looks so edgy.

The hot topic boots and different toned brown for his chest belt and actual belt are just the cherry on top. XD

I try to keep his hair in line with how it's drawn in FS because it gives him a unique silhouette when he's a shadow.

Though I'd love to design him more Gannondorf inspired attire like his desert cloak.

His TP manga Midna inspired look was mostly due to me wanting to find a way to show his expressions while ALSO showing he is an entirely black shadow.

Anyways yeah, FSR is very fun to work on visually XD

[hibischush]

What kind of music, or song that instantly comes in your mind each FoM bachelors and bachelorettes would listen to?

God this is going to reveal so much about me y'all better not judge my odd musical escapades 😤🌺

Seriously though, I love character playlists so if any of y'all make one please share!

Bachelors;

Balor

Okay...I dunno why but

Fall Out Boy

Balor just seems like the type of guy to like the content sung in their songs and I think he definitely enjoys pop-punk

Like I immediately thought of "Sugar, We're Goin Down" from Fall Out Boy

Literally any other emo-rock/punk band too

Think MCR

March

Anything from The Offspring tbh

I was listening to "Want You Bad" and I was like. Yep that's him

Same goes for "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid"

For music that he listens to, I also think he would be a rock enjoyer

NOT BECAUSE HE'S A BLACKSMITH. OK?

But more specifically older rock (think Bon Jovi, Journey, The Rolling Stones)

Hayden

Yes I know he looks like he listens to country

But its more folk-country than the pop-country that's super popular these days

I thought of "Southern Nights" by Glen Campbell

Also pretty much anything from Johnny Cash

Specifically "Ring of Fire"

Ryis

I think he would like some country artists similar to Hayden, but I thought of Jimi Hendrix honestly

Like Hendrix's "Purple Haze"

Soft rock basically

"Drive," "Just What I Needed," and "You Might Think" all by The Cars

Eiland

This man definitely listens to classical/orchestral music I mean look at him

I can't really point out any artists for that

But like... if video games/movies existed in Mistria

He'd listen to video game OSTs too

Like you'd be catching him listening to Indiana Jones' OST while digging up artifacts 😭

Bachelorettes;

Celine

I think Celine would listen to pop or pop-punk for sure

Like she's listening to Billie Eilish idc

Esp Billie's HIT ME HARD AND SOFT album

I think she'd listen to Kali Uchi too (her "Moonlight" song came to mind)

But I think she'd also like R&B too (Specifically Ravyn Lenae)

Juniper

She'd get down with rap and R&B man

"Paint the Town Red" and "Agora Hills" by Doja Cat

"Dang!" by Mac Miller ft. Anderson .Paak

She likes the soft beat packed with words or hype music I suppose

makes her feel powerful

Reina

Reina is another R&B enjoyer-- but specifically a huge SZA fan

I thought of "Snooze" by SZA

But Reina seems like the type to enjoy any type of music honestly

Her family really encourages music as a past time with her mom singer and her father playing stringed instruments

Valen

Only piano music

Literally she's the type to dislike music that hypes her up/makes her feel strong emotions like anger

She likes music that calms her and piano music does just that

Adeline

Adeline is similar to her brother in that she enjoys classical music

She enjoys ball room dancing, and often "classic" or orchestral or waltz music plays

But I also see her enjoying Brazilian Bossa Nova music as well

"Brazil" (Aka Aquarela do Brasil) by Antonio Carlos Jor

"So Danco Samba" by Stan Getz & Luiz Bonfa

I think she likes bossa nova because the rhythm is so different from more western music

It challenges to adapt to the beat while dancing and she likes it

Bonus; Caldarus

For Caldarus, it has been a long time since they have heard music

When they hear it from your nearby farmhouse, they find it very pleasing

If they ever get outta statue form then I think they are very eager to seek out all types of music

Whelp hopefully none of these are musical hot takes.🥲 Whenever I mention certain artists just know that I primarily mean the vibes/style of the artists, cause you wouldn't find Doja Cat in Mistria lmao

[theesirenteller]

Reaper's Crow. 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊☞

Chapter one

Chapter two

"Wait! Wait! Please!" The man begged with tears leaking down his face as he fearfully held his hands up. "You don't have to do this. I can give you money. Lots of money and you can walk away from all this."

"And why would I want to do that?" The Reaper questioned. His tone was monotonous and dull as he adjusted his leather gloves to stretch further across his thick fingers,"Unfortunately for you, I like my job." The Reaper's venomous words sent one last shock of fear through his blood covered victim. His monstrous large hands clasped around the man's head with a bone-breaking squeeze. With a violent yank the man's head dislocated from his shoulders. Every bone and muscle in his neck snapped and cracked loudly, The beige skin turned a deep shade of plum and green as it was forcefully stretched and broken apart. 

The metallic odor of blood filled the air as the hot liquid messily splattered over The Reaper and painted his boots.Grueling screams could be heard from afar as he dropped the head onto the floor. Pulling two daggers from the back of his faded black blood-covered jeans, He made his way down the murky hall that smelt of sewer water and shit. He'd been edging his way towards the gated elevator door when a rusty metal rod was plunged into his right shoulder from behind. Causing him to let out a roar and hiss. Before he could react further, harsh blows to the side of his shoulder and face were shot with fists. Those barely hurt compared to the rod sticking out of the side of his shoulder. The burly man turned himself around swiftly and upper cutted his attacker. Who was revealed to be a scrawny man with a gash across his face and pink-fleshed wounds. The Reaper's anger overrode his pain and using an iron fist he punched directly into the man's mouth. 

Over and over again his busted knuckle smashed into the man's mouth. Loud crunches of broken teeth, gurgles of the man choking on his own blood sounded off through the narrow hallway.The victim's jaw dislocated and detached as The Reaper shoved his fist into the mouth. Ravenously, he busted through the flesh cavity and yanked the spinal cord in half. Blood splattering across The Reaper's face and hair. His once golden hair is now crimson red. 

A taller but skinnier male with a bloody hatchet had come out of one of the rooms. A cigar laid between his yellow teeth."Well got dang partner, that worthless sac'a horse shit done gotcha good, boy," The Mississippi hillbilly chuckled."I just got choppin a sorry son of a bitch, myself. Fucker shitted all over my shoes…"

As his partner for this job kept yapping away, The Reaper clenched his jaw whilst wrapping his hand around the rode. WIthout waiting another minute he had yanked it out from his shoulder. A sharp grunt escaped his lips as he straightened up with a shaky breath.

"You cold skinned mother fucker! Woo!" the hillbilly holler and cheers loudly.

Anger replaced the pain the reaper felt, "Let's just finish this shit." He grunted as he held the blood rod in one hand and his dagger in the other. The game was not yet finished and the 'No survivors' bonus sounded great right about now. The Reaper never left any surviving victims and even though the higher ups didn't care either which way. The Reaper always exceeded their expectations. He'd made more money with this job than he ever dreamed of in his past life.

Jax had killed so many men in his time that he felt like a savage. He'd lost, he'd taken, and yet he never gained. Always taking care of his club. They were all he had and went above his children. Went above his family and that was his greatest mistake. What he lost morally and emotionally, he now gained financially. It didn't bring him the money. But it made moving around much easier.

Meanwhile; three hours away Scout had awoken from her slumber in their new residence. WIthin the coastal town of WIlderbridge, Reaper had acquired a home just a mile outside of town. The two story barn-style home was run down. Seated on an acre of land within the high tree forest. Besides the running water and active electricity, the home was desolate and dreary.Scout didn't mind, it was a new place to explore away from her deceased master. Reaper had only been in the home long enough to drop her in it and leave household supplies he'd acquired from a passing shop before he left. Which had been at least two days ago and Scout slept through it all. Now feeling rested, her sock covered feet hit the dusty, creaky floorboards as she arose from the queen sized bed.With her back arched like a cat she stretched. The heavy rain kissing the forest dirt and tapping against the house created a tranquil ambiance within the house.

The old floor creaked underneath her feet as she made her way down the hall and into the bathroom. Catching a glimpse of her bruised face in the mirror caused her to sigh. The swelling had gone down but the bruising had turned a darker shade of purple with hues of yellow and green. A gastly sight that she couldn't bare to look at for too long.without wanting burst into tears.After freshening up with a long hot shower, wrapping her hair in a stretched out henley tee, and getting dressed in sweats and reaper's tee shirt; Scout made her way downstairs. The first floor consisted of a small, almost modest bedroom sized, living room. A large kitchen and a door that led to the back porch. Her baby blue sneakers got scuffled with dust and dirt as she explored the closets. The closet by the front door had a stack of brooms and mops covered in mainly cobwebs and dirt."This will do for now", Scout sighed as she grasped the broom and mop. The Reaper had brought a small bottle of liquid soap from the dollar store on the way home so that was what she used with hot water to clean the place. She mopped, swept, and scrubbed away the majority of the dust and dirt.

