#actually what else i need recommendations

[mylovesstuffs]

Little Hands, Big Hearts — Lee Seokmin

Genre: Non-idol au-ish, babysitter au and rom-com

Pairing: Seokmin × fem!reader

Content: Friends-to-lovers (?), babysitter & hot uncle, found family, single parent vibes (but he’s actually just an uncle), mutual pining, jealousy but cute, domestic fluff, protective love interest, small Joshua cameo (no dialogue), idol life elements (seokmin’s busy schedules), “i want to be someone important to you” confession

Word count: 2140 words

A/N: I actually had something else planned for his birthday, something much longer and (hopefully) better but Tumblr decided to be a piece of shit, and I physically cannot format it all in one sitting without losing my mind. So maybe next month (or the month after, knowing my luck). Anyway, when I realized mere hours before Dokyeom’s birthday, mind you—that my original post wasn’t happening, I had to speed-write this incredibly cliché thing instead. Am I satisfied with it? Absolutely not. Are we running with it anyway? Absolutely yes.

Huge, massive, life-saving thanks to @gyubakeries !!! I swear you are the only reason this got beta-ed last minute. I hope your pillows stay cold on both sides forever, your WiFi never betrays you, and you obliterate your exams. Ilysm, truly. I was fighting for my life with this schedule, and then Tumblr came in and delivered the final boss battle. But anyway happy belated birthday, DK! May your high notes always soar, your jokes always land, and your days be filled with nothing but love and warmth. Love you endlessly, you absolute gem of a human being! 💛🎉 And sorry in advance for whatever this is.

Babysitting wasn’t exactly the most glamorous job in the world but it paid the bills. Plus, you genuinely enjoyed spending time with kids. That’s why, when your friend recommended you to a new client who needed an occasional babysitter for his niece, you said yes without hesitation.

What you didn’t expect was that the ‘uncle’ you’d be working for was Lee Seokmin, the bright, cheerful vocalist of SEVENTEEN.

The first time you met him, he nearly tripped over the couch trying to grab his niece’s stuffed bunny before she could burst into tears. His energy was exactly what you imagined from someone who spent most of his time performing on stage.

“Hi! I’m Dokyeom,” he said, flashing a beaming smile that was so radiant it could rival the sun. “Thank you so much for helping out. I’d do it myself, but—”

“—You have a busy idol schedule,” you finished for him.

He blinked. “Yeah…exactly.”

His niece, Hana, was an absolute angel. She had his same bright smile and she grew fond of you immediately. You spent the next few weeks looking after her whenever Seokmin was busy with schedules and little by little, you saw different sides of him.

He wasn’t just the loud, happy-go-lucky guy everyone knew. He was also a doting uncle who could lull Hana to sleep with soft hums of ‘Circles’, and a surprisingly good cook when he had the time.

One night after a particularly long day, Seokmin returned home just as you were tidying up Hana’s toys. He let out an exaggerated sigh and collapsed onto the couch, covering his face with a pillow.

“Long day?”

“You have no idea,” he groaned, voice muffled. “But I kept thinking about Hana and—” He hesitated. “—and wondering if she gave you a hard time.”

You smiled. “She was great, as always. Though, she did insist I tell her a bedtime story about ‘Uncle Min and the Princess.’”

Seokmin peeked out from behind the pillow, eyes twinkling with interest. “Oh? And what happened in this story?”

You shrugged, playing along. “Well, Uncle Min was a very silly prince who made the princess laugh all the time.”

“Sounds accurate.”

“But then he got lost in a giant castle of laundry and the princess had to help him find his way out.”

Seokmin laughed, sitting up. “Okay, that part is true. My laundry pile is terrifying.”

The conversation melted into comfortable silence, the only sound being the soft breathing of Hana sleeping in the other room. After a moment, Seokmin glanced at you with a thoughtful look on his face.

“You’re really good with her,” he said softly. “I—uh, I really appreciate you.”

You felt warmth creep up your neck. “It’s my job.”

“I know, but…I think Hana really loves you.” He smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. “And I can see why.”

Your heart did a tiny flip at the way he looked at you, gentle and sincere. You quickly busied yourself with putting away the last of Hana’s toys, hoping he wouldn’t notice the way your face heated up.

