#also i completed the 100 baby challenge like two years ago it was so fun

[asclexe]

sims 4 relapse :( i love playing god im so ruler of everything

im playing the not so berry challenge on gen 6 mostly, (hi lilsimsie), a legacy challenge on gen 1, and i build a lot.

i only need to max the criminal career before i can move onto gen 7 :3 my orange heir is clementine she’s a cunty little bitch and i love her.

my nsb heir is lotus he’s a socially anxious aromantic little boy failure. he’s a teen rn but im waiting until my orange heir maxes the criminal career so he can run away. he’s already written like 3 books.

my legacy challenge is a work in progress, gen 2 heir is a teen rn. i mostly play nsb though.

i lovee the sims bro..so many good times. i’m in the simsie discord server and im sprout (old online alias) if you know me :3

[rainbowcarousels]

Three years ago, I did a AGSZC post about how they love or at least lust and I thought I would bring it back and see what's different.

Genesis

Pansexual as fuck. Likes the wine, not the label. Also more of a casual fucker than anyone else because sex can just be something fun to do and sometimes variety of the spice of life. He is also the spice of life, so it works well.

Love language is touch so he is absolutely the person who does random touches throughout the day, from reaching over to push back hairs to 'accidental' hand brushing, he's like a cat who doesn't want you to know they want your attention while simultaneously pushing you to give them the attention.

I think a lot of people think he's fussy but he's not, he's just big on body reclaimation especially after degradation. Being able to shift his look, to feel a little softer in his own space, it's an important part of why Shinra has never been the be all entity for him. As such, I think he pushes for the same for people he loves as part of that sense of love because he values that independence and self expression. He likes to bring a little chaos and impulse to things so he likes to push and challenge, especially in bed.

Highest sex drive of the lot of them, but is also probably the person most versed in his own body too because he both took the time to figure out what he liked. Also his skills really translate well to sex. He's a mage so he's good with his hands and his dexterity, he's learned to roll his tongue to do more than recite the plays inspired by LOVELESS and he feeds off of reactions then responds in kind.

Possessive as all hell, he likes to see his handiwork in all manner of places. He's a biter, he's a scratcher and he will write on them with anything to hand. There has definitely been some knifeplay with that writing.

While he can seperate sex and love, when the two mix is generally when he's in his element. Whether that's the kind of puppy love he has with Angeal, the demanding ferocity of Sephiroth, the casual enthusiasm of Zack or the intense connection of Cloud, it's a different experience for him and he never treats anyone exactly the same. He would 100% have a good time with Tifa and the sheer power of that woman but if we go JBSWM-verse, baby sister called dibs and being violently possessive of loved ones seems to be a family trait.

Sephiroth

Has a tendency to think practically about sex as a biological thing, right up to the point he can push out of that mindset and then, it's all pure desire and instinct. Everything becomes want and need very quickly once he's made up his mind and then he's just all about completely enveloping the other person into himself. There is a reason he wants everyone to be inside him canonly, okay? It's just some misplaced kink.

Generally a little touch starved when he was younger so he's very touch focused as an adult. Like there is a reason he likes nails down his back or bites or anything that really gets under his skin and takes a while to leave. It's this evidence of something important.

For someone who has largely used his body as a weapon to inflict violence, also really into wringing out the most pleasure that he can. Once someone is below those barriers, I think he has a lot of fun getting genuine responses from people. The kind of things that they may not notice in themselves but he files away as part of something they like. Even with himself, I think he notes things like how he's all about how different things feel.

Absolute bastard too, total tease when he's being controlling and thus when those tables get turned and he chooses to give that up, it's always about getting pushed to his limits. That's why it's always with someone he loves and trusts enough to do that - he may not have a choice in how his body was/is used in some ways but in the ways that matter to him, he is very particular about who he lets near him and how much he'll trust them. I think this is the core of Genesis's desire to get a very vocal response some day, he wants to try and wipe the restraints of this away and get him swallowed up in the moment while being swallowed down.

Way more tentative about being the instigator, but again, I think that's just because he's so much in the spotlight that so little of his life is his that he's obscenely possessive of what he has and the public do not deserve to intrude on it.

Least straight of the bunch. There's only one pussy that ends up in his bed and it's him. (Sephiroth as cat jokes will never get old and I will not apologise for them.)

Angeal

Surprisingly, I think he's the one who has the most sharing when we're doing things on the poly side. I don't think it's so much possessiveness as he has a very traditional idea of what a love story is and can't always seperate himself from the idea that love is about being someone else's everything and that makes it harder with multiple people involved. He might advocate sharing but he's not always a big fan of it, so he does like a lot of one-on-one time to try and sate that feeling.

I also think comparatively, Angeal's the most 'straight' of the bunch. Genesis slipped under the wire because he's 100% demi and that connection means that what parts he had wasn't really a deal breaker and Sephiroth got in under the 'Sephiroth defies categorisation' rule. If you want to extend that to Zack, he comes under Genesis any twenty minutes you let them be bored alone together as another person where it's how he knows him and if you want to add in Cloud, well, he does like the spitfires, doesn't he? I think baby Genesis made an impression.

Care as a love language. Absolutely loves to feel needed, to take care of who he's with even if he can roast them during doing so. It's about giving them food, making them comfortable and pushing out of his comfort zone when he can because he does love them. He likes to make love more than fuck, I'm not even sure he knows how to just fuck. The two things are so linked for him.

Does enjoy the commander role in bed, which is pretty funny when he's with people who outrank or are the same rank as him. I think he enjoys the idea of just getting under their skin enough to let them relax and he can just take care of everything - but not right away, this is someone who screams edger to me both for himself as a sense of denial and for whoever he's with.

Rarely has anal sex. Not because of a lack of enjoyment, it's just that - as I think I wrote somewhere before - it's not just his wallet that's tight. He has trouble relaxing into it and I think it takes a lot longer and they just don't really have the time. He does however have large fingers and knows how to use them. I like to think this came from Genesis being ready to be sexually active before he was so he got a lot of practice in doing other intimate things before he was ready for that.

Zack

Pure energy and enthusiasm, Zack is just someone who's up to try anything and roll with it. I don't think he always likes everything but he's maybe the most open minded of the lot and loves trying new experiences. I don't think he takes sex particularly seriously often, it's something fun, it's a great release of endorphins and as such, I think he can dial down the intensity best and just be funny and silly with it.

100% has no preference between genders, he is an equal opportunity guy and if you ask, he might say yes regardless. I think he and Genesis are the most likely people to have fucked someone else they work with and still get on okay with them. I think he's just trying to get the most of his experiences without labelling them.

That doesn't mean he can't get intense. I think when he's gotten right into the moment, he can get very intense and instinctive. Like he might be a dope and he might squeal like a puppy but I think with him it's a matter of needing everything all at once. He's impatient so I do also think that means he pushes himself over the edge a lot sooner than he often means to.

Honestly I think his love language is wound up in that almost starry eyed sense of what love is, like it's a big feeling and he's not always great at expressing those because it's serious and really important. When he tries, he pulls it out as doing things for people in a way that's similar to Angeal but I think that makes sense. He's grown up with Angeal so it feels like humour and acts of service would translate. Like he is little sloppy in bed, there's no finesse to it, but he's absolutely about to make sure everyone has a good time.

Falls in love easily. He's a little spacy, he doesn't have the best track record for his attention span, but in the moment when he's with someone, they're his entire world. He has a great sense of devotion, we see it in canon with Cloud, but I don't think how spacy he is makes him easy to deal with so I think that's why he needs someone who understands that.

Cloud

I think Cloud does actually prefer men but in the same way as Genesis snuck under Angeal's wire, Tifa kind of snuck under his and they have a similar sense of young love. As such, I think he tends to lean more masculine for type but really, people who kick ass is probably his sexuality.

So sensitive to touch. Seriously. He is so easy to get worked up and get a very vocal response out of and he is so mad about it. I don't think it's voluntary, he's just someone who gets off on being given a lot of touch - both rough and affectionate - so it's easy to get him overwhelmed and squirming. We've all seen the Wall Market scene, it's practically a canon trait.

While I think he can match anyone's energy - well maybe not Zack, but who can? - I think when he's instigating anything sexual, he doesn't really leave wiggle room for interpretation. This isn't the 'gentle touches so you know I want to' with Angeal, it's not 'pushed into the nearest wall' like Sephiroth once he decides he wants it or Zack coming straight out and asking but I think the closest is probably Genesis in that he wants to challenge and be challenged. He wants pushback, he wants to feel it and they're damn well going to feel it tomorrow if he has anything to do with it.

I think as the person with the least experience in relationships and sex, he's a little more tentative. I think he enjoys finding kinks he enjoys, but it's a gradual gliding in and not jumping right in to trying it. There is a part that wants to seem aloof and will pushback against the idea he needs anything or anyone but I think the right people can dismantle that by dismantling him in the best way.

Chronic blusher and hates himself for it. Can and will attempt to hide it and it's genuinely pretty funny to see someone that turned on and that grumpy, no wonder Zack tends to get the giggles.

I will probably add to this at some point but it was fun to think about!

[sagemoderocklee]

...and that's another year of writing done!

Happy New Year's, everyone! Can't believe we've gone through yet another year of a pandemic (despite what government's around the world tell us about it being over).

This year was a strange one. The later half of the year feels like such a haze for me, days bleeding together, much like they did in 2020. Why? Because, after two years of being as safe as possible, I caught Covid. And not only did I catch Covid in early May, I was one of the lucky ones to get Long Haul Covid, and with that I have spent the last half of 2022 on a medical leave.

It's been a difficult year for me. There are very few things about 2022 that went according to plan--between catching Covid and simply not having the money, my plans to move to Ireland at the end of this summer didn't happen, and while the plan is to postpone my move, to when is still to be decided. I have also let my sewing and portfolio building fall to the wayside, largely--again--because of my health.

However, there are some things to be happy about and this post is my chance to look back and celebrate my writing victories.

sagemoderocklee's 2022 Fic Wrap

Absolution: Part IV (WiP)

While the goal had been to end the year with another update, tragically it was not in the cards. My health being what it is and my focus being on completing other projects, and Absolution being the huge piece it is, I felt it made more sense not to try pushing out Part V. However, I am very happy I was able to start the year with an Absolution update as this fic is very much one of my faves. The fourth part of this fic was a bit of a challenge to write, especially in the middle, but I finally hit on the beats I really needed. A big complication with Absolution was that the remaining 6 chapters, which I had fully planned and plotted, needed tweaking... which is to say Absolution needed to be longer. So I had to move all the plotting I had from Part IV on and rebuild and entirely rewrite each chapter/scene-by-scene breakdown. I'm pretty solid at the moment with Parts V through VIII in terms of plotting, and now I think I can safely say this fic will be a total of 13 chapters (the last one being an epilogue), but that could change since I still have to finish all the restructuring. I know all the key beats and the end goal, but sorting out the getting from one point to the next is really the big issue. However, all that being said, I do want to start the new year with Absolution, so that will be my top priority for January!

Pomegranate Sun: Ch1 (WiP) Co-authoring with @ghoste-catte

The first chapter of this fic I started writing a couple years ago, sometime after I got the prologue from @ghoste-catte. And then, of course, I stopped and didn't touch it again for... ages. But with the Naruto-Run last December and @ghoste-catte wanting to have a special fic for the big milestone of 100 GaaLee fics, it was time to work on this baby again. It is absolutely no surprise that when I get to worldbuild I'm in my comfort zone, so even though it took a while, once I got into working on this (while sick with covid, no less) I was happy. And this is going to be such a fresh piece of worldbuilding since we're bringing in OCs from the far west of Wind Country!

Plus One (COMPLETE)

So, I signed up for a bingo challenge and ended up writing a slightly spicy one-shot. Certainly not the spiciest thing in the world, but I very much enjoy writing flirty!Gaara. I have a LOT of feelings about the way fandom and even the canon blank period treats him surrounding sex/sexuality, and it's really informed a lot of how I view and approach Gaara as a gay male character. This wasn't like a huge piece (though I have an even sexier sequel planned), but it was so much fun.

It Eats Your Heart: Ch2 (WiP)

Chapter 2 of IEYH took me about a year to write. I was struggling. It gave me writer's block. It made me wanna throw my computer. My roommate helped me workshop it a bit. And it still took me forever to finish it. Then finally--FINALLY--I hit on what was missing. This chapter was a fucking bitch, but gotdamn was it worth it. I'm so happy with how this turned out and I'm so looking forward to finishing this fic in the new year.

Pearl-Filled Lungs: II, III, IV, Epilogue (COMPLETE)

My beloved enemy. This fic sat for three years, untouched and miserable. I'd started chapter two... last year? The year before? I don't remember, and it languished. I think it was just the first scene--maybe just part of the first scene. But god it was a struggle. I signed up for the WiP BB last year, but dropped. Signed up again this year and... committed. Largely because of the artist who, though unable to complete art for this fic, was such a huge inspiration. The WIPs they sent me... I wish I could share them because they were stunning. When they were unable to continue, I really thought I'd give up, but once again @ghoste-catte inspired me to continue, thanks to their generous offer to make banners for my fic--and the banners are truly such a work of art! And someone... I got through this fic. I think my original vision comes through, despite how much I bitched and moaned during the process. I wanted to write a fairy tale, and I did. And honestly, I am happy with P-FL. It's not my most popular fic, by any means, but it will always hold a special place in my heart.

My Home is Your Home: Ch1 (WiP)

And here we have a fic that was meant to be a one-shot. I was gonna try and get this done in under 10.5k for an event challenge, but then I talked with my roommate and... they looked at me like 'bitch who the fuck do you think you are' and you know what, they were right. I was foolin myself. This fic wasn't a one-shot. I'd come up with an idea for something much bigger than a one-shot, and I'm glad I listened to them. So instead of an event challenge, I reworked everything and turned this into a fic for the @puregaalee Horror Fest, and I am sooooo excited that I did. Paranormal Romance isn't a genre I've dabbled in, and I'm stoked to try weaving the horror genre with RomCom elements. This fic not only ended up being a much bigger piece than I'd intended, but it also has a planned sequel! Because I wouldn't be me if I didn't add more WiPs to my docket than I subtract.

Blood on the Branches: Ch1 (WiP)

Talk about a fic that was pulled out of my ass at THEE last minute. For Horror Fest, I was struggling to come up with an idea. I knew what prompts I was vibin with, but damn I couldn't think of a single thing. And then one night, laying in bed I came up with an idea.... An entirely different idea from this because with only days left to finish, I scrapped everything I had (and by scrapped, I mean moved to a different document) and came up with something completely new! And so instead of straight horror, I leaned into what I'm good at and now I have a horror/adventure story! While the original concept for this fic is good, I am way more excited about this! Once again, taking my worldbuilding to new heights as we leave Suna and head to the south of Wind! I don't know exactly when I'll be able to get the next chapter out, and I really need to sit down and plot this in full, but I am so excited to write this story!

The Corn Maze House (COMPLETE)

Well, it was a bit of a slog towards the mid-point, but I got through it. I honestly worried I wouldn't, but in the end I'm really glad I didn't give up or give in to feeling negatively about the writing process for this piece. I'm not fully happy with it, but I am happy it's done. The premise for this fic, in my entirely unbiased opinion, is very good, even if I'm still not sure of the execution. I may end up going back over this fic in the future, but regardless I'm happy to have a completed horror fic under my belt, and also to not be adding another WiP to my roster. Definitely very light on the GaaLee, despite being an established relationship, but that was kind of how it had to be, so I'm sure this won't be like a crazy popular fic, necessarily. But I still think this was good practice with the horror genre.

Return to Sender: Ch1-11 (COMPLETE)

Talk about a fic I never expected. RtS was meant to be a simple, cute lil RomCom. A dash of miscommunication, a whole lot of comedy of errors, and just a smidge of drama... The ask prompt that started this definitely did not make any indication that I needed to write a 90k+ drama about homophobia in the shinobi world or about the mistakes you make when you're terrified of losing someone important to you. But I simply am the person I am, and I am the writer I am. This was the direction that felt right, and honestly, I'm so glad because I am so happy with how this story turned out and the reception this fic has received is truly astronomical. I dove into it following completing chapter 1 of PomSun and in between working on P-FL because P-FL was the struggle it was. RtS gave me a much needed break and the first three and a half chapters were such a breath of fresh air. When I say those first three chapters were a breeze to write, I mean I think it took me less than a week to write them. This was (sort of) the first time in over a decade I've had a fully completed multi-chapter fic that I can post on a schedule, and GOD it felt so good to just post chapters weekly. RtS Sundays were the highlight of my week, and even though towards the end there were a lot of complications, it was truly such a joy and has made me want to work harder to get fics done before posting. Also! Not only did I have a ball writing this fic, but I also had a lot of fun making the images that I included in it and the soundtrack to go with it. While some of the images are... less exciting than others, this fic just felt like the perfect opportunity to do some mixed media stuff, and I do really enjoy making soundtracks for fics. I have to say, though I love so many of my fics, RtS will now have a very special place in my heart. The reception, surpassing 1million with it, and just the way it all fell into place... I am truly so filled with joy by how this fic went.

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Total WiPs at the start of 2022: 16 Total completed works: 4 Total new works: 5 Total updates: 21 Total new words: 186,296 Total words (Ao3): 1,011,369 (-2,521 PomSun = 1,008,848) Total WiPs at the end of 2022: 17

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2022 Resolutions

The difference between this year's writing and last year's is kinda wild ngl. All that time on medical leave and not sewing really gave me a lot of time to write, (though I do wish I'd been healthy enough to sew more). Looking back at my writing resolutions from the start of the year to now, I can definitely say I'm proud of what I've accomplished, even if it seems like I didn't reach that many resolutions. The two biggest resolutions (1million words and finishing P-FL) were reached, and honestly hitting those two goals was the greatest accomplishment of the year.

So, while most of what I'd had planned for this year was updating fics from last year's Naruto-Run to 1K which didn't happen, I still think this year was a success!

Reach 1million words--168,358 words to go!✅So, the math I did at the end of last year for how many words I needed was actually wrong. I needed closer to 178k, but despite this minor math mishap, I not only reached 1 million words, I surpassed it! I have been trying to hit this overall word count for the past three or so years, and I am utterly shocked, amazed, and proud of myself for making it happen this year! Admittedly, I think this goal was reached because I ended up getting long covid and have spent June through the end of the year out of work and home. Still, this is by no means a small feat, especially given the number of words I needed to reach this year while also being disabled by covid. Long haul is no joke and the brain fog--ohhhh lemme tell you! that shit got me so fucked up, so managing to power through and find joy in writing in spite of that struggle was really important. Writing was one of the few real joys I had in my days these past months, and I could not be more thrilled to finally say I've surpassed 1 million words. Truly, I owe most of that to RtS, the most unexpected fic of 2022.

Write the sequel to Flyweight Love❌Not Reached. Part of me was sure I'd get this done at the end of the year, following Horror Fest, but RtS became priority #1 instead, so HB3 will be on the docket for next year!

Finish IEYH❌Not Reached. While I didn't reach this goal, I did manage to update this fic, finally. Chapter two was a difficult journey and actually caused a lot of writer's block for me between the end of last year-early this year, so while I didn't finish this fic I did still make progress and for that I am very happy. My hope is to accomplish this goal in the new year now!

Finish Pearl-Filled Lungs✅REACHED! This is a pretty big one because it's been hanging over me for... long time. Three years, in fact. But I signed up for the WiP Big Bang and managed to actually get all four chapters written, edited, and published! It always feels like such a relief to be able to cross something completely off my list, but especially something that's been weighing on me the way P-FL was. In many ways, I wasn't happy with the journey, but I am happy with the end of it. I think P-FL is a lot better than I give it credit for, so I am really proud of it and proud that I got this finished.

Finish The Passing of Things❌Not Reached. I was actually really hoping to get this done, so I'm going to make this a goal for next year!

Update Absolution (Ch 4-6)✅❌❌Partially fulfilled. While I did not get three updates in for Absolution, I still got one so that's a partial win for me!

Update TAoL (Ch12)❌Not Reached. Sadly, this update was not in the cards for me this year, which is truly a tragedy for me because it's been two years since the last time I updated. But unfortunately, this next chapter has a lot of issues that need fixing, so getting through has not been easy. However, it is a top priority in the new year!

Update TBotDatP aka the Ballad❌Not Reached. Another fic I was hoping to update, but alas, not this year. But the first chapter is very much underway, so with any luck, I'll be getting a Ballad update out in short order!