After opening up the kitchen windows along with the upstairs ones; Scout retrieved a single hundred dollar bill from the stack of money that Reaper had given her. Stuffing it underneath her bosom she then proceeded to put on a hoodie to compact the brisk weather. A wanderlust blazed within her to go explore. She'd left the home and walked aimlessly through the woods. Mother nature was so enchanting. The hobbit-sized woman looked with awe at the thick trunks of the aged trees as she inhaled their decaying woodsy scent. The damp musty odor of wet mud didn't faze her one bit as she skipped along. The rain kissing at her face caused a child-like giggle to escape her lips. Gleefully she began to run. Run through the forest as fast as a deer frolicking.This was freedom. Becoming friends with the trees and one with the earth. Mother nature embraced the motherless child and filled her. Embraced Scout with gentle arms and listening ears. Filled her with peace, serenity, and most of all enlightenment. In this overwhelming moment Scout couldn't be more grateful to Reaper for saving her. Gifting her with the gift of freedom and for that she felt forever bound to him. Bounded to the dark shadow of a man with blood stained hands and heart of a warrior.

Using her photogenic memory,Scout had remembered the way to town from the drive to the new home. She ended up right in the middle of town with only a few more steps. The town of WIlderbridge was nothing short of close knit that was the perfect place for a family vacation or romantic getaway. Located on the transition area between land and sea. Large cliffs could be seen from miles away. The shops were all tightly seated next door to one another with apartments on top of each one. 'What does a home need?' she wondered to herself.Not just the basics of pots, pans, and some curtains. No, what did a house need to make it a home? That she really couldn't answer. 'Pretty things.' Scout concluded. With a pip in her step, the curly-haired woman ventured forward. 

First stop was the farmer's market.The place felt like a wonderland. Vibrant colors and large varieties of different homemade items. It was beautiful and she hadn't seen anything like it. By the time she finished shopping and spent every penny she had; Scout was drowning in cloth tote bags. She skipped happily through puddles on her way back home. The sky began to grow dark as she returned.

WIth sore shoulders she laid the bags onto the floor of the entryway before leaving her mud covered shoes on the front porch, Just before her hands pushed the door shut,,,the large truck pulled in. Reaper made his way out of the driver's seat and staggered along. Stopping by the front door the pair eyes one another. Scout with widened eyes and Reaper with glaring ones. A permanent grimace across his lips."The hell happened to you?" he grunted over as his chilling blue eyes looked up and down.

"I went shopping…did some exploring."She replied bashfully, eyeing him as well. "You look…" she fumbled to find the words,"Tired."

"Like shit you mean." He scoffed before starting to make his way inside. He was blocked and slightly taken aback by her hand pressing against his wet coat.

"Take off your shoes. You'll track mud inside." Scout said. 

Her request fell on deaf ears as Reaper pushed past her. His movements were swift and harsh. She took notice of how he ducked his head down and dragged himself in through the door. He had barely made it to the living room before collapsing onto the floor. The large thump caused the whole house to raddle.

"Reaper!" Scout squeaked before rushing over towards him. She dropped to her knees beside him and carefully poked his side. He didn't move one bit. The only sign of life was the air escaping his nostrils."Oh dear…don't worry I'll help you." she whispered frantically. her fingers wrapped around the corners of the collar of his wet jacket before she yanked it off with all her might. A groan escaped The Reaper's lips as she did so. A sloppy bandage soaked in blood covered his shoulder. Scout winced at the sight before getting up onto her feet and rushing to the front door. She had made sure to lock it and place a nearby footstool underneath the lock as a makeshift deadbolt. A Sense of fear had struck her at the thought of someone possibly hurting them both now that Reaper was wounded. In his line of work she didn't know what to expect. 

The new pillows she brought would now have to be used. He placed his head on one and used the others for the right side of his body as she used all her waist to turn him over. Pushing herself forward from the strength of her hips and knees, Scout pushed and pushed until he was laid on his non-wounded side. Wounds were nothing new to her. She had her fair share of ugly scars. Either she had to clean herself up or have a maid do it. 

Reaper had a first aid kit laid carelessly in the kitchen sink and when Scout went to retrieve it, she tossed her wet clothing onto the floor before boiling a pot of water on the stove. A few sprinkles of rock salt were added to it with a penny sized amount of alcohol. Once the water was warm enough, Scout carried the pot with her. Thunder crackled loudly causing her to flinch as she rushed back to the living room.The monstrous lightening being the only light visible in the compact space. Popping the kit open she proceeded to take out gauze bandaging, antibiotical cream, and surprisingly a syringe and morphine. 

When she had ripped his dirty henley shirt off her eyes ranked along his back. Angry, reddened slashes healed and some slightly more fresh painted his skin. As if someone played tic-tac-toe with a knife. She swiftly turned away from staring and ran the lukewarm water through the wound. A grizzly grunt escaped his lips against the pillow as she cleaned the wound. She then proceeded to pat the area around the open flesh dry before applying the antibacterial cream around the pink colored scab. The wound looked angry and she practically climbed on top of his lower back to tightly wrap the gauze around his large shoulder and arm. Scout used a total of two gauzes before everything was set in place snuggly and firm. With steady hands, the woman filled the syringe with morphine and injected it into his arm. 

As she cleaned off the day's dirt from his face and hair with a wash rag; scout admired his face. He aged like fine wine. Even with a scowl across his medium-sized lips and frowning crease indented in the middle of his forehead from glaring so much; He was enchanting. He had such a nordic, rustic type of beauty to him. Perhaps he was a viking in his past life. He sure had the looks of one.

"Don't you die on me Reaper." Scout whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair. 

 He felt like hell. The Reaper had awoken by the sounds of rain pickling against wood and the scent of lemon and sugar. Lowly dim lights from candles on the coffee table had  allowed him to see within the once dark room. His bones ached as his body felt heavy. Slowly he sat up with his jaw clenching as pain shot up his arm. Looking down for a moment, he noticed he was covered in layers of quilts. To which he peeled off as he began to stand with help from his arm and hand. The Reaper wiggled his toes as he looked down at the fresh pair of socks that covered his feet.

She fixed him up…Reaper realized as he brushed his hand along his arm. 

"Scout." He called out for her. He began making his way towards the hallway staircase and that was when he heard the loud gushing of the shower running. Turning away on heel, Reaper followed the scent of lemon and sugar to the kitchen. 

A single candle was placed on the table alongside a plate with lemon loaf on it. Some sort of white icing glazed the top of it and Reaper couldn't deny it smells heavenly. As he looked closer, the word 'Reaper' was written in icing across the pastry. The slightness of a smile creased the corner of his lips for a moment. It caused a spark of warmth within his cold being. He took a seat upon the creaky-old wooden chair before cutting himself a hefty slice.The quiet sense of normality in just eating a homemade piece of food and sitting in a kitchen felt so serene. Food had been made for him by the women in his life for as long as he could remember but the thought and feeling felt like a distant memory.

"Oh! I'm so happy you're awake. How are you feeling?" Scout's chipper tone broke Reaper from his sulking thoughts. His eyes ranked over her as she stood before him dressed in a figure-hugging ribbed dress that stopped just above her plump thighs. Her tight coils glisenced with water as they sat at the edge of her neck. a few droplets of water staining the top of her dress. He took notice of how plump and ample her skin was. So soft and squishy in appearance. She radiated the word cozy.

"Better than when I came in." His eyes pierced into hers as Scout walked closer to him. He could smell the fresh mint of her soap. "Thanks for patching me up. Where'd you learn how to do that,darlin?" his attention fell to her ass as she walked by him to get to the stove.

"You took care of me. Only right I do the same." She insisted as she grasped two newly brought kitten mugs, "Trial and error over the years. Some stuff I learned from the maids." Black coffee was poured into both mugs, "I take it you're a one sugar type of guy."

"You're right." Reaper smirked. 

The ceramic clicked against the table top as she set the mugs down. Taking a seat. her eyes ranked along his bare chest. A thick honey blonde happy trail was perfectly laid along his lower abdomen. The script-like font tattoo across his muscular peck sparked her curiosity. She dared not ask about it. Scout figured it was either his father's name or his child's name. Her master had a list of his children's names tattooed on his back. All eighteen of them.