Maybe Hana wasn’t the only one growing attached.

The weeks turned into months and before you knew it, babysitting Hana had become a regular part of your life and so had Seokmin.

You didn’t realize when the small moments started meaning more, when you started looking forward to his late-night returns just to chat about your day or when you found yourself laughing a little too much at his terrible dad jokes. Seokmin was always there. Bringing you snacks before he left for work. Texting to ask if Hana was behaving. Staying up an extra ten minutes just to keep you company before you left for the night. It was easy. It was natural. It was dangerous.

Because one evening after you put Hana to bed, Seokmin walked you to the door like he always did but this time, he hesitated.

“I, uh…I have a day off tomorrow,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hana’s been asking to go to the park and I figured…maybe you could come too?”

You blinked. “You want me to come? You don’t need a babysitter tomorrow.”

“I know,” he said, smiling sheepishly. “But I thought it’d be fun if we all hung out together. Y’know, as…friends.”

Friends. Right.

You ignored the way your heart did a stupid little flip and nodded. “Okay. That sounds fun.”

-

“Push me, push me!” she squealed.

You laughed, helping her up. “Okay, okay! But what about Uncle Min?”

Hana turned to Seokmin and pouted. “Uncle Min is too slow!”

Seokmin gasped-pouted. “Betrayal! How could you?”

Hana just giggled and you couldn’t help but shake your head. “She’s not wrong, though.”

Seokmin narrowed his eyes at you. “Oh, you’re in trouble now.”

Before you could react, he scooped you up, yes, actually lifted you off the ground and spun you in a circle.

You shrieked. “SEOKMIN! PUT ME DOWN!”

“Nope! You insulted my speed, now you must pay the price!”

Hana clapped her hands, cheering. “Again! Again!”

When he finally set you down, you were breathless from both laughter and the way his arms had felt way too strong around you. It was hot.

"You’re absolutely something else,” you muttered, smoothing your clothes.

Seokmin just grinned, completely unfazed.

The day continued with moments like that, Seokmin challenging you to silly races, losing horribly at rock-paper-scissors to Hana, and stealing your ice cream just to see you pout and somewhere in between all the teasing, the laughter, and the stolen glances, you felt something change. Maybe it was when Hana fell asleep in your lap during lunch and Seokmin just sat there watching with a soft unreadable expression. Or maybe it was when he gently tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and said, ‘You’re really amazing with her. She adores you.’

Maybe it was just him.

And you were starting to fall.

You should have known that nothing could stay simple when Lee Seokmin was involved. Seokmin wasn’t just ‘Hana’s uncle’ anymore. He wasn’t just the funny, sunshine-filled idol who stumbled into fatherly duties with zero experience but a whole lot of love. He was…Seokmin. Your Seokmin. (Not that he actually was. But he could be. If only you were brave enough to admit what you were feeling.)

One evening after another long day of babysitting, you found yourself lingering. You weren’t sure why, because Seokmin had already come home, Hana was fast asleep, and yet…you just didn’t want to leave yet.

Seokmin sat on the couch, running a tired hand through his hair. He looked exhausted—schedules had been brutal lately but when he saw you standing awkwardly near the door, he smiled anyway.

“Leaving?” he asked, voice soft as usual.

“I…should,” you said, shifting on your feet but you didn’t move.

Seokmin noticed. Instead of saying anything, he patted the empty space next to him, an invitation. You hesitated for about three seconds before giving in.

As soon as you sat down, Seokmin sighed and leaned his head against your shoulder. Your heart nearly stopped.

“Just for a second,” he murmured, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. “I’m too tired to sit up straight.”

You should have told him to sit properly. You should have shoved him off before you lost your mind. Instead, you sat there frozen, too aware of his warmth, his scent, the soft rise and fall of his breathing.

“Hey.”

You hummed in response, too scared to actually speak.

“I was thinking,” Seokmin said, voice still quiet, still sleepy. “I like spending time with you. A lot.”

Your breath hitched.