Update WNNBYT aka the Hanahaki fic❌Not Reached. While this is a fic I'm excited to work on, it has lost priority in favor of other fics. Maybe next year, but I don't want to make it a resolution since I have fics I'd rather focus on over this.

Update Pomegranate Sun (Ch1)✅ Reached! Amazingly, I was able to get chapter one of this fic out, though it did take a while. However, I'm very proud of how that first chapter turned out and excited to continue this fic with @ghoste-catte in the new year!

Update 13S❌Not Reached. I did get a good chunk of the next update for this worked on, but tragically the amount of worldbuilding needed for this chapter put a wrench in my plans to move forward. However, the worldbuilding has been done in large part, so I am looking forward to getting this fic updated next year!

Edit Alliance❌Not reached. In general, Allied Nations has not been on my mind or at the top of my list. I think, more than likely it won't be until I get TAoL finished, as that's a similarly huge project, even as a stand alone story.

Update Honor Bound❌Not reached. Similar to the above. And while I do have the first three chapters written, I don't want to dive into posting any more chapters of this fic until I've edited Alliance and made the changes to it I know are needed.

Resolutions Reached✅: 3.5 Resolutions Not Reached❌: 9.5

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2023 Resolutions

With 2022 at an end and a lot more writing done than I expected, I'm hoping to carry that energy into 2023, regardless of other things. I do hope to move to Ireland and get back into sewing regularly, but as my health has changed much of my life, I'm also anticipating more time at home as I shift into working from home. So with that, I hope I also find more time and energy to focus on writing.

This is a lot, and I do not expect to get all of this done, but the goal is to get as much of it done as I can. I have a lot of motivation, so here's to a successful writing year in 2023!

Complete IEYH

Complete Absolution

Complete MHiYH

Complete TPoT

Update 13S (3-6)

Update TAoL (12-15)

Update PomSun (Ch3)

Update TBotDatP aka The Ballad (Ch-4)

Update TEA (Ch1)

Update TCoS (Ch1)

Update BotB (Ch2)

Publish the sequel to Flyweight Love, HB3

Publish The Beautiful Beast of Cāngdì (Ch1)

Publish A Cat's Guide to Finding Love

Complete at least three more MFBingo squares

[buckyalpine]

Live Stream

18+ Minors dni

Bucky x f reader, reader x avengers (platonic) 

A/N: My first piece of writing ever for the lovely @buckies-dolle’s writing challenge. I had so much fun with this!! I know its not amazing, I had 100 ideas I wanted to add. I hope you enjoy it anyway! Also please leave all the comments, would love to know what you think 💕🥺

Prompt: 29. Please what baby 

Warnings: Smutty smut (voyeurism, daddy kink, lil choking, breeding kink, unprotected sex) swearing, some angst (flashback with sad Bucky), Fluff! 

Word count: 6.7k It’s so long. I’m so sorry. I just couldn’t stop.

“Okay, seriously where the hell are they?”  Tony paced around the room, having lost contact with you and Bucky for over 12 hours. The mission was simple; retrieve a few files from an old inactive Hydra base, something you had done many times before. However, the long period of radio silence was starting to worry the team as they sat together watching the now blank screen that was previously sharing a live feed from the mission.

“Y/n’s done this before; she knows what she’s doing. The base is inactive anyway, I’m sure they’ve already finished and made it back to the safe house” Steve said but it was more to himself. He couldn’t help the anxiety that kept gnawing at the back of his mind thinking about Bucky. Even though Hydra no longer had any control over him, he worried for his best friend every time a mission involved the fucking group.

“They’ll be fine, they’ve never had any issues on missions before” Nat chimed in, though she also started to feel uneasy wondering if you were both okay.

“I know she can handle herself but the poor thing is stuck alone with tin man” Tony scoffed.

Steve quirked an eyebrow. “And that’s a problem because…?”

“Because y/n speaks like 3 words a year and all cyborg does is grunt and stare. This is their first mission partnered together and they go missing. Fantastic” Tony glared at the screen as if giving it the stink eye would force it to reconnect to the feed.

“We’ll try reaching them in an hour, their phones are probably dead” Steve sighed, getting up to stretch from the seat he sat in for the last 3 hours.  You were the newest agent to join the team just over two years ago. Highly skilled and an excellent assassin though initially, Tony had his doubts when Steve brought you in.

Flashback – 2 years ago

“I want to trust your word capsicle but I don’t see killer assassin. She looks like one of those dwarf bunnies Thor keeps insisting we get”

You were sitting outside of Tony’s lab anxiously picking at your nail polish. Steve was excited to introduce you to the team, knowing you’d be an excellent recruit but it would take some convincing.

“I promise she knows what she’s doing when she’s on the field, that’s when it matters, right?”

All it took was one mission for Tony to quickly backtrack on his words.

“How the hell did you manage to take them all down without making a sound?” Tony said, eyes wide as he saw 6 hydra guards slumped by the door while you wiped the blood from the knife onto your tactical pants.

“I’m just really quiet” you said with a small shy smile, quickly retreating down the hall to take up a new position.

On the field you showed nothing but blood lust. Every move was quick and calculated, wasting no time in taking down targets while lurking silently in the shadows. Outside of the field, you were completely different. You didn’t do great with large social gatherings but you were an excellent listener when someone needed to vent. Your skills also meant you were quick to notice people’s changes in mood and behavior. You noted exactly what they’d look for when they needed comfort. It made it easy for you to quietly take care of others, something you loved to do and they loved you for it. Peter enjoyed having someone who understood all his pop culture references. Nat and Wanda were ecstatic to have another girl join the team. Tony smiled every time he woke up in his lab to a cup of coffee made exactly how he liked. You had Sam’s heart the day you made beignets. Over the past two years, the team grew protective over you.

Present

“Which safe house did you put them in anyway?” Sam asked, now also starting to feel uneasy having not heard from you in so long.

“I actually put them in the Motel that’s half way between the base and city. Thought it would be more comfortable for them if they had separate rooms” Tony shrugged, having stopped pacing and now glancing at a gadget he had sitting on the table. “There are also trackers in their phones but they’re useless unless the phones are turned on. Both of their trackers are offline right now”.

“Is there really no way for us to contact them?” Steve was on edge now, thinking about how Bucky would be handling staying in a room alone after visiting a hydra base. Did they even make it back to their rooms yet?

“I mean there is one way for us to check on them but I didn’t want to do that unless they were definitely in danger” Tony said, now fiddling with a small gadget he had sitting on the table. “I had a few cameras installed in some of the safe houses and places we go to after missions just to be safe. I can hook this up and we’ll be able to see everything live in their rooms”.

“Tony!” Nat smacked his arm. “Were you ever going to tell us you had creeper cameras set up?”

“It’s not for creeping; I just didn’t want a repeat from when Cap, Peter and Bird brain over here compromised the safe house. We didn’t have eyes on anyone, got lucky Thunder was able to help them”.

“I told you I got bad vibes from the hostage” Peter groaned, recalling the failed mission where Loki had managed to infiltrate the group, posing as their captured Hydra agent.

“Number one, what does that even mean. Number two, it was supposed to be a hydra agent, obviously these so called vibes you are referring to would have been bad” Sam said, with exasperation in his voice. “If you spoke like a normal person and said hey I think this guy isn’t actually the one we were supposed to capture, maybe we wouldn’t have been compromised”.

“ANYWAY, the system can only be accessed from the compound,” Tony took the gadget he was fiddling with and plugged it into the computer.  “This controls all the cameras, FRIDAY can you pinpoint their coordinates and feed it to the computer. Sam, get redwing ready in case this doesn’t work”.

Sam left the room and the team anxiously gathered around the screen, as it started loading. Two room numbers appeared on the screen; one for you and the other Bucky’s.  At this point Steve was practically breathing down Tony’s neck hoping to see you both safe and sound. He felt a pang of guilt knowing he was the one to bring you to the team and if something ever happened to you- “Alright, check y/n’s room first”.

“It’s empty…”

“What do you mean empty?” The air in the room grew thick, laced with anxiety.

“You’re looking at the same thing I’m looking at Rogers, its empty. No one’s there, doesn’t even look like anyone’s stepped in the room. Where the fuck would she be?” Tony was close to putting on his suit and going to your location directly instead of waiting any longer. Suddenly one of the tracker screens flashed a green light beside Bucky’s name. “Wait, Bucky’s phone tracker is back online. Cap, call Barnes”.

The phone rang for ages until an out of breath Bucky picked up.

“H-hello?” “Bucky, where are you, where is y/n, did you guys make it to the rooms safely?”

“Steve? Y-yeah made it a few h-hours ago.  Uh should be in her r-room- ah. Probably tired from the m-mission. Didn’t talk to h-her”

“Why do you sound like that, if you’ve been injured we can send for extraction immediately, is y/n okay?”

“Nonono its fine uh- fuck its nothing we’ll be- hng sorry. I’ll be fine. Y/ns probably fine, think she went for a walk, I’ll check, bye”  

The call ended abruptly, Steve looked dumbfounded at the group. “He hung up, he sounded off”. Some of his worries eased; Bucky sounded sort of okay but still no word about you.  Also why did he sound like he was out of breath if they made it to the motel hours ago? Something wasn’t adding up and he wasn’t about to take any chances trying to call Bucky again. “Okay fuck this, I don’t care about anyone’s privacy anymore, Tony just turn on the cameras for Bucky’s room”

“Language cap” Tony shook his head, clicking on Bucky’s room number; the screen lit up sharing the live feed from his motel room.

On the screen the team saw Bucky pounding you right against the wall, your arms and legs tightly wrapped around his waist, clinging onto him.

“D-d-daddy don’t fucking stop, please d-don’t stop oh my god B-Bucky!”

Bucky’s metal hand moved to close around your neck, squeezing at the sides as he groaned watching your eyes roll to the back of your head.

“Yeah babydoll, you like that? You want me to keep filling you up, such a good little slut for me y/n fuuck” Bucky’s head fell onto the crook of your neck sucking dark bruises onto the sensitive skin.

“What the fuck are you guys wa- WOAH” Sam’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he returned back into the room to see Bucky’s large naked form on the screen, manhandle you against the wall, sweat glistening off his shoulders. Angry red lines littered his back from where you were gripping him, holding onto dear life.

Tony’s mouth dropped. Steve turned redder than he thought was humanly possible. Nat choked on the water she was drinking. Sam was thankfully quick enough to slap his hands over Peters eyes and ears before yelling at Tony to turn it off.

“OKAY, they’re CLEARLY more than okay, TONY TURN IT OFF!” “IM TRYING BUT ITS NOT WORKING!” “Seriously? Mr.  I have a custom fancy suit billionaire play boy genius can’t turn off a computer screen?!” “I never had to use this live stream system before! It’s not my fault just- okay this isn’t working. Everyone clear the room. Do not come near this place for the next hour. God I hope they stop within the next hour”

To say everyone was shocked was an understatement. Their y/n. Sweet, quiet, shy y/n wrapped around the super soldier, while he fucked her into oblivion.

Sam was the first to speak up. “This couldn’t have been their first time right? Like they looked- that is not how anyone’s first time together goes, when the hell have those two even spoken?! Steve, did you know anything about this? Also are we sure that was y/n? I need go to out and get some air; I’m going to need therapy after this”

“No, Bucky’s never mentioned anything before. Now that I think about it though, he did seem to be adjusting better over the last year but I didn’t think anything of it, just thought he was getting used to being free.”

“That was definitely y/n” Tony chimed in “How many other y/ns do you know, with y/c/h. I knew she was a freak on the field but I didn’t see this coming. Honestly, this raised my respect for Barnes, didn’t think he’d have it in him”.

Your salacious sounds and the sound of skin on skin slapping carried through the compound making it impossible for the team to ignore. Tony had a very obvious tent in his pants.

“OMG Tony” Steve hid his face in his hands as he saw Tony adjust himself.

“What do you want me to do capsicle, don’t act like your above getting a boner”

“I mean its’s…hot” Nat smirked, unable to ignore the sounds that continued to pour out from the surveillance room.

Bucky’s cock rammed into you at an indescribable pace, hitting that exact spot that made you cry out with each thrust. “So. Fucking. Tight.” His thrusts punctuated you with each word. “H-how are you still so tight after I’ve fucked you so many times, you fit so perfectly around me baby, could live in this pussy forever” he groaned into your neck.

“Need you daddy, need you so bad, m’ so close”, your whiny needy voice was music to Bucky’s ears as he pushed you closer and closer to the edge. You clung onto him, biting into his shoulders to try and keep your voice down but he made it impossible.

“Yeah baby, you gonna cum again? Can feel you squeezing me so tight holy fuck, make a mess on my cock” Bucky pulled his head away from the crook of your neck to look down at where you connected. He whimpered at the sight, his shaft completely covered in your slick, obscene sounds filling the room every time he fucked into you. “Be a good girl and cum baby, cum around my cock” He moved his hand to trail down between your bodies, pinching both your nipples before rubbing quick circles on your sensitive clit.

“I’m g-gonna- daddy I’m gonna cu-“Your words got cut off by your own climax unexpectedly hitting you hard and fast. “ohmygodohmygodohmygod”. Your vision blurred, tears prickling at the corners of your eyes at the force of your climax. You could no longer hear anything, the blood rushing through your ears over powering the sound of Bucky fucking you through your high, pressing down onto your clit to make it last as long as possible. He felt your walls squeeze and clench around him making his cock throb, momentarily stuttering in his pace as he felt his own climax starting to build up.

“Fuck you squirted, I can feel it d-dripping down to my balls, you’re so fucking perfect, taking my cock so well babydoll, think you can give me one more? Love the way your body feels baby, I need you to give me one more”

You had already cummed twice, oversensitive from the previous two orgasms Bucky gave you. As soon you reached the room, Bucky wasted no time ripping your clothes off and latching his mouth onto your clit.  His tongue swirled in circles, rutting his hard length onto the mattress to relieve some of the tension. You didn’t even bother checking into your assigned room. After the third climax, you were too far gone to hear anything Bucky was saying to you at this point, feeling limp in his arms, barely registering the bruising grip he had holding onto your ass and thighs. The sudden coolness of his metal hand slapping your check broke you out of your trance.

“Tell me you slut, or are you too cockdrunk over daddy’s cock to answer me”. His pace had slowed down to a slow grind pressing you hard against the wall, drinking in your fucked out expression. He loved seeing you like this; hair disheveled, cheeks stained with tears and mouth agape, unable to form a complete sentence. The only sounds leaving your mouth were moans each time he pushed into you deeper. Your neck and shoulders had a trail of small bruises; his favorite way to claim and mark you. You were the most beautiful sight he ever saw in his life. You could feel the base of him rubbing over your oversensitive clit. You moaned into his neck, digging your nails into his shoulders, adding to the litter of scars you already marked him with. “F-fuck daddy s-s-so sensitive. C-c-an’t”.

Still fucking into you, Bucky moved from the wall, dropping you onto the bed. His body caged you, face dark with pure lust and adoration. Throwing both legs over his shoulders, as he hit a new angle that made you see stars. You could already feel a new high build up causing you to sob into Bucky’s shoulder.

“Can’t?” He mocked your tone. “You sure you can’t give me one more baby?” Picking up his pace, Bucky was relentless, his animalistic primal urges completely taking over his brain. His thrusts unfaltering as he drove you further into the mattress. “Come on babydoll, just give me one more, need you to cum around my cock so bad, one more time, please baby please” Bucky’s dominance started faltering as he started to feel your walls clench around him.

Your hands gripped tightly onto his biceps, clawing up them, trying to ground yourself as you felt right on the edge. Bucky trailed kisses from your neck, focused on how your chest bounced with each thrust. “So fucking beautiful, could look at this all day” He moved down to pull your nipple into his mouth, giving it a harsh tug. It sent another wave of pleasure over you, causing your walls to flutter, slick further drenching his cock. “I can feel you milking me baby, come on, let go. I got you baby, let go, cum for me y/n, baby please, need this so bad, want to feel you” 

That was all it took, his words caused your walls to flutter uncontrollably, your clit throbbing as you felt waves and waves of euphoria wash over you. “BUCKY FUCKK”.  You looked beautiful beneath him, every moan leaving your lips making his cock leak with arousal. His pace grew sloppy as he fucked you through your high, now starting to chase his own. “Fuck yessss baby, say my fucking name, feel so good when you cum around my cock. Love when you make such a mess on me, keep squeezing me y/n feels so fucking good oh fuck m’ not gonna last long baby girl” Bucky sobbed into your shoulder, your walls pulling him in deeper, tightening making it almost difficult for him to move.

“Fill me up daddy, please, feels so good B-Bucky” You were completely fucked out, floating in and out of consciousness, wanting nothing more than to feel him fill you up. You needed him just as bad. You pulled him down, nipping at his lips, giving him sloppy kisses all over his face. You let your tongue slip in between his lips swallowing his moans as his arms gave in and he let his body collapse onto you. Your words had an indescribable effect on him.

“Don’t say that unless you want it baby, you want my cum? You need me- shit, need me to fill you up? You like when d-daddy- fuck gives you all his cum, keep you so full for d-days?”

“Please daddy, pleaseplease”

“Please what baby, tell daddy what you want, say it”

“Need your cum in me, fuck please Bucky!”

“Fuck baby, m so close, love cumming in this pussy, you love when I cum in you baby? You love feeling me fill you up till your dripping and making a mess? Don’t even know if this sweet tight pussy can handle it baby, God theres so much fucking cum, I can feel it” You nodded, sucking onto his neck, marking him “Greedy c-cumslut, you’re f-f-fucking mine. Always. Fucking. Mine” Bucky could feel his heavy balls aching, tightening as it slapped against your soaked core. A warm feeling of ecstasy tingled through his spine, travelling through his body, his cock throbbing, desperate to release. 

“Might just have to get you pregnant, fuck, you’d look so fucking beautiful carrying my babies” Oh you liked that. You fucking loved it. Bucky’s words caused you to cry out pulling him even closer. Even in your fucked out state, you definitely heard what he said.  Bucky could feel your arousal gush around him, your body now clinging onto him with a vice like grip. “You want that baby? You want my babies? Baby m’ gonna cum” “Fuck yes Bucky please, give me your babies daddy, need it so bad” You moved your legs to wrap around his waist, digging your heels into him, forcing him deeper into you.

He moaned at the feeling of your legs wrapping around him, his metal arm gripping the head board allowing him to speed up his pace. "I'm gonna cum, I’m gonna cum, m’ gonna fucking cu- FUUCCKKK” Bucky bit down hard onto your neck to keep from roaring out, the grip he had on the headboard caused it to crack and splinter above you while his other hand tore the sheets he was gripping onto.  You could feel his cock swell, hot spurts of white cum burst though his sensitive head, spilling out of you as he continued to gently rock his hips into you, whimpering . “So much cum baby, still fucking cumming, you feel so g-good y/n take it baby, know you always take it so well”.

Bucky stilled in his moments, nuzzling against your neck, placing gentle kisses on all the bruises that now covered your neck and shoulders. “You okay bubs?” He pushed a strand of hair away from your face, tucking it behind your ear while softly caressing your forehead. You nodded, hardly able to speak but the blissed out expression you had on your face told Bucky all he needed to know.

He got up and went to turn on the shower, making sure it was at the exact temperature you liked before picking you up and carrying you over. Both of you stood under the hot water, letting the steam relax your muscles. The scent of lavender filled the shower as Bucky poured some shower gel onto a washcloth, massaging your back and shoulders. You took your time placing little kisses over the scarred tissue where his metal arm met his body. After you both cleaned up, you wrapped yourself around Bucky, clinging onto him like a koala bear as he picked you up, setting you down onto the bed, covering both of you with the soft sheets.

Back at the compound

“I think they’re done. Its quiet now” Steve made his way up to the surveillance room again, hoping to see you and Bucky with clothes on.

“Alright, lets go see” Tony began to follow Steve, and saw Peter pale as ever, still looking like he saw a ghost as he shakily got up from the chair. “Not you Spiderling, you stay there. Cover your ears or watch tiktoks or something”

As they walked into the room, the scene on the screen was yet again not something they expected to see.

“Can we stay like this?” Waves of sleep washed over you, cuddled up on Bucky’s chest, his metal arm tracing mindless shapes onto the soft skin on your hips.