"Are we…are we staying here long? Is this our home now?" Scout asked after moments of silence.

Our home. Our. 

 Terms that Reaper hadn't heard in a decade."The contract is for a year. This place is close but not too close so…yeah." He proceeded to wash down his slice of pastry with the hot beverage. The man nearly choked on his food when he was suddenly embraced in a tight hug. Breasts pressed against his face with arms wrapped around his neck. For a minute, he sat there stiff. His hands soon raised up and with a bit of hesitation, Reaper laid his hands against her waist and embraced her.

Despite the affection feeling foreign; they both basked in it and held one another in silence. "You should get some sleep." Reaper was the first to pull away. Scout bashfully nodded and fiddled with her fingers. She spun around on her heel and left back upstairs without a word. Utterly, at a loss for words. The pair both couldn't shake the ghostly smiles plastered on their lips.

Taglist; @velocibee @darklydeliciousdesires @darqchilddaydreamz @youflickedtooharddamnit

Four ☞

[brella-boi]

Building Dango: Part 14

At last!!

Sewed the green-blue fur blend onto the neck, and put the liner in as well and ooooh goodness it looks so dang good pinned together. Wowowowow. Incredible.

For the neck lining i. Well i ran out of the liner fabric lol. So I got this new liner that is 4 way stretch purple glitter lycra that Im also going to use for the lining of paws. Its so nice to the touch...

Next up, the paws!!

I got this 2 way stretch red vinyl. And Ive had it for quite a bit since I ordered it a couple months early in case it took a really long time to ship from Poland. And it was shoved in my fabric box for a couple weeks, constantly skrunked and unskruned until the skrunk was too much and there were CREASES.

Since this is vinyl/pvc that also stretches, I was EXTREMELY hesitant to iron it in case it melts. Even if the back is woven, its still a gamble. So after reading for advice online I came to the age ole trick: have a hot fucking shower and let the steam uncrease it.

So off it went into the bathroom with me- I needed a scrub anyway LOL

And honestly!! It did work! I left it hanging for a good few hours and it became mostly crease free where I needed it to be :)

This fabric is going to be our claws. Machine sewed. After making so many beetle plushies this was child's play at this point.

The overall jist of the paws is to make the underside fluffy as well as the knuckles, to hide where the vinyl meets with the real fabric because I know that wasnt going to be super neat with the way theyre made.

The first part is easily machine sewed! All the claws, and the palms. But actually sewing the fingers together? Boy thats a challenge for hand sewing only.

Blanket stitched together. And homestly??? Honestly??? Im fucking in love. And they FIT

Still not done though! Continuing paws soon...

[strawberryfairi]

Synopsis✨: The story of how you catch heavy feelings for the hot photography student, Shuji Hanma…even though you already have the perfect (fake) boyfriend.

Pairings: Photography Student! Shuji Hanma X Dance Major! Black Fem 🤎 Reader (ANYONE CAN READ🧚🏾‍♀️)  Content: Drama, lots of denial, angst, sneaky link, lots of cheating, mutual pining, unserious Shuji, controlling parents, forced relationships, romance, fighting, porn with a good plot vibes, intense sexual tension, etc (just find out the rest lol)

w.c: 4k💠 Released: August 30, 2024

Previous | Next... | Chapters Masterlist

NOTE🧚🏾‍♀️: Ok so y'all...here's the tea. Not I forgot to post this on Tumblr after I had already put it up on wattpad I mean like over 2 months ago😅 I KNOW I KNOW DANG I'M SO SORRY Y'ALL OMG. I'm glad I realized this cause uhhh....yeah😭

C.W:  TRIGGER WARNING! Angst (nothing really dark though), illegal drugs mentioned, mentions of date rape/sexual assault, reader has a seizure, "Rape Kit" (Sexual Assault Forensic Exam) Mentioned, Best Friend Keisuke Baji is supportive!!!

10; Allegations 指控

Shuji feels a heavy weight partially lift off of his shoulders when he sees you finally awake, but it also pained him the way you looked so tired and devastated, sitting there with red, puffy eyes.

"Hey pretty girl." He says softly, reaching over and wiping a few stray tears with the back of his hand. It felt so strange to him, being so soft and gentle with someone, and caring so much. He never realized how powerful tears could be until right now. You had his heart clenching and didn't even know it.

"I don't feel pretty. I feel terrible." You mutter blandly with a light sniffle, looking down with a deep frown on your lips.

"Trust me you're still a ten even in a hospital bed." He grins, attempting to lighten the mood, but honestly...it was just truly how he felt.

"Stop..." You purse your lips together, trying not to smile at that.

"I mean it." He says softly, leaning down and giving you a quick, uncharacteristically gentle kiss.

Finally you give him a smile, that cute, shy smile that gets him every time. But as fast as the smile appeared, it faded right back into that same deep frown from before. "I-...I don't want you to go away." You murmur sadly, looking up at him with nearly desperate looking eyes.

Shuji furrows his brows. "What're you talkin' about? I'm right here. I'm not goin' anywhere."

"No." You shake your head, "I mean...I-I don't want you to leave me. I don't want this to go away." Your tone is so quiet he almost doesn't hear you, or really, he almost doesn't believe you actually just said that.

"Angel...-

"I don't want you to be like this with another girl; doing to her what you do to me. I want you to just be this way with me, 'cause I-...I li-

Abruptly, Shuji cuts you off with a soft kiss. He wasn't fully sure why he went and did it but, it was just the first thing that came to his mind. Slowly he pulls away, his eyes closed as he struggles to manage the awkward and unnecessarily aggressive pounding in his chest.

"Don't say it." He whispers desperately.

"But-

"I'm serious, you don't know what you're talkin' about. I don't think you really mean all this." He says rather uneasily.

"No, I do! I mean it, I like you!" You assert in a bit of a whiny tone, looking up at him with the most sincerest expression you could muster.

"No", He shakes his head, "No, you don't. You're just...probably feelin' emotional right now 'cause of everything goin' on." He concludes. Truly he wasn't sure he could handle hearing this from you.

You frown, but press on anyways, determined to get your feelings across. "I like you, Shuji. I wanna be more-

"Stop." He says wearily, shaking his head. The more you say it the more it forces him to have to actually acknowledge it, actually do something about it, and he had no idea what to do about this.

"Don't you?! Don't you like me too?! You really don't feel anything for me; not-..not at all?!" Your eyes instantly blur for the thousandth time, small tears starting to make their way down your cheeks just as you had finally stopped crying a second ago.

Shuji sighs exasperatedly, feeling like an asshole for making you cry, even though he was ninety eight percent sure this was purely just heat of the moment, high emotions talk. "Come on, don't cry angel; where's this even comin' from? You have a boyfriend, remember? You know that. You can't ask me somethin' like this." He coos, wiping away your tears with his thumb. He felt so hypocritical saying that. Since when has he ever given a shit about you having a boyfriend?

"So, you don't then? This whole time you-...you don't really like me?" You sniffle, casting your gaze downwards in a mix of hurt and embarrassment. Shuji feels stuck, at a complete loss as he tries to rack his brain for something to say that could possibly diffuse this. For the first time ever he feels completely overwhelmed by a situation; by another person. This was way too far out of his usual territory, and it's throwing him off.

"I-...look, I really don't think this is the right time to talk about-

"Do you or not?!" You press, becoming annoyed at the way he keeps fumbling around and deflecting. For a moment there's nothing but silence between you two. Both eyes locked onto one another stubbornly, inaudibly waiting for the other to crack and accept their loss.

Then finally, Shuji looks to the side with a grunt, jaw clenched tightly while facepalming in defeat. "...I do." He admits in a hushed, low tone.

"What?" You mutter in surprise, blinking a few times.

"I got feelings for you. I've had feelings for you for a while now." He clarifies, his tone still soft yet there's a clear discomfort. "But...you know I don't know anything about that boyfriend stuff; I'm not good at that kind'a thing. I can't give you what you need." He adds apologetically. Instantly you feel a small sharp sting in your heart, completely taken aback by his excuse.

"What does that mean? You-.. so you don't wanna be with me?" You mutter.

Shuji feels genuinely terrible, the way your voice is shaking with that hurt expression, it's killing him. "It's not about if I wanna be with you. Even if I wanted to you're already with somebody else. We can't be more than this anyways." He shakes his head, brushing your tear stained cheek with the back of his fingers.

You use a little bit of strength to place your small hand over his. "If I wasn't with him would you be with me?" You ask, looking him right in the eyes, not at all believing his words. He's never been the type to not go after something he wanted, no matter if it was his or not.