“You’re great with Hana,” he continued, eyes still closed. “And I always feel better when you’re around.” He suddenly sat up and faced you, his expression unreadable. “And…I think—” He swallowed. “I think I—”

BANG.

A loud noise from Hana’s room made both of you jump apart.

Seokmin was on his feet instantly. “Hana?”

The moment was gone.

He rushed to check on his niece, leaving you sitting there, heart pounding, mind racing, stomach doing cartwheels. What had he been about to say? And why were you so scared to find out?

A few days later, you were out shopping when you ran into your ex. It wasn’t a big deal. Really, it wasn’t.

He was just some guy called Joshua from years ago and the relationship had ended on neutral terms. He saw you, waved, and you exchanged some small talk before parting ways. Simple. Harmless. Totally normal. But when you got back to Seokmin’s apartment, you knew something was off. He was acting weird. Not his usual ‘I just tripped over air’ weird. Weirder. Quieter. Sulkier.

And then as you were helping Hana with her drawing, he suddenly blurted out, “Who was that guy?”

“What?” You blinked animatedly.

“At the mall,” he said, not looking at you. “I saw you talking to some guy.”

Oh. “An ex,” you said simply. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

Seokmin nodded slowly, lips pressed together. “You seemed happy talking to him.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Are you…jealous?”

“Me? Pfft. No.” He scoffed, crossing his arms. “Why would I be jealous? I mean, we’re just—you’re just—”

You waited. He struggled.

Finally, he groaned, rubbing his face. “Okay. Maybe I’m a little jealous.”

Your heart did a very unhelpful little flip.

Seokmin exhaled and looked at you. “I don’t want to be just ‘Hana’s uncle’ to you,” his breath caught. “I want to be someone important to you,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “The way you’re important to me.”

Silence. Your brain screamed at you to say anything but before you could, a tiny voice interrupted.

“Uncle Min,” Hana said, tugging his sleeve. “Stop making her sad.”

Both of you turned to her.

Seokmin paled. “I—I made her sad?”

Hana pouted. “She looks like she wants to cry.”

You did, honestly. But not for the reason she thought. Because finally, finally, you had your answer.

You swallowed hard and forced a smile, ruffling Hana’s hair to distract yourself. “I’m not sad, sweetheart. Your uncle just…surprised me.”

Hana looked between the two of you with that suspicious little squint of hers. Then she sighed dramatically, shaking her head. “Grown-ups are weird,” she muttered before skipping off to continue coloring.

Seokmin chuckled but when his gaze returned to you. “Hey,” he said. “Are you okay?”

You let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding. “Yeah. Just…processing.”

Seokmin nodded slowly. “Take your time.”

And just like that, he gave you an out. No pressure. No expectations. Just him, waiting, hoping. Maybe that was what made you nervous the most.

-

A week passed and things were almost normal again. Except now, you were hyper-aware of everything Seokmin did. It was getting too much so when Zhang, one of your childhood friends, texted you out of the blue asking to catch up over coffee, you jumped at the chance. It was not a date and you made that very clear. But Seokmin didn’t get the memo.

When he saw you getting ready, actually putting in effort, wearing something cute, doing your hair, he panicked.

“Where are you going?” he asked, pretending to be casual about it.

You glanced at him. “Just meeting a friend for coffee.”

Seokmin squinted. “A friend?”

“Yeah.”

“A male friend?”

You smirked. “Why does that matter?”

“It doesn’t,” he said too quickly.

You bit back a laugh. “Seokmin. Are you jealous again?”

“No.” He crossed his arms. “I just…I just think you should be careful! What if this guy has bad intentions? What if he—”

“Zhang is married,” you interrupted, amused. “To a man.”

“Oh.”

You grinned. “Were you about to ask me not to go?”

He opened his mouth, closed it, then groaned, rubbing his face. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.” You patted his cheek. Big mistake.

Because the second your fingers touched his skin, he grabbed your wrist, holding you in place. Your breath hitched. For a moment, neither of you moved. Neither of you breathed. Then, softly, so softly you almost missed it, Seokmin said, “If I asked you out, would you say yes?”

Your heart literally stopped.

He was still holding your wrist, thumb brushing absentmindedly against your pulse. If he could feel how fast it was beating, he wouldn't have to ask anything.