“I could stay like this forever with you baby girl, I love you” Bucky pressed soft kisses onto your forehead and nose. You nuzzled against his warm body, inhaling his soft scent as you fought sleep, trying to stay awake for as long as you could with the love of your life. Bucky noticed your squirming. “Go to sleep bubba, its been a long day” His fingers made their way to your hair, gently massaging down from your scalp to your neck.

“Don’t want to” you mumbled into his neck, hitching your leg over his torso him so you could pull yourself impossibly closer to him. “This is the first time we got to spend together alone without having to hide from anyone. I want to be awake for every single minute”

“You know, we could just tell everyone and you could move into my room. Been over a year of pretending, I don’t like not being able to kiss you whenever I want,” You looked up to see Bucky pouting down at you. “You’ve been so patient with me, taking everything at my pace. I want to whole world to know you’re mine, that I love you”.

Bucky wrapped his arms around you, rolling both of you over as he now laid on top of you. “I knew from the day you sat with me in the bar and asked if I preferred to be called James or Bucky, you were special” He nuzzled his nose against yours, placing a soft kiss on the corner of your lips. “Every time you sneak into my room to help me with my nightmares, I hope the sun doesn’t rise so I can hold you for longer. I can’t describe the happiness I feel when I’m with you; I want to be able to do this all the time”

“Are you sure Buck? You’d want me to move into your room with you? You know this also means no more sneaking around on secret dates” “More than sure doll, need everyone *kiss* to know *kiss *you belong to me *kiss*”

“Okay, they are adorable” Wanda gushed as she watched you and Bucky fall asleep, blissfully unaware that anyone had heard or seen the last few hours together. Nat blushed seeing her friend unbelievably happy, protected in the arms of someone that clearly loved her more than anyone else. The shy demeanor you had around everyone else was non-existent with Bucky.

“I have to admit, they make a good pair. Didn’t think Barnes or y/l/n had it in them. Guess you have to always watch out for the quiet ones,” Tony grinned, genuinely happy you both found happiness in each other. “Maybe we should soundproof the walls in tin mans room if they’re going to move in together. Actually I’ll do it now so he doesn’t suspect anything. You okay there cap?”

Steve’s eyes were glassy hearing how happy and in love Bucky was with you. His best friend deserved it after all he had been through and the fact that you were the one to give him happiness made warmth spread through his chest. He was so happy he brought you to the team. Bucky’s stoic expression disappeared entirely. They had never seen him so gentle as he cuddled into you while you slept. For the first time, the team saw him look at peace.

***

Bucky thought he would have to convince Steve to delay sending the jet to pick them, surprised when Steve easily agreed. “No problem Buck, actually the jet might arrive later than anticipated, that’s okay with you and y/n right?”

“Yeah that’s fine, thanks punk”  *call disconnected* Steve smirked, purposely sending the jet a day later than necessary. He would have no problem with sending the jet a week later if it meant you both got to spend some time together. “Steve sounded….happy” Bucky looked confused as he placed his phone back on the table, walking back over to the bed where you were wrapped under the sheets. His dog tags hung around your neck, your hair spread on the pillow like a halo. You skin glowed as the sun crept through the curtains, you looked like an angel. His angel. “That’s good right? Come here and cuddle me” You made grabby hands towards Bucky as he flopped onto the bed trapping you under him. “Oof- get off me you big baby” You giggled and Bucky nuzzled his face into your bare chest, wrapping his arms around you. “No. m’ comfy just like this” Bucky grinned up at you peppering kisses along your jaw. “It’s good, just odd. He’s usually trying to get me back as soon as possible, especially when Hydra is involved”.

***

As you both exited the jet, making your way back to the compound you wondered how the team would react to you and Bucky getting together. There wasn’t anyone that would oppose the relationship but you were not sure how to explain that you had already been together for a year. You spoke to Bucky the very same day Tony happily welcomed you to join the team.

Flash back 2 years ago

Tony looked for any reason to throw a party and after seeing you on the field, he figured it was a good enough reason to celebrate. Parties made you anxious so you quietly made your way to the bar where another figure sat. He was handsome; different from what you had seen plastered all over the world a few years ago. His long hair was cut short, the previous silver arm from Hydra replaced with dark gunmetal grey and gold vibrainium. He was dressed in a plain black t-shirt that stretched across his chest and arms along with his dark jeans that hugged his legs nicely. What should have been a quick glance was turning into staring as you struggled to tear your eyes off him.

Bucky sat, nursing a glass of whisky. He looked over to you, surprised that you had chosen to sit at the bar as well instead of getting your drink and leaving. You fumbled with your fingers, realizing that he had seen you. You didn’t want to make it obvious you were just silently staring at him, quickly thinking of something to say.

“Hi” You smiled, feeling the heat travel through your cheeks and down your neck. “I’m y/n”.

“Ah, so the welcome party is for you.  I’m James; some of my friends call me Bucky though”.

“Well what do you prefer to be called?”

Your consideration for what he would prefer. It was so small. So simple. People always assumed he went by Bucky. But the fact that you bothered to ask which name he preferred brought up a new feeling he didn’t know existed. He felt his cheeks flush.

“You can call me Bucky, doll”.  

 Bucky found himself frequently bumping into you in the same places he’d go to have some quiet time to himself. Usually he wasn’t a fan when there was someone else present but he didn’t mind when it was you. You didn’t try to pry him with questions or invade his space. You also enjoyed sharing quiet time with Bucky. There was a mutual understanding between you both, filled with shy smiles and blushes.

Things took a turn one night when you woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of a crash. You heard thrashing coming from Bucky’s room and found your feet working faster than your mind. You knew he had nightmares but you were not sure he’d want anyone to see him when he was so vulnerable. The thought of him having to go through all those nights alone made your heart ache. Your heart raced as you stood in front of Bucky’s door; the thrashing stopped but you could now hear soft sobs coming from inside. You gently knocked on his door. “Bucky?” No answer. Again, your body was acting faster than your mind as you quietly opened the door and slipped into his room.

Bucky was on the floor, the sheets thrown off the bed. A picture of him in his army uniform from 1940 thrown across the room, glass shattered on the floor. He had his head buried between his knees, his fingers tugging at his hair as he tried to ground himself from another nightmare. You carefully made your way towards him, dropping to your knees in front of him. There was no second thinking as you pulled his hands away, wrapping your arms around him so you could cradle him to your chest. You placed a soft kiss on his hairline, gently rubbing his back in small circles and rocking him to calm him down.

“Shhh, its okay” You moved your hand to cup his cheek, making him look at you. “You’re safe Bucky”. Your thumbs wiped away the tears that kept spilling.

“So many of them” Bucky’s voice cracked as he spoke between sobs. “I killed so many of them and none of them deserved it. I’m a fucking monster”. He buried his face into your neck letting his tears fall onto your t-shirt as he continued to cry.

“That was never you Bucky” You felt your own eyes stinging with tears threatening to spill out. You held him tighter, your voice growing shaky as you continued to speak “No one gave you a choice then. Look at all the lives you saved when you were free to make choices again Buck”. You stood up, gently pulling Bucky to get up and lay on the bed instead. Bucky was exhausted; he feared the images that plagued his mind as soon as he let sleep take over. He looked up at you; his eyes filled with torment, the dark circles underneath showing it had been ages since he slept in peace.

“You don’t have to talk about anything. I can stay with you till you fall asleep. Come here, lay down”.

Bucky reluctantly got up, too tired to argue and tell you it wasn’t necessary because he didn’t want to bother you. He secretly hoped you would stay; you were the one person he knew he could be silently comfortable around. You sat up on his bed against the head board. As he put his head on the pillow, he felt your hands gently touch his hair. He started to feel his eyelids grow heavy. “Are you okay with me touching you? You can tell me if it makes you uncomfortable”. Bucky shook his head, leaning into your touch. He shifted over, moving so his head was now resting on your lap. You felt your heart flutter, gently running your fingers through his soft hair, the simple action lulling him to sleep.

Bucky’s sores filled the room as you continued to gently massage his head. Happy he had fallen asleep, you wondered if you should leave. He didn’t seem to mind you helping sleep again but you were not sure he’d be comfortable with you staying the whole night. You started to shift until you felt a tug at your wrist and saw Bucky looking up at you like a lost puppy. “Stay…please?” You could felt your heart melt, his soft eyes looking up at you hopefully. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable Bucky, are you sure?”

“I want you to stay”.

 Present

You both entered the shared living room; Bucky gently squeezed your hand, knowing you were feeling nervous. You huffed a sigh of relief seeing it was empty, continuing down to the elevators making your way up to the floor you shared with Steve and Bucky. As soon as the elevator doors closed, Bucky pulled you close smashing his lips against yours, pressing you against the wall. Bucky’s mind had been racing ever since he asked you to move into his living space. He couldn’t wait to have you all to himself, to hold you when he slept and wake up to you. His hand gripped your waist as the other gripped the back of your neck, lightly pulling your hair. You smirked, enjoying the gentle burn with each tug, letting his tongue slip through, snaking your hands under his shirt clawing your nails down his back.

“God babydoll you have no idea what you do to me” Bucky groaned, breaking away from your lips momentarily for air. “Can’t wait to have you in my bed every single night, your gonna be bent over every surface while I rail you from behind. I’ll get to fuck you to sleep, keep you full with my cum all night and wake you up with my face between your legs”. You whimpered arousal soaking through your panties as Bucky kept whispering filth, sucking little bruises down your neck. He pushed your legs apart, his thigh pressing onto your aching core.

The ding of the elevator reaching your floor broke you both out of your lust filled trace. Bucky tapped the side of your thigh “Jump”. You wrapped your legs around him; Bucky wasted no time carrying you over to his room, ready to have his way with y-

“What are you guys doing in here?”

Bucky saw Tony, Steve and Sam squirreling around his room with measuring tape. The three whipped their heads around, eyes wide. Tony wasn’t bluffing when he suggested sound proofing the walls; he got Steve and Sam to help him measure the room before having anything installed. They caught a glance of Bucky carrying you before he had set you down beside him, pretending nothing happened.

“I own the compound Barnes, technically all the rooms are my rooms”

“Fine, but why are these two with you? And what were you measuring?”

“I was…” Tony panicked, deciding the change the subject. “Why were you carrying y/n?” Tony smirked wiggling his eyebrows, watching as you hid your face into Bucky’s arm. Bucky felt the blush warm his cheeks. He was excited for everyone to know but he didn’t wasn’t sure how to explain anything on the spot and the growing tightness in his pants wasn’t helping. 

“Uh I wasn’t… she was tired from the mission and you didn’t answer my question”

“I FAINTED” Steve panicked, hoping his outburst out distract Bucky from the fact that they were in his room. He didn’t exactly think anything through. “You?  fainted? In my room?” Bucky looked at Steve as if he suddenly grew a second head.

“Yeah Frozone, you fainted?” Tony glared at Steve, wondering how the hell this man managed to carry the shield for this long if this is how he responded to pressure. “Will you shut up” Sam grumbled to Steve under his breath.

“Yeah, sorry pal. Came looking for something, thought I might have left it in your room. Tony and Sam came to help. Turns out it wasn’t there” Steve’s face was the same shade of red as the day he saw you in Bucky’s motel room. He could think on his toes on missions but this was different, he didn’t know how to lie to his best friend.

“Then when did you faint-”

Tony and Sam mentally face palmed. Tony couldn’t decide which risk was worse: allowing Steve to continue with his train wreck of a lie or to just tell Bucky the truth. “Actually Cap we can take it from here, show Barnes the new surveillance equipment since he was away when we tested it”

Steve nodded; relieved he could change the subject as he walked a confused Bucky down the hall over to the room.   

“Y’know, when you guys went offline for 12 hours, we were all worried about you both. The whole team sat for hours waiting to hear from you. Can’t tell you how relieved I was when I finally saw you were okay”

“You always worry,” Bucky smiled to himself, then frowning when he remembered something “how did you know y/n wasn’t in her room? And what do you mean saw, you just called me on the phone punk” “Uh……..yes. I meant heard. When I heard from you” Steve opened the door to the room the team was gathered in the day before, blood draining from his face when he saw the live feed hadn’t stopped even after you were both safe at the compound. Tony still hadn’t figured how to switch it off but managed to create an AI that controlled the entire building. Unbelievable. Tony and Sam made their way over to ensure Steve didn’t attempt to pull anything else out of America’s Ass. Bucky walked over to the screen frowning as he noticed the room it was showing looked familiar. “Wait. Isn’t this my motel room?”

“Huh. Would you look at that? So it is. Tony how did that happen?”  Steve looked at Tony and Sam, eyeing the door, planning his escape.

“How long has this been streaming for?” 

“uh………” Steve dashed out the room. Tony and Sam could figure this out on their own.

On the bottom of the screen read: live for 46h 15m 9s. You had only been at the Motel for about a day and a half….

“When did this start recording?” Sam looked at Bucky, then Tony then back to Bucky before running out the door to follow Steve.

“See, we didn’t hear from you for over 12 hours, so I did what any great leader would do and checked on you to make sure you were okay” “Huh” “Just a few cameras to have eyes on you in case something happened. You should be thanking me Barnes” Tony already started tip toeing backwards slowing making his way to the door before Bucky connected the dots.

“When did this start recording” “I can say with confidence, you have a nice ass Barnes!” Tony dashed out the room,

 “STARK!!”

Thank you @buckies-dolle wouldn't have written anything without you <3

[meimae]

Look at me, not being on time for my April Immersion Overview as is the usual. (・w・;

First, little blog updates to get out of the way:

I reached 100 followers! Got an influx of people checking out my 1 year update post, and got plenty of nice compliments on my data collection.

For those of you wondering just why I keep up with so much data, it's mostly because it can get really hard to notice how much you're improving in a language especially with something like immersion learning that for people who don't get it feels like a waste of time or a time sink.

Graphs showing consistency, improvement in reading speed, increasing vocabulary counts, and generally just seeing numbers grow turns language learning more fun and motivating for me, and if as a bonus, it encourages someone to try immersion learning then that would be cool!

With that said, whether you're here as a fellow language learner, graphs enthusiast (笑), or just want some Japanese media recommendations, ようこそ! 

Also, made a tiny DP change - it’s チト from 少女週末旅行. Pretty sure it’s the first manga series I ever finished in Japanese (not the first one I started since ちはやふる is still ongoing), and I always felt a bit of a ☆connection☆ with  her - between her book-loving personality and being a no-nonsense kind of person, there was no way for me not to enjoy her character. Great beginner anime/manga if you’re not into most beginner recommendations.

-☆-

April has been a pretty good immersion month, as I was able to dip my toes in a variety of media. A bit competitive, too! The club I joined has been pulling all the stops to get to the Top 20 Immersion Leaderboard in it’s first month. I was able to snag the 9th spot among a bunch of people of different comprehension levels (the majority being N1+ since they’re able to comprehend much more and in turn stand longer immersion hours). Lots of tiny complaints though of potential “whitenoising” content (”listening” and “reading” but not comprehending very well just to get a large number to post), but really what can you do? People lie all the time on the internet. Besides, it’s internet points that doesn’t do anything beyond being a little shiny I guess.

Enough about that, let’s get into the nitty-gritty details you came here for!

ANIME

フルーツバスケット

Might need to rewatch this one. Felt like I didn’t connect with the characters the way the rest of its fandom has. I’m kinda sad about it, since I normally love Slice of Life and Fantasy, and I know this is one of my friend’s diehard shows.

ラブライブ! School Idol Project S2

A filler anime to watch tbh. Nice and easy enough to follow for beginners. Pretty good songs. With regards to it being a show about music and moe, I still 100% prefer K-On! if I’m going to be honest, but for a show about non-toxic idols, it’s good!

魔法少女まどか☆マギカ

First read this as English translated manga when I was 13 or something. Mistakes were made. Let’s all just agree to throw キュウベえ into a pit of fire and never talk about it again. Great ending and a show that really reworked the magical girl genre. But seriously, I was traumatized by マミ’s death then and now, help.

四月は君の嘘

Already knew what was going to happen even before watching this so I didn’t ugly cry like I was expecting. Still got that awful sinking feeling though. 10/10 would recommend for a good cry. Also, I’m planning to read the manga, might enjoy that more, because I’ve always liked it more than anime actually. *shocked pikachu face*

ホリミヤ

Watched before I even finished the manga which felt like a mistake at first until I realized that it perfectly stops where I stopped reading. Nice and comfy anime, the kind I would have loved as a teen. Fun animation too, making parts very dramatic even though it wasn’t really that deep of an issue even in the manga. Just teens feeling feelings. Still salty that we lose bad boy styled 宮村, but I get why it had to happen.

AUDIOBOOKS

氷菓

Second re-listen. I understand it fine, but it’s very easy to drift off when you can’t catch all the words so I had to replay often. Will have to mine more from the anime/book.

君の名は

I mined from the anime, and was really pleased to be able to follow all 6 hours of this audiobook perfectly fine. Will need to read the book, because I realized just how seamless reading it would be after listening to it with hardly any issue.

BOOKS

キッチェン

Completed! Read my thoughts about it and see my stats on this post.

君の膵臓を食べたい

Still trudging on with this one. It’s not a bad story, it’s pretty well written actually, I just made the mistake of watching both the anime and live adaptation first, so I know exactly what’s going to happen and it’s killing my motivation to keep reading. I guess reading the book first before watching the movie still applies in any language with me. Really need to 頑張れ and finish so I can move on. 

三日間の幸福

Started reading towards the end of the month, mostly because I realized that every chapter is only 5000-15000 characters long, and I was able to read up to 40k in a day with Island most days. Only two chapters read so far though because I got distracted by manga, but it’s shaping up to be a really good plot and potentially a really sad one, too, so I’m interested.

DRAMA

花ざかりの君たちへ イケメンパラダイス

Heard this was a classic so I gave it a try. Loved 生田 斗真’s character in this one the most especially all his internal dialogue acted out. Also, 小栗 旬 in anything is bound to be a good watch. Simple and fun watch. They dragged the ending so much though lmao 

ごくせん

Look, I see 松本 潤, I click. Definitely the kind of show you should watch for some great life advice. Planning to watch the 2nd and 3rd seasons even if there is a terrible lack of 松本 潤, because I love my strong female protagonists, and man, ヤンクミ is such a great character. Need to read the manga, too, if I can find it.

極主夫道

Oof, this was kind of hard. The yakuza talk was throwing me off, but the rest of it was enjoyable. Not really plot heavy as I thought it was going to be. The comedy side of it was fun and predictable after the first few episodes. Overall, pretty good slice of life, family story with a twist.

MANGA

Read a bunch of manga this month, mostly because I am struggling to find the next vn to read.

おやすみプンプン

Read a couple of volumes (6-7). This manga is so good, but it’s so depressing I need to stop to take a breather every once in a while. Please don’t leave any spoilers. The club has been reacting to me reading this, and it has mostly been a lot of crying emotes. It’s both been enjoyable to see and really worrying. 笑

チェンソーマン

Club recommendation. Only read the 1st volume so far. I really need to get into more 少年 anime/manga. That’s currently my 苦手 genre which is awful because literally all the top anime/manga is 少年 help. I just can’t enjoy it much still even though it’s comprehensible to me.

ちはやふる 中学生編

Read Vol. 1, chill read to me at this point after reading 45 volumes of the regular manga. Look, it’s my favorite 幼馴染 manga in baby format, of course I’m going to read this! 太一 has been a flake way before season 3 confirmed. Don’t come at me たいちはや stans bc I also like his character.

約束のネバーランド

Volume 7. I’m taking my sweet time with this one, because I heard the anime for season 2 sucked, so I’m avoiding it like the plague. This is 少年 how am I enjoying this and not everything else what.

ヲタクに恋は難しい

Enjoyed the anime hated the movie why did they make it a musical that sucked (ps i normally love musicals hated this one) 

The オタク jargon is kinda hard to read suprisingly but I do enjoy this ship very much. It’s a lighthearted take to otaku culture which is great because seriously it’s scary out there.

ツバサ -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE-

It’s my childhood ship, obviously I will read this again (read in English several years ago). Still as plot twisty as I remember it being (now at a bonus hard level reading it in Japanese 笑). Really enjoyed reading this one (I finished it this May).

-☆-

I’m starting to really dislike furigana in manga. It was a great help as a beginner, but now it’s like training wheels that you can’t take off. I feel like the gains I’m getting from manga is much lower than it was when I first started which makes me both proud of how far I’ve come, but also sad because I love manga. Sad that I might have to start choose VNs over it, because it’s not going to challenge me as much going forward. I mean it didn’t stop me from reading a lot of it this month, but you get the picture.