Shuji huffs tiredly, once again feeling cornered by your difficult questions. "I mean, I don't know, I-

"Would you?" You cut him off, your tone soft yet you were clearly getting impatient.

You and that look in your eyes is gonna be the death of him for sure. "If you weren't with him you'd probably already be my girl by now." He admits straight away. Inwardly he was cringing so hard at himself, second guessing his own response.

That sounded sappy as fuck...

You seemed to think otherwise though, with the way your lips instantly curve into a small, warm smile. "I wanna be your girl, Shuji." You hum longingly. Softly, you brush your pretty lips against the back of his tattooed hand, looking him in the eyes with a passion-filled gaze all the while.

"What the hell are you doin', angel?" Shuji whispers breathlessly. The audacity to say something like that and do something like that, all while looking at him like that...

In any other normal situation you pulling off something like this would damn sure have him bending you over the nearest surface and making you his girl. Shit, you could be whatever you wanted talking to him like that!

"I'm just telling you what I want." You murmur honestly against his hand.

"I think...the drugs are talkin' right now." He chokes out hesitantly, using every bit of his strength to block out all the loud, sexual thoughts trying to force its way to the forefront of his mind. "I don't care, it's still how I feel. I wanna be with you." You answer without even a second of hesitation, shaking your head.

Shuji wonders if this must be how you feel when he acts this way towards you, a wild mixture of feeling both so tempted yet so damn conflicted. Then just to make it even worse you have him fully seduced and wrapped around your little ass finger, ready to do whatever you ask.

"Only you would have me genuinely turned on while literally laying in a hospital bed." He facepalms, resting his head down on your shoulder.

"Maybe..." You start rather arbitrarily, turning your head towards him as you let go of his hand, "The next time I'm in a hospital bed will be because you finally put a baby in me." You murmur innocently.

"What?!" Shuji instantly whips his head up, blinking a few times while looking at you with his jaw on the floor. For the first time in his life something someone else has said to him has him literally dumbfounded. The audacity...the randomness, it was so....hot. His brain was completely malfunctioning, both trying to process and replay your words at the same time to make sure he actually heard you right.

Meanwhile you're just sitting there, sheepishly pursing your lips together to hide the little cutesy smile on your face, and it's making him mad. More like a concerning level of sexually frustrated, but that's besides the point. It's heinous the way you have him fully bricked up and ready in this stupid ass hospital, yet he can't do anything about it, and you're literally proud about that! It should be illegal to say something like that so innocently. You knew exactly what you were doing, and you knew it was working too.

"You don't know what you're sayin'. You-...you're talkin' crazy, baby." He says softly, shaking his head while running a hand through his dark hair.

"No I'm not." You deny in such an innocent, sweet tone.

"Yeah, ok. We'll see if that's still how you feel when you're fully sober." He sighs, deeply inhaling and exhaling to keep that tiny little shred of composure he had left.

Then with absolutely perfect timing, Dr. Chen walks back in with a clipboard full of documents. Thank God, if he had stayed any longer he was a undoubtedly sure he was gonna end up risking it all in this hospital and doing some shit he really shouldn't.

"I have the documents here for you to sign and give consent for the forensic exam process." She states politely, walking over to the other side of the hospital bed and placing the clipboard on your lap.

"Feel free to stay if you'd like. We can't start until all the documents are signed, so you have some time." She adds, turning her attention to him.

"Nah nah, I should go." He shakes his head. "I'll come back later." He adds softly, giving you one last look before making his way to the door.

Just as Shuji leaves your room, a familiar face makes him stop dead in his tracks. It's your late ass "boyfriend", and he looks pissed, storming over to him with his eyes blazing with animosity.

Perfect timing....how ironic.

"I fuckin' knew it. I knew it would be you!" He grits out, stepping right up to him.

On the bright side, this is the perfect opportunity for Shuji to let off some of his frustration. Definitely not in the way he'd like to, but...it'll have to do for now.

Meanwhile, Keisuke and Kazutora are just down the hall, coming back from one of the nearest vending machines with their hands full of snacks. "Wait wait wait, you hear that?" Kazutora murmurs, slowing to a stop as he listens intently to the semi-faded yelling.

"Is that Ryuguji?! How the hell does he know about this?!" Kei rambles in bewilderment.

"Oh, I texted him a while ago. I figured he'd wanna know since it's his girlfriend." Kazutora shrugs plainly.

"You idiot..." Kei narrows his eyes.

"What?! What'd I do?!"

"Bro, they're not on good terms right now!" Kei scolds.

"Who?! Hanma and Ryuguji?" Kazutora's brows furrow.

"Nooooo! Ryuguji and Y/N aren't cool right now! But I mean, I guess him and Hanma aren't cool either."

Kazutora's mouth falls into an "O" shape, the both of them going silent as they listen in to whatever was going on.

"Don't fuckin' play these stupid ass games with me! I know for a fact you're the one fuckin' my girl! Don't even try to act like it's not true, Hanma!" Ryuguji accuses.

Both Kei and Kazutora's eyes go wide, mouths dropping as they look at each other utterly shook.

"Whaaaaaat?!" Kazutora mouths quietly.

"What is goin' on?!" Kei murmurs.

"Did you know that?!" Kazutora whispers.

"Hell no! I didn't even know he knew Y/N!" Kei shakes his head frantically.

"Woooooow." Kazutora whispers.

"Your girl?! You're really bitchin' to me about games when you're the one playing pretend with her every single day. She's literally never been your girl." Hanma claps back nonchalantly.

"Wait what?!" Kazutora gasps once again.

"Ok, well see, that I did know." Kei murmurs.

"What does he mean pretend?!" Kazutora whispers.

"So like, Y/N and Ryuguji are actually a fake couple, bro. They're not really together; never have been." Kei explains briefly.

At this point Kazutora has to take a short lap, his brain failing to comprehend the whole situation. "Wait hold up, hold up. Y/N and Ryuguji...aren't actually together. Then on top of that, she's in a whole separate thing with Hanma at the same time?!"

"I-..I guess so, yeah. She didn't tell me the part with Hanma though; I have no idea where or when he came in." Keisuke shrugs, feeling just as lost as his friend.

"It's like a fake love triangle. No, a...love diagonal? I don't even know, college is crazy bro." Kazutora shakes his head. "Should we like...break this up though?"

"Not even gonna lie, I'm kinda trynna hear this." Kei admits with a guilty laugh. "No facts, this is dramatic as fuck." Kazutora nods, joining in with the laughter, then tuning back into the argument.

"That doesn't matter! You probably didn't even know it was fake until she told you at some point! That means before that, you knew we were together, yet you still went after her anyways!" Ken rants.

Shuji pauses for a second, looking to the side in thought before forming a response. "Ok...sure. You're still not actually together though, so being mad at me is crazy. You should actually be her real boyfriend in the first place before being this pissed that she's fuckin' someone else." Hanma shrugs plainly.

Kazutora leans over towards Keisuke, whispering quietly "They're really deadass fighting over her..."

"No like, in the middle of a hospital too. When has Hanma ever argued over a girl, bro?" Keisuke says in a dazed tone.

"Never...never." Kazutora responds.

"If this were the other way around-

"If this were the other way around she'd actually be mine. I would never be caught in a fake ass relationship then have the audacity to be mad when I find out she's fuckin' someone else! That's just straight idiot behavior." Shuji cuts off Ken annoyedly, his tone fully condescending.

"You're going out of your way to miss the point, Hanma! You're a fuckin' snake!" Ken rants.

"I'm a snake 'cause your "girlfriend" wants to be with me instead?!"

"Because you stole her from me! On purpose!"

"She's not yours to steal! You're relationship is faaake! That shit ain't real!" Shuji stresses.

Ken clenches his jaw angrily. "Unlike you, I actually give a damn about her! And honestly, wether our relationship's real or not, I'm the one she's with at the end of the day, not you!" Ken points out with angry finality. And with that, Shuji was completely over this argument. Using being a fake boyfriend as a flex was the dumbest shit he's ever heard possibly in his whole life.

"Right, sure. She might be your "girlfriend" or whatever, but that doesn't really mean shit when I'm all she thinks about every time she's with you." He countered with a level of pride that made Ken's blood boiling hot.

"Ooooo..." Both Kazutora and Keisuke murmur lowly. "That was excellent. He won with that one." Kazutora says, hovering a hand over his mouth. "To be honest, Ryuguji was never gonna win this. They've been "together" for like two years and he's still never bothered to make it official?! No, he's trash. Completely fumbled the bag."