Slowly, you met his gaze. “Would you actually ask?”

He didn't say anything at first but responded a few seconds later, “Maybe.” His lips twitched. “Depends on if you’d say yes.”

You exhaled a laugh, shaking your head. “You’re so dumb.”

“And you still haven’t answered.”

You rolled your eyes but your smile gave you away. “Yeah, idiot. I’d say yes.”

Seokmin beamed. “Cool, cool. So, uh…” He cleared his throat. “Wanna go on a date tomorrow?”

You grinned. “Yeah. I do.”

⌦ 🌻 © mylovesstuffs | est. 2025. thank you for reading—your reblog means everything. until we meet again, stay cozy and keep dreaming! ◜ᴗ◝

[certifiedcodbabygirl]

Let's Get Physical pt. 3

pt.2

Author's note: Hate to do this to you guys but it's angst time :P Sorry this was late as hell, my mom had surgery and I've been taking care of her. I recommend listening to Taste by Sabrina Carpenter while reading this

It's Thursday, a few days after you and Soap had set up a date for the following Saturday, but it feels like 2 months later. The days drag by with no clear end in sight. Soap had barely texted you since that night, yet neither have you. The nerves twisting your stomach left no room for attention towards your classes. You'd completely spaced out during your math class, and your physics class, and the rest of them, but who's keeping track?

By Thursday, you were already ridiculously far behind in your physics class. Your teacher would never give an extension, unless you were literally in a hospital, and you needed to get them done asap. Where did that take you? Back to your personal tutor.

Flopping onto your bed in your dorm, you whipped out your phone, a small smile on your face at the excuse to meet with Soap.

Heyyy

It doesn't even take a minute before he responds

Hey hen

What're you up to?

Nothing at the moment, why?

Any way we could meet up later? I'm behind on my assignments and could use your help😓

Seen 1 min ago

Seen 2 mins ago

Seen 10 mins ago

Nerves set in. Did you say something wrong? No, what's wrong with wanting to see him again? Him helping with your homework was how this all started, why stop? He even asked you out-

Oh shit. You finished his sentence for him, maybe you read into it wrong? Maybe he wanted to just hang out as friends, and you assumed it was a date. OUT. LOUD. Fuck, and he went along with it to not make it awkward, didn't he? No, just trust for once.

It's another 30 minutes before you give in and decide to text him again.

If not it's okay, just could use your help, if you aren't busy :)

Sent 2 mins ago

Seen just now

Typing...

I'm meeting with a client in a bit, but we can get a hotel after if you want

Your stomach drops to the bottom of your feet.

Oh.

Right.

Why would you forget about that? Of course he was still going to do his job, you weren't special enough to make him stop, even if he saw you as more than a friend. You signed up for this, so swallow the lump in your throat and don't cry.

Oh right, haha. Yeah we can do that :)

You played it off, right? You can do this. You can see him, hug him, while he still smells like another woman. Could you kiss him, knowing he had another woman on his mouth? God, should you do this?

Seen just now

Seen 1 min ago

Seen 5 mins ago

It's not like you're dating. Were you? You had one set up, but it hadn't happened yet. Were you jumping ahead of yourself? What did you actually feel for him? When he tutored you, you couldn't help the lingering looks you'd give him when he turned to grab something, or how your skin would heat up when he'd squeeze your shoulder and tell you how good you're doing.

God knows how many times you had touched yourself to the thought of him kissing down your body.

Was it worth it? He's so gentle with you, your mind and body reacting to him in a way no one else had managed to make you, but he would never fully be yours. He'd realize eventually there was no true reason for you to be around, and that he could get everything he wanted from the women who pay him, right?

On his end, he was dreading the coming evening. Bianca had payed double than last time, and he needed to pay for a leak in the piping of his sink. Not left with much choice, he accepted. God, he did not want to do this. Taking clients began to feel empty once he got to know you. You payed attention to him, and not just his dick. All he wanted to do right now was hold you and watch a movie, despite not knowing what that felt like with you.

It wasn't something he entirely enjoyed, being a hooker. After a while, his dick became desensitized, and he found it a little harder to be in the moment. Yet, unless he wanted to be eating ramen and tatties for every meal, he didn't really have another option. If he had a documented job, he'd lose his disability check.