VISUAL NOVELS

ISLAND

Completed! See my stats and read my long spoiler filled post here.

ファタモルガーナの館

Picked up this VN and finished two doors (15 hours) before stopping. On the fence about it, because it has been kind of predictable so far, and I don’t particularly enjoy the horror genre. That said, this is more psychological than anything, so it’s probably not that that’s putting me off. The language is not exactly difficult, too - maybe some oddly specific words because it is after all historical fiction (which is one of my favorite genres, btw), and 敬語 is definitely interesting to read for once after encountering so many お嬢様 characters in anime/drama so far. 

I think maybe it’s the conversations that are kind of dull - dots (silence) every few clicks that keeps breaking the flow of reading. Probably judging it really harshly too early, because it’s rated so high everywhere, and I just have high expectations. Definitely not dropping it yet though, just taking a break and testing a couple of other VNs before I settle with whatever I end up choosing. It is, after all, going to be another 50+ hour read, and I just don’t want to not enjoy the process, because having fun with the process is a huge part of immersion learning.

Let me know if you’ve read Fata and if I should continue! 

-☆-

That’s it for this month!

If you have any suggestions on what to watch and read next, please send me a reply, especially for VNs because I’m struggling over here.

[postalninja]

Fic Writer Meme

I saw @cicaklah post this and wanted to try :) 1) How many works do you have on AO3? 

17 currently - 14 fics, 2 pieces of fanart, and 1 how-to guide thingie. I’ve been writing/posting for less than a year and a half, though, so there’s much more to come!

2) What's your total AO3 word count?

196 767.

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

6 for fics, 7 if you count fanart. They are mostly for video games, ‘cuz that’s how I roll:

- Octopath Traveler

- Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

- Legend of Zelda

- Persona 5

- Chrono Trigger (fanart)

And two non-game fandoms:

- Violet Evergarden

- Drawfee RPF

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1- Adrift in the Ocean of her Eyes by a large margin. My first and only fic to surpass 100 kudos as of yet! I almost didn’t finish it after I kind of stalled on it and was unsure whether it would be redundant in the fandom, but I’m so glad I did because people seem to love it.

2- A World of Knowledge Awaits, which as a crossover appealing to two fandoms, doesn’t come as too much of a surprise.

3- Sins of the Father, which I put a ton of work into, and I’m so glad it resonated with people.

4- Someone Strong, my very first baby fic! My initial foray into fanfic writing, spurred on entirely by the fact that my OTP was exceedingly underrepresented, if not entirely absent, from the Octopath Traveler fandom. I am a one-person H’annberic cheerleading squad, and I will *never* put these pompoms down! (FYI, I typoed ‘squard’ instead of ‘squad’ at first and almost left it that way. Squaaard!!)

5- A Cleric’s Quandary, based on a completely silly idea, so it was really fun to write!

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do, indeed! I love getting comments, and I always want to at least acknowledge them even if I don’t have anything profound to say in return. But if someone replies back to my reply, then I may not always add more if the conversation feels complete, ya know?

6) What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Ooooh, definitely What the Heart Wants. (Spoilers ahead) The reader is left unsure about whether or not the protagonist survives.

7) What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

Probably Someone Strong, because it was my chance to write the story of H’aanit and Olberic’s relationship, and I wanted to give them the whole happy ending of a wedding and a baby on the way. Of course, it wasn’t the *ending* of their story, per se, given that I have a whole series of fics about them, and I’m not done yet!

8) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you've written?

Only one so far, so it is by definition the craziest. Persona 5/Octopath Traveler, which isn’t even that crazy considering that it’s canon in Persona 5 that characters can enter an alternate universe using an app on their phone, so....

9) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I am lucky not to have received any hate, which I am very grateful for, but then again, I haven’t been at this for all that long, and I don’t get huge views either. So I am quite happy in my little corner being ignored by the haters.

10) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Why yes, I do! Why else would I write about the characters I love, if not to make them bone? lol.

I’ve only written M/F smut, since that’s what I’m most comfortable writing, and it’s rarely *super duper* explicit - I’ll use a fair few euphemisms a lot of the time. The more smut I write, though, the more I worry that it’s all the same... might need to start taking more risks! 

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, but that would suck.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Again, not to my knowledge, but that would be awesome!

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Kiiiiind of? Years ago, my D&D party started an email RPing campaign that was sort of like writing a fic together, but it stalled at some point and is long since lost to time.

My partner and I also wrote the beginnings of an original story together (also started as an attempted RPing campaign) and some day I might want to work on that one some more, because I liked what we came up with.

14) What's your all time favourite ship?

Olberic Eisenberg, the Unbending Blade of Hornburg, and H’aanit, huntress of the Dark Wood. I have never been so enamored of a fictional pairing, and this is literally what has thrust me into getting involved in fandom instead of just quietly enjoying content by myself. LET ME YELL AT YOU ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE THEM! If I had to pick a runner-up, I’d say the Evil Queen/Robin Hood from Once Upon a Time. I will read anything @somewhereapart writes about those two for as long as she keeps writing.

Another, more recent favorite, is definitely Agent 47/Diana Burnwood from Hitman! I only discovered the Hitman games this year, but I love that pairing to bits.

15) What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

I do intend to finish all of my current WIPs, of which I have... 4? 5 if you count the one that’s currently being beta-read. I guess the one I’m struggling with the most is an Octopath H’aanberic family-fic with the working title of Journey to Cobbleston. Olberic and H’aanit are taking their daughter B’renit to Cobbleston for the first time, and it doesn’t really have much more plot than that, so I’m finding it challenging. It’s just a cute story partially from the point of view of a four-year-old traveling for the first time, and it feels like not enough “interesting” stuff is going to happen. I struggle with pure fluff, y’all.

16) What are your writing strengths?

Grammar! And writing emotions - I’ve gotten enough comments from people telling me that they could feel my characters’ emotions in my writing for me to gather that I must have a knack for it.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

Pacing and plot/worldbuilding, ie. bigger picture stuff. And using too many clichés, probably.

18) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?  

I’ve only written in English so far, but it’s not my first language, so I would definitely not shy away from writing dialogue in French if it was called for. Otherwise, since I am a *huge* language nerd, I would likely give other languages a try if the story called for it, and get a native speaker beta to look over it for me before I posted.

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for? 

Octopath Traveler, as previously stated. It’s still my main fandom.

20) What's your favourite fic you've written?

I have a soft spot for The Measure of a Man. I just really liked what I was able to accomplish with it as a character study for Olberic, and I enjoyed incorporating a lot of the other canon characters into his story, too. Feel free to join in with your own answers, friends! :)

[radbutsafe]

ALL FUCKIN 35 OF THEM SKLNWESDJFPXO

I SHOULDVE EXPECTED THIS FROM YOU

1. From one to five stars, how would you rate your writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

A three! I think I’m mid range cause I ain’t terrible but there is still shit I gotta improve and grow in my writing

2. Why do you write fanfiction?

to manifest what canon won’t give me and to write more! (though yes it is mainly about the smooching and the— I’ll stop there LOL)

3. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

Hm! My weird research details? I’m that “fun fact, did you know...” in my fics sometimes LOL! I plan on giving a penthouse for erina in a fic and I went through penthouse listings in Japan for floor layouts and locations💀 my research gives me inspo and depth to stuff I think I lack in comparison to others sometimes.

4. Are there any writers that inspire you?

In terms of fellow fic writers, one of them I can’t name here but she’s an inspiration with her exceptional gift for prose period and her lovely skill at comedy! I want to be as funny as her when I write, I love her ironic situational humor. Other fic writers are @takoyakitenchou, @royaldragonsevgisi15 who I always love sharing ideas with and motivate me to create more! For non-fic writers it would be V.E. Schwab, Leigh Bardugo, Oda, and Horikoshi! The last two may be mangaka, however they are writers as well to create their stories! The depth these creators have given their worlds and interesting characters theyve given life to are all what I aspire to be like!

5. What’s the fic you’re most proud of?

so far uh?? hm everything I’m currently writing are wips lol!! im proud of my wip that has been nicknamed ‘soma panics’ that is a multi-chapter fic that spans like probs 20 plus chapters maybe

6. What element of writing do you find comes easily?

dialogue! it’s so much fun! and character thoughts. I’ve said to people I may be better suited for script writing

7. What element of writing do you struggle with most?

I think it’s description, of like setting and showing action. also an expansion of my vocabulary LOL

8. Which character(s) do you find easiest to write?

erina! I think it’s because canon has shown us many of her different faces and range of emotion.

9. Which character(s) do you find most difficult to write?

SOMA!! chill ass mofo whos more carefree compared to the common shonen protagonist! for other shokugeki characters I’m not sure just yet because I haven’t flexed my fingers enough for the rest of them.

10. What’s your favorite genre to write for?

I guess I should say romance cause that’s what I mostly write LOL!

11. Who or what do you find yourself writing about most?

sorina and I try to get them to smooch eventually KEK and yeah it’s..usually romantic fluff lmao

12. Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about.

HONESTLY ALL OF THEM but “soma panics” is my brain child

13. First fandom you ever wrote for?

pretty sure it’s digimon....

14. What’s your favorite fandom to write for?

currently shokugeki no soma!!!!

15. What’s the weirdest fandom you’ve ever written for?

uhhhh I guess SNS? LMAO fandoms...all have their quirks to them.

16. Any guilty pleasure trope(s)?

characters cuddling!!!! or getting the urge to smooch!!!!

17. A trope you’ll never, ever write for.

unrequited love GOOD FUCKIN BYEEEEEE

18. Wildest fic you’ve ever written?

I have plot ideas thst can be wild potentially but so far nothing fits this criteria so far that I actually have written.

19. Do you prefer canon-compliant, AUs, or something in-between?

depends on the fandom, but if written well, all of it!

20. Gen fic or shippy stuff?

shippy 100% like I said I like smoochin

21. Favorite pairing to write for? (platonic or romantic!)

romantic is...*drumroll* SORINA! platonic, soutaku and erina and alice!

22. Do you listen to anything while you write?

Sometimes! There are times songs will be on loop and times I just shuffle a playlist. and if I’m writing in random bursts it’ll be with no music but it really does depend lmao I think music is when I’m forcing myself to write?

23. Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

completely independent ideas, I’ve realized in the past prompts shoot me in the foot often unless I luckily figure something out. but I’m often driven by my own sporadic self interest with shitty ping ponging attention

24. One-shots or multi-chaptered works?

multi-chap I guess cause I can post without being finished LOLLL but tbh can I really answer? I haven’t finished anything.....

25. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them!

I can’t answer this question imo because I haven’t finished a fic yet so technically stuff could all fit in the one fic?

26. Is there anything you’ve wanted to write, but you’ve been too scared to try?

MYSTERY AND CRIME! I love the genre and I have plot ideas once a blue moon but I can’t dive in because I want to make details that work and reduce plot holes where suspension of disbelief isn’t as needed. I need to study it more (I need to study all the details for any of my fics imo to be confident sometimes LOL)

27. What’s the nicest comment you’ve ever received?

I don’t think I can say one comment was the nicest because I’ve gotten comments that have given me quite the smiles to my face many times! I know this is a cop out but it’s true!

IS WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY UNTIL REINA SENT ME THE FOLLOWING ON DISCORD LIKE TWENTY MINS AGO:

and also rad. i am never this vocal about my emotions like EVER but this needs to be said your fics are obviously far from perfect, as are mine and everyone else's. but the thing about your works is that they're so well-sanded that it's impossible to find any rough edges or faults in them in terms of cohesion to a plot. your cast is never OOC and the amount of effort you devote to developing your takes on the characters as accurately as possible is unimaginably awe-inspiring.

BITCH I WANNA CRY 😭

28. How well do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing?

I’d like to believe I take it often well to try and improve because that’s always my goal. if someone is rude lol that’s not constructive snd is unhelpful. If I disagree with criticism I’ll explain why !

29. Have you ever gone outside of your comfort zone for a fic? How did it turn out?

Not yet, but I have some plot ideas I think will let me test this.

30. Tooth-rotting fluff or merciless angst?

F L U F F.

31. Do you have any OCs? Tell us about them!

elliott fuji, a japanese-american award winning photographer who is erina’s boyfriend in ‘soma panics’ which..causes soma’s panic LOL he’s 30 with slightly wavy black hair. I still haven’t pinpointed his personality just yet...he kind of humble brags for sure an artsy fucker and flirts maybe I’ll make him a lil shy though. he teaches sometimes, and becomes an adjunct photography professor in Tokyo so he can be with erina.

32. Summarize a random fic of yours in 10 words or less.

a cook is unfashionably late in realizing his feelings.

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process?

I am a slow. so slow. motivation who is she? I also write out of order, unfortunately a bit too often.

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

this should be for the fic ‘soma panics’ it’s either megumi or satoshi talkin to him rn, I’m leaning towards satoshi

“You thought she would always wait for you, didn’t you Soma-kun? To always welcome you home.”

Soma drags his palms down his face and groans. He doesn’t like this at all. He doesn’t shy from confrontation but this is a whole different ballgame. Soma doesn’t play any ball.

“I guess..?” Is his reply, because he thinks he isn’t sure how to answer that.

“You guess?”

Just being questioned again is enough to crack Soma’s pathetic facade as if it was dropped chinaware and he lets out the longest sigh.

“No.”

Coming home means coming home to Nakiri Erina too.

Nakiri Erina is his forever.

this is @takoyakitenchou’s excerpt she’s most proud of that I’ve written, which is also from you guessed it, the long fic soma panics

SOMA: I am, I mean I will be, I swear I will always come home to you, not spend as much time abroad, once I’m done with work I’ll come right back. I’ll make sure to message you. Nakiri, I’m in love you with you. Maybe for a really long time. You know how I say I dedicate my food to you? My dad—my dad said that the key to become a good chef is to find someone to dedicate your cooking to. A special someone. For my dad it was my mom, you know? For me it’s...

(this is a good piece of dialogue tbh so I am also proud of this)

35. Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

I’ve mentioned it throughout this but the WIP I’ve nicknamed ‘soma panics’ is something I’m super excited to write, but it’s going on slowly...and almost completely out of order. out of all of my writing it showed off that particular habit of mine, along with “what is this, a shoujo manga?!” though the latter is currently being written chronologically now that I’ve posted chapter one and is pretty solid in direction. it was originally supposed to be a one shot but I got impatient and wanted to post at least something for the sorina / soueri fandom.

however, because ‘soma panics’ (I won’t call it that LOL) is my baby I want to keep true to my rule of refusing to post it until I have a draft of the entire fic finished and I’m satisfied with the main points pretty much. due to my writing out of order, I’m worried I’ll change my mind about scenes or want to reflect things in earlier chapters for later ones etc etc

I joined the SnS fandom extremely late, as season five was airing. I was a fan of the manga five years ago and dropped it because I forgot to check for updates when I caught up 😔 I really want to bang out the different fics and aus for sorina that I have before the fandom fizzles out entirely but tbh I’m writing for myself, I’m manifesting what I want to see and I’ll just share it with all my friends to read if no one else will. cause I’m slow broski I dunno what writing fast even is like LMAO I do really want to write faster though, so I can contribute more and let the words free from the discord dms....

[cheekbites-moved]

ok i still havent gotten the secret ending but farming for it might take me a bit so im gonna make a thoughts post for age of calamity now:

Major spoilers obvs so ill put it under a read more

things i enjoyed:

revali beatdown simulator

the controls for the divine beasts are a bit clunky, but i think the angles they used for them did an excellent job at really making the player feel like we were actually controlling a divine beast. so i think it was done well.

link’s personality really gets to shine full force in this game with the amount of cut scenes and it was wonderful to see

every character clearly had a lot of love put into how they operate. they truly all feel unique, & all of their play styles fit them really well in my opinion

the game does a really good job of making you understand what a real threat the monsters are. like in botw they’re intimidating at first, but once you’re far enough into the game they become just an inconvenience to work around if anything. this game managed to actually make certain monsters intimidating for me again, and i think that’s a real accomplishment

the blight battles are actually somewhat challenging in this game and that is truly a commendable achievement lol i think all the bosses are good tbh. i didnt rly dislike or not enjoy any of them.

the way daruk and link’s friendship & urbosa’s motherly relationship towards zelda got to shine was. so good. it’s all i could’ve ever wanted

seeing the descendants again was really nice & it was awesome to see the champions interacting with them!! especially sidon and mipha omggggg. that was. really fucking good shit

kohga. just. kohga in general. getting to see more of him was really rad, he’s such a fun guy! and his english va was Excellent. you could really tell he was having a lot of fun playing him, and it was lovely to see! :)

zelda getting to really shine in this game was also lovely to see. and her being so assertive and badass by the end? omg. it was so wonderful especially after botw. man. 

the combat is done very well imo. im rly glad that they took so many elements from botw, but also added their own flares to make it feel fresh. it was rad.

sidon’s tagline is “winning smile” and his power is “boundless optimism” and i think that’s beautiful

the music in this game is SOOOOO good oh my god. multiple times during playing i had to pause to just appreciate it. it’s pretty much all remixes of botw with a few originals for the new characters, but they all slap. there was not a single song in this game i didn’t like. it is definitely one of my favorite video game soundtracks officially. maybe one of my favorite overall soundtracks in general tbh.

the visuals obviously look just like botw, but it still looked fucking gorgeous at some points. like. man. they really went off to make it look not only faithful to botw as far as appearance goes, but also as far as capturing botw’s beauty and it was. excellent to see!

if anything is true to botw’s backstory, it’s definitely how op link is. cause he was established to be op in botw, & when u finish botw he is also op as hell. he is so fun to play as the higher leveled he gets. he absolutely kicks ass. especially with a two-handed weapon??? daaaaammmmnnn. thats my badass baby boy!!!!

link eating rocks not once, but TWICE. just showing PEAK gremlin energy. 10/10 for those scenes they were great

the ending was really beautiful actually and i did cry like a little baby for it what about it

things i didn’t like:

obviously first and foremost.. this is not the game we were advertised. and no matter how much i overall enjoyed the game, it will always have some layer of being tainted attached to it due to the false advertising. this is not the prequel we thought we’d be getting. & not using “prequel” specifically doesn’t matter when all the advertising, including the box art talks about this being the story of what happened 100 years ago. with no indication it wasn’t the story of what happened 100 years ago in the botw timeline, but a separate universe/timeline entirely. i do hope we get dlc for the game at some point giving us what we were advertised, but at the same time... rly wish that the story that’s in the final game was dlc, & the story we were promised was the original :/ or just having the game have two separate storylines originally would’ve been cool. i just wish it wasn’t falsely advertised. 

fort hateno can fucking eat my whole entire shit WHY is that part so needlessly obnoxious compared to everything else oh my god

being forced to fulfill revali’s power fantasy TWICE hurt my soul

fuck any mission where you have to protect the useless hylian guards. i hate them. they suck.

the ai for player characters when you aren’t playing as them can also be pretty useless. it was really frustrating failing missions because my fellow party members weren’t helping me, and i was basically expected to be in two places at once to get shit done myself. :/ ik you can just switch between characters to make it easier, but like. i like playing as link the most. he’s my favorite character, & ofc since he’s mandatorily played for most of the story, he’s gonna be the most leveled up character regardless so he’s just the best to play as in general especially for harder missions. it was annoying to be forced to play as other people Solely cause the ai was so useless.

king rhoam’s attempt at a redemption arc. i’m not sorry that i just fucking hate this man. i don’t mind him entirely in botw bc you can see clear, genuine remorse during the cut scene at the end of the great plateau. but the redemption arc he gets in this game? after all the fucking shit he does in this game? especially when after his ~redemption arc~ i had to sit through a cut scene of him being an absolute fucking asshole to baby zelda after her mother just died????? absolutely fuck that shit. i don’t appreciate that crap at fucking all. he’s a verbally abusive piece of shit and i hate his guts.

obviously there was gonna be some retconning of how certain things worked in botw in order to make this kinda game work but the way sheikah technology works in this game is so goddamn confusing i do not get it. the works of botw are never outright said or explained completely, but it’s straightforward enough that it doesn’t really matter. this game does try to explain certain things and it just becomes. really clunky and confusing very quickly. 

the story is alright, i guess, but..... really confusing/convoluted as hell at times to a point that it’s. really fucking distracting. especially in comparison to how straightforward botw’s story is. like..... cannot help but be annoyed that such a problem wouldn’t have been a thing if they stuck to botw’s story.

i was sad when the egg thing died but i dont like the egg thing.... it is the MAIN reason shit was retconned so much & i just. dont get its purpose. but i did really like the reveal that zelda made it herself. that was good shit!

also the egg glitched out like. a LOT. idk what the fuck was going on with the poor thing but there was multiple times during a cut scene or when i was just sitting there that it was freaking out in the background and it was rly weird

elemental overworld boss monsters................. obnoxious. especially elemental guardians like goddamn bro what the fuck

i know warriors’ games aren’t about exploring anyway but the limitations for exploring was really sad/frustrating. this is still somewhat the world of hyrule before the calamity, which is something we’ve always wanted to see. not being able to explore even the immediate area at certain points because of shit like timed missions was really upsetting, man. :( i just wanted to see hyrule castle Before the calamity why was did they have to rob us like that.....

creepy corrupted egg’s transformation. why. what was that. what the fuck

even though i did enjoy the boss fights, it did get. incredibly taxing eventually to have to fight the SAME bastards so many times. like yeah botw is also guilty of this with the blights, but goddamn.... at least i have a choice to avoid certain encounters with them? this game has you fighting the same bitches like upwards of 3-4 times. it was. really annoying tbh. like the fights themselves are enjoyable, but damn we added new characters and it still inevitably lacked variety in boss fights.

no playable kass >:( if he’s available later in dlc then fine but i wish he was playable in the original game. so many random choices you’d never expect are. why couldn’t he also be there >:(

overall:

it will forever have that sour taste for the false advertising attached to it unfortunately, but that aside, i overall did enjoy the game! i think it has a lot to love in spite of the issues i encountered. as someone who has this as their first warriors game as well, it did lend itself to letting me see the appeal of them. idk if i’ll get more, but i do get why they’re so beloved/popular now. it was an alright time, with some amazing highlights that i’m gonna think back on very fondly for a very, very long time. if i had to rate it..... 7/10 

[daisylincs]

To round off my 2021 completion of my incredibly late Trick or Treats, the lovely @the-astro-ambassadors​ won a Treat from me on Treat Day and asked me to spotlight - and this is the particularly lovely part, haha - whatever I wanted. And after considering it for a bit, I decided that what I want to highlight for all you amazing people who follow me and my craziness is none other than my 100 Followers Celebration.