"Y/N's pretty too, he really-

Kazutora cuts himself off, watching with wide eyes as Ryuguji suddenly goes for a punch right for Hanma's face. "OOOOHHHH!" The two guys gasp loudly. "I knew that was comin'." Keisuke shakes his head. Ken went and set things off to a whole other level. Both of them start full out fighting right in the middle of the waiting area...in the middle of a hospital.

"Shit, alright, we gotta jump in! You get Hanma, I'll handle Ryuguji!" Keisuke says hurriedly. The two of them sort of scramble around for a second, trying to figure out where to put their snacks before just leaving it all on the floor and racing over to the fight.

"Ryuguji, chill the fuck out! You're in a hospital! This is crazy!" Keisuke scolds, grabbing him by the forearm. It was like Kei wasn't even there with the way Ken just kept swinging and shit talking. It didn't take too much for Kazutora to get Hanma to back off, seeing as he wasn't nearly as pissed.

"Just admit you're jealous, Hanma!" Ryuguji shouts.

"You're so delusional it's actually sad. The only one jealous is you 'cause you know Y/N doesn't feel the same way about you!" Shuji retaliates.

"Don't even bother, don't even bother." Kazutora says, shaking his head as he tries to drag Hanma along towards the hallway him and Keisuke had just came from.

"Do you even actually give a shit about her-

"Ryuguji shut the fuck up!" Keisuke outbursts loudly. That last bit Ken had said just hit him all kinds of wrong. Finally he shuts up, no longer struggling against Keisuke's grasp as he looks at him with wide eyes, completely caught off guard that he'd went and yelled at him like that.

"You're really over here talkin' about if he gives a shit about Y/N?! Do you even realize that as soon as you got here the very first thing you decided to do was start a stupid ass argument with Hanma when your supposed girlfriend is literally laying in a hospital bed right there?!" Keisuke rants, pointing over at your room just a few feet away.

Ken freezes, the awareness of what he did, or rather didn't do, finally starting to sink in. There were so many people staring at him, looks of distaste being thrown his way from the nurses, families, and patients alike.

"Exactly. I swear Ryuguji I don't know what the hell's goin' on with you lately, but you need to get it together real fuckin' quick. There's no way you really believe you love Y/N when not at any point did you go and check on her, or even just look at her to see if she's fine! She got drugged, bro; she had a seizure! When I went in there she was scared as fuck, she could barely even move! You'd actually know all that had you gone in there to see her!"

The more Keisuke spoke the more utterly embarrassed Ken felt. Once again he goes and screws everything up by running his mouth. It wasn't like he wasn't worried about you or didn't wanna check on you, it's just...when he saw Hanma come out of your room his mind went somewhere else.

It's the fact that he was here before him, already having checked on you and supporting you; probably holding you close and making sure you felt safe. It made him feel like a failure. What good was he when already three other guys were here for you?

It's what he's always been afraid of, that you're just fine and completely unfazed without him. For the longest time that's been his worst nightmare, and somehow he never thought it could get worse than how bad it already was.

Now Hanma's just his nightmare in physical form. The personification of all his fears when it comes to you, and during his entire argument with him all Ken could hear in his mind was:

He's everything I'm not...

Horrific images of the two of you together haunted him every second he looked at Hanma. He could see your arms around him, exchanging kisses and smiles; running your little fingers through his hair. Any thought of your desperate boyfriend completely gone out of your mind.

Honestly Ken just wants you to need him like he needs you. To feel like you have nothing if you don't have him. He wants you to fall apart without him so he can come and piece you back together, like how you'd always do with him. But today just made it obvious.

That's probably never gonna happen...

Then right on cue, he spots someone at the end of one of the hallways that led from the main lobby of the hospital.

Your mother.

Everybody's hearts seemed to drop to their feet at the sight of her. It didn't take rocket science for Shuji and Kazutora to realize you were related. You were this woman's spitting image. "Ms. L/N..." Keisuke whispers under his breath, taking a step away from Ken. With a strained exhale she makes her way over to where Ken and Keisuke are in the center of the waiting area. Kazutora and Hanma are completely frozen, just watching as she approaches the other two.

"Ms. L/N, I-I'm so sorr-

She doesn't even look at Ken, just raises her hand without a word, immediately silencing him. She definitely heard and saw everything, or at least a good portion. That much was obvious.

"Keisuke?" She says lowly, actually looking at him.

"Yes ma'am?" He responds instantly, tone dripping with politeness and respect.

"Take me to my daughter's room. Right now." Ms. L/N demands, her voice making it clear she was not trynna hear anything other than yes.

"Ok. She's in here." He nods, quickly making his way to her side.

"Thank you." She breathes out tiredly.

Ken stands there, eyes wide in a mixture of embarrassment and shock. Your mom really chose Keisuke over him...right in front of him. She'd rather a friend go in there with her than her own daughter's boyfriend?! At this point he couldn't tell which thing hurt more, the fact that you're slipping away from him, or the fact that your mom didn't even trust him anymore. 

Later That Evening

Your eyes could barely stay open from how tired you are at this point. You needed your bed immediately, and nothing else. 

The examination process was finally over, and you were almost cleared to leave the hospital, but your mom's constant rambling and nagging was just getting started. 

"-You hear me? Not another second with that boy!" 

"Who? Keisuke?" You murmur tiredly, brows slightly furrowed in genuine confusion. 

"No! I mean that boy you've been messing around with! He's caused nothing but trouble for you, and I've had enough! I'm over it; this is too much!" She stresses, gesturing towards all of you with a hand. 

"He's not the one that did this." You shake your head. It hadn't even fully registered to you that she's somehow well aware about you and Shuji. 

"That's not the point, Y/N. I don't want you around him anymore; I mean that." 

You didn't have the energy to put up much of a fight and protest, honestly you were sure you'd probably go home and forget this conversation too just like everything else from today. Once the doctors clear you, your mom decides to be the one to take you back to your dorm, leaving Keisuke, Ken, and everyone else to head off by themselves. 

Your mom came with you all the way up to your dorm room, making sure you were in there safe and sound before finally heading out. Of course not without making it clear for the thousandth time that she doesn't want you anywhere near Shuji.

 Immediately you practically rip your clothes off then plop face first right onto your plush bed. "What kind of day was this?" You whisper to yourself, that weighty, dark feeling making its way back onto your shoulders with full force. It was shocking yet really not that no more tears were left, your body too exhausted to do anything else but lay. Weakly you get yourself under the blankets, snuggling and curling into a little ball to comfort yourself and bring some warmth. 

A/N🧚🏾‍♀️: AAAWWWWWW Not the confession🥺 I had been debating for a while with this chapter if I wanted the reader or Shuji to confess first teehee

[actualbird]

what is your ranking of all the main event stories we have received so far? (as in sott, enduring light, skadi etc)

OHHHH THIS IS A FUN QUESTION, THANK YOU ANON!!! let me go from my highest to lowest.

for this question, im taking "main event stories" to mean the Big 4 SSR Events where the event story involves the entire team all at once (so no xmas events or sotn, or solo or duo events). and i will be judging these events primarily on their event story (so not as much as the gameplay, though thatll also be a factor. but i wont be judging the cards)

OH DANG WHY DID I EXPLAIN IT, THE TOT WIKI DOES A MUCH BETTER JOB AT DEFINING BIG 4 SSR EVENTS, HERE, THIS IS WHAT IM JUDGING

anyhoo, here is my personal ranking!

FIRST PLACE: Mysteries of the Lost Gold

my beloved, my favorite, my perfect shining star. lost gold was the first big event i played and it has yet to be dethroned as my favorite event story of all of tot. absolute homerun of a rich story with intrigue, high stakes, a good balance of tender moments and lighthearted ones, and just SO gripping in terms of all of the story threads coming together, plus the absolutely A+ nxx team interactions. my advice to every new player who comes into my inbox is "PLAY THE LOST GOLD DLC" because i love it so much. i will never shut up about how i love it so much. it has our very first raven!luke sighting. it has marius nearly getting stabbed. it has artem with gun. it has vyn doing that THING with the bow and arrow. LIKE. THIS EVENT IS PERFECT TO ME. it'll take something really really special to dethrone it.

SECOND PLACE: Enduring Light

this isnt recency bias speaking but my real honest thoughts: this story delighted me to no end. i was kept on the edge my seat for every single phase, and the sheer novelty of the story's setup and the gameplay was such a nice change of pace after the previous event formats started to get repetetive. i especially loved that this time, we had to suspect the nxx boys as well because that really added to my enjoyment of this event. it really felt like a mystery that had to be solved by us, and not just a mystery that will unravel by itself as long as we keep playing, if that makes sense? my point is i was immensely immersed in enduring light and i love it lots lots lots. luke looking stupendously hot in his outfit during the entire event was also a huge plus.