So here he was, at a hotel, waiting for her. He dressed in black slacks with a white dress shirt, the first few buttons loose. He had popped a viagra, already knowing that it was gonna be near impossible to get hard with her behavior. When she opened the door with a drawn out, high pitched,

"Heyyy"

He exhaled and gave a fake, yet convincing, smile and prepared for what'd to come. Hopefully he'd be able to just bend her over, so he doesn't have to look in her eyes, pillow shoved in her face so he can barely hear her and just pretend she's you.

This was going to be a long night, but at least you were at the end of it.

[drdemonprince]

Can I have some insane FIREy money saving tips pls?

I am so sorry but it is a common misconception of FIRE to think that it's about saving (and especially about ridiculous degrees of purtianical cost-cutting and self-denial). The reason that Mr Money Mustache was able to retire at 30 was because he was making early 2000's tech industry money that he could live on so easily he put fully 50% of his income into a retirement account. He did spend a lot less than his professional peers by not leasing ridiculously expensive cars, living in a modestly sized home in a cheap and walkable area, and not engaging in the rampant lifestyle inflation that is typical for that industry, but half of his advice (like "dont buy professional cleaning products, just use vinegar" and "don't get health insurance just be active") either wouldn't amount to a drop in the bucket for the average person, or isn't feasible unless you're super privileged and lucky.

now all that SAID, there are useful lessons to be gleaned from the r/leanfire world that apply to more people's situations. The biggest determinants of a person's ability to save are their housing and transportation; the most effective ways to cut one's expenses are to move to a far cheaper area (or into a cheaper housing situation, such as with roommates or van life or something), and to stop driving and instead use a bike or public transit. that CAN make a huge difference of anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars a month. anything else you can do to reduce spending on beyond that is less substantial and less controllable, but there are things one can do -- things you have probably thought of, like ending subscription payments (just pirate all your media), cooking at home, and not throwing money away on expenses that are hefty but highly socially normalized (if you're in a subculture where it is common to fly across the country for lots of friends' weddings and spend lots of money on their gifts, for example, eschewing that).

The majority of people interested in FIRE here on this blog? are people who need a lot more time to themselves and a whole lot more flexibility because they are disabled, and they're not making a ton of money. they're probably also not wasting a ton of money either -- bc they're broke. of course i could recommend things that are probably obvious like buying used phones instead of leasing them from cell phone providers, pirating media instead of paying for it, going to the gym at the park district building instead of a fancy private one -- but i think most people already know all of that and are doing their damndest.

the other side of the equation of course is to boost income -- doing freelancing or switching industries or things like that. but it's something i am also hesitant to recommend bc i dont want people burning out like i did, and it's not feasible for most of us.

personally i think the most useful part of the FIRE movement for the majority of us is advice about how to invest effectively, how to avoid getting screwed, and an affirmation that living very cheaply and independently of an employer IS possible. but it gets harder the more reliant you are upon a car, the more expensive the city is that you're living in, and if you have kids. hell, MMM even tells people that getting pets is a waste. that's just the kind of autism he has.

Again, r/leanfire is the best for practical tips and tools that will actually fit your life if youre like most of us here on this blog -- but if this is a topic you already think about a fair amount you're probably doing most of what you can already, and maybe even worrying about small expenses far too much. the whole point of FIREing is so you arent miserable. so like, dont cut out expenses that make your life more bearable. this isnt (or shouldnt be) some advocado toast shaming kinda stuff you know what i mean.

[thezombieprostitute]

Tech Tuesday: Mike

Summary: A new intern is assigned to your department.

A/N: Mike is from Hellraiser: Hellworld. If you need an idea as to what his character is like, I highly recommend this gif set.

Warnings: Age gap (Reader is 10+years older than Mike). Power imbalance.

Previous

Tech Tuesday Masterlist

As soon as you're out of the meeting, you're looking for some aspirin. The monthly managers meeting was always a real pain in the ass. It's become a little less hostile since Lloyd must have found himself a new toy to play with, but he's still Lloyd. To his credit, he can be pretty damn creative at insulting people without getting in trouble with HR. But it's still over an hour with a bunch of people arguing over resources and timelines and other boring things. All you can do is take your notes, go to bat for your team, and chug your coffee.