And, ahem, I know that it’s a slightly odd time to do it, given that I currently have... uh... well let’s just say closer to three hundred than one hundred followers (😱😱😱😍😍😍😭 I love you all SO MUCH, oh my goodness!!!!) Anyway, yes, as you can probably tell from the fact that... well the fact that it’s FEBRUARY 2021 and I am finishing a Trick or Treat challenge, I am late for everything. And this celebration, of course, is no different.

Perhaps a good place to start would be to explain what the celebration was all about? Well, luckily, that one’s pretty simple. I put out the gushy posts (and, honestly, I still get that EXACT same feeling whenever I look at my follows page 🥺💜 you are all the BEST, ahhhh!!!) 

... Oh my gosh, I’m just going to keep going off topic here about how much I love you all, aren’t I? Ahem, MAN, I need to focus. So, here’s the idea: every time I’m hit by a wave of love, I’m just going to put three lemons in parentheses, and you guys will know they mean “I ADORE YOU SO MUCH, I am so touched flattered stunned surprised moved and insanely happy by your follows/care, and right back to you’re the best people on the planet.” Cool? Cool 🤣🤣🤗

So, to try this again, third time lucky - I put out the gushy posts about having 100 followers (🍋🍋🍋) and explained how I’d like to give something back to YOU (because, guess what, 🍋🍋🍋!) So I set up three separate series, called Danny Boy & Quake, Sky’s the Limit, and Spider-Dorks, and asked you guys to send in prompts for what you’d like to see. 

Now, each of the above was aimed at a different section of my followers (🍋🍋🍋). Danny Boy & Quake, for example, is for those of you who are of the Dousy persuasion, and, like me, absolutely loved AoS season 7 and wish the show wasn’t over. So for this series, I’m taking Daisy and Sousa, and basically just... exploring where they go from where canon left us! The first fic, for example, picks up right before the One Year Later time-skip, with Sousa and Kora talking about Daisy and their relationships with her while she’s recovering post-final fight in the healing pod. Then we transition on to Daisy and Sousa bonding with Alya, Fitz, Jemma, and so on... teasing each other about ill-advised 50s haircut choices... and even ending up in the bottom of an ocean as a Fitzsimmons parallel once! 

Basically, it’s about Dousy, and the life they might have post-canon - starting their relationship properly, and the adventures they could have, and just... a SHIELD-crazy, but love-rich journey for them both. 

Next up is Sky’s the Limit, my personal favourite, and, as you may have guessed given that I’m, well, me xD, it’s Staticquake. This one is set in a post-season 2 AU where, a) Jemma never got eaten by the Monolith, and b) Lincoln joined SHIELD as Daisy’s first Secret Warrior. Lash is not a thing, and neither is the ATCU, it’s just... the SHIELD family, with some bonus sweet-babies Staticquake, being themselves, and getting to have that “what if it was all the SHIELD characters but with no life-threatening situations, just like them going shopping at Target, having karaoke nights, binge-watching shows together, and being a family in general” AU situation that the cast and fandom are always saying they’d like so much. 

The first ficlet, for example, is about Lincoln consoling Daisy post-her mom’s death and dad’s mind-wiping, and being the first person she tells about her decision to change her name. From there, we go on to Daisy teasing Fitzsimmons after their successful date, that they actually get to go on, fjslkfjdfljd. After that, we transition into full prank war mode with the whole team, and, of course, an alternate Staticquake get-together... oh, it’s going to be SO FUN. 😍

Last but definitely not least is Spider-Dorks, the series I’m writing for the Spideychelle section of my followers (🍋🍋🍋). It, too, is set in an everything-is-canon-up-until-I-say-to-keep-things-happy AU - this one follows everything that canonically happened right up to and through Spider-Man: Homecoming, but cuts off right after that. And instead of Infinity War, we now get... Peter and MJ being oblivious idiots, Ned shaking his head at them both and also shipping them really hard, and, of course, the three of them getting into all kinds of shenanigans together. 

The first ficlet, to give you an idea, is about MJ in her role as AcaDec captain confronting Peter about always missing practice, and basically being like, you can skip it if you want, just know that I’m coming to your place to quiz your ass off when you are home. And because she’s MJ, she also casually drops the bomb of “oh, and I know you’re Spider-Man...” Of course, a firm friendship develops from there, and the next thing you know, MJ and Ned are testing out Peter’s old webshooters, she’s meeting Natasha, and, because of course, Ned’s doing his very best to set up these two oblivious idiots... Oh, yes, I love this one 😝😍

Now, at this point, you may be thinking, well, gosh, look how organised she is, she’s already gotten all the fics written! or something along those lines, but, uh. While I have invested a lot of time in the planning of these series, nothing has actually been written yet, which... is why I’m here today xD. This is going to be one of my biggest projects for 2021 - writing, posting and finishing these three series. Right after I finish my (hey look, also late!!) agentsofchallenges Fluff Bingo, and try to keep up with my birthday fic writing. 

... andddd this turned into a spotlight of, hey look it’s Lily’s 2021 schedule! Oh gosh, sorry, I’m incorrigible 🙈 But the point of this entire thing is, I’m throwing a spotlight on these three series today so that anyone who’s interested can know that I am actively working on them as of this year, and if you keep a watch on my blog (and, hey, I would not complain to the occasional encouraging/yelling ask in my inbox 😝) then yes, you will see these series before the end of the year. Hopefully. Definitely!!! 

Thank you SO much for playing in my Trick or Treat all those months ago, Heather, and late or no, crazy or no, I hope you enjoyed this answer/treat! Who knows - maybe I’ll even see you in one of these series :D 

And to everyone who read this: ALL THE LEMONS TO YOUUUUU, all of them, I genuinely and absolutely adore you. And am also ridiculously excited to share these series with you guys. AHHHHH. You really are the BEST!!! 😍🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋

[bltngames]

Review: Super Mario Sunshine

Super Mario Sunshine is a weird game for a lot of different reasons. It was among some of the first game reviews I ever wrote for the internet, for one, all the way back in 2005. I was proud enough of that review that when it came time to relaunch TSSZ News in 2008, it was one of five archived reviews I transplanted on to the site. It was also a strange case where I became convinced it was a game I’d never play, originally. I was 23 years old, with no job, no money, and no prospects. I was desperate to play the game that was being sold as the sequel to Super Mario 64, but I could not envision a future where that would ever be possible.

Eventually, I reached my breaking point. Earlier that same year, somebody had linked me to something called “Quake Done Quick.” It was attached to a relatively new site, called the “Speed Demos Archive”, a hub for videos of people finishing games as fast as possible. The site was small, updated manually, and featured a list of roughly 100 games -- maybe less. This was before Youtube, so these were downloadable video files, usually in AVI or MPG format. And it was here that they had a Super Mario Sunshine speedrun. Even on my fledgling broadband internet, it took a considerable amount of time to download. But, with nothing more than two hours of raw, unedited, uncommentated gameplay footage, I watched a user named “Dragorn” play through the entire game (his old run is still viewable on the Internet Archive). Watching a speedrunner flip, spin, and trick his way across levels, I became convinced that Sunshine was incredible.

A few months later, I was surprised by my brother with $200 for Christmas, stuffed inside a greeting card. He said it was for “all the Christmases he missed” since moving out, years ago. Combined with other money I’d received in gifts, I headed to a Gamestop and purchased a Gamecube with my own (used) copy of Super Mario Sunshine. In my mind, it did not matter that I had spoiled the entire game for myself only three months earlier with the speedrun video. Watching someone else play is no substitute for a controller in your own hands. I needed to play it for myself.

In the modern context, Super Mario Sunshine is one of the games attached to the recently released Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection. Full disclosure: I will not be buying this collection, and I have not played the version of Super Mario Sunshine it includes. It’s not that these games are bad, but even from the outside looking in, the collection looks underwhelming. It’s full of basic, bare-bones ports of games that deserve more. But it does mean that these games have been on my mind, particularly Super Mario Sunshine, which I finished replaying, separately, a little more than one year ago. It was the first time I’d finished the game since that fateful Christmas of 2004, and it provided a refresh in perspective.

The truth of the matter is, brushing aside everything else about it, Super Mario Sunshine is an easy game to hate. Nintendo was trying a lot of new things with the Gamecube, struggling to figure out what could be done with the leap in horsepower over the Nintendo 64. Their pitch was a Mario that was subtly more serious and realistic. Sunshine is a game with a surprisingly large number of cinematics, and a considerable amount of narrative setup. It sounds like a joke, but it’s true: the game opens with Mario taking a long-deserved vacation on a tropical island, only to be arrested and wrongfully accused of crimes he did not commit. He is sentenced to community service, forced to clean the island of a paint-like substance its residents claim he has used to vandalize their resort town. This is accomplished with the F.L.U.D.D., a backpack-mounted squirt gun perfect for washing down walls and floors. It was the first manual labor he’d been shown doing since the NES version of Wrecking Crew in 1985.

It’s odd territory for Mario, but it leads to the game’s first real problem: Plot. Sunshine is not a game that’s packed with story -- there aren’t a lot of named characters, and there aren’t a lot of genuine story arcs to get hooked in to, but it’s way more than you got in most Mario games. Regardless, the influence of a narrative structure is definitely felt within its levels. One of the benefits of Super Mario 64 is that there was no set order to anything; you might drop in to a level with a specific goal in mind, only to accidentally stumble on to something else. You were encouraged to follow your curiosity, collecting stars more through natural exploration. Even though it’s not always obvious on the surface, the objectives in Super Mario Sunshine are following a specific plotline, which means flat, rigid linearity.

So you might reach an amusement park area, but you can’t go inside until you finish the mission where you open the front gates. Even once you re-enter the level for the next mission inside the amusement park, exploring its various rides will be a moot point, as the game will want you to focus on a specific goal instead. Want to ride the rollercoaster? Too bad, the story dictates it’s not available yet. Though you still have that go-anywhere, do-anything world design from Super Mario 64, the current mission is the only thing that’s ever active. Another example: at the beginning of the game, you open up the first stage -- Bianco Hills. Even though you have a whole village and a sizable lake area to explore, there’s little to do out there, because your mission is about reaching the bottom of the windmill. The second mission, again, doesn’t involve the village or the lake, but now asks you to reach the top of the same windmill in order to fight the game’s first boss, Petey Piranha. And so it goes: big zones to explore, but most of it useless as Sunshine slowly trickles out objectives one at a time, following a barely-visible narrative that drags everything down.

Nintendo had other intentions for the game, too. The company was known for taking its time with game releases -- Super Mario World released in 1990, and it took six years for Super Mario 64 to follow it up. Even once a game was announced, there were often months or even years of delays as the game got pushed back, and back, and back, as with Ocarina of Time. Similarly long waits happened for many of Nintendo’s other flagship franchises (Super Mario Kart, Super Metroid, etc.), and the peanut gallery was getting restless. With the release of the Gamecube, Nintendo made a vow to explore other avenues to release more games, more quickly.

The problem was, all of those delays are exactly what lead to Nintendo’s extremely high bar of quality. Rushing these games out the door meant cutting corners and finding easy ways to tack on extra play time, skipping necessary fine tuning. In The Wind Waker, this notoriously led to the last fourth of the game, wherein you must find and decode maps to dredge up half a dozen pieces of the magical Triforce. For most, this meant hours of sailing out to random, completely featureless areas in the middle of the open ocean hoping to find a single golden tortilla chip. “Tedious” is putting it kindly, but it saved Nintendo from having to delay the game too many times in order to add more in-depth content.

In Super Mario Sunshine, this manifested in a degree of repetition that is difficult to ignore. In both Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy, most mission objectives are unique. There are occasional repeated missions, like finding 8 red coins, but by and large it's things like rescuing a baby penguin, opening a pyramid, assaulting an airship, or finding your way through a gravity-bending maze. There's enough variety that you don't notice as much when you're asked to do yet another one of Galaxy's purple coin comets.

Sunshine still has unique goals like that, but they are much fewer and farther between. Instead, the bulk of the game is filled with doing the same four or five missions over, and over, and over again. Finding fruit to hatch Yoshi or hunting red coins can be fun occasionally, but Sunshine often makes you do this stuff multiple times per level. Most bosses also must be faced at least twice, sometimes up to three times, and very little changes from fight to fight. And then there are the races -- a man named Piantissimo is waiting for you in most stages, looking to race you to an arbitrary landmark, and every single level has one penultimate mission where you must chase down the hero's evil doppelganger, Shadow Mario. It’s padding, basically, and thanks to a tenuous grip on narrative, there’s few ways to skip the things you don’t want to do.

This isn't even touching on the game's blue coins. They're one of Sunshine's rarer collectibles, and ten blue coins can be traded at the shop for a single Shine Sprite (the main item central to the story). The majority of blue coins can be found by hosing down graffiti found around the island. Spray a circle-shaped pattern on one wall, and a blue coin pops out of another circle-shaped pattern on the opposite side of the level, which you must run to and collect before it disappears. Then, the opposite: spray down the second pattern, and another blue coin will appear back where the first graffiti used to be. In a game full of rerun objectives, this is the worst offender. Rarely are these blue coin graffiti spots interesting or challenging; they primarily exist to fill space and fluff up the Shine counter.

The level concepts themselves also suffer from this repetition. In any other Mario game, “tropical island” would be one theme among many other level types, like deserts, volcanoes and frozen lakes. Sunshine tries to stretch its one theme out to last an entire game, and in practical terms, this means that even after 18 years and two complete playthroughs (three, if you count the speedrun video), I still can’t remember most areas in any kind of specific detail. I remember a couple stage names, maybe a few environmental traits (like the hotel at sunset or the amusement park), but anything beyond that and it all starts blurring into homogeneous beaches, docks, and villages. Even the music -- beyond the iconic acoustic guitar of the Delfino Plaza hub world song, absolutely nothing about Super Mario Sunshine’s soundtrack stands out as memorable in the slightest. Every part of this game plays, looks and sounds like every other part in the worst way possible.

And yet, through some miracle, Super Mario Sunshine does not come out the other end being a bad game. It’s not necessarily good, either, mind you. But when I finally managed to get my hands on this game back in 2004, it made me angry. Super Mario 64 was a tough act to follow, and rather than build on those concepts, Sunshine felt like a massive regression. Nowadays, it’s easier to see the bigger picture. Super Mario Sunshine was a stop-gap as Nintendo slowly pushed Mario back to a more linear, level-based structure. Super Mario Galaxy was another step in this direction, doing away with the open worlds in favor of traditional, straight-forward level design, something that would later be perfected in Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World.

That makes Sunshine more of a curious black sheep than anything else. It’s definitely not a game worth hating -- its biggest offense is simply being dull, and there are worse fates. For my replay, it became the sort of game I chipped away at, bit by bit, over the course of nearly three years. As it turns out, the best cure for repetition is to forget everything you were doing the last time you played. It’s even fitting on some level that a game about Mario taking a vacation is best served in lazy, slow, indifferent chunks. Make no mistake -- there are better, more polished, and more engaging platformers out there for you to play. It is in no way a stretch to call Super Mario Sunshine the worst 3D Mario game, but it speaks to the franchise’s high bar of quality that even the worst 3D Mario game really isn’t so bad.

[natalilysims]

Legacy Questionnaire

Thought this would be fun to do so I can look back on it after a few more generations pass and see how some answers change. This can also be done as a ‘send me a number’ game so if you want to do that you can find the original post by @melien​, here. Inspired by @an0nymousghost​, you can check out their post here!

1. When did you start your legacy? What inspired you to do it?

I started this Legacy on March 28, 2019. I usually do challenges where there are a lot of rules for each generation but I wanted to start something where I could do pretty much what I wanted and play a little bit more out of my comfort zone. And I’d seen a lot of amazing Legacies on Simblr that made me want to do my own and post it.

2. Are you following any strict rules there or just play how you want?

Nah, I’m basically just doing what I want.

3. Post the oldest picture you have from your legacy save.

The first ever Sharp house. Originally created by lilsimsie but I gave it a renovation. It’s up for download if anyone wants it!

4. What’s so special about your founder that you wanted to start a legacy with them?

She wasn’t really special to be honest. I just finally made a Sim that I managed to enjoy playing enough to not give up and start a new family like I’ve done a few times before with Legacy Challenges.

5. Favourite generation(s)

Generation 1 was probably my favourite. Which makes it sounds like I’ve enjoyed the family less and less as the challenge has gone on but that not the case at all. I think it’s because even though it was only a little over a year ago, I have a bit of nostalgia for that generation? Idk, I’m weird.

6. Favourite heir.

Probably Harper, the Gen 3 heir. 

7. Favourite spare.

Either Abi from Gen 1 or Jordan from Gen 3. 

8. Favourite spouse.

Alessia, the Gen 4 spouse. I’m gonna be really sad when I have to move on to Gen 5 and stop playing her.

9. Top 5 favourite legacy sims.

1. Jordan 2. Alessia 3. Sonny 4. Abi 5. Hayley

10. Top 3 favourite couples.

1. Safiya and Milo - the OG couple of this challenge. I have to stan. 2. Jordan and Jackson - kinda look like brothers but I just love them so much. 3. Eli and Alessia -  currently playing them and they’re so cute.

11. If you ever did any story lines, what is the one you’re most proud of?

I’m not a huuuge fan of making big story lines for my Sims but sometimes I have little things in my head about the Sims’ personality or their motivations for doing certain things that someone looking through my legacy won’t know because I don’t necessarily put them into my posts to make a huge story.

12. Any memorable moments?

Mango, a cat from Gen 2, randomly going into labour. I literally don’t know how she got pregnant.

13. Any funny moments?

None that I can think of. That’s upsetting.

14. The most unexpected twist in your legacy?

Some of the kids were unexpected twists - Harper and Hazel weren’t supposed to exist and neither was Eli but I have a problem with making my Sims have too many kids. 

15. Favourite name used on your sims?

I remember being very excited about naming Gus. And I love the name Sonny, especially for a boy. For surnames, I was really proud of Nair and Lane, even though they’re pretty basic lmao.

16. Who of your legacy sims you can relate the most to?

I don’t really relate to any but if I had to choose it would either be Abi or Harper.