THIRD PLACE: a tie between Blizzardous Threads of Red & Mystery of Bakerlon

i really loved BTR and bakerlon!!! both of their murder cases were adequately thrilling for me, though towards the end i could feel the adrenaline wearing off, if that makes sense? like by the 4th phase, things were slotting together already in a way that like lowered the feeling of intrigue. also i know i said i wouldnt judge much based on gameplay, but these two deserve a shoutout for MINIGAMES I WANT TO KILL W MY BARE HANDS. bakerlon's crystal tasks were so repetetive to me, and BTR's TIMED ESCAPE ROOM THINGIES heightened my blood pressure several times HAHA

FOURTH PLACE: To My Beloved: Moonlit Eve (anniv 2)

this has a soft spot in my heart for including all of the old NPCs from main story, and that was very heartwarming. while theres no mystery that needs solving, just seeing the team hang out together and have fun together was such a treat for my soul

FIFTH PLACE: Secrets of the Tomb

sott is where i'd say the event story quality is inching towards the meh scale. the mystery here was interesting but was not particularly gripping to me. it might just be a me thing, but i enjoyed the side stories (the ones you get with the boys when you investigate the artefacts) more than the actual event story itself.

SIXTH PLACE: A Love Poem to Skadi

ahhhhh skadi. psychological and medical malpractice horrors skadi.....HJSVKHSJDFDSF. i will admit, the mystery in this story is HORRIFIC and it was enjoyable to unravel it, but here is where i break my rule again of not talking about gameplay but mAAAAAAN THE GAMEPLAY HINDERED MY ENJOYMENT OF THE MAIN PLOT LOTS. it was rather difficult for me to do all the exploration in that manor and that stalled my absorption of the story too. plus, i think the fact that the story is Over made the story have a bit of a muted quality to it. not in a bad way (i distinctly remember i wrote a semi-analysis post about how i enjoyed that the story was in the Past) but it definitely affected the mood of the gameplay, if that makes sense?

(that is the third time ive said "if that makes sense" in this response, THREE STRIKES AND YER OOOOOUT)

SEVENTH PLACE: Blissful Fete (anniv 1)

be honest with me.....do YOU remember the event story plot of blissful fete? cuz i sure dont. JVSKDHFSJDHSF. i only remember getting very very mad at luke during that fucking minigame where we guess if the card is higher or lower. that being said, if i cant even remember much of the story, then it didnt make an impact on me and couldve been improved.

so thats my ranking! thank u for the ask :D

[winterwhisperz-blog]

Okay okay okay okay so so so so

I’ve never rlly does these before but I am in dire need of more Kuras content so 😇

I apologize if these are dumb, or have been done before- I consume a lot of media and also can’t remember what I have had for breakfast so I might accidentally repeat stuff I’ve seen.

ALR

HERE WE GO

Are u ready…

please sound more enthusiastic, I need you to go: YEAHHHH LES GOOO

Ahem ahem

We’ll work on it.

Kuras x Mc headcanons

Warnings: None? Unless you’re like me and swoon so easily you accidentally hit ur head on your writer’s desk. There’s a price to pay by being too dramatic you know.

KURAS WEARING HIS GLASSES WHILE READING A BOOK TO YOU.

Imagine, you’ve had a really rough day, you’re overwhelmed, exhausted, your head is pulsing with an incoming headache—

—and you walk through the door and Kuras turns to you with a small smile, opening his mouth to greet u before he takes in your condition. INSTANTLY, he gets some tea going, a hot bath, some comfy pajamas, and after all that, he sits down, golden glasses resting atop his nose, book in hand. He pats his lap and while you rest your head down while he reads to u iN THE MOST CALMING LOW VOICE. Mwah mwah, perfection. Thank you Angel husbando.

And before you completely drift off into dream land, you feel the soft, plushy feel of his lips on your forehead that shoos the headache away.

AHHHHHHHH

ALRIGHT MOVING ON

You know that lore that’s like…’if ur left(or right?) ear rings, an Angel is trying to talk to you?

That happens to u every time Kuras is desperately wanting to speak with you but he’s either too busy, or you’re too busy to chat at the moment.

And when he falls for u, it starts happening way more frequently. Like, you’re taking a sip of your coffee or tea or whatever, and suddenly your ear goes EEEEEEEEEEEEE

Dang that was funky

But then it happens again when you’re at work, when you’re talking with one of the other LI or friends, when you’re picking up dinner, WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO FRICKIN SLEEP >:0

It gets to be such a bother that you HAHAH, actually go see Kuras about it. You walk in like, ‘Kuras, my man, can u please check up on my ear, it’s been buzzing nonstop.’

And after some questions, he starts to realize…oh dang, has he really been thinking about you that much? Dang, what a simp he has become. That’s his true monster form all along. A massive, mullet haired simp.

He does find a way to help you. Though he still thinks about u just as much.

OKAY OKAY NEXT ONE

Is it just me or does Kuras seem like a guy that constantly radiates warmth. Like his hands? Always warm like he’s been holding a hot cup of tea. His hugs??? Just like being wrapped up in a blanket right outta the dryer(drier?).

I feel like if you easily get cold, he does the thing cold handed people do and sometimes just surprises u by putting his warm palm on the back of your neck.

ALSO ALSO ALSO- if you’re strolling with him during either a cold rainstorm, or when it’s winter and snowing—you say something like- “My nose feels like it’s going to freeze and fall off ):” and you’re right, it’s gotten so cold you’ve now become Rudolph. Your cheeks are pretty red too.

NOT TO FEAR

Kuras will then gently brush your hair out of your face before planting a warm little smooch on the tip of your nose and then a BUNCH of kisses across your cheeks. Warmth blooms across your entire body and BOOM. Problem solved.

Because you’re probably also blushing now too.

He also rushes you home faster too- YOU ARENT GETTING A COLD ON HIS WATCH ):<

FOR THE LAST HEADCANON—or rather, this is just an artistic vision…

Kuras with Miku style pigtails.

OKAY WE’RE DONE

I hope you enjoyed those, and that they’ve haven’t been done already. I just love my tall Angel husband and hope he gets more content.

Anyway, I hope you have a rlly good day and drink perfectly cold water and find something that makes you happy. 😙

[guardiandua]

So I've been struggling to find inspiration and giving myself a break allowed me to figure out why. Ever since the loss of my admittedly fake friends, it's been hard to talk about my main fandom Voltron. Today I'm going to let out all the thoughts I've been wanting to ramble about and have no one to ramble about to anymore because it's hurting my inspiration.

I don't have a particular order to this so I'll just begin. My favourite character and Paladin is Keith Kogane. His journey is very much something I can relate to. Someone the world decided to give up on but there was one person who never gave up on him and asked for nothing in return. Like Keith had Shiro I had my Mom.

Unlike most others, I actually prefer Keith as the Black Paladin. I don't hate him as the Red Paladin and thought Red's fierce protectiveness over him was both adorable and hilarious, however I also enjoy character growth being a writer myself. I feel as the Red Paladin, he remained quite the lone wolf and hotheaded. The Red Lion is someone who would have encouraged that impulsiveness because as we saw King Alfor was the same way.

Being in the Black Lion forced him to grow and mess up then learn from his mistakes. He's more similar to Shiro than to Lance which is interesting because he's younger than Shiro and we don't know what Shiro would have been like at Keith's age. Perhaps Shiro adopted him because he saw a bit of himself in Keith and wants to support that. I won't go into too much detail on why Keith makes a great Black Paladin because I have a whole post on that already.

Another thing I love is the brotherly relationship with Keith and Shiro. The society nowadays has become a little bit corrupt because we cannot have two men say I love you even if they add you're my brother without it being made into something sexual. Before the gays come after me (not that I care but you guys take up so much space in the dang comments) I would feel the same if Shiro was a girl and Keith said you're my sister I love you. I would not ship them together but that said the platonic relationship between them is beautiful. The I will die for you or I will die protecting you that is mutual between them. The way Keith was able to pilot Black to save Shiro despite not being her Paladin was so hot! He looked so cool...oh gosh I'm fangirling now hehe. Ok moving on from how hot Keith is. He is hot though right? Anyhoo!