On your way to your office, where you know you have some Excedrin, you detour through the break room and get yourself something sweet from the vending machines. You know you should watch your blood sugar or whatever, but meeting days are always rough and you deserve that boston cream snack pie with a side of coffee.

Finally at your desk you let yourself take some deep breaths before reaching for the Excedrin. A couple of pills, some coffee and follow it up with a bite of the calorie bomb, sugar dense, definitely-bad-for-you creamy treat. You let out a soft moan and relax into your chair.

Until a second later when there's a loud knock on your door followed by Mike walking in, "hey Boss Lady, you got a minute?"

You rush to swallow the bite in your mouth and chug some more coffee to help it down but wind up choking a bit in the process.

"Oh, shit! I'm so sorry!" Mike exclaims running behind your desk to start smacking your back, likely thinking there's something stuck in your throat. You try to wave him away and while he does stop hitting you, he stays nearby, his eyes wide with worry. He's shaking so much you'd laugh if you could catch your breath.

When you finally regain your composure, you let out a breath and gesture for Mike to sit. He does so hesitantly.

"You're sure you're okay?"

"I am," you nod with a smile. "You'd think, at my age, I'd be past making a fool of myself but, let's face it, there's no age limit on that." He smiles back at you. "Now, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Oh, right!" His eyes go wide and he grabs his notebook. You've noticed he's always carrying one ever since your talk about taking notes. "So, I've got some preliminary things figured out, some user design basics, but I was wondering if I could spend some time with Steve and Bucky in the IT department? They work on accessibility stuff and I'd like to incorporate some of those."

"What kind of features are you thinking?"

"Well, no one in the department's mentioned it, but I'd like to include some features for like, colorblindness. I'm hoping to learn a bit about adding things like that. Just in case someone is colorblind but maybe doesn't know it, or it's mild but still annoying?"

"Alright, I'll talk to Jonathan about getting you some time with them," you say as you write yourself a note. "I make no promises, of course."

"Of course," he smiles. You swear if you were just 10 years younger you'd be swooning over his boyish charm.

"Anything else?"

Mike looks over his notes, "um...I know there was something. No. Wrong page. Ah! There it is!" You fight the urge to chuckle as he rereads his notes. "Right, so there are some tables that seem to have different names depending on who you're talking to. And none of them seem to be the tables' actual names! What should I do?"

"How about you bring that up at the next meeting? Do a little demonstration showing everyone that these different names apply to the same table and we can see about a vote or a naming compromise for the interface."

Mike writes down everything you say and you give a genuine smile. Not a lot of interns would take advice so easily. That first meeting really must have melted his brain.

As you're making a note to yourself to add Mike to the next meeting agenda you notice he's looking uncomfortable.

"Are you okay, Mike?"

"I just...um...How do I put this?" he mumbles as he runs his hand through his hair. "My parents are going to be in town next week for, um, Parents' Weekend at the college. They, um, they'd like to meet you." Your eyebrows raise at that and he's quick to put up both of his hands, " you don't have to, of course! I'll absolutely understand if you'd rather not! They just...they want to see where I'm working."

"If you can give me more details on a day and time I'll see what I can do," you promise. "It's not every day we get an Intern's parents visiting, but I'm sure Jonathan would be happy to help make it happen."

"You really don't have to." Mike almost sounds disappointed.

"Would you like me to say it can't happen?" He hesitates at that. "Do you need me to be the bad guy for you?" His face drops but you swear you see his cheeks turn a little pink when you say that. "Look, family can be very complicated. You will receive no judgment from me if you'd rather your parents didn't know about your work place, okay?"

"Thank you," he murmurs.

"And I promise, no follow up questions on the family."

He relaxes at that. "Thank you so much, Boss!"

You give a soft chuckle instead of asking him not to call you that. It's clearly something he'll never listen to you about. And, to be honest, you don't mind it so much.

"So, if your family asks, you can tell them we simply don't do tours for family members. They can visit the building, but they're not allowed past the lobby."