17. Do you usually get attached to them or just play without deep thinking?

I get kind of attached in that I love looking back at old screenshots and remember how fun it was to play them but I don’t cry when my Sims die or anything like that because I usually have other Sims that I can move onto and focus on. And like... if I really wanted to see a Sim again, I probably have them saved somewhere.

18. Any surprise babies? What was the story?

Not really a surprise because I made it happen, but Harper and Hazel were not part of my original plan for Generation 2. I planned on Faye only having 2 kids but I was bored and when that happens I usually cure the boredom by having more kids, which I’m trying very hard to stop doing because after the excitement of having the baby is over, I can be even less interested in playing than I was initially.

19. Who of your sims has the best style?

I feel like none of my Sims have the best style, they’re all pretty generic, but if I had to choose... Jordan or Harper.

20. Who is the best genetic mix of their parents?

This is definitely a flaw of The Sims 4 and its shitty skin tones but I quite like that Max and Jordan (who are twins) have a slight mix of their parent’s genetics. Max has Harper’s hair and Cheyanne’s skin tone. And Jordan has Cheyanne’s hair and Harper’s skin tone.

Again, this shouldn’t be a thing. The kids should have a skin tone that’s in the middle of what their parents’ skin tone is but I just thought it was interesting when I noticed it.

21. Is your legacy berry, vanilla, banilla, or a mix of those?

Vanilla in the sense that they aren’t berry sims but not vanilla in the sense that I use a lot of CC and some mods.

22. Have you ever done another legacies apart from this one?

I’ve started a few, two of which I began posting on here but then deleted because I didn’t like how they were going. I was 100% expecting to give up with the Sharp family as well but it’s going pretty good so far.

23. How many generations are you aiming for? When you reach a certain milestone, are you going to continue playing or just wrap up the whole thing?

If I lose interest at any point and genuinely get bored of the Sharp family then I’ll probably stop at the end of whichever generation I’m on but ideally I want to complete 10 generations. I might take a Sim born in the final generation and use them in another legacy/challenge I start as a spouse or something but I’ll stop with the Sharp Legacy after 10.

24. Have you ever done any other challenges with your sims from the legacy?

At some point I probably will use someone from the Sharp family in something else but so far I haven’t. I will be using a Sim from another challenge/family in Sharp Gen 5 though.

25. What do you do when you feel uninspired playing the legacy?

Either stop playing The Sims 4 altogether or play another challenge/family for a bit.

26. Have you had your sims die? Which death was the hardest to take?

I’m on Gen 4 so a lot of Sims have died at this point, all from old age. So far, Harper’s was probably the hardest to take.

27. Do you have this one OTP that stands out among the other legacy couples? Tell us about them!

Jordan and Jackson. I don’t know what it is about them, I just love them so much. Sometimes I wish I made Jackson the heir. I knew that for Gen 4 I wanted to live in Sulani and do Island Living stuff but I didn’t mold Jordan into an Island Living type of Sim so it wouldn’t have fit very well.

28. Have you had a sim who you grew to like?

Eli was very unplanned and I had no idea what to name him and I was like ugh why did I do this but now I love him a lot. Originally, I named him Casper.

Bailey was also very hard to name. I’ve always really loved her, it’s just the name that I’m not sure about. I like the name Bailey but something about Bailey Sharp isn’t my fave. And Sonny and Bailey don’t go together that well imo. But at the same time, now I couldn’t imagine her having a different name so... idk.

29. Have you had a sim that you fell in love with right away?

I’m always obsessed with the first born in a generation so - Abi, Hanna, Max & Jordan, Sonny

30. Do you choose your heirs yourself or make heir polls?

I have thought about making an heir poll when I’m not sure what I want to do for the next Generation but so far, I’ve managed to figure it out so I haven’t needed a poll.

Also, when it comes to choosing an heir, I usually like to choose when they are still a child so I can kind of mold them into what I want for the next Generation as they’re growing up. So making a poll would be hard because the people voting wouldn’t know my plan and I wouldn’t want to give major spoilers for what’s to come.

31. The first legacy memory that pops up in your head?

Safiya going to a cafe to make friends but she ended up just sitting alone drinking coffee. Or when Cheyanne and Harper went on a date and Harper died...

32. The hottest sim?

Gus, Max or Brandie

33. The prettiest sim?

I feel like I’ve been very lucky with this family because all the kids have been really pretty but if I had to choose, probably either Abi, Hayley or Jordan.

34. The most unique sim?

I feel like all my Sims are pretty basic to be honest. If I had to choose... maybe Jordan? I’m not sure. 

35. Have you had any sims that remind you of someone?

I’ve never really thought about it, so I guess not.

36. Do you use other people’s sims in your legacy?

I think most of the Sims I’ve used for this Legacy are either pre-made Sims in the saves I’ve been using or I’ve made them. I don’t think I’ve specifically downloaded anyone from somewhere for my Sim to marry. I probably will do that at some point though.

37. Imagine if you had a chance to meet one of your sims. Who would it be?

That’s so weird for me to imagine but if I had to, either Jordan or Harper.

38. Do you have that one generation you wish you’d done differently?

I love Brandie and Eli so much but I sometimes wish Harper and Cheyanne had Max and Jordan and then were done with babies because 2 generations in a row with 4 babies is a bit much.

39. Your favourite non-romantic relationship in the legacy?

Harper and Hazel were fun to play with at the beginning of Gen 3 when they went to university.

40. Random fun fact about your legacy you want to share!

I’m trying to make each generation a bit different and focus on a pack. Gen 1 and Gen 2 were both fairly generic but Gen 3 had a university theme for a while and Gen 4 is Island Living. Gen 5 will probably be a mix of Island Living and Eco Lifestyle (if I can be bothered to figure out how to properly work Eco-Lifestyle).

[rkyjun]

hii so i came here a few months ago with this same post, but more plots for yeonjun! i’ve noticed recently he’s been getting a lack of threads compared to mina (though that might be my fault bc all i did last month was stamina her and didn’t focus much on him), so i come here begging for plots because i have a lot of muse for my boy and he’s so fun and friendly !!! and could definitely add +50 to ur life for more happiness!!! so below the cut, i have a few plots listed down for him for anyone interested. 

if any of them catch your interest, pls hmu! i’ll be slow in replying in general, but i’ll def be quicker on twitter (@hclywould) and discord (udawn#2510)! however, don’t hesitate on sending me an im if you are unable to reach me on the other two!! 

this will also serve as a starter call! if you just want a random thread, just reply with a random object (nothing dangerous or weird though) and i’ll try my best to make a starter involving it!

PLOTS

PLATONIC

people who study at snu! bonus if you join the growing club of convincing yeonjun to try taking school more seriously.

sopa kids! boy’s super social so if you’re an upperclassmen or underclassmen during his time there (2015(? i think) to 2018), maybe you would’ve known him because he probably tried to bother you at one point bc he’s kind of annoying, but in a loving way LMAO

english speaking friends!! yeonjun’s good, but not fluent and he wants to improve on that. so he’s going to use u a practice. he is sorry, but he is also not. better than dealing with the demon spawn that is the duolingo owl

boy group enthusiasts!!! esp if u stan per_se. PLS talk to him about boy groups that he thinks are super duper cool !!!

mcu friends! simply, if your muse likes the mcu, PLEASE talk to yeonjun about it! this guy will NOT shut up about bucky and/or scott lang. esp w falcon and winter soldier coming soon. yes he will be >:c if u bring up endgame.

yeonjun has a sugar glider and absolutely loves her (even though i’ve never written about her on this blog OOPS), so let him gush about how much he loves his baby to you!!!

if you work at/own a place with yummy fried food, let yeonjun bother you by begging for a coupon!!!! yes he has a questionable diet !!! and what about it!!!!

even though yeonjun’s lactose intolerant, he never had sorbet… so you decide to show him the light.

you see this dude at the arcade all the time and you’re starting to wonder if he has a life outside of just playing tekken (HE DOES he just really likes playing tekken)

he recently got a switch, so talk to him about games to get! (he’s got animal crossing, fire emblem, and tetris) 

NON-PLATONIC��

you were his first girlfriend and you two had a relationship in high school! for some reason, the relationship didn’t work well on your side. so you broke it off. he’s sad about it and he kind of resented you for it at the time. so years pass, you’re both very different people now, and hope to reconcile as friends! 

you had feelings for him at one point in your life and he, the complete doofus he is, has never acknowledged it for some reason. he never does get feelings for you (oops :( ), so if you ever do bring up your past feelings to him randomly one day, he’ll definitely be super duper shocked

you’re someone who’s hard to impress and hard to befriend. yeonjun keeps on trying, but you’re very adamant about not being his friend to the point where even he starts to dislike you for not being nice to him. basically, someone mean who he doesn’t like!! 

OPEN EVENTS

#rkcollab - yeonjun just made his youtube channel and he wants to have more fun with it!! and what’s more fun than singing with friends!!! taken by @rkjinwoo​

#rkmakeover - fascinated by yeonjun’s blue hair and wanting to get out of your comfort zone, you go to him and ask him to personally be your hairstylist and that… can either go well or not because yeonjun is unpredictable !!!! let’s hope it goes well though

#rkdanceoff - yeonjun can kind of dance??? he’s good with boy groups and some girl groups, he thinks??/ though he’s not 100% confident, he IS competitive as hell so challenge him to a duel and he will act like a fool just to prove a point. will his ass be served or will he prove himself? who knows. taken by @jayparkrk​

#rkcharity - he has a heart of gold and he has managed to convince you to do a good deed with him !!! let’s go for being a good human being and doing charity stuff!!! YAY!!! taken by @rkkyungwon​

[caffeinechic]

Good Omens Fic Recs 1/?

I went to fix a link in this post and managed to delete the entire thing like an absolute fool. 

But my complete annoyance with myself won’t be bested with my determination to post this lot. So here I go again. I am so sorry if this has shown on your dash a million times. And sorry for the double links / tagging as I honestly went half mad over even the basics. This is where I am with life.

I have about 300 Good Omens fics bookmarked at this point to trying to pull out my absolute favourites sent me down a re-read (and in many cases a re-re-re-re-read) rabbit hole, which was an absolute joy so no complaints here!

These are just some of the ones that have just really stuck with me for one reason or another so I’ve gathered them up under the cut

4 Authors I just need to do like a HUGE rec for as they’re life ruiners. How dare they be this good. HOW DARE THEY.

@princip1914 @princip1914

Yeah I started pulling out the bookmarks I had for @princip1914 and realised it was...everything they’d written. All of it. Just...all of it.

But my particular favourite out of an outstanding batch is the following - which I have read approximately 70 squillion times. It stuck with me for so long in a way that I don’t think many fics have, ever. I actually can’t recommend this enough:

Doubt Thou The Stars Are Fire

“But how,” Aziraphale gasped, agonized and close to tears. “How can you be sure. Crowley, dear, you got thrown out of heaven for questioning everything. How can you be sure about this?”

Crowley loves and Aziraphale doubts. God intercedes. A groundhog day kind of situation ensues wherein Aziraphale has to fall in love with Crowley over and over again as a human until he gets the point. Highlights include: delivering medical care in rural Louisiana, stargazing in Vegas, strangers on a train, and teaching middle school.

@bestoftheseekwill @bestoftheseekwill

Same “problem” with @bestoftheseekwill - READ EVERYTHING. Oh my god, the human AUs, THE HUMAN AUS.

Special shout out to Acts of Service which was the first Human AU I’d read and got me completely hooked and now whenever seekwill posts I immediately read.

Acts of Service

"You seem very familiar to me. I can’t say why that is." As Aziraphale spoke, Crowley turned away from the fire, and Aziraphale was momentarily concerned that the spell had been broken, that he had crossed some invisible line. But Crowley smiled and brought his beer to his lips.

"Maybe we met in a past life. Does your lot believe in that?"

"Past lives?"

"Yeah."

Aziraphale smiled into his wine. He was sure Crowley was poking fun, ever so slightly, but he liked it. "Not strictly speaking. No."

Crowley shrugged, taking another long sip of his beer. “A mystery then."

After receiving direct instruction from God, village reverend Aziraphale leaves his countryside congregation to serve the underserved and in-need at an urban church in London, a transition made all the more complicated by the mysterious and handsome Crowley, who always seems to appear when Aziraphale least expects him.

OH!! but also

That this could be the kingdom

- this one sat with me for a while. Stunning

I have lived my whole life with a wrecked heart. Fr. Aziraphale Fell’s present mirrors his past, as long ago roommate, classmate, and former friend Anthony Crowley reappears in his life in an unexpected and disarming way, challenging Aziraphale’s choices, and bringing him back to the breaking point, when he made a decision he couldn’t take back. It isn’t temptation, it’s revelation.

@mygalfriday @mygalfriday

Ah here, listen - I went to get my bookmark list for @mygalfriday and just ended up re-reading all 12 fics this week.

i can't say the words, so i wrote you into my verse

Aziraphale blinks as it slowly dawns on him exactly what he’s looking at. Crowley has a tattoo. Well, another one anyway. Unlike the small serpent curled just beneath his temple, this one takes up far more space.

And listen if you don’t read the blind date au series then I don’t know how to help you!

I couldn’t find Rend_Herring  Found @rendherring @rendherring on Tumblr but I had to put my phone and my head down after I read both of these.

The Lightness of You

God should not have built them with such discrepancy, made them need for love, and long for wholeness, then left them to their own devices.

This Soul Outstreaming

“Why did you come here?” Aziraphale interrupts. “Why do you keep doing this?” All the saving, he means, all the chasing after Aziraphale he does. It can’t only be that he’s not keen to endure a replacement. That can’t be it, not anymore. He’s going to get himself in trouble, and then it’ll be Aziraphale’s fault.

Crowley’s mouth shuts with a click. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat, reaches for the handle of the fork and taps his fingertips against it before setting his hands in his lap.

When he speaks, it’s very soft. “Don’t you know?” he asks.

Aziraphale, unaccustomed to his heart refusing to translate why it throbs with such haste, shakes his head.

Fics that, to me, are just stunners. I love them so much.

Slow Show - @mia-ugly @mia-ugly Honestly if you’re seeing a rec list WITHOUT slow show...I’d be legit surprised In which temptations are accomplished, grand romantic gestures are made, and two ineffable co-stars only take four seasons of an award-winning television program to realize they’re on their own side (at last, at last.)

Barriers, and the breaking thereof - @cardinaldaughter @cardinaldaughter Ezra Fell has long been comfortable in his loneliness. He’s content to simply run the Soho Public Library and otherwise keep to himself. However, when a handsome stranger bursts in one evening with a baby, frantic and in need of help, Ezra finds those carefully constructed barriers he’s long maintained begin to crack.

Perhaps it’s time to let them fall.

Anthophilia - @fortinbrasftw @fortinbrasftw Anthony J. Crowley's life seems like it's finally falling into place: his floral shop has begun to gain an undercurrent of appreciation in the design elite of London, and he might have even finally found a boyfriend who looks just right lounging on his Tenreiro sofa. Things seem almost perfect, until one day the empty shop across the street is leased to frumpy fellow Oxford alumni, who doesn't seem to remember Crowley nearly as well as he remembers him, which really shouldn't bother him as much as it does - it was ten years ago after all, and it wasn't even that good of a kiss.

The road to rapture has a lot of pit stops - @emmagrant01 @emmagrant01 Five times they kissed over four thousand years, and one time they actually meant it.

Demon and Angel Professors - Ghostinthehouse - not 100% sure that this is also their tumblr handle so if anyone can confirm that would be great! They're professors. They're married. Their students don't realise. Cue shenanigans.

Multiple short arcs with one-shots (and often pauses) between them. Characters continue from one arc to the next. It's marked as complete, because each short arc is complete in itself, but there will be more arcs and one-shots in the future.

The Grinch Who Sold Christmas - @forineffablereasons @forineffablereasons Anthony J. Crowley, a big-time attorney from London, is sent to small-town Tadfield to close a deal before Christmas that would sell out half of high street to a fancy developer and put him up for partner at his firm. The deal will run the local businesses out and change the landscape of the town forever, but that’s none of Crowley’s business; he’s just doing a job.

But as the town invites him to share in their lives and their hopes and their holiday celebrations, and as the enigmatic Aziraphale invites him to share in something more, Crowley starts to wonder: if everything has its price, is he still willing to pay what this deal will cost?

Slow - write_away It started like this: A boy with the ability to warp reality met an angel and a demon and he made assumptions.

You might say it started like this: An angel and a demon found a marriage contract hung on the wall of the angel's bookshop. They didn't question it.

It also could have started like this: Once upon a time, the angel told the demon he went too fast. The demon took it to heart.

Aziraphale and Crowley find themselves somehow married. Crowley fears going too fast. Aziraphale forges ahead. Neither know how to ask questions of each other.

You, soft and only - @thehoyden He hadn’t expected a sudden lapful of angel.

“Very sorry about this,” Aziraphale said, and kissed him.

A Bushel and a Peck- @thehoyden  Sometimes, a family is a demonic nanny, an angelic cook, and a kid who isn't actually the Antichrist.Or: Crowley helps Aziraphale secure a different position at the Dowling Estate.

Long is the way, and hard - Kate_Lear The first time Crawley meets the angel, the celestial being is twisting its shining white robe in its fingers and looking wretched. It hardly spares him a glance as he shifts from snake to human, and Crawley is a touch put-out. It’s taken some practice to be able to do it so fluidly.

A story of Crowley's thoughts about Aziraphale, from the Beginning to the present day.

And also of temptation, and want, and whether - for a Fallen Angel - redemption is possible after all.

the 21st century, in which they finally work it out - @fieldbears @fieldbears This is light speed in comparison to the last few centuries of their relationship, but Crowley is barely holding on to his patience.

A Few More Rescues - @poetic----nonsense @poetic----nonsense 5+1 Times Crowley Rescued Aziraphale According to the Romantic Tropes of the Era, and One Time Aziraphale Turned It Around on Him (plus Prologue)

The Cottage, the Husbands (series) - Dragonsquill A demon and an angel fall in love and decide to take on the monumental task of living together in a cottage by the sea.

[ezilyamuzed]

Ten Years Gone- Chapter Two

Description: Ten years ago, your world had changed. Ten years ago, you had met him, leading your life to never be the same again. Time is running out, but is it too late after all these years?

Word Count: 4677

Warnings: Language, angst, death (I think that’s about it)

A/N: This takes place at the beginning of season 2. I re-watch specific episodes to integrate the story in as much as I can into the real one (some things are bound to be reworked a bit!) This process takes lots of time, so please let me know what you think. Also I suggest a re-watch anyways because - come’on, they’re worth it!

Any grammatical mistakes are all my own, because I am human. Remember all comments and feedback are welcomed! If you want a tag in future posts regarding this series or other writings please send an ask! Please  leave a comment if you like it, it keeps me motivated to continue! As always thank you for reading! Enjoy!  

TEN YEARS GONE MASTERLIST

*Picture and lyrics used are not mine. Led Zeppelin is Amazing.

* Flashbacks are all BOLD and Italicized.

Did you ever really need somebody? And really need 'em bad. Did you ever really want somebody? The best love you ever had. 

 It had been four days since they arrived back. Sam was busy hounding a million questions out of Bobby about demons and going through lore while Dean kept himself busy trying to salvage what he could from the wreckage. You stayed off to the side for the most part, watching and listening to them while you worked on your own car and muddled through possible cases. There was something they weren’t telling Bobby and you, and by the way he was acting, there was something Dean was keeping from Sam too. What it was, you didn’t have a clue, but it had to be big the way that Dean kept silent.  

“Hey, figured you needed a drink or something,” you stated while offering Dean a beer while he was crutched down to take off the broken fender. 

“Thanks,” he replied while standing up, taking it from your hands. 

He popped off the top, almost emptying it in one large gulp before pulling it away and wiping his mouth off with his sweaty forearm. The sweat poured down him and glistened off his sun touched skin. You would be lying if you said that it wasn’t a complete turn on at the moment where it was a little hard not to stare. 

“Was there anything else?” He asked as he tipped it back again, taking another large sip.

“Just wanted to see how you were doing out here,” you replied with a tight smile. “Didn’t know if you needed help.”

“I got it,” he said as he handed you back the empty bottle and went back to his spot on the ground. “Why don’t you go see if Sam wants help? The boy could use it.”

“Yeah, I don’t feel like going through books I’ve read 100 times before,” you rolled your eyes. “He’s not going to find what he wants in there. Nothing about a yellow eyed demon.”