I ship Keith with Allura. Ironically I shipped them together before I knew about the 80s Voltron and although it took me awhile to accept how much I love these two together due to bad fans. Our fandom is toxic guys. It's sad but true. But I feel this show is too good not to ramble about.

Season 7 is my favourite Voltron season. I don't like that they made Shiro gay but that's also because I feel in a reboot you shouldn't change a character's original sexuality. It's like me deciding to do a rewrite of the Harry Potter books and have it be a TV show on Netflix and I decided to make Hermione a lesbian. It's so disrespectful because it's like it's a fanfiction that's actually official which does not feel fair. Also I may not like the whole LGBTQ+ agenda but even if I did, it's cheap representation. I wouldn't want a woman of colour in media if it was just for brownie points and it's not going to make any difference if the character was a white woman.

But back to positivity!! I like season 7 because it feels like a war story. People die. The stakes are higher and heck the Paladins almost die at the end. But my two biggest reasons are Keith and Kallura. It was wonderful to see them address that Keith basically did what he was terrified of his team doing to him. He left them and that being thrown in his face dang that was powerful for his development. He was a complete different person after that. Being there for Hunk, supporting his team wherever they needed him to be.

The second reason is this season to me showed that Keith loved Allura and how much this was sadly a missed opportunity. When the Paladins are captured by Sendak and Keith regains consciousness for like a couple of seconds, the first person he checks on is Allura. She is the first person his eyes travel to and then he falls back unconscious. Dang it was not only a missed opportunity for Kallura but it also showed Keith was more physically resilient than the others even Allura. Are half-Galrans stronger than Alteans? That certainly makes Lotor pretty powerful then.

So I let out a lot of my thoughts in here but there will be more specific posts later. Character analyses and all, pairing stuff, villain stuff etc. this feels good.

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

Roasting the Yugioh rivals' hair

Haven't done this in a while, time to roast more characters, going from least absurd hair to most absurd hair. (For the record, I like all these characters at least a bit so take this with a grain of salt, I went really in on some of them)

1 Seto Kaiba

All the money in the world from stealing your rich daddy's company and you still can't find time to make your hair look different from a depressed Kuriboh?

2 Jack Atlas

Dang, that cheese looks good enough to eat. Mind cutting me a slice? Hey! Can you hear me? Oh shoot, he's wearing earbuds! He can't hear me!

3 Jun Manjome

So what's it like having a giant dancing emo spider on your head? Blends in well with the rest of your emo suit. Your aesthetic crashes and burns like the thunder you name yourself after :)

4 Roa Kirishima

For a jerky self-absorbed diva boy who hogs the spotlight, your hair is surprisingly underwhelming. I mean come on, only one bland colour? No accessories? How do people even see you onstage? I guess it looks like a malformed star if you squint?

5 Reiji/Declan Akaba

Damn, going gray at 16? Illegally drafting yourself and other younger children into war must do a number on the psyche. And how do you find time to style it like the diamond studded swimming pool you likely own when you're in the middle of this war?

6 Ryoken Kogami

Oh you wanna know if I like your hair? Wouldn't you like to know, marshmallow boy. Maybe quit styling it like a sloppy white Christmas tree with cat ears and maybe I'll take you seriously.

7 Zwijo Zir Velgear

Hey uh, you wanna stop growing your hair out? Think you've got enough now? Your hair is so long I had to get an awkwardly cropped image to properly show it off. Are you trying to be the alien general version of Rapunzel? Or does your hair have a mind of its own and that's why parts of it are sticking out like hungry yellow and purple snakes?

8 Kaito Tenjo

Styling your hair like a crown doesn't make you a king, unless you're the king of being a douche nozzle obsessed with dragons. Though really, with that pointy top, you look more like an angery fairy than a dragon.

9 Revolver 2.0

Rev, this is worse. You get that, right? You could have made your hair look however you wanted, without the limitations of the real world, and you chose to look like a gun toting old man in a shitty superhero costume with pointy rocks protruding from his head? And what is going on with those red spikes? Do you eat your marshmallow hot dogs so sloppily that the ketchup from them got on your ears? Chill out and go get stoned or something, good god.

10: Revolver 1.0

......jeez dude how much ketchup do you get on those hot dogs? And why'd it take you more than a whole season to wash it all out?

[sparklygraves]

what if Kilgharrah told Merlin Morgana was the Once & Future Queen? & so his destiny was with her, not Arthur?

everyone would think he had a crush on her because he's always eyeing her/trying to stay close/acts all protective & grumpy when some guy is interested in her. (when really he's falling for that danged prat prince Arthur ofc)

when Morgana starts freaking out about her magic, Merlin assures her that it's ok! it's a good thing actually! she's destined to be a super powerful & awesome queen one day! he's here as her... assistant? honestly, he's not totally sure of his role... but maybe Gaius can teach them some spells & shit!

Morgana is relieved & grateful & they become good friends.

there's this very powerful bond between them that is honestly a bit confusing. there's a romantic element to it, but it's not like what he feels for Arthur & what she feels for Morgause (who in my AU is not in any way her sister but just some hot magical rando in armor & eyeliner with a handy de-nightmaring bracelet-- oh my gosh-- she totally becomes Morgana's first knight! they keep it on the down low cuz Morgana's not queen yet-- but she totally gathers knights).

Morgause is intrigued by Merlin & Morgana's connection & keeps making Merlin's ears go red by proposing threesomes.

Merlin & Arthur aren't even dating (though they're totally in love obvs), but Arthur is 100% jealous boyfriend anyway whenever he sees Merlin & Morgana whispering to each other or sharing grins across a room.

but ohhh shit-- there's a problem! Arthur is next in line for the throne (actually-- is he? who's older-- him or Morgana? but anyway-- no one knows of Morgana's parentage so everyone thinks Arthur is Uther's successor anyway). sooo since it's Merlin's destiny to serve Morgana & makes sure she gets to be queen, doesn't that mean he needs to somehow get Arthur out of the way?

Kilgharrah is just like, "Kill him." but Merlin is like, "No! He's my... friend."

Kilgharrah rolls his eyes & huffs out an exasperated flame. "He is clearly much more than that. But you must not let your infatuation--"

"My what?!?" Merlin splutters.

"-- cloud you judgement," the dragon finishes.

he's CERTAINLY NOT infatuated with that arrogant clotpole, but Merlin is still determined to find another way.

what to dooo?

& uh, there's the predicament for a fic I probably won't write ;) if you wanna write it, go for it! (just give me credit for the idea in the notes or something <3)

[trungles]

Regarding your winter romcoms: just wanted to say you have truly IMPECCABLE taste in films (which is to say that we have the *same* movie taste), and it makes me love you/your art all the more. Any other suggestions? Ultimte favorite films? Do share!

HELLO, it has been a hot dang minute since I did one of these, and I'm pretty sure this question was dropped into my inbox closer to Christmas of 2022. So. Thank you very much for your kind words, anonymous, and apologies for the very long delay!

This is a fun question, though, so I really wanted to answer it eventually. Forgive the typos, grab your popcorn and your Red Vines (the best licorice-ish candy, I WILL FIGHT YOU no I won't but I love them), and let's go through my favorite comfort-watch movies. They're mostly rom-coms and coming-of-age movies for teens.

As a general caveat, I am not a big movie person at all. I know basically nothing about film. You will find no sensitive critique or analysis here. My favorite movies are all VIBES. I'm also not a big horror/thriller/bloody violence sort of person, so I don't watch many of those, which is weird because a goodly number of my dearest friends are horror film buffs. Also, I have made it a habit, in my adulthood, to go watch movies that I wasn't allowed to watch or didn't have access to as a kid. I'm a first-and-a-half generation immigrant to the United States, so my way of getting comfortable with American culture was to sort of approximate its vibes by absorbing its popular culture almost anthropologically? So in this post I'll maybe go over why I like it, and I might mention some of the things that have not aged super well because, as I'm sure you know, every single thing ever made cannot help being a product of the time it was made. I believe in being able to watch these things critically, enjoying them as they are, understanding that everybody's mileage may vary, and that not everything I like will be for everyone. I'm mostly including this bit because it's internet and people don't always know how to simply disengage with things they don't like.

In my Winter Movie post, I recommended The Holiday, When Harry Met Sally, Single All the Way, Moonstruck, and While You Were Sleeping, so I won't go over those again. Let's kick this off with something to help manage everybody's expectations.

The McG-directed Charlie's Angels movies, 2000 and 2003. Both of them.