His smile grows and he gets animated again. "Thank you, so very much!" His smile drops as he remembers something. "Oh! Also, I'm gonna need next week off from work for their visit."

You make a note, "shouldn't be a problem. I'll push your agenda item to the meeting in two weeks instead of next week's."

"Thanks, Boss! You're the best!"

He practically jumps out of his chair and runs out of your office leaving you smiling, shaking your head and wondering if you ever had that level of energy.

Next

Tech Tuesday Masterlist

Tagging: @alicedopey; @delicatebarness; @ellethespaceunicorn; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @irishhappiness; @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory; @kingliam2019; @kmc1989; @late-to-the-party-81; @lokislady82; @ozwriterchick; @ronearoundblindly; @thecrandle

[redcamellia13]

Mitsukou Analysis: Nightlife Arc

I have to be honest, I didn’t think I would get this far. I thought I would give up in the middle of these analyses, and I would be saved from making this one, but alas, here we are.

(Who am I kidding, chapter 120’s gonna be so. Much. Worse.)

This isn’t quite as important as the other events that happen in this arc, but it’s still of note how our Mitsuba becomes a smiling little angel over here, and this is Kou’s actual response: “……welp.

I don’t… why would you do that? He didn’t even answer the question! If Nene asked him that, he would probably grin and go, “yeah! :D”.

This is kind of a crack theory, however, this panel ties in ever so slightly.

Have you ever read KotLC? Not a lot of people in the TBHk fandom do, but one of the concepts in the novels is people have “heart emotions” and “head emotions”, which are two completely different things.

I believe Kou think he likes Nene, which he doesn’t, that’s simply a result of Nene being somewhat close to his type and the only girl he interacts with on a daily basis, and his mind is molding that into making him believe he likes Nene. (Kou’s head feelings).

Because of numerous circumstances, like Mitsuba being supernatural, a boy, and a wee bit of a b*tch towards Kou, Kou believes his relationship with him is somewhere between annoying kid that lives across the street, and best friend. (Also his head feelings).

But deep, deep down, in the place where his brain cannot influence his feelings into something safer, Kou has a serious crush on this boy- and The Look TM we see in these panels might signify a bit of that crush influencing his decisions. (Heart feelings.)

I dunno, but the moment I picked up TBHk, that is what I immediately thought of. By the way, please read KotLC. I started when I was in 1st grade, and it was so. Dang. Good. Changed my life, highly recommend, and kick started my reading obsession.

Basically, what’s happening in this page is Mitsuba is telling Kou he wants to die, and when Kou is understandably like, “w-wait. What? You wanna die?” Mitsuba kinda just brushes it off.

Why? I don’t have an exact answer (quite a common theme in these analyses) but we can rule a few things out right off the bat.

He’s not trying to ease Kou’s mind, or protect him from the truth since in Sacrifice of the Grim Reaper, Mitsuba actually became mad a Kou for attempting to do the same to him.

Maybe Mitsuba’s the type to always have an exit plan, and always has one foot out the door? But that seems more like an Aoi thing than anything else…

Ah yes, I was wondering when Kou’s savior complex would rear its ugly head once more.

Mitsuba is telling Kou Tsukasa is the only one who can put him back together, and procure him the supernatural hearts he needs to survive.

Obviously, Kou is not happy about this, since he wants Mitsuba to rely on him and only him, exemplified by his desires in the Red House.

So what does he do next? Make it blatantly clear he can do exactly the same thing as Tsukasa.

Kou is attempting to *checks notes* shove a “disgusting looking thing” down Mitsuba’s gullet. How lovely.

What this means for Kou’s psychology, and what he is trying to say through this, consciously or unconsciously, boils down to: “I can get you the same things as he can.”

Many people are using this scene as an example of Mitsukou’s toxicity, which is ridiculous, and I shouldn’t even have to defend/ explain this.

Yes, Kou is force feeding Mitsuba, and yes, it is without Mitsuba’s consent. We even see him protesting, telling Kou he said no.

This is the primary argument used by the aforementioned people, but what they fail to mention is Mitsuba would literally die if he stopped eating. This is not Kou being abusive, this is Kou saving his best friend’s life.