“So you know about Azazel huh?” He scoffed. “Guess Bobby filled you in.”

“Something like that,” your words trailed off with your thoughts. Azazel. You had a name now.”I mean, you probably know more than me about him.”

“Nope,” Dean popped off his lips, stopping you from finding out anything else. 

You weren’t going to take his ‘Nope’ for an answer. Even more now you knew he was hiding something. You just had to try harder. 

 “I’m starving so I’m going to grab some burgers. Want one?”

“You really have to ask that,” he laughed while looking up to you, a little grease on the side of his freckled clad nose. 

“Wasn’t sure if you had enough grease to last ya there on your face Winchester,” you chuckled before walking away. 

While waiting on your order to be done at the diner, you made your way to the liquor store nearby to replenish the fallen soldiers of Bobby and the Winchester’s 2 day binge. Hell, you were the one dying but their livers were probably going to give out before then if they continued the way they were. 

“Hey trouble,” a voice rang as you felt arms wrap around you from behind.

“That better be Josh or I’m going to kick someone’s ass,” you said as you pushed his arms off.

You turned to him and saw his smile, brightening up like a kid on Christmas morning.

“Didn’t know you were still in town.”

“Didn’t think I had to tell you,” you stated as you turned back around, waiting for your turn at the register.

“Well since you’re in town,” he purred out. “What do you say later tonight…”

“Isn’t there someone else that you could be asking that question?” You snapped, annoyed at how he was only thinking with his tiny brain in his shorts at the moment. 

“They’re not as fun,” he grinned. “ A couple drinks and you could come back to my place. Have a good time like always?” 

“Yeah well I’m busy,” you scoffed as you put the various bottles up on the counter from your basket.

After paying, you ignored him asking you to call him. He was getting attached. Like a dog searching for his bone, which was not what you had agreed to years before. Maybe in another life you would have given him more of a chance than a couple late night drunken hookups to mask your loneliness, but that wasn’t your reality. You had practically a year left, why put someone through the ache of losing you? Hurting Bobby was enough and now that John was dead, you felt the anger sitting idly in the pit of your stomach towards that yellow eyed bastard. No, you had better things to do. He had to die even if it was the last thing you did, and time was running out. 

You pulled up to the house and saw Dean kicking the hell out of the spot where the fender was. You sat in silence until you saw him walking around with his hands on top of his head in defeat. Something bad had happened or he finally let reality hit him. 

“I don’t think that’s the right technique to fix her Dean,” you said carrying the bags in your hands.

“Yeah, well, it’s better than the alternative.”

“Which is?”

“Nothing,” he sighed. “Forget it. You got food?”

“Extra bacon and pickles right?” You asked while holding up the greased stained bag although you knew the answer. 

“Extra onion?”

“Hell no. You stink enough right now without it.”

He grabbed the bag from your hand and led the way into the house. Sam was sitting on the couch still stuck in a book while Bobby sat dozing off at his chair.

“Grub is here,” you called out, snapping their attention to you. “Burgers, fries, and even pie for after.”

Dean was already elbows deep into the bag pulling out the contents when the other two finally got up from their spots. It only took a moment of muttered ‘thank you’s’ after they grabbed their food that they all went right back to their same spots.

“You’re welcome,” you whispered in annoyance. 

After eating you made your way out to the garage to work on your car. The a/c seemed to work now, but while you were here you figured you might as well give her an oil change and that to keep her pristine. You were just about to get up from pulling the drain plug when you heard Dean whistle before chuckling to himself.

“Y/N under the hood. Now there’s a sight I never thought I would see.”

You wiggled your way out and gave him a hard glare and a flip of the finger as you sat up in your spot.

“Bite me.”

He laughed at your childish comeback as he rummaged through the tool box. It was nearing dark where he should have stopped, but you could see he was just trying to distract himself from his thoughts. Your curiosity wanted more answers and getting to him was probably your best shot. Problem was that he was too damn stubborn to say more. He went to leave after picking up a wrench when an idea came to you.

“Hey Dean,” you called out while standing up.

“Yeah?” He turned towards you.

“After I’m done here, how about we get out of here for a bite and get a drink? You know for old times sake.” 

You could see the hesitation in his eyes, before he gave you a nod that he was at least willing to have a drink with you. That was at least a start. Now the challenge was how many drinks does it take to make a Winchester spill their secrets?

After finishing up and cleaning yourself up you found Dean still outside, now maneuvering with the dim light of the moon and stars.

“Ya ready for that drink?” You asked as you approached.

“Just finishing up,” he stated without any enthusiasm.

You pushed your hand on top of his as he went to sand down the finish, stopping him to make him look at you.

“Come on Dean,” you stated. “She’ll be here in the morning. Go clean up a bit and let's relax for a second.”

He let out a low growl in defeat as he laid down the pad and went into the house. Dean Winchester sure was a stubborn man, but it seemed that you still had one Ace up your sleeve; he couldn’t say no to you.

After allowing Dean to drive, which took a lot of will power on your end to agree to, the two of you made it to the closet bar.

“Hey Y/N!” You heard your name being called. “The usual?”

“Make it two,” you smiled at the bartender Tony who had been serving you since you printed out your first fake ID.

The two of you sat off to the side. Dean almost immediately drinking all of his whiskey before you could take a sip. 

“Jesus man,” you teased. “Let a girl catch up!”

He gave a slight chuckle as he shook his head.

“Oh darlin, I don’t think you could ever catch up to me.”

That was your opening to get to him, so you played the part of being annoyed. 

“Want to bet on that one?” You challenged.

“If you feel like losing,” he laughed a little more.

“Drink for drink,” you stated back with confidence. “First one to tap out, get sick, or pass out has to do whatever the other person tells them to until the sun comes up.”

“You’re really that confident huh?” He shook his head again. “Fine. Agreed. It’s your funeral.”

You took the drink and shot it back in a gulp earning a chuckle from Dean. You wiped your mouth and gave him a wink. 

“Oh baby, you ain’t seen nothin yet.”

After a pitcher and a dozen shot glasses in front of you, he was just starting to open up. 

“I think the bartender has a thing for you,” Dean said while pouring himself another beer from the new pitcher after Tony sat it down. 

“Why would you say that?”

“He keeps looking over here,” his eyes moving towards Tony’s direction.

“Yeah, I’m not the one he’s looking at,” you stated with a smile. “I’m far from his type.”

“Why would you say that? You’re hot,” Dean exclaimed. “I mean, if you like the whole tough and stubborn girl act you got going on.”

“Well, I’m missing a couple things he likes,” you laughed. “Broad shoulders. Big hands. The extra appendage between my legs.”

Dean has almost choked on his drink as you let the last part pop off your lips. He started chuckling to himself while nodding his head.

“Yeah, guess you’re not his type.”

“Nope, but tell me about this whole ‘you’re hot’ thing you just blurted out,” you winked while taking a sip.

Dean’s face had started to flush. Probably a little bit of embarrassment but most likely because of all the alcohol finally hitting him. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a familiar voice behind you. 

“You’re busy huh? Yeah I see with what,” Josh snarked, already way past hammered to arrive at the bar.

Before you could talk Dean had turned his head and cocked up his eyebrow towards him. 

“You have a problem with old friends having a drink there buddy?” He stated before taking another sip.

“I do when it’s you,” Josh seethed.

“And who might you be?”

“Dean, you remember Josh from high school. You know the one you embarrassed in front of his friends when we were teenagers for talking out of his ass like usual,” you commented. “Seriously Josh, get out of here before I embarrass you.”

“Fuck you bitch.”

“What did you call her?” Dean stood up quick, scrapping the chair legs on the floor.

“And fuck you too bitch,” Josh stated with his head held high to Dean, challenging him.

Before Dean could even move you had already cocked back your arm and hit Josh in the face so hard that he knocked back into the wall. Tony was already at your side but was only quick enough to grab him before he hit the floor.

“Better get out of here Y/N before the sheriff comes looking for you,” Tony said as he pulled Josh out to the back. “I’ll cover for you what I can. I saw self defense.”

“Thanks Tony,” you replied as you laid down a handful of $20’s on the counter. “Come on Dean. Let’s go.” 

Dean looked at you puzzled but followed your lead after downing the rest of his drink. When you reached your car you felt his hand on your wrist, stopping you to say something.

“What the hell was all of that for?”

“A mistake I’ve made more than once,” you answered. “That’s all.” 

“Seriously? With that douche?” 

“The sex was good,” you blurted with sass. “Him being an asshole made it easier not to give two shits about anything more.”

“That’s what you’ve been doing all these years? Hooking up with assholes?”

“What else? Find someone I care about that’s too chicken to stand up for himself? Someone I have given up everything for?” You blurted back, hitting him with the knife that was in your heart all these years.

“What the hell are you talking about?” He asked in confusion. 

You just shook your head with a scoff and a quick laugh as you thought about your impending doom all because you were a stupid teenager in love. Most ironic part is he didn’t even know.

“Nothing,” you sighed out. “Let’s get going before the sheriff comes alright? I’m already on her bad list.”

The car ride was quiet except for the old Zepplin tape that was playing in the background. When you got back to Bobby’s you found that he was already passed out at his desk per usual and Sam was asleep upstairs.

You grabbed the remains of the bottle on the desk and took it with you as you walked back outside to the night air to the garage. It was well after midnight now. Happy birthday to you. One year left. 

Swinging away at it, you sat yourself on the bench, thinking about how your chance to get out of your deal with taking down Azazel was probably ruined now that Dean knew what type of person you have become.

“You know drinking alone isn’t always that fun,” Dean said as he walked in, carrying another bottle in his hands. “I do believe that we had a bet.”

“Let’s call it a tie,” you said before drinking more down in a thirsty gulp.

“Since when do you give up so easily?” He smirked. “I remember a girl who was so stubborn and brave that she put John Winchester in his place.”

“And look how well that one turned out,” you shook your head while staring at the ground.

“You know, there was always something I never quite understood,” Dean stated as he sat next to you. “What happened that day that Bobby threatened to kill him? I mean, you were with him. Did he…”

“He didn’t do anything,” you stated firmly. “I was an idiot and put myself into some trouble. He just happened to be there.”

“So what was it?”

You let out a deep breath, contemplating telling him what had happened, but now that his dad was gone you didn’t know how he would react. You didn’t know what he would even think of the fact that you were going to die because of him.

“Doesn’t matter,” you replied. “Can’t change the past.”

“True,”Dean nodded before taking another sip. “Wish I could.”

“Don’t we all.”

“So why did you really get into hunting? You were smart as hell, you could have done something else. Something less dangerous like bungee jumping.”

His comment made you snicker with the comparison of fighting monsters less dangerous than jumping off of high places. 

“It became what I know, what my family does. Yeah it’s risky, but the rewards of helping someone isn't too bad to live with,” you replied. “What about you? Ever think to give it up now that it isn’t expected of you? Maybe settle down or something?”

“Maybe, but I guess I’m like you too where it’s what I know. It’s what I’m good at.”

“You’re good at other things too.”

“Like what?”

“Well, I’ve watched you working on Baby. You’re not too bad at it. Probably could open your own shop or something,” you shrugged. “Or maybe become a legit detective to solve mysteries. Having legal access to files and a paycheck wouldn’t be a bad thing.” 

“God, I’d have to have to be normal and stop scamming credit cards and hustling pool,” Dean laughed. “Give up all the fun for responsibility.”

“Not all the fun. You could still chase down the bad guys and get the adrenaline rushing. High speed chases, frisky women.”

“Names Winchester, Dean Winchester,” Dean replied in a horrible James Bond accent.

“Anyways,” you chuckled. “Tell me more of what’s going on. Bobby somewhat filled me in that Sam was at Stanford when your dad had gone missing and the two of you have been together since.”

“Yeah, I was doing a hunt alone and after not hearing anything for a while I wanted back up.”

“So what now? You two are going back at it or what?”

“Not sure,” He exhaled. “Kind of stuck at the moment. I know that he needs to go back. He was out and it was good for him, even if I want to be selfish and keep him around.” 

“I don’t think it’s selfish necessarily. I mean, you could go with him and at least have a home to go to after being on the road.”

“Maybe,” Dean’s eyes and voice trailed off in his response. “Remember the last time we were in here?”

“You mean like 6 hours ago?” You laughed, knowing damn well that night he was referring to. 

“Smartass,” he smirked. “No, I was teaching you to fight and Sam caught me kissing you.”

“Yeah, poor kid. Probably scarred him for life,” you chuckled while taking a drink.

“Ever think about that?”

You furrowed your eyebrows to him, wondering why he would bring that up after all these years. You didn’t want to tell him that you had worked hard to forget it, but never really couldn’t. The only thing that mustered out of you was a simple ‘why?’

“I don’t know. Maybe just reminiscing a bit,” he shrugged before taking another drink.

“Uh huh, I think you’re drunk there Winchester. You’re getting all sensitive and girly over there.”

“Shut up,” he laughed.

“Make me,” you challenged.

That was the only encouragement he needed to swiftly move his hands to ferociously tickle your sides making you squirm and giggle in your spot.

“Still ticklish I see,” he grinned while continuing. 

“Dean, stop it! I’m going to piss myself, you ass!”

That of course didn’t make him stop. He kept at it, now standing in front of you as you fell back into the table with tears from laughter streaming from your eyes.

“Dammit Dean, I’m going to kick your ass!” You gasped out in between giggles.

“I’d like to see you try,” he laughed as he slowed down to a stop.

He settled his hands on either side of you, pushing up his weight as he smiled down to you beat red face.

“Made ya shut up for a second,” his grin widening with pride.

“That’s because you're a damn cheater,” you retorted.

Your phone buzzed and dinged of an incoming message, making Dean push himself back so you could get up to retrieve it.

Happy birthday Y/N! Hope you’re doing well and not with some rando! Got a case for you. Ya busy? I need to buy you a drink or two to celebrate after. -Jo 

Jo Harvelle, one of your best friends that you met through Bobby had a case for you. That would have been a good thing, but you weren’t ready to leave unanswered questions just yet

Thanks. Might be a few days before I get out there. Working on something. Get another hunter on it just in case. We’ll get together soon. -Y/N

You finished typing and slapped your phone shut before setting it down on the table. You had noticed Dean was watching you the whole time while pretending he didn’t care. He obviously did though, where the shifting of his feet told you he was going to ask the question.

“So was that a guy or something?” He asked before nervously taking a sip from the bottle.

“Why would you think that?”

“What other type of texts do people get at 3 AM?”

“That’s very telling of you there Dean,” you laughed while jumping off the bench to stand. 

You made him wait anxiously as you slowly moved and stretched yourself out before giving him an answer.

“It was a new case by the way, not a hookup text,” you stated while grabbing the bottle from his hands and putting to your lips to take in a deep swallow.

“So you’ll be leaving huh?” Dean’s eyes darkened as he watched the liquid move down your throat. 

“Not right away,” you shrugged while handing him the bottle. “What about you? Leaving as soon as Baby is all fixed?”

Dean stayed silent, a battle of choices clearly happening within his thoughts.

“I mean, with what happened to your dad, I’m sure you’re going to go after that demon,” you pondered out loud, hoping he would take the bait. “I’m sure you have some plan or know how to track it.”

Dean stayed silent, now purposefully keeping his gaze away from yours. You waited a moment to say anything, but the silence was deafening. 

“Whatever,” You huffed out as you started to walk past him back to the house.

His hand gripped your arm tightly, making you stop to look up to him. His eyes were searching for something, but he just looked completely lost. 

“Y/N, I-“ he mumbled, still looking for the right words of whatever he was about to say.

“You know what? I think it’s getting late.” 

He nodded his head while lowering his hand off of you.

“Goodnight Dean.”

“Goodnight Y/N.”

You couldn’t find sleep though as you laid on your bed, trying to figure out how to crack him. He was good, but you were better at keeping secrets. He’d spill soon enough.

 Your phone had chimed again. Jo now curious as to what you were doing.

Are you on a case? Need back up? I’m sure I could sneak from my mom for a day or two. We will make it a girls trip! -Jo

 Poor Jo, stuck in the hunters world, but not allowed to join in on the fun. You’d thought about taking her along once or twice, but Ellen would murder you.

Nah, more like boy trouble. Blast from the past is back and he’s not giving any details on what brought him back. - Y/N

It’s not THE blast from the past is it? The one who you grew up with that you’re still goo goo for? :) -Jo

The very same. Still as gorgeous as ever. Still as frustrating too. -Y/N

Well then you obviously have to stay. Maybe you’ll get laid for once by someone that isn’t a complete Douchebag. -Jo

That one guy from Pittsburgh wasn’t bad.  -Y/N

Uh huh, what was his name? - Jo

Jo had you there. You couldn’t even argue it. No point in ever learning names. No point in ever telling her their names either. Dean included. It was better to leave it alone. Only after a drunken night did you spill how you almost lost your virginity to the only guy you ever cared about, only to have him leave forever and you losing it to some dickwad behind the bowling alley. 

Bite me Jo. I’m off to bed. I’ll leave tomorrow night to help you if things don’t move along here.  -Y/N

Good luck! -Jo

The morning sun had risen when you awoke to the sound of one of Bobby’s best up junkers leaving the property. Turning your head to the clock, it read 10 AM. Guess you really needed the sleep. Walking downstairs you saw Bobby staring out the window with a coffee in his hand just for you.

“Mornin,” you yawned as you grabbed it. 

“You had one hell of a night.”

Your brow cocked up as you took a small sip. 

“What do you mean?”

“You ain’t foolin me Y/N,” Bobby stayed firmly. “Sherif was already calling asking if you were still in town. Described you and Dean. I told her you were soundly sleeping with your bible next to your bed.”

“Great,” you mumbled before taking another sip. “Where is the dynamic duo anyways?”

“Headed towards Ellen’s ,” his words almost making you choke.

“What, why?”

“She left a message on John’s phone that she had a way to help,” Bobby stated with a shake of his head. “I hope they know what they’re getting into.”

“So they know about the roadhouse then?”

“No, but they will,” Bobby stated while walking away, stopping momentarily to look back to you. “By the way Y/N, watch what you do with Dean. That boy has been through enough already. I don’t know what he will do when he finds out that the clock is ticking.”

“Already handling it,” you rolled your eyes as you sat down the cup on the counter.

“Sure ya are,” you could hear the sarcasm dripping as he continued to walk away. “Just be careful and happy birthday.”

With the roll of your eyes you pulled out your phone, texting Jo that you were on your way. 

You hurried to gather up your things and get dressed. Bobby was sitting silently at his desk reading lore as you walked past him to the door.

“Where ya going off to now?” His question making you stop. “Thought we would at least have our family dinner tonight. I was making your favorite.”

“A case just came up,” was the only thing you offered.

“Just running off again then? Not going to stick around for a day or two?” 

“Bobby,” you sighed as you turned back around to the doorway to the living room. “I can’t stay cooped up here. You’re right, the clock is ticking. There’s still more out there that I have to do and I can’t be here if Dean and Sam are. You were right, I can’t get them attached.”

The lie you were spilling to him broke your heart a little as you saw the hurt in his eyes that you were leaving so soon. He wouldn’t approve of you following Sam and Dean. It had to be done.

“So you’re running away,” he shook his head. 

“What do you want me to say? I have 365 days left. There’s only one ending to this, we’ve looked.”

“Just give an old man tonight with ya,” his eyes pleading. “After that you can run off and do what you’d like.”

“Fine,” you sighed in defeat, feeling your heart break for him. He had been the only person in the world that you really considered to be family and you knew that was true for him as well. “Just tonight. And I hope you don’t burn the steaks this time.”