I actually saw the second one first. It was one of the first PG-13 movies I ever saw in theatres, and it sort of just imprinted in my psyche, I think? They're just fun. They're real fuckin' fun. Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, and Drew Barrymore have great onscreen chemistry, and the cheesy wire-fu sequences are so ham-fisted that they delight me. These movies know exactly what they are, and they're very up-front about being Movies, particularly the second one where every scene seems to have an Old Hollywood pastiche. The first one has a bit of very odd brownface moments that I did not love upon rewatch.

Singin' in the Rain, 1952

I saw this movie for the first time when I was in middle school, and I was absolutely obsessed. It was the very first time I realized that the movies had its own histories, and that there was a transition of culture when there was a change in technology. Also, I just loved watching Gene Kelly dance, for gay reasons. Plus, Rita Moreno is in it for a split second, and she's divine.

Clueless, 1995

This movie rules, I don't know what else to say. It's a fantastic Austen adaptation, and while I was too young to catch this in the 90s, it felt great catching up with this one as an adult. I think it also helped me contextualize what other kids were into in the 90s, so I retroactively feel less isolated from my peers. It's a weird sort of magic. It's also strange to me, in hindsight, that in 1995 there was an enormous hit teen movie where there is a gay character who is treated incredibly lovingly for the time? Like, no gay trauma, no homophobic bullying, no nothing. He's just there, and he gets folded into the rest of the story and remains important to the main character's life? I'd have loved that as a kid.

Shanghai Noon, 2000

The year 2000 was an incredible time for goofy action comedies, and this one was formative for me. It's extremely silly and embarrassing to admit, but this movie was the first time I learned about how Chinese railroad workers built the transcontinental railroads in the later 1800s. I first saw it as a rental from the local video store, and my parents let me watch it because my dad liked Jackie Chan movies. It's... very 2000 in its treatment of racial politics, but you could reasonably argue that not too much has changed since.

The Princess Bride, 1987

I don't need to explain this to anyone.

Four Weddings and a Funeral, 1994

God, you can see the accent on Hugh Grant's mouth. I don't know why I love this movie as much as I do. I came to it a bit later in my teen years, and I'd watch it again every few years. It's grown on me more and more as the years go on. It's the only British-American ensemble production that I really latched onto, and it's in no small part because the supporting cast is so much fun to watch.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I watch it probably three or four times a year. Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell star as two showgirls who embark on a cruise to France to work around the machinations of an old millionaire who refuses to let his son marry Monroe's character. It's got that iconic Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend number, and it has one of the best third-act thesis statement speeches I've ever heard in any era. It's a great old musical.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, 2008

This is a gem that I missed back in 2008 because I was graduating high school at the time and had other things going on (being queer at a Catholic high school in the 2000s sucked ass, btw, let this ol' geezer tell ya). Frances McDormand plays a conservative governess who can't hold down a job because she, being a preacher's daughter, is a morally upright Amelia Bedelia. Out of desperation, she scams her way into becoming the social secretary for a bubbly young actress played by Amy Adams, and they spend a wild and heartwarming day together where Frances McDormand's character navigates wartime, friendship, and romance. This is also the movie that made me develop an embarrassing crush on Lee Pace (not because Lee Pace is embarrassing, I just hate having crushes on famous actors because I know, at the end of the day, that they're just weird theatre kids who have money now). It's based on a novel written in 1938, and it's aged surprisingly well.

Sailor Moon SuperS, 1995

I borrowed the VHS for this movie from the library as often as I could in the second or third grade. It was the one movie I had memorized in my brain to the extent that I could just recite the dub to myself whenever I wanted. Plus, Chibi Moon was my favorite (do not @ me, I will fight you).

Waiting to Exhale, 1995

I don't know how I caught this one as a kid or which channel aired it, but Waiting to Exhale–starring Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon–was something I saw pieces of when I was way too young to understand any of it, and it was a joy to revisit it as an adult. I've since seen it a few times. This endlessly gif'd scene pictured above is every bit as cathartic as it looks, and the soundtrack is incredible.

The Mummy, 1999

Yeah yeah, this is an incredibly unsurprising and safe pick, but the movie is so much damn fun, and Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz have the most belligerently bisexual energy ever shared between a heterosexual pairing. I don't know how else to explain it.

Sister Act 2, 1993

I saw this one on TV a lot, and I watched it from top to bottom every single time. I don't think I've ever actually seen the first one.

Adventures in Babysitting, 1987

I found this movie incredibly delightful, and I'm pretty sure I watched it in adulthood because I was looking for this movie I'd only seen in bits and pieces on TV as a kid or something. It stars Elizabeth Shue and a very young Anthony Rapp. Plot-wise, it's very much like Lord of the Rings if Gandalf were a plucky teen girl and the hobbits were a bunch of literal children. I'm not kidding. It's also an 80s movie about a bunch of white suburbanites who have adventures in Chicago, so there are a couple cringey moments, but by the standards of its time, nothing wildly egregious. Bonus points for a surprise appearance by strapping young Vincent D'Onofrio.

Pretty in Pink, 1986, and Some Kind of Wonderful, 1987, double-feature.

I put these two together because they're the same movie, but gender-swapped. They're both written by John Hughes and directed by Howard Deutch, so they have the same very ineffectual Reagan-era flattening of class consciousness. They're about a poor girl/boy protagonist who falls in love with a rich boy/girl. The protagonist develops a richer relationship with their beleaguered father character and develop a better understanding of themselves, kind of. John Hughes teen comedy-dramas are significant, I think, because they're some of the first blockbuster teen movies that took teens and their feelings seriously, wrote from their perspectives, and courted teens as an audience (for all kinds of historical and economic reasons between the 70s and the 80s, I'm sure, but I'm no expert). They're also more watchable than some of the other John Hughes teen movies; Sixteen Candles is basically unwatchable to me.

Porco Rosso, 1992

I told myself I could only pick one Ghibli movie for this list, and this is it. Porco Rosso might be my favorite Ghibli movie, which might seem like an odd choice for me. Like a lot of millennials who were teens when Spirited Away came out, I got really into the Ghibli catalogue in the late 2000s but had seen some Ghibli movies much earlier in my life. My first was technically Grave of the Fireflies. I was eight, and came away with the notion that if I left my little brother alone, who was five at the time, the adults around us would just let him die, so I had to watch him as carefully as I could. I became an incredibly anxious and overbearing older brother very early. Next, I'd see the Buena Vista release of Kiki's Delivery service, so I have a soft spot for all the Sydney Forest pop songs they inserted in the 90s dub of that movie. By the time I watched Porco Rosso, I'd seen most of the rest of the Ghibli catalogue, but it really stood out to me. Most of Miyazaki's protagonists are girls, but this one is a kids' feature about a middle-aged man with a pig's head. In hindsight, I think I loved it because it is one of those rare children's narratives that conflates femininity with practicality and masculinity with frivolous ostentatiousness. It's worth a watch!

Say Anything... , 1989

This is one of those teen movies where they take small, mundane problems and make them enormous, which I sort of love as a storytelling tool. John Cusack plays Lloyd, a high school underachiever who falls in love with the valedictorian, and you watch him experience true internal motivation for the first time in his young life. It's very cute! I think the thing this sort of teen movie gets really right about being a teenager is you don't really have a sense of scale for your problems at that age because all your problems are just problems you're encountering for largely the first time. Ione Skye's valedictorian character experiences a pretty devastating family issue with her father, but it's flattened into the same strata as her anxiety about flying, her first breakup, and her feelings of isolation and remove from her peers. Plus Lili Taylor is in this as Lloyd's best friend character, and she's great, just like in the next movie on this list...

Mystic Pizza, 1988

I couldn't decide which gif I wanted to use for this movie, so I just picked two. It's another slice-of-life teen comedy-drama, and it's real cozy. The performances from all the young actors are fantastic. Lili Taylor, Annabeth Gish, and Julia Roberts are great in this, plus you get to see strapping young Vincent D'Onofrio again, which is a treat. He gets to do a lot more in this one. At this point it's worth noting that 80s teen movies are obsessed with romances among young people across different social strata, and true to the Reagan era, the movies like to impress upon its audiences that hating rich people is the same as hating poor people (cue heavy eyeroll). This honestly explains a lot of things to me about today's political discourses, I think.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before, 2018

I enjoyed this Netflix movie so much that I watched it 16 or 17 times in the month after its release. It's fine, I'm fine. I don't know exactly what it was. I love rom coms. I've seen a ton of high school romance movies, and this one hit me really hard for some reason.

And that's everything I could come up with off the very top of my head. I think I hit something like 20 movies up there? Whew! That's my evening, but it was the only thing I could focus on for more than an hour at a time today.