Wow. I can’t decide if Kou being furious came completely out of left field considering his personality or if I saw this coming from a mile away.

I also can’t decide whether it’s understandable why he’s so angry, or if Kou’s being unnecessarily aggressive.

On one hand, your friend is being a spoilt little baby and not eating. On the other, did you even try to convince him to eat it? Not really… he just kinda popped in with a corpse, gouged out the heart and stuck it in his face.

Kou is also this angry since he’s still dealing with the fact Mitsuba relies on Tsukasa now, not just him, and he’s taking it out on Mitsuba.

This signifies how Kou sometimes gets tunnel vision when it comes to Mitsuba, a bit like how Hanako gets tunnel vision when it comes to Nene’s lifespan- although in Kou’s case it isn’t quite so dramatic or common

(Not listening to Mitsuba in order to keep him from worrying too much in the Sacrifice of the Grim Realer Arc would be another example).

Wow, I didn’t think he would actually go and say it! He’s spilling his guts out to Mitsuba right here, and all three of the things he says are an integral part of his character.

I don’t think he has ever confessed this to any character. This is kind of a big deal, actually.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I’m… gonna have to stop here for now. My fingers physically hurt, and the word Mitsukou doesn’t have meaning in my mind anymore. I’ll close out the arc by next Monday.

[itsagrimm]

action movies with little to no romance and supportive friendships between men and women will forever be the most supreme entertainment

[rocketbirdie]

i feel like i failed you.

[herheartdisplayed]

Am I the only young person that feels completely out of touch from all types of media, and just pop culture in general? Like someone will reference an insanely popular band, and I won’t know the band by name, only by their songs. 😭 Or someone will mention a celebrity that has been really popular for 10+ years, and I won’t be able to recognize them by their face, I’m just familiar with the names. I’m on social media a ton, but still don’t know who 8/10th of the popular influencers currently are, and I hardly watch movies, read books, or watch tv shows. Like I’m completely a blank slate, it’s insane, lol.

Does anyone have any book, music, tv show, or movie recs?

[laurellala-comics]

there are two wolves inside of you. One of them is fretting that you went through all the effort of making a new art account just to pigeonhole yourself once more into a specific fandom, which holds you back from exploring original art concepts that you care about. The other one came up with three separate ace attorney comic ideas in the last hour alone and isn't stopping anytime soon

[donaviolet]

HAD TO draw my lil oc guy as the New Normal Album Cover (as much as he doesn't look normal in the slightest this whole album is literally him, trust me)

I am extremely normal about both of these men and I definitively do not listen to Will Wood every single day of my life

[sciderman]

I would say you’re more of a Mr peanut butter type yeah

doggy doggy what now?

[hopeinthebox]

tagged by the gorgeous and fabulous @cordiallyfuturedwight and @aprylynn for february's roundup:

tagging the usual music favs: @jiminsproof @thvinyl @jimin-gaon @visionsofgideontheninth @spicyclematis @kimchokejin @jihopesjoint @monismochi plus @kimtaegis for the amy macdonald of it all 💜 and also you, dear reader. MWAH

[royalreef]

which music from any videogame or movie soundtrack better fit your muse?

NOTE: if they have a canon theme, don't use that one!!!

(( You know, I was going to answer this agonizing over how much trouble the question gives me, namely because I seldom play or watch anything with a soundtrack that I could even associate with Miranda, and of those that I do, it's due to already being fish-themed ( Blue Planet, Chased by Sea Monsters, Dredge, Endless Ocean, etc ). But then I realized I have been using a song from a movie soundtrack as a defacto theme for her this entire time.

Anyhow. Final Parade from The House, my beloved.

[backpackingspace]

Hey this just in? Ptsd sucks balls

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

lonan and harrison fanfic where all they do is watch movies & throw popcorn at each other

[ifyourereadingthisblinktwice]

i need to stop forgetting things exist the fucking second they leave my field of vision. why is is impossible for two things to occupy my mind at once especially when im tired. like. i feel like a sim. i feel like actions are being canceled and i just. move on. and completely forget what i was doing moments before. i fucking hate it