He smiled back with a wink in his eye as he moved to the kitchen, leaving you alone with a feeling of guilt. Whatever Ellen knew, you just prayed that it had something to do with helping them find the demon. To find your one shot of getting out of your demonic deal. 365 days left. It was now or never. 

~~~ So What do ya’ll think? ~~~~

Tags:   @snffbeebee​​ @waywardnerd67​​ @waywardbaby​​ @dean-winchesters-bacon​​ @jaylarkson​​ @ladywinchester1967​​ @wildefire​​ @i-hear-crazy-calling-my-name @hobby27​​ @iamabeautifulperson18​​ @19agbrown​​ @sonotalice​​ @drakelover78​​ @aloneanddesperate​​ @pisces-cutie​​ @biawol​​ @jamielea81​​ @fallininjapan​​ @justkending​

[quarterfromcanon]

27-29 for the get to know my favorites game

Hello, lovely! Thank you for these. :) Trios turned out to be a surprising challenge (I apparently have more favorite groups of four than three), but I’m pretty happy with the ones I remembered after giving it some thought. The final picks are under the cut! <3

Top 5 BROTPs

1. Paula Proctor & Rebecca Bunch (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) - Naturally, this was the immediate choice that sprang to mind. It’s the first relationship on the show I really fell in love with, and it’s the one friendship in the series that consistently tugs on my heartstrings. It’s flawed, complicated, and messy but the genuine connection underneath it all is strong enough that I’m hopeful they can work through their problems. I would’ve preferred to see more emphasis on that effort in the fourth season (and a lot more work on Rebecca’s friendships with Heather and Valencia as well), but I want to believe things improved between them after the finale. 

2. Steve Harrington & Robin Buckley (Stranger Things) - The general public opinion of Steve Harrington has been on such a journey since Season 1, bringing him now to a status of common fan favorite. As such, I think a delicate balance needed to be struck in finding a suitable match to team up with him on adventures. This person needed to:

A) Have good chemistry in their interactions with Steve

B) Bring a new dynamic to the table that he didn’t already have with an existing connection 

and most importantly 

C) Be a unique and engaging character that the audience would care about individually, so they didn’t get lost in simply being an offshoot of Steve’s story. They couldn’t be relegated to perpetual sidekick with little else to define them.

As far as I’m concerned, Robin Buckley fits the bill on every account. She’s artistic, resilient, loyal, and - especially endearing to me - a movie buff. She has a quick wit, a sharp mind, and a big heart. Being friends with Robin helps Steve take the specter of his high school self less seriously so he can put it behind him, and she helps him more fully embrace the person he’s becoming in the wake of that lost status. Having Steve for a friend helps Robin resolve some lingering emotional scars from school as well. It gives her an opportunity to share her authentic self with a peer and - to her relief and ours - find acceptance after revealing a pretty important secret. I can’t wait to watch the two of them be adorably nerdy and goofy bros at Family Video in Season 4, presumably with some daring fights against dark forces when they’re off the clock. Does saying I hope Kali comes to Hawkins somehow and bonds with one or both of them mean I can speak that into existence? I’m doing that now. It’s worth a try. If it happens in some capacity when the time comes, know that I will throw a One Blogger Party of epic proportions. 

3. Wynonna Earp & Nicole Haught (Wynonna Earp) - I had to use this specific screencap because it perfectly encapsulates the chaotic energy that makes me loves these two together so much. Their separate approaches to their shared work environment are at pretty much polar opposite ends of the spectrum, but they make a pretty solid team when they play to each other’s strengths and communicate. They also both love Waverly most of all, so it feels like they were bound to work out their differences eventually since neither would want to make her feel torn between her sister and her girlfriend. The hijinks they get up to in each other’s company are just top shelf. I look forward to at least a little bit of fun like that from every season. If I wind up having a lasting partner later on down the road, it’d be cool if their personality balanced well with my sister’s on this level. I’d also be really happy if I ultimately gelled with her person in a way that sounded unlikely at first but worked. Fingers crossed for both outcomes, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

4. Emily Thorne [Amanda Clarke] & Nolan Ross (Revenge) - I have two things to quickly clarify for those who are unfamiliar with this show.

#1 She has two listed names because she was born Amanda Clarke but goes by Emily Thorne for most of the series to hide her true identity. 

#2 Despite the impression this picture may give, Nolan is not marrying Emily; he is simply walking her down the aisle. 

These two are there for each other through so much - the looming threat of discovery, jail time, capture, near death experiences, heartbreak, the passing of loved ones, etc. - and they make it to the other side with a deep bond the likes of which they’ll never experience with another person. It is at times heavily one-sided because of how much drama Emily deliberately dives into, but it’s something that she tries to make up for during her more self-aware and less self-involved times. There’s genuine love and mutual respect there by the finale and it’s really gratifying to witness the journey they’ve taken together. 

[~Slightly spoiler-y closing statement after these brackets~] I was pretty sure I knew where the show was going with romantic ships by the end. I knew for certain it wasn’t my personal OTP for her because they’d already killed that person off quite some time ago. There was a part of me that could’ve found some contentment in leaving the story with these two as a couple. After all, one of my favorite ship dynamics is Reluctant Acquaintances to Best Friends to Lovers, but it was not to be. That being said, the platonic friendship they shared was a big part of the heart of the show and I cherish it for that. Nolan was a rare exception for Emily, a genuine bond formed in the years when she was tried to operate like her heart was made of stone. I also think working with Emily gave Nolan a sense of purpose and let him flourish in his area of expertise. I’m not sure how either of them would feel about the musical reference but, to slightly paraphrase from Wicked: because they knew each other, they have been changed for good.

5. Penelope Stamp & Bang Bang (The Brothers Bloom) - I have seen Rachel Weisz and Rinko Kikuchi in more roles since this movie than I had prior to watching it for the first time so, if anything, my fangirling over this friendship has gotten worse rather than more manageable. x) This post classified the film under the subgenre whimsical noir. It turns out that’s a style I instantly adore every time I stumble upon it. One of the titular brothers, Stephen, lives so deeply immersed in the variations of the world he writes for their heists that even those closest to him are essentially characters he can interact with on a daily basis. His feelings for them as people can get very muddled with his feelings for them as interesting OCs to move through narratives. A big trouble with this is that his living archetypes can often get reduced to clichés. He’s not always mindful of their nuances or allowing for the full range of their autonomy. Penelope is selected by Stephen to serve as the “manic pixie dream girl” who will be his brother Bloom’s forever love and Bang Bang is essentially presented as a “dragon lady” stereotype. I haven’t done a rewatch in years so I may be giving the movie too much credit here, but I remember this choice feeling at least semi-deliberate. It could be interpreted as a way to illustrate how Stephen warps real life to fit his vision. At least, I can definitely remember scenes that felt like they debunked the one-note assessments of these two. What I genuinely love, though, are the little moments when Penelope and Bang Bang are able to just spend time together with little to no interference from Stephen or Bloom. They share their hobbies and teach each other new skills. It feels like they truly perceive one another as whole human beings on a level that neither guy is capable of doing since they’re both so immersed in the drama of the plot. When the women are with each other, they get to be more than an extension of the men who maneuver them; they get to be themselves. Penelope is the only one Bang Bang clearly wants to maintain contact with once the heist is finished. I think that says a lot. Honestly, this is another BROTP that could slide to OTP. If someone wrote fic of them completely severing ties with the brothers and going off on their own - romantically or platonically - I wouldn’t be upset at all. 

Top 5 Trios

1. Luke, Leia, & Han (Star Wars Episodes IV - VI) - Oh dear, I’m overwhelmed just looking at a picture of them together. Star Wars has been a part of my life since childhood. Getting to watch the original trilogy felt like a rite of passage (when I was really little, Mom used to find things for us to do outside the room while Dad watched because she was afraid some of it might scare me). Princess Leia resounded with me on a level that almost no other fictional royalty has ever quite matched. Han’s wardrobe is still some serious #aestheticgoals and I would 100% wear replicas of his jackets and vests if I had them. I also remember thinking that Luke’s new look in Return of the Jedi was SO COOL with the all-black wardrobe and green lightsaber. Wow, imagine that, an edgy costume change that shared vibes with the common Disney villain color palette called to me as a baby fan of antagonists and antiheroes! Who ever could have foreseen that sudden spike in appreciation? :P Anyway, one of my lingering sorrows about the more recent trilogy is that we never got to see all three of them as aged adults in each other’s company. I still wanted our new cast to get their time to shine, of course, but I do lament the absence of at least one little trio reunion.

2. Luna, Neville, & Ginny (Harry Potter series) - The Silver Trio, pictured here with the first set of three that comes to mind when thinking about the books and movies. I do still love Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but I’ve found a growing appreciation for this other team-up over the years. They’ve been through a lot too, even if they are not always present where the main action is. Bullying, loss of parents, manipulation of the mind and body, abuse at the hands of authority figures - they’re all left with internal (and probably external) scars to bear. There’s also something to be said for how strong they all were in the school year set during Deathly Hallows, when the Golden Trio wasn’t around to inspire and unite those who wanted to stand up to ever-increasing tyranny. It can be easy, unfortunately, for them to get written off based on the oversimplified stereotypes that have gotten associated with them. People remember Luna as being weird and spacey, Neville as awkward and hapless, and Ginny as bland and lovestruck. They’re all far more nuanced than that, and they accomplish great things while fighting for and beside their friends. I’m planning on doing a re-read of the books at some point, and I really look forward to revisiting these brave kids.

3. Irma, Marion, & Miranda (Picnic at Hanging Rock) - Ah, yes, my very recently discovered darlings. I have many thoughts about them all. I’ll try to keep this as condensed as I can while still making sense. Some spoilers will follow, although those won’t answer every question the story poses. There are audience members who ship the above characters as a throuple, which I totally get, but for me it’s like soulmates of a different kind. These three have met at a point in their lives when they all burn with compatible intensity. They long for the same dream version of youth, for a way to begin life free from the confines of a world that won’t accept all their hearts contain. While the people that surround them may not be willing to bend the rules, nature itself appears to show them mercy. How often do we see a story of girls who just... love other women so much that a sacred location goes, “Y’know what? I’m gonna help you escape your restrictive society. Permanently.” This miniseries definitely depicts the setting as being involved in messing with the investigation, as a mystical place that befuddles unwanted intruders. I love the way these three fortify each other in times of pain and fear, and there’s something deeply moving about how standing side-by-side helps them defy the odds.

4. Sarah, Alison, & Cosima (Orphan Black) - Okay so, technically, when I picture our core team in this show, the net is a little wider. My mind tends to also include Felix, Mrs. S., Kira, Helena, Donnie, Delphine, and Scott. However, I think you could kinda argue that those characters have a stronger connection to one of the above three than they do to the other two. Thus, this ends up being the central triangle. They’re all such solid performances and the fact they’re all played by the same person is incredibly impressive (not to mention the, like, twelve other clones Tatiana brings to life throughout the series). Watching them go from tense strangers to sestras was wonderful. I’m glad they had each other through the increasingly complicated web of lies and schemes they had to unravel and survive. 

5. Galavant, Sid, & Isabella (Galavant) - Remember how James Marsden was in Enchanted? If you dialed down the deliberately cartoonish quality of that performance and allowed for more not-so-G-rated humor, I feel like you’d have a general sense of what Galavant is like as a character. Sid is his squire and Isabella is a princess whose mission happens to combine with Galavant’s, albeit fueled by different driving motivations. They find themselves involved in a lot of shenanigans because of Galavant - even in his own universe, he’s into the whole dashing knight thing more than is strictly necessary - but they make a fun little team to follow through the world of this musical television series. I’ve gotten fuzzy on the details since I watched it air live four years ago, but I remember the series being enough of a summer feel-good time that I’d be game to revisit the show again someday.

Top 5 Family Relationships

1. Stevie Budd & The Roses (Schitt’s Creek) - The whole fish-out-of-water setup for this series was already pretty fun in and of itself, especially given how outlandish their lifestyles evidently were before the show begins. The thing that makes it special, though, is how the absence of all their expensive distractions finally helps them prioritize being a family. The Roses do a lot of work to reconcile who they were with who they find themselves becoming in the present. It’s sweet to see them collectively conclude that growing closer to each other is one of the few things they do not regret in the slightest. They also silently agree to adopt Stevie along the way and, boy, does that give me a lot of Big Feelings, particularly in the later seasons.

2. River Song & The Ponds (Doctor Who) - I think it’s been like seven years or so, give or take, since I watched Doctor Who with any regularity. These three have resurfaced in my mind many times since then. They all love with such fierce and unwavering devotion, spanning lifetimes. It’s fascinating - and often heartbreaking - to learn about the things they’ve experienced and endured. Oh gosh, and once the show reveals how River’s story overlaps with theirs, and you pay attention to how she looks at them, IT HURTS but it’s so engaging to watch. The emotions are all flooding back just remembering them now. Argh, what great characters... </3

3. The Tico Sisters (Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi) - Rose appears in two installments of the third trilogy, but this is the episode that has both Tico daughters. We never get to see them interact onscreen in the film, but I still feel the bond between these sisters so intensely. I found out later that Kelly was present for the filming of Paige’s death scene (which happens so early in the movie that it doesn’t feel like a big spoiler - please forgive me if it is). I’m glad that was something they decided to do behind-the-scenes, because it definitely informs Rose’s grief. She’s sitting in the dark, picturing her big sister’s final moments with such horribly vivid detail that it feels like she was there, and yet she can’t do anything to change how it ends. The shape of the sisters’ necklaces immediately establishes that they were a unit even when acting independently, that they felt like two halves of a whole - all they had left of their family. Now there is only one, and that fact is a weight around Rose’s neck both figuratively and literally. It serves as a visual reminder of how she carries Paige’s absence always, trying to discover and embrace who she is on her own while still honoring the memory of a relative she loved so deeply. I think she reaches the end of Episode VIII feeling like she’s someone of whom her sister would be quite proud. I’m very proud of her, too. 

4. The Tyler Siblings (Wonderfalls) - Jaye is comically different than the rest of her family, and the show establishes that right out the gate when we learn that she’s the only one whose name doesn’t rhyme with the rest (left to right, the others are Karen, Sharon, Darrin, and Aaron, respectively). Her relationships with her parents could certainly lead me off on some analytical tangents but, predictably, it’s the sibling stuff that interests me more. I think it could be said that all three do more living inside their heads than they do out in the world, and that they’ve all grown up to be borderline loners (Ironically Jaye, who is considered the most troubled, is the only one I remember being shown to have formed and maintained a friendship). Aaron’s a very philosophical and analytical person, so you get the sense he talks to himself more than to others, although he still manages to resurface from those deep contemplations so he can goad and tease his sisters from time to time. Sharon is high-strung, competitive, and brings that “disaster lesbian” energy to basically every social interaction she has. Jaye’s standoffishness seems to stem from both the difficulty of fitting in with people and the fear that connections will fall apart once they manage to form at all. They’re all just messes trying to make the best out of the situations they face, and I appreciate that. I also enjoy how prominently the Jaye and Sharon sister bond features throughout the show’s only season. It starts out on pretty rocky ground, but they grow a lot in regard to how willing they are to communicate and express their love for one another. 

5. The Brothers Proctor (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) - The family dynamics in their house are in need of some serious work, without a doubt. I’m just really touched by how close these two have become without Paula’s notice. It’s possible they always were, in that we-fight-but-we-care way that siblings can often be, but the supportive side of that really moves to the forefront as they get older in the series and it warms my heart. There’s such a glaring difference between The Household As Paula Views It and Things That Are Happening While She’s Not Paying Attention. I can’t help using fic as a way to explore that. I happily find excuses for her sons to make pop-in appearances, just to check up on them. I'm so pleased that, as of Season 4, they seem to have become fairly well-adjusted in spite of everything. Oh, and I am still not over the revelation that they attend renaissance festivals together, in character, for fun. What precious cuties who would no doubt dislike me referring to them as such! Paula, please give them an extra hug from me! 

[pinkmonsimblr]

🌹 Founders CAS Challenge by @volcano-pasta​

Rules: Post all of your founders together to compare and contrast them! Share some details to see how similar or different they are. This can be done in CAS, or you can jump in-game, or you can share old screenshots!

Thank you to @kvpcvke for tagging me~! This was so fun. 

I tag @nooblet-sims if you haven’t already done this. 😄

Read about my founders under the cut~! 💖

🌞 Sunny Parker

Sunny was the founder of my 100 Baby Challenge. I made her 1 and a half years ago (wow, crazy to think about!) As you can see, I didn’t have Reshade in my game yet. I used to use “clayifed alpha hairs” a lot back then but now I only use MM hairs. I purposely gave Sunny the stereotypical “hot blonde bimbo” look (huge boobs, huge butt, tiny waist, tan skin, blonde hair, blue eyes).

Bio: Sunny had the Serial Romantic Aspiration and the Romantic, Alluring, Noncommittal, and Creative traits. Her reason for being a 100 Baby Founder were really just that she liked woohooing with as many men as possible and as soon as she woohooed one, she was bored with him and wanted to move on to the next, which of course resulted in many babies (14 to be exact).

Aside from her love life, Sunny was actually a great mother who loved her kids and worked hard to support them. Her passion was writing and she became a very successful children’s book author with her series “Sunny Bunny.” 

She completed her Aspiration. She ended up with the following reward traits: Player, Fertile, Great Kisser, Beguiling, Always Welcome.

She only ever really loved 1 man named Connor Pearce (a Sim made by herbalteasims (deactivated) for my first Baby Daddy Contest). He was her daughter’s brother-in-law, which made it messy. They had a one night stand while her daughter and his brother were on their honeymoon, which resulted in a daughter, Holly, who became the Generation 2 heir.

Sunny and Connor had a brief and secretive relationship many years after their initial fling, but they agreed to end it because of how complicated it would be to tell their families. 

I’m still playing this challenge (it’s my sole Tumblr series) and the reason it’s taking longer than an average 100 Baby Challenge is I’m playing with modified rules (I don’t age up the kids early for reaching certain criteria so they live full “Normal” lifespans). I’m currently on Generation 5 and the 60 babies mark.

🛸 Peppa Mint Berry

Peppa was my Not So Berry Challenge founder, the Mint Generation of course. I originally decided to play that challenge with natural hair colors and just the clothes and house matching each generation’s color theme, but later I ended up changing her hair to mint. I created her a year and a half ago, around the same time as Sunny. While creating her, I imagined her mom was of Irish descent and her dad of Indian descent.

Bio: Peppa Mint Berry had the Chief of Mischief Aspiration and the Vegetarian, Jealous, Materialistic, and Dastardly traits as the NSB rules dictate. She was a Scientist and mother of 4 who honestly lived a crazy life.

Peppa had an affair with a married man, Bjorn Bjergsen, which resulted in her first child, Rosalie, who became the Rose Generation heir.

She later married Akira Kibo and had a son with him named Damon. Akira was a total cheater. He had several affairs, including one with Peppa’s best friend, Jade Rosa. He got Jade pregnant with a son around the same time Peppa was pregnant with Damon.

Akira carried on a secret life with Jade and their son for years, even bringing Damon with him for playdates with his secret son. Peppa used her lab to determine that Jade’s son was Akira’s after having some suspicions. They got divorced and Akira went on to marry Jade (which also ended in divorce.) A whole mess.

Peppa also got abducted by aliens many times throughout her life. She ended up getting pregnant with alien twin boys, Jupiter and Saturn.

I’m still playing this challenge on my Youtube channel, Pinkmon. I’m currently on the Generation 3 (Yellow).

🤎 Eva Stone/Eggleston

Eva is the founder of my Eevee Legacy Challenge. I made to basically be a human version of the Pokemon, Eevee. I made her a few months after Peppa, so still about a year and a half ago. I had Reshade in my game at this point.

Bio: Eva Stone has the Big Happy Family Aspiration and the Domestic, Cheerful, Foodie, and Family-Oriented traits, which are required by the challenge rules. She is a chef and her passion is food. She loves cooking, gourmet cooking, and baking. She also has a lovely pet named Eevee (a fox/dog/Pokemon thing, lol).

Eva is the most social of any Sim I’ve ever had. She has an entire friend group that she spends lots of time with and they’ve all sort of grown up together through the years. It’s heartwarming to me.

She dated Salim Benali for years and thought he might be the one but when he proposed to her, her gut told her to say no. I was totally not planning or expecting it, but I kind of just go with whatever happens as I play this challenge so I trusted her judgement.

Eva later met Mark Eggleston who she fell in love with super fast. She always had the dream of meeting her true love and having a perfect storybook romance, however Mark was married to a girl he got pregnant in a one night stand. As guilty as they both felt towards his wife, Gracie, they couldn’t deny their feelings.

Mark divorced Gracie before she gave birth to their daughter, Autumn. It was awkward and difficult at first, but Eva and Gracie have become friends and bonded over their love for Autumn.

Mark and Eva Eggleston got married and had two sets of twins, Marina and Adrian first, then Isla and Caspian (all water themed names for the next generation, Vaporeon). Mark now works as a freelance writer and stay at home dad while Eva continues to work as a chef. They plan to adopt a child later in life.

I’m currently still playing this challenge on my Youtube channel, Pinkmon. I’m still on the first generation but I feel like I’m picking up speed on it so the next 8 generations should move more quickly.